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The Evangel
Issue No. 159— November/December 2011
A Publication of The American Association of Lutheran Churches
"We saw his star...and have come
to worship him.” —Matthew 2:2
Inside this Issue ...
Pg. 2 — Editor
Pg. 3 — Presiding Pastor
Pg. 4 — Seminary
Pg. 5 — Expanding Evangelism
Pg. 6 — Recent Events
Pg. 7 — Annual Convention
Pg. 8 — 2011 TAALC Pastors’ Retreat Recap
Pg. 9 — New Look at the Old
Testament
Pg. 10-11 — Sacrament of the
Altar
Pg. 12 — Future of Lutheranism
Pg. 14 — Women of L.I.F.E.
Pg. 15 — Evangelism
Photo Credits:
Cover Photo—Lynette Badenhop
pg. 2— iStock Photo
pg. 5— iStock Photo
pg. 6—Courtesy of Rev. Smeback (top) and the Family of Karen Wold (bottom)
pg. 7— iStock Photo
pg. 8-9, 13—Rev. Dick Day
pg. 9—Courtesy of Dr. Jeffrey Pulse
pg. 10-11—iStock Photo
pg. 14— Microsoft Stock ClipArt
pg. 14—iStock Photo (background)
pg. 15— Lynette Badenhop
Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English
Standard Version®, copyright © 2007 by
Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
Editor: Rev. Richard Shields
Layout & Design by Lynette Badenhop
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Prepare the Way for the Lord
A Message from The Evangel Editor &
ALTS President, Rev. Richard Shields
T
he temptation is there every year—too much to do during this time of
year, and so little time to prepare. I think we all face that dilemma, even
in the church. Advent is our time to prepare for the coming of the Savior,
first as a child in Bethlehem, then at the end of time to bring to completion God's
plan for this world. Let’s return to simplicity and wonder of preparation during Advent by reading again from God’s Word, the culmination of that first coming.
Luke 2:1–20
In those days a decree went out from
Caesar Augustus that all the world should
be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of
Syria. And all went to be registered,
each to his own town. And Joseph
also went up from Galilee, from
the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to
the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem, because he was of the
house and lineage of David, to
be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And
while they were there, the time came
for her to give birth. And she gave
birth to her firstborn son and wrapped
him in swaddling cloths and laid him in
a manger, because there was no place for
them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over
their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the
Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them,
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and
lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which
the Lord has made known to us.”
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a
manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them
concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told
them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it
had been told them.
Prepare the way for the Lord!
The Cross Always Before Us
by Rev. Franklin Hays, Presiding Pastor
Even in Advent our focus is beyond the birth of Jesus; this
one was born and wrapped in death’s clothes. Let’s see Mary, our
Lord’s blessed mother, look at what God has wrought.
As Mary stares at the cross, it blurs in a teary mist and
seems like the hilt of a sword plunged into the heart of the earth.
As she ponders the image, the cryptic words of Simeon, spoken
at Jesus’ birth, come rushing to her:
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising
of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword shall pierce your own soul too.”
As the cross comes into focus again, it dawns on her: So this
is the sword.
It is something every mother fears—losing a child. That
fear has haunted her ever since Simeon’s foreboding words. Then
there was the terror of Herod’s assassination plot on the baby.
And the Suffering Servant prophecy in Isaiah has always troubled
her. It was as if Death had perched on Jesus’ crib since His birth
casting its dark shadow as a reminder that one day the boy would
be his.
Deep down inside, Mary knew that Jesus was a child born
to die. He would not grow up to be a doctor or a lawyer or a
rabbi. He would not marry or give her grandchildren to carry on
the family name. She’s known this for a long time now and has
buried it in her heart.
In pools of tears swim tender memories. His birth in that
cold, dark, dark stable in Bethlehem. How He shivered as she
held Him for the first time, so tiny and helpless. How her breast
warmed Him. How her song lulled Him to sleep. And how,
when she kissed his forehead, He looked so peaceful, without a
care in the world.
The cross comes into focus again, and she sees crude,
hunched-over men gambling their souls away as they cast lots for
His clothes. She looks up at her son and aches. He is naked and
there is no one to warm Him. He is thirsty and there is no one to
wet His lips. He is tired and there is no one to sing Him to sleep.
His forehead is wrinkled in agony, and there is no one to kiss it,
no one to mop His care-ridden brow.
What did my baby ever do to deserve this?
Again her eyes blur. Another memory floats by. And another. She remembers His first word. She remembers His first step.
She remembers how He used to love to help her bake, and how
she would pull off a portion of fresh bread, and dip it in honey,
and give it to Him. She remembers how it made her little boy
smile and His eyes sparkle.
What did my little boy ever do to deserve this?
She remembers when He was twelve and already about His
Father’s business at the temple in Jerusalem. She distinctly remembers thinking then, He is not my little boy anymore.
A mother’s love, that’s why she is there.
A Savior’s love, that’s why He is.
But love never looked like this. Pools of blood beading
the dirt beneath the cross. A heavy spike through the feet.
Ribs protruding against the skin. Open wounds bothered by
flies. Eyes swollen with fever. Hair matted from this morning’s
thorns. Hands raised to God on splintered wood. A slumped
torso, dangling from impaled wrists like some grotesque pendant.
