Meditation on the Evening of Roe being Overturned

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

On this, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, we gather in prayer and praise.

But, for nearly fifty years, you have probably wondered if this day would come.

For nearly fifty years, Roe v. Wade had been part of the fabric of American society.

For nearly fifty years, it appeared our prayers had not been heard, that our voices had grown silent.

However, for nearly fifty years, the Church has stood and gathered around the Word of God, praying with sadness for the life of mother and child.

But today is a different day. Today is a day of great joy!

It is a day of joy for families; for mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts, and uncles. For the children that smile and laugh, for a mother's embrace, and for love a father will cherish.

It's a day for us to thank God for the gift of life and His continued assurance that He hears our prayers even as we believe our lips had grown silent with the likes of Zechariah.

However, today our voices do break forth in joy with Zechariah, praising God for sending His Son Jesus Christ into this world to redeem us from the sin that binds us, the temptations of the evil one that lead us astray, and the death that was defeated by the cross.

And still, tomorrow will see new challenges and new periods of darkness.

My friends, while we give thanks for today’s ruling, nothing changes for the Church on earth.

Tomorrow, we still arise and pray for the mother, father, and child.

Tomorrow, we pray for God to guide our feet into the way of peace, the way that does not permit us to be entangled in the foolishness of this world, but rather the way that leads to His Son, Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow, we still confess the comfort of Christ Jesus and the knowledge of Salvation for the forgiveness of sin to a world dwelling in darkness.

And we ask God to grant us His Spirit that we may walk as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8) That we may be bearers of His name, continuing to care for the unborn, the child, the mother, and the father.

For many years, we have felt like ones in the wilderness with John the Baptist, marching every January, crying out, and confessing to what seemed to be no avail. But, today reminds us that God abides with His children and wishes to grant His comfort to those in distress.

As you go forth from here this night, go forth with peace and joy in your hearts. Go forth with praise and adoration. Go forth, praying and confessing the good news of Christ Jesus to all who continue to dwell in darkness. +INJ+

This photo was taken shortly after Roe VS Wade was overturned

Graduation Vespers 2022

***This sermon was given for the graduation of Immanuel Lutheran School 2022***

We've had many conversations regarding our feelings over the past couple of years, haven't we?

Life is full of emotions and feelings. Some of you probably experienced butterflies, some joy, and some laughs even as you prepared to process into the sanctuary this evening.

Tonight is a big night. It's a night you've been looking forward to, whether with excitement or dread, you've been looking forward to tonight.

When I was your age (And I still do this), I would listen to music that matched my "desired" emotional state. The Black Eye Peas had a song some of you might still know. It began like this:

I got a feeling

That tonight's gonna be a good night

That tonight's gonna be a good night

That tonight's gonna be a good, good night

Well, tonight is going to be a good night.

But, tomorrow will also have a mix of emotions, too – joy along with a bit of sadness. At least I know I’ll be sad tomorrow. Sad to see so many of you attend your last day of school at Immanuel.

These days mark the end of a chapter in your life and begin focusing on the next chapter, high school. And guess what, some of the feelings you experience today, you’ll have again around the end of August as you prepare to begin the new academic year at a new school with new friends, new teachers, and new uniforms.

You can’t escape this.

However, you can remember through all of this who gave you the ability to possess feelings and emotions in the first place. Do you remember what we learned in the First Article of the Creed?

“I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.”

Your Heavenly Father gave you the gift to experience sadness as much as joy. However, He did not say to be solely led by this joy and sorrow, but rather that He “Still takes care of them.”

C.S. Lewis wrote,

Don't bother too much about your feelings. When they are humble, loving, brave, give thanks for them; when they are conceited, selfish, cowardly, ask to have them altered. In neither case are they you, but only a thing that happens to you. What matters is your intentions and your behavior.

So, C.S. Lewis writes that your feelings and emotions are not who you are but something that happens to you. Or one may also say, something that becomes manifest through you.

The question then is this, “Who are you?”

