I've had an Epiphany!

From Pastor Lindemann, Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI As we observe the tenth anniversary of 9/11 here is a prayer for your reflection, remembrance, and hope. Dear God and Savior, as we remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001 that unleashed their wicked fury on our nation, our people, and our world, we turn to you in prayer, for you are the Lord of all. The Lord our God is God in heaven above, and on earth below. Joshua 2:11 Today we remember those who grieve the death of family or friends as a result of the attacks. Relieve the pain of their loss with the peace that this world cannot give. Assure them of your sovereignty and strength. Through your gracious promises lead them to acknowledge that your ways are always higher than our ways, and cause them to trust in you and seek your saving help now and always. The Lord reigns forever. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the opp...

From Luther’s Sermon Notes on the Gospel This is written for our comfort and instruction, that we may know how deeply God conceals his grace before our face, and that we may not estimate him according to our feelings and thinking, but strictly according to his Word. For here you see, though Christ appears to be even hardhearted, yet he gives no final decision by saying “No.” All his answers indeed sound like no, but they are not no, they remain undecided and pending. For he does not say: I will not hear thee; but is silent and passive, and says neither yes nor no. In like manner he does not say she is not of the house of Israel ; but he is sent only to the house of Israel ; he leaves it undecided and pending between yes and no. So he does not say, Thou art a dog, one should not give thee of the children’s bread; but it is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs; leaving it undecided whether she is a dog or not. Yet all those trials of her faith sounded more lik...

Matthew 15:21-28 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon . 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel ." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. One day a farmer’s old dog fell into a dry well. He was trapped. No ...

M: Eternal God, Almighty Father, this past decade has been indelibly inscribed with memories. We looked with horror on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. But we looked with honor on acts of courage by ordinary people who sacrificed themselves to prevent further death and destruction. We shed our tears in a common bond of grief for those loved and lost. We journeyed through a dark valley, but your light has led us to a place of hope. You have turned our grief into determination and our shock into passion. Lord, you are the beginning of all things and our Protector at all times. We thank you for your boundless mercy in keeping us safe from every physical and spiritual peril. Almighty Father, strong to save, Whose arm has bound the restless wave, Who bids the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep: Oh, hear our earnest, humble plea For those in peril on the sea. M: Jesus Christ, the nation we call “the land of the free and the home of the brave” has been your gif...

Matthew 16:13-20 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. It had been a bright, beautiful sunny fall day. There ...