Archive for category: Military Devotions

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!
Luke 24:4,5

In the excitement of Easter, we must not forget about Mary, the one who was engaged to Joseph and became the mother of Jesus.

Words from an angel startled her with the message that she would have a son, “…and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31-32). She pondered those words.

She again heard of words from angels when she gave birth to that Son. Shepherds reported what they had heard from an angel over the fields of Bethlehem: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10,11).

We sing of Bethlehem on that night, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Hopes and fears marked the life of the young woman who told the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

She surely hoped that her son would be great. But fear invaded her life when Herod gave orders to hunt her son down and kill him. Fear again arose when she heard that it was not safe to return to Bethlehem even after Herod died.

Hope must have blossomed as she saw her son grow “…in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Hope must have filled her heart as she saw him ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

Then, fear struck with the news that he had been arrested. Confusion and dread flooded in with the word that he would be executed.

She must have wondered, “How can this be?” “How can he die now?”

But it happened. She saw him being crucified with her own eyes. She stood at the foot of the cross with the other women who had come from Galilee until Jesus told John to take care of her as if she was his own mother.

She walked away from the cross to face a dark night of sorrow. Women from Galilee stayed to the end. Then, from a distance, they watched as strangers took down the body and carried it into a tomb.

The dawn of the Sabbath brought no relief.

At the dawn of the next day, the third day, some of those women from Galilee returned to the tomb to finish anointing the body for burial.

They were startled to have an angel tell them, “He is not here; he has risen!”

The words came to Mary as if the floodgates of joy had opened up. Fear was replaced by hope—by hope fulfilled.

“Tidings of joy” are what the Christmas angels announced.

“Tidings of joy” are what the Easter angels announced.

Along with Mary of old, those tidings fill us with joy yet today.

We can call to one another, “The Lord has risen. He is risen indeed!!”

Prayer: God of the living, who brought life to mankind by the resurrection of your Son from the dead, remind us that your promises are always true, and your love never fails. Let our hearts not be overcome by fear. Plant into us an everlasting hope. Let us taste again the Easter joy. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
Luke 23:46

My mother taught me that prayer when I was small. I learned it by listening as she stood by my bed to tuck me in at night. At first, she asked me to repeat each line after her. Then, we began saying it together. It wasn’t long before I could say it all by myself.

I wonder what she thought when she heard me say, “If I should die before I wake.”

I don’t think she expected that would happen. But she had already buried two of her children. She surely gave the phrase more thought than I did. To me, those words touched my reality no more than the saying, “Once upon a time…”

I did not know anyone who had died. My greatest loss was a puppy that was run over by a car. Death was not in my field of vision when I was a young child.

Now, it is.

Death has now invaded my life. I find I cannot keep it out. I cannot drive it out. The words, “Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return” have sealed my fate.

I cannot keep myself alive forever. I cannot keep my loved ones alive.
I no longer think in terms of, “If I die.” Now, it is “When I die.”

The question has become, “How will I die?”

My answer is: “Just like Jesus.”

Not by crucifixion! I hope not by crucifixion. But whenever and however it happens, I want to return my soul to the One who gave it to me—just like Jesus did.

“If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

Maybe Jesus will return on clouds of glory before I leave this earth. Yet, I am not counting on that. I expect my soul will one day leave this body—just like the soul of Jesus left his.

I want to place my soul into the hands of my heavenly Father—just like Jesus did.

I want to rise from the dead—just like Jesus did.

I want to die safe and happy—just like Jesus did.

That’s more than a wish. It’s more certain than a hope. It stands on a promise bought and paid for on a cross.

John, the fisherman, was the only one of the 12 disciples not to be killed for following Jesus. He finished out his years isolated on an island. He had grieved as the other disciples left this earth one by one. The first one to go was his brother, James. What pain that must have caused him!

By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote five books of the Bible. This one, The Revelation of Saint John, was unlike any other. Jesus appeared to him from heaven. He commanded John to write down what he was about to reveal. John did.

About halfway through the revelation, John reports: “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on'” (Revelation 14:13 EHV).

Another word for “blessed” is “happy.”

The death of Jesus bought happiness for those who believe in him.

With my soul in the loving hands of my Savior God, I can die happy.

So, can you.

I can still pray, “If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

So, can you.

With an eye toward Golgotha, we ask Jesus:

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well. Amen.
(The Lutheran Hymnal 172:10)

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
Matthew 23:37

Some parents say the first word their sweet child offered to them was “No!”

