The North Dakota District

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem…

What makes one wise in the world depends on who it is who is calling one wise. For instance, a football coach who calls good plays may be called wise. A rocket scientist with advanced degrees in math may be called wise. But what makes one wise by God’s standards? St. Paul writes to young Pastor Timothy and says, “And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Epiphany means “to make known.” Jesus makes himself known as God in the flesh who came to save the world from sin, death, and the devil. Today Jesus “makes himself known” in His Word, the Holy Scriptures. God grows wisdom in the Christian as he/she is in the Word, as the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to him/her.

Wisdom makes itself shown in us as we daily live the Ten Commandments. Wisdom shows itself in the Christian who knows Christ in his/her love for God and neighbor. This includes how we act, how we treat others, the decisions we make in life, the words we choose to use, how we behave at a voter’s meeting, or how we treat our pastor.

They said, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

One might say we don’t need to “seek” Jesus because He was never lost, however Christians do seek Jesus in the sense that they come to worship, they go to the Scriptures, and they walk up to the Lord’s Supper. And why do we seek Him? We seek him for the same reason the Wise Men of Matthew 2 sought him; to worship Him.

St. Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Certainly we worship God on each Lord’s Day as we come together around Word and Sacrament. But according to St. Paul, our entire life is a life of worship, as in each and every vocation Christ lives in us, and we worship God in all that we say and do and think.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him…Then, Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.”

There are many Herods in the world. The church no longer influences society and the world as it has for so many centuries. Christianity is under new and rigorous attack from all sides: atheists, political groups, extreme Islam, Hollywood, Secularists, Evolutionists, and more. Christianity is mocked, ridiculed, prosecuted, and persecuted.

Remember – Jesus makes Himself known as true God. St. John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word with God and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

It doesn’t matter how unpopular Christianity is or how severely persecuted we are – Christ is God and He is Truth. St. John records the words of Jesus for our benefit, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” This freedom is the freedom from eternal hell and the everlasting bonds of sin and death. The Jesus we worship and confess is the One True God who delivers us unto eternal life through His death and resurrection. In spite of the Herods in the world, we continue to seek Jesus, and we continue to worship Him.

And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Myrrh is for the anointing of a prophet. Frankincense is for the priest to burn during time of prayer. Gold is for a king. The gifts of the Wise Men were gifts for a prophet, a priest, and a king – all wrapped up in swaddling cloths in the arms of His mother Mary.

Our gifts to God, like that of the Wise Men, are also gifts for the True God who is prophet, priest, and king. The Wise Men gave gifts to the same Jesus we do today – only 2,000 years later. Jesus is worthy of our tithes and firstfruits, our monetary offerings and our offering of life and good works. There is nothing worth holding back or keeping selfishly for ourselves in comparison in giving our gifts to the Triune God.

The Wise Men followed a star; a great light. Epiphany is the season of light, as the Light of the World has come to illumine our dark lives of sin and death. Our lives are dark no more – Jesus comes to shine His grace, His Life, His death and resurrection up us.

O Christian, you are a child of the holy Epiphany! You are a child of the God who “makes Himself known” in the person of Jesus Christ. Indeed, “Now you are the people of God!”

He undertakes a great exchange,
Puts on a human frame,
And in return gives us His realm,
His glory, and His name,
His glory, and His name.
(LSB #389;4)

Wow! The words of the above hymn stanza are cosmic! Could this be true? Is this what really happens between God and His people? Is this what Christianity is really all about? Is this what Christmas is all about? It is indeed! It is about the Blessed, great, and joyous exchange.

Consider the words of St. Paul in Galatians 4, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” This Christmas text from St. Paul tells us of God, fully God, coming from heaven, and taking on human flesh and blood.

Why would God do such a thing? We must go back to Eden for the answer. God created Adam and Eve in His own image. Adam was pure and holy, sinless and righteous in the sight of God. Genesis 3, however, tells us of the awful fall of Adam and Eve into sin. Adam rebelled against God, he sinned, and was cursed to eternal death and damnation. As Adam fell into sin, so all creation. Man was cursed. Man was destroyed.

How, then, can we be saved? God comes to earth to become the perfect man, the perfect human, in our place. Divine Jesus comes to earth and puts on our human sin and death. God puts on our “human frame.” When Jesus is born of Mary in Bethlehem, and laid in a manger, here begins the great and blessed exchange.

St. Paul states in II Corinthians 5, “For our sake He made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is what Christmas is all about. This is what the Christian faith is all about; God in His deep and rich mercy and grace became our sin for us, taking our sin and hell into His own flesh to the cross.

He is a servant, I a lord:
How great a mystery!
How strong the tender Christ Child’s love!
No truer friend than He,
No truer friend than He.
(LSB #389;5)

“I a lord!” Can you fathom such a statement? Can you imagine such a truth? Can you comprehend such a reality? And yet, this is the completion of the “Great Exchange.” Christ becomes us in our sins, and we become Him in His holiness.

