“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.” Ezekiel 3:17
Watch and Warn
We have all experienced those moments when we see danger approaching and feel an urgent need to warn others, “Watch out!” we shout. Perhaps a car backed up too quickly, or a child reached for something hot on the stove. In such situations, remaining silent would not just be wrong, but also unkind.
This is the image God gave to the prophet Ezekiel. He was chosen to be a “watchman”—someone who remains vigilant and alerts people when trouble is near. However, the warning Ezekiel was to give was far more serious than damaged bumpers or burnt fingers. It concerned sin and its consequences. God called Ezekiel to deliver both hard truths and healing words.
Although we are not prophets like Ezekiel, we share the same responsibility: to warn others and to bear witness. This calling can feel intimidating. Sometimes we keep silent because we are afraid of offending or uncertain about what to say.
Thankfully, Jesus never chose silence. He spoke the hard truth to those who were proud and offered gentle words to those who were hurting. He warned about the reality of sin and called people to turn back to God. Even when people didn’t listen, Jesus did not walk away. He went to the cross.
Jesus bore the punishment for sin so that we would not have to. He rose again to give us new life. Today, by his Word, the Spirit works in us to be loving and courageous watchmen for those around us. You do not need a loudspeaker or a pulpit to be a watchman. You just need the gospel—the good news of a Savior who came for sinners like us.
This Advent, listen for the coming footsteps of Jesus and lovingly let others know that he is on his way.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking the truth in love and for taking my sin to the cross. Make me bold and gentle to speak your truth to those around me. Amen.
Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:3-5
Peace That Comes from God
In the United Nations Plaza in New York City, today’s Bible passage is quoted: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares . . .” All people desire peace, don’t they? Isn’t that why the United Nations was established in the first place? But it hasn’t worked so well, has it? Are Isaiah’s words just a fantasy?
If you’re looking for a truly peaceful “United Nations,” you’re not going to find it in this sinful world. But that’s not what Isaiah was describing. Isaiah was describing peace that the world can’t give, find, or produce. Isaiah described peace that only comes from God.
God brought peace to the hearts of people when he kept his promise to send his Son, Jesus, the Christ. Jesus came to bring peace to the earth by living and suffering and dying for a world full of sin and sinners, sinners like you and me. Because of Jesus’ perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection, we have peace. We have the peace of knowing that there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves because Jesus has done everything. We have the peace of knowing that we don’t need to satisfy God’s wrath against our sins because Jesus has washed them away. We have peace because Jesus has set us free.
That peace is yours and mine in Jesus! That peace is what moves us to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn his ways. That peace is what moves us to walk in the light of the Lord.
Prayer:
May the peace of God, which the world cannot give, which surpasses our understanding, guard and keep your heart and mind through faith in Christ Jesus! Amen.
[God the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:13-17
Christ Is Superior
Consumer Reports is a magazine you would look at for the best of a given product and the best deal for your wallet.
In today’s Bible reading, Paul gives us the “consumer report” on Christ. He clearly explains why Christ is superior to anyone or anything else. He is God. He created all things. He is eternal, without beginning or end. He is the firstborn from among the dead, never to die again. He holds everything together.
Each part of these verses lays out an objective fact about why Christ is superior. And each of these truths has important significance for our daily lives.
Despite the times we see sin interrupt our lives, despite the horrors of wickedness we hear about in the news, and despite the atrocities human beings commit against one another, evil and wickedness are not in control. Even though they may appear to be running the world, they are not. No matter what evil or wickedness may throw at us, there is nothing they can do to wrest control away from Christ. Nor is there anything they can do to separate us from Christ. For Christ defeated sin and death through his death on the cross and declared his victory as he rose from the dead.
This is the report we have on Christ. He is supreme. No one is greater. There is no one who can take control from him or can separate us from him. What confidence this gives us as we continue our pilgrimage on earth!
Prayer:
O Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, in your mercy you have brought me into your kingdom. Continue to rule over me, protecting me from the evil one until I join you in your heavenly kingdom. Amen.