It might even have been a determined “No!” made with a vigorous shaking of the head. It mattered little if mom used soothing words to encourage the baby to take just one bite of smashed carrots. It made no difference at all if she first tasted it and said, “Yummy!”

The little one did not care if she said it was good for him. The tyke didn’t even understand what she meant by “good.” He did not know if he did not eat, he would not live.

He just knew that he did not want it. He didn’t like the taste. He was not willing to accept it.

His answer was: “No!”

It reminds us of what Jesus had to say about the people to whom he had come to offer life.

Elsewhere, the Bible’s picture of soaring above our troubles “as on eagles’ wings” offers encouragement. Here, Jesus points to a chicken.

“As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,” Jesus said. It’s a striking picture.

A hen is not as strong as an eagle. There is a reason why a person not willing to take a risk is called “chicken.” But if the hen senses that her chicks are in danger, she calls out the alarm. Her chicks come running. She lifts her wings. The chicks tuck in underneath. She lowers her wings like shields. She becomes brave.

The attacker must go through her to get at her chicks.

In humans, we call that “self-sacrifice.” We consider it a demonstration of great love.

The best example of that is Jesus. Saint John wrote, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Jesus, himself, said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

And what is the typical, the natural, response to his offer?

“No!”

The holy Lord God’s will is that every descendant of Adam and Eve spend eternity safely with him in the new paradise.

Why would anyone not be willing to accept this?

The answer lies deep in the human soul. Ever since becoming infected with sin in Eden, humans see God as the enemy. They are instinctively opposed to him and his ways because they belong to God’s enemy, Satan.

Jesus spelled it out to those rejecting him: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Satan told Eve that knowing evil would be something good.

He lied.

Satan tells the world that God is not needed, that happiness can be found without him.

He lies.

Satan announces to the disheartened, “This is all there is. There is no hereafter. There is no judgment. There is no God. There is no hope.”

He lies.

Jesus says to those that will listen to him: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

The truth is, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Haven’t we heard that before?

Don’t we know that to be true?

Isn’t God our Father? Isn’t Jesus our Savior?

Isn’t that why we should run to him in every time of need?

The answer is “Yes!”

Never “No!”

Prayer: Jesus, open your arms to embrace us. Open our hearts to trust you. Draw us to your side. Deliver us from evil. May your will be done. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:8

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But words can paint pictures, too.

Maybe that’s why the Bible uses so many word pictures. Jesus used parables to explain mysteries of the kingdom of God. The gospel writers painted vivid scenes of the life and death of him as the Savior of the nations. Both Old and New Testament writers were led by the Holy Spirit to pen words that show details of the plan of salvation.

The apostle Paul was not at the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. At that time, he was still called Saul. He became a fierce enemy of those who followed the prophet from Nazareth—until he became a follower and a fierce defender of the faith.

In his letter to the Christians at Philippi, he paints a humble Jesus walking the path to Golgotha where the empty cross waits.

“Look at this!” he tells them, even as he tells us. It’s a picture not to be forgotten.

We have repeatedly looked at the pictures the Bible paints of the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. This picture shows details that lie in the background.

We see the significance of Christmas. Jesus looked like a man, talked like a man, and acted like a man because he was a man. When he looked at himself in a mirror, he could see his human form.

But all the while, he was the eternal, omnipotent Son of God. His holy power and glory would naturally show through as it did at the burning bush of Moses—as it did on the Mount of Transfiguration.

He took steps to prevent that. He forbad demons to announce who he was. He was careful with his miracles. He allowed them to give only a glimpse of his glory.

He usually walked through doors, not walls. He grew hungry. He grew tired. He slept.

He was the Lord of glory. But he humbled himself.

Otherwise, the ropes would not have held him, and the nails would not have pierced him. He was God.

So, he humbled himself.

He needed to be able to die.

The apostle writes, “he became obedient to death.”

It was not an easy death. He bled. He suffered.

He obeyed the rules of death. He surrendered his life.

“Look at this!” the apostle shouts to us. “Don’t you see what he did for your sake? Don’t you see he did this willingly?”

“Don’t you see that he loves you?”

“Don’t you see what this means? Don’t you see that your sin is paid for? Don’t you see that the greatest honor in life is to be called someone who follows him? Belongs to him? Will spend eternity with him?”

“Look at this!”

“Don’t you see?”

We do.

