by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).
Read Matthew 10:34–42
I find it challenging to read this Scripture. I prefer the Christmas carol, I heard the bells on Christmas Day, with the repeated line ‘Peace on earth, goodwill to men’. So surely Jesus came to bring peace on earth. Right? But hold on, this is not what the Scripture for today says.
Jesus says, ‘I have not come to bring peace’. Well, that is a conundrum for me. I want peace on earth. I want what I believe I heard the carol say. As I investigate further, I find that the Christmas carol is based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote the poem in lament for his son who had gone off to war against Henry’s wishes. And suddenly, I realised that what I thought I understood about peace on earth is built on a very sandy foundation. I might be the only one who has thought this way. But so often, I find that what I thought I learned in Sunday school, what I thought I understood about Jesus, is not actually what Scripture says. I misheard and misinterpreted.
So, what does Scripture say that could fit a little bit with that Christmas song? Well, in Luke 2:14, we find that what the heavenly host was doing at the birth of Jesus was praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased’. So, peace is not what Jesus is bringing to this world. Peace is, however, received by those with whom God is well pleased.
In this text, peace does not seem to mean the absence of conflict. We can expect conflict. How do we know this? Because that is what Jesus says. What are we to do then? Receive and serve. If we receive Jesus, we receive God the Father (Matthew 10:40). If we give our life for Jesus, we will find life (verse 39). If we serve (sacrifice) by giving even a cup of cold water to one of Jesus’ disciples, we will not lose our reward (verse 42).
Know then that in the rough territory of losing your independence to walk with Jesus in this sin-ravaged world, your courage, your willingness to accept rejection even from family, your self-denial and self-sacrificial living will be rewarded. Paul tells us this in Romans 8:18, ‘For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed for us’. The reward is worth it. Hang in there with Jesus.
Jesus, I long for peace in this world. I long for a world without conflict, warfare and enmity. Even though you did not come to bring that peace to the earth, you did come to bring peace among us. I can only experience this peace in you, which passes all understanding. Be with me as I go about my day today. Please help me to know your peace and put my suffering into your perspective, not mine. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).
Read Matthew 10:24–33
I struggle to understand what it means to fear God, who loves me so much that even the hairs on my head are numbered (verse 30). I also struggle to hold in my heart the instruction to not fear those who could kill my body. I have so much emotion and feeling tied up in my flesh. I don’t like pain. I don’t want to think about the fact that someone could and would kill me – or my body, anyway. I cannot imagine, and I choose not to imagine, the sheer terror I would feel if someone were threatening my life on earth. But Jesus says do not fear them.
Instead, we are to fear God, who can destroy both soul and body. Fear the God who has the authority to throw you into hell (Luke 12:5), for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). And then I think about what it would be like to have my soul destroyed – the inner part of me that makes me, me. The ‘something else’ that I don’t fully understand or appreciate, the ‘me’ that others see even less. Thinking about that makes me truly fearful. Nothing. Gone. Destroyed. Completely removed from God. Obliterated.
Our God is a fearsome God. He cannot be in the presence of sin. It is important to recognise this and, thus, to fear him. But in this passage, Jesus points us to the equally important reality that our God is love. Because God is love, created us in his image, chose us and sees us as valuable, we can be assured that we are safe in Jesus.
Yes, we are to fear God. Equally, Jesus came to redeem us, because we are God’s people. And because of that, I am safe. I have life. I have a king, and my king is a battle-hardened warrior. And he loves me. Yes, he can destroy both my soul and body in hell. And, yes, he loves me. So much that he numbers the hairs on my head. He knows exactly how many hairs clog my shower drain (something I can’t be bothered to know). So much that nothing – neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in creation – will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38,39). Repeat after me: I belong to Jesus.
God, you are all powerful and Almighty. You are fearsome. And you are love. Thank you for loving me and that nothing will be able to separate me from your love that is in Jesus Christ. Hold me safe today, Lord Jesus. Help me to know deep in my heart just how much you love me and how secure I am in you. Amen.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).