This is what His mother sees as she bares her heart to the
hilt of that cruel Roman sword. It is more than a mother can
bear. But somehow she does. Largely because of the man standing beside her, steadying here – John, the disciple Jesus loves.
Arm in arm, the two people Jesus loves the most in the whole
world. They were never closer to each other than they are now,
at this very moment.
They hear Jesus groan as he raises His head. He shapes
His farewell with a tongue that is parched and lips that are
split. John leads Mary closer to spare Jesus the strain, for her
son has so much to tell her: Thank you for everything...I owe
you so much...you’ve been as dear a mother as anyone could
ask for.
But the spasms in His chest are more frequent, and those
feelings go unspoken. Jesus pushes on the spike and struggles
to fill His lungs. The pain is excruciating. His words come at
Herculean effort.
“Dear woman, here is your son.”
She looks to John and clutches his arm as fresh wells of
tears pool in her eyes. Her lips squeeze out a trembled smile.
“John, here is your mother.”
The disciple nods as he bites his lips to fight back the
emotion. That is all that is said. For an intimate moment they
behold the one they love so much. Then Jesus slumps again,
His heavy eyes closing.
Suddenly, Mary realizes, He is about His Father’s business.
She prays to that Father, prays that death would come
quickly to her son. No their son. For both would lose a child
today. Both would bear the blade in their heart.
Yet in spite of her grief, in spite of the cold steel sheathed
in her heart, she is standing near the cross. She can’t bear to
watch. But she can’t bear to turn away either. She is there.
Standing by her son. As any mother would.
She was there when He come into the world. She would
be there when He left it. She was there when He was pushed
through a dark and constricting birth canal into her arms. She
would be there now as He was pushed through another painful
passage, returning Him to the arms of the Father.
November/December 2011
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The Advent of Our King
A Message from the American Lutheran Theological Seminary
by ALTS President Rev. Rich Shields
Expectation
The Advent and Christmas seasons bring a time of expectation and preparation. What do we expect
each year? The activities of Advent combined with all the busy-ness of Christmas events often leads to an expectation of weariness and maybe even exhaustion. For many the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s
Day is surprisingly even more hectic than during Lent. What is our expectation? And how does that help our
preparation?
The hymn, “The Advent of Our King” (Charles Coffin, 1736) has two stanzas that speak to our expecation. Stanza 2 focuses on the King and what a wondrous thing it is that He comes into this world:
The everlasting Son
Incarnate deigns to be;
Himself a servant’s form puts on
To set His servants free.
Here Charles Coffin sets before us a Biblical expectation. The everlasting Son takes on human flesh to
set free all who are enslaved by sin. Here is the heart of the Christian faith. We know God only through his
revelation of himself in Jesus Christ. Now the first stanza of “The Advent of our King” leads our expectations
so that we move to proper preparation:
The advent of our King
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must hymns of welcome sing
In strains of holy joy.
“Prayers… and hymns… in strains of holy joy.” Our “holy rushing” gives way to an expectation that once
again we hear of our Savior and His birth. And now we prepare.
Preparation
Stanza 5 focuses on our preparation, noting the sin-stained reality of our world, but even more of our
own lives:
Before the dawning day
Let sin’s dark deeds be gone,
The old man all be put away,
The new man all put on.
Our preparation is not on activity, but confessing our sins. By doing so, we see how desperately we need
our Savior, and cherish what a wonder it is: the Advent of our King. We continue our preparation by putting
away the deeds of sin and putting on the new man. Here the hymn writer follows Paul in Ephesians 4:17-24.
Pastors and seminarians especially need the resetting of our expectations and our preparations. We must
not grow weary of another telling of the birth of our Savior. Rather, as we read, speak, preach, and teach the
Advent of our King, we will find the story of our Savior’s birth fresh and life-giving each year.
For congregations, this provides a special opportunity to pray for your pastors and seminarians. Lift them
up to the throne of our King, giving thanks for their service, and asking God to sustain them in their own
expectations and preparations for the Advent of our King.
Special Thanks…
… to our congregations for praying on Reformation Sunday for our seminary and students. This is the
future of our church.
… to those who have included the seminary (ALTS) in your regular giving.
… to those who have encouraged men, young and old, to consider the calling to be a pastor.
… to our seminarians who are preparing themselves for service in God’s kingdom.
… to our pastors who provide role models for young men to follow into the ministry.
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Expanding Evangelism &
Missions through Discipleship
by Rev. Dr. Craig Henningfield, Pastor of Church Without Walls, Denver, Colorado
I
have a name plate on my
desk.
Anyone
coming
through the door knows my
name right away. What people don’t
see, on the side that faces me, is this
question: “What is necessary for me to
be doing right now to recruit and establish people as apprentices to and of
the Lord Jesus?”
My Missionary Mindset
Let me share a little background.
The son of a missionary among the
Chinese people in Taiwan, I have been
exposed to both the dialogue about and
practice of evangelism and missions
for my entire life. “How can the Good
News be spoken into a given context?”
and “How can God’s mission to the
world be advanced?” are two questions
I’ve reflected on for many years.
