The Lutheran Hour
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"Embrace Life"
- Full Program MP3 Reflections TLH Message (only)
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Text: John 10:10-11
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Life, as we know it, or the life we are living now, is not always a place we want to be. Sometimes we deal with suffering, face tragedies, live with extreme or unexpected situations, and also walk this path of life with people who might disappoint us. What if there were another life—one that was different, one that was even better than the one you want, and that was also eternal—something that lasts forever? What if this new life could completely change your perspective on how you are living today, here and now? What if this new life I’m talking about were God’s plan for you? I want to talk about this and more in the message we have prepared for you this week, here at The Lutheran Hour.
Some time ago, while sharing with one of our workers of Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (or “Christ for All Nations,” which is how Lutheran Hour Ministries is called in Latin America), I learned the story of a woman who at one point felt ready to end her life. She suffered from terrible depression and mistakenly thought that ending it all was her only option. She sent farewell messages to her loved ones, got into her car, and drove to a place where she thought she could do this. However, while she was driving, one of our messages came on the radio, which spoke about the importance of life and placing our anxieties in God’s hands. It was a simple prayer of about 20 or 30 seconds, enough to change the course of this story. I was told that she stopped her car in the middle of the road, turned off the engine, and she began to cry like never before. After this, she was able to resume her therapy sessions with her psychologist, and was able to find help.
You might be wondering, how did we find out about this? Well, the psychologist herself called our office one day to thank us for our radio messages and tell us this story. She said, “Perhaps you don’t know it, but you save lives with the work you do.”
Praise God! Everything we do here is for the glory of God, and so that more and more people—real people like you, with real problems like yours—can hear about Jesus and know that only with Him does our life have a future and better options. It is Jesus, through His Word, the only One who can save lives and change our perspective on how we live here and now.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to understand this in time. Suicide rates worldwide are alarming and on the rise, especially among young people. For many, it is the only solution to their problems, their tragedies, their pain … but I promise you, it is not. There is hope. Just like there is hope for those who suffer, those who face depression, anxiety, and addictions, and those who bear the heavy burden of knowing they are sinners.
Here at Lutheran Hour Ministries, we have tons of resources in both English and Spanish to help you and others navigate through these challenges.
This year’s theme for our Hispanic Heritage Month is precisely “Embrace Life” (Abraza la Vida), an invitation to recognize the life God gives us, the life He prepares for us, the life only He can offer. I’m not talking about a life without problems, or without challenges or sorrows, but rather a better life here on earth, and an eternal life that—according to the Bible—is perfect, abundant, and that God gives us only by grace.
In the Bible, Jesus says that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). And in John 10:10, He actually declares that His purpose to come to this world is simple and powerful. He said, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”
However, things in this world may not be as easy as we would like. Right? There are pains that don’t end by talking to someone, whether a pastor or a therapist. There are challenges that overwhelm us, crush us, and leave deep wounds and profound sadness within us. There are situations that seem to have no solution, or that sometimes we cannot change even if we wanted to.
Furthermore, whether we like it or not, we have long lived in a culture marked and shaped by death. If we go back to Genesis, to the very beginning, we know that sin opened the door to death (see Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12-21). Death was never God’s plan or His goal when He created men and all things; it was the consequence of our disobedience.
And what came after was even worse. Right after Adam and Eve, we find a brother killing another out of jealousy, envy, or whatever … and from then on, we have not stopped harming each other, with words and actions. That’s why we kill each other in wars; we kill each other to steal; we kill each other because we have different ideologies, religions, or even races; we kill when there’s an unplanned pregnancy; we kill when there’s a mortal disease; we even kill each other because it’s perhaps the easiest thing to do.
The other day I heard on a podcast that this culture of death—in which we live—is also the result of our inclination to eliminate problems, not to solve them.
But as a pastor, I find no other explanation for this culture than sin itself. We kill each other because we are sinners, and until we recognize this truth, and understand that God is the Author and Owner of life, we won’t be able to embrace life, much less comprehend the abundant life that He alone promises and gives us.
We know that depression is real, and that sometimes it presents itself to us as a dark hole from which there is no escape. Because we live in this world, we also know that there are very strong pains, very deep sadness, very difficult situations. We too have been where many find themselves today. Perhaps you yourself, or someone you love, are there right now.
That is why Jesus spoke of taking up our burdens and our crosses, of experiencing the afflictions of this world (see Matthew 16:24; John 16:33).
A world made up of death … intrusive thoughts that dwell within us and take hold of our minds and hearts … and—why not—the devil, who also plays a part in our lives … all these are like thieves trying to steal our lives.
