Watch the Devotion

Semper Fidelis, De Oppresso Liber, Pro Deo et Patria, Semper Paratus

Mottos matter. In the military, mottos—often in Latin—name a unit’s values and mission and give the reason for its existence: Semper Fidelis, De Oppresso Liber, Pro Deo et Patria, Semper Paratus. “This we’ll defend” or “So that others may live.”

The Lutheran church has mottos too, and we usually mention them on this day—October 31—the day we celebrate the Reformation. Sola gratia, sola fide, sola Scriptura, sola Christus, soli Deo gloria. These are not performance slogans. They are not to-do lists. They name who we are by God’s action: a people chosen by grace alone, kept by faith alone, grounded in Scripture alone, which witnesses to Christ alone, and living for the glory of God alone.

These confessional Lutheran mottos focus on your identity. When you serve in a specific branch or squadron, that motto under which you march often becomes part of your vocabulary. When it becomes a natural, almost automatic, part of your speech, you begin to live under that banner. When you transfer to another squadron or after you separate from active-duty service, that motto changes or even fades.

Your identity in Christ never changes. It never fades. And like a military motto, this Lutheran motto reminds you that you belong to something bigger: the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the church eternal—and she shall never perish.

So, the next time you hear a branch or battalion motto, pause. Give thanks for the formed purpose and existence of that branch or battalion. Then remember the larger motto into which you are baptized: You belong to Christ, by his grace alone, through faith alone, in Scripture alone, which points to Christ alone for your salvation, all to the glory of God alone.

That identity does not cancel your duty to service; it simply reorders it. You serve as one who is served—saved by grace, kept by faith, forgiven, and freed to love.

Prayer:

Almighty God and Father, we give you thanks for those who serve and for the mottos that bind units together in purpose. Remind us daily, by your Word and sacraments, that we are claimed by sola gratia and held by sola fide, that Christ alone is our boast. Strengthen and guard those in harm’s way, comfort the weary, and keep us united in the holy Christian church. To you, who rescued us and reigns forever, be all praise and glory. Amen.

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.