Immanuel Lutheran Church and School taught you what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful. But, when you depart the doors of this school, most of all, you should be able to confess in this world and life who you are by saying, “I am a child of God.”

This is who you are, and because you are God’s child, you have access to your heavenly Father.

Our verse of the year is your verse:

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

         I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15)

What is trouble?

Trouble lies in the things of life that bind you up, distress you, or give you emotional trials – like being nervous about a new high school, becoming overwhelmed by your studies, or even feeling isolated from friends and family as you go through transitions. Or, for your parents, this idea of trouble may manifest itself as they watch you grow up tonight, asking the question, “have I done what I’ve been called to do for this sweet child God has placed into my care?”

Again, the answer to these questions resides in the verse of the year,

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

         I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15)

The Father says, “I will deliver you.”

Your deliverance from the things that bind you rest, not in how you feel, but in your heavenly Father, as you learned from the First Article of the Creed, “He richly and daily provides [you] with all that [you] need to support this body and life. He defends [you] against all danger and guards and protects [you] from all evil.”

And He does this “out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in [you].”

He does this by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die upon the cross for you, deliver you from your sin, death, and all the many ways the devil works to confuse and mislead you.

And this is really the point I want to get across to you tonight, your emotions and feelings are a gift from God. And while they help to process the many changes of life and even celebrate your many accomplishments, you must remember to always be faithfully led by the cross of Christ Jesus.

And should life’s journey overwhelm you, then pray the words of the hymn of the year:

To God the Holy Spirit let us pray

For the true faith needed on our way

That He may defend us when life is ending

And from exile home we are wending.

Lord, have mercy!

Keep these words close. Remember how prayer is the voice of faith, how this faith brings glory to God and how He will defend you, and ultimately, how He is the one who will bring you into His eternal and loving care. +INJ+

St. Mark’s Conference 2022 + Solemn Vespers

Text Isaiah 52:7-10

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Isaiah depicts Jerusalem as amiss, devasted, and full of waste places. The great city is war-torn and crumbling under continued enemy occupation. What hope does Israel possess as they peer out into the mountains that surround and look down upon them? They are a broken and hopeless people.

We are likewise a broken and hopeless people. We live in a world that is continually at war with itself.

If you’ve ever served in the military, you’ve walked the streets of devastation in foreign lands and places afar. You’ve seen the crumbling foundations of bombed-out infrastructure and the sad faces of defeated and oppressed people.

If you’ve lived in a major American city over the past decade (or owned a television or phone), you not only saw but still see the crumbling foundation of society due to riots, the burning of buildings, and neighbors turning against one another – often under the façade of freedom from oppression.

This life is a battleground, and it leaves all of us feeling oppressed and depressed as we too look about, wondering, is there any hope for peace and redemption?

Still, Isaiah says the watchmen stand guard over Jerusalem. What good are watchmen if the city has already been sieged? What good can they do if the very walls they are to stand upon have been knocked down?

Yet, the watchmen see their hope coming from afar, coming from the mountains - from among the rubble. They see a runner, and as He approaches, they hear his announcement of triumph. The lookouts now lift up their voices as they sing for joy - their King and champion has come, and He brings good news of peace, happiness, and salvation.

These tidings of great joy cannot be contained, but look and hear how even the ruins of Jerusalem break forth into singing, the rubble, and waste left from battle and heartache. But, these are no usual ruins. They belong to the Lord. They are His people, His creation. They are you.

You who feel oppressed by the world and rubble around you.

You who struggle to confess the sin that continually wraps you in bondage.

You who stare into the grave of death as one without hope.

But, your hope comes not from within yourself but through the mighty arm of the Lord.

Moses spoke to the people of Israel, “you shall not be afraid of [those who enslaved you], but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” (Deuteronomy 7:19)

The Psalmist writes, “Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98:1)

And the mother of our Lord said, “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” (Luke 1:51)

The arm of the Lord reveals His magnificent strength and power, as a gladiator shrugging off his cloak as He enters the Coliseum, readying Himself for battle. Those who wish to oppose Him should tremble with fear and anguish, with thoughts of Pharaoh and his Army being tossed into the sea forever etched within their minds.

