WELS Military Devotions

Watch the Devotion Based on Isaiah 7:10-14 It Will Not Happen “It will not happen. There’s no probable way they can win the battle.” These words could have been spoken during the Revolutionary War. When you read the history of the armed forces under General Washington’s command—the untrained militiamen, the undisciplined Continental Army, the circumstances leading up to that bleak winter at Valley Forge—it wasn’t going to happen. Their situation was desperate. Until a foreigner, a stranger named Baron von Steuben, brought training, discipline, improved hygiene, and increased morale among the troops. He is credited as one of the key figures in turning defeat into victory. “It will not happen. There is no probable way they can win the battle.” These words could have been spoken by the enemies of the people of Judah, during the time of Isaiah the prophet. The nations of Aram and Ephraim joined forces against God’s people and had already defeated King Ahaz in battle, twice! Now they marched against the city of Jerusalem. The people of Judah had no chance. They would all die or be carried off as slaves. It was inevitable. But God spoke up and said, “It will not happen. It will not take place.” Meaning, “My people will not lose. Her enemies will not overpower her. I will do the impossible, the unexpected, and rescue them from certain disaster.” God saved his people. God even gave a sign to wicked King Ahaz to prove to him that he would keep his promise—an unexpected sign: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). How’s that for a sign? God was looking ahead to a greater deliverance, not just from physical armies that threaten to destroy his people but from the spiritual forces of evil who threaten his people. A virgin would give birth to God, who would live as a human being among the people of the world. He would save the world from her enemies: sin, death, the devil, and hell itself. Who are the enemies that stand in your way and make it feel impossible that you will get through another holiday season? Is it guilt, the guilt of knowing your words caused hurt and as a result there are people you love with whom you will not spend Christmas? Is it regret over an act of infidelity that caused separation in the family? Is it loneliness, knowing that your son or daughter will be in basic training or in the desert or the middle of the ocean this Christmas? Or will it be you in the middle of the ocean or in the desert or in the barracks this Christmas, feeling lonely? These enemies make us feel that we, God’s people, stand no chance to win in spiritual battle. But listen! God speaks: “It will not happen. It will not take place.” Your sins will not overpower you. Satan’s lies cannot stand against you. Guilt and regret will not overwhelm you. Loneliness will not crush you, because God kept his promise to you. The virgin did conceive. She bore a son. His name is Immanuel, “God with us,” to be our sin, to give pardon for sins, to be our presence. God with us to save us. God with us to do the unexpected and impossible. That’s what Immanuel has done for you. Prayer: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the burden of our sins and make us ready for the celebration of your birth so that we may receive you in joy and serve you always. We thank you for our United States Space Force, which celebrates its sixth anniversary this year on December 20th. Just as you are always above us, looking down and protecting us, cause the members of our Space Force to faithfully carry out their motto, “Semper Supra” (always above), providing defense and protection from all adversaries and threats emanating from the domain of space. In your name we pray. Amen. Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. 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.

Watch the Devotion Based on Isaiah 35:3-4 Do Not Be Afraid I’m certain you’ve heard it at least once the past couple of weeks and will continue to hear it until December 25th if not until January 1st—that old-time classic, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” But I know that’s not always true. The holiday season can lend itself to more tension in the family. Tighter budgets as families plan for Christmas gifting and Christmas travel create financial strain. There can be stress from family gatherings. Increased alcohol consumption can create a volatile environment. That’s when military families see a rise in domestic abuse. Unfortunately for some, or maybe for you or someone you know, there could be emotional manipulation, physical or sexual violence, financial deprivation, intimidation, or deliberate isolation preventing you from gathering with family, cutting off emotional support. If this is you, I want you to know a few things. First, you do not deserve to be subjected to abuse. It is not okay. Second, this world is a broken place, filled with people who are so broken by sin they do awful things to each other. I am sorry that this is happening to you. You may feel powerless and alone, but you are not. You do not have to be afraid. If you are a victim of abuse, your knees may be weak and wobbly, afraid to walk into a pastor’s or chaplain’s office. Your hands may tremble, afraid to pick up the phone and call, with a heart that is so afraid you don’t know what to do or what to think. Listen to the words of your Savior God through the prophet Isaiah: “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you’ ” (Isaiah 35:3-4). Please do not misunderstand God when he says to you, “Be strong, do not fear.” He is not saying, “Chin up! Just be stronger, pray harder, believe more, and you’ll get through this!” When God makes this statement, “Be strong, do not fear,” he gives you the power to do just that. Your God gives power by bringing a message of hope and life for you. Your God is the God who saves the broken, and that salvation is yours today, tomorrow, and forever. Through Jesus you are right with God. You have an identity in him. You are his child. You are loved by him. And I don’t know why this is happening to you right now, but he knows and he has done something about it. He redeemed all things, including you and your situation, when he became the victim of abuse on the cross. He also wants you to know that he is the God of justice. His justice will come. God will hold abusers accountable. This promise from God is meant to strengthen your feeble hands and weak knees, to give confidence to your fearful heart to take the next steps. He will be your power when you feel you have no power to move forward. He will be your presence when you feel alone. While you wait for his justice, it does not mean staying in an unsafe situation. God provides earthly help and shelter through the people he places around you—pastors, chaplains, commanders, police officers, family advocates, judges, lawyers, family members, and friends. Be strong. Do not be afraid. Your God comes to save you. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you know brokenness. You know abuse. You were once broken and abused. You endured it all by your death on the cross and were raised again to give us the hope of life in that place of perfect peace. Empower victims of abuse to get help. Help us to become faithful advocates and safe spaces for victims of abuse. Open our ears to listen, our arms to hold, our mouths to speak your words of comfort and love. In your name we ask it. Amen. Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. 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.