With this missionary mindset, teaching God’s people
how to share their faith and how to be “missional” in their
daily lives, I’ve guided congregations that became more evangelistic and outreach-oriented. Their willingness and ability
to share what they believed was to be praised. Slowly, however, we sensed the lack of depth and maturity of the “faith”
being shared. People cannot give away what they don’t have
… even when they want to do so.
The Challenge
While wrestling with the need to deepen and mature
faith, a man came into my office with a challenge. Best described as a nominal Lutheran, he had experienced the religious journey taken by so many people trained under the
traditional methodologies (baptized as an infant, confirmed
as a young teen, departed the church in high school, tried
other religious approaches).
His comment to me that day was straightforward: “I’ve
decided that the church is useless; if you can show me that
Jesus has any relevance in our world today, I’m all ears. Otherwise, I’m done with Christianity.” At that moment, my
understanding about evangelism and missions didn’t matter.
He was certainly ready to dismantle any argument put forth.
By the time our conversation ended, the agreement we made
could only have been of the Holy Spirit … for both of us.
Here was our deal. If he would agree
to have a weekly meeting with me over the
next three months, I would agree to respond
to anything and everything he asked about
Jesus, using the Gospels as the only source
of any answer I would give. I asked him to
purchase a Harmony of the Gospels as a
way to give some structure to what would
be a most fascinating exploration.
The Transformation — of Both
I watched God work before my very
eyes. I witnessed a man in his early 50’s
come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), growing in the grace and knowledge as a disciple of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter
3:18), becoming certain of what he had
been taught (Luke 1:4). A cynic became an
evangelist and a skeptic became a missionary. He could and would share the “hope”
he now had with clarity and enthusiasm.
He had the “faith-substance” that was missing among all
those who had the evangelistic techniques memorized and
the missional concepts studied.
We finished our journey 30 months later, reflecting
on the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), which
commands “making disciples” in the context of daily living, within a loving, learning community that teaches and
practices the life of the Master. Our experience together
since then proves to me that the best use of my time is
in recruiting and establishing people as apprentices (disciples) to and of the Lord Jesus. When I help people become
learners under the tutelage of the Master, evangelism and
missions happen. What an epiphany!
A New Perspective
What does this mean? What actually happened during our meetings each week? What did we do that so completely transformed both our lives? Eventually, I would
discover that we were practicing an ancient discipline, one
that still works very well today. Consider:
“As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey
— and though a whole band of shepherds is
called together against it, it is not frightened
by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor.”
Isaiah 31:4
(Continued on Page 11)
November/December 2011
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Recent Events in TAALC
30 Years in the Ministry for Rev. Smeback
Pastor Steve Smeback this year celebrates his 30th year in the ministry, and we at Elim
Lutheran Church in Brush Prairie, Washington, are so pleased to have him as our shepherd
and leader.
Elim is the second oldest Lutheran congregation in Clark County, celebrating 127 years
of continuous fellowship in the Lord.
We are Steve’s fourth congregation since his ordination at St. Paul’s in Vancouver, Washington, 30 years ago. He also served for 10 years at Emmanuel in Yelm, Washington, and over
9 years with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and the Yelm City Police as Chaplin. After
that, he served for 10 years at Bethel in Brush Prairie, Washington.
His use of drama is well-known in the area, appearing in a depiction of Biblical characters, and often seen in full costume as “Professor Ludwig Von Schmartypanz” and even as
“Hilde,” the Norwegian Church Lady. Who could forget the “Ole and Lena” stories?
His hobbies include horses, music, martial arts, motorcycles, bowling, and remodeling.
He began serving Elim as a part-time pastor in 2005 and continues working to establish
us as a full-time, viable congregation. With his help and guidance, we are steadily growing
and prospering. We have changed Synods, added a cell tower, replaced the heating system,
developed an exciting Youth Ministry, and at present are finishing a total remodel of our
kitchen in the Fellowship Hall.
He is our rock.
Pastor Smeback
In Our Thoughts & Prayers
Karen Wold was called home to
her eternal rest on Sunday, October
30, 2011. Funeral Service will be held
Friday, November 4 at 2:00 pm (Central Time) at the Evangelical Covenant
Church, Mooselake MN. Please remember her family in your prayers.
Her husband, Pastor Don Wold,
was called home to be with the Lord in
2002. Pastor Wold had served at Faith
Karen Wold
Lutheran Church, Blackduck MN,
and Emmanuel Lutheran Church,
Kelliher MN. They attended The AALC General Conventions and Karen was active in the Women of L.I.F.E.
When Karen’s brother, Ardy Johnson, called the national office to give us the news about Karen, he shared the following: “Karen was a quiet and gracious woman, a ‘behindthe-scenes’ person, who worked diligently at whatever task
was placed in front of her. She was always helpful and had a
knack for being able to anticipate the needs of others.”
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Cards for Karen’s family can be sent to her brother:
Ardy Johnson
512 Carlshend Road
Carlshend, MI 49885
Also, please keep the families of Jacqueline Graves (wife
of Pastor Richard Graves; she passed away on October 29,
2011) and Marjorie Zeilinger (wife of Pastor Alvin Zeilinger; she passed away on October 16, 2011) in your prayers
as well. Cards may be sent to the following addresses:
Rev. Richard Graves
5007 N Warren St.
Davenport, IA 52806
Rev. Alvin Zeilinger
19403 Flowers Ct.
Newhall, CA 91321
Celebrating 25 Years of
God’s Blessings
Announcing the 2012 TAALC National Convention...
