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9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Matthew 10:9-14 
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by Lisa Kalscheur He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. -Colossians 1:13-14
I was talking with a longtime friend the other day about a person that had betrayed her deeply. I asked her, “do you forgive him?” She replied with disgust. “No way. I could never. After everything he put me through? Not a chance.” I thought she was going to kick me out for even asking. We have been friends for long enough to withstand tougher discussions and disagreements, however I also didn’t push the envelope any further. It was clear where she stood. Giving someone something they do not deserve goes against our nature. When you add in betrayal or pain that someone caused, it becomes even harder. Our sinful hearts hold forgiveness hostage. It is the one thing left that we have control over when the dust settles. It is the final phase of letting go, and it can only happen with God. Our Father delivered us from the darkness of our ways into His kingdom by incarnating into this world, where the mission was to endure horrible pain and anguish and give His life on the cross to save His beloved creation that had betrayed Him. Talk about forgiveness! Without Jesus, we are left clinging to anger, resentment, and fear. With Jesus, we are free. He bestows upon us the ability to forgive because He forgives us. Jesus endured what we deserved. We have been given the gift of forgiveness that we surely do not deserve. Therefore, we must work to find it in our hearts to forgive others that are equally undeserving. In God’s eyes, we are no better. This can be a difficult process, but it is possible because we have God. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you endured more than we could ever imagine so we could be free from our sins. We do not deserve your forgiveness, and yet, you suffered immensely so we could be forgiven. Let this be a reminder as we go about our days. Many of us have had experiences with others who have hurt us deeply and are having trouble forgiving them for the mess they caused. Jesus, we ask that you lead us and give us the strength and ability to forgive and stop clinging to our anger. Instead, let us all cling to You and only You. Amen. by Pastor Kyle Wangelin If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9 “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” You have most likely heard this phrase or perhaps even spoken this phrase a time or two. Maybe you knew someone who owned a business and they gave your child a job. Maybe you have a friend who has the necessary equipment that can make a task at home much simpler. Maybe you knew the cop that had pulled you over for speeding and he let you go without a ticket! In some ways, the phrase is true. The people that we know are so incredibly valuable to us as we together love each other as ourselves. But in terms of our relationship with God the Father, it’s not about who you know, but rather, who knows you! John writes these famous words that we now recite in Divine Service Setting One on Sunday mornings, to tell of Jesus’ love to the recipients of his letter. He writes that while we are sinners, we now have an advocate with the Father. Because Jesus knows us, brought us into His fold, and forgiven our sins, our Heavenly Father now looks upon us as being righteous. Jesus knows you, and loves you so much, that He was willing to die on the cross that your sins would be forgiven, and your joy would be complete! Prayer: Dear God, please continue to give me an honest heart that I may be truthful to you as I confess my sins. I have sinned greatly, yet you have sent your Son to advocate for me. Thank you for creating me and knowing who I am. But most importantly, thank you for the gift of forgiveness given in Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen. by Pastor Kyle Wangelin And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. -Acts 2:38
Our theme verse comes from Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, and Peter shared some rather strong words with them. He told them rather plainly that they killed Jesus. A harsh reality to confront, but words that they needed to hear. The text tells us that they were cut to the heart. There are moments where we feel cut to the heart. Confronted in a very real way with the ramifications of our sin. Yet, even still, Jesus offers forgiveness. They respond to Peter, asking how they can fix this. Typically, when someone is wrongfully put to death, you might expect Peter to respond by saying something like, “this cannot be fixed.” But now the Son of God Himself has been put death! We’re not getting out of this, are we? Jesus can. Jesus can fix this. Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. For the very people that crucified Him, and for the very people that sin day in and day out, Jesus offers the forgiveness of sins. Jesus died for the sake of the very people that put Him on the cross. An unfathomable love demonstrated by an all-powerful God for the sake of His people. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the unfathomable act of love that you have done for us by dying on the cross. We give you thanks that by your blood shed on the cross, all of our sins have been forgiven. May we always be blessed in faith to see how great your love is for us. In Your name we pray, Amen. by Lisa Kalscheur Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. -James 4:8