Watch the Devotion Based on Romans 15:13 Hope in December When you step off the boat and walk up the ramp and step into the memorial, you look down 184 feet to the other side and see a wall through a small opening. As you walk the length of the memorial and step into that room, you stop and see that the wall holds the names of 1,177 sailors and Marines who were killed aboard the USS Arizona during the attack of December 7, 1941. There are no artificial lights, but the artwork on the sides of the walls allows natural Hawaii sunlight to shine on those names. The artwork is called the Tree of Life, created by architect Alfred Preis, who wanted it to be “a symbol of renewal to inspire contemplation.” The tree of life is referred to in the books of Genesis and Revelation—a lifegiving tree for all who eat its fruit. That first tree in the Garden of Eden was destroyed in the great flood at the time of Noah. Paradise was lost because of sin. In Revelation the apostle John sees paradise restored and redeemed by Christ, who destroyed death by his resurrection from the depths of the grave. In the Garden of Eden restored, John sees the Tree of Life there, bearing fruit every month, for the healing of the nations, to dry the tears of those who mourn. This is the promise held out to you and to all who hope in Christ for life eternal. This is the hope we have when we stand in places like the USS Arizona Memorial, when we stand at a coffin or urn, or lay flowers at a gravestone. There is life in the places where the dead lay. Those bodies in their watery grave, both those who perished and the survivors who died and have been interred with their shipmates, will rise again, and we with them. This is the hope we have as we wait for Jesus to come again and bring us to that place in heaven. There we will eat the fruit from the Tree of Life and live forever, never to die again. Listen to the apostle Paul’s encouragement in Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Days of remembrance, like December 7, might be hard for you, especially if you’ve lost someone in combat or in a tragic accident. These days leading up to Christmas might be difficult as you think about the reality of someone close to you not being here at Christmas. My prayer is that this sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead when Christ comes again fills you with joy and peace this Advent and Christmas season. Prayer: Lord Jesus, the God of all hope, always hold before our eyes that vision of the Tree of Life so that we may always have hope. Grant peace and joy to those who mourn. Use remembrances like December 7th as a reminder for us to repent of our sins daily so that we are ready for your return. Use days like December 7th to remind us to pray for peace, to pray that your Almighty hand guard and keep us from those who would bring evil on us. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and bring us to that place of everlasting peace and joy. Amen Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. 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.