In his Commentary on Galatians, Luther writes, “By this fortunate exchange with us He took upon HImself our sinful person and granted us His innocent and victorious Person. Clothed and dressed in this, we are freed from the curse of the Law, because Christ Himself voluntarily became a curse for us. If I look at my own person or at that of my neighbor, the Church will never be holy. But if I look at Christ, who is the Propitiator and Cleanser of the Church, then it is completely holy; for He bore the sins of the entire world.” (Galatians 1535, p. 284-285)

Again, Luther writes in a 1526 sermon, “God pours out Christ His dear Son over us and pours Himself into us and draws us into Himself, so that He becomes completely humanified (vermenschet) and we become completely deified (gantz und gar vergottet, “Godded-through”) and everything is altogether one thing, God, Christ, and you.” [Note: we don't become a god; but God pours holy self into us].

Christmas is the great and awesome miracle of God, in that, He becomes human flesh and blood, yet remains to be totally divine and holy. The miracle continues as Jesus goes to the cross and rises from the dead, putting into us His holiness, claiming us righteous in His sight. We are now His beloved, holy, pure, and blameless bride. St. Peter echoes these words, as they are the theme of our January Convention, “Now You are the People of God!”

It is true, while we live on this earth, this side of heaven, we live with the “Old Man” and the “New Man;” the “Old Adam” and the “New Adam.” However, when we leave this veil of tears, we will shed the Old Adam once and for all, left with, and revealing what Christ has made us to be in the Blessed Exchange. Profound – yes! A mystery – yes! Glorious – yes! The absolute Gospel truth and reality – without a doubt! This, my friends, is what Christmas is all about!

Dear fellow Lutherans and all who read this: a most blessed Advent and Christmas to all of you – as we celebrate the Blessed Exchange!

Let all together praise our God
Before His glorious throne;
Today He opens heav’n again
To give us His own Son,
To give us His own Son.
(LSB #389;1)

You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they
divide the spoil.
Isaiah 9:3

For the most part, it would appear that most of the crops in North Dakota have been harvested. There is some corn, some sunflowers, and perhaps some sugar beets yet to get in. I think of the farmer at the last row of crop to be harvested, the last truckload emptied into the bin, the last time the combine is driven into the shed until use next time. I think of the farmer closing the door of the shed, his crops all in for the season, his fields all settled for winter – and he gives one big sigh of relief, accomplishment, and completion. Whether the crop was good or bad, whether the season was wet or dry – “All is safely gathered in ere the winter storms begin.”

Sitting in church on Thanksgiving Day is quite special, isn’t it. When we sing the Thanksgiving hymns, and thank God for a bountiful year, when family is home from near and far, and when food and football await later in the day – there’s a sense of “homing;” of being gathered in for the winter, of rest, and settling in until spring.

There is one Thanksgiving hymn that has always seemed a little odd and out of place; it’s not like all the rest. This hymn is “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” It’s odd because the whole hymn is not about harvest and thanksgiving for daily bread. This hymn is peculiar because it moves from the harvest of crops to the harvest of souls.

This hymn moves from this:

Come, ye thankful people come;
Raise the song of harvest home.
All be safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin;
God, our maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come;
Raise the song of harvest home.

to this:

Even so, Lord, quickly come
To Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy garner to abide;
Come with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.

What a magnificent hymn that moves the believer’s focus from daily bread to Evangelism to the Last Day. Thanksgiving does not end with First Article gifts of food and drink, house and home, and field and cattle, Thanksgiving continues by worshipping Jesus Christ, who died to take away our sins, and thereby giving us eternal life. Thanksgiving goes even further – by rejoicing that the Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”

We are short-sighted if our Thanksgiving is merely for temporal things. Our thanksgiving is for these, of course, but even more so, for things eternal. As you read or sing this hymn, think about Witness, Mercy, and Life Together. That’s exactly what this hymn is talking about:

Witness – “All the world is God’s own field;” a field ripe for harvest in which we witness the faith to those around us, and as the Holy Spirit works this faith in repentance and conversation.

Mercy – “Free from sorrow, free from sin.” How the world feels sorrow and the affects of this sinful world. We, the Church, move in with mercy, out of genuine love for our neighbor, even as the Lord opens doors for us to tell others about Jesus.

Life Together – “Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.” This the Church in her Life Together – wholesome grain living in harmony with one another and serving the Lord with one voice and one purpose.

Baptized Christians, as our state of agriculture concludes another year of planting and harvesting, we rejoice that God has planted faith in us, and harvests us for his eternal kingdom. We gather in our Churches and around our Thanksgiving table once again this year, giving thanks to God for all his bounty, especially His bounty demonstrated on the cross, Through this gift of salvation He comes to gather us to Himself, freeing us from this veil of tears, and taking us to heaven in the company of the angels. When we are gathered in safely on the Last Day, we will sigh with great relief, that the sin and sorrow is over, and the feasting of unending joy begins.

Dear friends in Christ, a blessed Thanksgiving to you and your families.

O, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good!