Yet, the strength of the Lord’s holy arm is most clearly seen when it appears He is the weakest.

Isaiah writes,

“The LORD has made bare His holy arm

         In the eyes of all the nations;

         And all the ends of the earth shall see

         The salvation of our God.” (Isaiah 52:10)

Upon the cross with arms extended, the only Son of the Father, who entered the ruins of this life through the flesh of a child, hung for the salvation of the world. Given into death for all to see and believe.

But it’s hard to believe when you find yourself in the midst of dust and ashes, the depth of sin and death, the chaos of turmoil.

The Apostle Paul wrote while highlighting our reading today from Isaiah:

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

         “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

         Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15)

How beautiful are the feet of those watchmen among the waste places of Jerusalem? The preachers and pastors who "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:16)

For many of us gathered here today, this is what we are called to do as undershepherds, to be watchmen among the people of God, not only in their times of joy but especially when everything in life appears to be lost.

We are called to bring the good news of God’s peace, as Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) While you are not guaranteed or promised a life free from hostility, through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the sin that has separated you from your heavenly Father is forgiven.

And this message is the glad and good tidings of God. The devil and his tyranny no longer hold sway over you, God’s children. Evil must cede to the good and gracious will of the Father.

Because you, His child, have been delivered from sin and death. Through the salvation of God, you have been made free in Christ Jesus.

The world around you may be crumbling, society may be cracking at its foundation, but you have been given a much greater freedom and gift. You have been given a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

So, join with the watchmen as they lift up their voices. Sing with all of Jerusalem, for Christ comes to you and grants you comfort and peace in His Word. +INJ+

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Associate Pastor, Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church

Alexandria, VA

Prayer Vigil for the Protection of Human Life

November 29, 2021

Text: Isaiah 9:2-7

***The following meditation was given on the steps of the US SCOTUS in the days leading up to oral arguments of Dobbs VS Jackson Women’s Health Organization***

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

As we have entered the season of Advent, we have entered a time when the Church’s posture is naturally turned toward prayer.

Throughout the Advent season, the darkness of night constantly progresses and increases as we all await our Savior’s arrival – His return.

The world likewise resides in this darkness we now experience. It is the darkness of sin, rebellion, and unbelief.

And yet, Isaiah wrote,        

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined.

We who walk in darkness desire to see this light and have it shine upon us.

For this reason, we gather in prayer for the light to be upon us and those residing in the darkness of life with us.

You see, the darkness affects us all and is uniquely crafted for each of us - our unique struggles, temptations, and needs. The darkness is our restlessness, our rebellion toward God, our need for control, and our sin.

But, the light is outside of us. We cannot bring ourselves out of the darkness, but rather, we must be led by the light into day.

And so, we must look to whom Isaiah foretells as he writes,

For unto us a Child is born,

            Unto us a Son is given;

         And the government will be upon His shoulder.

         And His name will be called

         Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

         Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

What has been placed upon the shoulders of this child and only begotten Son of the Father is the cross and the sin of the world. In turn, what He now gives to us is His peace – His forgiveness.

As Jesus spoke, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

But ultimately, fear is what led us to this night some forty-seven years ago, on January 22, 1973.

That fear continues today in the minds and hearts of each person struggling with the life residing within their womb.

But, we come tonight to these steps of the Supreme Court of the United States of America in peace, and we come with prayer.

Truthfully, it would be easier to have stayed home this evening, but we cannot do that. We know from the Scriptures that we are responsible for praying for our leaders and everyone in need. The apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

For this reason and in this night of darkness, we gather to pray for those continuing to struggle with their past abortion, for those who continue contemplating the termination of an ongoing pregnancy, and for those who serve in the legislature, the courts, or any other leadership position throughout our land.

We pray for God’s Word to be a lamp to their feet and a light to their path. (Psalm 119:105)

We entrust these prayers to God our Father, trusting the Holy Spirit to work and transform the hearts of man through the Word and Gospel of Christ Jesus. A Word that announces and gives the forgiveness and life we all so desperately need. A word that leads us to the everlasting light of the Prince of Peace.