Let’s go back to John 10:10-11. Here, Jesus says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. However, I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
Jesus presents life here on earth as a flock. But, like any flock, we will always be exposed to problems. There will be wolves who will want to attack us, and thieves who will also seek to “steal, kill, and destroy” among us. But Jesus adds something I want you to take with you after this message: we are not alone, and you don’t have to live everything in solitude. He has come into the world to dwell with you and suffer with you. He has come to our world to even protect your life by giving His own, and He has done this, so that you have abundant life, life that does not end, life that lasts forever: eternal life in a world of death.
Dear friends of The Lutheran Hour: In a culture of death, in our human nature that believes death is the only alternative, in a world that places very little value on life, Jesus presents Himself to us with a different proposal: eternal life.
When we say here, in our Hispanic Heritage Month, that we have been called to embrace life, this really means going beyond doing good or what we believe is right; it means leaving our burdens on Jesus, because He truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life this world needs—and He truly came into our realities—just as painful as they are—to give us abundant life.
Remember this: For God so loved the world that He sent Jesus, so that those who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life (see John 3:16). In fact, Jesus came to experience the death we deserved so that we might live forever. He conquered death so that in His resurrection, we too may rise again and live eternally in His presence. That is His plan for you and for me!
To embrace life, and to receive the abundant life He offers us, is to receive the forgiveness He gives us through His Gospel and the Sacraments. It is to be reconciled with God through Jesus, confessing our sins and embracing the forgiveness of absolution. It is to celebrate that through Christ we are no longer enemies of God, but His beloved children. This certainly changes the perspective with which we see life, and we understand life on earth as something temporary, and the life Jesus won for us as what it truly is: something eternal, something abundant.
We never knew what happened to that woman after the day a message on the radio from Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones—or Lutheran Hour Ministries—touched her heart and prevented her from ending her life. But what we do know is that the Word of God alone was able to change her life in that moment, and she was able to embrace her life, the life she received from God.
Like her, there are perhaps many in the world who are facing the same problems, perhaps with more questions than answers, or more bitterness than hope.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re promoting a wonderful program throughout Latin America and in the United States —available in Spanish and Portuguese—offering Christian support, companionship, and spiritual guidance to people struggling with depression and other problems, where pain and death sometimes seem like the only path. The program is called vivenciar.net. It’s free, and there we have a precious army of volunteers dedicated to speaking with our users, and offering life in Christ when death appears to be the only way. You can learn more about it at lhm.org/hispanicministry.
To our users of vivenciar.net, and to you as well, we say today that Jesus is the Way—the best one; that He offers abundant life and peace, and He does it freely, out of love for us, even though we don’t deserve it.
If you have ever felt abandoned by God and everyone else, and think that there is no hope, that there are no other options, let me tell you once again that Jesus has done something amazing for you: He gave His life so that you, and all who believe in Him, may have the precious gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Believe me, there is no greater love than that of one who lays down his life for his friends (see John 15:13). This is God’s love for you. On this day, I hope and pray that you will find in this love your hope, your peace, life, and a better path, so you too can embrace eternal life. Amen.
Reflections for October 4, 2026
Title: Helping Hispanic ChurchesMark Eischer: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour. Our Daily Devotions can provide inspiration and encouragement for each day of the week. Subscribe, read, or listen to Daily Devotions from The Lutheran Hour. Go to lhm.org to find out more. That’s lhm.org.
He grew up speaking Spanish in Puerto Rico but had to become fluent in German and English so that he could attend seminary and study to become a Lutheran pastor. He used those language skills to work undercover for U.S. intelligence during World War II. God used his voice to proclaim the Gospel over the radio throughout Latin America, Spain, and the U.S. Learn the fascinating story of Spanish Lutheran Hour Speaker Dr. Andrés Melendez in a new video biography titled, Is It in Spanish? Go to lutheranhour.org and click on “TLH History.”
Joining us now here’s Lutheran Hour Speaker Dr. Michael Zeigler.
Mike Zeigler: Thanks, Mark. Today I get to visit with a new friend, Pastor Omar Garza. And Pastor Garza serves as the president of a Lutheran church in Mexico, formerly the Lutheran Synod of Mexico. Welcome to the program, Pastor Garza.
Omar Garza: Oh, thank you very much for the invitation. It’s a great honor to be here.
Mike Zeigler: Your grandmother had a connection with the Hispanic Lutheran Hour way back in 1950-something, had stopped going to church, and then she heard the Spanish Lutheran Hour. So tell us that story.
