Heaven | Helping those in need | Luther’s perspective on soldiers

Thank God!Sometimes hard times help us appreciate

all the blessings we have. Page 10

November 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Thank God!Noah was grateful for so many blessings, so he gave thanks. We also give thanks for all God’s gifts.Stephen G. Helwig

Abiding truthHeaven is our home, and God promiseswe will rise glorious to live there forever.Mark E. Braun

Confessions of faithA couple travels down different paths to discover the truth.Julie K. Wietzke

Heart to heart: Parent conversationsWhat should we do when our children grow silent?

Salt of the earthThe poor and needy are oppor-tunities to help and be hospitable.John P. Huebner

God’s love: Our song foreverThe church is made up of people frommany different backgrounds. Our wor-ship should reflect our unity.Jonathan P. Bauer

Does hating the war meanhating the warrior?A Vietnam vet shares Luther’s perspec-tives on soldiers and the “sword.” Erhard P. Opsahl

Give thanks in all circumstancesIn the midst of strife and conflict, we need a spirit of thanksgiving. Jonathan P. Hackbarth

November 2017 3

FEATURES

PHOTO: JOHN MCCANN ON UNSPLASH

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WI 53188-1108 227

VOLUME 104, NUMBER 11

IN EVERY ISSUE

May the L OR D our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. —1 KINGS 8:57

FeedbackReaders share their opinions

DevotionGod’s best is yours

From the president’s deskThanks . . . for nothing

Light for our pathDifferent levels in heaven

Teen ministryCount your blessings

Bulletin boardAnnouncements from around the synod

NewsWhat’s happening in WELS

Editorial commentNeeded

Bible studyMonuments: Lasting memories

A thoughtYour will be done on earth as in heaven

Interactive Bible studyWhat it means to be truly Lutheran:Public ministers of the gospel

November 2017 5

EDITORIAL OFFICE

Forward in Christ magazineWELS Communication ServicesN16W23377 Stone Ridge DrWaukesha WI 53188-1108Phone: 414-256-3210E-mail: fic@wels.netwels.net/forwardinchrist

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Rev. John A. Braun braunj@nph.wels.net

MANAGING EDITOR

Julie K. Wietzkejulie.wietzke@wels.net

STAFF WRITER

Nicole R. Balzanicole.balza@wels.net

SEMINARY CONSULTANT

Prof. Bill Tackmier

ART DIRECTOR

Karen Knutson

DESIGNER

Carianne Ciriacks

COPYRIGHT

©2017 by Forward in Christ. Printed in the USA. Forward in Christ grantspermission for any original article (not a reprint) to be photocopied for use in a WELS church, school, or organization,provided that copies are distributedfree and indicate Forward in Christ asthe source. Artwork may not be repro-duced except in the context of its article. For other copyright questions,contact Kristine Laufer, 414-615-5706;lauferk@nph.wels.net.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwiseindicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE,NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copy-right ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved worldwide.

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WHAT’S INSIDELet’s face it—it’s easy to thank God when things are going smoothly. Got that job promo-tion? Thank God! Test results came back negative? Thank God! The table is overflowingwith food and surrounded by family? Thank God!But what about those times when things don’t go exactly the way we wanted? Then it’seasy to blame God—or at least question him.Several articles this month look at why we should thank God in all circumstances, evenwhen we don’t right away see much for which to be thankful. Check out “Thanks . . . fornothing” (p. 8), “Give thanks in all circumstances” (back page), and “Thank God!” (p. 10).Thanking God with our words is one thing. But we can also thank God—for currentblessings and for those to come—with our actions. In our “Salt of the earth” series, PastorJohn Huebner explores how we can practice hospitality and help those in need (p. 26).Our editorial comment examines how God has placed people among us who need us andour witness (p. 32). Plus, see a real-life example of helping others in need as volunteerssupport those who were affected by this summer’s hurricanes (p. 22).

Julie Wietzke

MORE AFRICAN FACESGreat Forward in Christ article on theConfessional Evangelical LutheranConference (CELC) convention inGermany [Sept.]. Thanks.I am a big fan of CELC. I attended inSweden, Japan, and New Ulm/Mankato,representing our two synods in Nige-ria. I also attended the first Africa Re-gional CELC conference in Zambia.My heart aches that so few Africansattend the international meets. Pastor Koelpin discusses strugglingLutheran churches in the article:“Sometimes they think they are allalone. . . . It is so essential for themto know that they are part of some-thing that is far bigger than theirrespective churches.” So true.Wishing for the next CELC groupphoto to show more African faces.

Doug WeiserStar, Idaho

CONFESSIONS OF FAITHI very much enjoy the many inspiringstories in Forward in Christ magazine.Particularly inspiring to me are thoseof prior unbelievers who have come tofaith. I see fewer stories demonstratingthat faith in action, uplifting and com-forting believers even in seeminglytragic situations.

Ted ReuschelLansing, Michigan

PRO-LIFEI’d like to say thank you for the clearstand taken in Pastor Samelson’s edi-torial comment “Not caring is not anoption” [Sept.]. So often our synod islumped in with other Lutheran churchbodies that back the pro-choice move-ment.

Anonymous

Send your letters to Feedback, Forward in Christ,N16W23377 Stone Ridge Dr, Waukesha WI 53188;fic@wels.net. Letters between 100 and 200 wordsare preferred. Include full name and address. Lettersare edited for clarity, conciseness, and relevance.Not all letters received can be acknowledged orused. Writers’ views are not necessarily those ofWELS or Forward in Christ.

CORRECTION:The Bible translation used in “Salt ofthe earth” [Sept.] was incorrectly iden-tified. It is the Evangelical HeritageVersion, not the English HeritageVersion. We apologize for the error.

FEEDBACK

6 November 2017

1. Romans 9:14-29 2. Ro. 9:30–10:21 3. Ro. 11:1-10 4. Ro. 11:11-24 5. Ro. 11:25-36 6. Ro. 12 7. Ro. 13 8. Ro. 14 9. Ro. 15:1-1310. Ro. 15:14-33

11. Ro. 16:1-1612. Ro. 16:17-2713. Exodus 21:1-3214. Ex. 21:33–23:1915. Ex. 23:20–24:1816. Ex. 2517. Ex. 26–2718. Ex. 2819. Ex. 2920. Ex. 30–31

21. Ex. 32 22. Ex. 3323. Ex. 3424. Ex. 35–36:725. Ex. 36:8–37:926. Ex. 37:10–38:3127. Ex. 39 –4028. 1 Corinthians 1:1-1729. 1 Cor. 1:18–2:1630. 1 Cor. 3–4

Read or listen online at wels.net/bible3.

2017

NOVEMBER2017

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KEEPCALM

AND

SHAREON

DEVOTION

“Have no concern for your goods, forthe best of all the land of Egypt is yours.” These were Pharaoh’s words to Joseph’sbrothers. After Joseph had revealedhis identity to his brothers, Pharaohinstructed them to return to Canaan to fetch the rest of the family before returning to settle in Egypt. This was a generous offer! With a famine over-shadowing the region, Pharaoh couldhave been reluctant to play host tomore hungry mouths. But he not onlyinvited Joseph’s extended family toEgypt, he also told Joseph’s brothersnot to bother bringing their posses-sions. Everything they needed wouldbe provided from the best of the land.

GOD’S RICHESIn the face of such an offer, it wouldhave been extraordinarily rude andfoolish of the brothers to dismissPharaoh’s generosity—to insist onhauling to Egypt everything stored intheir attics, garages, and junk drawers.

In essence, the brothers would havebeen saying, “We don’t believe you,Pharaoh. We don’t think you will reallygive us what we need to live. And wedon’t think that what you are offeringis better than what we already have.” Joseph’s brothers weren’t that rude orfoolish. But that’s often my shockingresponse to God’s gracious promises.Sometimes I hold on to my worldlyattitudes because I’m not entirely con-vinced that God will share his vastriches with me—even though he’s

promised to do just that. Think of howthe apostle Paul assured the PhilippianChristians: “My God will meet all yourneeds according to the riches of hisglory in Christ Jesus” (4:19, emphasisadded). I’ve been offered the best! Idon’t need to cling to my worldly con-cerns as if to a life preserver.

OUR CONCERNSWhat about you? What’s in your graspthat makes it difficult to see and appre-ciate God’s great blessings? Are youholding on to resentment? Let it go!God knows best how to handle the sit-uation. He calls you to exercise patientforgiveness and leave the judging upto him. Do you see how this makes yourich? It’s as if you have your own privateinvestigator looking into the matter sothat you don’t have to worry about it. Are you grasping for approval fromnonchristian friends? They aren’tgoing to speak up in your defense onjudgment day. They can’t bring a lovedone back to life. They can’t soothe yourguilty conscience or prepare you foreternity. But your glorious and graciousfriend Jesus can and will. And what things are so important thatthey divert your attention from God’s

riches? Are you stretching to the break-ing point to snag that luxury vehiclewith those awesome gadgets, or doyou treasure that stylish patio furnitureor some other thing? Their warrantieswon’t outlast judgement day. It’s tempting to expend oodles of energyand concern over worldly goods andconcerns, but they are only baubles anddistractions compared to the riches ofGod’s glory that are yours through faithin Christ. Such riches free us to livegenerous lives—to share our faith,our time, our abilities, and our in-come with an open hand.So fix your eyes on Jesus, the king ofthe universe, who says to you, “Haveno concern for your earthly goods, forthe best of heaven is yours . . . forever.”Oh, what a promise! I don’t need toweigh myself down with distractionsand “stuff.” The Lord gives me theworldly things I need, but they areunimportant. If I have Jesus, I haveeverything.

Contributing editor Daniel Habben ispastor at St. John’s, St. John’s, Antigua,West Indies.

God’s best is yours“Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.”Genesis 45:20 (English Standard Version) Daniel J. Habben

I don’t need to cling tomy worldly concerns

as if to a life preserver.

November 2017 7PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO�������������������

8 November 2017

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

Thanks . . . for nothing

ank you, Lord,that by giving menothing you areblessing me in

many ways.

It’s one of those expressions drippingwith sarcasm. You’ve been on hold for 30 minutes,trying to get an answer from yourcable provider for the reason yourcable signal keeps cutting out. Finally,a human voice on the other end of theline asks you the reason for your call.You explain, patiently at first, thatevery day for the past week, the pic-ture on your television has disinte-grated into an unwatchable blur ofpixelated colors for hours on end.And today, not only has the picturedeparted, but so has the sound. Theperson at the other end of the linechecks the signal to your house, andit checks out. He asks you to makesure that all your cables are still at-tached. You report that they are all inplace. He then gives you instructionsto reboot your system. You do that,and the problem remains. Finally, theperson says, “I’m sorry, there doesn’tseem to be anything I can do. If youstill have the problem tomorrow,please call back.”And you think, and maybe actuallysay, “Thanks . . . for nothing.”During this season of Thanksgiving,there is no shortage of things forwhich we can be truly thankful—blessings spiritual and material thatGod has showered on us. Sometimesthose blessings come as a responseto fervent and specific prayers. Moreoften, they come to us, as Luther wouldsay, “even without our asking.” God’sblessings are often evident because ofwhat he gives us. It’s easy and naturalfor God’s people to thank God for theblessings that he gives. But aren’t there also times when wecan say to God, with no sarcasm butwith complete sincerity, “Thanks,God, for nothing”?There are times when we pray earnestlythat God will do something or give ussomething, but in his love and wisdom,he answers our prayer with a fatherly

and loving no. We pray that God willimprove our family’s financial situa-tion, but it only gets worse. We praythat God will keep our loved ones safeon the highway, only to learn that therehas been a terrible accident. We praythat God will bless our nation with wiseand honest leaders, only to read thatanother politician has been found guiltyof bribery. When God’s answer to sin-cere and fervent prayers is no, mightwe be tempted to mutter under ourbreath, “Thanks, God, for nothing”?When God seems to be withholdingthe blessings or help we expect anddesire, we should indeed say, “Thanks,God, for nothing,” but not in a sarcas-tic and bitter way. We can and shouldsay those words with all sincerity andgratitude. “Lord, I asked you for some-thing, but you have lovingly answeredno and given me nothing of what Iasked. Thank you, Lord, for nothing.Thank you for knowing what is bestfor me and for giving me not what Iwant but what I need. Thank you,Lord, that by giving me nothing youare blessing me in many ways. Youare keeping something from me thatwould not be good for me, even thoughI have asked for it. You are teachingme to be patient, to trust in you at alltimes, to demonstrate my faith in youby being thankful—even when mysinful human eyes look for blessingsonly in prayers answered by your yesto my requests.”It’s the season of thanksgiving: a timeto thank God for everything . . . andfor nothing.

Light for our path

Your question provides the opportunityto marvel at the gracious love of GodChristians enjoy in equal measure and in unique ways.

SALVATION: EQUALLY ENJOYEDYou are correct in rejecting work-righ-teousness as a way to heaven. If we wereto attempt to save ourselves, we wouldhave to be perfect, keeping every part ofGod’s law every second of our lives. Wecannot do that. In addition, our attemptsat personal holiness come to a crashingstop when we realize that we begin lifewith a sinful nature. We cannot be per-fect on our own to enjoy salvation. Jesuswas perfect for us. His holy life and sub-stitutionary death are the reasons for oursalvation. Our works do not contributein any way to our salvation (Titus 3:5,6).The salvation we enjoy is God’s doing.More than that, the salvation you and Ienjoy is what all Christians possess. Thebook of Revelation illustrates that well.In one vision, the apostle John describesChristians who had been killed for theirfaith being given “a white robe” (6:11).The garment represents the robe of right-eousness Jesus won and which people“wear” through faith in him. Each of thosemartyrs received a white robe. Some didnot receive half a robe; others, two robes.All enjoyed salvation equally. Jesus’ para-ble of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew20:1-16) also teaches that God’s childrenequally enjoy his salvation.While all Christians enjoy the same giftof salvation, Scripture speaks of Godcustomizing his gracious blessings.That’s the main part of your question.

