Daily Devotion for 27 March 2026 (Lent 5, Friday)

Welcome to the Daily Devotions Podcast from Confident Faith.

I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith.

I will be your reader today, this Friday in the 5th week of Lent, the 27th of March, 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 22, Psalm 38, Exodus starting with chapter 5, verse 1,

and reading through chapter 6, verse 1, Mark chapter 15, verses 33 through 47, and

paragraphs 21 through 32, of Article 4 of the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord.

We will close, as always, with the Lord's Prayer.

Today's first reading from the Psalter is the 22nd Psalm.

By God, my God, attend to me, why did you forsake me?

Far away from my deliverance are the words of my transgressions, oh my God, I will cry

by day and you will not listen, and by night and it becomes no folly for me.

But you, the commendation of Israel, reside in a holy place.

When you our fathers hoped, they hoped and you rescued them.

To you they cried and were saved, in you they hoped and were not put to shame.

But as for me I am a worm and not human, a reproach of mankind and despised by people.

All who saw me mocked me, they talked with the lips, they moved the head.

He hoped in the Lord let him rescue him, let him save him because he wanted him.

Because it was you who drew me from the belly, my hope from my mother's breast.

On you I was cast from the womb and from my mother's stomach you have been my God.

Do not keep away from me because affliction is near, because there is no one to help.

Many bull calves encircled me, fat bulls surrounded me, they opened their mouth at me, like

a lion that ravens and roars.

Like water I was poured out and all my bones were scattered.

My heart became like wax, melting within my belly.

My strength was dried up like a potchard, and my tongue is stuck to my throat.

And to death dust you brought me down, because many dogs encircled me, a gathering of evil

doers surrounded me.

They gouged my hands and feet.

I counted all my bones, but they took note and observed me.

They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not put my help far away, attend to my support.

Rescue my soul from the sword, and from a dog's claw my only life.

Save me from a lion's mouth, and my lowliness from the horns of unicorns.

I will tell of your name to my kindred.

In the midst of an assembly I will sing a hymn to you.

You who fear the Lord praise him, all you offspring of Jacob together glorify him.

Let all the offspring of Israel fear him.

As he did not despise or scorn the petition of the poor, nor did he take away his face

from me, and when I cried to him he listened to me.

From you comes my commendation in a great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The needy shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek him shall praise the Lord.

Their hearts shall live forever and ever.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the paternal families

of the nations shall do obeisance before him, because kingship is the Lord's, and it

is he who is master over the nations.

All the fat ones of the earth ate and did obeisance.

All who descend into the earth shall fall down before him, and my soul lives for him, and

my offspring will serve him.

The coming generation will be announced to the Lord, and they shall announce his righteousness

to a people to be born, because the Lord acted.

Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be, forevermore, Amen.

Today's second reading from the Psalter is the 38th Psalm.

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath, because your

arrows were stuck in me, and you clamped your hand on me.

There is no healing in my flesh from before your wrath.

There is no peace for my bones from before my sins, because my acts of lawlessness went

over my head, like a heavy burden they weighed on me.

My wounds stank and festered from before my foolishness.

I was wretched and bowed down completely.

All day long I would go around looking sullen, because my loin muscles were filled with

mockeries, and there is no healing in my flesh.

I was vilified and humiliated utterly.

I would roar due to my heart's groaning.

O Lord, before you was all my desire, and my groaning was not hidden from you.

My heart was troubled, my strength failed me, and as for the light of my eyes, it too

is not with me.

My friends and my fellows approached opposite me and stood, and my next of kin stood far

off.

And those who seek my soul took to violence, and those who seek my hurt spoke vanities,

and treacheries they contemplated all day long.

But as for me, I, like the death, would not hear, and like a mute not opening his mouth,

and I became like a person that does not hear, and that has no retort in his mouth.

Because in you, O Lord, I hoped, it is you, O Lord, my God, who will listen.

As I said, only let not my enemies be happy over me, and when my feet were shaken they

bragged against me.

Because I am ready for scourges, and my pain is ever with me.

Because my lawlessness I will report, and I will show anxiety over my sin.

But my enemies are alive and are stronger than I, and those who hate me unjustly multiplied.

Those who render me evil for good, would slander me since I would follow, after righteousness,

they cast me off the beloved, like a horrid corpse.

Do not forsake me, O Lord, O my God, do not stand far from me, attend to helping me,

O Lord, of my deliverance.

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 from

verse 1 of the 5th chapter, through verse 1 of the 6th chapter.

And after these things, Moses and Aaron went into Pharaoh and said to him,

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, Send away my people so that they may celebrate

a feast to me in the wilderness.

And Pharaoh said, Who is this whose voice I shall listen to, so that I send away the sons

of Israel?

I do not know the Lord, and I am not sending Israel away.

And they say to him, the God of the Hebrews has summoned us, we will travel then of three

days' journey into the wilderness, in order to sacrifice to our God, less death or murder

meet us.

And the King of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why are you diverting my people from

their tasks?

Each of you go back to his tasks.

And Pharaoh said, Look, the people of the land now are very numerous.

Therefore, let us not give them relief from their tasks.

Then Pharaoh instructed the people's taskmasters and recorders saying, No longer will straw continue

to be given to the people for brickmaking, as it was yesterday in the third day.

Let them go themselves and gather straw for themselves, and the levy of brickmaking

that they themselves make each day, you shall impose on them, you shall not remove anything.

For they have spare time.

For this reason they have cried out, saying, Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.

Let the tasks of this people be made heavy, and let them be preoccupied with these things,

and let them not be preoccupied by empty words.

And the taskmasters and recorders kept urging them on and telling the people saying, This

is what Pharaoh says, I am no longer giving you straw, as you yourselves go, gather for

yourselves straw wherever you may find it, for nothing is being removed from your levy.

