January 30, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: Third Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-26

“But what is meant by keeping it holy?” “Nothing else than to be occupied with holy words, works, and life.” (Large Catechism I 87)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The first holy day was the seventh day of creation. “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3). It was a holy day not because it was more special than the days that had preceded it. In fact, each of the first six days could be considered more special because of God’s wonderful creations on each day. The seventh day was distinct not because of the work God accomplished, but because of the Word He spoke. His blessing blessed His day of rest.

Whether it’s a day of rest or a day of work, a day is holy because it “is a day the Lord has made” (Psalm 118:24) and a day in which God speaks and blesses. The government or other earthly institutions may declare some days to be holidays, but a true holiday (holy day) is the one that is made holy by God’s Word, whether the world recognizes it or not.

God makes a day a holy day, but we are commanded to keep it holy. The Large Catechism gives three ways that we keep the day holy.

First, we should be occupied with holy words. This begins with God’s Word. A day of rest isn’t purely to pursue leisure, but to clear room to attend the Divine Service, where God speaks publicly through the ministry of the church. And having received God’s holy Word, we then speak holy words. First in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God for His great works. For when we rest, God goes to work in us to make us holy by His Word. And having been sanctified, we commit to sanctified speech with one another.

Second, we should be occupied with holy works. Holy works are not distinct from other works because of their quality, but because they are works performed by holy people. God sanctifies us by His Word, which also extends to our works. Yes, we still sin on account of the weakness of our flesh, but God continues to sanctify us and the things that we do by His mercy, forgiveness, and the gifts of His grace.

Finally, we should be occupied with a holy life. Holy words and works should not be sequestered to the time of worship—the holiness of God, which He imparts to us, should pervade our lives. We should be occupied by holy words and works every day. Thus, every day becomes a Sabbath Day made holy by God’s Word and blessing.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“You shall observe the worship day That peace may fill your home, and pray, And put aside the work you do, So that God may work in you.”Have mercy, Lord! (LSB 581:4)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 29, 2026

Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18

“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” (2 Peter 1:19a)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The Transfiguration of our Lord was certainly a spectacle. Literally, it was something that Peter, James, and John saw with their own eyes. Peter confirms this: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). And not only did they see with their own eyes, they also heard with their own ears: “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:17–18).

But only three people saw the spectacle of the divine majesty on the holy mountain and heard the voice borne from heaven. If God really wants the world to believe in Him and be saved, wouldn’t it make sense to show that majesty to everyone, to speak from heaven so that the whole world could hear? Why not let everyone see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears?

The irony is that, should God reveal His majestic glory and speak from heaven, it would not be for our good. Remember that Peter, James, and John fell down like dead men and were clueless at the time as to what the revelation meant. Further, God does not want to be known as blinding glory and a disembodied voice. He wants to be known in the flesh because He does not save the world by showing His glory; He saves the world by suffering death on a cross.

So, “we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-20). The light of Scripture isn’t the blinding majestic glory, but the Christ, crucified and risen as the morning star before the dawn of a new creation.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God’s Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever; To spread its light from age to age Shall be our chief endeavor. Through life it guides our way, In death it is our stay. Lord, grant, while worlds endure, We keep its teachings pure Throughout all generations. (LSB 581:1)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

January 28, 2026

Today's Reading: Exodus 34:29-35 or Exodus 3:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 6:1-7:14; Romans 16:17-27

“Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” (Exodus 34:29)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In the Transfiguration of our Lord, we see the communication, or the delivery, of the divine majesty to the human nature of Jesus. This means that things that are normally only true of God are also true of the human being Jesus Christ. Normally, human flesh and blood does not shine with uncreated light as bright as the sun. But the human flesh of Jesus shines with the light of divine glory. This is not because of any quality of the human nature, but because in the union of God and man in the person of Jesus, the divine nature lends its light to the human.

But that’s Jesus. The God-man. The one and only Son of God who assumed human nature in the unity of person. The one in whom the whole fullness of Deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). No other human being who has ever walked this earth has been personally united with one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. But the fact that the Son of God has communicated His divine glory to the human flesh and blood He assumed in His person opens the possibility for other flesh-and-blood humans to receive the Gifts of divine majesty.

And Moses shows that it does, in fact, happen. After conversing with God and writing the commands of God on a replacement set of stone tables, he comes back down the mountain. “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” Normally, human flesh does not shine with light. But Moses’ skin shone. While Scripture does not say that its brilliance was like the sun (as was the Transfiguration of Jesus), they still had to put a veil over his face (Exodus 34:33).

If Jesus’ face shone like the sun with its own divine light, then the face of Moses shone like the moon, reflecting the glory of God. And do not miss the cause: “because he had been talking with God.” Moses’ face shines with borrowed light communicated to him by the Word of God.

You, too, shine with a certain borrowed light when you hear the Word of God and keep it. St. Paul urges you to be “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:15b–16a). This light is God’s by nature, but yours by grace. Follow Jesus and you will not walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life (John 8:12).

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Renew me, O eternal Light, And let my heart and soul be bright, Illumined with the light of grace That issues from Your holy face. (LSB 704:1)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.