DEGREES OF GLORY: INDIVIDUALLY BLESSEDRather than speaking of levels of heaven(as the Mormons do), we understand

Bible passages like Daniel 12:3; Matthew25:23,28,29; Luke 19:17,19; 1 Corinthians3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 9:6; and Revelation14:13 to address the subject of “degrees ofglory.” That expression describes the indi-vidual blessings God will graciously be-stow on his followers in connection withtheir faithful earthly lives. We will have towait to see what that specifically means.What it means now is that we do notserve the Lord with the idea of gettingsomething from him in the future. Thatis the mercenary attitude of which youspoke in your question. Such an attitudecan easily plague Christians.I once had a number of conversationswith a person who was interested in join-ing the church I served. The person’s pro-fession of faith and our church’s statementof belief matched until she brought up“once saved, always saved.” In spite of myciting Bible passages that speak of peoplefalling from faith (for example, Matthew13:20,21; 1 Timothy 1:19), she regardedapostasy as an impossibility. Hypotheticallyconceding to her position, I asked whatreason she had to attend worship servicesin church. Her answer made everythingclear: “To get more jewels in my crown.”Now I got it. Her stated motive for doingGod’s will was to get something in return.That is an attitude we need to reject. Anyway that God chooses to bless our Spirit-driven lives of love (Philippians 2:13) isgrace. Pure grace.

Contributing editor James Pope, professor atMartin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota,is a member at St. John, New Ulm.

James Pope also answers questions online atwels.net/questions. Submit your questionsthere or to fic@wels.net.

QUESTION & ANSWER

Could you explain the different levels in heaven? I was toldthat people who do the greatest works on earth will get theupper levels in heaven. I have a hard time with this because itsounds like work-righteousness.James F. Pope

November 2017 9ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

“Thank God! ” Do you think Noah uttered thosewords when he finally walked off theark and stepped foot on dry ground? Put yourself in his shoes. Confined—locked—in the ark for over a year! Wetalk about being cooped up in ourheated homes for three months duringthe winter with refrigerators, stoves,TVs, beds, and showers. For Noah, alook outside was difficult—he had noglass windows. And inside the ark, itwas dark, damp, and musty. And whatdid Noah hear? The pelting of the rainon the roof, the pounding of the wavesagainst the walls, the thumping of thewater below. And don’t forget the an-imals! The smell, the noise, the work—feeding them, cleaning up after them,day after day.Could we live for an entire year con-fined to an area of 450 feet by 75 feet?And what about family? People onedge? People getting on each other’snerves? What about conversation? Afterday 225, honestly, what did they findto talk about? And what about food?What did they eat? The same food dayafter day? This was anything but aluxury cruise.

NOAH’S ALTARAfter a year of confinement—perhaps ayear of battling claustrophobia and evena bit of depression—Noah sent out theraven and he waited. Then he sent outthe dove and he waited. Then he sentout the dove again and he waited. Hewaited patiently for the Lord to openthe door of the ark. When God finallydid, do you think Noah let out a good,old-fashioned, “Thank God”?We know he did. But his, “Thank God!”was not a sarcastic exclamation or asigh of relief but, rather, it was saidin grateful devotion. He uttered thatthank you in stone, wood, and fire.Noah built an altar, took some ofthose clean animals that he had beenkeeping alive on the ark for the pastyear, and sacrificed them to God—a grateful expression of thanks.Why? Because, quite simply, God hadplaced him on that ark! And God hadpersonally seen to it that his ark had notbeen ripped apart by pounding waterand crashing waves. In short, Noahcould thank God that he was alive.But it was more than that—so muchmore than that! Noah built the ark be-

cause of his faith in God’s promises.God had brought him to faith in a com-ing Savior. God had blessed him witha righteousness that was not his own.God had forgiven him his sins. God hadsaved him from something far more de-structive and far more threatening thana worldwide flood—God had savedhim from eternal damnation in hell.

GOD’S ALTARLife may not always be what we wantit to be. We may not always get whatwe want. Confined inside a dark, smellyboat for a year? It’s hard to find theblessing in that unless we considerthe alternative. And yet, Noah and hisfamily had all they needed. As we lookback in our own lives, we know thatGod has given us more than we need.And, yes, sometimes it takes hard timesto help us see and appreciate thoseblessings. Sometimes it takes havingless than what we’re used to so thatwe can appreciate just how much wedo have. What do you have? God’s protection?You are in the palm of his hand! Hecommands his angels to guard you!God’s provision? You have clothing and

10 November 2017

November 2017 11PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO

shoes, food and drink, house and homefamily and friends. God’s grace? Youhave a living faith in a living Savior inwhom you are righteous and throughwhom you are forgiven—a living faiththat is fed by the living water that wellsup to eternal life. Noah was grateful for even more. Yes, he was grateful for what God had donefor him in the past but also because hetrusted what God would do for him inthe future. What would God do? Noahdidn’t have to be afraid to step out ofthat ark and wonder if a tidal wave wasgoing to smack him in the face andwash him away. Noah didn’t have to liveeach day in fear, wondering if he shouldget to work on another ark. Never againwould God destroy the earth with aworldwide flood. Every rainbow Noahsaw assured him of that. Noah trustedGod when he said, “As long as the earthendures, seedtime and harvest, cold andheat, summer and winter, day and nightwill never cease” (Genesis 8:22). Noahwas thankful for his future and the fu-ture of the world.But there’s still more! Noah trustedthat, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from child-

hood, God would still send the seed ofthe woman to crush the serpent’s head.In fact, for that very reason—becauseevery inclination of the human heartis evil from childhood—God wouldkeep this promise. That was the verypurpose of the ark! Yes, God had pro-tected Noah and his family, but Godhad also protected—and preserved—his promise to send the seed of thewoman in spite of human sin and de-pravity. The time would fully come.And then, on an altar not of stone buton the altar of the cross, Jesus wouldoffer himself—the Lamb without blem-ish or defect—as the perfect sacrificefor sin. Rushing flood waters couldnever wash sin off the face of the earth;Noah and his family still carried sinwithin. God knew that. But the rushof blood and water from the side ofhis Son could. The blood of a cruci-fied and risen Jesus purifies us fromall unrighteousness.

WHAT ALTAR WILL YOU BUILD?And so, we trust. We trust what Godwill do for us in the future—exactlywhat he said he would do. He will con-tinue to provide for us. “Seedtime andharvest, cold and heat, summer and

winter, day and night will never cease.”He will continue to take care of us—good care of us. But he will also, throughhis Word and sacraments, keep us inthe faith until he returns to take us hometo his Father’s house. In the meantime, dear Christian, whataltar can you build? Granted, our altarswill not be made out of stone with firefor the sacrifice of animals; our altarswill never be set on fire.But, in view of God’s mercy, as Paulencouraged the Romans, “Offer yourbodies as a living sacrifice, holy andpleasing to God—this is your true andproper worship” (12:1). Living sacri-fices. Our bodies, our lives—livingsacrifices, living altars—are dedicatedto a gracious God; they are altars builtknowing what he has done for us inthe past and trusting what he will dofor us in the future.

“Thank God! ”Stephen Helwig is pastor at Gethsemane,Omaha, Nebraska.

12 November 2017

Heaven is our home, and Godpromises we will rise glorious tolive there forever in perfect joy.Mark E. Braun

We are accustomed to seeing a jowly, rotund image of Martin Luther. But in his early life, he was oftenfrail and sickly.

EARTHLY SICKNESSA description of Luther in his mid-30s called him so“emaciated from care and study” that one “can almostcount his bones through his skin.” He recalled that asa monk he nearly killed himself “by fasting, abstinence,and austerity” (Luther’s Works [LW], Vol. 8, p. 173).He suffered at times from rheumatic fever, upper res-piratory infections, inflation of his nasal cavity that ledto a ruptured eardrum, an abscess in his leg, and vari-ous infectious diseases. As he grew older, Luther was afflicted with kidney stones,digestive problems, and gout. The care he received fromdoctors sounds as dreadful as the diseases it was intendedto cure. In one treatment, Luther complained that doc-tors gave him so much water to drink “as if I had been abig ox.” Doctors later prescribed a “tonic” of garlic andhorse manure boiled together. Luther rarely suffered insilence, and his laments were blunt and earthy. His final sickness was preceded by heart palpitations,shortness of breath, and pain down his left arm. He diedof a heart attack three months after his 62nd birthday. The root cause of all his illnesses, he knew, was notmedical but theological. Luther remarked on the per-fection Adam enjoyed before the fall:

For us today it is amazing that there could be aphysical life without death and without all the incidentals of death, such as diseases, smallpox,

[and] stinking accumulations of fluids in the body. . . .In the state of innocence no part of the body wasfilthy. (LW, Vol. 1, p. 110)

Our first parents “lived among the creatures of Godin peace, without fear of death, and without any fearof sickness” (LW, Vol. 1, p. 113). It was sin that caused“hideous lust, depravity, troubles, sicknesses, andother evils” (LW, Vol. 4, p. 5). From the story of Job“one can gather sure enough proof of what Satan isable to do and what he desires most.” Satan “sendsenemies” and “even infects the body and covers itwith boils” (LW, Vol. 3, p. 270).Luther frequently called his own body a “sack of maggots”and a “decomposed rascal” (LW, Vol. 28, pp. 112,110).

HEAVENLY JOYBut in a series of sermons on the great resurrectionchapter 1 Corinthians 15, which he began in 1532 andextended into 1533, Luther celebrated God’s cure forsin’s corruption. Human reason, he knew, can onlyconclude that “the world has stood so long, that oneperson after another, remains dead, decomposes, andcrumbles to dust in the grave” (LW, Vol. 28, p. 69).Yet our assurance of resurrection is grounded in theresurrection of Christ, “the chief article of the Chris-tian doctrine” (LW, Vol. 28, p. 94). In our resurrection, “everyone’s body will remain as itwas created.” Yet for the resurrected man or woman“it will no longer be necessary to eat, to drink, to di-

ABIDINGtruth

Our assurance of resurrection is grounded in the resurrection of Christ.

ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

gest, to sweep, to live with husband or with wife, tobeget children, to cultivate the fields, to rule home orcity” because “all that pertains to the essence of thesetemporal goods and is part of temporal life and workswill cease to be” (LW, Vol. 28, pp. 171,172). The formof our resurrected body “will be a wholly different,more beautiful, and perfect existence, devoid of allinfirmities and wants” (LW, Vol. 28, p. 172). Death it-self will be undone. Death will say to us, “Stop eating,drinking, [and] digesting . . . and lie down and de-compose so that you may acquire a new, more beau-tiful form, just as the grain does which sprouts anewfrom the soil” (LW, Vol. 28, p. 182).The resurrected body “will sally forth into heaven” to“play with sun and moon and all other creatures” andwill be “delighted by this.” It will be so satisfied andblessed that there will no longer be any thought of eat-ing and drinking. “We will be illumined by [God] andknow him, not only with regard to the soul, but ourwhole body will be pervaded. It will be as clear andlight as the air,” and “yet we will have a true body” (LW,Vol. 28, pp. 189,190). All this will be true because “Goddid not create man that he should sin and die, but thathe should live.” Since Christ has removed all the filthy,shameful effects of sin, “all will be pure, and nothingthat is evil or loathsome will be felt any longer on earth.”This can only happen when we “first shed this old, evilgarment through death” (LW, Vol. 28, p. 203).Later in 1533, in a sermon on John 14:6, Luther sum-marized our great hope:

I am baptized in Christ, and believe that he is mySavior and the Way on which I am to come toheaven. Hence, though I do not know the durationof my sojourn here or how soon I will divest myselfof this bag of worms, I do know that I will live withhim eternally. Even though this mortal body closesits eyes and all its senses, and though it does notknow what will become of it—this is immaterial. Itshould not know or perceive this, but permit itselfto be carried to the cemetery, to be interred in theground and reduced to dust until God raises it upagain. And yet, God be praised, as a Christian I doknow where I will go and abide; for I was assured of this in Baptism, and likewise in the Sacrament.(LW, Vol. 24, pp. 44,45)

Mark Braun, a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran College,Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a member at Grace, Waukesha,Wisconsin.

As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, thisis the 11th article in a 12-part series on our Lutheran heritage.

LUTHERBusy as Luther was, his eyes of faith werefocused on heaven. In a sermon on Titus2:13, he urged believers, “We shouldlearn to bring our eyes, our hearts, andsouls to bear upon yonder life in heavenand in a lively hope await it with joy. Forif we would be Christians, the ultimateobjects of our quest should not be marry-ing, giving in marriage, buying, selling,planting, building—activities that Christsays (Matt. 24:37f.; Luke 17:26ff.) thewicked will be engaged in especially be-fore the Last Day. To be sure, we, too,must use these things in order to satisfythe needs of the body. But our ultimatequest should be something better andhigher: the blessed inheritance in heaventhat does not pass away” (What LutherSays, Vol. 2, #1891).

Luther was no stranger to death. It hadinvaded his parsonage and carried offtwo daughters, one 8 months old andthe other 14 years. But the Reformerfound his comfort in what the Scripturessaid and what he therefore preached.Since Christ had paid fully for sin, deathcould no longer be punishment for thebeliever. Instead, it was the necessarystep from earth to heaven.

