Based on 1 Peter 5:1-4

As Americans, July 4th marks a day of great celebration and remembrance. We recall the courage and sacrifice of those who declared independence in 1776 and the generations of military service members who have since defended the freedoms established in that declaration. It’s a time to fly flags, sing patriotic hymns, and reflect on the blessings of liberty. But for the Christian—particularly for us as confessional Lutherans—this day is also an opportunity to reflect on a greater freedom and a higher allegiance.

This coming Sunday you may hear from the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:1-4. At first glance these words may not seem military themed, but they speak directly to the kind of leadership and service that we see in those who serve both in the armed forces and in the church.

The apostle Peter writes to the elders, the pastors—those called to shepherd God’s flock. Peter does not speak from a high and mighty position but as a fellow shepherd. He encourages them to lead as those under orders—not from men, but from the Chief Shepherd himself, Jesus Christ.

In the military, leadership is both a privilege and a responsibility. Officers and non-commissioned leaders are charged not simply with giving commands but with caring for those under them. A good commander knows his troops. He trains them, sacrifices for them, and even risks his life for them. The same holds true in the church. Those who are called to lead—pastors, elders, fathers, and all spiritual shepherds—lead not for personal gain or status but with a heart conformed to Christ’s example of suffering and service.

Peter insists that such leaders are not to lord their authority over others. There is no room in the church for prideful command or self-serving power. Instead, those who serve in leadership are to be examples to the flock. This too resonates with military life. The best leaders are those who never ask of their troops what they themselves are not willing to do. They lead from the front. They bear burdens, carry weight, and are the last to eat or sleep. They model duty, honor, and courage.

So too in the church. The Christian shepherd leads with humility. He does not dominate but disciples. He feeds with the Word of God. He defends against the false teachings that threaten the flock. He binds up the wounded and seeks the straying. And in all of this, he follows Christ—the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.

On this day when we remember the sacrifices of our military and the blessings of our nation, we must not forget that we are citizens of two kingdoms, that of our nation and of heaven. Our true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Because nations rise and fall. Flags are raised and lowered. But the kingdom of God endures forever. And in that kingdom, our Chief Shepherd reigns victorious—crucified, risen, and ascended.

Those who serve faithfully in his name—whether in pulpits or pews, in homes or in foxholes or on ships—will receive an unfading crown of glory. This is not a medal pinned on a uniform but the eternal reward of being in the presence of Christ forever. It is not earned through valor in battle or perfect obedience but through the grace of God given in Christ Jesus, who has already won the victory.

This weekend let us remember both our military leaders and our spiritual shepherds. Let us pray for them, that they may be faithful, humble, and strong in the Lord. Let us also take up our own callings—to serve our neighbor, to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, and to live as citizens of heaven even while we live in this nation.

And let us do all of this looking forward to the day when our Chief Shepherd returns and all those who have fought the good fight of faith will receive their eternal reward—not because of their greatness, but because of his.

Prayer:
Almighty God, on this day of national celebration, we give you thanks for the blessings of liberty and the sacrifices made to secure it. We thank you especially for the freedom that comes through your Son, Jesus Christ, and the faithful shepherds who lead us in his name. Strengthen all who serve in authority, whether in the church or the military, that they may lead with humility, wisdom, and love. Keep us faithful in our vocations, and fix our eyes always on the Chief Shepherd, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Based on Numbers 6:24-26

For 250 years generations of soldiers have pledged to defend the Constitution and the people of this nation, sacrificing their safety and lives to preserve peace and liberty. For 250 years men and women have marched under the banner of the United States Army, an institution that was created for defense, order, and national unity during a time of profound uncertainty and looming war. As we reflect on the 250th birthday of the United States Army, we give the Almighty God thanks for their service.

But more than that, we reflect on where true peace and blessing ultimately come from—not the sword of man, but the gracious hand of God.

In Numbers 6, the Lord himself unfurled a banner under which people have marched for 3,500 years—the banner of blessing. In this chapter, the Lord commanded his priests to speak this blessing over the people of Israel: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

This blessing is not just a prayer or wish. The God of free and faithful grace places his name on his people, on you—a divine act of protection, grace, and peace. “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27). God’s name carries his presence. God’s name carries all that he has done and promises to do in Christ. God’s name on you means you belong to him.

This banner of blessing is not a generic divine favor. It’s deeply personal and covenantal. The Triune God promises to do this for you: to bless and keep, to shine and be gracious, to turn his face toward you, and to give you peace.

The Lord’s face shines upon you means that he looks on you with favor. When he looks at you, he does not see your sins, your faults and failures. He sees the perfect life of Christ and his innocent death on the cross, for you. The warmest sunlight of salvation shines on your face. Because of that truth, you have peace.

The US Army may help secure national peace, but the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). This peace comes not through battle, but through the blood of the Lamb, who reconciled us to God.

Because the Lord’s face shines on you, he will keep you. No matter where you go or what you do, no matter what sorrows you suffer or joys you experience, he will protect you, in life and in death. Because the Lord’s face shines on you, he will be gracious to you. You have a God who will show compassion for you when you are sad, when you struggle with temptation, when you feel weak in your faith. These are the blessings we march under because God puts his name on us.

At the close of the Divine Service, after receiving Christ’s Word and his Holy Supper, we depart under the banner of God’s name. It’s not a banner stitched with stars and stripes, but with the cross and the name of the Triune God. Just as a soldier’s uniform bears the emblem of his or her nation, we bear the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, given to us in our baptism, and given to us in this blessing.

As we remember the birthday of the US Army today, we give thanks for those called to defend and to protect in this earthly kingdom. But far greater is the eternal protection offered and given by our Lord, who serves us with eternal blessings in his eternal kingdom. March toward that eternal kingdom under the banner of his blessing.

Prayer:
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank you for your blessing spoken over us Sunday after Sunday through the mouths of your servants. We thank you for placing your name on us in Holy Baptism and for blessing us every day. Preserve us from every evil, guard us in every trial, and keep us in the peace that is ours in Christ Jesus.

Today we give thanks for those who serve in the United States Army, past and present, and ask you to protect those in harm’s way. Protect them, guide them, and draw all hearts to trust not in princes or powers, but in you alone.

Keep us in that peace, and let your name always be upon us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Based on Revelation 7:9; 22:14

I’m currently listening to an audiobook entitled Blood in the Argonne: The “Lost Battalion” of World War I. It is the story of the 77th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. The author, Alan Gaff, brings us alongside the men of this lost battalion, which was never lost and was not actually a battalion. What I found fascinating about this story was the diversity of this division: blue collar men from every ethnic background in New York City. Not all of these “Liberty Boys” spoke English or understood English, which makes it a marvel that these men were able to work together to form this division and then fight in combat. Communication in the context of war is a life and death necessity.