Don’t we?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep the picture of your willing sacrifice always before us, lest we forget. Lest Satan repaint the picture. Lest we become distracted by the cares and pleasures of this world. Lest we join those who live in darkness. Lest we lose sight of you. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Then the LORD’S anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
Exodus 4:14,15

We know the slogan. We have seen it on shirts and banners. It’s meant to inspire us. It is intended to make us throw away our excuses. It tells us: “Just do it!”

It’s not a new command. The Lord God could have used that phrase when he called up Moses to active duty.

He had just explained to Moses that he was about to activate his plan to rescue Israel from slavery in Egypt. His command was clear: “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10).

The command was answered with excuses: “Who am I?” “What if they do not believe me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you?’” “I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Finally, Moses simply said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (Exodus 3:11-4:13).

That’s when the omnipotent God could have shouted at him: “Just do it!” and threatened to strike him down with fire from heaven if he did not.

God was angry. But his anger is always under control. He recognized that Moses was tempted to be a “draft dodger.” He had an answer for that temptation. It is written: “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

God provided Moses a way out. He provided him with his brother, Aaron—and divine help for both of them.

No more excuses.

But what an amazing solution! The brothers had not seen one another for at least 40 years. They had grown up in different worlds. Moses was raised as royalty. Aaron grew up as a slave. Now, an 80-year-old Moses, stripped of his royalty and scratching out a living as a herder of sheep in a desolate place, is called to do the seemingly impossible. “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Quite a promotion! But it seems like a futile, perhaps suicide, mission.

And his second-in-command is a senior-citizen slave?

And we thought God asked us to carry out tough assignments at times!

Maybe we are still facing some of those tough ones.

An old hymn carries the words, “With the Lord begin thy task.” That’s good advice. It was good for Moses. It’s good for us.

We don’t always get to choose the tasks assigned to us. Sometimes, they come down through a chain-of-command. Sometimes they are doctor’s orders. Sometimes they are responsibilities for loved ones.

It isn’t always easy to be an officer or a parent, or a nation’s protector. Most likely, we come across tasks we do not want to do, and at times, tasks that we feel we cannot do. Sometimes, there are expectations we doubt we can measure up to.

One of the most difficult is living our lives the way God wants us to. Just ask Moses.

Then remember the rest of his story as he led Israel for 40 years until they were ready to march into the Promised Land.

Jesus had once said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to be saved. It prompted the disciples to ask, “Who, then, can be saved?”

His answer stands for all time: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

“All things are possible with God.”

Begin the God-given task with God by your side. Then, “Just do it.”

We remember the words of the hymn:
With the Lord begin your task; Jesus will direct it.
For his aid and counsel ask; Jesus will perfect it.
Every morn with Jesus rise, And when day is ended,
In his name then close your eyes; Be to him commended. Amen.
(Christian Worship 478:1)

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Mark 1:23,24

When he was a young boy, people knew him as the son of Joseph and Mary. As a young man, they called him the carpenter from Nazareth. When he turned 30 and began teaching, preaching, and working miracles, they didn’t know what to call him.

They knew him as a rabbi. His disciples called him Master. But as his works increased and his popularity grew, more people began asking, “Who is he?”

To some, he appeared to be the great miracle worker. Some saw him as a prophet. Some asked if he might be Elijah, who had come back from the dead. And some considered him a fake.

Worse yet, some said he was an agent of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. (Luke 11:15)

Even his family didn’t know what to make of him. Surely, his mother knew he was not a typical human. She knew the miracle of his birth. The angel, Gabriel, had told her, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). But she did not know exactly what that would mean.

When he started gathering his disciples and collecting large crowds, his brothers and sisters became very concerned. We are told, “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21).

“Who is he?”

How could they explain the effect he was having on people? The prophet had explained, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2).

So why was he drawing the crowds? How was he working those miracles?

“Who is he?”

The wrong answer to that question leads to disaster. The right answer delivers life immortal.

The Jewish leaders chose the wrong answer. They told Pilate, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you” (John 18:30). They explained, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God” (John 19:7).

That’s at the heart of the rejection of Jesus back then, and it continues to this day. “He is a liar. We do not believe him. He is not the Son of God.”

So say those who reject him. “Who is he?” He is not the Son of God.

Those who accept him answer differently: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). So says Simon Peter.

So say the heavenly angels to the shepherds: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

So say the rebellious angels driven out of heaven: “Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God’” (Mark 3:11).

The first one reported in the Bible to recognize Jesus for who he is called out: “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

“I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

So say saints and angels and even demons.

“Who is he?”