The faith journey can be a bit brutal looking backward. Continued discernment is a gift, however once God decides he wants to give more, it can be painful realizing the ways that I have been faithless. I have a handful of friends that I have had for almost 20 years now. We were all comrades back in the day, and even though the frequency in how much we see each other has been less than it used to be, we still manage to make time when we can. We’ve all seen each other get married, have children, struggle and have success. However, over the last few years, I have changed drastically. My perspective has undergone an extreme shift, and God has not let up on showing me how the things I used to think were completely normal are nowhere near what He desires for our lives. My friends carry on with their conversations but the words that I say are different now. I carry something that they have never seen in me before. Sometimes it’s hard, but drawing nearer to God in these moments has brought a tremendous amount of strength and courage that I could never possess on my own accord. It can be uncomfortable at times, and the ache in my heart is a combination of things. It pains me to know that I wasn’t listening to God in so many moments along the way. The truth of our sin hurts, and there will still be times in the future where I will fail to put God first. In addition to this, there is also an ache of gratitude for what He has done for me, despite how much I have pushed him aside. As I am drawn deeper in relationship with Christ, remorse follows. Yet I am so grateful for the experience of being refined. If we are truly putting God first, many times it will be uncomfortable. There is no way we could ever perfect this, because of our sinful nature. Humans naturally want to serve themselves and their prerogatives first. As uncomfortable as it can be to buck what comes natural, it is also the most wonderful ebb and flow of growth in Christ. The grace that He has for us is astounding compared to our ability to honor Him. Prayer: Lord, sometimes it is painful being a Christian. The world looks so much worse by the day. Please guide us to keep our eyes on You, Jesus. Help us to not get caught up in what the world says about us, and stay focused on Your Word. Lord, you are a loving God of grace and mercy. Give us the strength and wisdom to understand our sinful nature more and more as we turn to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. by Hillary Krahn Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. -Luke 15:7
My daughter is a big fan of the animated movie series The Trolls which is a series of brightly colored trolls (based on the good luck troll toys that were popular in the 1960s) who sing and dance and go on wild adventures. In the movies, there’s an ogre-like creature called the Bergens who are set on capturing trolls for food. It’s because of the Bergens that we see the trolls going on their first adventure, running and hiding, and building a new town where the Bergens can’t find them. The king troll, King Peppy, is tasked with making sure all the trolls make it through a safe passage to escape the ogres. In the movie his famous line is, “No troll left behind!” Which leads to some very imaginative ways of him helping all the trolls to safety. When we look at our reading from Luke, the first thing that came to my mind was not the usual parable of the shepherd leaving behind the 99 sheep to rescue the 1 lost one, but it was King Peppy shouting, “No troll left behind!” Isn’t that the way we are to be as Christians? Leaving no one person behind on the path to heaven? We know our shepherd, we’re on our path to salvation, making a clean escape, not being eaten up by the sinfulness of the world. We come to church, we repent, and we take part in the sacraments. However, there are those out in the world who do not. They do not repent of their sins, they don’t rest in the safeness of the fold, they’re lost! They’re the troll that’s left behind! Luke tells us that when that one sinner comes to repentance there will be greater joy in heaven than over the 99. Imagine that, we’ve found that last lost soul. Hallelujah!! That leads me to the question, what should we do about it? Our king, King Jesus, has it covered right? Well, yes, but with our help. We have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us, a light that shines in the dark place. We are to go out into the world, sharing the message of salvation with those who don’t know Christ, who haven’t come to repentance. We are to make sure there’s no one left behind when that last day comes! Together, as a church, as the 99, we can help find the one! Prayer: Heavenly Father, we rejoice in the safety you provide us as our shepherd. You have saved us! Help us to continue to approach your altar with repentance. Help us, Lord, to go out with you to find the lost. Use your Spirit to guide us in sharing the Good News of your salvation. Use us to rescue the last lost soul so that we with heaven may rejoice. In Jesus name, Amen. by Pastor Kyle Wangelin “Bear fruit, in keeping with repentance.” - Matthew 3:8