Another thing that struck me was when the author described the shock of the men of this division when they marched through France and saw men dressed in uniforms from a multitude of other countries—men from nations they had heard about but never dreamed they would meet much less fight alongside.

I saw in this picture of the diversity of the WWI war machine what the apostle John saw in his vision of heaven. In chapter 7 he saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (verse 9). And then in chapter 22 he saw that picture again and wrote: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city” (verse 14).

What the author of this book shares about the fighting forces in WWI and what the apostle John saw in heaven is this wonderful thing called diversity. God created one man and one woman, and from them came the nations of the world. One human race but with such variety and color and colorful cultures—all gifts from God to celebrate. This diversity of the human race is unified, because for those in heaven, they are wearing the same uniform: white robes. And they are waving palm branches, a picture of victory. What unifies the diversity of the human race is the fact that they are all standing before the Lamb—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All nations, and that includes you and me.

But I see a contrast here too. The book Blood in the Argonne describes in horrid detail just that: the blood and guts, the nightmare and dirtiness of trench warfare. It is awful. It is sickening. It’s a picture of our lives here on earth, a world pounded and splintered by the effects of sin. It’s a picture of lives shattered by trauma, abuse, loneliness, loss, and moral injury—it’s a messy and dirty world.

But the apostle John sees the redemption of this world and our own lives when he hears Jesus say, “Blessed are those who wash their robes.” The paradox is that these robes, once filthy and dirty and stained from sin, are washed in the blood of the Lamb. The paradox is that from suffering and trauma and abuse and the death of the Lamb come peace and forgiveness and cleansing and a washing and life for you.

These white robes are Christ’s righteous living. These robes are Christ’s perfect blood, his innocent suffering and death, and his glorious resurrection, which he drapes over the shoulders of people from every nation, tribe, people, and language. He unifies them under a single banner: the palm branch, the victory over sin and death and grave, and under one commander-in-chief, the Lord Jesus.

The apostle John sees diversity and unity in Jesus’ kingdom, and that’s a good thing! Because he sees you in that vision of heaven. He sees me in that throng of tens of thousands. He sees others . . . people you know and work with and love, people you haven’t met yet, people who don’t look like you or sound like you, people with whom you get to share this good news: that God’s kingdom is for them, no matter their background. Their robes are washed, which means they get to walk through the gates of the city, the new Jerusalem, heaven itself, and eat from the tree of life and live forever!

We’re in the final Sunday of the season of Easter. What better time to bring someone who isn’t like you to hear the message that this diverse and unified kingdom is just for them, just as much as it is for you.

Prayer:
Almighty God, your Son our Savior was taken up in glory and intercedes for us at your right hand. Through your living and abiding Word, give us hearts to know him and faith to follow where he has gone.

As our nation’s military sets up June as PTSD awareness month, help us to open our eyes and ears to listen to those who may be suffering in silence. Move us to sit with them in their darkness, and to listen and just be present. Open their hearts to be willing to receive help from professional counselors and to be receptive to the gospel message of hope through faith in Jesus Christ, who himself suffered trauma and endured and rose from the dead to redeem all things—yes, even minds and hearts hijacked by trauma. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Based on John 10:27-30

Do you remember that drill instructor? You know the one. Even as I talk about him or her, there’s a strong emotion rolling inside of you. You might even say you hated him or her at the time. But now, with a smile on your face, you can say, “But we respected him. And I needed it at the time.”

Maybe it was that platoon leader, commander, first sergeant, captain, or even a general that you labored for. You remember that individual because they knew you by name. Then you moved on, perhaps up the ranks in promotion, or they changed command or eventually retired. But you know that if you called them up on the phone today, they would know you and call you by name.

That means something, doesn’t it, when someone knows you by name? They have a vested interest in you. You know them because they gave you something. What did they give you? Maybe they were an encourager, a mentor, a model, or an example for your vocation—not just as a warrior but for your marriage, your parenting, or as a single person, to remain faithful, to be a better friend.

In the past 20 years in my time spent with you, the military community, I’ve seen this. You’ve spoken about it and how much certain individuals mean to you. If you don’t have this or haven’t experienced it, that’s okay. Listen to what Jesus says to you today in John 10:27-30: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

That’s the voice of someone who is more than just a mentor, more than just an encourager, more than just a model or example. This is the voice of a shepherd speaking to his sheep. This is the voice of the Good Shepherd—your Good Shepherd.

For those times when it feels like no one really knows you or understands you, he does. He knows you by name. He put his name on you in your baptism. Your name is written in his book of life—he says that about you! He says that he wrote your name on the palms of his hands so that he always has your name before his eyes. He laid down his life for you only to take it up again, just for you. Yes, he knows you.

For those times when it feels like you’re slipping away from relationships with others for whatever reason . . . or that you’re slipping away from your Shepherd because you haven’t been faithful in listening to his voice . . . or your Bible is a little dusty . . . or the church doors haven’t seen your shadow cross them in a while . . . or your Shepherd hasn’t heard your voice in prayer in a hot minute, he promises, “I still know you. My Father has given you to me. I am not going to let anyone or anything snatch you out of my hand. My Father’s firm grip of grace will not let you go.”

He knows you. Listen to his voice so that you are constantly reminded of that comforting truth. He is your Good Shepherd. You are his sheep. He cares for you. He watches over you. He leads you to green pastures and quiet waters and there feeds your hungry soul and thirsting heart with his words of promise. He leads you through those dark valleys of life.

Listen to that voice of promise so that you know him. Go about your day, knowing that he knows you. Go to sleep tonight with this assurance: he knows you.

Prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Good Shepherd who laid down your life for the sheep. Lead us now to the still waters of your lifegiving Word that we may abide in your Father’s house forevermore.

Heavenly Father, you are the source of life and wisdom and all good things. As we celebrate Military Spouses Day, we ask that you bless all military spouses with faithfulness, patience, and an unswerving trust in your promises to do what Jesus prayed for them.

As we look ahead to Mother’s Day, look with favor on all mothers who have given life to their children and who nurtured them with loving concern and faithful instruction. May their children honor them and call them blessed. When they become weary, sustain them with physical and spiritual rest. Amen.

Based on John 20:19-21

One of my well-loved high school teachers was called home to heaven recently. As I read his obituary, I was reminded that he had served honorably in our nation’s Air Force. He served as a crew member on the B-36, a mammoth aircraft capable of 40-hour flights, carrying a payload of 87,000 pounds of ordnance, and cruising at altitudes beyond the reach of most anti-aircraft guns.

Just the fact that the US Air Force had this aircraft was a warning to other near-peer competitors. The B-36, ironically known as the “Peacemaker,” would force peace through the dropping of bombs, to force the enemy to say, “We cannot endure this loss anymore! Let there be peace between us.”