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1 Dear friends, this is now the second letter that I have written to you. I wrote both of them to stir up your sincere mind with a reminder 2 for you to remember the words spoken earlier by the holy prophets and the command of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 First, know this: In the last days scoffers will come with their mocking, following their own lusts. 4 They will say, “Where is this promised coming of his? For from the time that our fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have from the beginning of the creation.” 5 You see, what they are intentionally forgetting is that the heavens came into existence long ago by the word of God and that the earth came together out of the water and between the waters. [1]6 Through these waters the former world perished, when it was flooded with water. 7 And now, by that same word, the heavens and earth have been stored up for fire, since they are being kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: For the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to do what he promised, as some consider slowness. Instead, he is patient for your sakes, [2] not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.
Live a Holy Life
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. [3] On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be dissolved as they burn with great heat, and the earth and what was done on it will be burned up. [4]
Footnotes
2 Peter 3:5 See Genesis 1:7; 7:11.
2 Peter 3:9 Some witnesses to the text read with you; other witnesses read with us.
2 Peter 3:10 A few witnesses to the text add in the night.
2 Peter 3:10 Some witnesses to the text read will be exposed.
1 There were false prophets also among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and because of them the way of the truth will be blasphemed. 3 In their greed they will exploit you with fabricated messages. Their condemnation announced long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
God Will Punish These False Teachers
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned but handed them over to chains [1] of darkness by casting them into hell, to be kept under guard for judgment; 5 and if God did not spare the ancient world but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, along with seven others when he brought a flood on the world of ungodly people; 6 and if God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, [2] by turning them into ashes when he made them an example of things to come for the ungodly; [3]7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the unrestrained immorality of the wicked people 8 (while that righteous man was living among them, he was tormented in his righteous soul day after day by the lawless deeds he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under guard until the day of judgment, in order to punish them.
10 This is especially true of those who follow the defiling lust of the flesh and who despise authority. Daring and arrogant, they do not tremble when they blaspheme glorious beings, 11 whereas angels, even though they are greater in strength and power, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters about which they are ignorant, just like unreasoning creatures that live by instinct and are born to be captured and destroyed. So they too will be destroyed as a consequence of their destructive activity. 13 They will be paid back [4] for the harm they cause.
They consider it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, who take delight in their deceitful pleasures [5] while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of longing for adulterous women and sins that never stop. They seduce unstable souls. They have trained their hearts for greed. They are children who are cursed.
15 They left the right way and went astray, following the path of Balaam, son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. 16 (He was rebuked for his disobedience. A donkey, which does not talk, spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.) 17 These men are wells without water, clouds driven away by a windstorm, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved. [6]18 For by uttering arrogant, empty words, they use the depraved lusts of the flesh to seduce those who are barely [7] escaping from those who live in error. 19 While they promise these people freedom, they themselves are slaves to corruption, for a person is a slave to what has control of him.
The Tragedy of Being Led Back Into a Sinful Life
20 Indeed, if, after escaping the defiling things of the world through the knowledge of our [8] Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and controlled by them again, they are worse off than they were at first. 21 In fact, it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command passed on to them. 22 They demonstrate the truth of the proverb: “A dog returns to its own vomit,” [9] and a washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.
Footnotes
2 Peter 2:4 Some witnesses to the text read dungeons.
2 Peter 2:6 A few witnesses omit to destruction.
2 Peter 2:6 Some witnesses to the text read an example of the people who are going to be ungodly.
2 Peter 2:13 A few witnesses to the text read They will suffer harm as the wages.
2 Peter 2:13 A few witnesses to the text read their love feasts.
2 Peter 2:17 Some witnesses to the text add forever.
2 Peter 2:18 Some witnesses to the text read actually.
2 Peter 2:20 Some witnesses to the text omit our. It would be replaced by the.
12 That is why I intend [1] always to keep reminding you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to keep you wide awake by reminding you, 14 because I know that the putting off of my tent is going to happen soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 I will also make every effort so that after my departure you always have a reminder of these things.