Watch the Devotion Based on Philippians 1:3-6 Thank You Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, I want to pause and reflect on the past year. The mission of WELS Ministry to the Military is to make Word and sacrament available to our actively serving military members and their families. To carry out this mission, the Wisconsin Synod provides financial support for 25 percent of our operating expenses. The other 75 percent comes from generous gifts from you. This past year WELS Ministry to the Military received $154,000 in gifts. Thank you! Your generosity and the work we do together as a synod reminds me of the apostle Paul’s words to the Christians in Philippi: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6). Because of your generosity this past year, I was able to travel to 10 duty stations (including one aircraft carrier and 3 duty stations overseas), 16 congregations, 3 high schools, and 2 grade schools. This included a trip to Okinawa this past January where we led a retreat for service members who came from Guam, Japan, South Korea, and Okinawa. Because of your generosity, our office mailed 130 Spiritual Deployment Kits to service members around the world, not to mention a number of hymnals, catechisms, and devotion books. Thanks to you, 135 new referrals came in through our website. We were able to train seven Distinctive Religious Group Leaders to lead Bible study and worship in places we can’t be. Five more are being trained right now. I want to say thank you to our European chaplain, Rob Weiss, and his wife, Rachel, for their faithful, dedicated service all over Europe: Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Poland. Thank you to the WELS pastors, teachers, and staff ministers who encourage and support our military service members, who show compassion and care to the family members when their service member is away from home. Thank you to all the grade schools, pastors’ and teachers’ conferences, and churches who adopted our ministry for their mission offering designation. Thank you to the WELS pastors and lay leaders who serve as contacts at numerous duty stations around the country, especially those who take extra time to visit our young people during basic training. I’d like to highlight Hope in Irmo, S.C., for serving Fort Jackson; Immanuel in Waukegan, Ill., for serving Great Lakes; Our Savior in San Antonio, Texas, for serving Lackland Air Force Base; and Risen Savior in Chula Vista, Calif., for serving Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD). At MCRD Pastor Paul Schulz leads the Lutheran service on Sunday mornings. This past year the Holy Spirit blessed Pastor Schulz’ efforts with an average Sunday worship attendance of 47 recruits, and he was privileged to baptize 25 Marine Corps recruits. Thank you to the congregations in the Colorado Springs area for adopting Air Force cadets at the Academy and being their home away from home. Thank you to the Lutheran Military Support Group (LMSG) for their partnership. Because of their generosity, we led a Military Contact Pastor workshop near Hill Air Force Base in Layton, Utah, this past May. The LMSG also provided professional Christian counseling for active duty service members, veterans, and their dependents. I am grateful for our working relationship with WELS Campus Ministry. They have been helpful in identifying high school graduates pursuing ROTC or the National Guard and referring them to our ministry. Thank you to Michigan Lutheran Seminary who reached out to us, wanting to partner and provide a stable high school experience for high school-age students of our service members. I am grateful to the members and staff at Reformation Lutheran Church and School here in San Diego, where my wife teaches and we are members. You have been a huge support for our family. I want to say thank to the team that works behind the scenes to publish these devotions, for posting on our social media and website. You are so patient with me! I want to thank my Military Services Committee family: Paul, Joel, Holly, Josh, Dave, Ryan, Rob, Rachel, and Dale. It is a joy working with you. From me personally, I want to thank you for your small tokens of appreciation. The challenge coins, squadron caps and patches, letters, e-mails, and text messages—this is all so humbling and encouraging. And I am grateful for all of you every day for this partnership in the gospel. I ask that you continue to keep WELS Ministry to the Military in your prayers so that together we might reach more of our nation’s service members with Word and sacrament. Have a happy Thanksgiving.   Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. 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.

Watch the Devotion Based on Revelation 22:12a, 13-14 I Am Coming Soon He was scheduled to come back into his home port of San Diego the final week in October. He had even arranged a special base pass for me so that I could be there on the dock when his shipped rolled in. Here it is . . . November 21. He’s still underway. I’m hoping that I’ll see him for Christmas, but even that is questionable. Not that long ago, 6-month deployments used to be 12-month deployments. Even due to OPTEMPO, the actions of near-peer competitors, and a whole host of other factors, redeployment back home rarely is on time. This creates strain in marriages, disappointment for family members and friends, and frustration. People say things like, “You said you were coming back soon . . .” It’s hard waiting. It’s hard to practice patience in those situations. It reminds me of someone who is kind of important in my life and I’m guessing in yours too—someone who said that he was coming soon to visit me and you and the whole world in order to bring us home, to our eternal home. In the apostle John’s revelation of Jesus Christ, our Lord makes this promise: “Look, I am coming soon! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 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” (Revelation 22:12a, 13-14). Jesus said those words almost 2,000 years ago. When he says, “I am coming soon,” it moves us to ask, “What is soon for you, dear Jesus? It’s been quite some time for us here on earth.” The waiting and practicing patience—this is hard for us who have same-day delivery and expect our cheeseburger to be ready when we roll up to the drive-through window. When Jesus refers to himself as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, we begin to see that first of all, he is the eternal present. He is not bound by space or time. When he spoke those words, it was as if he had already made good on that promise. And so, when Jesus says, “I am coming soon,” it’s as good as done. Trust him that he will do what he promises you. When he comes again—and he will—he will bring us through the gates of the city, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, heaven itself. The special pass he gives you even now is that robe that has been washed in his blood, through the waters of your baptism. You have this special pass right now to get into heaven. So wait. Be patient. Trust his promise. He will come again. He will come soon for you, just as he promised, and what an amazing homecoming that will be for us. Prayer: Lord Jesus, come quickly, as you promised, and bring us home to be with you, where we will wait no more for anything. Keep us patient and diligent in the reading, studying, and sharing of your lifegiving words so that we are ready when you come for us. You know those who are waiting for their loved ones to redeploy. You know the deployment schedules and for whatever reason you in your infinite wisdom sometimes allow them to delay. Remind us all that our times are in your hands. Bring our loved ones home from deployment safely, in your time and in your way. Amen. Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. 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.