See how important is the message of thegospel that God restored to the churchthrough his servant Luther. Without theassurance that sin’s punishment has beenpaid, death would still be sin’s horriblewage. Hell would still be the sinner’spainful destination. For eternity, thesinner—both body and soul—would belocked behind hell’s dismal prison doors.

Luther lived with his eyes of faith focused on heaven. While he waited, though, he was busy preaching the victory won fully by the Savior.

Richard Lauersdorf is pastor at Good Shepherd, West Bend, Wisconsin.

still speaks

A couple travels downdifferent paths to dis-cover the truth.Julie K. Wietzke

David and Meredith Moseley camefrom different ends of the religiousspectrum—she from a strict RomanCatholic upbringing and he from thecharismatic Assemblies of God. Shegrew up with the rosary, praying tothe saints, and being “all about Mary.”His church emphasized the gifts of theSpirit, the laying on of hands, millen-nialism, and speaking in tongues.Both denominations lacked the dis-tinctly Lutheran message: Scripturealone, grace alone, faith alone, inChrist alone.“Although [our religious upbringings]might be different on the outside, inthe end it’s the same bag of tricks,”says Meredith. “It’s all in the end aworks-based religion.”David and Meredith traveled downdifferent paths to discover the truth:Salvation is God’s gift to us throughhis Son.Meredith’s journey to Lutheranismdidn’t start until she went to college.She grew up in a devout Catholic fam-ily, attended Catholic high school, andserved as a cantor for the weekly massat church. It wasn’t until she met a friend at UW–La Crosse that she stepped back to

look at what she really believed. “Myfriend was an evangelical, born-againbeliever type, and she was really out-spoken about her faith,” says Meredith.“It made me think about myself andwhere I was in my beliefs.”She says her friend encouraged her toread the Bible—something she hadn’tdone much in the past. So Meredithstarted casually reading the Bible, andthe Holy Spirit began his work. After finding a book about the virginMary at home and reading it, Meredithbegan questioning her upbringing evenmore. “The book was saying the secretto heaven is to become a slave of Mary,”she says. “I had the weirdest feeling thatthis isn’t right; this isn’t what the Bibleis telling me.” This was a turning point for her. “Irealized I always just accepted whatthe Catholic church said as true, butif they’re accepting these teachingsthat aren’t right, it had me question-ing everything they teach,” she says. She began visiting other churches andmore regularly attending an EvangelicalFree church, although she wasn’t al-ways comfortable with the more con-temporary worship. A WELS friendinvited her to his church, and she de-cided to take the Bible informationclass to learn more about Lutheran-ism. “It was a good representation ofwhat the Bible teaches,” she says. Beinga musician, she also appreciated thehistorical liturgy and reading the music

directly from the hymnal. She joinedImmanuel, La Crosse, Wis., in 2009.Now came the hard part—telling herparents. She wrote them a letter andgave it to them when she was homefor Christmas vacation. “I put all theScripture verses and reasons why Ichose not to be Catholic anymore,”she says. “I felt like [my parents] wereput off by the Scriptures; I guess theWord is offensive to people.”But for Meredith, the Word broughtthe true meaning of grace—not byworks, but through faith in her Saviorfrom sin.

David grew up in an Assembly ofGod church. The largest Pentecostaldenomination in the United States, theAssemblies of God emphasize speakingin tongues, the laying on of hands forhealing, millennialism, and the need toaccept Jesus as your Savior.Being moved by the Spirit was commonin worship services David attended inTomah, Wis., while growing up. He saysthat often someone spoke in tonguesduring worship and people were “slainby the Spirit,” in which they would fallto the ground after the laying on ofhands for healing. “The whole emphasison worship is to let the Spirit move sothe emotions of people were affected,”he says. David says he was zealous forthe faith as a teen, even being part ofthe worship team. But the congregation had internal prob-lems, and his father, a former Lutheran,

BACKGROUND PHOTO: DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB14 November 2017

began to question the charismatic giftsemphasized at the church. The Lord also placed other influencesin David’s religious life. His dad’s par-ents were WELS, and his grandmotherintroduced him to a WELS pastor’swife who gave him piano lessons. Thisgave David a chance to know someonewho was Lutheran besides his grand-parents. “She was very vocal about herfaith,” he says.David joined the army in 2006 andbefore leaving for basic training, hedecided he wanted to attend a serviceat St. Paul, Tomah, with his grandpar-ents. “I was getting curious,” he says.He attended a Christmas Eve candle-light service when he returned afterbasic training and Ash Wednesdaychurch when he was back on leave. Then, while serving at Fort Eustis in Vir-ginia, getting to an Assembly of Godchurch for worship was difficult, so hebegan attending the chapel at the fort. “Idiscovered you don’t have to be Assem-bly of God,” he says. “There were won-derful believers here at the chapel.” Healso began listening to a confessional on-line Lutheran Church–Missouri Synodradio program, which helped him under-stand how Lutherans viewed the sacra-ments. “It took care of a lot of issues forme because it pointed me back to Scrip-ture,” he says. He began reading andlearning more.When David returned to Tomah in2010 after completing his active duty,

he started visiting St. Paul more regu-larly. But he also still kept attendingthe Assembly of God church—partlybecause his parents were still mem-bers and he was living at home andpartly because “I was not ready to saythat it was heretical,” he says.In 2011 he met his wife, Meredith, whothen was a member at another WELSchurch in town. She and David beganattending St. Paul’s together and shedecided to become a member there.They got engaged, and David startedtaking Bible information class. The class further clarified his under-standing of the Lutheran faith, in-cluding the definitions of words likefaith and grace. “Most Americanevangelicals view faith as somethingwe drum up in our hearts instead ofbeing the gift of the Holy Spirit to us,”David says. “It’s about having to lookinside me and I can make the deci-sion—I can believe in Jesus—vs. it’sthe Holy Spirit through the Wordthat causes us to believe.”In June 2013, David was finally readyto make a complete break from thechurch of his childhood and join St.Paul. It wasn’t easy—David says hismom, though she accepted it, neverreally got over it.

David and Meredith continue tobe faithful members of St. Paul andparticipate in the music ministry ofthe congregation. David also servedas a delegate to this summer’s synod

convention. With raising one daughterand another child on the way, theysay that sometimes it is difficult notto have a close family heritage withthe confessional Lutheran churchand its teachings. But, according toMeredith, their broader understand-ing of what other denominationsteach helps them appreciate all themore the distinct Lutheran truths of Scripture alone, grace alone, faithalone, in Christ alone.

Says David, “We have our salvation—it’s all God’s gift to us. . . . Just go backto the Word of God—that’s all youneed.”

Julie Wietzke is managing editor of Forwardin Christ magazine.

David and Meredith Moseley

November 2017 15

Sometimes I think that half the battle of parentingis not to take anything too personally. When your teenageboy goes quiet, for instance, it’s usually not about you. 

It can be a hard adjustment, though, because wasn’t it justlast week when he was sitting in the kitchen, going on andon while you were browning the ground beef? I once listedeverything my 11-year-old son talked about in a 20-minutestream-of-consciousness deluge, at which my only require-ment was to nod and grunt. His oration included palindromes,peristalsis (which is why you can drink milk upside down),how his arms were getting stronger (so adorable), and themiddle name of Harry Truman. (It’s “S,” by the way. I knowthis because he told me.)But then the chatterbox morphs into the one grunt-ing, and you panic a little: Why doesn’t he talk to meanymore? Is he in trouble? Does he hate me? What I learned is this: • A bit of silence is normal. Teens are supposed to grow up

and separate from their parents. Part of that is talking toyou less. 

There are days when we alllong for some silence asparents—during those long,colicky twilight hours; the“why” stage of toddlerdom;the early grade schoolyears when we’re treatedto an unending litany ofmade-up knock-knock jokes;and the “you’re so uncool,why can’t I . . .” rants, stomp-ing, and door slamming ofpreteens and teens. Yet,there are also times whenwe get concerned once thatsilence materializes. Ourauthors this month give ussome options for how todeal with that kind of silence.So far, none of them are will-ing to offer ways to achievesilence during those otherstages. . . .

Nicole Balza

It seems that we live in fear of quietness. Notonly do we as a culture shy away from it, but we don’tparticularly like it when our children grow quiet.

I would encourage you to embrace the quietness. One of the benefits to homeschooling for six years wasthat I easily was able to incorporate quiet time with Godinto our day. Now that most of them are in brick-and-mortarschools, it is a little more difficult, but my children havelearned the benefits of taking quiet time.Jesus modeled quiet time on a regular basis. Whenever hisdisciples couldn’t find him, it was usually because Jesustook time out to be in solitude with his Father.What a gift to model to our own children. When we arefrustrated, scared, confused, or even full of joy, how often

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Join theconversation!

Visit wels.net/forwardinchrist and look for the Heart to heart link.

One of the greatest skills of parenting is com-municating with our children—truly hearing them, reflect-ing their words, giving them an understanding that theirthoughts and feelings are heard and acknowledged. Whata wonderful demonstration of love to be fully present withanother person in close communication. As children grow and develop and experience a multitudeof new things, there is a lot to process and understand.What if we get the sense that our child doesn’t want to talkabout it? Here are a few things to keep in mind:Parents of young children: Now is the time to setthe stage for a lifetime of proper communication.Get them used to talking about their day. Consider mak-ing it a bedtime ritual. Share one great part of your dayand one not-so-great part—both child and parent. Thenspend time in prayer, thanking God for the highs and ask-ing for his help regarding the lows.

• Asking a million questions does not work. Even though youjust want him to know you’re interested in his life, it can comeoff as prying and controlling. 

• It sometimes works to ask about a friend: “So why isn’t Ed goingout for choir this year?” That can lead to an actual conversation—about other friends, Ed’s pool party three weeks ago, andmaybe even the girl he’s had his eye on. (Mission accomplished.)

• Respect his privacy. Don’t share the news about that girl hehas his eye on with your book club. 

• Don’t make everything a teachable moment. If he tells you he’sgoing to skip college and take his garage band on the road, justsay, “Okay!” Chances are, he’ll figure out how dumb that is allon his own. But if you shut him down right away, the next timehe has a big dream or crazy idea, he won’t bring it to you.

• Have adult conversations about adult topics at the dinnertable—the latest political question, a home budget issue,something you saw at the store that made you uncomfort-able. Let everybody weigh in. Treat all responses, even theimmature ones, with equal respect. 

Now it’s possible that a teenager’s silence is a warningsign. If he’s hiding in his room all the time or is exceptionally

surly, he may be struggling with something bigger than he canhandle—a traumatic breakup, guilt over a sin, an Instagramsituation that exploded, some kind of violence, even depres-sion or substance abuse.In this case, although he’s silent, he’s actually crying out forhelp, and you need to be the parent. Search his room. Checkhis social media. Ask another adult he trusts—an uncle orteacher—if something’s going on that you should know about. If the situation warrants, talk to a counselor with him. But that’s the exception. Usually a little silence is just part ofyour teenager’s individuation—growing up and separating him-self from you. (This is the goal, remember? We don’t want to bedoing their laundry when they’re 23.) If you give him respect and love and space, he’ll knowhe can come talk to you whenever he wants to. You’llbe browning the ground beef some evening, and suddenlyhe’ll feel the need to tell you—everything. Whetherhe’s 11 or 17 or 30, just nod and let the boy talk.

Laurie Gauger-Hested and her husband, Michael, have a blended family that includes

her two 20-somethings and his teenage son.

do we find solitude to hang out with Jesus? When my childrenare angry or overwhelmed, they can learn to take the time tobreak away from the chaos (or even the perceived chaos) andlean on the true Comforter.What about when our children grow quiet to isolatethemselves in an unhealthy way? Tad and I work hard to create space. Safe space. Space to feel disappointed, hurt,overwhelmed. Let them share without judgment or the needto fix (this is a constant struggle for me). Listen. Really listen.Without reacting. Sometimes our kids just don’t want to talk to us. I truly believe that is okay. Tad and I have prayerfully asked for guid-ance to find Christian mentors for each of our children. Wefound people who foster relationships with our children so theycan go to them when they don’t feel like they are ready to talk

to us. We intentionally ask people who we know will providethe spiritual guidance that will bring our children closer to Jesus. One last thing I would like to add is to pray. Pray for yourchildren. Not only in the quiet of your bedroom at night, but alsoout loud in front of them. Maybe pray outside their closed door.Maybe pray in the car while they are strapped . . . I mean, buckled. . . in. Maybe even put your hands on them and literally pray overthem. Let them hear the words you share with your heavenlyFather on their behalf. Maybe pray in their room when they aren’tin there. Whatever it looks like in your home, keep praying.

Jenni Schubring and her husband, Tad, have five children ranging in age from 8 to 16.

ey are also licensed foster parents.

Another thing to keep in mind is our children’s tempera-ments. By nature, don’t some kids seem to think out loud andothers internalize? Some kids want/need to be verbal. Others,not so much. We parents have these same natural preferences.Here’s a recent example in my family. I picked up Kayla froman after-school practice and said, “Hi.” I got a hi back, and thenI settled into a comfortable silence. After a few seconds, Kaylasaid, “Ask me something about high school.” Boy, do I have it made in the communication parenting skill areawith her! Not only did my extroverted daughter tell me about herday, but she even interjected questions to herself for me! “Let’ssee, what else happened today?” Now my seventh-grade son, Josh, is a bit different. I pickedhim up and made the mistake of asking him a close-endedquestion: “How was your day, buddy?” He replied with,“Good.” Insert silence.I have come to understand that Josh prefers to process his

thoughts internally and needs to be drawn out with more ques-tions such as, “What was your favorite thing today?” “Howcome?” “What did everyone play at recess?” Reflecting some ofhis thoughts and feelings keeps the communication going. Butthere are times when an introvert simply needs to spend timein thought in order to process effectively. Silence is important. Is it a problem when our kids are silent? Maybe for some.If Kayla grew silent, I’d be quite concerned. I would check on herfor sure. Josh’s silence can be harder to decipher. Is it his naturaltendency or could he be troubled? Whichever the case, my wife,Kelly, and I make it our goal to watch for those opportunities tocheck in and give both kids the understanding that we are hereand willing to talk if or when they need to. It is our way ofdemonstrating our love for God in their lives.

