by Sal Huckel
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Produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8).
Read Matthew 3:1–12
Today’s passage invites us to the banks of the Jordan, where John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry. His humble lifestyle and calls to repentance were already bringing the people to respond to their sins and be baptised by John in the river. Not surprisingly, also came the conflict with the Pharisees and Sadducees.
John’s reprimand and call to repentance is stark. We might feel that it was well deserved. After all, we do know much about the Pharisees and the Sadducees and their apparent hypocrisy. Paul himself was a Pharisee. While the Pharisees and Sadducees had doctrinal disagreements, they were united in their efforts against Jesus. Here, John’s warning is for them all.
What can we learn here today? We can study the baptism John was bringing, how Jesus’ baptism is the one we need and the meaning it has for us now to be baptised into Jesus’ baptism. We can also ponder what it means to ‘produce fruit in keeping with repentance’. How does that look? What do we need to repent of? We sometimes hear that Jesus simplified the Ten Commandments and that we don’t need to worry about all of those anymore; we are not ‘under the law’. However, Jesus said he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17).
Unless we understand God’s law, we cannot properly repent. We may feel the law is less prescriptive and onerous ‘since Jesus’, but if we begin to unpack the Ten Commandments and look at Martin Luther’s explanations – the Small Catechism is very helpful on this – we will see that they go further than we might expect. It’s a misleading idea that ‘Jesus replaced them’. Helpfully, rather like the ways in which it is best to teach children, Luther offers positive instruction to further expand on the negatives.
Start today with commandment number one: ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ We don’t have to look very far to see the things that compete for our attention, love and trust. How can you fear, love and trust God above all things today? To produce fruit in keeping with repentance, we need to follow through with this.
Father God, help me to more fully understand the law written in our hearts (Romans 2:15) and produce fruit in keeping with repentance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children, enjoying their ministry with Moorabbin–Dandenong Lutheran Church. Their two eldest children are excited to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels during term time in Sydney. Theology, music, philosophy, literature and history are passions the family shares and explores together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
by Sal Huckel
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When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream (Matthew 2:13a).
Read Matthew 2:13–23
I smiled when I read this passage and saw that Joseph had two more dreams instructing him where he should take his family. We usually think of Jacob’s son Joseph as ‘the dreamer’, yet Mary’s husband Joseph seems to come a close second! Jacob’s son Joseph’s own life was saved through his dreams and ability to discern the dreams of others. Mary’s husband Joseph’s dreams saved the life of Jesus, Son of God!
We might wish we had dreams like this to make our decisions easy or give us a ‘hotline’ to God’s plans. However, we must accept that we have all we need in Scripture, and we have the prayers that Jesus taught us to seek the Lord and his will for our lives. We have the promises of Scripture and new life in Christ through our baptism.
Yet still, the Scripture reading for today is full of tragedy and grief with the slaughter of the innocents. Jesus was saved so that we might all be saved – but many children were killed through the orders of Herod. Again, we are reminded of the sin in the world that Jesus came to redeem us from. Ever since the Fall, death and murder have never been very far away. When we are devastated by the news that we read about and think that we must be in End Times, we have much to look over in Scripture to show that people are still doing the evil things they were doing centuries and centuries ago. We have Jesus’ promise of a new heaven and a new earth to look forward to – and today’s reading and faithfulness of one man protecting his family and following the Lord’s instruction is one part of that story.
Lord, thank you for coming into the world to save sinners. Help me to trust you and throw off the sinful nature daily, putting on my baptism clothes and walking in the freedom I have through your death and resurrection. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children, enjoying their ministry with Moorabbin–Dandenong Lutheran Church. Their two eldest children are excited to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels during term time in Sydney. Theology, music, philosophy, literature and history are passions the family shares and explores together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
by Sal Huckel
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And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route (Matthew 2:12).
Read Matthew 2:1–12
As birth stories go, the story of the birth of Jesus (as told by Matthew) has less about Mary and Jesus and the familiar aspects of the Nativity and more about the other people involved in the fulfilment of Scripture.
Today, we read about Herod, the wise men and the prophecy that has Herod worried enough to seek out Jesus and kill him. Interestingly, the wise men were Gentiles, likely practising astrology and magic that did not honour the Lord. Nevertheless, they play a part in the fulfilment of Scripture, protecting Jesus from Herod’s plans.
