Devotion

Reformation 2007

October 31, 2007 marks the 490^th anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg—an act that now is considered the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation.

One of the truths emphasized by Luther and the other reformers, and which we emphasize still today, is “Scripture alone!” The Bible is to be our sole guide in matters of our faith and practice. This truth was certainly not original with Luther. Rather, he looked back to the days of the apostles and the early church.

If you and I were to have an opportunity to speak with the apostle Paul today, what might he have to say to us? While in some ways our world today is very different than it was in Paul’s day, especially in the areas of technology and transportation, yet, in many other ways, it is very much the same. People are still people. They still make mistakes and commit sins. They still face a great many sorrows and are confronted by any number of fears. Nations still distrust nations and go to war to protect their interests. Death still remains very much a part of life, and the same questions concerning life beyond death haunt the minds of men and women who do not yet know the Lord. Consequently, I would imagine that the apostle might share with us the very same words he shared with Timothy. Paul urged Timothy to “continue in the things which (he) had learned”—the truths of God, which were able both to save and equip him. Those same words are able to save and equip us!

Paul says, “Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them...from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Timothy had known Paul and depended upon his advice and guidance for many years, but within a short time Paul would no longer be there, for he was in prison and soon to be martyred. To whom or to what should Timothy refer in the future when he needed guidance? Paul told him to continue in, that is, hold onto that which he had learned from his study of the Bible and the instruction he had received.

Timothy was raised by two God-fearing women—his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. They had instructed him in the commands and promises of God’s Old Testament Scriptures. Timothy had been instructed further through the preaching of the apostle when Paul identified Jesus as fulfilling those Old Testament promises. The Holy Spirit had created faith in Timothy’s heart through the Word his faithful mother and grandmother had shared with him as a child and had informed and strengthened that faith through the preaching of the Gospel by Paul. The message Timothy received was the means the Holy Spirit used to save him—to bring him out of the darkness of sin and into the light of God’s grace and kingdom! Yes, from little on he had known that he could not be perfect as God’s law demanded and that in view of his sins he deserved God’s eternal judgment. But, from little on he had also learned of God’s grace and mercy to be revealed by a promised Savior. Paul brought news of that Savior—Jesus Christ—who had lived for Timothy and died for Timothy, so that he, Timothy, might have hope in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.

The same thing can be said of us today. Many of us had faithful parents and grandparents, who nurtured us with the words of God found in the Bible. We will be, are presently, or have been instructed by faithful ministers of the Word, so that the faith the Holy Spirit created in our young hearts is informed and strengthened. God would have us continue in that Word, for that Word saves!

That Word also equips us! Paul explains why God’s word is so important and powerful when he says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is inspired by God—that is, God breathed the thoughts and words into the minds of its writers, so that we can be confident as we read it today that it reveals the very thoughts and words of God Himself! Why is this important? It is important, because God wants us to be able to live our lives with confidence and we can only do that if we are certain that what we believe is true. Why is this so important today? It is important today because the world would have us believe that all religious beliefs are merely personal opinions and valid only for those who hold them. Consequently, the world claims that religious truth is not truth, but rather merely a reflection of personal values—values which are useful for guiding an individual in his or her life, but which cannot be applied in any absolute sense to society in general. This simply is not true. Oh, yes, the Word of God establishes a core set of values which if treasured enrich our lives, but the Word of God also establishes absolute truth—a moral standard of right and wrong, the proper identification of the true God, and the accurate understanding of the human condition and God’s plan of remedy. Consequently, God’s Word certainly saves, but in addition it equips us to fulfill everything that God would have us do!

This is what Paul means then when he says the Bible “is profitable for doctrine.” It reveals God’s nature to be triune—made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It shows how God has chosen to work through the Means of Grace—the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. It confronts us with the awful fact that we are all by nature dead in trespasses and sins and therefore unable to save ourselves, but then it proclaims the joyous truth that God has loved us in Christ and delivered us from sin, death, and Satan through Jesus’ redemptive work.

That same Word is then “profitable…for reproof (and), for correction.” We are at times misled by the world around us and the Old Adam within us. We misuse God’s name; we drink too much; we allow improper books, magazines, or videos to excite our lust; we take things that are not ours; we allow our anger to move us to hurt and harm others by our words or actions; we rebel against our parents or other authority. In such situations, God’s Word reproves us and corrects us. This is not easy for our human pride, but necessary for genuine repentance!