Stay Inspired
When: Week of June 25, 2012
Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO
Next year’s Annual TAALC National Convention will be a
celebration of the 25th anniversary of TAALC. Make plans to
attend! Each congregation is allowed one voting delegate for every
fifty confirmed members, plus the Pastor's vote. Check your copy
of the Constitution to see all the details.
If your congregation desires to propose resolutions at the
convention, begin work now. Resolutions need to be submitted
90 days prior to the convention.
Watch The Evangel and emails for further notices and updates.
November/December 2011
7
TAALC Pastors’ Conference:
Strength For The Journey
by Rev. Eric Ishimaru
Here’s the recipe: Take (40) dedicated AALC pastors, mix with inspiring worship; fold in generous doses of great teaching; turn the temperature to “high” with exhortations from our Presiding
Pastor; sprinkle with heart-warming, fun and encouraging fellowship and what do you get? The 2011
TAALC Pastors’ Conference!
As a newly-minted pastor of the AALC and relatively new to Lutheranism, I was looking forward to the Pastor’s Conference on October 10-13. With little experience outside our local parish of
Ascension, Ames, IA, this was an excellent opportunity for me to get a grip on the distinctive culture
of The AALC. To be honest, some pastors’ conferences are good—and others are a test of endurance.
I’m glad to say that this conference is hands down the BEST I’ve been to!
Not that we were at some exciting resort location—unless you consider St. Louis, MO to be
exotic! Though the accommodations were quite nice, it was the content of our conference, and the
people that made this one so special. The warmth of fellowship and the meetings of old friends and
brand-new are very special and redemptive.
For starters, our joy began with worship led by Dr. Curt Leins, assisted ably by Rev. Ray Lorthioir Jr. at the keyboard. Presiding Pastor Frank Hays brought us a challenging yet grace-filled message
from Matthew’s gospel, on the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14.) The Divine Service
culminated in Holy Communion based upon Luther’s own Formula Missae, which Luther composed
in 1523 at the insistence of many who were joining the Reformation movement. The text of the liturgy was intoned, and the conference room seemed to be an extension of heaven itself.
This of course, was just the beginning. On Tuesday, Dr. Jeffrey Pulse of Fort Wayne Seminary
took us on a whirlwind tour entitled “The Hebraic vs. Rabbinic Understanding of the Old Testament.” Now, I have been to pastor’s conferences where the teaching is basically “How to catch the
next cool ministry wave.” How refreshing, instead, to have some meaty Biblical content! Here’s a great
take-away statement: “God is married to us. He hasn’t given Himself options!”
On Wednesday, Dr. Curt Leins treated us to the wealth of his scholarship on the history of
worship—“Without the Eucharist, we cannot live.” We got a clear sense of where our Communion
service came from, and how Luther established the idea that we can be flexible in worship, based on
how best to shepherd our flocks.
The last day of our conference, we heard from Dr. C. George Fry, who spoke on “The Lutheran
Future: Community and Personality.” I came away from our session challenged and yet comforted.
Dr. Fry left us with this: “There will always be a need for Lutheran witness. On the other hand, we are
God’s frozen chosen! We’ve got to put this tradition in the microwave and HEAT IT UP!” Indeed. I
think a few of us pastors are already in the recipe.
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TAALC Pastors’ Conference:
A New Look At The Old Testament
I
by Rev. Eric Ishimaru
wish I could give you a full account of everything we learned about the Old
Testament from Dr. Jeffrey Pulse at the recent TAALC Pastors’ Conference in
St. Louis. Better yet, I wish each of you could experience Dr. Pulse “live and
in person” at some future point in your own church. Now…some of you might be a tad
skeptical! After all, a 6-hour lecture entitled “The Hebrew vs. Rabbinical Understanding
of the Old Testament” doesn’t sound like the stuff of an edge-of-your-seat conference. But
if your view of the first two-thirds of the Bible is a somewhat jumbled picture of moralizing fables, inexplicable conundrums and cartoons featuring vegetables, just hang with
me for a few moments…
For starters, have you ever wondered why Jesus and his opponents came to such
different conclusions about the interpretation of scripture (other than the fact that one
of those two was God and the other wasn’t?) According to Dr. Pulse, Jesus was a true
Hebrew, who saw all of scripture in terms of relationship with God (in fact, the people
of Israel were in a marriage covenant with the Almighty), while the Pharisees approached
the Book as legislation and argued as a form of entertainment (after all, sports bars hadn’t
been invented yet, as Dr. Pulse pointed out.)
Dr. Jeffrey Pulse
Carrying through on this analogy of the marriage covenant between God and his people was Dr. Pulse’s treatment of Hosea, the prophet whose message was embodied in his own marriage to an adulterous woman.
In this connection, even though God’s people are unfaithful, yet God remains ever faithful- He is, after all, the perfect husband.
