Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson 2026

In Today's readings (see below) we read of three men who had great faith and shaped the history of our salvation. First, we see King David in Psalm 69, in what we we call a "lament" psalm. David is calling out to God, as he feels like he is sinking and the water is up to his neck. His throat is parched from calling out to God for help. Those who hate him he can't count, and The Lord seems nowhere to be found. Then as we jump down to the last verses, David says these circumstances will not prevent him from giving praise and thanksgiving to God, for God hears the needy and will not despise his people. His faith is that God has a plan for His people and will honor the promises He has made. Then we have Abram, later named Abraham, who is called the father of faith. Why? Because when he was 99 years old, God said he would be the father of many nations. There was just one problem, he didn't have a son! Then God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will great bless ...

Baptism of the Lord Genesis 1:1-5 (God creates light); Psalm 29 (The voice of God upon the waters); Acts 19:1-7 (Baptized in the name of Jesus); Mark 1:4-11 (Jesus revealed as God’s servant) (New International Version) Today, on Sunday, we read of the Baptism of our Lord. John the Baptist came out of the desert with a baptism of repentance and forgiveness. He was preparing the road for Jesus, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was baptized by John not because he was sinful, but set an example and to do the right thing before God. As He was baptized heaven was torn open and the Holy Spirit descended on him in peace. When Paul came to Ephesus he found some disciples who had only been baptized by John. Paul asked them if they received the Holy Spirit when they were baptized. Almost in a humorous way they say, "we have not even heard there was a Holy Spirit!" I wonder how many people might say that today. So Paul baptized them in the name Jesus, placed hands on t...

This week as we focus on the Baptism of Jesus and His calling as the Messiah, as we have been looking at other important figures in the bible and how they were called to follow God and Jesus. The Psalm today again reminds us that at the voice of The Lord all things have been created and shaped by his command. In a similar way when God calls someone they are meant to shape the world God has created. First we see the handing over of the kingship from David to his Son, Solomon. David was the first great king of Israel and had faithfully served God for 40 years. Now as he passes the touch to Solomon he implores him to keep God's commands as written in the Law of Moses (the first five books of the bible called the Pentateuch) and faithfully follow all his decrees. David tells him if he does this he will prosper and God will keep his promise to David he made when he became king. The promise was that there would never fail to be a King in the line of David's blood. David died and So...

Today as we continue in the week of the year where we focus on the Baptism of The Lord, we look at two other men who were anointed for the task of ministry and God's special purpose. We usually refer to this as "the call", or one's calling. The other term used is "anointed" or "consecrated" for ministry. Interesting the term for baptism means to totally immerse or cover with God's grace and power. Part of our baptism service is to anoint a child or adult with oil for consecration of that person's life for God and His purposes. When Jesus was baptized he was anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit as He began his ministry by John the Baptist. Today, we have two stories of anointing and also another form which is the laying of hands to consecrate someone for ministry. In the first instance, David was anointed by Samuel the prophet, as God had rejected Saul as King. The Lord sent Samuel to the town of Bethlehem (where Jesus was born year...

Reflection: This Sunday's theme is the Baptism of our Lord. This is another one of the cool aspects of the daily lectionary reading plan, as the readings during the week provide background for the Sunday lessons and Gospel. When Jesus was baptized a voice from heaven said, "this is my Son with whom I am well pleased!" So today's readings are all about the voice of The Lord. The psalm is about how the Lord's voice is powerful striking thunder over the waters, shaking the desert, and twisting trees and shaping forests. The idea is God's voice is over all of Creation, and by His Word stuff happens. Of course this aligns with Genesis 1, when each day in Creation God speaks into existence all things, including you and I. Then, in the second two readings, we see God speaking to his servants and prophets. He speaks to Samuel who works for the priest Eli in the temple. Three times The Lord calls out, "Samuel", and finally since Eli is nearly sleeping h...

Today we have the story of Moses, who later became a great leader for the people of Israel, and the one to whom God revealed the Old Testament Law. Today, we learn of the somewhat miraculous birth of Moses, as his mom recognizes he is no ordinary child and she puts him in a papyrus basket and floats him down the Nile River. Interestingly the Hebrew for this word "papyrus" is the same as "ark" as in Noah's Ark, where Noah and his family were saved out of the water. Pharaoh's daughter had mercy on him and took him out of the water and named him Moses, which means "out of the water". So while Moses was a Hebrew, he grew up in Pharaoh's household with all of the luxuries of the most powerful man in the world. Later in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, Moses and his parents are uplifted as models of faith. You can only imagine the faith his parents needed to float him down the Nile in fear of Pharoah's decree. Then, we see why Moses ...

Epiphany of the Lord, January 6 Reflection: You may or may not know it but today is the day of Epiphany. The word "epiphany" means to uncover or reveal. We hear it said, "I had an epiphany today!" Usually this means that one has discovered or experienced something they never have before. It is a new revelation to them. The readings for today all include this sense of Epiphany. The prophet Isaiah prophecies about a day when the light and glory of The Lord would shine in the darkness and rise upon all people. All kings from the seas to the desert will come and bow down and worship the Lord. King Solomon, the richest King Israel had ever known, says essentially the same thing. His glory was but a glimpse of what the coming King's would be. Then, we have the story of the wise men. Traveling from afar in the east, they are led by a star exactly to the place where the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The star revealed where the Son was born, so they could worship...