“As The Deer” – From the Pastors October 2023
Late in November in Pennsylvania, hunters will take to the woods. You may hear the sound of guns and know that the season has arrived. Blaze orange will be seen, and ordinary hunters will drive their trophy an extra lap around the block due to excitement. When looking at old family photos, my father could entertain an audience with a detailed story of which way the deer turned before he successfully harvested it, yet if you would ask him what his wedding anniversary was, he might ask his wife. Deer hunting brings family and friends together as old tales are relived and new ones are made.
God’s Word speaks about hunting. Deer are mentioned in the Bible. The eating of meat was permitted by God after the Flood (Genesis 9:3). Hunting was a gift of God, but not to be taken lightly. My father taught me to eat what I shoot, and not just to shoot for the sake of killing an animal. We show admiration for a world that God made very good. He gives animals to us for our food and life, but this gift is to be used respectfully.
In Genesis 10:9 the first hunter is mentioned. The Bible says that Nimrod was a mighty hunter. In Genesis 29 we hear about a man named Isaac who was a lover of wild game. He wanted his son Esau to make him one last tasty meal of venison before he died. Many of us have known hunting legends, and have hunting recipes that are known and loved.
All of us have our stories about the “buck that got away.” A man named David wrote many of the psalms and seems to have known how difficult it can be to tag a deer. He used his experience as a reminder of the many perils that God brought him through. In Psalm 18:33 he wrote, “God makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.” We face the enemies of our sinful nature, the world, and the devil that we are convinced will put an end to our faith, but like the deer, we miraculously escape. Because of Jesus’ death for us on the cross, God comes to rescue us and give us eternal life.
Some of our hunting buddies might not be able to get to the deer blind or go on hunting drives with the rest of the group this year. They wish that they had the energy of some of the “younger bucks” in the hunting party. God promises in the Bible that in the day of the resurrection, life will be renewed even as Jesus raised up the sick, the paralyzed, and the dead. Isaiah 35:6 speaks of the day when, “The lame will leap like the deer.” As the white-tailed deer bounds with grace through the forest, remember God’s promise that while your old bones may not work as well as they used to, in the day of the new creation God, through the power of Jesus, will restore creation. It’s something to look forward to, that you will leap like the deer!
At one time or another we may have watched a deer drink water from a stream. My first deer blind was in an oak tree overlooking an old cow well. As seen by the animal tracks, the deer came regularly to the well to quench their thirst. Psalm 42:1 says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.” As the deer needs water to drink, our souls need to be filled with God. In His Holy Church God’s gifts of Holy Communion and Holy Baptism refresh and enliven dry and weary souls. My wife Erin grew up in Hubertus, Wisconsin. The village is named after a man who was born around 600 A.D. Hubert’s wife sadly died in childbirth, and he grieved by retreating to the woods only spending his time hunting. On Good Friday when everyone else was in church, Hubert was in the woods chasing a mighty stag. When the animal turned toward him, Hubert saw an image of Jesus on the cross between the magnificent antlers of the animal. It is reported that he even heard a voice that said, “Hubert, unless you turn to the Lord and lead a holy life, you will quickly go down into hell!” While the story may be unfamiliar to you, the image is not, as many have seen that buck and cross on the front of a Jägermeister bottle (the name means “professional hunter” in German) and wondered why it was there. But what do a cross and a deer have to do with each other? Hubert needed to learn to put hunting in its proper place. The pursuit of animals is one thing, but the pursuit of Jesus and His cross is even more important. If hunting takes the place of the blood poured forth in the cup of Holy Communion, then we have the wrong priorities. “I worship God in my deer blind,” is an excuse I have heard here or there. While in hunting we get exercise and revel in God’s creation, we cannot receive there what we receive in church, the forgiveness of sins in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the life-giving hope of eternal life that He gives. In some ways it is in church where we learn to appreciate life in the woods even more and put it in its proper place. God teaches us to see deer, deer hunting, and His animals, truly for what they are, gifts from a gracious God to an undeserving and often unthankful people, alongside His greatest gift in Jesus, God’s gift for us in His own Son. A blessed deer gun opener to you all! We may just see you in the woods.
In Christ,
Pastor Seifferlein
