Based on Galatians 3:26,27

When I was in Okinawa recently, I stood in the location for the final battle of World War II. When the American forces landed on the western side of the island, they did not experience the opposition that they had when they landed on previous islands to engage the Japanese forces. When they rolled up onto the island, they walked around, did some scouting, and didn’t see any enemy forces.

Then three or four days later, the Japanese really let them have it. You see, the Japanese allowed the American forces to land where they did and let them set up camp where they wanted, because then they knew exactly where the American forces would be and where they would be setting up camp. They then had their artillery zeroed in on those locations. They had their enemy forces located in the intricate web of caves, in the cliffs, and in the hills of the island of Okinawa, because they knew exactly where our troops would be so they would inflict heavy casualties on them.

Some days it feels that way, doesn’t it? Our life is kind of like a battlefield. And actually, the Bible describes it that way. And it’s because we are baptized into Christ. Because we are baptized into Christ, we have his name on us. The devil marks us as the enemy, and he knows exactly where to hit us with temptations so that we despair when things come up in our lives and we say, “What is going on?” We wonder where God is. The devil tempts us into false belief. He tempts us into great and shameful sin, and it just seems that no matter where we go, the devil always knows how to get us. We’re baptized into a battlefield.

But you know, my friends, that Jesus was baptized into a battlefield too. The Bible tells us that as soon as Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led him out into the wilderness to engage with the devil in hand-to-hand combat—spiritual hand-to-hand combat. The devil was tempting him for 40 days and 40 nights, but on that battlefield, Jesus won the battle for us. He won the fight for us so we know that when we are on this battlefield called life—and it oftentimes feels like we’re losing and like the devil has our location zeroed in all the time—we know that the battle has been won, because Jesus has won it for us.

Not only are we baptized into a battlefield, but Galatians 3 tells us that all of us who are baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ (verse 27). Not only do we have Jesus’ name on us as his friend, as his ally, as his brothers and sisters, but we also have been clothed with him in his righteous life. The life that he won when he engaged in battle with the devil—he gives us that. And he doesn’t leave us alone.

When the American forces were on the island of Okinawa, there were times that platoons of Marines were by themselves for a very, very long time, until reinforcements came to relieve them of the battle fatigue and all the things they were going through in that battle on Okinawa.

In that same way, Jesus doesn’t leave us alone. He gives us this promise in our baptism. He gives us this promise in his Word that he will never leave us or abandon us. He also gives us his Lord’s Prayer, especially the Sixth and Seventh Petitions—lead us not into temptation; deliver us from evil.

Those are things the Father promises to do for us when we pray to him. So, my friends, know that, yes, you are baptized into a battlefield, but you are also baptized into Christ.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, at times we tend to despair because of the way that the devil tempts us, the way that he assaults us. It feels like we’re in a fierce battle every single day of our lives, but we also know that we are baptized into your name, and because of that, we have won the victory.

And so also in that same spirit, Lord Jesus, we ask that you be with all of our warfighters who are deployed right now. Some of them are engaged in combat operations and are in harm’s way, and so we pray that you send your holy angels to watch over them. Protect them in body, mind, and soul. And also to be with their family members and friends here in the States. Remind them that they are not alone, but that you are with them. Surround them with good, faithful, Christian friends and neighbors to remind them of these promises too. We ask this in your name. 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.

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Based on Titus 3:3-7

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.

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.

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Based on Galatians 4:4-7

They really had nowhere to go. They were wandering through mountainous regions and wilderness areas. They had little to no food, little to no water, no shelter, no extra clothes. They were fleeing from the wrath of a dictator who wanted to wipe them from the face of this earth. This is 500,000 people we’re talking about. These are the Kurds that were fleeing from Saddam Hussein.

Then comes Operation Provide Comfort.

Humanitarian and military aid came to help these Kurds, and among those groups that came to help them were the 10th Group Special Forces, known as the Green Berets. The motto of the Green Berets is on a challenge coin that somebody had gifted to me. It says, “De oppresso liber.” It’s a Latin phrase that means “to free the oppressed.” That 10th Group Special Forces was credited with saving the lives of 500,000 Kurds from extinction.

De oppresso liber. Isn’t that what Jesus came to do? That’s the truth we hear in our reading today from Galatians chapter 4. This letter to the Galatians—that region is actually in modern-day Turkey, which really isn’t that far from where the oppressed were liberated.

Listen to the apostle Paul’s words. He says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:4-7).

Like the Kurds in the early 1990s—with nowhere to go, feeling entrapped, feeling enslaved—maybe there are times you feel that way. Not because an evil dictator is trying to wipe you from the face of this earth, but because of Christmases past, or maybe because of past New Years, where you made an honest resolution to change not just bad habits in your life but sinful behaviors. Times that you wanted to change your attitude toward your family members, your spouse, your children, your own parents, your co-workers, your friends, or just the random person out in the community.

The times you wish you would have been Christ to somebody in a way that was meaningful to them, and you just failed to do that. All of that guilt has you in shackles, and you feel there’s nowhere to go because of that guilt.

Well, in comes Jesus with Operation Redemption. At the right time in history, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, to take on our human flesh. That means that he had to be born under the requirements of God’s laws and his commandments. But Jesus fulfilled all of those perfectly in his attitude and his actions and his words toward his family members, his siblings, his parents, his friends, even those enemies of his—those who oppressed him.