As Dr. Pulse says, “God hasn’t given Himself options! God has bound Himself to us (in a marriage covenant)!” In this way, the
Old Testament “comes alive” for us anew, and provides a bridge to our understanding of the New Testament Jesus established for
us in the Last Supper. But Dr. Pulse was just getting warmed up…
One of the blessings of grappling with the Old Testament is that we can begin to grasp the rich tapestry of themes which
weave throughout God’s Word. Take, for instance, what Dr. Pulse refers to as “the Garment Motif.” It starts in Genesis with
Adam and Eve discovering and hiding their nakedness (after the fig-leaves, God provides animal skins), traces through Noah and
Jacob, camps upon Joseph (remember the fine “coat” or tunic?), winds its way through the linen garment of the High Priest, right
on down to the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ garment. It finds its destination in Revelation 7, with the white garments of the
redeemed around the Lamb’s throne. Each instance of the motif speaks of deceit, cover-up and death, but points to the ultimate
clothing of righteousness.
Here’s one you can work out for yourselves…see if you can find all the times, prior to Jesus’ mother Mary, when God miraculously filled an empty womb. OK, start your search engines! (All right, you get a free pass on one of the more obscure instancesManoah’s wife!) Did you know that every one of those empty wombs points to THE empty womb of Mary, and to the miracle of
Jesus, Son of God? That’s a good example of Hebrew scripture reading: The message of the Word spirals around itself, repeating
the same motifs with ever-increasing crescendos, until it culminates with the promises of God fulfilled. This is part of the “Grand
Narrative” of God’s Word—and it truly is
grand, when we begin to grasp the scope and
unity of it all.
In The AALC, we are fortunate to have
pastors devoted to preaching and teaching God’s
Word. Whether or not your pastor was at the
recent conference, you can encourage him and
help build your faith and that of your church
by asking for and seeking a deeper, more Hebraic understanding of Holy Scriptures—the
praise and glory of God.
November/December 2011
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The Sacrament of the Altar
by Rev. Jon Kibler-McCabe
A
t The AALC Pastor’s Retreat in St. Louis this year,
Dr. Curtis Leins presented
a history and current status of the Sacrament of the Altar (also called Holy
Communion, the Lord’s Supper, or the
Eucharist and used interchangeably). His
hope was that we Lutherans appreciate
the rich heritage that is ours in receiving
the Lord’s Supper. This rich heritage has
been reflected throughout the history of
the Church’s celebration of the Eucharist, beginning with the Jewish idea of
remembrance of all that God had done for his people, and
continuing into the present day, with our own remembrance
of all that God has done for us in Christ.
Introduction: “Without the Eucharist,
We Cannot Live”
During the age of persecution under the Roman Empire
in the 4th century, a group of forty-nine Christians in North
Africa had been arrested for illegally continuing to meet together to celebrate Holy Communion. Emeritus, a persecuted
Christian spoke to the Roman judge who demanded to know
why they had chosen to disobey the command to worship the
Emperor. Their response was, “without the Eucharist, we cannot live.” As modern day Christians, we too cannot live without the Eucharist. Therefore, it is important for us to examine
the ultimate roots and evolution of the celebration of Holy
Communion, in order to bring greater meaning and renewal
to our own observance of the Eucharist.
The Jewish Antecedents
The Jewish antecedents of Holy Communion lie in the
celebration of Passover. The first of these is the Birkat HaMazon (Blessing of Grace), an offering of thanks to God for
his blessings upon his people, particularly their redemption
from slavery, their inheritance of the land of Israel, and the
establishment of the Temple in Jerusalem. The second is that
of Zikkaron (remembrance) since Jews were commanded to
remember all that had been done for them, especially the exodus and their entry into the Promised Land. The Haggadah
(liturgy for the Passover meal) included a prayer asking God to
remember his people for the sake of the patriarchs and coming Messiah, foreshadowing later Christian tradition. When
Christ celebrated Passover with his disciples the night when he
was betrayed, he instituted the Sacrament of the Altar.
The Apostolic and Church Tradition
For Christians, Passover gave way to the celebration of
the Lord’s Supper. As Christians faithfully continued that
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practice during the sub-Apostolic
era, they brought new developments. Thus, it evolved into a more
elaborate rite of remembrance,
including what we know today as
the Eucharistic Prayer, or Prayer of
Thanksgiving. The Didache, one of
the earliest Christian liturgies, laid
the groundwork for teaching both
the purpose and celebration of
Holy Communion. The Apostolic
tradition, which developed from
the Didache, formalized the idea of
Communion as being a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice,
as well as a partaking of His true Body and Blood. Further
developments were made by later Church Fathers, particularly Basil of Caesarea in the fourth century, preserving the
idea of remembrance of what Christ had done for salvation,
and adding additional prayers imploring God to remember all the faithful. In this way, the Church retained some
of the Jewish antecedents. As time went on, the Western
(Roman) Catholic tradition formulated an understanding
of the Mass as being a re-sacrificing of Christ’s Body and
Blood by the priest.