Although the B-36 was rendered obsolete in 1959, the US Air Force, alongside the other branches of our US military, continues to produce aircraft capable of flying farther and higher and carrying ordnance to any country in the world where there is conflict. And we see conflict today. Some of you are in the middle of that conflict.

We also see conflict not just between nations but between friends, spouses, parents and children, siblings, and co-workers. There is even conflict within our own hearts and minds over the things we have done or left undone.

I started reading a book called Care for the Sorrowing Soul. The author addresses the often-overlooked moral injury suffered by those who have experienced combat. Moral injury occurs when combat reflexes go into automatic mode. The individual postpones their moral processing in that moment and just acts as they carry out the mission. Later, however, the individual’s conscience and heart and moral code recognize that perhaps what they did, what they saw and experienced, maybe even what they failed to do, violated their conscience, their heart, and their moral code. Soul sorrow. Conflict within. No peace.

Is that you? You’re not alone.

Jesus’ closest friends suffered this internal conflict and struggled to find peace. They weren’t engaged in physical combat in war. They struggled through spiritual warfare with the devil and their self-preserving, sinful selves. They abandoned, betrayed, and denied their Lord and Savior, someone they loved dearly! The guilt bore down on their hearts. They were terrified of what they were capable of.

And then Jesus appeared to his friends in the flesh. After they had witnessed the traumatic event of the torture, the crucifixion, the agonizing and painful death, and the finality of burial, now, on Sunday evening, Jesus stood before them alive! What would he say to them? His first words to them (and I picture them accompanied by a warm smile) were, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19).

Peace—not a hopeful thought from a well-wisher, not a feeling, not peace won by giving them something to do to atone for their sins, not peace earned through acts of penance. This peace had nothing to do with them. This same peace from Jesus has nothing to do with you or anything you must do. Simply open your ears to hear those words for yourself: “Peace be with you!”

Jesus spoke peace because that was reality for his disciples. Whether they felt it or not, whether it would take days, weeks, or months for it to sink in—the reality was that they were at peace because God was at peace with them. Whatever they had done—the abandonment, the denial, the hiding, the fear—it was all forgiven, all pardoned, all washed clean by Jesus’ blood. It was all buried in his tomb, because he went to the cross for them.

Yes, there was peace between God and them. They could now have peace with each other for whatever accusatory thoughts they had against each other. They could now have peace with themselves because they could say, “God is at peace with me. I will be at peace with myself and others.”

So it is true for you and me. Whatever it is you have done or failed to do—in combat, in training, in our homes, in our communities, in our churches—you are at peace. Jesus went to the cross for you, became the guilty one for you, and rose from the dead to prove that your guilt and failures and awful things you have done lie dead and buried in the tomb.

So be at peace with each other and be at peace with yourself, for God is at peace with you in Christ Jesus, your crucified and living Savior.

Prayer:
O risen Lord, you came to your disciples and took away their fears with your word of peace. Come to us also by Word and sacrament—in our baptisms and in your Lord’s Supper—and banish our fears with the comforting assurance of your abiding presence and peace.

I ask that you comfort those who suffer and struggle with moral injury. Calm and still their hearts with the good news that you took their guilt on your soul and in your heart, so they might be free of guilt and free to live in the joy of forgiveness. In your name I pray. Amen.

Based on Luke 19:28-40

I received a text from a US Navy sailor who asked, “Chaplain Horn, could you please say a prayer today for my shipmates? They were underway and then out of the blue were told that their tour got extended by a handful of months. They are headed right into the thick of it in the Middle East.”

I reached out to one of our deployed US Army soldiers who is in Eastern Europe and asked, “How I can pray for you today?” He responded, “Pray for peace. The number of dead bodies in large-scale combat is not something we can fathom in our American minds.”

Earlier today I reached out to an Air Force National Guardsman who just deployed, asking how she was. She responded, “I just landed in country. I start my job tonight. Pray that my wing supports those who fly sorties, but I’m more concerned about my husband and infant son back home. Please pray for them.”

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars. These are the things that keep us up at night and cause anxiety, and the reason our prayer lists do not diminish but seem to always increase. It feels that this is ever-present in our life. And it is. It’s because of the presence of sin in a broken world. Some have asked, “Is it proper for us to pray for peace? Will it actually happen on this earth? Is this something that our King in heaven can actually bring about?”

This coming Sunday you will hear about this King, on the Sunday we call Palm Sunday, or Sunday of the Passion. You will most likely hear the story of Jesus as he rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. The disciples and the crowds of people cut down branches from the trees and lay them down in the dirt road to show respect for a king as he comes into his city. They shout, “Hosanna!” We hear this ancient word all the way back in the psalms. It’s a cry to the Lord that says, “Save us!” And that’s exactly what the King comes to do. He rides into Jerusalem to save—to save by going to war.

He goes to war against all that keeps us up at night, against all that makes us anxious. He goes to war against war itself. He goes to war with death and grave. He goes to war against the devil and his forces of evil, who use war and anxiety and fear and frustration to cast doubt in our minds that our King can truly save us. He goes to war by sitting atop a donkey, amid the cheers of “Hosanna!” He goes and he does just that: He saves.

He saves not with Tomahawk missiles but in meekness. He saves not with a show of force but in weakness. He wins by way of a cross and a tomb. Not much of a military strategist, is he? But he wins but stomping on the head of the devil, crushing death by rising from his tomb.

With this victory, no more can Satan cast doubt in our hearts about this King, for he has done what he said he would do. No more can death and grave scare us into submission. For this King lives and lives to give us the sure confidence of life eternal. This King saves. This King restores all things, and he does this for you.

Whatever keeps you up at night, whatever causes you to feel anxious, be at peace. Know that Jesus came to save you, your loved ones, and your battle buddies—to save them from all that might frighten us.

As for that for peace, the answer is, “Yes.” When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us our daily bread,” part of that prayer includes peace for the nations. When there is peace, when there is good government, there is safety. When there is peace and safety there is the ability to earn our daily bread in our varied vocations. Peace helps us love and serve our neighbor. Even in wartime and disaster, there is certainly opportunity for us to love and serve our neighbor.

Let us pray for peace, and pray that our hearts may be at peace, knowing and believing and trusting that this King saves. He saves us now and for eternity.

Prayer:

We praise you, O God, for the great acts of love by which you have redeemed us and saved us through your Son, Jesus Christ. As he was acclaimed by those who scattered their garments and branches of palms in his path, so may we always hail him as our King and follow him with perfect confidence.

Keep safe all our nation’s warriors and those who support them. Bring peace to those areas of our world where there is conflict.