So, now let us keep our Advent, permit our prayers to ascend as incense, always trusting in the good and gracious will of our Heavenly Father. +INJ+

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Associate Pastor, Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church

Alexandria, VA

Oh, the Places You'll Go: My Promotion Speech for Sergeant Major

This speech was given on the day of my promotion to Sergeant Major - June 19, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the promotion ceremony was conducted via Zoom.

Before I begin, I want to thank CH Solhjem for hosting today’s ceremony and SGM Martinez for providing remarks. I am grateful for their leadership and allowing this ceremony to have the semblance of normalcy in very unnormal times, especially for my family who are watching via Zoom.

Just think of all the places you will go the recruiter says to the new recruit as they are on the verge of enlisting in the United States Army. No, I don't believe recruiters are issued a copy of Dr. Seuss' book, "Oh, the Places You'll Go." Still, in many ways, the recruiting pitch may have some similarities. You'll face danger, travel through wide-open spaces, enter the waiting place (which there are many), and hey kid - you will face problems. Am I doing a good job of recruiting future soldiers yet?

My parents knew all of the risks when they signed and gave me permission to enlist at the age of 17, we are a military family. One grandfather served in the Navy, and another was in the Army infantry during WWII. My father was in the Air Force during Vietnam, and my brother served in the Army National Guard in the 1990s. Still, knowing the danger, my parents granted me permission to enlist during my senior year of high school to become a soldier.

Little did any of us know that danger was creeping at the door, and the horrific events of 9/11 would be close at hand. As a 20-year-old specialist, I got the call to go. From the college life to the mountains of Bagram, Afghanistan, the transformation was quick and traumatizing. Honestly, I could have used a little Dr. Seuss back then to give me some false motivation and confidence as I traveled to places I did not want to go.

Instead, Mr. Charles Hire (former NCOIC of the 10th Mountain Division) and the now SGM Eugene Loveless is what I received. These two men inspired me for the first time in my Army life; they were leaders to me. Mr. Hire and SGM Loveless planted seeds in now fading memories of conversations we had almost 20 years ago, that would change my career's direction. To both of you, thank you.

Those seeds planted by Mr. Hire and SGM loveless have not grown on their own. Many leaders have come along throughout my career and nurtured me through the investment of their time, their energy, and frustration, mentoring me and encouraging me to this day. Thank you, SGM Patrick Savage, the retired Master Sergeants Leamon Duncan, and Gerald Holliday. I would be remiss if I did not thank the chaplains that have given me their complete trust and confidence to demonstrate my potential for increased responsibility. Thank you, CH Brian Harki, CH Charles Causey, CH Jonathan Shaw, CH Jeffrey Watters, and CH Mark Nuckols.

Yet, throughout this career, as you meet many people from all over this land and of every walk of life, some things do not change. My family has remained strong throughout my many mobilizations and deployments in the United States Army Reserve. My family has been there for every goodbye and every welcome home. They continue to encourage and support me as I serve today. Whether it was cards, letters, pictures, or emails, you have been behind me one hundred percent of the way. I am grateful for all of you – mom, dad, Luther, Eve, Jay, Luke, and Emma.

One of the places I was fortunate to mobilize throughout my career was the Office of the Chief of Chaplains. I am a repeat offender, I left the first time none the wiser. But, it is here that I met my wife, Becky, in 2009. Since then, we have survived six to eight moves between the Army, seminary, and the parish. Becky is our family's pillar, she keeps our home and family going. She is super mom to Lydia, Samson, Jonah - and the new baby is the luckiest little boy or girl in the world to have her as a mother. Becky is my greatest cheerleader, the best listener, and my most faithful friend. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving and forgiving me unconditionally.

As so many of you know, as you become a parent, this profession becomes harder. Over the past two years, I have traveled more than any other time in my career. I met a lot of fantastic chaplains and religious affairs specialists serving this Army throughout the world. But, the loneliest place for me has been in the backseat of an UBER pulling away from my children as they wave goodbye from the front step of our home. They did not sign-up for this career, they were born into it. It’s now part of who they are. Thank you, Lydia, Samson, and Jonah, for always understanding when daddy has to leave and for always waiting for me when I come home. I love you!