The Word of God “is profitable…for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Are you uncertain about what you should do in a given situation, or what you should say to a certain person, or what God expects of you as you make decisions that will affect your life and the lives of others? Turn to the Word. God promises that if you apply that Word faithfully in your lives you will be equipped to do everything that God expects of you, and in honoring God by keeping His words you will find blessing! The psalmist says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Yes, the word of God equips!

As we contemplate the meaning of the Reformation, let us listen to Paul’s advice and follow in Luther’s example by continuing in the things we have learned from God’s word. Great blessings will then result for each of us!

Soli Dei Gloria!

(To God alone be the glory!)

— Pastor Paul D. Nolting

Christian Education

The Wisdom of the Little Things

(continued)

The wisdom of those who make their homes in the rocks

“The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make their houses in the rocks.” [v.26]

This cunning little creature may have a strange name, but we have all seen and know relatives of his. For the cony is a small, rabbit-like animal. So wise is he that he is rarely seen except in the early morning and late evening, when he ventures forth to feed. He is timid because he is defenseless. He does not even have the large ears of our rabbit to warn him early against the approach of danger. Without weapons, without strength, the cony could not survive—but for the remarkable fact that he begins life in the rocks and stays there. In the valley of the Jordan River, where the Lord has heaped for him a little world of stones, there he lives. Among the endless caverns and crevices of deep rocky ledges no beast of prey can follow him, no storm or rain can touch him. He is just a little animal; but he knows enough to clothe his weakness with the strength of the rocks.

Are not our children like the conies? Against their greatest enemies they are born into this world defenseless. They have no strength for good because they are born in sin. They have no part with God, for they are born of the flesh. They would never have a chance except that quickly after birth we bring them to the Rock, out of which a fountain flows, the healing stream of Baptism. We bring our children to their Savior. Here, and here alone, there is security for them in the wounds of His hands, feet, and side. When our children burrow in them, like timid conies, they are surrounded by the strength of the impregnable Christ.

But children do not learn so quickly the pathways and hiding places of the Savior-fortress. For years they must be led into the deep places of His love, they must memorize the cool reaches where the promises lie and roads that quickly lead there. How terrible to know the Rock and not know how to use it. Therefore we maintain our Christian schools, where our conies learn the mysteries and wonder of the God who is their Refuge and Strength. It is the wisdom of the little things.

In the same country where the conies live, they know the meaning of the word locust. When the sky grows black and the rustling of a billion wings grows like a storm over the land, then the locusts have come and nothing can resist them. But are they not stupid, ravenous beasts that no one cares to see?

The wisdom of those who hold together

“The locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks.” [v.27]

Yes, locusts are stupid, ravenous creatures whom no one cares to see. One locust is nothing, or three, or four. We will crush them with our feet. But the locusts know that too. They may be stupid, but not so stupid. They may be weak, but they have terrible wisdom. Without a king to give them orders, they band together. The strength, the power that they have in their countless multitudes is irresistible. No machine of man can stop them. Nothing.

And your children? Well, when they grow up, if they grow up as you wish, as children of God, the world will think them stupid and the world will not care to see them. No matter how it appears, actually the world never loves a Christian, because a Christian cannot love the world. The love of the Father is in him. Any Christian, single and alone, is an object of persecution and attach. Alone, his faith grows weak.

Our Christian school keeps our Christian children together, under one roof, as in one family, and teaches the value of true fellowship. Satan loves nothing better than to get a Christian child alone, away from the influence and encouragement and watchful eyes of his fellow Christians. We know that. We mark the flight of the locust and see how easily he mows down a field of oats in a day because he stays in bands. It is the wisdom of the little things.

But it should not be supposed that the strength of weakness lies merely in numbers. Our children cannot always remain together in bands. They must learn to stand alone and yet survive. Therefore our text kindly urges us to consider the wisdom of yet another of the little things.