What do we say?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know you as the Christ, the son of the living God, and our Savior. Help us to say that. Help us to live it. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
Genesis 29:18

Poor Rachel! Our heart must go out to her. The story of her life is filled with disappointment and sorrow. Looking back with today’s eyes, it seems like a soap opera.

That’s not to say she wasn’t blessed. After all, she was married to a famous man. She was part of a rich family. Some call it a royal family. Some say that the Savior of the world was one of her direct descendants. But that description could be misleading. It is true only in a general sense. Jesus descended directly from her family, but not directly from her bloodline.

And that is one of the reasons why we feel sorry for her.

There is no doubt that her husband loved her to her dying day. He brought joy into her life. But the joy was mixed with sorrow and disappointment. Some would say her life was a mess. It would be hard to argue with that.

Her husband, Jacob, was the father of at least thirteen children, twelve of them were boys. Famous boys. From them came the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel was another name for their father.

At the same time, Jacob was also the husband of Rachel’s sister, Leah. Six of the boys were born to her. While married to these sisters, Jacob became the father of four other boys by the two servants of the sisters. Both sisters encouraged this.

What a mess!

How could any wife be happy in a situation like that? What’s worse, for a long time while these babies were being born, Rachel was barren. It was years before she became a mother. She named the baby, Joseph.

She gave birth to just one more child, but lost her life in childbirth. Moments before she died, she named this son Ben-Oni, which means “son of my sorrow.”

Her husband renamed the boy, Benjamin—”son of my strength.” Then he buried his beloved wife in a tomb next to a town called Ephrathah. We know it better as Bethlehem.

Poor Rachel! Disappointment in life. Sorrow in death. Centuries later, she became a symbol of great weeping when the boy babies of Bethlehem were slaughtered in the search for the Christ-child.

Not just a sad story! It is a picture of life in a sin-soaked world. It is a picture of God’s grace.

Even the people of God can have messy lives.

There is no excuse for what Jacob did. Nor what Rachel did. Nor what Leah and the servant-girls did. Unlike the people of Sodom or the sons of Korah who received swift judgment, these people lived on. Yet, that does not mean that payment for the sins was never demanded.

The thunderclap of divine judgment was heard centuries later when soldiers drove nails into the flesh of Jacob’s divine descendant. The one called Jesus.

The psalmist had cried out, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:3,4).

Jacob and his family knew of this forgiveness. He died as a forgiven one. Of him, it is written, “…he breathed his last and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 49:33).

We expect that Rachel was one of those forgiven people already in heaven.

Her husband’s love had been far from perfect. Her Savior’s love was absolutely perfect.

She is poor Rachel no longer.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your Word shows us the horrors of sin and the wonders of your grace. When we look in at the accounts of the heroes of faith, you show us their failures, too. Bring home the warning to our hearts lest we think that we are too strong to fall. Drive home to heart and soul the assurance of forgiveness in Jesus, lest we fumble our faith. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.
Matthew 2:18

Some 1,900 years before the first Christmas Day, a man walked down a road in the land of Canaan, in the general area called Ramah. It was a sad sight. He had just buried his beloved wife near a small town called Bethlehem. His name was Jacob. She had been called Rachel.

We turn the pages of history ahead to shortly after the birth of Jesus. We look in again to the area called Ramah. Once again it is a sad sight.

Had we walked down that road near Rachel’s grave, we would have heard the sound of crying coming out from many houses. The news reaching our ears would have torn at our hearts. We would have heard about soldiers who came looking for babies. When they found one, they ran it through with a sword. Bedrooms, kitchens, and doorsteps were smeared with blood.

King Herod had given the command to kill every baby under two. When screaming mothers asked why, the soldiers probably replied that they were only carrying out orders. But we know the reason for the orders. Herod was afraid. Herod was jealous. He had learned that the King of the Jews had been born in Bethlehem. Herod wanted Jesus dead.

King Herod was not the first one to have innocent children killed, nor would he be the last. The wail of mothers weeping over murdered children has drifted down the centuries to our own times, and our own nation. The question easily arises: “Why doesn’t God prevent such atrocities?”

He did prevent harm coming to the wise men. An angel warned them to return home without reporting back to Herod. An angel warned Joseph to quickly take his family to Egypt because, “Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Did God not know that other Bethlehem babies would be killed? Of course, he did.

God knew this would happen. God foretold this would happen. But God did not prevent this from happening.

We are not told why it had to happen. This question, and the thousands of other ones we might ask of God are answered with silence. We are told the ways of the all-knowing, all-powerful God are always just, always perfect. He acts only in love for his people. Only those in heaven will understand. Those yet on earth must trust.