Continue to bless our nation’s Air Force Reserve, which celebrates its birthday on April 14. It is by your gracious hand, Lord, that since 1948 you have provided a combat-ready force for varied missions across the Air Force. Today, as these men and women deploy weather reconnaissance to keep our pilots safe and engage in modular aerial firefighting and Pararescue, keep them always ready to assure victory for our nation—anytime, anywhere, to “fly, fight, and win.” We ask this in your gracious name. Amen.

Based on Luke 15:1-3,11-32

He had recently run a new flag up the flagpole in his yard. Of course I was going to ask him about it, because it was a 101st Airborne flag that he now proudly flew. I discovered that he was a Vietnam veteran. I offered to treat him to coffee and said, “I would love to hear more about your story. I just want to understand more.” He obliged, so we went to coffee. He didn’t really say much about his time in Vietnam. The most he said was, “I did the job that I had to do, and then I came home. That’s about all I have to say about that.”

He clearly did not want to talk about what he had done or what he had seen. After he shared his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), I guessed that he had seen some stuff, experienced some things, and maybe done some things that he didn’t really want to share with me, and that was okay. I was fine with that.

There are many more like him that I have spoken to in my past 20+ years as a pastor. And now, in the last year and a half as a chaplain, I have heard from you, our nation’s warriors, who have done some things and seen some things. Some of you don’t really want to share.

Then there are others of you who have shared things with me—the things that you have done and the things that you have left undone. And what I can say is that there’s a lot of guilt out there.

The reason I bring this up is because the gospel reading for this coming Sunday is Luke chapter 15, where Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son. Maybe you’ve heard that story before and maybe you haven’t. I don’t want to assume anything, so here’s a quick recap:

Jesus told the story about a son who basically wished his father were dead because he had asked for his father’s inheritance. Beyond conventional reason, the father does this and says to his son, “Here you go. Here is your inheritance.” He split the inheritance up between his son and his brother.

The son then takes his inheritance and travels to a distant country and just completely blows it all on prostitutes, gambling, debauchery, and wild living until he has nothing. He hits rock bottom. He is homeless and jobless, and it’s just a bad situation. He says to himself, I have sinned against my God and my father. I will go home, and I will repent. I will ask my father for forgiveness. I’m going to say to him, “Make me like one of your hired servants. I don’t deserve to be your son anymore.”

But as he is walking home, as Jesus tells the story, the father is watching. He’s waiting for his son to come home. He sees his son in the distance and runs to his son and embraces him, even though the son smells awful and is gaunt and the clothes on his back are like tattered rags and his hair is unkempt.

The son launches into his repentance speech, but the father cuts him off and says, “You belong to this family.” He tells his servants to bring a robe and put a ring on his son’s finger and kill the fattened calf. We are going to have a party, the father says, because “this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24).

Is that you? Do you feel like that prodigal son?

We use that term to describe this parable, but every time I teach this story, I ask people, “Do you know what prodigal means?” and most folks don’t. Prodigal means reckless spender. Of course, the son was a reckless spender. But the story is not about the son, is it? It’s about the father, the prodigal father, the reckless spender of his love. It’s about the fact that he would give his son his inheritance, first of all, but secondly, that he would welcome his son back as part of the family. So reckless was he with his love that he was willing to spend it all on his son because he loved him so much.

This is the story of you and me, isn’t it? It’s the story of those of you who don’t want to share with anybody else the things that you have done. It’s the story of those of you who have shared the things that you’ve done yet feel like that prodigal son, because you have recklessly spent your youth and your morals and your convictions or whatever it is that you have done. You have a prodigal Father. He welcomes you back because of your baptism, when he adopted you into his family. He promises that every time we repent and say to our Father, “I am sorry. I have sinned against heaven and against you,” the Father opens his arms and embraces us and kisses us and hugs us and says, “You are part of the family.”

The Father can say this because he is the reckless spender of his love. He doesn’t withhold anything. He offers up his most prized possession, his own Son, who suffers and bleeds and dies and takes your guilt and mine and nails it to the cross and puts it to death forever. He loves you so much that he does that for you. The Father loves you so much that he is the reckless spender who will say to you every time you come to him, “Yes, you are my son. You are my daughter. You are forgiven. You are part of my family, and the inheritance that I gave you, which is my Son and his life and death and resurrection and heaven itself—all of that is still yours.”

This is the kind of Father you have: a reckless spender of his love. So, my dear friends, go to him. Go to him in repentance. Go to him and find rest and hope and comfort, knowing that your Father is a reckless spender of his love for you.

Prayer:
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, you receive us as your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge your merciful goodness, give thanks for all of your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience.

Lord God, this March 29th our nation pauses to recognize Vietnam War Veterans Day. As we look back to this war, we are reminded of what a horrible thing war is. You know those who carry heavy burdens because of friends lost, friends who still suffer silently, and those who still suffer from moral injuries and physical and spiritual pain. Use us to lead them to Jesus, who bears their burdens, who forgives their sins, and who brings everlasting hope. Amen.

Based on Philippians 3:17-4:1

Where is home? I know that’s a loaded question for someone who serves in our nation’s military or is a dependent of a military member. You might answer, “Well, it depends . . .”

Where is home? Home could be the barracks; a tiny on-base apartment in the middle of the Pacific; a CONEX container fitted out with A/C in the Middle East; a ship rocking back and forth in the middle of the ocean; or a small, rented home just outside of the gate. Home might mean a house you purchased with your own money.

Home for you—in the back of your mind—is always temporary, isn’t it? As much as you try to bloom where you’re planted, you know that eventually you’ll say, “We’re gonna move.”

And there always seems to be a longing to “go back home,” wherever that is for you—where you’re from, where a good number of friends and family live, and where they’ve lived for as long as you can remember.

For some, there is a longing, a nostalgia to return “home,” but when you go back to visit, it doesn’t always quite play out the way you envisioned in your mind. The time with family and friends doesn’t always go the way you hoped it would. So in this weird twist in your mind and heart, you’re almost happy to be back home where you live: your house, the barracks, that tiny apartment just outside of the gate, the on-base housing.

This longing for home only proves that this place, planet earth, and wherever it is you currently lay your head on your pillow at night, is temporary. All of it. That’s because God has put eternity in our hearts. It’s not just a feeling. God comes right out and says it.

In our reading today, the apostle Paul wrote to Christians who lived in Philippi, which is modern-day Turkey. Philippi was a Roman colony for military veterans, who were very proud of their Roman citizenship. They knew their names were written on a ledger in Rome, which backed up that reality. The Philippians dressed like people in Rome. They spoke like Romans. They incorporated Roman culture into their city. They longed for the city of Rome.

Paul points the Christians in Philippi and us to our permanent eternal home. He writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). In your eternal home in heaven, your names are written in the book of life. There you will be dressed like people in heaven are dressed: in the white robes of Christ’s righteousness. There you will speak the language of heaven, singing the praises of him who called you to that home. There the souls of those who have gone before us call it home and are already enjoying that blessed place called heaven.