These three kiddos don’t see daddy as the desk jockey he is today, they see him as a soldier, not any soldier either. They see their father as the one in pictures they peruse in my photo album from Afghanistan in 2002, holding an M16 next to Mr. Hire or SGM Loveless. If you haven’t figured out, Afghanistan is where a lot of change occurred in my life. Afghanistan is where wearing the uniform became a career.

Approaching this new chapter of my military career as a Sergeant Major, I do so with an appreciation for the past and an eye to the future. Research says at least one of my children will continue in the family business by donning a military uniform. As a parent, I want the best leaders for them. As leaders today, we have the responsibility to foster and create an environment that nurtures, cares, and grows future leaders as we have been cared for.

I referenced Dr. Seuss's book today, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” because it highlights a belief in oneself like the old Army slogan – “Army of One.” Dr. Seuss highlights a belief in the autonomy of man. However, in reality, my career has been nothing of the sort. My family and friends have always cared for and supported me. My brothers and sisters in arms have always stood next to me and led me. And my Lord has never departed from me, no matter how alone I have felt. Today is a testament that I have never been alone in my career. The places I go, we go, we go together, and I thank you all for being part of my career in the greatest Army in the world.

Pro Deo et Patria.

For God and Country.

Devotion at LoveX2 Conference

***The below was given as a devotion at a conference held at the Museum of the Bible in January 2020

Matthew 2:13-18

Prayer:

Let us pray: Almighty God, the martyred innocents of Bethlehem showed forth Your praise not by speaking but by dying. Put to death in us all that is in conflict with Your will that our lives may bear witness to the faith we profess with our lips, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

In my tradition, December 28th is observed as a feast day in the church year. The feast is that of the Holy Innocents. The feast of Holy Innocents is the third feast in the first three days of Christmas. The first is on December 26th, St. Stephen, who was martyred in both will and deed. On December 27th, St. John is observed, he is a martyr in will, but not in deed. Lastly, on December 28th, the Holy Innocents are martyred not in will, but in deed. It's not the beginning of the Christmas season you would expect, but it has a purpose in preparing the Church for the Christian life.

The feast of Holy Innocents is the day in the church year when the Church has appointed time to remember the slaughter of the innocent boys in Bethlehem. As we read a moment ago, King Herod was a jealous man, even killing his own family members if he thought they conspired against him. When Jesus was born, and word of a new King came by the magi, Herod could have nothing of the new king and sent his soldiers to murder all male children under the age of two. It was Herod's hope that by exterminating these children, he would rid the world of Jesus and further fortify his way of life, his reign as king. So, on December 28th, the Church marks time and remembers these innocent children who died not in will, but in deed.

The date of the first March for Life, January 22, 1974, was not chosen by us. It was given by the Supreme Court ruling. In many ways, I agree with a former professor of mine and believe it would be helpful for the feast of Holy Innocents and the March for Life to be on the same day. But there is a purpose for each observance on their particular day in time.

The three feasts that range from December 26th through December 28th remind the Christian that this life is brief, but more importantly, Jesus has come. In Jesus, we are always being prepared through His Word for the trials and tribulations of this life. We are always looking forward to the day when we will be brought into His eternal presence. For now, this life becomes a life of suffering, bearing one another burdens, and carrying undesirable crosses. The innocent boys who died at the hand of Herod could not defend themselves, but they received the weight of martyrdom, the crosses they carried brought them death. In this way, as we remember the prayer we prayed a moment ago, the holy innocents offered their praise "not by speaking, but by dying." And for our ears and our hearts, this is absolutely not fair and absolutely cruel.

The feast of Holy Innocents continues to be painful still today, children that never saw or experienced life as you or I have. They would not run around and chase one another or learn to use their voices to speak or sing for joy. Instead, these children were ruthlessly put to death for the purposes of power and lordship. What we see in Herod is a conflict that continues today in all mankind. The conflict resides in the heart. It is the conflict of the will of man, good and evil, saint and sinner.