The birth of the Son of God into the world is proof that God knows and cares about what is happening on earth. Six hundred years before the Slaughter of the Innocents took place, he had his prophet, Jeremiah, describe the scene. Since this would happen near Rachel’s grave, in poetic language, he presents it as if Rachel were the one crying.

God is in control. Why he planned for those babies to have such short lives, we do not know. But baby Jesus would escape. The guilty would face divine justice. The mission of the Christ-child would not be stopped. The human race would be rescued from its guilt, and shame, and never-ending punishment.

On a dark Friday some 30 years later, the world would again see a sad sight. Women would again weep over the death of an innocent one. This Innocent One would be a direct descendent of Rachel. But unlike her grave, his tomb quickly became empty. He soon went back to his home in heaven. When he comes again it will be to take every last one of his children safely home with him. This is the promise: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Today, Rachel weeps no more. Nor do those who have joined her in heaven.

Nor will we.

Prayer: Lord of life and death, we cannot comprehend your ways. We know that you are just, and that you punish evil. We also know that you blot out our crimes from your book because of your Son, who paid for them with his life. Help us keep our eyes fixed upon your faithfulness when we cannot understand why you allow sad things to take place. Point us to Jesus, who was willing to enter this jungle of hatred, and jealousy, and death. Remind us that you were willing to allow him to be murdered—at the time and place of your choosing—so that we might live forever. Dry, now, the tears of those who weep over loved ones departed. It is in the name of the Babe of Bethlehem that we pray. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Humans know fear. We have felt fear for as far back as we can remember. The causes of fear may change, but the dread does not.

Fear always locks onto a threat. The greater the threat, the greater the fear. We can learn to overcome some fears. Yet, some threats remain untouched. Others grow. These are our greatest fears.

We may fear losing a friend, losing a job, or losing our life. It’s possible to fear losing all of these at the same time. A conjunction of fears can overwhelm us.

Confidence that we can overcome the threat can overcome the fear. So, we look for ways to gain an advantage. We reach out to friends and family, doctors and lawyers. We look for solutions and support. We want answers to our fears.

We look for help—strong help. It makes us feel better when we believe we have found it.

“Fear not!” is a phrase repeatedly spoken from the mouths of heavenly messengers. Abraham heard those words. So did Moses, Joshua, Joseph, Mary—and the Bethlehem shepherds.

Since the messages brought hope, we might wonder, “Why the fear?”

Fear is the natural reaction of the sinful creature to the Holy One. It can be denied by many. It can be disguised in many ways. But only the gospel can remove it.

At the root of the fear is the realization that God can hurt us. Not everyone knows the Bible verse “the wages of sin is death,” but everyone has a conscience. Conscience can be a terrifying voice. It warns of judgment.

No wonder sinners feel fear: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

Where is the help for that threat?

We know. We sing, “Our help is in the name of the Lord.” And it is.

Joseph of Nazareth had feared that his plan for a joyful wedding with Mary was crumbling into a heap of shame. She was pregnant. He feared he would need to divorce her. An angel appeared to dismiss that fear.

The angel pointed him back to God. The Lord of heaven and earth was sending his own Son to earth as the great Helper. The angel directed him to Mary’s son. He would be the God-man.

David had said he could walk without fear even in the shadow of death because, “Thou art with me.” If God is with us, we need fear nothing.

In one of our hymns, we sing the words, “Jesus, the name that calms our fears.” Christmas shows us why that can be.

The one that would be born in Bethlehem would carry the title, Immanuel: “God with us.”

He is the answer to every fear. The solution to every problem. He is the Destroyer of death.

“He will save his people from their sins.”

The ones saved from sins have nothing to fear.

This is the wonder of Christmas: “Jesus calms our fears.”

Prayer:
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay.
Close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with you there. Amen.
(Christian Worship 68:3)

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11

She grabbed the gift with a quick “Thank you!” Tore off the wrapping paper. Stopped. Stared.

Then, she began to pout.

She didn’t know exactly what to expect as a grade school exchange gift. But surely, it would be something more exciting than the book “The Birds of America.”

That’s why she began to pout.

Except for the song about Santa Claus coming to town, we don’t hear the word pout used much today. When it is, it probably refers to a child that is pouting. That’s understandable.

After all, pouting is childish.

People pout when they are disappointed and annoyed. Their faces show it. Those around them know it. Pouting people are not pleasant company.