Dan Nommensen and his wife, Kelly, have a teenage daughter and a preteen son.

Count your blessings. I was always told to count my blessingswhen I was having a hard time or feelingbad for myself or trying to fall asleep.When I think of counting my blessings,I think of my faith, my family, a Chris-tian home, nutrition, my health, andthose close to me. Those are all imme-diate things that pop into my mind. Iam always thankful for those things,but I just do not find myself thinkingabout them that often or thanking Godenough for them.

I strongly believe that God putspeople in your life to change theway you look at your own life.I have had several people in my lifewho have strengthened my faith inmany ways. But one person I met really changed theway that I look at my own life. She wassuper friendly the instant we met—very talkative and energized! She wasnot shy about talking to a girl that shehad just met. As we asked each othera few questions about ourselves, I soonfound out that she had it rough. Grow-ing up, she was constantly bullied atschool for being different. She even

told me some very scary stories aboutbeing bullied. It made me tear up. Icouldn’t even imagine the things thatshe went through.I looked again at all the blessings that Ihad and still have in my life. I grew upin Christian schools; she went to bigpublic schools, where she was made funof every day for just being herself. I havealways had a healthy life; she grew upwith unhealthy parents and family. Shealso had many difficulties with her ownhealth. Thinking about what she hadto go through made me really appreci-ate what I have. During our conversations, she men-tioned that she was a Christian. It reallyhit me when she said that. She had to gothrough health issues, family problems,death of a family member, and bullying;yet she had faith through it all. I knewthat even if I would never see her again,I would see her one day in heaven.

Count your blessings. Now I try tocount my blessings every day because I really appreciate what God has givenme. He continues to bless me every day.Even when I do not notice his blessings,he continues to provide.

God sometimes places people in yourlife to appreciate what you have. Hedefinitely showed me my blessings—very clearly. Recognize the blessings that have beengiven to you. Before you go to sleep atnight, count your blessings. When youget up in the morning, count your bless-ings. Count your blessings in the middleof the day! Thank God that you havefaith and pray that it grows every day.Thank God for the people in your life.Do not forget to pray for their faith too. “Praise the LORD, my soul, and forgetnot all his benefits—who forgives allyour sins and heals all your diseases,who redeems your life from the pit andcrowns you with love and compassion,who satisfies your desires with goodthings so that your youth is renewedlike the eagle’s. The LORD works right-eousness and justice for all the op-pressed” (Psalm 103:2-6).

Isabella Eckert, a senior at Luther Prep-aratory School, Watertown, Wisconsin,is a member at Christ Alone, iensville,Wisconsin. 

Count your blessingsRealize that what you have comes from God, and thank God every day for what you have. Isabella Eckert

18 November 2017

TEEN MINISTRY

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BULLETIN BOARD

CHANGES IN MINISTRY PastorsBittorf, Kenneth, to St. Peter, Rib Lake, Wis. Caauwe, Johann, to St. John’s, Wood Lake,Minn.

Cordes, Nathan, to St. John, Lake City, Minn.Dobberstein, Donn, to director of disciple-ship, WELS Center for Mission and Ministry,Waukesha, Wis.

Foley, Michael, to Star of Bethlehem, SantaMaria, Calif.

Freeman, Leonard, to retirementHeadrick, Ian, to Our Redeemer, York-town, Va.

Headrick, Noah, to Christ, Eagle River, Wis. Hildebrant, John, to Grace, Dalton, Wis. Humann, James, to retirementIbisch, Paul, to St. Peter’s, Larsen, Wis.Learman, Charles, to retirementLuetke, Joel, to retirementSchultz, Roger, to retirementSweet, David, to retirementWenzel, Glenn, to retirementWillitz, Luke, to Immanuel, Mosinee, Wis.Zell, Paul, to Living Savior, Asheville, N.C.TeachersBohlmann, Katherine, to Trusting HeartsPreschool & Kindergarten, Palos Heights, Ill.

Buege, Charles, to Risen Savior ChristianAcademy, Pooler, Ga.

Endorf, Amanda, to St. Paul, Tomah, Wis. Ewings, Maria, to St. Luke, Watertown, Wis. Folsom, Laura, to Pilgrim, Mesa, Ariz.Free, Cathryn, to St. Paul, Ixonia, Wis.Hagglund, Rebecca, to Christ, NorthSaint Paul, Minn.

Henning, Brenda, to Holy Trinity, DesMoines, Wash.

Johnson, Gregory, to St. Paul, HowardsGrove, Wis.

Kamps, Beth, to Trinity, Marinette, Wis.Karnopp, Sandy, to St. John, Goodhue,Minn.

Krueger, Terry, to Peace, Green Lake, Wis.Kuchenbecker, James, to Christ, EagleRiver, Wis.

Lambrecht, Ginny, to Christ, Eagle River,Wis.

Martin, Gregory, to Fox Valley LutheranHigh School, Appleton, Wis.

Moldenhauer, Jeanne, to retirement Phelps, Molly, to Star of Bethlehem, NewBerlin, Wis.

Phillips, Lisa, to St. Paul Lutheran ChildCenter, Winneconne, Wis.

Roloff, Jeffrey, to St. Jacobi, Greenfield, Wis. Tonn, Sarah, to St. John, Milwaukee, Wis.Staff ministerArnold, Mark, to Christian giving coun-selor, Ministry of Christian Giving

NOTICE FOR CONGREGATIONTREASURERS AND PASTORS We thank God for you and for your supportof the ministry WELS carries out on behalfof all congregations. We ask that you con-tinue to mail your Congregation MissionOffering (CMO) deposit and its processingcoupon to our bank lockbox, which pro-vides effective and efficient deposit process-ing for the synod. For your CMO paymentto be included in reported receipts for themonth, it must be received in the synod’sbank lockbox on or before the last businessday. An exception is made for Decemberofferings. Gifts received by the bank lock-box up to and including Jan. 8, 2018, will becredited as 2017 CMO, if accompanied by a2017 coupon. ank you for your assistanceANNIVERSARIES St. Louis, Mo.—Martin Luther (50). Nov. 4.Celebration carnival and lunch, 10 A.M.–4P.M. Nov. 5. 50-500 celebration service andmeal, 10 A.M.–1 P.M. Website, mluther.org.

Geneva, Neb.—Grace (90). Nov. 12.Worship, 10:30 A.M.; dinner to follow.402-759-3732; kruschels@gmail.com. COMING EVENTSReformation 500 celebrations—Manydistricts are holding area Reformation 500worship services. Check out dates, times,and locations at wels.net/reformation500.

Online conference—Oct. 23–Nov. 13.Gospel Outreach with Media online con-ference. Host: Christ in Media Institute,Bethany College. Website, gowm.org.

Celebration of Life—Nov. 4. Host: ChristianLife Resources. Kettle Moraine LutheranHigh School, Jackson, Wis. eme, “OurLegacy of Life.” Register at clrevents.com.

WELS National Choral Festival—Nov. 10–12.50th anniversary. Host: Luther High School,Onalaska, Wis. Pops concert, Nov. 10, 7 P.M.Sacred concert, Nov. 12, 2 P.M. La CrosseCenter Main Arena, 300 Harborview Plaza,La Crosse, Wis. Website, welsfinearts.org.

Women’s retreat—Nov. 11. David’s Star,Jackson, Wis. Website, davidsstar.org.

Concert—Nov. 26. 2 & 4:30 P.M. e Lu-theran Chorale of Milwaukee. AbidingWord, Milwaukee, Wis. eme, “Prelude toChristmas.” Mary Prange, 414-861-7092.

Live nativity—Dec. 1–2. 6–8 P.M. Christ,Eagle River, Wis. Presentations run every20 minutes. 715-479-8307.

Bethlehem Express—Dec. 2. St. Paul’s,Arlington, Minn. 11 A.M.–2:30 P.M. Web-site, stpaularlington.com.

Live nativity—Dec. 3. 4–7 P.M. MartinLuther, Oshkosh, Wis. Presented in “drive-through” fashion. Website, martinlutheroshkosh.com/events/live-nativity.

WELS ministerial education schoolChristmas concerts—• Dec. 2, 7:30 P.M.; Dec. 3, 4 P.M. Martin

Luther College, New Ulm, Minn. 507-354-8221.

• Dec. 10, 3 and 7 P.M. Wisconsin LutheranSeminary, Mequon, Wis. 262-242-8100.

• Dec. 17, 3 P.M.; Dec. 21, 10 A.M. LutherPreparatory School, Watertown, Wis.920-261-4352.

• Dec. 22, 7 P.M. Michigan Lutheran Sem-inary, Saginaw, Mich. 989-793-1041.

Mid-term graduation—Dec. 14. 10 A.M.Chapel of the Christ, Martin Luther Col-lege, New Ulm, Minn. 507-354-8221.

WELS Day at Ford Field—Dec. 16. 4:30 P.M.Ford Field, Detroit, Mich. Detroit Lions vs.Chicago Bears. Lucas Schroeder, 313-262-2164; lucas.schroeder@lions.nfl.net.Tickets, detroitlions.com/wels.NAMES WANTED Boston, Mass.—WELS members or peopleliving in the area. New outreach. DavidMeyer, revdmeyer@gmail.com; 508-761-5051.

Monroe, Wis.—WELS members or peo-ple living in the area. Nathan Strutz, pastorstrutz@rlcverona.com; 608-515-4334.

College students—Register college stu-dents with WELS Campus Ministry forfree helpful materials, including Forwardin Christ magazine and Meditations. Web-site, wels.net/campus-ministry.

Military/inmates/individuals with spe-cial needs—Special Ministries suppliesdevotions, resources, and other spiritualhelp and teaching tools to members of theArmed Forces, inmates, and individualswith special needs. Complete an online re-ferral form at wels.net/refer. Special Min-istries, 414-256-3241; csm@wels.net. WELS ARCHIVESe synod archives is looking for the follow-ing materials: church histories; bulletins(from anniversary, installations, dedications,and other special events); church consti-tutions, bylaws, and other charter docu-ments; Book of Sacred Acts; photographs,scrapbooks, and other visuals of your con-gregation’s history; and more. For more in-formation about materials to donate, call414-256-3203. Website, wels.net/archives.

To schedule a tour of the WELS archives andvisitors center, contact CMMtours@wels.net,414-256-3888. Tours are available Mondaythrough Friday during normal businesshours.

Find additional community events and resourcesat welsrc.net. To place an announcement, call414-256-3210; bulletinboard@wels.net. Dead-line is eight weeks before publication date.

November 2017 19

20 November 2017

NEWS

“Joyful. Amazing. A taste of heaven.” These are just someof the words used to describe the WELS National ChoralFestival, which celebrates its 50th anniversary Nov. 10-12,in La Crosse, Wisconsin—the place where it all began.

“Choral Fest allowed my choir family to grow along withmy faith. . . . We all stood together as one in faith and in song.”—Shelby Cary, student at Luther High School

Luther High School, Onalaska, Wis., has a tradition ofmusical excellence. Frank J. Italiano directed the popularLuther High School band for years. “Of the 60 kids in theschool, 59 were in band,” recalls Dave Adickes, who inher-ited the Luther choral program early in his ministry.

Italiano held the first Lutheran band festival at Luther in1960, and Adickes thought, We should do the same! Hedreamt big, calling it the National Lutheran Choral Festivaland inviting eight WELS prep and high schools to sing in thefirst festival in 1967. Nearly 100 students gathered to “cele-brate God’s gift of music” and get a “sneak peek of heaven,” aswell as gain exposure to a variety of directors and techniques,according to Adickes. (D)MLC’s head of choral music, Prof.Martin Albrecht, directed the mass choir, which fulfilled an-other objective—getting students to love DMLC. From thestart, Friday night’s concert was a secular concert performedby the individual choirs. Saturday was rehearsal, culminat-ing with Sunday’s mass sacred concert. The location changedas various WELS high schools hosted the event.

As time went on, regional and national festivals were held inalternate years, with up to 21 high schools participating.In 1982, the 25th anniversary of Choral Fest, Luther HighSchool again hosted the gathering. This was the first time aspecial piece was commissioned for the festival, a traditionthat has continued throughout the years. “It’s great to seehow [Choral Fest] has grown . . . and how much the qualityof the music has improved,” says Adickes.

Not only has musicianship grown, but the festival has also“helped unite the schools and bring the congregations to-gether,” says Adickes.

“My kids love Choral Fest. They make new friends, theyare exposed to the directing styles of different directors,and they always express the deep joy they experience fromsinging beautiful music to God’s glory with fellow Chris-tians. As a teacher and director, what more could I wantfor them?”—Ned Goede, teacher at Wisconsin LutheranHigh School, Milwaukee, Wis.

As Choral Fest celebrates its 50th anniversary, Luther HighSchool will again serve as host, this time under the directionof Dave Adickes’ son, Paul, a former Choral Fest attendee,director, and clinician.

