Daily Devotions
“He is arisen! Glorious Word! Now reconciled is God, my Lord; The gates of heav’n are open. My Jesus did triumphant die, And Satan’s arrows broken lie, destroyed hell’s fiercest weapon. O hear what cheer! Christ victorious, rising glorious, life is giving. He was dead but now is living!”
When nations go to war, it can be difficult—often nearly impossible—to end the strife between them. The warring countries must come together in peace, as representatives of both sides argue terms to arrive at a cease fire. Each side must be willing to make sacrifices, perhaps giving up territory won in the war, releasing prisoners or taking steps to prevent future arms races. Ambassadors from both nations encourage their people to accept the terms and live in peace. Our hymn describes the peace that followed another war, a battle between death and life, the strife between creation and its Creator. As sinful human beings, we were part of that warring creation, and we wrongly believed ourselves to be on the winning side. In reality, we would have been lost forever, held captive in Satan’s “domain of darkness” (see Colossians 1:13), subject to death and eternal condemnation for our own sinful choices.
We are not condemned because the war was fought and won. But reconciliation was achieved in a very different and one-sided way. God alone set the terms, establishing peace through the sacrifice of His Son. Our hymn proclaims, “My Jesus did triumphant die!” Usually death means defeat, but not this time. The Victim who hung helpless on the cross won the victory by dying. The apostle Paul writes, “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19a). Our sins are forgiven because Jesus died for those sins. There were no terms that we had to meet to receive the forgiveness won by the Savior. Hell’s fiercest weapon, death, has no power over those who trust in Jesus to save them.
“O hear what cheer!” Echoing the joy of the saints and angels in heaven, we lift our voices in praise for the Savior who gave His life to save us. “He was dead but now is living!” We are not on the losing side! Jesus Christ the Victor has given His victory to us. God has reconciled us to Himself. The terms have been met. Peace has been achieved between the Creator and His creation. The whole world is reconciled to God. Now God calls us to be ambassadors for Christ, carrying this message of peace to the world. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we plead with others to make this reconciliation their own through faith in Jesus. Because of His death on the cross, their sins are forgiven and no longer held against them. The war is over. Peace has been won. This is our message: Trust in Jesus. Be reconciled to God!
WE PRAY: Lord, lead me to be an ambassador of peace, sharing with others the good news of Your victory. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “He is Arisen! Glorious Word,” which is number 488 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Are you now or have you ever been in the military? If so, thank you for your service!
2. How does Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection serve to reconcile us to God?
3. How can we be ambassadors for Christ in our everyday lives?