Yet, there seems to be many of them around today.

America endured a Thanksgiving under the stress of a pandemic. Family gatherings were curtailed. Long-held traditions went by the wayside. People wondered, “Why can’t it be like years ago?”

It appears this Christmas will be no different—maybe even worse. Jobs are being lost. More businesses closing. We fear it’s the future that will be frightful, not just the weather. Jolly does not seem to be in the picture. Good tidings of great joy appear to be missing.

Are not those legitimate reasons for people to be downcast and disturbed? Are Advent and Christmas 2020 not a time for pouting?

No.

It’s an opportunity for praising.

The answers to the problems in life cannot be found inside of us or in a box tied with ribbons. Instead of a cure for what ails us, the world offers only the equivalent of band-aids and candy. Its help is limited. The situation seems hopeless.

But it isn’t. The psalmist bids us to, “Put your hope in God!”

More than 2,000 years ago, God gave the world his Christmas gift. It was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Excited shepherds hurried to see the gift for themselves. They were not disappointed. They were filled with joy and spread the good news.

Through the inspired Word of God, the whole world has been invited to look into that manger.

Some ask: “Is that all there is? Is this God’s answer to grief and pain, to injustice and shame, to death and hell?”

The answer is: “It is.”

Then, many reply: “It’s not good enough. This is only a feeble baby who grew up to be a failure. He was abandoned by his followers and executed as a criminal. There must be something better.”

There is not. There isn’t anything better in all of creation in all the epochs of time. This one, born as a baby, is the answer to every need and the source of every joy.

How sad that so many turn away from that manger in disappointment.

But not the psalmist. Not us. This is the Christ—the Life of all the living. This is my Savior and my God.

I will yet praise him.

I will not pout.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask that you open the eyes of those who will look upon the scene of Christmas that you have preserved for us. Enable them to see the wonder and glory. Lift up their hearts. Fill them with joy and praise. You were the world’s only help in ages past. You are the only hope for years to come. You are our Savior and our God. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1 Peter 5:6

It is said that years ago a farmer sat down with his family for the Thanksgiving meal and offered the following prayer: “Lord, last fall my boys and I plowed the fields. In winter we bucked the cold and snow drifts to take care of our livestock. In spring, we sowed the seed and watched for drought and hail in the summer. Now we have bent our backs and tired our muscles to bring in the fall harvest. But it is Thanksgiving Day, so we must thank you for what we have done.”

Had we been there, we may have offered that man a large slice of humble pie.

He already had enough conceit and arrogance. He was stuffed full of self-importance and vanity. What he lacked was humility.

The story might seem humorous until we begin wondering if we ever have felt the same way.

We find ourselves now walking on the bridge between Thanksgiving and Advent. Without humility, neither have meaning.

Without humility, it is hard to offer thanks because we feel we do not owe it—neither to our fellowman nor to our Creator. Indeed, we might even feel cheated out of the credit we deserve. Like that farmer, we might mouth the words because they are expected of us. But the giving of thanks does not flow from our hearts.

We might even be thinking, “Thanks for nothing!”

The apostle Peter once had a problem with too much self-confidence. We recall how he boasted of his courage. He said he was ready to die for Jesus. We remember how he was humbled. A simple slave girl knocked him off of his smug throne.

Peter had taken a big bite of humble pie. He had left the trial of Jesus with bitter tears running down his face. But he learned his lesson. Now he will teach others: “Humble yourself…”

He had learned that not only was his Lord to be thanked for blessings given in the past, but also for the privilege of serving in the future.

When he tells us: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” He is speaking from personal experience.

At Thanksgiving we look at what God has done for us. In Advent, we look at what he will do for us.

Advent has us recall the promises and blessings given to us by the Messiah who was to come. It shows us that our God is trustworthy and true. It offers help in his name.

Without humility, we see little need for help. We are convinced that we can take care of ourselves. Without humility, we think can face the future without failing. We agree with the words of the poet who said, “My head is bloody but unbowed,” then continued, “I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul.”

Forgiveness? “No thank you. I don’t need it.”

Let those words never cross our lips. Let that thought never enter our head.

Our Lord comes to us with open hands of blessing. He points us toward open gates of glory.

We need him. We must thank him. We must serve him.

After all, he humbled himself that we might be lifted up on high.

We gladly eat the humble pie.

Prayer: God of our fathers, our ready help in time of need, our only source of strength and hope. Accept our humble thanks. To you be all the glory, now and forever more. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
Ecclesiastes 3:12

Health is important. Wealth is desirable. So is love. People want these things. But most of all, people want to be happy.