Omar Garza: For some reason, one day hearing the radio, she hear Lutheran Hour Ministries program with Dr. Andrés Melendez, sharing the Word of God. And it was amazing for her because she didn’t clearly get to know what Jesus Christ had been doing for us. As soon as she heard the first time that program, she write down the phone number that was there and immediately tried to communicate, to try, in this case, to start to attend to a Lutheran church. She basically just call and say, “Hey, there is no churches.” She was living in Matamoros, Mexico, which is basically in the border with Brownsville, Texas. Told her, “Well, the only option is if you go to the El Calvario Church in Brownsville, Texas.” And she say, “I have the visa. I can go to cross with our problem.” She started to attend to El Calvario Church.
She was well received. She keep hearing about this great news of the salvation of Jesus Christ, and she started to teach kids. They form a little mission work with several ladies because of the starting point of just hearing the word of Dr. Melendez through the Lutheran Hour ministry. She were able to make the connection and ask for a missionary, start to make some work in Mexico. They started in a little house to make, in this case, a little service. And then through the time, it was enough people that they start up and build a church. I was baptized in that church in 1975. That is the church that I’m currently serving as a pastor.
Mike Zeigler: But you are a second-career pastor. You had another career before becoming a pastor. Tell us a little bit about that and how God led you to become a pastor.
Omar Garza: Electronic engineer by career. The church, unfortunately, didn’t have pastors to keep going the ministry. And unfortunately, that lead the church to close almost 50 percent. When I was 25, 30 years old, I had completely lost the identity of making sure that I was saved by grace. I believe at that point in time that I have to be a very good guy to gain heaven, completely out of the reality of what God tell us on how we are saved because of faith in Jesus Christ. During that time, at some point, God make His kind of miracle back and allow us to understand and get back to the basics of saved by grace, not by acts. When I get to understand back that message of the grace of God and how we are so loved, it just simply kind of, I feel like the words of heaven just up and in front of me at my full-time job, I started to share [with] everyone, as a layperson, about Jesus Christ.
I almost, every day I got someone, “Hey, are you going to church, or you don’t go? Why you don’t go? Where are you going to go if you die today?” A lot of people tell me, “Hey, you should be a pastor.” I say, “No, no, no, no.” We really want to serve as something like marriage counselors, my wife and I. All of the sudden, one time, there was this lady that teaches about how to raise kids, from the school of one of my sons. So I say, “Hey, can you tell me how to become a very good counselor? What do I need to study?” And she turned around and told me, “Oh, you want to be a pastor.” And I’m just like, “No, I told you I want to be a marriage counselor. Why are you saying that I want to be a pastor?” “So, well, you keep talking about God every time you got an opportunity in front of the class, and I thought that you were a pastor.” God put the time in that honestly, through all the things that happened, understanding the grace that God had with me, I could not tell God no. And I just, “Okay, God, if you put the path, show me the way and I’ll be there.” And from there, here we are.
Mike Zeigler: Tell us a little bit about how Lutheran Hour Ministries is helping with your church body spread the Gospel. Do you have a story of that?
Omar Garza: Lutheran Hour Ministries, we can say have been at the beginning, at the middle, and is currently helping us through there. When we were at this point that I mentioned before, that it was so bad with no pastors, all of a sudden when we were in the middle of this hard situation, Pastor Nilo Figur from the Lutheran Hour Ministries show up with my pastor in Matamoros in the church just to say hello. And he was talking to the pastor, the pastor there at that point in time was saying, “Well, we’re doing so bad. We got no pastor. The churches are closed, and we got no way to prepare our pastors to hear the grace of God.” And all of a sudden he kind of say, “I’ll see what I can do.” And he turned around and just make a connection with the Luther Academy and trying to bring teaching for our current pastors.
And then through that, we get connection with the LCMS mission work, and then they bring scholarships for new pastors that want to attend. So long story short, we get to a point that we were able to get new pastors on board that currently allowed to reopen all of the churches that were closed. Now they’re open. And once again, it’s because Lutheran Hour Ministries was kind of there saying, “Hey, how are you doing? How can we help?”
Mike Zeigler: Thank you for sharing that. And thanks for being a part of our ministry and expanding our Spanish-language resources. It’s been a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“Crucifer” by Sydney H. Nicholson, arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“All Glory Be to God on High” arr. Jacob Fuhrman. (© 2026 Concordia Publishing House) Used by permission.
“O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) Used by permission.