The Lutheran Reformation
Early in the 16th century Martin Luther sought to
reform the celebration of the Mass by returning it to its
original form and purpose, namely, the Apostolic model
of remembrance of God’s saving action in Christ. He,
therefore, removed many parts of the Eucharistic Prayer
he found offensive, for example, the language of priestly sacrifice, and prayers for salvation for both the living
and the dead. In his Formula Missa et Communionis of
1523, Luther maintained a delicate balance: he sought to
change as little as possible of the structure and ritual of
the Mass for the sake of piety, but to change the theology behind it, particularly as expressed in the Eucharistic
Prayer. In other words, while the form and shape of the
Mass remained largely the same, much of the content was
changed to reflect a proper understanding of the purpose
of the Eucharist. Significantly Luther’s recommendations
for the celebration of the Eucharist were never meant to be
prescriptive; rather, freedom was to be allowed in certain
customs. Luther also emphasized that in the Eucharist,
Christ was giving His true Body and Blood in the bread
and wine, with us receiving it, rather than us offering the
Body and Blood by performing a sacrifice. For Luther, the
distinction between performing and receiving the sacrifice
of Christ’s body and blood was crucial to understanding
the true purpose of Holy Communion.
Christ’s body and blood was sacrificed, offered
once and for all time (Hebrews 9:11-12, 26-28),
rather than continually, newly offered and sacrificed
by the priest. Thus we properly remember the sacrifice of Christ which He performed once and for all
for the forgiveness of sins.
Contemporary Lutheran Theology
Dr. Leins presented contemporary Lutheran
theologians who are representative of the various
strains of mainstream Lutheranism, which have
influenced our own heritage. Robert Jenson, Gordon Lathrop, and Frank Senn represent various
viewpoints from the Lutheran Church in America,
while Oliver Olson and Gerhard Forde were from
the American Lutheran Church. These differences
have primarily to do with the overall shape of the
rite of the Eucharist, and how these reflect what our
proper understanding of the Eucharist ought to be.
These have also included debates over what term to
use for the Sacrament; whether or not to reduce the
consecration of the elements to the simple Words of
Institution; whether or not to include a Eucharistic
Prayer; and, in general, how much outward ritual is
to be involved in celebrating the Eucharist. In The
AALC, while our congregations use different styles
and liturgical elements in celebrating the Sacrament,
our theology still remains the same, particularly in
our Confessional understanding of what Holy Communion means. Thus though the particular liturgical style may be diverse in our congregations, we are
still united as one church in our celebration of Holy
Communion.
Conclusions
What are our hopes for our continued celebration of the Eucharist? First, as we celebrate Holy
Communion, we will remember this extraordinary
gift, and celebrate it reverently. Second, we will redouble our commitment to teaching people about
that which we receive, as we Lutherans have a unique
understanding of the doctrine and practice of Holy
Communion. While the rite of Holy Communion
has its roots in Jewish origins, it has been revitalized
by the words of Christ. These words of Christ give
a new purpose to the original meal, as we both remember His sacrifice and receive His true body and
blood. Finally, the ultimate hope and goal is that our
own celebration of Holy Communion become more
meaningful as we continue to remember all that God
has done for us in Christ.
Expanding Evangelism &
Missions Through Discipleship
(Continued from Pg.5)
When the LORD wants to communicate a message
that can be quickly received and clearly understood, He’ll use
a familiar earthly image to get our attention. Here, to inform
of His laser-like focus in defending His people, He uses the
image of a lion that “growls” over its prey.
The lion is so attentive upon its prey that no amount
of clamoring or shouting from a band of shepherds is able to
deter it from its present course of action. Why? The lion is
protecting and feeding, chewing, gnawing, savoring, growling, devouring, digesting, engaging, enjoying. Nothing will
frighten, disturb or disrupt the lion from its feast. It is focused!
This is the image of the ancient Hebrew word haggah
(growl). How the ever-practical Hebrews applied this image
to themselves is most fascinating: “Blessed is the one … whose
delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law
day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). The word “meditates” translates
the Hebrew word haggah. Consider how the poet/song writer
announces the blessing upon those in the Faith-community
who practice haggah.
This is not the practice of meditation popular in our
culture—emptying your mind so you can be open to the moment. This is the practice of meditation essential to Christian
maturity—filling and overflowing the mind with the Word
so that we are able to chew it, savor it, discuss it and apply
The Way into daily living.
The realistic and sensible Hebrews also focused their attentiveness and meditative efforts on the works and deeds
of the LORD, singing: “I will meditate (haggah) on all your
works and consider all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:12).
Just as the lion luxuriates over its prey, so we are to approach the Word/Work of God. This is what my friend and
I had done, being transformed by the process. We have had
success guiding the same journey for larger groups of disciples, marveling at the evangelistic outreach and missional
lives of those who haggah the Life of the Savior, being renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator (Colossians
3:20).
Prayer:
Lord Spirit, grow us to be people who read, mark, learn
and inwardly digest Your Word. Guide us daily as we haggah with others, practicing meditation under Your guidance
and living a life expressive of the Way of Christ. Give us what
we need and move us to give away what we have received.
Amen.
November/December 2011
11
The Future of Lutheranism
by Pastor Dean Stoner
T
he annual Fall Pastor’s Retreat for The American
Association of Lutheran Churches (TAALC) was
held this past October in St. Louis, MO. One of
our speakers for this year’s event was Dr. C. George Fry, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Church History and Biblical
Studies, WTS, who once taught church history at Concordia
Seminary in Ft. Wayne. Dr. Fry is an author of many books,
including The Way, the Truth, and the Life: An Introduction to
Lutheran Christianity and Islam, A Survey of the Muslim Faith,
along with numerous articles in the Lutheran Quarterly and
other publications.