A healthy, wealthy, loved person who is not also happy will not appreciate or much enjoy the otherwise good things in life. To say he should will not change how he feels.

His disappointment with life will increase if he had been counting on these external things to bring happiness. How many have thought, “If only I was rich, I would have no problems”?

But, of course, wealth does not mean a person will not get sick or be unloved or have other problems. To have what others desire but cannot have—and still find no happiness—is depressing. Statistics show that, including the suicide statistics.

The writer of the book Ecclesiastes is an example. He had it all, surely more than most. But there was a time in his life when he was not at all happy. In those days, he labeled everything in his life as worthless: “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”

His response to that healthy, wealthy, unhappy life? “So I hated life…”

So sad.

We would ask King Solomon, “Why were you not happy?”

He may have answered: “I was miserable because I was trying to live without God instead of living for God.”

He learned that without God in his life, life is meaningless.

In time, he came to realize that God wants to bring meaning into lives. He went on to write of God: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men…”

Though the Mighty God has been rejected, or replaced, or ignored, he has not turned away from mankind in disgust.

He has kept on showering his blessings upon people to give them a taste of happiness.

The apostle Paul once told a crowd to turn from their worthless ways to the living God. He explained: “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17).

So, to an extent, it is true: wealth and good times can bring happiness. But not for long. Not forever.

They are undeserved gifts from God. They are evidence of his existence and proof of his love.

Yet, so often, they are sought out as if they were of our own making or deserving. They are grabbed without a thank-you and used without a conscience. They are treated as if this is what life is all about.

So sad.

We humans are so short-sighted. We are dazzled by what glitters and impressed by what excites our senses. We are willing to settle for feeling good for a little while—all the while we are dying.

We don’t see, or don’t care, that our Creator sacrificed his Son for us. We avert our eyes from the warning scene of awaiting dungeons of darkness. We block his calls.

Until.

Until, in his mercy, he opens our eyes to see our desperate need and opens our hearts to accept his love. Until we realize that our sin is forgiven, and all is well. Until we know that our future is bought and paid for by the one called Jesus.

Then, we can be happy.

Prayer: Lord of the nations and Savior of souls, keep our eyes fixed upon you so that we do not trade in our eternal salvation for a few moments of fun that fades. We sometimes sing, “Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.” Keep us ever among those happy people. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.
Daniel 7:18

Except in reference to a football team that bears the name, most of us don’t talk much about saints anymore. There was a time when most Christians did.

During those years, people thought that a saint was a person who had lived such a holy life they could go to heaven immediately upon death. This was supposed to be a rare event because it was also thought that a person earned heaven by holy living—and most people failed at that.

Sadly, it was thought that after death, even believing Christians would need to spend time in a hellish place called purgatory in order to pay for sins their good works did not cover.

It was taught that the time in purgatory could be shortened by using the leftover good works that a saint had piled up. It was even said that one could buy those good works by giving money to the church.

But the most common way was to offer prayer and worship to the departed saint. Each day of the year was named for one of them. Prayers to the saint on its special day earned extra credit.

However, on November 1, the credit was multiplied since it was a day on which it was claimed that all saints offered spiritual credits. Thus, on that day, All Saints Day, the churches were filled. It was better than a modern Black Friday sale.

Through the Lutheran Reformation, the true meaning of sainthood was restored. Salvation is gained not by doing good (we never could do enough of it), but by the holiness of Christ that is offered through faith in him.

According to the Bible, every person who believes that Jesus died for his sins is a saint. In the eyes of God, that person’s sin has been replaced by the holiness of the Son of God. Jesus carried sin to the cross, where he paid for it with his suffering and death.

That’s why we call the holy Christian Church “the communion of saints.”

This is the good news of the gospel. Salvation is free to us because it has been already paid for with holy blood.

We are still to strive for holy living. Not to make up for sin, but as a reflection of the holy God who now calls us his own. Children of the heavenly Father should be able to be recognized as belonging to him.

Their lives should reflect their standing as saints.

While on earth, that reflection may be cloudy. But not when they cross over to heaven.

Death has separated those who died in the faith from the sin that had plagued them on earth. Released from earthly ties, their souls have hurried to a place reserved for them in their Father’s house–the place Jesus said he was going to prepare for them.

There is no purgatory. Every departed believer is in heaven. They are no longer tempted to sin. No longer do they face failure or fear.

Never will they lose their place in glory.

We are told: “But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.”