This year’s festival will include music from the past fivedecades, an alumni choir, and commissioned works byWELS teachers Sarah Siegler and Dale Witte—includingthe final piece, an arrangement of “God’s Word Is OurGreat Heritage,” which also serves as this year’s theme. Theimage of the Mississippi River Bridge—an iconic feature inLa Crosse—adorns the poster, symbolizing how “ChoralFestival 2017 will bridge the music of the past, present, andfuture with the timeless heritage and hope that we have inthe living and enduring Word of God,” says Paul.

“Choral Fest honestly played a huge part in inspiringme to become a music teacher. I knew that someday Iwanted to be able to lead students to praise God andwitness together just like my grandfather and fatherhave.”—Jennifer Adickes, student at Martin Luther

College, New Ulm, Minn.

Paul continues, “Choral Festival has enduredfor so many reasons beyond its musical value.. . . The friendships created, the bonds of faiththat are reinforced, and the words of faith pro-claimed in song resonate in the hearts of ourstudents long after the concerts. Choral Fes-tival gives them an experience that is a lifelongblessing.”

Ann Ponath

Go to welsfinearts.org to view a livestream of the Choral Fest concerts. Visit wels.net/forwardinchrist for more interviews with past and presentChoral Festival directors and participants.

Choral Festival offers lifelong blessings

(Bottom) Nearly 100 students participated in the first WELS National Choral Festival atLuther High School, Onalaska, Wis., in 1967. (Top) About 500 singers were in the last national festival held at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School, Jackson, Wis., in 2015.

November 2017 21

NEWSNEWS

WELS Congregational Services hasput together a five-year plan to directits work. The plan addresses currentdemographic challenges facing manyWELS congregations. Plans include • creating a present-day mission

emphasis; • better capitalizing on WELS’

historic strengths;• focusing on closing the “back door”; • striving to strengthen the family;• helping aging, rural congregations

prayerfully work through their options; and

• assisting congregations with self-assessment and planning.

Each area of WELS CongregationalServices is working on different as-pects of the plan, but many times thegroups are working together to de-velop resources to face these chal-lenges. For example, the Commissionson Evangelism and Lutheran Schoolsteamed up to develop a tool that helpscongregations with outreach and al-lows them to capitalize on one of WELS’historic strengths—its schools.

WELS maintains one of the largestprivate schools systems in the UnitedStates. The greatest growth in WELS’school system over the past 20 years

has been in early childhood ministries.Many congregations have started earlychildhood ministries to reach into theircommunities to share the gospel withnonmember families and create a gate-way for new members to join the church.Research has shown, though, that whilethese ministries are doing a wonder-ful job sharing God’s Word with theiryoung students, most are not reach-ing their students’ families. To helpcongregations create a harvest strat-egy that might better share God’s Wordwith these families, the Commissionson Evangelism and Lutheran Schoolscreated Telling the Next Generation:Utilizing our Schools for Outreach.

Telling the Next Generation is a day-long workshop that helps congregationand school leaders focus on their jointmission, build relationships within thechurch and with school families, anddevelop an organized program to con-nect school families with the Word.Since the program began in April 2016,17 workshops have been held in 11 ofWELS’ 12 districts. Almost 800 hun-dred people from 109 congregationshave participated.

“The Telling the Next Generation work-shop has had an incredible impact on

the early childhood ministry of Apos-tles,” says Jay Bickelhaupt, pastor atApostles, Billings, Mont. “We walkedaway with a detailed ministry plan anda refreshed focus to boldly proclaimthe good news of Jesus to children andtheir families. Our meetings and futureplanning have become more stream-lined as we go forward with our agreedupon outreach and evangelism goals.”

Bickelhaupt also reports that within twoweeks of the workshop, God blessedApostles with two preschool families inthe congregation’s Bible basics class. Ashe notes, “Telling the Next Generationhas empowered our ministry team spir-itually with the gospel and has providedthe practical lessons we needed to posi-tion our early childhood ministry as anoutreach arm to our community.” 

WELS Congregational Services willcontinue to work on other aspects ofits five-year plan and release new toolsand resources as they are developed.

Learn more about Congregational Services at wels.net/congregational-services. Dis-cover more about the current demographicchallenges facing WELS in the Novemberedition of WELS Connection.

Working together to support congregations

“Encouraging and equipping congre-gations for faithful and fruitful gospelministry.”

That’s how Donn Dobberstein de-scribes his new position as the direc-tor of discipleship for WELS Congre-gational Services. In this new role,Dobberstein will serve the WELSCommissions on Adult Discipleshipand Youth and Family Ministry.

Dobberstein is not a stranger to Con-gregational Services, having served asthe chairman of the Commission onEvangelism for the past 10 years. He alsosays, “Twenty-two years in parish mis-sion settings have given me ministry ex-periences showing the importance ofand the connection between ‘making

disciples’ and ‘continuing to disciple.’Evangelism and nurture are not at oddswith each other but are complementary.”

Dobberstein and his wife, Beth, are mov-ing from their current home in Port

Orange, Fla., to the Milwaukee, Wis.,area as Donn begins his work at theWELS Center for Mission and Min-istry. They have four children, twoof whom still live at home.

Dobberstein feels a sense of urgencyfor this ministry. He notes, “After yearsof the position being ‘dormant,’ clarify-ing a sense of direction and vision willbe a priority. Evaluating and prioritiz-ing resources needed for WELS con-gregations will help us set goals for thenext five years. My intention is to lis-ten and learn, support and serve myfellow coworkers and God’s people. Ibelieve God has given us a unique mo-ment in his kingdom that can be seizedthat, God-willing, can lead to ministryactivity.”

Donn Dobberstein, the new WELS directorof discipleship, served as pastor at Our Sav-ior’s, Port Orange, Fla., for the past 17 years.

New director of discipleship joins Congregational Services

NEWS

FLORIDAFive men from Salem, Stillwater, Minn., brought a Chris-tian Aid and Relief trailer outfitted with tools and suppliesto West Melbourne, Fla., in late September, to help mem-bers of New Hope, West Melbourne, and Redeemer,Merritt Island, with cleanup following Hurricane Irma.

It was a homecoming for Jeff Ross, who was stationedin Florida for his military service. “I got laid off from myjob, which was not a bad thing, so, I had a little time onmy hands,” he says. “God just gave me this opportunityto come down here and help some Floridians out. I knowwhat it’s like to go through a hurricane. So it’s great to getback and help.”

The group took down trees and cleaned up debris at about25 homes—both of WELS members and also nonmembersin the community. New Hope Christian Academy schoolchildren helped with cleanup as well as distributed fliersthat shared information about the congregations.

“It’s a great opportunity to live our faith but also to shareour faith through our actions and through the conversa-tions we are able to have,” says Ted Petersen, a memberof New Hope who helped coordinate local relief efforts.

With many retirees in the congregations who find it diffi-cult to do the physical labor, Petersen says it was wonder-ful to have volunteers come and work on the church’sbehalf. “Hurricanes are brutal things. . . . Just to see peo-ple come down who say, ‘We’re going to help you out.We care about you and what you’ve been through andwe’re going to do what we can to get you back on yourfeet’—that means a lot to us,” he says.

It also is rewarding for the volunteers. Bob Wells, oneof the volunteers from Minnesota, says, “It’s been nice

Hurricanes offer opportunity to show Christian love

22 November 2017

WELS President Mark Schroeder (far right) traveled to Floridain September to support congregations and their members whowere affected by Hurricane Irma. He pitched in to help with clean-up at members’ and nonmembers’ homes in West Melbourneand Merritt Island. “It was heartwarming to meet the men whocame from Minnesota, took vacation time, and worked tirelesslyin the hot Florida sun—all because they wanted to show loveand concern for others in need,” says Schroeder. “And the grati-tude of those who were helped let them know that their effortswere appreciated.”

A group of WELS volunteers from Texas helped clean up the yardof 82-year-old Emmett Gloyna and his wife, Deborah, who rodeout Hurricane Harvey in their Victoria, Texas, home. While theirhome didn’t get flooded, the wind and possibly a tornado tookout seven trees in their yard. “We’ve only been members for afew months and for them to make a special effort was prettygreat,” says Emmett. “We really appreciate assistance like that—the thoughtfulness that went along with it and the love of themembers for one another.”

With three major hurricanes affecting the United States this summer, there were many opportunities for WELSmembers to show Christian love and service to the affected congregations and their communities. WELS ChristianAid and Relief has distributed more than $100,000 in relief aid so far to help those affected by Hurricanes Harvey,Irma, and Maria.

In addition, several groups already have traveled to the affected areas to show Christian love by helping with immediate cleanup.

NEWS

From police officers to those who areincarcerated, the Chaplain Certifica-tion Program is about helping peoplein special circumstances with specialministry needs. Training is open to allWELS members, both lay membersand called workers, with a heart formeeting the spiritual needs of peoplein circumstances that require partic-ular spiritual care. Specific areas ofministry include those in prison, hos-pitals, and nursing homes; the militaryand their families; and public servants,such as police officers and firemenand women.

The Commission on Special Min-istries established this program be-cause many healthcare facilities, jails,prisons, and military bases are tight-ening their requirements for ministryin their facilities, especially if the pas-tor or layperson wants to reach outto nonmembers.

Chaplain Certification Program coursescan be taken online through MartinLuther College, New Ulm, Minn. Thereare four required courses—Commu-nicating Forgiveness, A Scriptural Ap-proach to Addiction Counseling, YourChaplaincy and Ethical Issues, andChaplaincy Seminar—and four elec-tives with emphases on prison min-istry, ministry to the military, andministry to the aging.

DiAnn Krigbaum, a retired police offi-cer, was not only served by a chaplainduring her time on the police force,but she also got her certification toserve as a chaplain after she retired.She tells her story in the latest issuesof His Hands, the WELS Commissionon Special Ministries newsletter.

When her own family experienced a crisis and she didn’t know whom tocall, she found help through a chap-lain. She writes:

“As the situation escalated, the socialworker told me to call 911. I couldn’t.I froze. I was the police! I was supposedto help solve and fix problems. My

mind was racing. What would mycoworkers and supervisors think ofme? The enormous shame and painfrom loss and failure left me unableto move.

“The collateral damage severelywounded every member of my fam-ily. I nearly lost my job. Had Godabandoned us?

“But God did not forget about me andmy family. He appeared ‘undercover’in the form of a chaplain. My pastor atthe time was also a volunteer policechaplain. He came to my rescue by re-peatedly reminding me that God wasnot trying to harm me but to give mehope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

“By God’s grace, I survived in my ca-reer until age 50, when I retired witha police pension and sufficient meansto take care of my family as a singlemother.

“That’s when my pastor asked me totake chaplain courses with him throughMartin Luther College. He suggestedit would help my faith grow and allowothers to learn from my experiences.

“In an online forum with other pastorsand lay students, I was able to sharemy experiences as a police officer andspiritually wounded WELS member.This provided healing, learning, spir-itual growth, and friendships with manyChristian friends and called workers.In 2014 I received my Chaplain Cer-tificate from Martin Luther College.”

Learn more about becoming a chaplain atwels.net/chaplains. The next online class,“The Spiritual Side of PTSD,” taught byPaul Ziemer, WELS national civilian chap-lain to the military, will begin in January2018. A limited amount of financial aidis available from the Lutheran MilitarySupport Group for WELS military con-tact pastors to take chaplain certificationcourses. Read the rest of Krigbaum’s storyat wels.net/special-ministries.

November 2017 23

to go together and work as a group,to know that the congregation andthe synod are here to help. And [tosee] the people just crying tears ofjoy after we showed up and got thework done.”

TEXASAbout 50 WELS members from thegreater Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth,and Houston area traveled to Ednaand Victoria, Texas, in early Septem-ber to offer support and relief to thosecommunities that were affected byHurricane Harvey.

These volunteers partnered withmembers of Redeemer, a multi-siteministry with worship in both Ednaand Victoria, to address the criticalneeds of the congregation’s mem-bers, their friends and family, andalso the community. “We hit rough-ly 60 families, doing work anywherefrom tarping roofs to cutting downtrees to cleaning up yards,” says An-drew Schroer, pastor at Redeemer,Edna.

Aaron Glaeske, pastor at Redeemer,Victoria, had only arrived in Victoria a couple of months before the hurri-cane. He just recently started wor-ship services at the Victoria site andis preparing for a grand opening onDec. 3. “Our dear Lord gave us anopportunity with Harvey to intro-duce ourselves to the community ina different way,” he says. “Every op-portunity you have to reach into thecommunity to show that you’re inter-ested in them—not just to get peopleinto pews but because you’re reallyinterested in them as people—thatspeaks volumes about the kind oflove that Jesus has shown us.”

Christian Aid and Relief is still evaluatinglong-term recovery needs, especially inHouston, Texas, which had massive flood-ing after some areas received more than50 inches of rain, and Puerto Rico, whichwas devastated by Hurricane Maria. Learnmore at wels.net/hurricaneupdates.

Classes offered for chaplaincy program

24 November 2017

NEWS

Janice M. Braun, 1937–2017Janice Braun (née Schmidt) was born Feb. 10, 1937, in WoodLake, Minn. She died Apr. 22, 2017, in Fond du Lac, Wis.

A 1976 graduate of Dr. Martin Luther College, New Ulm,Minn., she served St. John, Montello, Wis., and St. Paul,Fort Atkinson, Wis.

She is survived by her husband, Jerome; two daughters;two sons; seven grandchildren; and four sisters. She ispreceded in death by one brother.

Ardin D. Laper, 1919–2017Ardin Laper was born July 1, 1919, in Markesan, Wis.He died Apr. 26, 2017, in Sun Prairie, Wis.

A 1944 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon,Wis., he served Good Shepherd, Omaha, Neb.; Peace,Wautoma, Wis.; and Peace, Sun Prairie, Wis.