So whether you are preparing to PCS this summer, ship out to basic training, go TDY, deploy, or redeploy, or if you’re staying put for a while at your current duty station, would you do this today? Pause, look around you, and say, “Lord, here’s where you have put me. I am here at this time and at this place. It is good to be here. But I have an eternal home. Lord Jesus, help me to keep my eyes fixed on that eternal home, where you are, where some of my dear friends and family in Christ have gone, where someday I too will be.”

Yes, heaven is your home.

Prayer:
Almighty God, you see that we have no power to defend ourselves. Guard and keep us both outwardly and inwardly from all adversities that may happen to the body and all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul, knowing that my body and soul are in your protective care until you call me home to heaven.

Lord God, this week we celebrate with our nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, the American Legion, which has actively sought to strengthen our nation since 1919. Lord, we ask that you bless the programs and services of the American Legion so that you through them might enhance the wellbeing of America’s veterans, their families, our military, and our communities. In your name I pray. Amen

Based on Luke 9:28-36

So, where are you going? Where is your next duty station?

These are questions I’ve been asking our military members as the PCS season is fast approaching. Are you looking to fill a billet, a slot, and hoping and praying that for one of your top five billets your name is on the top of that list? Where would you like to land? I know some of you would like to fill a billet that advances your career, or perhaps puts you closer to family or friends, or takes you to a part of the country or the world you’ve never been to before. Maybe it’s your final duty station. You’ve already begun working on that paperwork as you transition out of military life to civilian life.

For some, you know exactly how the next few years will play out for you. It’s been mapped out. For others, you’re not so sure. Wouldn’t it be would helpful if the all-knowing God stood you on top of a mountain and pointed down to a path coming down that mountain, and on that path God has laid out everything for you: every PCS, every deployment, every redeployment, every school, every training, all of the difficult times that lie ahead so you can prepare for them, and every joy so that you can rejoice in them? Wouldn’t that be nice?

Well, he does. Walk with me up a mountain with three of Jesus’ friends: John and his brother James, and their buddy Peter. Follow Jesus up a mountain. Watch and listen as he prays. And then look! See him transfigured before your eyes. The lowly, ordinary Jesus, the Jew from Nazareth, is suddenly transfigured. You can read this story in Luke chapter 9. There Luke describes Jesus’ clothes as they became bright as a flash of lightning. His face shines like the sun. It is so glorious that the disciples grovel in the dirt, sinners who realize they are standing in the presence of the divine.

Jesus is transformed into something glorious, like God . . . because that’s who he was and is: God in the flesh. But here on the mountain he pulls back the curtain on his humanity and allows his disciples and us, through their eyewitness testimony, to see Jesus for who he is: God for us. While the disciples are shielding their eyes, two prophets from Old Testament appear with Jesus—Moses and Elijah—and they are chatting with Jesus. Luke tells us they are talking “about [Jesus’] departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). They discussed his departure . . . his death on the cross and his glorious resurrection from the dead and his glorious ascension back into heaven.

The all-knowing God stands us on the mountain and points to a path leading down the mountain. He points to all of the hardships and joys of your life and shows you their glorious end: a grave—your grave—a vacated grave. The end includes a glorious resurrection, a glorious eternity in heaven, where you will behold the face of Jesus in all of its glory without shielding your eyes, without groveling in the dirt, because you are covered in his glory, in his righteousness. This is the big picture. God reveals it to you.

No matter what this PCS season brings, no matter which billet you fill, no matter which duty station you get or don’t get, no matter the length of the deployment cycle, no matter where you land after your discharge from the military—God has shown you the big picture. Jesus is still God. Jesus is still glorious. Jesus knows the path you will walk. Jesus knows the hardships and the joys you will experience. Jesus knows the glorious end of your life’s journey. It ends the same way it begins. With him.

See the big picture. Know that Jesus is your big picture.

Prayer:
Lord God, before the suffering and death of your one and only Son, you revealed his glory on the holy mountain. Grant that we who bear his cross on earth may behold by faith the light of his heavenly glory and so be changed into his likeness.

This week, Lord, we celebrate with both the Navy Reserve and Seabees, who celebrate birthdays this week. Since 1915 you have provided faithful men and women who are willing to serve in their civilian vocations and train as sailors at the same time, ready and willing to deploy wherever their country needs them.

For the past 83 years through our Seabees, you have provided miles of bridges, roads, bases, and airfields around the world as our Navy’s construction force. Continue to bless our nation’s defense forces through the men and women who serve in our Navy. Lord Jesus, in your name we pray. Amen.

Based on Isaiah 6:1-8

Some years ago, I was privileged to attend the graduation for the U.S. Army Rangers at Fort Benning, now Fort Moore, in Georgia. At that graduation, one of the speakers quoted Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ”

The purpose for that quotation and its use among the U.S. Army Rangers is that it reflects the Rangers’ ability to complete tasks with little to no prompting, to engage in violence of action. And those who wear the Ranger tab are qualified to carry out those types of missions.

I’m not a U.S. Army Ranger. I’ve not been qualified in any type of the Special Operations Command training with their weapons or their tactics. I am unqualified in close quarters battle. That’s not something that I’ve been called to do. And I don’t know about you. Maybe some of you are qualified in that, and I thank you for doing that on our behalf.

And maybe for some of you, that’s not your vocation either. You are a military service member. You are a warrior. And maybe you’re not a warfighter, but you are somebody who supports the warfighters. You also have other callings from God—other vocations. Maybe you are a son or a daughter to your parents, and you’re called to love and care for your mom and your dad. Maybe you are a husband or a wife, and you’re called to love your spouse. Maybe you are a father or a mother, and you are called to love your children.

Maybe you are someone who is not in the military world, but you’re on the civilian side, but you’re still called to serve those that you interact with on a day-to-day basis. And still there may be some of you who have one foot on the military side and one foot on the civilian side as you serve in our Guard or as a reservist. This is where God has put you, and what he has called you to do is to love and serve those people at this time and at this place.

So my question to you is this: How is it going? Do you feel qualified to serve those people at this time in your life and at that place?

I don’t know about you, but I often don’t feel qualified to carry out the vocations that God has called me to carry out. I often disappoint my spouse and my children and my friends and my colleagues with promises made and promises not kept. And I often find myself with a self-serving attitude rather than a self-sacrificing attitude. And it reminds me of a part of the Ranger Creed that says, “Never shall I fail my comrades.” Well, I am often guilty of that. I don’t do those things. I often feel unqualified to carry out the vocations that God has called me to do.