We Have God’s Inspired Word
16 To be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when the voice came to him from within the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [2]18 We heard this voice, which came out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 We also have the completely reliable prophetic word. You do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts, 20 since we know this above all else: No prophecy of Scripture comes about from someone’s own interpretation. 21 In fact, no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God [3] as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
2 Peter 1:12 A few witnesses to the text read I will not neglect.
2 Peter 1:17 Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35
2 Peter 1:21 Some witnesses to the text read holy men of God spoke.
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained the same kind of faith as ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus [1] our Lord.
Keep on Growing
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own [2] glory and excellence. 4 Through these he has given us his precious and great promises so that through them you may share in the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that sinful lust causes in the world.
5 And, for this very reason, after applying every effort, add moral excellence to your faith. To moral excellence, add knowledge. 6 To knowledge, add self-control. To self-control, add patient endurance. To patient endurance, add godliness. 7 To godliness, add brotherly affection. And to brotherly affection, add love. 8 For if you have these qualities and they are increasing, they are going to keep you from being idle or unfruitful in regard to your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 Indeed, the person who lacks these qualities is shortsighted and, in fact, blind, because he has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Make Your Calling and Election Sure
10 Therefore, brothers, [3] be more eager to make your calling and election sure for yourselves. [4] For if you do these things, you will never stumble. 11 In fact, in this way you will be richly supplied with an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
2 Peter 1:2 Some witnesses to the text add Christ. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)
2 Peter 1:3 Some witnesses to the text omit his own.
2 Peter 1:10 When context indicates it, the Greek word for brothers may refer to all fellow believers, male and female.
2 Peter 1:10 Some witnesses to the text add by good works.
5 5a Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her lover?
The Wealth of Our House
The Woman
5b Under the apple tree I roused you. There your mother conceived you. There she who gave birth to you was in labor.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm, because love is as strong as death. Its passion is as relentless as the grave. Its flames are flames of fire, a mighty blaze. [1] 7 Many waters cannot quench such love. Rivers cannot wash it away. If a man were to offer all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned.
The Brothers. . .Decorated With Silver
The Brothers
8 We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we make for our sister on the day she is spoken for? 9 If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.
My Own Vineyard
The Woman
10 I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one who delivers contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon. He leased his vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for its fruit a thousand shekels of silver. 12 But my own vineyard is before me. The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.
The Last Call to Love
The Man
13 You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!
Run Away With Me
The Woman
14 Run away, my love, and be like a gazelle, or like a young buck on the mountains of spices.
Footnotes
Song of Songs 8:6 With alternate word division the text may be read the blaze of Yah. Yah is a short form of the divine name often written Yahweh.
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Tornadoes, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, forest fires—it’s been a busy fall for WELS Christian Aid and Relief, which responds on behalf of WELS members to reflect Christ’s love to people facing […]
Julie K. Wietzke Different histories, one future When we talk about reaching out to other cultures in the United States, we can’t ignore the amazing opportunities God is providing for […]
“Calling” is one of the four priorities outlined in the synod’s “Christ through us” long-range strategic plan (along with “Culture,” “Congregations,” and “Commission”). For our synod to carry out its […]
The Synodical Council met Nov. 7–8 for its fall meeting at the Center for Mission and Ministry, Waukesha, Wis. The Synodical Council (SC) is the group of lay leaders and […]
On Oct. 20, Mrs. Mary Heckendorf, Mr. Samuel McKenna, and Rev. Mark Schroeder were installed as ministry recruitment counselors during chapel at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis. The ministry recruitment […]
As many WELS congregations hold worship services this month to commemorate the synod’s 175th anniversary, by God’s grace, the special offering launched at this summer’s synod convention has crossed the […]
The Conference of Presidents (COP) met Oct. 7–9 at the Center for Mission and Ministry (CMM) in Waukesha, Wis., to discuss the following areas: Pastoral vacancies: The tally of pastoral […]