Read Matthew 10:16–23
I grew up on a farm. The damage that wild dogs inflict on domestic stock is vicious, cruel, ugly, heartbreaking, shocking and life-taking. Livestock that survive carry the scars for a lifetime.
Jesus knows that the world is a wild and dangerous place. He instructed his disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Snakes are dangerous, too. Although frequently associated with evil, they have a keen awareness of danger. They can move away quickly to hide in plain sight.
So, what does it look like to be as wise as serpents? In Proverbs 9:10, we learn that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This does not mean being afraid. Instead, it means being deeply respectful, reverent and in awe of God’s power and authority, which ultimately leads us to love him. Being wise as serpents then means being alert, discerning and cautious, keeping a sharp mind, and staying relevant in your environment. It means staying close to Jesus and being in relationship with him. So, we can be wise as serpents when we stick close to Jesus, his teaching, and God’s word and promises.
Then Jesus asks his disciples to be innocent as doves. We imagine doves as gentle, pure, honest, peaceful, pleasing and engaging. They are able to take flight and move above the earthiness of the ground. The combination of images of serpents and doves speaks to attributes of the character of Jesus’ disciples. Gentle and alert; pure and sharp-minded; honest and relevant; engaging and cautious; pleasant and discerning. I can’t imagine these qualities are possible without continually walking with Jesus. Not an intermittent walk, not an ‘only-on-Sundays’ walk, but a close, personal, intimate journey of many steps with a loving, protective Saviour.
What does that close, personal, intimate journey look like to you? How do you imagine Jesus? For me, Jesus is a battle-hardened warrior who lovingly and gently takes his troops and leads them. Amid the wolves, he leads, and I follow. In our love for and trust in Jesus, his wisdom and innocence are skilfully brought together as we go about the work he has directed us to do.
Jesus, you send your disciples out, directing us to be wise and innocent at the same time. We can only do this because you love us. Thank you that you love me. Thank you for taking care of me. Teach me to be wise and innocent. Please show me what you would have me do in the situations that I am in today. Guide and protect me. Keep me safe. Thank you, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6).
Read Matthew 10:5–14
Jesus sent his disciples into their own communities – not to the Gentiles or the Samaritans but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Yes, there came a time later when he sent people to the Gentiles, but here he sent them to their own. In Australia, we live in a time where less than 50 per cent of the population identify as Christian. So, there are many lost sheep in our communities.
Are we (and if so, how are we) as Lutheran Christians being sent by Jesus into our communities? Being sent is to go. It is not to be stationary in one place and expect people to come to us. And there are so many places we can go. Into our families. Into discussions at family gatherings. Into workplaces. Into existing relationships. Into schools. Into hospitals. Into residential care facilities. And, yes, the Lutheran Church in Australia and New Zealand does that through its services and outreach arms.
But what is Jesus asking you to do? You are one of his disciples, too. ‘Go,’ he says. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. But we must be careful here. The original disciples had a unique apostolic authority and scope given to them by Jesus that does not necessarily apply in today’s circumstances. So, although we can learn some principles from Jesus’ instructions, we must think carefully about how that applies to us today.
Nevertheless, we can still ‘go’ into our communities. We can pray for the sick. We can pray for miraculous healing. By our example, we can bear witness to the miracle of Jesus’ birth and resurrection. We can go into our workplaces. We can show Jesus’ compassion for his people as we go about our daily lives. We can encourage, support, empathise with, pray for and show genuine, authentic Christian love to our neighbours. Let us ask God about what he is asking us to do in our community – here, now, today.
Lord God, you are the Lord of the harvest. There are many people in our own communities who seem to be lost sheep. Show us what you are asking us to do. Direct our feet as we go about our work and lives today. Help us to speak your love and compassion into the lives of the people around us and be instruments of your peace. Help us to shine your light into the lives of the people we meet today. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36b).
Read Matthew 9:35–10:4
I wonder if our world today is, in many ways, just the same as it was 2,000 years ago. Crowds of people who are harassed and helpless. Trying to find their own way. Searching for things to satisfy them. Concerned about the political landscape. Looking for a Messiah but not knowing where to look. Looking in all the wrong places. Busy, busy, busy … working, eating, sleeping, shopping, looking for the next big ‘fix’. Worried, anxious. Sick, harassed and helpless. At the whim of the global economy, foreign powers, big companies, technology.