What about you? Well, you’re not alone. The prophet Isaiah felt that way as he stood in the presence of a holy God. He acknowledged that he was sinful and unclean, unqualified to do the work that God was going to call him to do. But in Isaiah 6, that same chapter that that U.S. Army Ranger quoted at that Ranger tab pinning ceremony, God said to Isaiah, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (verse 7). And by faith Isaiah believed that. His Savior would not take on human flesh for another 700 years. But Isaiah believed that that’s what God had done. He had taken away his guilt. He had atoned for his sin.

And the same is true for you and for me. Our Lord Jesus has taken away our guilt by becoming our guilt. For all those times that we were self-serving and not self-sacrificing, Jesus sacrificed himself perfectly for you and for me. He said to you and me, “You are innocent. You are not guilty.”

Jesus paid the ultimate price by laying down his life for yours and mine. He has atoned for your sin, which means he has made that payment of life blood for you and for me. And it was after the Lord had proclaimed that forgiveness to Isaiah and asked him, “Who shall go for us? And whom shall we send?” Isaiah raised his hand and said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Whatever vocation God has called you to at this time and this place to love and serve other people, we can confidently say to God, “Yes! Here am I. Send me! You have called me to love and serve these people.” The reason we can do that is because he has taken away our guilt. He has atoned for our sin.

So go! Go and serve confidently and say to the Lord, “Here am I. Send me!”

Prayer:

Lord, with heavy hearts we come before you on behalf of the families of those U.S. Army soldiers, Rebecca Lobach, Ryan Austin O’Hara, and Andrew Eaves, the U.S. Army flight crew who died in that helicopter crash in Washington, D.C.

We also pray for the family members of the 64 individuals on that commercial aircraft who also perished. You tell us in your Word in Isaiah’s book that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are not our thoughts, and sometimes we struggle to understand a tragedy like this, Lord.

When we suffer and when we are sad, you point us to your promises in Christ Jesus to grant peace and to give the hope of eternal life into heaven and to strengthen us on our way there. And so, Father in heaven, we ask that you grant that peace, that hope of eternal life, that strength to the survivors, that you provide faithful Christian pastors and chaplains and family members and friends to comfort them in the weeks and months ahead.

And so also, Father, we pray for all of our service members who are training around the world. Send your holy angels to watch over them and to protect them. Keep them faithful to their training. Keep them alert and aware. Keep them safe, Lord, by your grace. Amen.

Has it ever happened to you that you’ve been out on the flight deck, in the motor pool, out at the range, or in the shop, and you’ve gone over the training regs over and over again, but there’s that one individual or maybe that small group of people that just don’t seem to get it, for whatever reason? How does that make you feel?

I’m guessing there’s probably some frustration or maybe some anger. Maybe you had a loss for words, or maybe you want to say some words that you probably shouldn’t say, and you’re thinking to yourself, What more can I do for you?

I wonder if Jesus felt this way a little bit in Luke chapter 4. I encourage you to read it today. In Luke 4, Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth. He’s there with his family and friends and neighbors, people who knew him and people whom he knew. He’s in the synagogue reading the Scriptures to them and reading about how the Scriptures point to himself. He is saying, “These Scriptures are talking about me. Here’s what I’ve come to do: I’ve come to bring you good news.”

This good news is not just some military briefing on a new policy or a safety stand-down, but this is how to get to heaven and how to be right with God—all of the promises that God has to give to them. It’s a free gift to them. But as you read the story, they refuse to believe it. We’re not told what is going through Jesus’ mind as this is all happening, but I suspect there’s some sadness and some compassion for these lost souls because they are so obstinate that they rush him out of the synagogue and take him to the edge of the town where there’s a cliff. They intend to throw him off of it to murder him.

The reason we have this story in the Scriptures is so Jesus can remind us that if people did these things to him, our Lord and Savior, how are they going to treat us when we, his followers, have conversations with others about this same good news, this same free gift?

I know you’ve already had those conversations, and I’m hoping it has never escalated to the point of violence. But I know that you and I have heard some pretty awful things said about our Savior Jesus. We’ve heard some pretty awful things said about our faith, the Bible, our churches, and about Christianity.

Jesus gives us this story in Luke 4 to tell us to not be afraid. This is nothing new, and you are not alone. Your Savior Jesus knows and hears and sees all these things. And he doesn’t just know and hear them, he provides us with tools to get us through it, to endure. He gives us the power of prayer, just as he gave it to the apostles. And we see this time and time again in the book of Acts and in Paul’s letters and in Peter’s letters, where they talk about praying when people were so obstinate that they wanted to kill the apostles, and they did. But they prayed, and God answered their prayer and gave them the strength to get through those things.

Jesus gives you prayer. He gives you his promises. These are the same promises that Jesus himself clung to when evil men hated him so much that they murdered him by putting him on a cross. But even in that moment, Jesus continued to pray to his Father to deliver him, and he did, by raising him from the dead.

So do not be afraid. People will reject you because they reject Christ, but Jesus will never reject you. Jesus’ encouragement to you and me today is to continue to be bold and persistent. Be confident and be patient with people. Have compassion for their lost souls, and love them.

Because you already know that you have the hope of eternal life. You have the joy of the forgiveness of all of your sins. You have the peace of knowing that you are in a right relationship with your Savior. And there are some people who are just going to reject that good news. So pray for them. Pray for them today by name. Pray that the almighty power of the gospel would break their stony hearts like a hammer. Pray in joy and humility that the Holy Spirit would use you as his mouthpiece to point another soul to Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Almighty God, you sent your Son to proclaim your kingdom and to teach with authority. Anoint us with the power of your Spirit that we too may bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to the captive.

And today we pray, O Holy Spirit, that you would open doors for our Ministry to the Military. Open the way for WELS congregations who are near our duty stations to connect with the military communities in their area, to fulfill needs of the military members in those areas, and to use their efforts to build relationships so that a bridge might be built to Jesus. The power of your Word alone can do this. So we pray, do this according to your good pleasure and purpose. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Who are you? How do you see yourself? Maybe by your rank. Maybe by your spouse’s rank. Maybe you identify yourself by the things that you’ve done and the places you’ve been. And I know what happens. One of my friends who’s in the military says, “As soon as another military member walks into the room, you start sniffing each other out like dogs to see where you stand and where that other person stands.”

Is that you? Is that really you? What you’ve done, where you’ve been, your rank, maybe your spouse’s rank? You might think that you’re something. But look at what God says about you and me in our reading in Titus chapter 3. In it, the apostle Paul writes to Pastor Titus and says that God’s kindness and mercy saved us.

So it’s really not about us, what we’ve done, or who we think we are, but it’s all about God and who he is and what he’s done for us that makes us who we are.

But maybe that’s not you. Maybe you would answer that question “Who are you?” by looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, “Yeah, who am I? I’m a nobody. I’m nothing. I haven’t been able to promote as quickly as I’d like to. I haven’t been places or done things that my peers have done. I’m a nobody because of my past faults and failures.”

