Pastor Zeckzer shares about fatherly love, his children share the same
In this issue of The Broadcaster magazine, the Rev. Scott Zeckzer, a pastor on our weekly worship program, “Worship Anew,” shares about fatherly love, and his four children share their own views on that love. Please read those accounts on the following pages.
By Rev. Scott Zeckzer
Worship Anew Pastor and Senior Pastor at
Emanuel Lutheran Church in New Haven, Ind.
A bedtime routine. This is the first thing that comes to mind as I consider the years I have been given to serve as a father to my children. We would say the prayers, sing the hymns, and then conclude with “I love you. Mommy loves you.” (Insert other grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that love the child …) “And Jesus loves you most of all!” Then I would place the sign of the cross on their foreheads before they went to sleep.
I knew, without a doubt, that my parents loved me. They took my sister and me to church every Sunday. They sacrificed financially to send us to Lutheran schools. They attended every sport, band, scouting, and choir event in which we were involved. They took us camping, fishing, and hunting. Looking back on all those things, I now realize that I did not always start on those teams. The bands and choirs did not always sound the greatest. I got tired and grumpy on camping trips. However, my parents’ presence said more about their love for me than anything else.
When the Lord blessed my wife and me with children, we wanted them to know that we loved them. More importantly, we wanted them to know without a doubt that Jesus loves them. They were baptized, where the sign of the cross was first placed on their foreheads, marking them as one redeemed by Christ, the crucified. We were blessed to have them attend Lutheran schools. We were also blessed with a wonderful congregation. Our children were involved in music, sports, and drama. We attended basketball, baseball, football, soccer, volleyball, and bowling games; operettas, concerts, musicals, band competitions, and one-act plays. I even coached baseball and basketball teams. I went on choir tours with my children when they were in high school. As a family, we traveled in our “Big White Party Bus” (our full-size van) all over our nation.
We had stickers from every place we visited, and every sticker had a story. One time our van got stuck in a bunch of sand on a beautiful Nebraska beach, and we had to push the van. Another time we went to Boston. (My advice to you is not to travel to Boston in a full-size van. The traffic is terrible, and we were too tall for most parking garages!) One year we went out to Colorado, and we went white water rafting. It was great until I fell out of the raft. I lived, and we laughed about it.
We did our best to be present with our children. More important than our presence, though, is the presence of Jesus. One of the prayers I continue to say for our children is that they know Jesus loves them and is with them.
I am thankful that all our children confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I know that is not always true for everyone, and I pray for you and your children that they would know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
We were preparing ourselves to raise our children in the faith, even before they were born, to know and believe that Jesus is preparing them for their heavenly home. We taught them God’s grace and mercy and how we live in the forgiveness of sins. We also taught them how God wants us to live and treat others. God uses us to show His love to others.
Our prayer for them continues to be that they see their worth, their identity, not as a result of something they’ve done, but as a baptized child of God. I pray that they always remember the sign of the cross on their forehead from our bedtime routine, marking them as one redeemed by Christ, the crucified.
My wife and I have been blessed by our children.
Jesus said, “I go and prepare a place for you … and will take you to myself.” In the end what matters most is that we are together forever with Jesus.
Remember, I love you, but Jesus loves you most of all.
By Bethany Zeckzer
Lutheran school teacher in Lincoln, Neb.
My dad’s love language is acts of service, and one of the clearest ways he showed that was by chaperoning our high school choir tours every year — from my first year of high school through my youngest brother’s last. Over the course of 10 combined years, he helped take groups of 75-plus students to places like Boston, St. Louis, and New York City.
At the time, it felt normal that he would be there. I didn’t think much about what it cost him to give up long weekends or entire weeks to travel with a bus full of high school students — students who, as any choir director knows, are always just moments away from breaking into song. Now, as a high school choir director myself, I understand that commitment in a completely different way. I see how much work goes into those trips and how valuable it is to have someone who is steady, dependable, and willing to step in wherever needed.
He was that person. Someone my choir director relied on, someone my friends were glad to have around, and someone I could always count on. He didn’t draw attention to himself, but he made things run more smoothly simply by being present and paying attention to what needed to be done.
Looking back, I realize those trips weren’t just about supporting the choir. They were about supporting me, in the way he knows best — by showing up, helping out, and making himself useful. He showed up, year after year, and made himself part of something that mattered to me.
Some of my most meaningful memories of him, though, are quieter ones from home. Growing up, we had a routine of prayers and hymns before bedtime, often ending with the final stanza of “Abide with Me.” By the time I was a senior, that hymn had become part of me.
On our senior choir tour, we closed one of our concerts with an arrangement of “Abide with Me.”