While nothing in Herod’s words would have indicated to the wise men that he had very different plans for going to worship Jesus, they had no problem with being receptive to – and following – the instructions received in a dream to travel a different way.
It is sometimes comforting to think about how the Lord orders our steps – even the steps of others – to ‘work his purpose out’ in our lives. The wise men followed the instructions given to them in their dream, discerning that this was the necessary course of action, ignoring Herod. Through this obedience, Jesus was saved. We know this is not going to be the only brush with Herod’s plans for Jesus’ death. It is not the last time an angel of the Lord will intervene to save him – again, through human obedience to God’s will.
Sometimes, we may find that we have no idea about what God wants us to do – or not do. Particularly where our choices do not clash with Scripture, we can find we have an open choice that perhaps doesn’t matter one way or another. Yet, other times, we find that our instinct is not to listen to a certain person’s advice or take a certain path. However we end up making our decisions, we know that God has a plan and purpose for our lives, and nothing can snatch us out of his hand (John 10:28).
Lord, thank you for the lessons we learn in Scripture. We read of the faith of those who have gone before us and followed your commands. We learn how you include those who do not even know you in your plans. We learn about your faithfulness. May we be encouraged to trust you and not lean on our own understanding. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children, enjoying their ministry with Moorabbin–Dandenong Lutheran Church. Their two eldest children are excited to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels during term time in Sydney. Theology, music, philosophy, literature and history are passions the family shares and explores together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
by Sal Huckel
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 1:20).
Read Matthew 1:18–25
Joseph’s obedience to the Lord in honouring his betrothal to Mary is the final piece of the puzzle that makes up Jesus’ earthly genealogy. It’s the action that causes Jesus to fulfil the prophecy in Scripture and brings Jesus’ birth into the line of David.
We read in Isaiah 7:14: ‘Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.’
Joseph did not question the instructions given to him by the angel of the Lord, despite the fact it goes against all natural laws we are aware of. It all does, really, doesn’t it?! Angel of the Lord – unusual. Virgin conception – impossible? Yet Joseph responds in faith to the message, and Scripture is fulfilled. We know this is not the only dream that Joseph has and acts on.
While we might think it was easy for Joseph, Mary and the Magi to heed the messengers sent to instruct or warn them about their next steps, we can hardly call it easy when we see what was expected of them or what they were required to believe. Yet, thanks to their faithfulness, the Scriptures were indeed fulfilled, and we have all that followed laid out for us in the New Testament.
If we believe that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected after three days, how is it any more difficult for us to believe the virgin birth even though we ‘only’ have it written down in Scripture?
Lord, you say that everything is possible for those who believe. I believe! Help me in my unbelief (Mark 9:24)! Thank you for the words of the Apostles’ Creed, which we declare together regularly for good reason. As I speak those words, please help me to continue to believe them, protect and grow my faith, trust in the Scriptures, and teach me to walk in your truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children, enjoying their ministry with Moorabbin–Dandenong Lutheran Church. Their two eldest children are excited to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels during term time in Sydney. Theology, music, philosophy, literature and history are passions the family shares and explores together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
by Sal Huckel
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).
Read Matthew 1:1–17
Many Lutheran families have a family history book detailing the pioneers who came to Australia to avoid persecution and start their new lives in Australia. Not surprisingly, their families have been curious to research their heritage and keep records. Many are lucky enough to have a book to pull off the shelf thanks to their careful family historians. While I have very little family history of my own to read back on, I’ve had a go from time to time, too.
How many of us have paid that level of detail to the genealogy of Jesus? Perhaps the names and seemingly long lists of difficult-to-pronounce names put us off. We know a few of the main characters but will miss the details unless we read closely. There’s plenty of scandal in there. I’m not sure it’s a family history we would proudly pull out if we owned even a fraction of it ourselves.
However, it’s important to note Jesus’ lineage. We can find it also in Luke chapter 3. If we are studying the Bible daily, and this is the only reading we have for today, we might skip through this list and think, ‘Well, how’s God speaking to me through that? I’ll skip the history lesson and get to the message’. We need to dig deeper. We will realise how important the story of the prostitute Rahab is in Joshua 2:1–21 and how she turned out to be the mother of Boaz, who we then read about in the Book of Ruth. There will be much, much more to discover.