Look at some of the things that Paul lists in Titus chapter 3. He says, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (verse 3). You look at that list and say, “Yeah, that’s kind of the person that I am.” And the devil will try to convince you of that—that this is who you are. You’re less than nothing in God’s sight, and why should he pay attention to the likes of you?

But keep reading. The apostle Paul then begins to list the beautiful descriptors of who God is. He says that he is a Savior who saved you and me, as Paul writes, “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (verse 5). That’s right. You are who you are because of who God is—kind and loving and merciful, the God who saves us and who saves us from ourselves.

And Paul answers the question, “Well, how did he save you and me?” in Titus chapter 3: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (verses 5,6). He saved you by washing you. He is, of course, talking about your baptism. In the waters of your baptism, God caused you to be reborn, as Paul says, which means you have a new life—a life that is no longer controlled by your sinful nature. You’ve been set free to live for Christ and to live with Christ and to live in Christ. In a life renewed, you no longer live for yourself but live for others. That’s who you are.

And there’s more. The apostle Paul goes on to say, “So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (verse 7). All that you and I think that we are, even when we think we’re something, is really nothing. God makes us who we are because he justifies us by his grace, not because of what we’ve done.

And grace is one of those words that means “God’s undeserved love.” It’s God’s grace, his undeserved love, that moves him to justify us in the first place. And to justify means that as the judge, God declares you and me to be innocent, not guilty, of all those faults and failures that we listed before. You’re innocent. That’s who you are.

And there’s more. The apostle Paul goes on to write, “so that we might become heirs, having the hope of eternal life.” This is who you are. You have a spiritual bank account that has more wealth in it than Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos combined. Because of your baptism, you have everything that Jesus has. He owns the universe, which means you do too. He owned the devil and the grave, which means you do too. You have a resurrection from the dead. You have eternal life in heaven. That’s who you are.

So when you look at yourself in the mirror tonight before you go to bed, or when you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror, say out loud, “I am a baptized child of God. I am justified. I am reborn. I am renewed. I have an eternal inheritance because of who God is and what he has made me to be.”

My friends, live in your baptismal identity today and every day.

Prayer:
Father in heaven, at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, you proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Keep us who are baptized into Christ faithful in our calling as your children, and make us heirs with him of everlasting life.

Today, Father, we thank you for our military members who are currently deployed in response to humanitarian aid. So often we forget that our military doesn’t just provide a show of force or to seek and destroy the enemy or to defend our United States. But our military also provides help to those who are in need around the world. And so we ask, Father, that you keep them safe as they travel. Bring them joy as they bring aid to people who need it. Bring peace to those places of the world where people are without their daily bread, so that stable governments may bring aid to their own people. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Recently I made a trip to 29 Palms Marine Corps base to meet with some of our Wisconsin Synod members who live there, but also to meet with a military chaplain who is stationed there. He’s a Navy chaplain that serves the Marine Corps there. I had the opportunity to sit down and have breakfast with him and listen to his story.

He’s about 54 years old, and he’s only been in the Navy for two years. He had to get a waiver for that, but this wasn’t on his radar at all. He had been a teacher, he had been a pastor in the Missouri Synod, and then some of the Missouri Synod recruiters for the chaplaincy started talking to him, and he said, “You know what? I think this is something that I could do.” Just listening to his story, you can tell he is right where he needs to be.

What about you? Do you feel that you are right where you need to be? And have you always felt that way? Are you one of those people who knew from the time you were little or maybe in high school that you wanted to serve your country in our nation’s military?

Or maybe you’re someone who has always desired to serve in that honorable vocation of being a stay-at-home mom or dad while your spouse continues their military career.

Or are you someone who struggles with where you are right now, and you ask this question: Is this where I need to be right now? That is a question that I often get from our warfighters and from those who support them, and especially from the Marine recruits at MCRD in San Diego.

Now just imagine as a 12-year-old knowing exactly where you needed to be and what you needed to do with your life. That seems incredible, but that’s exactly what we see when we read Luke chapter 2. It contains the story of Mary and Joseph and their family as they travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. They offer sacrifices there in the temple and then head home to Nazareth, but Jesus remains and stays in the temple in Jerusalem.

As you read the story, you see that Jesus schools the religious teachers in the Old Testament Scriptures—the prophecies that point to him and his work, which are a clear roadmap of his life, his death, and even his resurrection.

Jesus allows his family to travel one day north toward Nazareth. Mary and Joseph do a frantic search, realizing that Jesus isn’t with them. They run back to Jerusalem, and after three days find their 12-year-old boy, not cowering in some alleyway, but in the temple, with a full understanding of where he needed to be.

He says to Mary his mother, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). He was, of course, speaking of his heavenly Father, begotten from eternity. And his house was that temple, which was a picture of God’s presence among his people.

But now God himself stood among his people in the flesh. That’s where he needed to be. And this temple was where sacrifices were brought and offered by the priest, which was a picture of what Jesus came to be—your High Priest, to bring that one sacrifice of himself for the sins of all people, for you and for me.

During this time between Christmas and New Year’s, it’s good for us to ponder these things just as Mary did and to marvel that a 12-year-old knew exactly where he needed to be. Not for his benefit, but for yours—knowing that this roadmap of his life that he saw in the Scriptures, his life and death and resurrection, would benefit you eternally.

That puts a proper perspective on your life right now here on this earth. Because maybe you don’t have life figured out. You’re not exactly sure this is where you want to be or what you want to do with your life.

On the other hand, maybe your life is like that chaplain at 29 Palms who is flourishing in his vocation. Maybe that’s you. Praise and thank God for that!

Either way, right now Jesus has you right where he needs you to be, and know that it’s going to be okay. Jesus has it all figured out for you. He has you where you need to be right now, and you are where you are right now to love and serve and respect those around you and to be a blessing to someone else.

Thank God that you are right where you need to be.

Prayer:
Almighty God, in mercy you sent your one and only Son to take upon himself our human nature. By his gracious coming, deliver us from the corruption of our sin, and transform us into the likeness of his glory.

Tomorrow on December 28th, the Army Chaplain assistants, a Religious Affairs Specialist, celebrate their anniversary. Since the time of the Revolutionary War, soldiers of exceptional quality have served alongside our United States Army Chaplains, providing spiritual care and facilitating spiritual care, so that all might have the freedom to practice their religion, and caring for all. We thank you especially that through Religious Affairs Specialists, faithful Christians in our nation’s military have had the freedom to worship the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and without hindrance.

We pray that you continue to keep those doors open in our nation’s military so that your faithful people might continue to hear the good news of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen.

December 7th, 1941, a day that continues to live on in infamy.