During one performance, my dad stood in the back of the church and conducted the piece. I don’t think I sang much of that final stanza — I was definitely crying — but it remains one of the most meaningful moments from high school choir that I can remember. To share that text in that setting, with someone who had been singing it to me since before I could sing myself, is something I will never forget.
“Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.” (LSB #878)
By Caleb Zeckzer
Seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary,
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Each year growing up, Dad loved to take us camping when we’d have free time in the summer. At each new place we’d go, it was such a cool thing to scout out our campsite for where we should set up our tent, watch him build the tent with all of its stakes, ropes, poles, tarps, and sleeping cots, build a fire for our pudgie-pie dinners and s’mores, and simply just watch him do one of the things that he loves: being outside in God’s creation with his family.
Once we were old enough to do all of those things ourselves, he was always so excited to watch us do all of the hard work while he sat in his camp chair and took it easy!
Dad, in doing and teaching us all of these outdoors activities (making sure that his family was fed, dry, and safe), showed us kids just how important it was to take care of others when you’re able.
His servant heart is evident in everything he does, but it was on display all those summers when our family would go camping. Many of those skills that we learned are practical, real-world skills that have already had many applications in our lives.
He taught us to cook, to tend a fire, and to provide for others — often before providing for yourself.
We all are thankful for his servant heart, for his love of the outdoors, and best of all for his love for his family.
Just as John writes in his first letter says that we should show our love for one another not just in our words but also in our deeds (1 John 3:18), Dad truly has shown us love by all that he has done for us.
By Nathan Zeckzer
Lives and works in Northwest Indiana with wife, Callie
For as long as I can remember, my father was a coach or helped coach the sports that my siblings
and I played. He would help coach baseball through grade school, basketball, flag football, and even helped coach the robotics team for our school.
One of my favorite memories of my dad as a coach is from when I played flag football. This specific team had guys with all skill levels.
To make the positions and plays easier to learn, he would call the positions ketchup, mustard, relish, and other condiments (rather than quarterback, running back, or wide receiver). For the plays, he would call them cheeseburger, hot dog, and other foods just to help us all remember them.
My father’s coaching days were over when we grew up and went into high school. Even though he wasn’t coaching, he was always in the stands cheering us on with whatever we did.
King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 22:6a, “Train up a child in the way he should go.” What better way to do this than being very present in the lives of your children? My father wasn’t only present as a coach but as a teacher of life skills. He would teach us about sticking to a schedule, how to exercise, but most of all, how to have fun in what you do. Whenever possible, he would lead the teams in prayer before and after the games to give thanks to God for the opportunity to display His gifts and to keep us safe.
Dad, thank you. Thank you for being my coach and for sharing sports with your children. Thank you for being present in our lives and for showing us what a good father is. Finally, thank you for having a very clear and simple display of the love that the Father has for us.
By Micah Zeckzer
Second-year student at Concordia University-Nebraska
Growing up, one of the most consistent and comforting parts of my life was Dad in the kitchen.
No matter how busy his schedule was, he always made sure our family was provided for — not only spiritually and emotionally, but physically, too.
As a pastor, Dad often has busy days full of studying, helping others, and taking on responsibilities that don’t end when the usual workday does. Yet, somehow, Dad always made time to step into the kitchen and cook for us.
It wasn’t just about the food itself — though his meals were and still are something to look forward to — it was what the meals represented. They showed dedication, sacrifice, and love. After his long days serving others, he was always eager to come home and serve us as his family. Whether it was a simple meal that didn’t take long to make or something more special, Dad always made it with care.
Looking at it now, I see how much care and love Dad has for us. He could’ve easily come home tired and asked someone else to make dinner, but that’s not who he is. He understands that providing for his family is one of his fatherly roles. Cooking became one of many, yet simple, ways to show us what it meant to serve others selflessly.
The moments around the dinner table are some of the ones I remember most (even the one when I was forced to eat broccoli!). Sitting together, sharing a meal he prepared, and talking about our days created a sense of stability and love that shaped our home.
Even when some of us kids were busy at dinner time and couldn’t eat until later, Dad always made sure there was something ready for us when we got home. His consistency taught me that even small, everyday actions can have a lasting impact.
Dad isn’t just a good cook — he is someone who gives his time and energy to the people he loves, even when it isn’t easy. Through something as simple as cooking, he shows us what it means to care, to provide, and to put others before ourselves.
As 1 Peter 4:10 states, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
Photo Provided: The Rev. Scott Zeckzer, a pastor on “Worship Anew” shares what fatherly loves means to his family. He shares photos of his family, including children, Bethany, Caleb, Nathan, and Micah.