Jesus was perfect in everything he said to them, the way that he loved them, and the way that he forgave them. And by that perfect life he has redeemed you, which means that he has set you free from that guilt.

You are no longer slaves to your guilt. Take that guilt to Jesus, and know that he has set you free from it. He has set you free to be his sons and his daughters. He has adopted you into his family. You are sons and daughters of God, your Father in heaven and that by your baptism.

And because of that you have an inheritance. Paul says you are an heir, which means that you have an inheritance of heaven, where you are set free from guilt, from sin, from death, from slavery to all of those things forever and ever.

So now go live that way. Go live as free sons and daughters of your Father in heaven.

De oppresso liber. You are set free.

Prayer:
Almighty God, you have filled us with the new light of the Word who became flesh and lived among us. Let the light of our faith shine in all that we do. Keep watch over those who serve in our nation’s Special Operations Forces, who carry out unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counterterrorism and covert operations, and special reconnaissance to throw down the oppressors and to liberate the oppressed and to protect our nation. Help them to carry out their missions according to your will, so that we and the people around the world may live in peace and safety. 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.

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Based on Luke 2:41-52

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.

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.

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Based on Micah 5:2-5a

The morning I put together this devotion, I woke up to this news headline: Rebels seized the Syrian capital of Damascus. President al-Assad and his family flee to Russia. The prime minister of Syria has agreed to hand control of the government over to the rebel-led “Salvation Government.” That is somewhat ironic because this rebel group known as HTS is a designated terrorist organization.

This transfer of power comes after 13 years of civil war and 50 years of brutal rule by the Assad family. And it ends a war that has killed thousands and has displaced millions and has left an economy that has been hollowed out by global sanctions.

On top of it all, we still have more than 900 United States war fighters that are stationed in Syria, fighting alongside Kurdish-led forces.

But there’s more: 2.6 percent of the population in Syria is Christian, which accounts for just over 500,000 people in Syria who are Christian. And their future is uncertain because Al-Qaeda has urged the HTS rebels to turn against the crusaders. It’s a pejorative term for Christians.

I wonder how these Christians, our brothers and sisters in Christ in Syria, will be celebrating Christmas this year. What will their celebrations look like as they welcome Jesus coming in the flesh to be their Savior?

But this is how it has always been for God’s people. The prophet Micah lived about 700 years before Jesus took on human flesh. And maybe you know the passage I’m going to quote—maybe it’s very familiar to you. Or maybe it’s not. But this is one of those passages from Micah chapter 5 that you’ll hear read in church on Christmas Eve or at a children’s Christmas service. It’s the one that talks about Bethlehem being the place where the King would be born.

You may know this passage very well, but the verses that follow are ones that maybe you haven’t really heard before. Right after Micah points out the fact that the coming King will be born in Bethlehem, he says this: “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses” (Micah 5:4,5a).

Did you catch that? Micah didn’t say if, but he said when the Assyrians march through our fortresses. The foreign army, the Assyrians who lived in modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and you guessed it, Syria, would come and attack the northern kingdom of Israel and completely destroy it. And they would march against the capital city of Jerusalem in the south.

But in spite of that, what does the coming King promise to do for his people? Even when enemies march through their fortified cities? He will stand and shepherd his flock, and he will be their peace.

You see, when God talks about peace, it doesn’t mean he is always going to bring peace between warring nations. It doesn’t mean you and I will always have a peaceful feeling. It doesn’t always mean that there’s going to be a peace even for God’s people in foreign countries, or even in this country.

What it does mean is that in spite of war and uncertainty and persecution for Christians, in spite of the war that may unfortunately rear its ugly head in your home as family members argue and fight, in spite of war that may separate you from family members this Christmas because they’re serving far away from you overseas, in spite of family members and friends who don’t share the same reason that you do when you celebrate Christmas and maybe have some choice words for you because of it—in spite of all of that, the King born in Bethlehem promises to be your strength. He promises to be your shepherd and promises that you will rest securely and that he will be your peace. This peace is knowing that Jesus is with you.

In spite of all of the things that are going on in the world and in spite of the things that are going on in your personal life, you have the peace of knowing that God will use his almighty strength and power to be your shepherd, to protect you and keep you safe.

You have the peace of knowing that Jesus came as the King in Bethlehem, and he came to die on a cross and to rise again from the dead so that you know that no matter what happens in this world or in your personal life, you have peace with God through the forgiveness of your sins. This means that God is at peace with you. And it means that you can be at peace with yourself and at peace with others.

You have the peace of knowing that there is an eternal peace in heaven, and it is yours. Yes, there is peace even in the middle of war. Jesus is that peace. He is your peace.

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, that we may receive you in joy and serve you always. Shepherd your flock in Syria, those Christians who face uncertainty under a new government. Protect them. Be their peace as you promise. And shepherd your flock, we who by faith await your second coming, and be our peace.

O Lord, we ask that as our U.S. Space Force celebrates its fifth birthday today on December 20th, we ask that you be with those who protect us from the growing threat of near-peer competitors who seek to threaten our commerce, our financial and economic stability, and disrupt our infrastructure. Continue to raise up men and women who are wise and knowledgeable in this vocation so that we might live in peace. In your saving 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.

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