Devotional, Pentecost 15
September 6, 2026
Like a Child of God in the Kingdom of Christ
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to Him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-20, in part.
This is our text.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The truth that Jesus gives us in this reading flows from His response to the disciples’ misguided question in verse one. They ask,
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
And within this misguided question are other hidden questions about obtaining greatness for ourselves, and about who in the Kingdom should be acknowledged, and perhaps who may be ignored.
In response, Jesus calls a child over and sets us all straight.
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
The unifying truth of what Jesus is saying is that this child represents neediness and humility. Utter dependence upon God for all things. Unreserved trust in Jesus Christ for truth and salvation. A kingdom child is teachable, not self-sufficient, and definitely not one who is seeking worldly power and seats of honor.
This discourse by Jesus once again turns the wisdom of the world on its head and redefines what it is to be great under the reign of Christ. The last are first and the first, last. We are all the little children of our Heavenly Father, and we are all completely dependent upon Him for all good things. Becoming like a child is becoming aware of this truth. As James chapter one teaches,
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (verses 16-17).
Moreover, our Gospel reading from Matthew also calls us not only to remember that we are all grace-dependent children of God, but also that we are called to pay attention to the neediest, and many times, the newest among us.
As brothers and sisters of Heavenly Father’s kingdom, we prioritize receiving the vulnerable and struggling as if we were receiving Christ Himself, for He identifies intimately with the least of these. We are called to pray for, to serve, to love and pay the most attention to those of our little brothers and sisters who are in spiritual trouble. To not bring temptation and sin into their lives, but to bring to them the comfort of Christ’s Gospel.
Sometimes we may think that we are going to become spiritually mature solely by our own rigorous, religious efforts, that one day we will be able to stand on our own spiritual merit, independent. No. Christian maturity is not marked by independence but by dependence upon God, a growing awareness of how much we need, every moment of every day, the grace and mercy and wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And being a child in the kingdom means that we have a dear Father. We are grateful that Jesus has revealed the heart of the Father more clearly in the New Testament. Roughly speaking, God is referred to in the Old Testament as Father about 15 to 20 times. In the New Testament, God is referred to as Father about 240 times. This greater emphasis in Christ that God is our Father is key to our identity as beloved children of God in the Kingdom of Heaven.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Romans 8:14-17
Jesus in His incarnation led the way. He became a helpless little one in His own fallen creation in order to be our Redeemer. He, although fully God, humbled Himself, and submitted perfectly to do the will of His Father, so that we can also call the Father, our Father.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Weekly Devotional, Pentecost 14
August 30, 2026
Lose Your Earthly Mind to Find Your right Mind in Christ
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 16:21-28, in part).
This is our text.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
So many of the Christian truths are paradoxes. They may not make sense at first, at least not from our human perspective, but as we continue to follow Christ, we come to find deeper Christological truths in the parables and paradoxes of Jesus. He teaches one of these in our Gospel reading this week from Matthew 16:
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
As followers of Jesus, we lose to find, and we die to live. The last are first, and the first are last. The poor in spirit inherit the kingdom of God, and the meek inherit the earth. God lifts up the humble, and humbles the self-exalted. The servants are the greatest in God's kingdom, and God's power is made perfect in weakness. And true freedom is found in having Jesus as our Lord and Master.
In a world that runs on merit and the success of self-effort, it may be difficult to understand the truth of grace. We stand on the merit of Jesus, not on our own. We are saved by grace, by the gift of faith, apart from works of the law, that we may never boast in ourselves, but only in the Lord. But paradoxically, although we are not saved by works, where faith in Christ is, good works are always present.
As our Romans reading says... Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12...
This is not a list of things to do in order to be justified before God. The entire book of Romans is all about salvation by grace through faith. Rather, this is a description of what the Bride of Christ (the Church) looks like in action when Christ has gotten a hold of us, and has applied to us His finished work of redemption. These are the fruits of faith and love in Christ, for God’s glory.
The greatest paradox of Scripture is Christ Himself, who is both fully God and fully man. Jesus, Yahweh in the flesh, who had legions of angels at His beck and call, voluntarily emptied Himself of His heavenly rights and became a helpless baby, still and quiet in the womb of Mary for 9 months, and mostly unseen to the world for His first 30 years. The Eternal One, through whom all things were created, deigned to wash His disciples’ dirty feet, and taught them to not lord their authority over anyone, but to serve them. The One with all authority in heaven and on earth came lowly and humble of heart inviting all to come to Him and find true rest. And then He allowed Himself to be arrested, abused and nailed to a cross, pierced for our transgressions. On the cross, we see LOVE manifest in its most exquisite display ever. God’s power in weakness, forgiving His murderers, and surprisingly bringing forth eternal beauty for us from the ash heaps of our sin. Although it doesn’t make sense to the world, Christ’s grace wins. In Him our sins are fully atoned for. And somehow, His precious crimson blood washes us clean, white as snow. And because of Him, we let go of the old. We set our minds on the things of heaven, and we take up our cross and follow Him.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sermon: Pentecost 13
August 23, 2026
Listen, Hear and Confess Christ
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-20, in part)
This is our text.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Active listening is a great skill. It’s actually a Christlike skill. It is the opposite of self-centeredness. You look at the person talking, you ask genuine questions, and you really hear what they are saying. When done right, it employs both the physical senses, and the spiritual senses of faith and prayer, too. And of course, the environment that we are in matters. Sometimes it helps to find a quiet place.