He is survived by 6 daughters, 1 son, 15 grandchildren,and 13 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death byhis wife, Lily; one daughter; one brother; and one sister.

Richard F. Hennig, 1939–2017Richard Hennig was born Dec. 16, 1939, in Chicago, Ill.He died May 2, 2017, in Kalamazoo, Mich.

A 1969 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary,Mequon, Wis., he served Trinity, El Paso, Texas; Memo-rial, Williamston, Mich.; Good Shepherd, Jacksonville,Fla.; Calvary, South Milwaukee, Wis.; and St. Matthew,Benton Harbor, Mich.

He is survived by his wife, Anita; his mother; two daughters;four sons; 13 grandchildren; one brother; and two sisters.He is preceded in death by his father and brother.

Martin L. Schwartz, 1945–2017Martin Schwartz was born July 3, 1945, in Green Bay, Wis.He died May 5, 2017, in Saint Paul Park, Minn.

A 1971 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon,Wis., he served St. Paul, Montrose, Minn.; Trinity, Buffalo,Minn.; and St. Andrew’s, Saint Paul Park, Minn.

He is survived by his wife, Helen; 3 children; and 11grandchildren.

Donald W. Meier, 1925–2017Donald Meier was born July 24, 1925, in Alberdeen, S.D.He died May 29, 2017, in Watertown, Wis.

He served Our Savior, Wausau, Wis.; First, Lake Geneva,Wis.; Emanuel, Saint Paul, Minn.; Mt. Olive, Saint Paul

Minn.; the Ministry of Christian Giving; Shepherd of theHills, Duluth, Minn.; and Open Bible, Oxford, Fla.

He is survived by his wife, Lois; 3 daughters; 4 sons; 25 grandchildren; 53 great-grandchildren; and 1 sister.He is preceded in death by one brother and one great-grandchild. 

Jeannette E. Wichmann, 1926–2017Jeannette Wichmann (née Westerhaus) was born Dec. 2,1926, in Watertown, Wis. She died May 20, 2017, in Water-town, Wis.

She served Immanuel, Gibbon, Minn.; Zion, Monroe, Mich.;St. John, Princeton, Wis.; Peace, Green Lake, Wis.; St. Mark’s,Watertown, Wis.; and St. John, Waterloo, Wis.

She is survived by three sons, five grandchildren, and fivegreat-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her hus-band, Walter; one grandchild; and three brothers.

Lois M. Eckley, 1932–2017Lois Eckley (née Meissner) was born Sept. 1, 1932, inMishicot, Wis. She died May 22, 2017, in Two Rivers, Wis. 

She taught at St. Peter, Eldorado, Wis.; Trinity, Brillion,Wis.; and St. John’s, Two Rivers, Wis.

She is survived by 2 sons, 4 daughters, 12 grandchildren,7 great-grandchildren, and 1 brother. She is preceded indeath by her husband, F. Peter.

John E. Oldfield Jr., 1939–2017John Oldfield Jr. was born Feb. 23, 1939, in Neshkoro,Wis. He died June 6, 2017, in West Saint Paul, Minn.

He taught at St. Croix Lutheran Academy, West SaintPaul, Minn.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; 4 daughters; 11grandchildren; and 2 sisters. He is preceded in death by one brother.

Melvin C. Schwartz, 1928–2017Melvin Schwartz was born Jan. 6, 1928, in Kenosha, Wis.He died June 7, 2017, in West Bend, Wis.

He taught at Salem, Milwaukee, Wis.; Jerusalem, MortonGrove, Ill.; St. Peter, Weyauwega, Wis.; Faith, Antioch, Ill.;and St. Matthew’s, Niles, Ill.

He is survived by one brother. He is preceded in death byone brother and one sister.

Obituaries

November 2017 25

NORTH ATLANTICSt. Paul, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,and its campus ministry, Illumine,gave away hundreds of pieces of fur-niture and household items to univer-sity students at its annual “UniversityUnsale.” Volunteers even loaded anddrove the free items to students’ resi-dences.

The Way, Fredericksburg, Va., heldits opening worship service on Sept.10. This home mission congregationis currently worshiping at the localcinema. SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSINFriedens, Kenosha, Wis., opened anoutreach center to let its neighborsknow that it cares about them. Vol-unteers at the center offer free clothes,bags of food, and conversation forthose who might be lonely. Biblesare also available. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!AZ-CA—On Sept. 17, Grace, Safford,Ariz., celebrated its 75th anniversary.St. Peter, Modesto, Calif., celebratedits 40th anniversary on Sept. 24.D-M—St. Paul, Rapid City, S.D.,celebrated its 75th anniversary in August.On June 18, Good Shepherd, SiouxFalls, S.D., celebrated the 40th anniver-sary in the pastoral ministry of Nor-man Seeger.MN—On June 25, St. Mark, Mankato,Minn., celebrated its 75th anniver-

sary and dedicated the congregation’snew altar, baptismal font, and amboin the newly renovated chancel area.On Aug. 27, First, La Crescent, Minn.,celebrated its 75th anniversary.St. John, Northeast Minneapolis,Minn., celebrated its 150th anniver-sary on Oct. 15.NW—St. John, Town of Grover(rural Peshtigo), Wis., celebratedthe 125th anniversary of the dedica-tion of its church facility on Oct. 1. SEW—Star of Bethlehem, NewBerlin, Wis., celebrated the 40th an-niversary of its school and the 50th

anniversary of its church in August. WW—On July 30, Bethel, Galesville/Arcadia, Wis., celebrated the 25thanniversary in the pastoral ministryof Jon Cox. On Sept. 10, Mt. Lebanon, Milwaukee,Wis., celebrated its 90th anniversary.St. John, Waterloo, Wis., celebratedits 150th anniversary on Sept. 17.

The district reporters for this month are:AZ-CA—Michael Schroeder; D-M—AndrewHussman; MI—John Eich; MN—JeffreyBovee; NA—Philip Gurgel; NE—TimothyKemnitz; NW—Dennis Kleist; SEW—ScottOelhafen; WW—Brett Brauer.�

District news

MICHIGAN/NORTH ATLANTIC

The Michigan and North Atlantic Districtsheld a joint youth rally in Cincinnati, Ohio,from July 17–20.

NEWS

NEBRASKA

Nebraska Lutheran High School, Waco, Neb., was in the path of totality for theAug. 21 solar eclipse. The school celebrated with a solar eclipse bash that included a presentation about the eclipse and its importance, a picnic lunch, and games.

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN

On Sept. 15, the WELSBoard for Home Missionsheld a service of thanksgiv-ing for its four home mis-sion counselors and theirservice in the pastoral min-istry. From left: TimothyFlunker, 25 years; MarkBirkholz, 35 years; PeterKruschel, 42 years; and Edward Schuppe, 41 years.

26 November 2017

“I thought he was going to kidnap me!”said my 11-year old grandson after Ihad given a few dollars to the man inthe Home Depot parking lot who wasasking for rent help. I’ve read the articles about enabling ad-dicts and homeless people and teach-ing a person to fish versus giving him afish. And I, probably just like you, try toavert my eyes when I’m at the stoplightwith someone two feet away from mycar window with a hand-printed card-board sign asking for money—the signthat often also says, “God bless you.” But Jesus says I should help needy peo-ple. Who and how are questions forwhich each of us needs to find answers.

WHO?In the same Sermon on the Mount inwhich Jesus taught the large crowdabout being “the salt of the earth”(Matthew 5:13), he also said, “But whenyou give to the needy, do not let yourleft hand know what your right handis doing, so that your giving may be insecret” (6:3,4). You notice that he ex-pects God’s people to give to the needy.He didn’t say, “If.” He didn’t break theneedy down into classes—“a bit needy,”“a lot needy,” or “most needy.” He justsaid, “Needy.”St. Paul explains that this is especiallytrue when God’s salty people show lov-ing concern toward one another: “Share

with the Lord’s people who are in need.Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13).Practicing hospitality literally means“striving or aspiring to be one wholoves the stranger as a friend.” It hassomething to do with providing a wel-coming, safe place, as Abraham andSarah did for three strangers whenthey entertained angels and the Lordwithout knowing it (Genesis 18). Katie Luther and her husband, Martin,who had six children of their own, alsoaccommodated nieces, nephews, tu-tors, monks, nuns, indigent pastors,students, and others at their home.They even took in a fugitive pastoron their wedding night and sick peo-ple during the plague! Their homewas definitely a hospitable place.In his Treatise on Good Works (Luther’sWorks, Vol. 44, pp. 17-114), Luther toldthe world why Christians care for thosein need. “For because a man trusts God,he is generous and does not doubt thathe will always have enough; on theother hand, a man is covetous and wor-ries because he does not trust God.”Our trust in God warms our hearts tobe hospitable and care for the needy.Being hospitable involves our attitudetoward those in need. Jesus said, “Thepoor you will always have with you”(Matthew 26:11). Moses said the samething (Deuteronomy 15:11). I’ve some-times wondered why the street corner

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

SALTof the

EARTHThe poor and needy are opportunities

to help and be hospitable.John P. Huebner

November 2017 27

beggar isn’t working or why the Section8 housing occupant doesn’t take bet-ter care of the place being provided.But Jesus never addressed the social/economic reasons behind poverty.He simply said to help.

HOW?We want to exercise good judgment.We feed a starving person food for thebody but also provide God’s food forthe soul—without being or appearingmanipulative. Good judgment also requires caution.We can’t, nor should we, give to everyperson, charity, or cause that comesalong. Our own WELS Christian Aidand Relief is charged with the dualrole of providing disaster relief andbuilding bridges to the gospel throughhumanitarian aid projects. This is thebest place to start when sharing ourwealth outside of our local area.The early Christians knew the valueand dignity of work, but it appears theydidn’t ask the poor why they were poor.Rather, they sold their own things sothey could give to anyone who was inneed. And they did more than send acheck to a charity or drop a dollar in ahat. They invited fellow believers intotheir homes and “ate together with gladand sincere hearts, praising God andenjoying the favor of all the people”(Acts 2:46,47). Notice how hospitable they were! Theyrealized the importance of creating rela-tionships with one another, rich or poor,so they could joyfully share the gospel.I’m guessing you have also discoveredthat personal faith conversations seemto go deeper with someone you havecome to know than with a stranger. Not long ago, some of us from ourchurch were asked to help a singlemother whose older home badly neededa new roof. As we spoke with one an-other, realizing the importance of ourwork together to repair and replace thatroof, Jesus was in those conversationsand blessed them. Acquaintances inChrist became friends in Christ.As a congregation, we continue to workat being hospitable and creating a wel-coming environment for all who enterour doors. There is food and coffee to

gather around. We’ve been trained tolook for the guest and help them expe-rience Christ’s love. We have a man inour congregation who recently broughta friend to church and then invited himand about 25 of us to a restaurant afterworship so that we could get to knowhim better. A number of members pro-vide $25 gift cards to grocery storesand gas stations so that our pastormight help some who request aid.My wife works hard at creating a hos-pitable home. We still laugh when weremember the time some seminary stu-dents called us one evening on springbreak because the house they hadthought was available turned out to beoccupied. They ended up camping inour backyard, and my wife made surethere were towels, food, and showersavailable for them. Countless mission-aries and WELS school choir mem-bers have found shelter here as well.It was Jesus who showed us what perfecthospitality is and looks like. He left theplace of perfect peace in order to pro-vide eternal peace for us. We see himgiving his time and attention to littlechildren, grieving widows, the sick, thepoor, and those disabled. Anyone couldcome to him for help. He personally fedtwo crowds of thousands. He had nohome while ministering on this earthbut has made it possible for the entireworld to have a heavenly home forever!By the grace of God, we believe in himand long to see him. While we are wait-ing, there is a growing desire in ourhearts to be hospitable to the hungry,the thirsty, the stranger, and all othersin need. It’s not because we’re goingto earn a place in heaven—Jesus hasalready provided that precious gift.Rather, we just want to hear Jesus say,“Whatever you did for one of the leastof these brothers and sisters of mine,you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

John Huebner, a retired pastor, is amember at Victory, Jacksonville, Florida.

This is the sixth article in a 12-part seriesabout Christian love in action and how we can be salt in this world.

Read how WELS members are helpingthose in need following this summer’s hurricanes (p. 22).

Share

with the

Lord’s

people who

are in need.

Practice

hospitality.

romans 12 :13

A man walked into a Target store de-manding to speak with the manager.The man wasn’t happy. In his hand, heclutched an ad that had recently ar-rived at his mailbox. It was full of pic-tures of smiling babies and includedcoupons for maternity clothes, cribs,and newborn onesies. “My daughtergot this in the mail!” he said. “She’s stillin high school! Are you trying to en-courage her to get pregnant?”The store manager apologized pro-fusely. A few days later, he called theman to apologize again. This time,however, the man owed the managerthe apology. “I had a talk with mydaughter,” he said. “It turns out she’sdue in August.”How did Target know that the younggirl was pregnant before her dad did?For that matter, why is the ad deliveredto your mailbox different from the onedelivered to your neighbor’s? It’s sim-ple. Data from every purchase a personmakes at Target is added to his or hercustomer profile. Age and potentialneeds are part of the profile Targetuses to predict what the customer ismost likely to purchase, not just in thepresent but even in the future. Targetthen tailors its advertising to that cus-tomer accordingly.This little story is just one of many ex-amples of targeted marketing. Compa-nies don’t just advertise to customers ingeneral. They advertise specific thingsto specific people. When you think

about it, it makes perfect sense. Com-panies don’t need every customer tobuy the same thing. They just wantevery customer to buy something.Compare your relationship with a bigbox retailer to your relationship toChrist’s church. When it comes tothe church, you are not the customerof a company. Rather, you are a mem-ber of a body (see Romans chapter 12,1 Corinthians chapter 12, and Eph-esians chapter 4, for example). Chris-tians have an important relationshipnot only to Christ but also to otherChristians. In the church, men andwomen, young and old, rich and poor,are joined as one.

