Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - LCMS

09/07/2026

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 119:105-112 (NUN) – Not just for Sundays…
We tend to compartmentalize our life in unhelpful ways. We confine God’s word to Sunday, and the rest of the week the wisdom of the world prevails. But as Christ is King of all things, all things having been subjected to Him (Heb 2:8), His Word and promises have infinite value for our whole life. The Word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path.” It is the wisdom of God, given to men for our instruction, for our training in righteousness. The Word alone has the power of God for salvation. It alone endures forever, even as the wisdom of this world is fading away. So take up the Word of God. Let it point you to wisdom. Let it point you to Jesus - and not just on Sunday.

Give me life, O Lord, ac-cording to Your Word! Amen. – (vs. 107)

09/07/2026

09/06/2026

SCRIPTURE: Luke 17:11-19 – Thanksgiving in All Things
The Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that God gives daily bread to all people, even evil people, without our prayer. The Fourth Petition in the Lord’s Prayer reminds us of the good gifts of God, and reminds us to receive these gifts with thanksgiving. So also does the “evil” foreigner in the healing today. The children of Israel were tempted to fulfill the obligations of the Law in order to be declared holy and righteous. But the child of God returns and gives thanks to God, for we are neither worthy of the things for which we ask, nor have we deserved them, but we pray that He would give them all to us by grace.

Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for all Your gifts, and ask that You would continue to give us thankful hearts, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

09/05/2026

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 84: Increasing Wisdom among Immense Folly
There is little better than receiving the good gifts of God in the Church and serving the house of the Lord. Our world and culture are awash with meaninglessness and void of virtue. Yet, faith increases the desire for what is good. I have little aspiration for my life, and the life of my family, other than we might enjoy cleaning the toilets at our church and taking out the trash that smells of old diapers. We need Christ and His Word of Life. We do not need the places of Glory. We only need to be under the table with crumbs, or at the door, or with a mop bucket and trash bag. That place, like all the places, is the best place in the kingdom.
Lord, help me to love Your kingdom made manifest on Earth in my congregation. Amen.

09/04/2026

SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 1:5-17: Death to Life
St. Paul reveals that he was dead and heading to hell. But God in His generosity and mercy saved St. Paul. We, too, are partakers of God’s uncanny grace. Perhaps our conversions were less poetic, or dramatic, than St Paul’s. But this matters little. Only Christ matters. Here is the power and beauty of God in Christ Jesus, that He takes sinners of young and old, drama or bore, and makes them His own and gives them a new destiny. I need nothing of a grand testimony in the heavenly realm for Christ has given me His testimony and life.
O God, keep me from believing my salvation is less grand than others, for it rests upon You alone. Amen.

09/03/2026

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 20:20-28: Christ Came to Lay Down His Life
Self-promotion and self-care have become a niche market for American poppsychological consumers. While the individual person has a place in the economy of God’s salvation, here Christ points His disciples away from hierarchical personal ambition. The suffering and death of Christ as an act of service toward his neighbors is the pinnacle. The disciples learn they will, likewise, not be spared from this “cup.” The Lord does not save us from suffering and death, but through suffering and death. His own. And we, as His disciples, will also share in that suffering and death. For the Lord kills and makes alive and our futures and hopes are with Him and no other.
O Lord, when the night of suffering and death come for me, draw me up. Amen.

09/02/2026

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 18:1-5: The Law Shows God’s Care
In a conversation with a gay man I was asked, “Why all the rules? Why does God care about what I do with my body?” I said, “Would you want a boring religion and a boring god that cares so little?” The fact that God has rules for creation and His kingdom reveal His tender fatherly heart. He wants His creation, and His children, well taken care of. As Moses and St. Paul teach, these rules, while good, do not create faith. They only make things worse for us. They do this by driving to near despair before God lifts us up with the precious promises of the Gospel.
Lord, first grant me faith by Your Preached Word, then help me trust Your good gifts for all my life. Amen.