Challenge of Age and Diversity
Dr. Fry shared with us his thoughts of the future of Lutheranism in America, first pointing out the many challenges
that face the Lutheran church presently. Citing a recent study,
he noted that currently over one third of church membership
within mainline church communities, including the Lutheran
Church, is over the age of 65. In 20 years, this “third” of our
congregations will be gone. Coupled with this is the reality
that a great majority of younger people either are not attending church at all, or have chosen to move over to an evangelical mega-church, the result of a church model that accommodates today’s churchgoer with many amenities. According to
Dr. Fry, such facts should be a “wake-up call” for the Lutheran
church, and must be addressed if Lutheranism is to survive in
this country.
As the Professor reiterates, changes must be made in the
church, and surprisingly the answers to today’s problems may
lie with our own rich history and eclectic past, as we can learn
from our Lutheran heritage. Up until the 1920’s, the Lutheran church in America was an ethnic church, incorporating a
wide diversity of ethnicities and nationalities across the board.
Prior to the turn of the 20th century, the Lutheran church was
multi-national, and proud to be a “church of immigrants.”
Liturgies then were spoken in many languages, from German
to Norwegian. Today the church has become more one-dimensional in ethnicity, a result of the end of 18th and 19th
century immigration from Europe and the integration of the
populace. No longer do we embrace that which is different
within the church, but rather insist that everything be the
same—to our demise, according to Dr. Fry. It is interesting to
note that today a new immigration is being seen in America,
as now the fastest growing churches in our country are those
within the Hispanic communities. As a result, Lutheranism
in this country should expand its attention on re-vitalizing its
ethnic diversity, giving thought to how to introduce itself to
the growing Hispanic and other ethnic communities.
Challenge of Inter-generational Congregations
Another challenge for Lutheranism in America in the
21st century is in understanding and appreciation of the intergenerational congregations, those having a balance of all ages.
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Certainly the early Christian community was inclusive of all
generations, and throughout the years Lutheranism flourished from a high birth rate from its members. But that has
now changed. Today, due to smaller families, Lutheranism
struggles with the “cradle to grave” understanding we once
embraced. That’s just not reality anymore. So the Lutheran
church struggles in relating, incorporating, or keeping the
younger generations within the community. We’ve lost our
focus, thinking that the old ways will continue to work. As
Fry states, “We prefer property to progeny!” So the challenge
is to reach 5 or 6 different generations simultaneously, all
with different and varying needs! Under this discussion of
the inter-generational church lies the mega-church model
we find so prevalent at the present time. Although the megachurch accounts for only 2% to 3% of church population in
this country, its growth is impressive. Lutheranism can learn
from this concept or church model, as, according to Dr. Fry,
“they are doing something right.” The mega-church has accessibility, visibility, attractive campuses, and all the amenities such as good parking, multi-media worship, and even a
welcome center to attract people. And although such things
are not necessarily needed in the church, the 21st century
churchgoer often expects them. This key point is critical to
understand. Can we adapt to the expectations of prospective church members without losing either our identity or
heritage as Lutherans?
Sacraments in Lutheranism
Although not discussed, perhaps the greatest challenge
to Lutheranism in America these days concerns the Sacraments. Since the theme of this year’s Pastor’s conference was
“From Text to Table,” our corporate focus as pastors was to
better understand the history of the Eucharist, (as presented by Dr. Curtis Leins). As a church body The AALC, of
course, holds the Sacraments in high esteem, believing in the
real presence of Christ’s body and blood and the forgiveness
of sins in the Holy Supper, as stated in the Church’s Confessions. But is that position held throughout Lutheranism
today? Little by little I fear the importance and a proper understanding of the Sacraments is eroding away by a watering
down of Lutheran doctrine through ecumenical inclinations,
a willingness to walk away from our Confessions as they are
written, and an unwillingness (unintentional?) to properly
instruct to our people how the Sacraments apply in our lives
as that which is instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Traditionally, we Lutherans hold to a position consistent with the first century Christians regarding the Sacraments, and as such, have a responsibility to present this right
perspective to the church catholic. Perhaps in doing so, i.e.
holding the Eucharist in its proper place, we will find that
which brings longevity and revitalization to our church. For
without the Eucharist, we cannot live.
November/December 2011
13
Women of L.I.F.E.
Lutherans In Fellowship and Evangelism
Advent: “The Time is Near”
One wonders if young Mary, great with child, thought
“the time is near” as she rode sidesaddle on a donkey to Bethlehem to register for taxation. Riding through sand and over
rocky paths, each weary step of the way, each bump, each long
minute might have made her question, “Is the time near, O
Lord?” Would she have been thinking of the promise that was
foretold by Elijah who had announced the advent of the Son
of God, the Savior of all mankind? Was she anticipating God
(her Son) now being more present among His people in a
more wonderful way? Would she have kept a quiet heart during that long and very uncomfortable ride to birth the Promised Savior? She knew that nothing else would do because the
angel Gabriel told her what was to happen and Gabriel said,
“For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) And
then Mary said (vs. 38), “Behold, I am the maidservant of the
Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She had a quiet
heart, for the time was near.
