Monday of the Last Week of the Church Year

November 25, 2024Today's Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14Daily Lectionary: Daniel 5:1-30; Daniel 7:1-8:27; Revelation 21:9-27“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. (Daniel 7:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  The scriptures are the inspired and inerrant Word of God. They are infallible, meaning they cannot be wrong. They are the way in which God reveals Himself to us, as well as His redemption of our fallen world. Another thing, though, is this: the Bible is flat-out cool. The more you study the scriptures, the more I am convinced you would agree. Many people think about the Bible, and their opinion is that it’s an old book full of rules. Even many Christians rarely crack open their Bible that is collecting dust because the reality is they see it as too challenging, or even worse, boring. The Scriptures are anything but boring! They are a divine masterpiece. The Scriptures are cool.  Why use a word that is almost underwhelming? Because it’s true. The way the scriptures are constructed and written will never cease to amaze. An example is here in Daniel, where a prophecy is written. A prophecy which is written hundreds of years before Christ is born. A prophecy that doesn’t point to Christ’s birth, death, or even His resurrection, but a prophecy that points to His return. A prophecy that Christ speaks of before the Jews when He is arrested and a prophecy that He will one day fulfill. We have the privilege of reading the scriptures as people who live in the Last Days because we can be certain that the Bible is all about Jesus. Every page is dripping with Christ and His love for us—Old and New Testament.  The scriptures point to Christ and Him crucified. They reveal God’s love for you in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Let them become a part of you. Be diligent in reading them, not as a law or a way to become more Holy, but because they reveal Christ. They reveal that on account of Christ, you are holy and righteous in His sight. This has been God’s plan from the beginning. God created with the end in mind. There are no mistakes in these scriptures. Instead, they perfectly reveal Christ, who saves you, and that is cool. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At Thy speaking it was done. For created light we thank Thee; While Thine ordered seasons run. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end! (LSB 578:1)-Rev. Caleb Weight, associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.