But Jesus in our reading takes His disciples to a very interesting and unexpected environment for this pivotal moment in the Gospel of Matthew - the confession of Peter. Jesus leads His disciples to the outskirts of Caesarea Philippi, first to listen to them, and then to have them listen and hear the voice of God.
Caesarea Philippi is 25 miles northeast of the sea of Galilee at the foot of Mount Hermon, a rocky area surrounded by lush green, near the entrance of a cave that had water flowing from it. The cave entrance was called by the locals the “Gates of Hades.” For devout Jews this location would have been an unclean place, to say the least. It was dedicated to the god of Pan (half man and half goat). There would have been shrines and niches carved out of the rock for all kinds of pagan worship, and many of the rituals would have been debauched by acts of immorality. To the pagan mind, the cave entrance was the entrance to the underworld. The literal door to death and hell. It is in this setting - the setting that denies the one, true and living God - that Peter listens, hears, believes and confesses His faith in Jesus. And it is upon this confession of faith that Christ will establish His church.
Jesus wisely begins by asking a question and then by listening to their responses. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Good question. Who do people say that Jesus is right now in our time and place? If people are saying anything at all, they are saying that He was perhaps a good, moral teacher among many. Others have said that He was just a myth.
What we believe about God - as revealed in Jesus Christ - affects how we live. If we believe that God is like a watchmaker, that He made the watch, wound it up, and then walked away; that He made the world, and is now distant and uninvolved, then why pray? Why follow Jesus at all? Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” There it is! That is truth. God revealed this grace to Peter. God is living and active and He sent His Son into the world to redeem us eternally.
Jesus asks us the same question: “But who do you say that I AM? And we listen, and our Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit, right in the middle of all the noise of this fallen world, speaks into us that Jesus is the Christ - our Savior - our Redeemer - the eternal Son of the living God. This is our confession of faith. No matter how weak we think it is, it is valid.
And then Jesus tells us, just as He told Peter, that it is upon this rock, this testimony of faith in Christ, that we are blessed; that it is upon this truth that Christ builds His church - you and me together, united by faith to Christ, in one Baptism, and thereby in communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one faith in the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus takes His disciples 25 miles on foot to stand by this rocky cave entrance, considered the entrance of hell, amid all the pagan idols, all the noise and lies of the world, to really listen and to hear God’s voice and to establish His church on the testimony of our faith in Jesus and His Gospel, to drive home the point that Jesus has overthrown hell and death for us.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Weekly Devotional, Pentecost 12
August 16, 2026
Looking at Jesus' Words through the Lens of the Cross
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
And [Jesus] answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” (full Gospel reading is Matthew 15:21-28)
This is our text.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I recently heard a Lutheran pastor tell of a woman who came up to him after a service in which this same passage was read, and she told him that this verse had offended her, and that it was because of this Scripture that she had quit coming to church in the first place. Taken in isolation, this saying of Jesus may seem harsh, but I have often found that the most challenging passages can be the ones with the most to teach.
Many have tried to apologize for what Jesus said. They say that the term in Greek doesn’t really mean “dog.” Rather, it implies a term of endearment that refers more to a cute puppy. And others have said that Jesus was merely testing her faith. But these apologies don’t really hold water given the original Greek and the context.
So, what are the facts? Jesus and His disciples have left the Jewish region of Galilee, and have walked 11-12 hours into the non-Jewish territory of Tyre and Sidon.
We also know that the woman is Canaanite (Mark’s account clarifies that she is Syrophoenician). In any case, she is not Jewish. Yet she is calling out to Jesus, to the great annoyance of His disciples, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” Our reading also shows us that the disciples of Jesus are literally begging for Jesus to send her away. But He does NOT send her away. In fact, Jesus, in complete control, seems to be heightening the drama of the situation on purpose in front of the disciples in order to show them and us that the order of things is beginning to change. Many of the Jews had come to forget that even though they were the first covenantal people of God, the promise of God (fulfilled in Christ) had always been that through them God would bless ALL nations (Genesis 12:1-3).
This account with the Gentile woman of faith is the beginning of the breaking forth of the new order of things, that the Good News of Jesus Christ is for all people. And in the seeming harshness of His words to this faithful daughter of God, He gets His disciples’ attention, and ours, too. This woman knows who Jesus is and already has faith in Him. She knows that He is the only One who can free her beloved daughter from this demonic oppression. She calls Him “LORD,” and “Son of David.” Hence, she knows that not only is He is the true Messiah, but also that He is her Messiah. Additionally, Jesus knows this woman. He knows how she will respond. So, in His graciousness, He allows her to teach us in Scripture all these 2,000 years later. Let’s look again at the exchange.
The woman pleads for mercy and help. Jesus responds, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” [Jesus here confirms God’s initial order of things... to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1).
Yet, undeterred in her faith, she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” [Here Jesus gets our attention and reflects the common attitude of many of the Jews at the time]. She doesn’t take offense. She doesn’t change what Jesus says. She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman [not dog, but O woman], great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. In a time and place that women were seen in a dim light, if even seen at all, Jesus saw her and let her response show us what true faith looks like.
From a human perspective, many might say that she had the right to be offended, to be angry and defend herself. Yet, she doesn’t do this. She doesn’t alter what Jesus says... She adds something to it - the assurance by the Holy Spirit that her Master is not only loving, but eternal LOVE itself. She doesn’t stand up for herself, rather, she appeals to His goodness. Our perception of God affects our perception of His answer. In fact, our perception of God affects our relationship with everyone. By faith, the Canaanite woman trusts that whatever Jesus is saying and doing, He must be acting out of love, and for a deeper and eternal purpose. Jesus says in Matthew 11, “And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.”
This Canaanite woman is bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in patience and sacrificial love (for her daughter). And she reflects the truth of Proverbs 19:11, which says,
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is [our] glory to overlook an offense, Proverbs 19:11.
This story may even challenge us personally, “Are we too easily offended?”
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should not only be quick to forgive each other, but to also put ourselves in each other’s shoes, and to assume in each other the best of intentions, understanding that we are all flesh, that we all fall short, and that we all need our Savior Jesus Christ. In this passage we hear that the Gospel of Christ is for the whole world, that we are all lost without Him. When we read this story through the suffering and atonement of Jesus, its meaning takes on new light.
Jesus has been called every name in the book. His good works of healing and liberation were called works of the devil by His opponents. He was unjustly arrested and mocked. And although He is the only One who never deserved any of it, He endured it without defending Himself and looked to the Love of the Father who would not abandon Him, but would raise Him from the dead.
So, Jesus shatters the assumptions of the disciples and allows the woman’s response to teach them and us that the Gospel is expanding outward, breaking forth to the ends of the earth, that the Good News and blessings of Jesus and His redemption are for all of us. Jesus healed the woman’s daughter, but even more profoundly, He carried her sins (and ours too) to the cross. Such is the goodness and kindness of God.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost,
Weekly Devotional, Matthew 14:22-33
August 9, 2026
I AM with You; Stay in the Boat
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
This is our text.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Many times in Scripture, the sea is an image of chaos and disorder.
For example, in Psalm 65, we see the raging seas connected to the tumult of God’s people. But then God speaks and brings peace and order to the chaos.
[God is the one who] who by His strength... stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult [our mayhem] of the peoples. (Psalm 65:6–7, in part).
Jesus in John 16 promises that in this world we will have to endure the chaos of life’s stormy conditions, but that we can take courage because Jesus has overcome the world.
Indeed, Jesus treads upon our chaos, grabs us by the hand when we are sinking, keeps our heads above water, gets us back into the boat (the church) so that we can be with each other and keep our eyes focused on the One who calms the winds and the waves.
When Jesus spoke to His disciples and said, “Take heart; it is I,” the It is I in Greek (EGO EIMI) means I AM, which is the very name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus chapter 3.
Jesus is saying to His disciples (and to us) in the midst of the storm, “Take heart; I AM.” In other words, “Take courage, It’s Me, God. Don’t be afraid, I AM with you through all the storms of life. I have drowned all your sins in the sea of grace, and have overcome death with My eternal life.
And now may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Larry
The Free Gift of God’s Transformative Nutrition
Devotional from Pastor Larry
Our Old Testament reading for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (August 2, 2026) curiously says,
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)
This invitation reminds us of Christ’s own words to the woman at the well: “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14).
Scripture shines light on Scripture and teaches us that these are Gospel invitations from our Lord. Water, wine and milk represent God’s good and abundant gifts of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. Grace upon grace in Christ. Indeed, there are sacramental implications here, too. In these words, we think of the cleansing waters of our Baptisms. And in the wine, we consider the Lord’s Supper, and the precious blood of Christ shed for us for the forgiveness of all our sins. As our Isaiah passage continues, we learn that consuming God’s spiritual food is connected with hearing God’s Word, listening to Him...
Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live... (Is 55:2–3).
The lifegiving water, the joy and grace of God’s priceless offer of wine and milk, the rich food of His kingdom - all free, secured for us by Jesus Christ. No quantity of gold or silver can purchase what Christ has done. No amount of good works can earn it! We can only accept it as a gift. We receive our Savior’s finished work of redemption by faith. And faith is a gift from God, too, which comes by hearing the Good News of Christ proclaimed in our ears. Strangely enough, we drink Christ’s spiritual water, wine and milk, and eat of God’s “rich foods” by “inclining our ears of faith toward the Word of the Lord that endures forever. And it’s FREE, paid for by Christ’s perfect Sacrifice for us.
Why do we try to satiate our spiritual hunger and thirst with “food” that perishes? Why do we continue to seek meaning and identity in earthly things that pass away? Jesus at the feast in John chapter 7, stands and cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” Revelation 22 declares, “[L]et the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. In the hearing of these words, we have the invitation of Jesus to draw near to Him, and to receive His good gifts that truly satisfy our deepest and eternal hunger. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)