The wisdom of those who take hold with strong hands

“The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces.” [v.28]

The ease with which a spider can be crushed, a spider who travels alone and is so ugly that no one likes him, is well-known. Housewives go after him with brooms and mops and make a shambles of his home. But we are reminded that, somehow, the spider manages to live even in kings’ palaces, where cleaning servants are too numerous to mention. The spider’s secret lies in the strength of his hands with which he pulls himself up into the darkness of the ceiling beams and weaves swiftly a web of tiny strands. No one else can touch those strands without tangling them up hopelessly; but it is the spider’s skill that he can make of them a home and refuge in the most exalted places on earth.

So let it be with our children. Weak and frail though they are, they have been given strong hands of faith. Believing in their Lord, baptized into His name, they may take the Truth that we teach them and with its thousand silvery strands weave and spin themselves tightly and securely to the rafters of the Father’s House. Our Christian schools are designed so to provide the doctrines of the Word of God and so to educate the fingers and hands of faith that, when the days of schooling are over, the children have not only acquired the necessary skills for life on earth, but have at the same time spun for themselves a secure spiritual way of life which can serve them in whatever earthly calling God places them. As this is the only true goal of education, so it is the object and purpose of our Christian schools. May they serve it ever and well and may their number increase as our Christian people take stock of themselves and the world in which they live, and learn the lesson of survival, the wisdom of the little things.

—From the Archive
Pastor Egbert Schaller
Graduation Address
May 1955

College Visitors’ Day

Friday, November 9

Immanuel Lutheran College’s (Eau Claire, WI) annual Visitors’ Day is an opportunity to tour the campus and learn more about the college—your college. Immanuel Lutheran College is your college whether you’ve attended there or not or ever will. It is our college because it is part of our joint ministry with our fellow congregations in the Church of the Lutheran Confession.

Visitors’ Day is especially intended for Juniors and Seniors in high school, but anyone may attend. If you would like more information please contact one of the pastors.

Visitors’ Day ends about 3:00 p.m., but later that evening…

The Immanuel Lutheran College Theater Guild Presents:

Little Women

November 9 & 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Parenting with Christ

November 3, 2007
9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

A day of presentation, discussion, fellowship, encouragement, and growth as we seek to fulfill our calling as parents of the souls entrusted to our care.

Schedule

Attendance Details

Location:

Immanuel Lutheran Church
Mankato, MN

Cost:

$10.00/individual ~ $15.00/couple.
Pay in advance or on the day.

Childcare:

Available with free-will donation

Registration:

Please indicate your attendance with the form below by October 31st.

Leave your registration at the church office, or mail to Immanuel Lutheran Church, 421 North Second Street, Mankato, MN 56001, or email Pastor Wayne Eichstadt.

Midweek Advent Services

This year’s midweek Advent services will feature the Biblical texts and music of George Frederic Handel’s masterful musical piece—Messiah. Each service will begin with a reading of texts taken from the piece followed by the Immanuel Church Choir singing one of the chorus selections. The sermon each week will be based upon the texts underlying those chorus selections and serve as a review of the key Old Testament prophecies of the coming Savior. Please plan on joining us for these evening opportunities to worship our God and grow in His grace!

The ILS Scholastic Book Fair is just around Corner.

Please join us!

A book fair is an event that enables students and their families to purchase quality books at reasonable prices. These purchases help our school accumulate funds to purchase classroom books and educational materials. Last year we were able to purchase over $1200 of materials for our school.

Boundary Waters Adventure 2008

August 2-8

$340.00/participant — includes all of the guide services, food, lodging, trail equipment (with the exception of necessary clothing), and transportation from base camp to and from Boundary Waters entry points. An initial payment of $125.00 secures your slot and must be received on or before February 15, 2008. Full information packets are available in the church narthex.

Washington Park

About 45 concerned citizens living in the Washington Park area met in Immanuel’s gymnasium on October 19 to begin a discussion about forming a neighborhood association. It was very apparent that our neighbors share our concerns for the safety and welfare of the neighborhood. These concerns include crime and the need for parking. A city representative addressed those in attendance, explaining how a neighborhood association is organized and works and why such an organization can prove very effective in dealing with problems that arise within the neighborhood. A number of other such organizations have already been organized in Mankato. The general feeling of those present was that a neighborhood association would be a good idea. The use of Immanuel’s facilities was offered as a location for future meetings.

Coming in 2008...

Drug Proof Your Kids