Daily Devotion for 15 April 2026 (Easter 2, Wednesday)

0:00Welcome to the Daily Devotions podcast from Confident Faith. I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith and I will be your reader today. This Wednesday in the second week of Easter, the 15th of April. In the year of our Lord, 2026, in the time of Easter, there are no feasts, festivals or commemorations on the calendar today. Our readings for today are Psalm 99, Psalm 79, Exodus chapter 24 verses 1 through 18, Luke chapter 5 verses 1 through 16 and paragraphs 52 through 58 of Article 7 of the solid declaration

1:06of the formula of Concord. We will close, as always, with the Lord's Prayer. Today's first reading from the Psalter is the 99th Psalm. The Lord became king, led peoples grow angry. He who sits upon the chairbeam, let the earth shake. The Lord is great in Zion, and he is high over all the peoples. Let them acknowledge your great name, because it is awesome and holy. A king's honor loves justice. It was you who provided uprightness. It was you who executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God and do obeisance at the footstool of his feet, because holy is he. Moses and Aaron were among his priests and Samuel among those who called on his name. They called on the Lord and he harkened to them. In a pillar of cloud he would speak to them. They would keep his testimonies and the ordinances that he gave them.

2:08O Lord our God, it was you who would harken to them. O Lord it was you who was being very merciful to them and an avenger of all their practices. Exalt the Lord our God and do obeisance toward his holy mountain, because the Lord our God is holy. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, it is now and will be forevermore, Amen. Today's second reading from the Psalter is the 79th Psalm. Though God nations came into your inheritance, they defiled your holy shrine. They made Jerusalem into a garden watchers hut. They placed the carcasses of your slaves as food for the birds of the air, the flesh of your devout for the wild animals of the earth. They poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem and there was no one to bury.

3:11We became a reproach to our neighbors, mockery and derision to those around us. How long O Lord will you be utterly angry, will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on nations that do not know you and on kingdoms that do not call on your name, because they devoured Jacob and his place they laid waste. Do not remember our lawless deeds of long ago, let your compassion speedily preoccupy us, because we became very poor. Help us, O God, our Savior, for the sake of the glory of your name, O Lord, rescue us, and atone for our sins for the sake of your name, so that the nations may not say, where is their God? And let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your slaves be known among the nations before our eyes. Let the groaning of the prisoners come before you, according to the greatness of your arm, preserve the sons of those put to death. Even sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors, they are reproaching with which they were

4:13approached you, O Lord, but we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will acknowledge you openly forever, to generation and generation, we will recount your praise. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forevermore. Amen. Today's Old Testament reading comes from the book of Exodus, and we will be reading the 24th chapter, verses 1 through 18. And Moses went in and recounted to the people all God's words and statutes, and all the people answered with one voice saying, all the words that the Lord has spoken, we will do in heed. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. Now early in the morning, Moses constructed an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent the young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered whole burnt offerings

5:17and sacrificed a sacrifice of deliverance to God, bull cows. Now taking half of the blood, Moses poured it into bulls, and half of the blood he poured out towards the altar. And taking the book of the covenant, he read in the ears of the people and they said, all that the Lord has said, we will do in heed. Then Moses taking the blood, scattered it over the people and said, look, the blood of the covenant that the Lord made with you concerning all these words. And Moses and Aaron and Nadab and Abude and seventy of the elders' counsel of Israel went up, and they saw the place there where the God of Israel stood, and that which was beneath his feet, like something made from lapis lazuli brick, and like the appearance of the firmament of heaven in purity, and not even one of the chosen of Israel perished, and they appeared in the place of God and were eating and drinking. And the Lord said to Moses, come up to me into the mountain, and be there, and I will give

6:17you the stone tablets, the law and the commandments that I wrote to legislate for them. And Moses rose up, and Jesus who assisted him, and went up into the mountain of God, and they said to the elders, wait quietly here until we return to you, and look, Aaron and her are with you. If a case arises for someone, let them go to them. And Moses and Jesus went up into the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain, and God's glory descended upon the mountain Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and the Lord called Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the Lord's glory was like a flaming fire on the top of the mountain before the sons of Israel, and Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain, and he was there on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Luke, and we will be reading the