And what was Jesus’ response? ‘He had compassion for them.’ Jesus cared for his people then, and he cares for us now. He was compassionate then, and he is compassionate now. Now, as then, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few’ (verse 37).
And then what did Jesus do? He instructed his disciples in verse 38, ‘therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest’. Two things impacted me when I read this verse. The first is at the end of the verse. The harvest is God’s. Now, that is interesting to me. It seems to me that it is easy to slip into thinking that we must do something about the plentiful harvest. It is all too easy to fall into thinking that we must go about God’s work of saving people. But saving people is God’s work.
So, what are we to do? That is the second thing that impacted me as I read. We are to ‘pray earnestly that God send[s] out labourers’. This leads me to ask what the word ‘earnest’ means. As I go to my trusty Google search engine, I discover it means ‘sincere’ and ‘genuine’. So, in this harassed and helpless world, are you worrying about the world situation, about the number of people who need to be saved, about whether God’s labourers are doing what you think they should be doing? Or are you praying earnestly, sincerely and genuinely that God will send labourers into the harvest?
My Heavenly Father, through your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray that you will send labourers into the harvest. People around me seem to be harassed and helpless, trapped in the never-ending demands of this world. Please have compassion on them and send out your labourers to bring them to Jesus, the good shepherd. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
SBLC LENTEN EVENING SERIES: “The Hand of the Lord who ….”
It is no surprise that mentions of hands appear all over the Bible as God’s Word speaks to us in ways that we can understand. All things are the work of the hand of the Lord (Psalm 102:25).
The Lord’s hand is active in creation, power, control over happenings of the world, judgment, and salvation.
The hand of the Lord has come to us in Jesus. Examples throughout Scripture speak of the way that Christ used his hands, alongside his life-giving words, to bring forgiveness, life, and salvation. The work of Christ’s hands helps us to see the merciful and personal way that he has acted in love to save us and give us hope.
Here is the planned schedule of dates and themes ….
DATE THEME PASTOR VENUE
March 5 - “The Hand of the Lord who Freely gives”. Brian Schwarz Bethany
March 12 - “The Hand of the Lord who Creates and saves”. Greg Schiller Grace St Paul’s
March 19 - “The Hand of the Lord who Casts out demons”. Jim Bryan Lyndoch
March 26 - “The Hand of the Lord who Heals the sick”. Paul Kerber Tabor
April 2 - “The Hand of the Lord who Raises the dead”. Ian Lutze Langmeil
April 9 - “The Hand of the Lord who Holds all things". Brian Schwarz Schoenborn
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36).
Read Luke 6:27–38
I don’t know about you, but I often struggle to differentiate between grace and mercy. Someone helped me with a simple definition. Grace is receiving something that we don’t deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. In our text today, Jesus teaches us what mercy looks like in practice – and it is not easy: blessing those who curse us, praying for those who abuse us, turning the other cheek, giving to anyone who begs from us, not demanding that someone return what they have taken from us. The antithesis of seeking revenge and retribution.
What do you do when you see someone begging? Do you give to anyone who begs from you? What if they are asking for something other than money? How do you discern what to do? Just over 10 years ago, I was overseas in a seemingly wealthy country and was surprised at the number of people I witnessed actively begging for money. When I asked my host about what I saw, they told me that begging was often an organised activity in their city, one attributed to people of a particular ethnic group. Beggars were being dropped off at specific points around the city. They would only accept money. Once their allotted begging ‘shift’ was over, they were picked up and driven somewhere else.
Today, I see more begging in Australia than I have previously seen. I have pondered what my response should be. I have seen people I have previously given money buying things that I don’t think are essential. And I find myself judging them. I find myself questioning their motives and assessing who they are. Yet, here, Jesus says, ‘Give to everyone who begs from you’.
