Posts by Rev. Paul C. Ziemer

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight (Acts 1:9). The One who holds the stars in space and watches over fish in the deep does nothing without a purpose. Sometimes, we wonder why he does some of the things in certain ways. Sometimes, we don’t even notice what he is doing. Questions come to our mind about the appearances of Jesus after Easter. We might wonder why…

“Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice, she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’” (Judges 5:28). “Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living” (Genesis 2:30). It was a special name for a special person. Without her, the human race would have consisted of a grand total of one. She was essential to God’s perfect plan of creation. God…

Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD (Isaiah 2:5). Too often, I find myself walking in yesterday’s shadow. “God is light,” we are told, “and in him, there is no darkness at all.” Why, then, do I so often find myself living in a shadow? I know what causes the shadow. The darkness comes when I step off from God’s path. Doubt, dread, and shame dim the brightness that comes from the Holy…

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? Luke 24:4-5 In the excitement of Easter, we must not forget about Mary, the one who was engaged to Joseph and became the mother of Jesus. Words from an angel startled her with…

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done (Psalm 118:17). For me, Easter is very personal. For me, it is a matter of life or death. I realize that millions of people celebrate that day, and, over time, there have been billions of them that did so. I admit that I do not personally know any of the people who have a role in the Easter story. Surely, none of the angels. But I…

The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived (Numbers 21:8,9). If you want to get people’s attention, throw a batch of poisonous snakes among them. It surely caught the attention of the Israelites. They…

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last. Luke 23:46 My mother taught me that prayer when I was small. I learned it by listening as she stood by my bed to tuck me in at night. At first, she asked me to repeat each line after her. Then, we began saying it together. It wasn’t long before I could say it all by…

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). The Roman troops deployed to Jerusalem in the province of Judea did not know that this day would be called Palm Sunday. They were, however, very aware that the festival of the Passover was approaching. They could expect big crowds to jam city streets.…

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). Some parents say the first word their sweet child offered to them was “No!” It might even have been a determined “No!” made with a vigorous shaking of the head. It mattered little if mom used soothing words to encourage…