And the people were scattered in the whole of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

Now the taskmasters kept urging them on, saying, Complete the customary task daily, even

is when the straw was being given to you.

And the recorders of the race of the sons of Israel, who had been set over them by the

overseers of Pharaoh were beaten, saying, Why did you not finish your levy of brickmaking,

just as yesterday and the third day also today?

Then the recorders of the sons of Israel, they came in and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, Why

are you acting like this to your domestics?

Straw is not being given to your domestics, and they tell us to make the brick, and look

your servants have been beaten, so you will treat your people unjustly.

And he said to them, You have spare time, you are men of leisure.

For this reason you say, Let us go, let us offer sacrifice to our God.

Now then go and get to work, for the straw shall not be given to you, and you shall deliver

the levy of brickmaking.

Now the recorders of the sons of Israel were seeing themselves in difficulties, because

they were saying, You shall not come short of the customary amount of brickmaking daily.

Now they met Moses and Aaron coming to meet them, as they were going out from Pharaoh,

and they said to them, May God see you in judge, because you have made our smell loathsome

before Pharaoh, and before his attendance, to put a sword into his hands to kill us.

Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, Lord, Why did you harm this people, and why have

you sent me?

Even from the time when I have gone in to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has harmed

this people, and you have not delivered your people.

And the Lord said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a might

he hand he will send them away, and by a raised arm he will drive them out of his land.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Mark, and we will be reading the

15th chapter, verses 33 through 47.

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth

hour, and at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi Eloi lemas sabaktheni,

which means, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

As some of the bystanders hearing it said, Behold, he is calling Elijah, and someone ran

and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a read and gave it to him to drink, saying,

Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last, and the curtain of the temple was

torn in two from top to bottom.

And when the Centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his last,

he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

There were also women looking on from a distance among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the

mother of James, the younger and of Joseph and Solomon.

When he was in Galilee they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many

other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

And when evening had come since it was the day of preparation, that is the day before

the Sabbath.

Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking

for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.

And summoning the Centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.

And when he learned from the Centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.

And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down wrapped him in the linen shroud and

laid him in a tomb, that had been cut out of the rock.

And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks 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 4, paragraph 21 through 32.

Negative statements Second, when it is taught the good works

are necessary, it must also be explained why they are necessary.

These reasons are listed in the Augsburg Confession and Apology.

We must be well on our guard to make sure that works are not brought in and mixed into

the article of justification and salvation.

Number 4, the following propositions are justly rejected.

Good works are necessary for believers to be saved, therefore it is impossible to be saved

without good works.

This is directly contrary to the doctrine about the exclusive terms in the Article of Justification

and Salvation.

In other words, these positions conflict with the words St. Paul uses to exclude entirely

our works and merits from the Article of Justification and Salvation, and to credit everything to

God's grace and Christ merit alone, as explained in the preceding article.

These propositions take the comfort of the gospel away from afflicted, troubled consciences.

They give reason to doubt and are dangerous in many ways.

They strengthen assumptions about one's own righteousness and increase confidence in one's

own works.

Besides, they are accepted by the papus and are used in their interest against the pure

doctrine of the alone saving faith.

Furthermore, they are contrary to the form of sound words.

For it is written, David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness

apart from works, Romans 4.6.

Likewise in Article 6 of the Augsburg Confession, it is written that we are saved without works

through faith alone, so Dr. Luther II rejected and condemned these propositions when they were

used.

3.

By the false prophets among the Galatians, 2.

By the papus in very many places.

3.

By the anabaptists when they present this interpretation.

We should not rest faith on the merit of works, but we must still have works as necessary

for salvation.

4.

And also by some of Luther's own followers who wanted to interpret this proposition as

follows.

Although we require works as necessary to salvation, we do not teach people to trust in works.

David Luther's commentary on Genesis 22.

For these reasons, it is right for this matter to remain settled in our churches.

The ways of speaking just mention should not be taught defended or excused.

Instead they should be thrown out of our churches and rejected as false and incorrect.

These are expressions that were renewed because of the interim.

They originated from it and were again drawn into discussion in times of persecution.

This happened when there was special need for a clear, correct confession against all

sorts of corruptions and adulterations of the article of justification.

Preservation of the faith.

Third, whether good works preserve salvation or whether they are necessary for preserving

faith, righteousness and salvation is another issue in dispute.

This again is of high and great importance for the one who endures to the end will be saved

Matthew 24-13.

Also for we share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end,

Hebrews 3-14.

We must also explain well and precisely how righteousness and salvation are preserved

in us, less salvation be lost again.

Above all, this false epicurian delusion is to be seriously rebuked and rejected.

Some imagine that faith and the righteousness and salvation that they have received cannot

be lost through sins or wicked deeds, not even through willful and intentional ones.

They imagine that a Christian retains faith, God's grace, righteousness and salvation,

even though he indulges his wicked lusts without fear and shame, resist the Holy Spirit,

and purposely engages in sins against conscience.

Against this deadly delusion, the following true, unchangeable divine threats and severe

punishments and warnings should be repeated often and impressed upon Christians who are

justified through faith.

Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers will inherit

the kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 6-9-10.

Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, Galatians 5-21, see also

Ephesians 5-5.

If you live according to the flesh you will die, Romans 8-13.

On account of these the wrath of God is coming upon the children of disobedience, Colossians

3-6.

This concludes our reading from the book of Concord.

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 reasonable to do so, but praying

it silently is, of course, also fine.

The Lord knows what is in your heart.

Lord, 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 save your Jesus Christ in whatever calling

has been given you, or tasks that before you, until tomorrow, God be with you.