The March for Life is painful, first because we still must march. But it is also painful because we continue to see the old battle and conflict of the will of man raging against the will of God. It is the conflict that first began in the Garden of Eden as the serpent led Adam and Eve into temptation. In the Garden, our first parents placed their will above God's and were led into the belief that they too could be like God. This conflict and desire for power to be like God continues beyond the Garden and beyond the rule of Herod. This past year, news reports from Indiana and Illinois reported another Gosnell discovery of thousands of human remains from abortions in years gone by, children that will never be identified but known only to God. Dr. Ulrich Klopfer was the one at the center of this tragedy. But, for those children that died at the hands of Dr. Klopfer, a conflict already resided in the hearts of the mothers and fathers to be. These mothers and fathers brought what they saw as the troubles of their life, the crosses placed upon them, and their conflict to the hands of Dr. Klopfer. This is a struggle for me to understand. But it also causes me to examine the conflicts within my own life and whether I turn for power and control over them or whether I pray that God would put to death all in my life that is against His will.

The Feast of Holy Innocents gives us hope because of Jesus. He is the Savior promised to Mary, the One who would be born of a virgin and save his people from their sins. Jesus is the One who would take on the flesh of the innocent children that would never speak, yet praise their God by their deaths. Jesus is the Savior whose death would put an end to death and give life and forgiveness to those trapped in the conflict of sin, joy to the downtrodden, and hope to those who are hopeless in this life.

For Jesus, death will come. But His death will be upon the cross, it is not in the manger or the tender years of His youth. We know little of Joseph from the Gospels, but in the Scripture read today, Joseph is the Lord's earthly protector. The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph and warns him to protect the child and flee to Egypt. Joseph is not the Savior, he not a king, and for the great work God gives to him, the protection of your Lord, His name is, for the most part, silent within Scripture.

The world we live in lacks silence. Noise surrounds us, it consumes us. The sounds of the innocents will never break into this world. Yet, by the leaping of John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth proclaims to me that the unborn still hear the great promises of Jesus. While they will not praise the Christ child by words, they will praise Him by their deaths. However, the weeping and lamentation of mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers will continue in the silent corners of this world, lamentation and weeping that joins the voice of Rachel at the end of our reading, "Because they are no more."

Today, Joseph provides an image to the Christian Church on earth as the Church is called to protect those who are unable to give voice to their needs. The Church is called to care for those suffering from the earthly wants and demands of this world. It's the supplication of the Church that "our lives may bear witness to the faith we profess with our lips." Pray that our life and our faith confess Jesus Christ, "Who is the resurrection and the life." (John 11:25)

As we discuss issues and ideas today, as we ready ourselves to march again this year, let our voices be united in confessing Jesus Christ to those who suffer from conflict within their lives. Let us confess with our lips Christ and His forgiveness to the mothers that will never hold or hush their sweet children to sleep. Let us confess Jesus Christ to the fathers that will never walk with their children and instill the Christian faith upon their hearts. Let us confess Christ to the grandparent that never had the opportunity to share stories of their parents and pass down their heritage. Let us confess Christ to the Herods of this world, those who seek fleeting power and purpose.

The day of Holy Innocents and the March for Life are regrettably, and sadly yearly dates etched onto our calendars. These dates are days of remembrance, but also opportunities for us to confess Jesus Christ to those in conflict and darkness. So, let it be our prayer that God would "put to death in us all that is in conflict with His will that we may bear witness to the faith we profess with our lips." Faith that in Jesus, there is forgiveness. Faith that in Jesus, there is hope. Faith in Jesus for He is our Savior and our Life. +INJ+

Let us Pray: Heavenly father, creator of all that is good. Put to death in us all that is in conflict with your will, enliven us with the Gospel of your Son, Jesus Christ, so that we are prepared in both will and deed to live as your true children on earth. We ask this through your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God. Amen.