July 23, 2026

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - 2

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:17; Acts 19:23-21:14; Acts 19:1-22

What benefits does Baptism give?

It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are these words and promises of God?

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

The devil wants you to think of your Baptism as a symbol, insisting that you place your faith in Jesus and not in water. It’s because the devil wants to make Jesus impossible to find when you need Him. A Jesus whom you trust to save you but can’t when you need Him to is pretty terrible. Because if you can’t find Jesus in the water, you have to find Him in your heart.

On your good days, that’s not so bad. When everyone sings the hymns, and you sing along and feel uplifted, strong, and steadfast, that’s great. On the bad days, it’s demonic, though. Because on the bad days, when you need Jesus the most, when you don’t feel uplifted or strong or steadfast, if you try to measure Jesus in your heart, He feels missing. When you look in your heart for Jesus, whenever you need Him the most, He feels the farthest away. It’s called enthusiasm, and I hate it. You should, too.

Instead of looking in your heart for Jesus, look in the font. Jesus saves. But it isn’t that Jesus saves so Baptism doesn’t. It’s that Jesus saves you through Baptism. The Bible says Jesus alone saves you. The Bible also says Baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:21). Instead of insisting that God contradicts Himself and dismissing the sacrament, recognize HOW God saves you, and even why.

It’s not from your heart or measured in your heart. It’s for your heart. Now, when you wrestle with guilt and shame, when you feel low and far from God, you have the promise of something near. You were drowned in salvation. You exist today as the Scriptures say. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In Baptism we now put on Christ— Our shame is fully covered With all that He once sacrificed And freely for us suffered. For here the flood of His own blood Now makes us holy, right, and good Before our heav'nly Father. (LSB 596:4)

Rev. Harrison Goodman, Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.