Perhaps our obsession with family history is worth it after all. If we look at the genealogy of Jesus, we will find how the ‘line of David’ actually played out until the time of Christ’s birth. We start to see how these obscure Old Testament accounts are relevant and can read them through a New Testament lens.
Lord, thank you for the privilege of the Scriptures, which are available to me to read daily and learn more about you, my faith heritage and those who you have called to be part of your story. I pray you will continue to teach me through your word, which does not return to you empty but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it (Isaiah 55:11). In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children, enjoying their ministry with Moorabbin–Dandenong Lutheran Church. Their two eldest children are excited to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels during term time in Sydney. Theology, music, philosophy, literature and history are passions the family shares and explores together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
by Sal Huckel
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… and the Holy Spirit descended on [Jesus] in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’ (Luke 3:22).
Read Luke 3:15–17,21,22
A month ago, I had a rare Sunday away from my own congregation and attended the baptism of a friend’s baby and the baptism of a large group of teens and young adults at another church. Neither church was Lutheran, and I felt the disconnect during both services.
Originally an outsider to Lutheran teaching, it took me a long time to understand what Lutherans mean when we discuss remembering our baptism or living out our baptism daily.
As we ponder the difference between John’s baptism (merely the water) and Jesus’ baptism, we must remember what we believe as Lutherans. If it’s a while since you read the Large Catechism on baptism, or if you haven’t read it before, it’s a valuable thing to do to understand how we differ from other theology in the sacrament of baptism. Martin Luther reminds us that the water and word should:
… by no means be separated from each other and parted. For if the word is separated from it, the water is the same as the water that the servant cooks with. It may indeed be called a bath-keeper’s baptism. But when the word is added, as God ordained it, it is a sacrament, and it is called Christ’s baptism.
It is reassuring and encouraging to me as I ponder the fact that I cannot ‘remember’ my own infant baptism and that in the sacrament, I was indeed baptised into Christ’s death and resurrection – despite the lack of any believers to raise me in the faith. While I cannot point to a ‘believer’s baptism’ where I made a declaration of my faith like the young people I witnessed only weeks ago, I have the assurances of Scripture that God did the work in my baptism– and I did not need to. His grace is not dependent on my level of belief or efforts. Further, Luther reminds us to value our baptism as a daily dress (Galatians 3:27 – we are clothed with Christ) and walk in it constantly (Large Catechism). We start to realise what it is to walk in (and wear) our baptism daily.
Father God, you descended on your Son Jesus like a dove and declared your love for him for all to hear. Thank you that I am also baptised into Jesus’ baptism and have received the Holy Spirit. Increase my faith as I remember my baptism daily, and help me to nurture the faith of others in my care as you work in their lives, too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children, enjoying their ministry with Moorabbin–Dandenong Lutheran Church. Their two eldest children are excited to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels during term time in Sydney. Theology, music, philosophy, literature and history are passions the family shares and explores together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
by Pastor Stephen Abraham
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Honour the Lord, you heavenly beings; honour the Lord for his glory and strength. Honour the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness (Psalm 29:1,2).
Read Psalm 29
Have you ever looked back on the story of your life and sensed that God was at work? Looking back now on those pivotal moments or difficulties that seem so insurmountable at the time, and now they are signposts that the Sovereign Lord has been steering your destiny?
Our last psalm for this first week of the Epiphany season is Psalm 29 – an enthronement psalm celebrating God’s sovereignty over the world: ‘The Lord reigns as king forever’ (Psalm 29:10b). It is a powerful hymn of praise to God, emphasising his supreme majesty and sovereign power over all creation. But as we read it with the Epiphany season in mind, we suddenly see a glimpse of God’s greater plan at work.
Twice in this psalm, we are reminded of things that happen centuries later in Jesus’ life and ministry. Firstly, we hear of these of the ‘heavenly beings giving honour to God’ in verse one and remember the Nativity with the angelic hosts singing the Great Gloria at Jesus’ birth: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests’ (Luke 2:14).
Then, we hear the voice of the Lord, commanding all of creation (seven times, indicating perfection). We are reminded of the events of Jesus’ baptism (which we celebrate tomorrow), where we hear the commanding voice of the Lord from the heavens in Luke 3:22b, declaring: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’
God was at work in the life of the psalmist. God was at work preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. And God is at work in your life, too – even if, at times, it feels like a chaotic torrent of painful events pulling you under. Remember the last words of this psalm:
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as king forever.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace!