Well, I know that I do not consistently give, bless, pray, turn the other cheek, not seek revenge and be merciful. I know that my heart is such that I do not easily give to people who are begging without assessing and judging them. I know that my heart is such that praying for those who hurt me, curse me or steal from me is not my first or even second response. But I also know I most certainly cannot be merciful without the Holy Spirit indwelling and transforming me. I am comforted knowing that when I repent, my merciful Father forgives me. I am comforted knowing that when I invite Jesus into my heart, I invite transformation. I long to be merciful. I am often far from it.
Today, pray with me as King David did in Psalm 139:23,24:
Merciful Father, search me and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not over the one who prospers, over the man who carries out evil (Psalm 37:7)!
Read Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40
One of our friends has a saying: ‘What others think about me is none of my business’.
Psalm 37 is one of many psalms that speak directly to a true difficulty: how do we live in a world in which evil seems to prosper and God’s people suffer?
The psalms give many different answers to this question. Sometimes they talk about perpetrators being caught up in their own schemes and brought down by their own foolishness. Sometimes they talk about God’s wrath and judgement entering directly to end the evil. Sometimes they teach patient endurance that outlasts the evil. Sometimes they suggest that there is no direct answer.
Always, however, they point us to faith.
In the Old Testament, to ‘wait on the Lord’, to ‘hope in the Lord’, and to ‘trust the Lord’ are virtually interchangeable.
In the Book of Psalms, the suffering being endured is often social rather than physical. It is taunting, mocking, deriding and misrepresenting. It is ostracism, rejection and shunning.
At such times, we are often driven inward, and our concern is focused on what other people think of us. And, therefore, what we think of ourselves, because of what other people think of us! But what other people think is not our business.
Our business is to know what God thinks of us.
And to that, we have a resounding answer: he loves us with love inexpressible and grace unfathomable. We see and know that love in the face and embrace of Jesus. We know it in internal witness of the Spirit, in the words of the gospel, in the comfort and assurance of the sacraments.
God’s work turns us out of our depressive introspection to look to him. He is the one for whom we wait.
Thank you, Father, for caring for us. Thank you that your embrace carries us from the womb to the grave and beyond, with no condemnation in Jesus and no separation possible, because of our union with him. Thank you for the gift of your Son, in whom we live and move and have our being. Amen.
by Rev Dr Noel Due
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
But they went away and spread his fame through all that district (Matthews 9:31).
Read Matthew 9:27–34
Today’s reading continues the theme in Matthew’s Gospel, showing Jesus in his role as God’s healer and deliverer. The blind see! The demonised are set free! And news spreads!
Little wonder. No-one had done the things Jesus did, and no-one had said the things Jesus said. His deeds and his words went before him. News travelled fast and wide. Multitudes followed.
So, we might be tempted to think that ‘nothing succeeds like success’, and that Jesus’ path would be paved with adoration and love. Yet, we know only too well that this was not the case.
What is happening here?
The first part of Matthew’s Gospel builds to a turning point, found in Matthew 16:13 where Jesus asks, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
When the disciples report the confused responses of the crowds (Moses, Elijah), Jesus then asks the twelve directly, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ That leads to Peter’s great declaration, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!’ (Matthew 16:16).
Immediately after that declaration was uttered, Jesus began teaching them about the cross.
In other words, the deeds and words of Jesus are all designed to provoke the disciples and crowds to ask themselves: ‘Who is this man?’ Even Peter, when he is shown the answer to that question from heaven itself, does not understand the implications of who Jesus is. And he certainly didn’t want a Messiah who would suffer and die.
The opening of the blind man’s eyes is a physical sign of a much-needed spiritual miracle: the eyes of our hearts must be opened by the Spirit to see Jesus for who he really is. The casting out of the demons is a visible sign of a spiritual deliverance: we must be delivered from the powers of darkness to hear the words of Jesus and follow him.
Thank you, dear Lord, for seeing our needy state. We needed you to come to us, and you came before we called. Thank you for meeting us with love, mercy and grace … to heal our spiritual blindness, deafness and captivity. We thank you for doing what we could never do for ourselves. Amen.