Yes! Forever and ever.

Good to remember that! Their victory celebration inspires us. In song, it has been written: “And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song.”

The song of triumph is for us—for all the saints.

We join those who have sung the hymn before:
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
All who their faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.

Oh, blessed communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine,
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest,
Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
(Christian Worship 551:1,4,6)

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:5

The Christian dwells in the sunlight of God’s grace—and sometimes in its shadows. But not in the night nor in the darkness.

There is a difference between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. One is ruled by the holy God. The other is the abode of demons. That one gushes forth evil. There is nothing good in it.

Why should those who call the Holy One their Father have anything to do with that? Why should those who serve the Light of the world further the cause of darkness?

They should not.

But there are other questions: “Why can’t the Christian always walk in that sunshine? If he is the beloved of the Father, why do any dark days dawn in his life? Should he not be a child of privilege? If his Father is all-powerful, why is not every problem solved for him in advance with power from on high?

Why should he ever see failure? Why dangers? Why not only joy and peace?”

His Father tells him why. The child of God may not be of this world, but he certainly is in it. Since sin has infected his life, its malignancy shows itself.

It appears as a shadow.

We know how it works when doctors find the shadow of a cancer. Machines may peer through our skin, and even into our bone, but never do we want their test to come back positive.

We dread the news that there is something deadly within us. We are tempted to skip the test or ignore the result. We might decide, “Ignorance is bliss!”

But of course, it isn’t. It’s dangerous. Denial does not remove the danger.

Detection is the first step toward cure.

It’s the same with sin. The Great Physician has examined us and detected, not just a speck, but a growing mass of evil inside of us. He tells us, “Unless removed, there is no hope.”

We learn, only the Lord of life can do this. He smothers it with his blood. It dies. We live.

We live in sunshine and shadows. Some days are bright with hope and joy. On other days, the shadows lengthen.

King David knew this. He wrote about walking through “the valley of the shadow of death.” We know what he meant. Death casts a big shadow.

But for the child of God, it is only a shadow. We can walk right through it.

Death cannot hold us.

The shadows we see are blessings. They lead us to call out with David, “Our help is in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 124:8).

Scripture bids us to be, “Joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

Let the shadows come! They will make us enjoy the sunshine even more.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, Light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Chase the gloom of night away;
Turn the darkness into day. Amen.
(Christian Worship 183:1)

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Psalm 130:3,4

Fear has many causes and takes different forms. Most times, fear’s message is a stern warning: “Danger! Beware!”

A coiled snake, a nearby explosion, or the cry, “Enemy inside the wire!”—these activate the alarms to fight, flee, or freeze.

These fears cause dread.

There is another fear, one that speaks in a gentle tone. It says, “Be quiet. Show respect.”

We call this fear reverence.

Reverence is no longer common among us. “I could care less!” “I will make my voice heard!” Those are the more common reactions from within a challenged crowd. Defiance is the more common attitude.

There are welcome exceptions. We might see it among the crowd at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It surely is expressed by the guard standing watch.

Showing reverence is a way to show honor. Instead of defiance, it shows deference. It says, “I am in the presence of something more important than me.”

Humans may request that reverence be shown at times. God demands it always.

The First Commandment requires that we fear, love, and trust in God above all things. The type of fear that lives alongside of love and trust is reverence.

Scripture calls out, “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). The holy God demands respect and honor: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).

He expects obedience: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19).

He demands submission: “‘As surely as I live, says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God’” (Romans 14:11).

He is almighty. He is holy. He holds us accountable. But we know we cannot measure up to his expectations. We know we have no excuse for our failures.

It’s enough to put the fear of God into us.

It should. Unless we fear God there is no hope for us. But the fear need not take the form of dread. Dread can change to reverence.

The Lord of life and death wants that change. He invites it. He enables it.

He paid for that change.

He paid with the lifeblood of his Son.

We bow our heads before the vision of Jesus crucified. We are lost in the wonder of the One who loved us so much that he would take our place on the guilty seat. We would join in the chorus, “Glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King.”

We call out to him, “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”

We are not ashamed of him. We confess: “No; when I blush, be this my shame; that I no more revere his name.”

The law teaches us dread. The gospel teaches us reverence.

We are the people of reverence.

Prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Lord God almighty, we bow before you in reverence. We wish to glorify your name on earth. We plan to declare your praises in heaven. We are privileged to carry your name. Amen.

Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain and Liaison to the Military, Belle Plaine, Minnesota.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.