Heavenly Father, we praise you for your great power and majesty. You rule over all creation, and your voice is mighty in judgement and mercy. Help us to trust in your sovereign care and find comfort in your eternal kingship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a musician and Lutheran pastor who retired early due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain (documented by Lutheran Media on its Messages of hope YouTube channel and radio program). As his condition allows, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic
by Pastor Stephen Abraham
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne (Psalm 97:1,2).
Read Psalm 97
Have you noticed how modern TV shows try to draw us in using the psychology of the ‘big reveal’? It’s usually a cliffhanger that baits us into watching the next episode because we long to know how the story ends!
Today’s Epiphany reading sets the scene for God’s reign as king. The Theophany (appearance of God) in the first half of Psalm 97 is full of earth-shattering cosmic power, drawing on the imagery of the ‘Shekinah’ – the cloud of God’s almighty presence from Exodus and the final reign of justice and righteousness, and this sense of finally ‘setting things right’.
As time goes by in this 21st century, and as I watch tragic world events unfold, I sometimes feel like I’m in a cosmic reality TV show, waiting desperately for the innocent to be freed and restored and for the villains to be defeated and locked away for eternity. As the exiled people of God scattered among the Babylonian Empire sang this psalm, they, too, longed for the Messianic era – their restoration, God’s kingdom to finally come, and for things to be set right.
As I write this, I’m lying here bedridden, so tired of fighting the debilitating chronic pain that has robbed me of so much in this life. I long for restoration! For the new era to come. For God to restore me and set things right. But although I’m weary and broken, I’m not giving up. I will keep singing and longing for the final Epiphany: the Son of God coming again in glory and setting things right in this world.
So, to you who are in Christ’s righteousness and are suffering hardship, grief or loss, may these words be your song for today:
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name (Psalm 97:11,12).
Almighty God, Lord of the heavens and the earth, we long for things to be made right. Lord Jesus, we long for you to come again in glory to restore our world and restore our lives. Stir our hearts, Holy Spirit, to sing praise and bring your light to the dark places of this world. Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a musician and Lutheran pastor who retired early due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain (documented by Lutheran Media on its Messages of hope YouTube channel and radio program). As his condition allows, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic
by Pastor Stephen Abraham
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the world! (Psalm 96:1)
Read Psalm 96
I have a confession to make. Although I’m a classically trained pianist, I am also a bit of a metalhead! So, when Extreme (one of my favourite bands) was touring Australia recently, I bought tickets, queued up, got excited, head-banged and sang my lungs out at their gig with a good friend. And as a few thousand voices sang the last words of their ballad ‘More Than Words’ in unison, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt exclaimed in awe, ‘Wow, it’s like a church in here!’
Psalms 96 to 99 are a series of royal songs celebrating God as King. Part of Psalm 96 is the specific psalm sung as King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, as recorded in 1 Chronicles 15 and 16. It is a psalm of excitement, victory and great joy. According to 1 Chronicles 16:5,6, the Levitical band rocked pretty hard with lyres, harps, percussion and brass. Even King David was dancing to the beat (1 Chronicles 15:29)!
Whether it is a rock concert, a stirring hymn or even a footy anthem, there is no denying that there is something powerful in communal singing – unifying psychology and a meditative quality of relaxed focus that is both uniquely human and even otherworldly. So, it’s no surprise that in this Epiphany season, we remember one of the biggest Old Testament worship festivals of all time, as God’s mobile throne – the Ark – appeared before the people and made its way to the tabernacle (the place of his holy presence on earth). As we read this psalm, knowing how things turned out, we harken back to the heart of the gospel message – the fullness of God’s power and glory are no longer in this gilded throne – they are revealed in the Word made flesh – the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
The psalm begins with a call to sing a new song to the Lord. This ‘new song’ is not one of novelty but renewal. In Christ, we have a new song of salvation that the world desperately needs to hear: Emmanuel – God with us.
Lord Jesus, we rejoice at your appearance on earth and your continuing presence with us. Holy Spirit, stir our hearts to sing, proclaim to the world boldly, and share the magnificent message that ‘God is with us’ with our neighbours, friends and all who need to hear. Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a musician and Lutheran pastor who retired early due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain (documented by Lutheran Media on its Messages of hope YouTube channel and radio program). As his condition allows, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic