Advertise on podcast: WELS Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s Devotions

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20260202ECME.mp3 Listen to Devotion Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 You Are Equipped Imagine you’re meeting a friend for coffee. You both stand in line and catch up as the barista makes your drink. After the barista hands you your beverages, you find a table ready to continue chatting. But then your friend says to you, “You know; you’re not smart, influential or important.” Wait, what?! Our natural reaction would be to try to prove that we are smart, influential, or important. How quickly we would list the accolades that make us exactly those things. How quickly we would come to our own defense. Tearing you down—that’s not what friends are supposed to be for. Then, we get quiet. We remember what it was like to be handed our firstborn baby, walk out of the hospital, and think, “What am I supposed to do now?!” We think about the to do list – the groceries, the school signups, and the dinner that needs to be made. We think about the classroom that will never be prepped in time and the materials that just never seem to be where they are supposed to be. And why are we always out of blue paint? We remember the camping trips where inevitably something is always forgotten. (That’s okay; I guess I didn’t really need a pillow.) It may feel like our family is falling apart and we never have enough time together. Then there’s the loss of a loved one that we still think about daily. We think of all the ways that Jesus reminds us, “You have nothing without me.” Yet, we keep trying to do it ourselves. We continue to get frustrated when that doesn’t work. We continue to be frustrated that we keep falling short and that we keep spinning in circles after trying everything. Finally, we’re brought back to reality. Then we have to say, “You’re right. I’m not smart, influential or important!” Then comes God. God’s power and wisdom are not dependent on human status and what we can do on our own. As God always does, he doesn’t leave us alone and unequipped. He remains constant. He reminds us that he has equipped us. He stands still for us. He says, “I’ve got you. You have nothing without me, but you have everything with me. When you feel alone, I’m right beside you. When you walk through the dark valleys, I am with you. Those big hard things that seem impossible, I will equip you for all that comes your way. Remember? I have overcome the world. You are blessed through me and because of me.” It all may be too big on our own. By ourselves, we can’t handle the to-do list and serving one hundred school kids and their families. By ourselves, we don’t have the strength when a family feels like it is falling apart or we are grieving the loss of a loved one. But the beautiful thing is that we don’t have to do those things alone. God stands strong, he stands tall, and he says, “I. AM. HERE. I’ve got you. With me, you are wise. With me, you are influential. With me, you can do everything. With me, you are blessed. You are never alone. You are equipped for whatever I put in your life.” May Jesus continue to remind you, today and always, that you are equipped, you are exactly where God called you to be, and you are blessed. Prayer: Dear Jesus, Please remind us today and always, that I am equipped and exactly where your Father needs me to be. Thank you for always reminding me that I am blessed by you and through you. In your name I pray. Amen. A Question to Consider: What is a way that God has blessed you in the last week? What is a way that God may use you to bless others in the next week?   Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20260126ECME.mp3 Listen to Devotion “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” … “Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:16-17,19 A Light has Dawned “I’ve seen the light!” You have probably heard someone say that when they suddenly understand something that they didn’t before. Or, sometimes people say it when they change an old habit or adopt a new behavior. Sometimes it is a change in health or philosophy. Other times we discard an old tradition and bring in something different that can serve us or our family better. It can be refreshing to learn something new and adapt your lifestyle to the idea. Jesus is the light of the world, and he came to share that light with all people. Those who are stuck in unbelief are “in the dark,” so to speak. Their sinful thoughts and imperfect actions leave them in the darkness of their own evil desires. They cannot see God and cannot find their way to him. How, then, did you come to “see the light” of Jesus? Many think that we have a role to play in coming to faith. Many think that in order to see the light we are the ones who first have to make a choice, a decision, or an action. This is dangerous thinking because it puts the focus on ourselves, not on God. God’s word shows us something better. God’s word says that he shines his light on us and that God gives us the ability to “see the light” of Jesus! Martin Luther explained, “I cannot by my own thinking or choosing, believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” The Holy Spirit gave us the faith to see that in Jesus, the light of salvation has dawned. Now, the Holy Spirit has changed our behavior and way of thinking. Now, we want to live in the light and live for Jesus. We have a new zeal to do what our Savior asks of us. And what better way to live in the light of salvation than to “fish for people”? We bring the good news of Jesus to others, so that the Holy Spirit can cut through the darkness of their unbelief and see the light of Jesus’ forgiveness. May we share this light with everyone that we meet! Prayer: Dear Jesus, Thank you for coming to be the light of the world. Help me to share that light with others, spreading your message of repentance and forgiveness to the people you have placed in my life. Amen.   Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20260119ECME.mp3 Listen to Devotion Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:12-14 Buried with Christ The butterfly has served as a Christian symbol for many years. Why? Because the caterpillar goes into the cocoon and seems dead to the world. But later, something seemingly new appears—a butterfly that has a new way of living. Whereas the caterpillar crawls, the butterfly flies. Christians have seen this as a metaphor for what happens to us because of Christ’s death and resurrection, and this transformation happens in baptism. When Jesus died on the cross and was buried for three days, he took all the sins of all people with him. In other words, our sins were “buried with Christ.” Then, when Jesus was raised from the dead, he left our sins in the grave and gave us the victory that he had earned. Christ has “canceled the charge” that Satan might bring against us. Jesus has credited us with his perfection. So, if Jesus has forgiven us, what charge can Satan bring against us? Baptism is what connects you to the power of Christ’s death and resurrection. You went into baptism as a dead sinner, but you came out of baptism as something new. Not a butterfly, but a forgiven, living child of God. And now that you have been raised to life, what kind of life are you going to live? Do you want to crawl back to sinful habits and desires? Of course not! We want to live the new life that God has given us. We study his word to soar above temptation and sin. We surround ourselves with those that share our faith. We serve others with the energy, zeal, and compassion that our Savior has given to us. We can live that new life because we know that not even death and the devil have power over us. We have already been raised to life through baptism. So, even if our bodies are buried in the ground, just as butterflies come out of the cocoon and Jesus came out of the grave, we, too, will be raised glorious and live with Christ. Prayer: Jesus, all our ransom paid, All your Father’s will obeyed, By your suff’rings perfect made; Hear us, holy Jesus! Jesus, all your labor vast, All your woe and conflict past, Yielding up your soul at last: Hear us, holy Jesus! Christian Worship 435:6,7   Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20260112ECME.mp3 Listen to Devotion As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment, heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 Ready to Work Have you noticed that the dove appears frequently in the Bible? The dove is a symbol of peace and purity. After the rains stopped, Noah sent a dove out of the ark, and that dove came back with another sign of peace, the olive branch. Doves were also used in the Old Testament when God’s people made sacrifices. So, we see the dove pictured in our church banners, Christian art, and at baptisms. When God the Holy Spirit descended to Jesus as a dove after his baptism, we are reminded of peace and innocence. Jesus did not sin. He did not ever do anything wrong and therefore did not need forgiveness. So, it seems strange that Jesus would need to be baptized. We need to be baptized because we’re born sinners. We cannot possibly live without sinful thoughts. We cannot possibly go a single day without doing something that hurts others. But Jesus was perfect! He never sinned! And yet, this was how God wanted Jesus to begin his public ministry. Jesus took our sins upon himself. He became a sinner for us. In part, Jesus’ baptism shows us that he was the one who came to do the job of taking our sins away. This would not be an easy mission. So, at Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit gave Jesus gifts to fulfill his work. And God the Father assured his Son that even though he would be judged for our sin, the Father was still pleased with his Son. Sound familiar? When we think of Jesus’ baptism, let us think of our own. Let us remember that we are God’s children, who are loved, saved, and wrapped in the Father’s arms. Because of Christ and our baptism, God the Father is well-pleased with us! Let us rejoice that the Holy Spirit equips us to carry out the work that God has laid before us. Just as he gave Jesus’ power at Jesus’ baptism, so God the Holy Spirit gives us special gifts, too, through our baptism! God knows all of our weaknesses and gives us the strength to carry out his work. Let us step into each day remembering that through Jesus’ innocence, we can live a new life until we enjoy the feast of heaven, praising the one who lived a pure life in our place. Prayer: Dear Jesus, When we remember your baptism, we remember that you are the only person that never sinned. Thank you for coming down to our sinful world and taking on our sins, so that we can experience the joy of heaven. Amen.   Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20260105ECME.mp3 Listen to Devotion After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 Where is the King? My dad and I used to go deer hunting in Mason County, Texas. We stayed on a ranch far away from any city. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to look at the stars, and I thought, “Aha! This is where they wrote the song that says, ‘The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas!” The stars were brilliant and countless as the sky stretched on for miles above the ranch. I wonder what the night sky looked like to the Magi (sometimes called “the wise men”) when they traveled to find Jesus. How long had they been studying the sky and stars? Were they waiting long for a special sign? We don’t know how God allowed the Magi to know that the star was the key to finding our Savior, but they knew that the star was special and that it would lead them to the Savior. So, they wanted to go and worship the King. What king do we worship? Do we worship our spouse and children and make family a higher priority than God? Do we worship ourselves and chase money or status in order to think that we are in control? When we act like we or our families are more important than Jesus, we are not worshiping the one who is really King. The Magi show us some godly ways to worship Jesus as the King. To show their love and respect, they brought exquisite gifts to Jesus, such as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We don’t bring Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but we can offer the best of ourselves to our Savior. We give our gift of time when we volunteer for efforts in our church and school that will help reach others with God’s Word. We give our talents when we share a hobby in a classroom or at an event, or a talent that can beautify our worship services. And we give our money to support ministry in our church, school, and world. The next time you look up at the stars, remember that special star long ago. Remember our King, and the promises he fulfilled. God saved us from our biggest problem of all when he sent that tiny baby in a manger. We thank God for this gift! Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for the beautiful stars that you made, including the special star that you made to show the Magi to the Savior. As we remember the birth of Jesus, we also remember our need for a Savior and how you provided for our greatest need by sending him to die in our place. Help us to worship our true King by living lives of service to him. Amen.   Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.