7:21fifth chapter, verses one through sixteen. On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the Word of God, he was standing by the lake of Ganesirat, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land, and he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch, and Simon answered, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing. But at your word, I will let down the nets, and when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord, for he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch

8:23of fish that they had taken. And so also were James and John's sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid, from now on he will be catching men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. While he was in one of the cities there came a man full of leprosy, and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will be clean, and immediately the leprosy left him, and he charged him to tell no one, but go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing as Moses commanded for a proof to them. But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him, and to be healed of their infirmities, but he would withdraw to desolate places, and pray. This is the Word of the Lord.

9:24Thanks be to God. Today's reading from the book of Concorde comes from the solid declaration of the formula of Concorde, and we will be reading Article 7, paragraph 52 through 58. Article 3 of Angelus, Matthew 26, 26 through 28, Mark 14, 22 through 24, Luke 22, 19 through 20, and St. Paul, after Christ's ascension, received the same institution of the Lord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11, 23 through 26. Unanimously and with the same words and syllables, they repeat these distinct, clear, firm, and true words of Christ about the consecrated and distributed bread. This is my body. They all repeat these words in one way without any interpretation. Turn of phrase, figure, or change. Therefore there is no doubt about the other part of the sacrament.

10:25The words of Luke and Paul, this cup is the new covenant in my blood, can have no other meaning that what St. Matthew and St. Mark give. This, namely what you orally drink out of the cup, is my blood of the covenant. Whereby I establish seal and confirm with you men this, my testament and new covenant, that is the forgiveness of sins. St. Paul repeats confirms and explains Christ's words, where he writes as follows, the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10-16. This is to be considered with all diligence and seriousness. It is an especially clear testimony of the true essential presence and distribution of the body and blood of Christ in the supper. From this we clearly learn that not only the cup that Christ blessed the first supper and not only the bread that Christ broke and distributed, but also the bread we break in the cup we bless, is the communion of Christ's body and blood.

11:29So all who eat this bread and drink of this cup truly receive in our partakers of Christ through body and blood. One that Christ's body was present and partaken of, not truly and essentially, but only according to its power and efficacy. Then the bread would have to be called not a communion of the body, but of the spirit, power and benefits of Christ. As the apology argues and concludes, now imagine that Paul were speaking only of the spiritual communion of Christ's body through faith, as the sacramentarians pervert this passage. Then Paul would not say that the bread, but that the spirit or faith, was the communion of Christ's body. But he says that the bread is the communion of Christ's body and that all who partake of the consecrated bread also become partakers of Christ's body. Therefore he must indeed be speaking not of a spiritual but of a sacramental or oral participation of Christ's body, which is common to Godly Christians and Godless Christians, those who are Christians only in name.

12:31This is shown also by the causes and circumstances of this entire exposition of Saint Paul. For he frightens and warns those who ate of offerings to idols and had fellowship with heathen devil worship. And nevertheless went also to the Lord's table and became partakers of Christ's body and blood. He warns them so that they do not receive Christ's body and blood for judgment and condemnation to themselves. For all those who become partakers of the consecrated and broken bread in the supper have communion also with Christ's body. Therefore Saint Paul cannot be speaking of spiritual communion with Christ, which no person can abuse and against which also no one is to be warned. Our dear fathers and predecessors, like Luther and other pure teachers of the Augsburg confession, explain this statement of Paul in such a way that it agrees completely with Christ's words. They write that the bread we break is the distributed body of Christ or the common communicated body of Christ, distributed to those who receive the broken bread.

13:36This concludes our reading from the book of Concorde. I now invite all of you to join me in reciting the Lord's Prayer, one of the most ancient prayers of the church. I do encourage you to say it aloud if you are somewhere would be reasonable to do so, but praying it silently is, of course, also fine. The Lord knows what is in your heart. Remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever, Amen. Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in whatever calling has

14:40been given you, or tasks that before you. Until tomorrow, God be with you.