CELEBRATING UNITY IN OUR WORSHIPOne of the primary places where thiswonderful unity can be seen is in pub-lic worship. Christian Worship: Man-ual puts it this way: “At public worshipbelievers of all ages, shapes and sizesjoin to offer God their mutual responseof faith” (p. 10).In the church in Corinth, we find aNew Testament example of publicworship dividing the body of Christrather than uniting it. In response,Paul wrote, “When you come together,each of you has a hymn, or a word ofinstruction, a revelation, a tongue oran interpretation. Everything mustbe done so that the church may bebuilt up” (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Our song forever The church is made up of people from many different backgrounds. Our worship should reflect our unity.Jonathan P. Bauer

28 November 2017

The church is a body. Public worshipcelebrates that. And yet, consumerismis the air we breathe. As a result, thesame kind of targeted marketing prac-ticed by Target can easily drive ourdecisions about worship. It mightsound something like this: “In orderto (insert any number of noble goals),we need more (insert any number ofdifferent types of hymns).” The noble goals being pursued couldinclude: articulation of the truth, preser-vation of Lutheran heritage, retentionof youth, or connection with the lost.The types of hymns we think will helpus accomplish those goals could include:new hymns or old hymns; hymns withfresh, upbeat tunes or hymns withsturdy, time-tested tunes; hymns thatcome out of our primarily western Eu-ropean roots or hymns that come fromcultures around the globe; hymns thathave distinctly Lutheran origins orhymns from broader Christianity;hymns that are full of doctrine orhymns that are full of emotion. The Hymnody Committee’s top prior-ity is to publish hymns that are “cen-tered in Christ” and “in harmony withthe scriptural faith as confessed in theLutheran Book of Concord” (from theadopted list of criteria for hymns). Ifthe church really is a body of members

that span centuries, continents, and cul-tures, then an appropriate correspon-ding variety in our hymnody shouldtake care of itself.

CAPITALIZING ON UNITY IN OUR MISSIONBut what about those noble goals men-tioned above? One can certainly arguethat specific types of hymns can help orhinder a specific facet of our missionas churches. However, none of thosenoble goals can be accomplished byhymnody alone. Every facet of our mis-sion as Christians takes diligent, ongo-ing work. A specific type of hymn isnot the silver bullet for any of them.And so, whatever might be gained bythe predominant use of a specific typeof hymn in service to a specific goal,we must also consider what standsto be lost. If different demographicgroups in the church have a body ofhymnody tailored specifically to what-ever characteristics define them, welose the characteristics that define oth-ers and we sacrifice the unity that is soimportant to the body of Christ.Unity is one of the things that makesthe Christian church distinct and iden-tifies it to the world as something di-vine. On the night before he died, Jesusprayed to his Father that all believers

“may be one as we are one—I in themand you in me—so that they may bebrought to complete unity. Then theworld will know that you sent me andhave loved them even as you haveloved me” (John 17:22,23).A proper approach to variety in ourhymnody will assuredly mean that noneof us has only a set of hymns that is ex-actly what suits us best always. Instead,it means that all of us will have some-thing far better.

Jonathan Bauer, chairman of the Com-munications Committee of the WELSHymnal Project, is pastor at Good News,Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin.

This is the fifth article in a nine-part serieson hymns and their use in our churches.

The WELS Hymnal Project wants your feed-back as it works on finalizing which of themore than 700 hymns from Christian Wor-ship and Christian Worship: Supplementwill be included in the new hymnal. Everymonth the WELS Hymnal Project will post aselection of hymns online, indicating whichhymns are slated to be kept and which areslated to be cut. You can view the monthlylist and, if you want, choose up to 10 hymnsfrom the cut list that you would like tosee kept in the new hymnal. To review thismonth’s list of hymns and take part in theprocess, visit welshymnal.com.

ILLUSTRATIONS: SHUTTERSTOCKNovember 2017 29

Pastor Kurt Eggert, the project director for ChristianWorship, wrote, “The Lutheran church is ecumenicalin its selection of hymns and other worship materials.Whatever is scripturally sound and true, poetically andmusically worthy, and edifying for the faith of wor-shipers may be drawn on for use in our hymnal. Forthis principle, we can thank Luther himself.”

So how much variety is there in our current body ofhymnody? Christian Worship contains 340 hymnsfrom various English sources and 283 translations:German, 208; Latin, 36; Danish, 18; Norwegian, 8;

Swedish, 5; Greek, 2; Italian, 2; French, Czech, Bohemian, and Welsh, 1 each. Anyone familiar with Christian Worship: Supplement knows that it intentionally expanded that variety even more.

How our synod’s next hymnal will com-pare remains to be seen. But the goal of providing a body of hymnody that serves the whole body of Christ remains the same.

making room

Many people today find war odious and areoffended by anyone who is or has been in themilitary. This hatred was witnessed firsthandby most of us who returned from Vietnam tojeers and spit. And many today coming backto civilian life from stints in our Armed Forcesare experiencing isolation and disrespect, evenin some congregations. Why?Well, warfare is disgusting behavior. Soldiers par-ticipate in the awful barbarity of purposely de-stroying homes and cities while also taking thelives of others, including noncombatants. Thatis unthinkable, especially for many Christians.

CHRISTIAN ADVICEIt may be surprising to know that St. Augustineaddressed the question of Christians and servingin the military during the Roman Empire in hisbook The City of God. Augustine affirms thattwo kingdoms simultaneously exist—an earthly,visible kingdom (secular government) and abelieving, invisible realm. One is temporal; theother spiritual. Both answer to God.Maybe more unexpected is that five hundredyears ago, the Reformer Martin Luther waspressured to write something on Whether Sol-diers, Too, Can Be Saved, also translated asChristians Can Be Soldiers (Luther’s Works[LW], Vol. 46, pp. 89-137).A key character in the story behind Luther’sbook is Assa von Kram (or Asche von Cramm,

A Vietnam vet shares Luther’sperspectives on soldiers and the“sword” and tells his own per-sonal story of discovery aboutwhat God says about war.Erhard P. Opsahl

30 November 2017ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

PHOTO: XXXNovember 2017 31

Aschwin IV, Ascanius von Cramm).Born about 1490, Assa was a heraldedcavalryman from Lower Saxony whomade his name on June 28, 1519, at theBattle of Soltau, a “nobles’ feud.” He leda 400-knight regiment on the battle-field in the victory of Henry the Mid-dle over Henry the Younger. MartinLuther was a good friend of Assa.During the summer of 1525, Assa hap-pened to be visiting Luther in Witten-berg and convinced Luther to committo answer questions people had beenasking Luther to address for five years.Apparently, interest was piqued by thefact that the Turks seemed determinedin trying again to extend their Islamicsultanate/caliphate into Christian West-ern Europe. Another factor may havebeen the growing desire of some to ex-terminate the Lutheran heresy by force.Misunderstandings of Luther’s writingduring the Peasants’ War were stillbeing argued. Luther had voiced oppo-sition to the peasants when they resortedto force and rebelled against the nobles.Luther wrote that the “sword” of anearthly kingdom/nation/state has beeninstituted to punish evil, protect thegood, and preserve public order (Ro-mans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13,14). He statedthat going to war is to bring aboutpeace and obedience.“Killing” can be a “work of love.” For ex-ample, says Luther, a good physiciancuts off an infected arm to save a per-son from dying. He wrote, “What menwrite about war, saying that it is a greatplague, is all true. But they should alsoconsider how great the plague is thatwar prevents” (LW, Vol. 46, p. 96). Warcan seem like an unchristian work com-pletely contrary to Christian love. But hereminds us that “if the sword were noton guard to preserve peace, everythingin the world would be ruined becauseof lack of peace” (LW, Vol. 46, p. 96).Accordingly, the work of being a soldier,in itself, is right and godly. Luther holdsthat God can tolerate a soldier who goesto war and kills, as one does to enemiesby military law and in time of war. But,he also warns of the abuse of this powerand again cites the example of physi-cians who would “needlessly amputate ahealthy hand just because they wanted to.”

Luther cites John the Baptist (Luke 3:1-18) as praising the profession of armswhen Roman soldiers came to him forcounseling. At the same time, SaintJohn rejected any abuse of their posi-tions of power. Luther noted that OldTestament heroes who participated inwar (e.g., Abraham, Moses, Joshua, andDavid) were not condemned by God.Readers of Luther’s book on the likeli-hood that soldiers could be saved alsoare referred to another of his writings:Temporal Authority: To What ExtentIt Should Be Obeyed (LW, Vol. 45, pp.75-129). Luther makes two points to remember:1) Christians live under a spiritual gov-

ernment and are subject only to God.2) As far as body and property are

concerned, Christians are answer-able to their rulers here on earthand owe them obedience. Luthercontends that “if worldly leaderscall on [their people] to fight, thenthey ought to and must fight, andbe obedient, not as Christians, butas members of the state” (LW, Vol.46, p. 99). Worldly leaders are alsosubject to God, Luther adds.

A PERSONAL REFLECTIONMy awareness of history in the 1940s,‘50s, and ‘60s centered on the specterof Communism taking over the world.There was Eastern Europe and the IronCurtain, then Korea, then the CubanMissile Crisis, and then Vietnam. TheUnited States seemed to be playing“whack-a-commie-mole” around theglobe.A charismatic young president was per-suasive in urging Americans: “Ask notwhat your country can do for you butwhat you can do for your country.” I en-listed in the Army right out of college.All of a sudden, some things seemedto change. The news media and aca-demia led the movement of question-ing the validity of the Vietnam War.Was it a “just” war? Were our soldiersout of control? Everyone agreed thatthe massacre at My Lai was a terribletragedy. The battlefield was on TVevery night at home.Four men under my command died

during the year I spent in a mecha-nized infantry battalion. Little did Iknow that almost 40 years would passbefore I recognized symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Studies cir-culated that 22 veterans a day werecommitting suicide; the average agewas 55. I was shocked into action.Getting involved with veterans’ or-ganizations helped me see sources ofmuch of the pain. Current and formermilitary people are not always certainabout their acceptance by the generalpopulation. All too often, vets are beingshut out of “civilian life.” Most non-veterans don’t seem interested in find-ing out about the sacrifices our militarymembers and their families made—and continue to make—in order to pre-serve America’s precious democracy. So what do we do? Where do we go?For me, the words of the Bible, St. Au-gustine, and Martin Luther are helpingsoothe the guilt that society imposedand still imposes on me and my com-rades. Finally realizing that most Chris-tians do not believe that all killing thatsoldiers do is murder opened my eyeseven more. I am getting a picture that I should have seen much more clearlysome five decades ago.The recently published Small Cate-chism confirms the proposition un-ambiguously and concisely: “Godalone has the right to end a person’slife, but he delegates that right also tohis representatives in government. Aperson serving under the authority ofthe government as God’s representa-tive—a government official, a soldier,or a police officer—may carry out capi-tal punishment, take life in a war, ortake life to protect the lives of others”(Luther’s Catechism 2017, p. 77).Coming to a better understanding ofthis troubling issue helps me fight mydoubts, distress, and depression eachand every day.

Erhard Opsahl, president of the LutheranMilitary Support Group, is a member atRisen Savior, McFarland, Wisconsin.

Learn more about the Lutheran MilitarySupport Group at lutheranmilitary.org.

I’m needed.Maybe that sounds a bit arrogant, but Ihave it on good authority. The AmericanRed Cross regularly tells me so—by per-sonalized e-mail. I know what you’re think-ing: “I hate to burst your bubble, but allthe Red Cross really needs is your blood.”True enough. However, since they needsomething from me, they still need me.I’m needed. You are too—and not merely by the RedCross. Even if no one has expressed that thoughtto you directly, it’s true. People all aroundyou need you—and that’s exactly the wayGod designed it to be. In each of the call-ings the Lord has chosen specifically foryou, be that as friend, neighbor, congre-gation member, sibling, employee, spouse,parent, or child, he has surrounded youwith needs. The needs vary dramatically.Your employer needs an honest day’s work.Your child needs a ride to her piano les-son and your insistence that she practice.Your grieving friend needs your supportand a sympathetic ear. Each of those needsis a God-given opportunity to glorify himand bless others. While God doesn’t needyour good works—“[God] is not servedby human hands, as if he needed anything”(Acts 17:25)— your neighbor definitelydoes. Sometimes the needs of others overwhelmus because the opportunities far outstripour time and abilities. We want to beneeded, but on a more modest scale, withneeds that are more easily met. We desireopportunities to serve, but would preferto schedule them at more convenienttimes. As the needs of others pile uparound us, the sinful flesh proposes thelogical solution. “Withdraw,” the sinfulnature suggests. “Let others deal withthose needs.” The one who masquerades as an angelof light chimes in: “You need to step backfrom the needs of others and focus onyour relationship with God. Those stress-ful interactions demand energy that

really should be spent on prayer andmeditation.” The devil is oh so sneaky,offering what appears to be a pious rea-son to disengage from the needs of thepeople around us. But the devil is an in-veterate liar. While God invites us to spend timewith him in his Word each day so that he might bless us with his love, he neverdescribes it as an “either-or” proposi-tion. Absolutely allow God to serve youthrough his Word, just as Mary didwhile sitting at Jesus’ feet. But then, be-cause you have been served by the Onewho loves unconditionally, you are emi-nently qualified to demonstrate that un-conditional love to others. The peopleGod has placed around you need youand the unconditional love you haveexperienced in Christ. Desperately. You are needed even by people whothink they don’t need you; they mayhave told you so in no uncertain terms.You’re needed by the coworker who be-littles Christianity because he had a badexperience with the church in the past.He needs your patient, persistent love.The friend who stridently speaks againstthe Bible’s “outdated teaching on moral-ity” to justify his sin needs you. He needsyour gentle instruction in the Word ofthe God who loves him in Christ. Theneighbor who insists that Christianityprovides nothing more valuable thanany other religion needs you and yourpositive witness to Christ her Savior,who died that she might live. Disengaging from people in their need,even when they plead with us to do so,is simply not an option. Christ stoppedto serve us in our need, though by naturewe wanted nothing of the sort. We whobear Christ’s name can’t help but do thesame for others.

Contributing editor Earle Treptow, a pro-fessor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary,Mequon, Wisconsin, is a member at ChristAlone, iensville, Wisconsin.

NeededEarle D. Treptow

e people God has placed

around you needyou and the

unconditionallove you have experienced

in Christ. Desperately.

32 November 2017

EDITORIAL COMMENT

BIBLE STUDY

As you look ahead, remember the Is-raelites’ monument at the Jordan thatshows how God keeps his past prom-ises and continues to fulfill his prom-ises for the future. Samuel C. Degner

The people of Israel gazed out across the Jordan Valley. Thereit was, right in front of them: the land flowing with milk andhoney, the one they had dreamed of for generations. Exhila-ration must have filled their hearts as they pictured the placeswhere they would put up their houses—houses, not tents!

A PROMISE KEPTBut then again . . . they had been here before. Forty yearsearlier, their forebears had looked at the same landscapeand concluded they could never take it from its occupants.Now, those Canaanites were still there. Moses, on the otherhand, was not; the one who had led them to this point nowlay buried somewhere in Moab. Then there was that riverat flood stage . . . perhaps the people hadn’t noticed itsdistant roar at first. Was it excitement or fear that madetheir hearts beat faster?That mix of anticipation and uncertainty is timeless. Bridesand grooms feel it as they prepare to enter marriage, ex-pecting both joys and challenges. So do graduates as theystep into a wide open future, full of both opportunity anddanger, without those who had guided them to that point.Retirees may wonder whether the coming years will be asgolden as they imagine. Christians nearing death see para-dise lying before them as well as the pain they may have totraverse to get there.As you survey your future, consider the Israelites at theJordan (Joshua chapter 3). By God’s power, they walkedacross the dry riverbed into a land that would no longerbe promised but simply theirs.

A FUTURE GUARANTEEDThis was more than the fulfillment of a centuries-oldpromise. God showed himself to be a “living God,” alwayspresent with his people and fully capable of giving themthe Canaanites’ land. He wanted Israel to know that theycould confidently follow Joshua just as they had followedMoses, who had once led them across a different body ofwater. In other words, God was fulfilling his words fromthe past and guaranteeing his words about the future.To help his people remember this lesson through the com-ing years of conquest and for generations to come, the Lordcommanded one man from each tribe to take a stone fromthe middle of the riverbed and place it at the Israelites’camp (Joshua chapter 4). What a powerful monument:rocks, worn and wet from years under a river, now stackedon dry land! A memorial to a promise kept—and a promiseof more of the same.Somewhere in that same river, some 1,400 years later,stood a living monument with the same message. As Jesusstepped out of those descending waters, another miracletook place: A dove appeared and a voice from heaven,said, “This is my Son” (Matthew 3:17). It marked a prom-ise kept: The Savior, who was the reason God brought Is-rael to that land in the first place, had come. It was also asign of good things on the horizon: Jesus’ perfect life onearth earned us a perfect life in heaven. As you make your way toward that promised land, you cantrust the same living God’s presence and power to bring yousafely through the obstacles in your path. The future that liesbefore you may both fill your daydreams and keep you up atnight. But the Lord goes ahead to defend and bless you. It’shis promise.

Contributing editor Samuel Degner is a professor at WisconsinLutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin.This is the seventh article in a nine-part series on Old Testamentmonuments and what they mean to us today.

November 2017 33PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

34 November 2017

A THOUGHT

Your will be done onearth as in heaven

God always knowswhat he is doing,

even if we don’t knowand wonder why. We are still in hishands and under his loving care.

Our heavenly Father’s will does notchange. He is not willing that anyshould perish, but he wants everyoneto come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).He has a special concern for his be-lievers. He always works everythingout for the good of the people he hascalled to faith in Jesus (Romans 8:28).In heaven, God’s will is done withoutopposition and without question. Thatmeans what he decides is accomplished,and the entire host of the angels andsaints in heaven rejoice and praise himfreely and without complaint.Those in heaven know that Godwants nothing but the best for hispeople. The believers there see thathe has brought them safely throughtheir struggles on earth. The angelswitnessed God’s justice and love inexpelling the rebel angels and con-firming those who remained faithful. In heaven all is well; God’s will is un-challenged and perfect.But on earth, the devil prowls amongthe living, seeking to devour souls (1Peter 5:8). He has been at his tasks for a long time—ever since he was ex-pelled from heaven. He knows how tothwart God’s will, how to pervert hisWord, and how to distract the livingwith every imaginable temptation. Thebelievers in heaven are safe, but thoseliving on earth are still under attack.And it’s not just the devil that God’speople must contend with here onearth. The world and our sinful fleshalso have become our enemies. The church on earth often seems to besingled out for special attention fromthe devil. If he can rob the church of thegospel, so many souls will go into eter-nity without the grace of God. If he canuse the world to intimidate the churchor in other ways lead the church to pro-claim false teaching, he also achieves hisgoal. It should not surprise us that Jesus

asks us to pray that our heavenly Father’s will be done on earth as in heaven.But Jesus not only gave us this prayer;he also prayed, “Not my will, but yoursbe done,” in the Garden of Gethsemane(Luke 22:42). With that prayer on hislips, he shows us how to face the an-guish and turmoil on earth. In his chal-lenges, he wanted the assurance thathis Father’s will would be done. Hewillingly submitted to the will of hisheavenly Father.So we have a clear lesson from Jesus.Our heavenly Father’s will is sure andcertain. But we doubt and often areconfused by what we face. When lifedoesn’t make sense to us, we wonder.When death and pain afflict us, ourloved ones, and other Christians here,how is God’s will done? When persecu-tion and disaster strike, we are confusedabout how this is God’s good and gra-cious will to protect his own and bringthem home to heaven. When, like Jesus,we face difficult days or the church facesserious challenges, decisions, or hard-ship, we crave the assurance that ourheavenly Father’s will be done.It is at such times that we should pray,“Your will be done on earth as inheaven.” We don’t always understandGod’s will while we are here on earth.We are tempted to abandon God whenhe allows so much trouble on earth.But God always knows what he is doing,even if we don’t know and wonder why.We are still in his hands and under hisloving care. And in heaven, when wejoin the saints and angels, we will notwonder. But for now on earth, we pray, “Yourwill be done.”

Priests in the Middle Ages had two pri-mary tasks: Correctly perform the sacra-ments of the church to earn God’s graceon behalf of the people and listen to con-fession. The people were required toconfess all their sins to the priest at leastonce a year. Priests had to learn how tocajole people into remembering all theirsins. They also had to investigate andprobe the circumstances and motives ofthose sins to know what earthly punish-ments the person needed to perform.The priests had to be spiritual detectives.And they knew everyone’s secrets.This wasn’t the only problem amongclergy at the time of Luther. Some of themore radical reform movements hadself-proclaimed, self-appointed preach-ers. They took on the duties of spiritualleadership without being properly calledto do so.Truly Lutheran public ministers of thegospel are called to serve God’s peoplewith the gospel. First, they are prop-erly called to do this work. Individu-ally, every Christian has the right andprivilege to “declare God’s praises” (1Peter 2:9,10) and every Christian canforgive sins (John 20:19-23). But whenChristians gather together around theWord and sacraments, someone whois gifted and trained needs to be calledto serve the group with the Word andsacraments. Otherwise, disorder couldresult (1 Corinthians 14:33,40). TheAugsburg Confession stated the pointsuccinctly and clearly. “It is taught thatno one should publicly teach, preach,or administer the sacraments withouta proper [public] call” (Article XIV).The Bible teaches that the Holy Spiritis calling public ministers of the gospelthrough the church’s call (Acts 20:28).Second, truly Lutheran public ministersare called to proclaim the Word faithfullyand administer the sacraments rightly.Pastors and other public ministers of thegospel are not spiritual detectives, enter-tainers, or corporate executives. Theyare not to act as dictators in the church

(1 Peter 5:1-3). They are simply servantsof Christ, whose name they proclaim,and servants of Christ’s people for whomChrist’s blood purchased them as hispeople. That’s why the qualifications Paullisted for public spiritual leadership em-phasize a Christian character that won’tbe an obstacle to the gospel. He wrotethat a spiritual leader should “be abovereproach, faithful to his wife, temperate,self-controlled, respectable, hospitable . . .not given to drunkenness, not violent butgentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover ofmoney” (1 Timothy 3:2,3). These quali-fied public ministers are called to use theWord and sacraments for the spiritualbenefit of those whom they are calledto serve. So they also need to be “able toteach” (1 Timothy 3:2). Truly Lutheran public ministers of thegospel need to know the Word and knowhow to communicate the Word. That’swhy Luther encouraged, “Pray diligently,as Christ Himself commands us to pray(Matt. 9:38), that God may grant us faith-ful laborers and pastors who are sincereand adhere to the Word” (Luther’s Works,Vol. 28, p. 62).

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1. Read 1 Peter 2:9,10. Explain how thispassage relates to the public ministry.

2. Describe how the teaching of the di-vine call is comforting to both calledworkers and congregation members.

3. How does the Lutheran view of thepublic ministry affect the way that weeducate future called workers (espe-cially pastors)?

Contributing editor Joel Otto, a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon,Wisconsin, is a member at Salem, Milwau-kee, Wisconsin.

This is the last article in a 14-part series onkey doctrinal emphases that Luther broughtback to light through the Reformation. Findthis article and answers online after Nov. 5at wels.net/forwardinchrist.

November 2017 35

BIBLE STUDY

Public ministers of the gospel are called to serveJoel D. Otto

STAINED GLASS PHOTO: ROBERT KOESTER

You are undoubtedly familiar with the childhoodpoem “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Lesser known isthe author of that poem: an American writer namedSarah Hale. Even lesser known is the influence shehad on the holiday we today call Thanksgiving.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL HOLIDAYWhen it comes to the history of Thanksgiving,most Americans will point to the first Pilgrim cele-bration or perhaps President Lincoln. However,were it not for Sarah Hale, Thanksgiving may notbe celebrated in the United States as it is today.Most of us learned that the first Thanksgiving Daywas celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 to give thanksfor the harvest after a terrible first winter in the NewWorld. In 1789, President George Washington issueda Thanksgiving Day Proclamation to commemoratethe first Pilgrim celebration. But Thomas Jefferson,the third U.S. president, discontinued it, callingThanksgiving “a kingly practice.” Then, in the early 1800s, Sarah Hale began campaign-ing for the restoration of Thanksgiving as a nationalholiday. She wrote letters and sought appointmentswith national leaders through the course of five presi-dencies. Time after time she was politely rebuffed,sometimes being told her suggestion was impossibleor impractical.Finally, in 1863—in the midst of the Civil War—President Lincoln listened seriously to her plea thatNorth and South “lay aside enmities and strife on[Thanksgiving] Day.” Lincoln proclaimed the fourthThursday in November as the official “NationalThanksgiving Day.” This day was finally ratified bythe U.S. Congress in 1941.

THE NEED FOR A SPIRIT OF GRATITUDEPerhaps we need a “Thanksgiving lady” like Sarah Haleto campaign for a spirit of Thanksgiving today—notfor a national holiday because we already have that,

but for a spirit of gratitude within our hearts. Andconsider when she lobbied for Thanksgiving. Thenation was divided, families were split apart by ide-ological differences, and strife and armed conflictcreated cemeteries for the dead. While it’s not inthe midst of a civil war, much the same could besaid about our nation today!What is the current conflict that scrolls across theheadlines? Is it the ever-increasing violence in ourworld, both near and far? Is it the seeming downwardspiral of decency and decorum among so many talk-ing heads and influential voices in our nation? Is itconflict in your family? In your marriage? Is it a nag-ging discontent with your lot in life?In the midst of all this, hear Scripture’s call for a spiritof thankfulness, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1Thessalonians 5:18). Christ has ended the eternal con-flict caused by our sin. Conflict and strife will remainpart of this world’s headlines. But we are at rest; weare at peace. Jesus is our rest and peace, and heaven isour home. So no matter what the circumstances, wecan live with a spirit of gratitude through Jesus.On this 500th anniversary of the Reformation, con-sider the words of Martin Luther:

I take the risk of placing my confidence only inthe one, invisible, inscrutable, and only God,who created heaven and earth and alone is supe-rior to all creation. Again, I am not terrified byall the wickedness. . . . If he is Creator of heavenand earth and Lord over everything, who, then,could deprive me of anything, or work me harm?Yes, how can it be otherwise than all things workfor good for me if the God, whom all creationobeys and depends upon, is well intentionedtoward me? (Luther’s Works, Vol. 43, pp. 25,26)

Jonathan Hackbarth is pastor at Salem, Woodbury,Minnesota.

In the midst of strife and conflict, we need a spirit of thanksgiving.Jonathan P. Hackbarth