by Sal Huckel
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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.
What love looks like
by Linda Macqueen
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Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him! (1 Kings 3:26b)
Read 1 Kings 3:16–28
I vividly remember this story in my Sunday school book, which featured a picture of King Solomon poised to cut a sleeping baby in half with a sword. I was horrified by the risk he took: ‘What if the wrong woman won the day, and the baby was cut in two?’
It’s true that Solomon takes a risk, but it is a calculated one – and it shows that the wisdom he’d asked God for is indeed surging through his veins. This wisdom is more than intellectual; it also demonstrates deep discernment of the human heart.
By ordering that the baby be divided between the two women, he exposes the true mother’s love. Her willingness to surrender her claim – the most precious relationship she could have – to save her child’s life shows the self-sacrificing nature of real love. The real mother would rather lose her son to another than see him harmed. The imposter mother, on the other hand, agrees to the division, caring more for justice as she claims, than for the child’s wellbeing.
This story points to the remarkable wisdom Solomon received from God: wisdom to see beyond appearances and recognise the heart’s true motives. But it also reveals something profound about the nature of love. True love is not possessive, nor does it seek its own way at any cost. Genuine love puts the wellbeing of the other first, even when it means great personal loss.
If we need an example of what that sort of love looks like, we need only gaze a little while at the cross.
Heavenly Father, thank you for all you gave up in exchange for my life. Help me to reflect that sort of selfless love today in my interactions with everyone I meet. Help me to put the needs of others before my own, not counting the cost. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.
What do you want?
by Linda Macqueen
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So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong … (1 Kings 3:9).
Read 1 Kings 3:1–15
Imagine for a moment that God appears before you and says, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’ What springs immediately to mind? Would you ask for your problems at work or in your family to go away, or healing for a loved one, or financial security, or perhaps peace in the world?
In today’s reading, God invites Solomon, a young and inexperienced king, to ask for anything he wants. First, let’s look at what Solomon does not ask for. He does not ask for the death or demise of his enemies (‘Give me a safe and stress-free life’). He does not ask God to cover Adonijah head to toe in agonising boils that never heal (‘Give me justice’). He does not ask for wealth and prestige (‘Give me power and security’).
Instead, Solomon asks for ‘a discerning heart’, wisdom to govern God’s people well, to do what is right. His motivation is not self-centred; instead, it is rooted in his awareness of his own limitations and his desire to serve God and others faithfully.
Solomon’s request delights God. God not only grants him unmatched wisdom but also blesses him with what he didn’t ask for: wealth and honour. The blessings flowed from Solomon’s request that aligned with God’s own heart – a humble desire to serve and lead justly.
We often come to God with our lists of wants and needs. There’s nothing wrong with asking God for help in all areas of life; however, Solomon’s story invites us to examine our motivations. Are we asking for things that serve only ourselves, or are we seeking what will enable us to grow our spiritual muscles and to love God and our neighbour more fully?
Father God, change my heart to match the desires of your own heart. Help me to seek not my own will but your good and gracious will – for me and for others. Help me to trust that, just as you did with Solomon, you will delight in giving me what I truly need. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.
True authority is your friend
by Linda Macqueen
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So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires (1 Kings 2:2b,3a).
Read 1 Kings 1:32–2:4
Authority gets bad reviews these days. That’s probably because we so often see people using their authority for selfish – even evil – purposes. But authority, used the way God intended, is a blessing. Properly exercised, authority creates order and security, promotes justice and frees people to thrive.
Today, we see old King David ready to pass on the mantle of leadership. Adonijah, having attempted to seize the throne for himself, is suddenly struck with panic, his self-appointed authority dissolving like jelly under the weight of David’s God-given authority. In contrast, unassuming Solomon, the rightful heir, becomes strong and resolute. His character is forged into steel by David’s clear, decisive command and blessing.
David’s authority was not merely political; his words shaped destinies. Solomon received not only the crown but also a charge: ‘Be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires.’ David’s authority equipped Solomon to face the challenges ahead with confidence and courage, and with the support of the people.
Yet David’s authority, as mighty as it was, points us to a greater authority – one given by God to Jesus. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus exercising authority over sickness, storms, evil spirits and even death itself. His authority was absolute because it came from the Father himself. Unlike David, whose authority was limited to a nation, Jesus’ authority extends over all creation and all the powers of darkness.
With Solomon, we are called to stand firm and trust in the One who holds ultimate authority. When we recognise Christ’s authority in our lives, our courage is kindled, and fear is sent packing. May we walk confidently, knowing that he is for us, his word is final, and his kingdom will stand forever.
Dear Jesus, forgive me for forgetting that you have authority over everything in heaven and on earth, over powers and dominions, even death. I bring to you my fears and anxieties and lay them at your feet. Just say the word and banish them from my heart and mind today. Amen.
Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.