In the book Keep a Quiet Heart, Elizabeth Elliot wrote
this prayer poem: “Lord give me a quiet heart—That does
not ask to understand, But confident steps forward in—The
darkness guided by Thy hand.” The author says that was, and
is, her heart’s desire, and we can believe that Mary must have
been praying a similar prayer. Mary was humble before the
Lord and was ready for faithful and obedient service. Elizabeth Elliot too desires a willing acceptance of all that God assigns, a willing surrender of all that she is…receiving the gift
of a quiet heart…especially during the times when she trusts
and obeys God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, also had that trust
and obedience. She knew the difficulty of the circumstances
of her pregnancy but she “kept a quiet heart.” Beyond the
hardship of being pregnant and the long journey to Bethlehem, she was obedient to God, becoming His humble servant
because she believed and trusted “that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:45)
Yes, Mary, the mother of the Savior of the world KNEW the
time was near.
Let us, too, pray for “a quiet heart” as we prepare for the
Advent of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The Time IS Near. Just as Mary willingly said she was
the servant of the Lord, we too need to become servants to
God’s people. Because every true follower of Christ, believers
in Christ MUST serve others. (John 13:1-17)
As you prepare for the coming birth of the Christ child,
please remember to thank the Lord for your blessings. We are
thankful for His servant, Laurie Dapelo, author of the 2011
Bible Study Extreme Makeover—God Edition. We have been
blessed by and learned so much from this study and now we
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The Evangel
know we are always “under construction.” Well done, Laurie,
good and faithful servant! We
are looking forward to the 2012
Women of L.I.F.E. Bible Study,
written by Mrs. Kathy Awtrey,
Deaconess. The study is titled No
More Excuses. We are so grateful
for Kathy’s willingness to author
this Bible Study and accepting
the call to be a servant of the
Lord in this way. If you have not
placed your order for the Bible Study and Leader’s Guide, you
can still do so. Make your checks payable to:
Women of L.I.F.E.
c/o Bonnie Kay Ohlrich
Materials Resource Coordinator
9652 County Road U
Liberty Center, OH 43532.
Work phone: 260-452-3213.
Home phone: 419-533-5661.
Thank you for your continued prayers for the WOL
Commission. Thank you also for the monetary gifts you have
sent for the WOL Budget. Praying for us and the $15,000
budget is such a blessing to many. If you would like to contribute, please send your gifts to Marsha Benson, Treasurer.
Checks should be made out to Women of L.I.F.E.
Marsha Benson
1714 6th St. W.,
Williston, ND 58801-4512.
Glory to God!
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24,25)
Your servants in Christ,
Co-Chairs,
Kathy Buhr and Loree Bieker
Evangelism Commission
by Brigitte Gassman, Evangelism Commission
In the last Evangel, we started a series on Evangelism from a Lutheran perspective. We noticed that immediately after the
reformation, Evangelism was hindered by the strict segregation of Roman Catholics and Lutherans. While this segregation did
not continue long term, it did set the pattern of limited outreach within Europe.
However, things were different when the US was being settled—especially if we look at Lutheran outreaches and missionary work during the settlement of Northern Europeans in certain areas of the US in the last half of the 19th century.
Pastors were sent from St. Chrischona, Switzerland, and from Neuendettelsau, Germany, and synods were willing to merge in
order to better to reach out to the immigrant population.
Larry A. Peters, in “Lutherans and Evangelism: Have We Lost our Voice?” reports that the Lutheran Church was growing so much in the 1950s that Time Magazine projected if the trend continued everyone in the USA would be Lutheran by
2000. This seems to have been due to biological church growth, i.e. Lutherans had large families. As population demographics
changed, Lutherans lost their influence. Lutheran Churches tried to make up for that loss by assigning committees and trying
to adopt Evangelistic outreach approaches from non-sacramental churches, which stressed being born again. This has not been
successful. Today, an internet search about evangelism in the present day Lutheran Church yields extremely limited results.
So let’s once again go back to Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” These are the last words and testament of
our Lord.
Here, Jesus calls us to be witnesses. A witness does not come up with his own story, but rather gives an account as accurately as possible of what he has experienced. So when Christ calls us to be witnesses, He calls us to share what we know about
Him—the facts and what we have experienced with Him—our personal experience—sometimes we call that our personal
testimony. As we witness to people we have to be sensitive to what they need. Some people need to have a lot of facts, while
sometimes it is more important to share what has happened to us. How did God work in our life?
If we look at Acts 2, we see what happened when the Apostles started sharing about the Lord:
• Peter builds a case from Scripture; incidentally he didn’t need to get out the scrolls stored in the synagogue or
temple because he knew the Scriptural references.
• Peter makes the connection to the current events.
• People come to repentance.
Often today, when we think about witnessing, we talk about people being “Born Again.” However, Jesus only talked
about being born again once, when He talked to Nicodemus. So what did Jesus focus on when He brought the good news?
Jesus talked about bringing the Kingdom of God. For example, in Mathew 6:33 He says: “But seek first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for the Kingdom of God to come. The explanation to the second petition
of the Lord’s Prayer in the Small Catechism states: “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit,
so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” So as we pray for God’s
Kingdom to come, we are actually praying for God’s grace to work in people’s lives and bring them to faith—we are praying
an evangelistic prayer.
November/December 2011
15
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The Evangel — Issue 159
November/December 2011
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