There comes a time when the student becomes the teacher. Such is the natural cycle of life. But every now and again, the teacher is surprised by how quickly the tables are turned! Such has been the case for me as there have been many moments when a Confirmation student asks a question that is so profound and well thought out, that it opens the door for a discussion that I had never thought of. Or this example, where a student wrote a line in her statement of faith that really struck a chord with me. She had written a paragraph on Confession and Absolution and at the end of the paragraph she talked about how confession is not just for ourselves, but also for the good of our neighbor. And that is such a beautiful way to put it. When we repent and turn from our sins, yes, that is good for us, but to also recognize that our turning from sin means the wake of our sin will no longer impact those around us is such a profound truth. It takes what is often a very individual concept and speaks to how God designed it not just for the individual, but all. As we go through the season of Lent, may we see how God has turned us from our sin to see Jesus, but also to see our neighbor as well. Prayer: Heavenly Father, you have designed all people to serve one another. May we always seek opportunities to love, just as Jesus has loved us. In His name, Amen. This week's worship theme in our Kingdom Vision Series will be Called to Be His Children We welcome students from NEWLHS as they lead us in worship 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38  by Hillary Krahn And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Exodus 32:21-23
Our verse for today takes place when Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the newly formed tablets containing the Ten Commandments written by God himself. He’s been up the mountain awhile talking to God and when he comes down, he’s found that Aaron succumbed to the Israelites wishes for a gold calf and helped them make one to worship. They had grown restless while waiting for Moses, not trusting that God had a plan and Moses would return to them. A few verses before this in v19 we see that Moses' anger “burned hot” and he broke the first edition of the Ten Commandments out of anger. If you think Moses was angry, I can only imagine how God felt. The Israelites were a people wandering in the desert, constantly sinning and repenting on a continuous cycle. They never quite understood God’s plan for them. We are oftentimes like the Israelites, forgetting the goodness of God, forgetting to look to the cross, to go to the Word, to go to prayer. Things aren’t happening like we want or as fast as we want. Perhaps we have a faith partner who we lean on and when they’re out of sight we fear they’ll never be back! However, our story is a little different from that of the Israelites. There’s one really important factor missing from their journey. That factor is Jesus. We have a different hope than the Israelites did. They knew a Messiah would come, but they didn’t know when, and they quickly lost sight of that. We know that a Messiah HAS come and will come again, forgiving our sins and quenching that burning hot anger that we would face from God. When we’re in that desert of sin we can remember to kneel at the feet of Jesus, repenting of whatever our golden calf is, and we will receive forgiveness. The Israelites faced death and being removed from God’s book for what they did. We don’t face that punishment, Jesus has bore that consequence for us! Prayer: Dear Jesus, send the Holy Spirit to guide me and make wise decisions in my life so that I don’t fall into hopelessness and sin like the Israelites. Help me to repent of my ways when I become impatient with your plan. Thank you for the salvation you have given me that has saved me from death and condemnation. In your name I pray, Amen. by Jenny Garceau If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
-I John 1:9 Last year was a difficult time in my life. I experienced loss in the form of a miscarriage & it still beats on me on a regular basis. Sometimes we take a look around us and there doesn't seem to be much to be thankful for. There is so much hurt, so much sickness, so much anxiety, so much pain in this life. We are called to give thanks in all things...so how can we give thanks, and what can we give thanks for when things just seem so hard and life feels like it's just too much? We can give thanks, even in difficult times, because we are forgiven and redeemed. In 1 JOHN 1:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Let us not take this for granted or lose sight of the power of these gifts. This alone should be enough to squash our worries and hurt and refocus our lives. A wise woman and friend recently told me that during these times we are to lean into our faith. Just lean in. Something seemingly so easy but simultaneously difficult. We can give thanks, even in difficult times, because we can hand Him the pieces of our broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships. We can give it all to Him because He wants to take care of all of that for us. He is the God who makes beauty from ashes, strength from tears, and turns mourning to dancing. Prayer: Holy Father, We give our burdens to you. We pray for hurting friends, we pray that they find rest in the fullness of Jesus and lean in. We pray they can rest in the completed work of Christ and lean in. Simply lean in! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen |
About the AuthorsThe authors of this Lenten devotional are all staff members of Zion Lutheran Church & School of Wayside. They have answered the call to preach and teach the good news of salvation to both the young and the old of the school and congregation. This group of believers have a strong faith rooted in the Word. They are all members of the church professing the Christian faith and are excited to share their love of Jesus with you during this season. ArchivesCategories |
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