WELS Family Devotion

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/family-devotions/20251201fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Isaiah 2:1-5 “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.” Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:3,5 The Light of CHRISTmas In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Are you excited to celebrate Christmas? Why? Maybe you love opening presents, giving gifts, or spending time with family. But before Christmas even gets here, do you like decorating your house or your bedroom with lights, trees, or ornaments? Now imagine someone really important is coming to your house for Christmas—like Grandma or Grandpa. Would you want your room to be clean? (Probably!) Would you want the house to look nice and decorated? Of course! For Christians, the time before Christmas is called Advent. Advent means “coming.” It's the season when we get our hearts ready to celebrate Jesus' birth. It also reminds us that Jesus is coming again someday as our King. Just like we get ready for Christmas by decorating our homes, we want to get ready to meet Jesus when he comes again. Some people feel afraid when they think about Jesus coming back—because they don't believe he's their Savior. But you don't have to be afraid! Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah told God's people to “walk in the light of the Lord.” That's how they could be ready to meet Jesus—and not be scared. And when you walk in Jesus' light, you don't have to be scared either. So, what does it mean to “walk in the light”? It means believing in Jesus, trusting his Word, and letting his truth guide us. The Bible says sin is like darkness—it messes things up, hurts relationships, and makes life harder. Think about it: Has sin ever brought darkness into your life? Have your words or actions ever hurt someone else? This week, when you see all the Christmas lights, remember that Jesus is the Light of the world. His Word shines into our hearts. As our King, he protects and takes care of us until we see him in heaven. As our Savior, he shines forgiveness into our lives, helping us love, forgive, and bring peace to others—just like Isaiah wrote about. Prayer: Thank you for being the Light of the world. Please forgive us when we sin and bring darkness into someone else's life. Shine your truth into our hearts so we can love and forgive others, just like you love us. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children Do you like decorating your house for Christmas? Why or why not? How can we be ready to meet Jesus someday? (Faith, trust, staying close to his Word, living as his children.) Questions for Elementary Age Children How did Jesus bring God's light into the world? (By teaching, healing, forgiving, dying for us, rising again.) How can you shine God's light to others? (Kindness, helping, forgiving, sharing Jesus, encouraging someone.) Questions for Middle School and Above How do you feel about meeting Jesus face to face someday? (Excited? Curious? Comforted?) What does it mean to “walk in the light,” and why is it important? (Following Jesus, trusting him, living in his forgiveness.) Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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/family-devotions/20251128fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jesus said] “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”Luke 12:35-40 Getting Ready for God In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. What do you have to do to get ready for school in the morning? When your alarm goes off, maybe you eat breakfast, get dressed, brush your teeth, pack your homework, and grab your lunch. There are usually quite a few things you need to do to be ready for a day at school! Just like we get ready for school, Jesus wants us to be ready for the day he returns. In our reading today, Jesus says, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.” But what does that even mean? Do we need special clothes? Do we need real lamps with fire in them? No! Jesus is using picture language to help us understand something important: He is coming back someday, and we don't know when—so we should be ready. Here's the problem: we can't get ready by ourselves because we mess up and sin. But God already knew that. That's why he “clothes” us in Jesus' perfection—Jesus covers us with his perfect life so we're ready to meet God. So instead of wearing special clothes for the Last Day, we can “wear” Jesus' goodness every day. When we show kindness, forgiveness, and love, people can actually see Jesus' love shining through us! And when we tell others the great things God has done, that's like keeping the light of our faith burning bright. We get ready for lots of important things—school, visitors coming over, church, birthdays. Let's also make sure we're ready for the most amazing thing of all—the day Jesus takes all believers to heaven. Prayer: Dear Lord, we want to be ready for the day when you come. Help us to remember that we can't get ready on our own. We need your help! Be with us as we prepare for the day that you will return. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children What is something you do to get ready for the day? (Wake up routine, morning habits, chores, etc.) What did God do for us to help us be ready for Jesus' return? (Hint: Jesus' perfect life, forgiveness, faith!) Questions for Elementary Age Children What is one thing you could do today to get ready for Jesus to come again? (Be kind, pray, help someone, say sorry, tell someone about Jesus.) Why might some people be scared about Jesus coming back? Do we need to be scared? (Hint: believers don't need to be afraid—Jesus loves us!) Questions for Middle School and Above Do you ever talk about heaven during your week? Why might it be good to start? (To remind ourselves of God's promises, to encourage others, to give hope.) Read Revelation 4:2-6. What words or pictures are used to describe heaven? (Examples: throne, rainbow, shining like jewels, peace, beauty, power.) Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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/family-devotions/20251126fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Revelation 22:6-13 The angel said to me . . . the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Revelation 22:6-13 (selected verses) Save the Best for . . . Now! In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Two kids are at home while their mom goes grocery shopping. She leaves them a list of chores—empty the dishwasher, clean their rooms, and feed the dog. They know she'll be home in an hour, but they wait until five minutes before she gets back to start everything. Then they have to race around like crazy to finish! In our Bible reading today, Jesus talks about the day he will return to take all believers home to heaven. But here's the difference: we don't know exactly when Jesus will come back. It could be in an hour . . . or a week . . . or twenty years! Jesus doesn't tell us the time. But he does tell us how to live while we wait. In the reading he says, “Let the one who does right keep doing right, and let the holy person keep being holy.” In other words, Jesus doesn't want us to suddenly start doing the right thing only when we think he's almost here—like waiting until the last minute to do chores. He wants us to live our faith every day—right now! Sometimes we think things like: “I'll be nicer to my brother when I'm older.” “I'll tell someone about Jesus when I'm better at it.” Our sinful nature tries to convince us that we can wait later to do what God wants. But let's think differently: Let's start doing the right thing now—and keep doing it all the way until the day we see Jesus in heaven. Because Jesus died for us and the Holy Spirit works in our hearts, we can live holy lives today. We can live with thankful hearts and show our love for God every day—not just at the last minute! We can love our neighbors, listen to parents and teachers, and share the good news about Jesus—right now! Prayer: Dear God, we do not know when you will return, but we know we want to live for you every day until then. Through your Holy Spirit, help us to show love to everyone around us. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children What chores do you have at home? Do you ever try to do them at the last minute? What is one way you can live for Jesus today? (Big or small—kindness counts!) Questions for Elementary Age Children If doing good things doesn't save us, why do we still want to do good things until Jesus returns? (Hint: thankfulness, love, and faith!) What is a reason someone might say they “can't” share God's Word right now? (Too nervous? Don't know what to say? Afraid of what friends think?) Questions for Middle School and Above The reading calls believers “holy,” but we know we're sinful. How can both be true? (Hint: Jesus makes us holy!) What makes it hard for you to “do what's right” sometimes? (Feelings, temptations, friends, habits—anything!) Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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/family-devotions/20251124fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:1-4 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received. How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Then the LORD replied: the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. Habakkuk 1:1-3; 2:1-4 (selected verses) Worth the Wait In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Christmas is such a fun time of year! Christmas Day is especially exciting—opening presents, celebrating Jesus' birth, and being together with family. For many kids, the day after Christmas starts the countdown: “Only 364 days until Christmas again!” A year feels like forever, but we wait because Christmas is just that awesome. In our Bible reading today, the Lord says, “Wait for it . . . it will certainly come and not delay.” But he's not talking about Christmas. He's talking about something even better! God is telling us to wait for Jesus' final coming—the day when Jesus comes back to take everyone who believes in him to heaven. That day will come. Jesus promises it “will not delay”—he won't forget! But when will it happen? When do we get to be in heaven with Jesus forever, with no sin, no sadness, no sickness? Living in our sinful world can be really hard sometimes. We get sick. We feel sad, mad, or lonely. We mess up and feel guilty. Friends can be unkind. Sometimes people even make fun of us because we believe in God. But what we're waiting for is totally worth it! Heaven will be better than anything we've ever waited for—better than birthdays, vacations, or even Christmas morning. Because Jesus died and rose for us, we know for sure we're going there. Every day—at school, at home, everywhere—we can remember God has something coming for us. And he keeps his promises. It will come. It will not delay. So whenever life feels tough or unfair, believers can take a deep breath and remember: Heaven is real. Jesus is coming back. And it will be worth the wait. Prayer: Heavenly Father, living in a sinful world can be hard for us. Whenever we feel sad or tired, remind us that what you have for us in heaven is worth the wait. Help us to live for you until you come. Do not delay! Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children What is something you want to ask God for help with this week? (Feelings, school, friendships, habits—anything!) What do you think will be the BEST part of being in heaven with God one day? (No wrong answers—imagination welcome!) Questions for Elementary Age Children What are some ways we can stay faithful and close to Jesus until the Last Day? (Examples: praying, reading the Bible, worship, kindness, saying sorry, trusting God.) We don't know exactly when Jesus is coming back. Why isn't that scary for us? (Hint: Because Jesus loves us, stays with us, and keeps his promises.) Questions for Middle School and Above Why do you think God doesn't tell us the exact day he will come again? (To help us trust him, stay ready, and live every day for him.) The Bible says Jesus' coming “will not delay,” but it has been almost 2,000 years! How can that still be true? (Because God's timing is perfect. He doesn't forget. And he always does what he says—right on time.) Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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/family-devotions/20251121fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Luke 21:5-19 [Jesus] replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,' and, ‘The time is near.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life. Luke 21:8-11,18-19 The Ultimate Promise Maker In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Many, many years ago, long before Jesus was born, God made a promise to his people: He would send a Savior to rescue the world from sin. He made many very specific promises about where Jesus would be born, who his mother would be, and what would happen when Jesus died. He even made a promise about Jesus' clothes. And every single one of those promises came true. God kept them all. Did you know that God's promises are still coming true today? In Luke chapter 21, Jesus told his disciples that there would be wars, earthquakes, sicknesses, and times when people run out of food. If you watch the news, you can see that these things are happening, just like Jesus said. Jesus also told his disciples that people would be mean and hurtful to people who believe in God. You might have seen that happen in your own life. As sad and scary as these things can be, they remind us that what Jesus promises will always happen. Jesus said that bad things would happen, and they do—they happen every day. But Jesus made an even more important promise: anyone who believes in him will go to heaven when they die. And if Jesus' promises about wars and earthquakes have come true, then his promises of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life will certainly come true too. Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid when these scary things happen. Instead, he told them to trust God and stand firm. When bad things happen during this life—like when others make fun of us for believing in Jesus or when someone we love gets sick—we can remember that we have a greater home waiting for us in heaven. In heaven, there will be nothing sad, scary, or sinful ever again. We will live with Jesus forever. You can stand firm on that fact, because you know that what Jesus promises has always come true, and that's not going to change. Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us not to be surprised by scary things that happen in our world. Give us confidence in the incredible promise: you have won for us eternity with you in heaven. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children What are some things that scare you? Do we have to be afraid when scary things happen? Why not? Questions for Elementary Age Children Why is it important that God has never broken a promise? How are the bad things we see happening in our world a good reminder? Questions for Middle School and Above What is your favorite promise from God? God promises to use believers as tools to share the news of salvation. How can you do that in your life? Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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/family-devotions/20251119fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 Don't Follow Your Heart! In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Have you ever heard someone say, “Just follow your heart”? It sounds nice, right? Like your heart always knows what's best. But guess what? The Bible says that's not such good advice! Sometimes the Bible tells us things that are hard to hear. We like it when everything feels happy—lots of smiles and no problems. But pretending that everything is fine when it isn't? That's not really loving. Real love tells the truth—even when it's hard. Our world loves to say things like, “You do you,” or “Everyone can find their own way to heaven.” But God says something very different. He tells us there's only one way to heaven—through Jesus! The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord.” Whoa—that sounds scary! But here's the thing: every single one of us deserves that because we all sin. Our hearts are selfish and want to do things our own way. That's why “following your heart” isn't safe—it can lead you in the wrong direction every time. But God loves us too much to leave us lost. So he sent Jesus to take our punishment for us. Because of what Jesus did—his perfect life, his death on the cross, and his resurrection—God forgives you and gives you faith to believe. The Bible also says in 2 Thessalonians 1:5, “You will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God.” That means you belong in God's family and will live with him forever—not because you followed your heart, but because you follow Jesus. And God doesn't just want you there. He wants everyone there! That's why he asks you to share his love and truth with others, even when it's hard. You don't have to “follow your heart”—you get to follow Jesus! Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you did the hard thing and died for me. Help me to love others the same way and tell them about you so they too can believe and be counted worthy in your kingdom. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children Who should you follow: your heart or Jesus? Why? What is the only way to heaven? (Hint: John 14:6—“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”) Questions for Elementary Age Children What can happen if you just follow your own heart? Why do you think some people get upset when they hear that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Questions for Middle School and Above What does it mean when God says you are “counted worthy” (2 Thessalonians 1:5)? What's one way you can live as someone who is “counted worthy”? Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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/family-devotions/20251117fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Malachi 4:1-6 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. Malachi 4:1-2 Heaven Is Better Than Ice Cream In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Tears ran down Jeremy's red, messy face as he slammed the back door and ran across the yard. There was a little hiding spot between the shed and the fence, and he squeezed inside, curling up tight and hugging his knees. Jeremy was scared. His dad had asked him to clean up the living room before Grandma and Grandpa came over, but Jeremy didn't want to. When his dad asked again, Jeremy exploded. He shouted that he was sick of doing chores and even called his dad mean names he knew he shouldn't have said. Now, sitting behind the shed, Jeremy felt awful. His stomach hurt—not from food, but from guilt. He knew he had done wrong. He knew he should have listened and obeyed. And he knew he deserved to be punished. While Jeremy was thinking about how long he'd probably be grounded—no video games, no dessert—he heard footsteps crunching on the grass. His dad peeked into the small space and sat down next to him. Jeremy turned his tear-streaked face toward his dad. “I'm sorry, Dad,” he whispered. He braced himself, waiting to hear the punishment. But instead, his dad wrapped him in a big, strong hug. “I forgive you,” his dad said softly. “I already cleaned the living room for you. Now come inside—your grandparents are here, and we have ice cream.” Wow. Jeremy deserved punishment, but he got love instead. That's just like what God does for us! We do bad things too—we disobey, we say mean words, and we don't always love others the way God wants us to. We deserve punishment for our sins—yes, even to be separated from God forever. Malachi described it as a day that sets us on fire. How awful! But, instead of punishing us, God forgives us. “The sun of righteousness will shine with healing in its rays.” Jesus took our punishment when he died on the cross. Because of him, God hugs us instead of punishing us. He gives us forgiveness, love, and forever life in heaven—which is way better than ice cream! Prayer: Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me so I don't have to fear punishment. Thank you for forgiving me and promising heaven—something better than anything I can imagine! Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children What do we get from God instead of punishment? (Hint: Romans 6:23) What are some of your favorite things—ice cream flavors, games, or places? Why is heaven even better than all of those? Questions for Elementary Age Children Have you ever committed a sin too big for God to forgive? (Hint: 1 John 1:9) How does knowing God forgives you make you feel? Questions for Middle School and Above If God forgives our sins and promises us heaven, why do we still sometimes get punished here on Earth? Since God forgives us, how does he want us to treat people who hurt or upset us? (Hint: Ephesians 4:32) Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. 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.

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