On that single day, 2,403 souls perished, and almost half of them in one battleship. If you ever have the chance to get to Hawaii, make sure you stop by Pearl Harbor and take the ferry out to the USS Arizona. When you get there, you’ll find it’s a very somber place. As you think about all the souls that perished there, as you stop to listen to the waves as they gently lap up against the memorial, you can both smell and see the oil that continues to float up to the surface from the Arizona. They call those “the black tears of the Arizona.”

All of this is a reminder of that awful day when lives were lost. As we think about tragic days like that, or 9/11, or the one-too-many violent shootings in our country, we turn to God and we ask, “Why?” What does this all mean?

Before Jesus publicly went out preaching and teaching in the region of Galilee and Jerusalem and through Judea, God sent John the Baptizer to prepare the hearts of the people for Jesus. And people went out to the wilderness around the Jordan River to hear John preach and teach and baptize. And they went out to John with their questions for God. And some of those questions were, “Why? What purpose does this serve?” John’s reply to them? “Repent.”

God doesn’t always give an answer to our questions of “Why?” God doesn’t need to, even though we think that he does. But God’s answer through John the Baptizer redirects our hearts and our minds so that we see what is really needed in our lives: not an answer from God, but for us to do an about-face, to repent.

John says to you and to me, “Repent!” Do an about-face, because that’s really what repentance means. Repentance in the original language of the Bible means to change your mind, to change your heart and your mind about your sin, to do an about-face in regard to your sin. To change your mind about the things that you do that violate God’s will for your life. To change your mind about those things that you fail to do, how you fail to joyfully and faithfully carry out God’s will for your life.

Do an about-face. That means to no longer find pleasure in sinning, to no longer find pleasure in the laziness to carry out God’s will for your life. To change your mind about those things so that you no longer think that simply by trying your hardest or doing your best to be a good person that somehow this will cause God to do an about-face toward you.

John says to you and to me, “Repent for the forgiveness of your sins.” Do an about-face and turn from your sin—but turn toward something, toward someone—to that person who has sunk into the depths of your sin, your guilt, your death, and your hell, and who has left it entombed in his grave forever.

Just as the Arizona in the waters of Pearl Harbor serve as a reminder of that awful day of death, so also the waters of your baptism serve as a reminder of that awful day of what Christ did for you: that he has drowned your sin, your death, and your hell. Let the waters of your baptism be that very real reminder of the promise that Christ has made you not just to drown your sins and your death with him on the cross, but also to raise you up to new life.

Repent, turn from your sin, turn to the cross, but then turn again. Do another about-face to go and live that life of forgiveness that Christ has earned for you.

And so when you consider the events of December 7th, 1941, or you consider the events of a 9/11 or whatever disaster comes to your mind, let it be a reminder to you and to me to do an about-face, to repent, so that when Christ calls us home to heaven, however he decides to call us home to heaven through death, you and I will go through life confident and unfearingly knowing that when we meet our Maker and see him face to face, he will welcome us home to heaven with a smile because of what Christ has done for us.

Prayer:
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son. By his coming give us strength in our conflicts and shed light on our path through the darkness of this world. We pray, Lord Jesus, that you would work through our nation’s Homeland Security and armed forces to protect our borders. Keep our citizens safe so that we might live in peace, faithfully carry out our individual vocations, and joyfully share your Word with others. In your name I pray. Amen.

As I’ve listened to our war fighters, those who are both deployed and preparing to deploy, one of the things they’ve shared with me is that there’s a sort of pivot when it comes to battle planning—that training for battle and planning for battle looks a little bit different than it has in the past. We’ve seen this in the war between Russia and Ukraine, between Israel and Iran and the Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Oman with drone warfare.

This has changed the way we plan for battle. While our Marines and soldiers pound the ground, our Air Force and Navy and Space Force look to the skies. How do we deal with this new threat of drone attacks?

All this talk of war and preparing for war reminds us of Jesus’ words that in the end times there will be wars and rumors of wars. But he says this should not alarm us. He says instead to use these events as reminders to keep our eyes on the skies, not looking for incoming drone attacks, but looking to the skies for his salvation, for our salvation for eternal life. To look to the skies for Jesus to come with his angels and bring us to everlasting life, where there will be no more wars and no more killing and no more death, but only peace and to be with Jesus forever.

The way we keep our eyes on the skies is by keeping ourselves busy with those things that remind us of that great day that is to come. Our encouragement today is from the book of Jude, and I encourage you to read the entire book. It’s only 25 verses, but I want to focus on just two of the verses, verses 20 and 21. There Jude tells us, “Keep yourselves in God’s love” (verse 21).

You might ask the question, “Well, how can I keep myself in God’s love? Does God love me less at times? Are there things that I need to do so God might love me more?” Is that what Jude is saying when he tells us to keep yourselves in God’s love? Not at all. God loves you unconditionally, and that is seen in his Son on the cross.

But sometimes we forget that. So keep yourselves in God’s love, Jude tells us. And he tells us to do that by doing three things: by building, by praying, and by waiting.

First of all, he says, keep yourselves in God’s love “by building yourselves up in your most holy faith” (verse 20). You see, your enemy, the devil, loves to dive into your world just like an enemy drone would dive in from the skies so he might bring chaos into your life. And as you focus on that chaos, your eyes are distracted from Jesus’ love for you. So Jude says to build yourselves up in your most holy faith. How do we do that? Read the Word, listen to the Word, study the Word, sing the Word, share the Word, remember the Word. For it is in the Word that God reminds you again and again of his unconditional love for you in Christ Jesus.

Secondly, Jude says, keep yourselves in God’s love by “praying in the Holy Spirit” (verse 20). God speaks to you in his Word. Respond to him and talk to him in your prayers. Are you anxious about wars and rumors of wars? Then pray about it. Pray to him in confidence. Pray knowing that you pray to the King of kings and Lord of lords, the God, the Lord who loves you unconditionally, who will come again in the skies with his angels to bring you home to heaven, who loves to listen to your prayers and to act on your behalf in response to your prayers.

So keep yourselves in God’s love by building, by praying, and finally, by waiting. Jude writes, “Wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (verse 21). It often feels that this world is careening toward self-destruction, from the awful things that we as human beings do to each other to the destructive forces of natural disasters. It doesn’t feel like there’s much we can do to stop any of it.

So, Jude says, just wait. Wait for God’s love for you. Wait for that day when he comes from the skies in his love and mercy to bring you home to eternal life in heaven. Keep your eyes on the skies by building, by praying, and by waiting.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we pray that you use your almighty power to bring an end to the conflicts around the world—between Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Iran and Hezbollah, to the countries in Africa, to Haiti, to the threats from China and North Korea.

But Lord, in your wisdom, we know that you have used nations and leaders in wars and conflicts to advance your kingdom of grace. And so in the midst of these conflicts, we pray, open doors for your people to bring the hope of Christ to those who are suffering the ravages of war.

And now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.