Some Reflections…

What a joy it is to have Rev. David Chuchu as our guest in the North Dakota District this week. Rev. Chuchu is the Projects Manager and Coordinator for Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK). (ELCK and LCMS are in altar and pulpit fellowship). Chuchu oversees the Project 24 Refuge Centers for orphans, oversees 17 ELCK deaconesses, and coordinates and manages a host of other things as well in the Church.

Rev. Chuchu was my honored guest this week as we traveled around the North Dakota District LCMS.

Tuesday, October 4

Roger Weinlader of Drayton, ND, brought Rev. Chuchu to the Pastor’s Conference in Bismarck from Lutheran Island Camp in Minnesota. Some of the Project 24 team (Roger Weinlader, Bill Sharpe, Rev. Chuchu, and me) had dinner together and talked about how Project 24 was coming along, and what needed to happen next. What an honor it was to have this brother in Christ from Kenya, Africa as a guest in my home for the next two nights. It was a joy to have table fellowship around my dining room table with David, visiting with my wife, son, and me.

Wednesday, October 5

After breakfast and morning devotions with the Banecks, Rev. Chuchu spoke at the Pastor’s Conference at the Doublewood, Bismarck. He helped explain that “Project 24″ was the buildings and furnishings, and the Program “1001 Orphans” was the supporting of the children, tuition needs, medical needs, food, etc Chuchu also stated that to build one Project 24 Rescue Center (Orphanage) was about $60,000. The Pastors were encouraged to seek a resolution at the District Convention in supporting 3 Rescue Centers between the ND and MNN Districts.

In the afternoon, Chuchu spoke to the children at Martin Luther School. It became very apparent that the worldview of a child in Kenya and that of a child in ND were completely opposite. The children innocently asked questions like: “How do you celebrate Halloween?” and ” Why are there ‘Hello Kitty’ sheets used as doors [in front of the mud huts]?” The children in Kenya are asking: “Will there be food to eat today?” and “Will my mommy die of AIDS today?” Chuchu wonderfully explained that the children of Kenya and of the United States need the love of Jesus and that God cares for all of His children very much.

Rev. Chuchu speaking to the students at Martin Luther School, thanking them for the gifts they gave to the children in Kenya.

Thursday, October 6

On Thursday morning, Chuchu and I set off for Dickinson. Along the way, we stopped at St. Peter Hannover and were warmly welcomed with coffee by Pastor Russell and Darcy Fitch, and their twin daughters. Fitch showed Chuchu around the church and they spoke some time about both Kenya and Hannover. Fitch expressed to Chuchu how his congregations were involved in “Brick by Brick” and how they had a great interest in being a partner with the Lutheran Christians in Kenya.

We then traveled to Beulah and visited Rev. Toby Heller. Chuchu and Heller had a great conversation, as Heller expressed Concordia’s passion and desire to extend their love and gifts to the people of Kenya. Heller was told that Chuchu was being treated to a UND Hockey game on Saturday, to which Heller gave Chuchu a UND hockey puck. Chuchu was able to talk to Pastor Heller about some Kenyan pastors who were unable to afford their children’s public school tuition, and how their children were not able to attend school. Chuchu said the tuition fee was $300 per year, and he was looking for a way to help these pastors who often do their work with little pay.

I then had the privilege of taking Rev. Chuchu to Medora and the Bad Lands. We drove the loop through Roosevelt National Park. Chuchu experienced a buffalo right next to his car window, a pheasant, prairie dogs, mule deer, and turkeys. He took many pictures. After I took his picture up on Wind Canyon, Chuchu stated that he was going to email that picture back to Kenya that very night to his wife. He thanked me many times for taking him there, and expressed how beautiful the land was. He also stated many times how beautiful the farm land was throughout North Dakota. God has truly gifted us with rich land to grow crops and a land with such beauty.

After we left Medora, we headed to Redeemer, Dickinson. Of course, we had to stop at the Dairy Queen in Belfield for a Blizzard first. The people at Redeemer was such gracious hosts! After a delicious potluck meal, Chuchu presented his powerpoint presentation to the people, followed by Q&A. Redeemer also was participating in “Brick by Brick” for which Chuchu commented and thank them. The people at Redeemer were impressed with Chuchu’s video clip of the Kenyan children reciting Luther’s Small Catechism, The Ten Commandments, with such precision and great joy. This was a part of ELCK’s Saturday Morning Bible School.” I will be working on getting some of the video clips on our District Website in the near future.

Friday, October 7

I am writing this on Thursday evening, however tomorrow Rev. Chuchu and I will go to Minot, where Chuchu will join the people of Minot at St. Paul’s for dinner, followed by Chuchu’s presentation. Chuchu will be graciously hosted by Rev. Arie and Doris Bertsch in their home. I’m sure Chuchu will mention the great work of the deaconesses at this presentation, and how the deaconesses do such great work at the Project 24 Rescue Centers and in their home visits to the poor and sick. Chuchu will probably also mention that each pastor shepherds about 5-7 churches. Each church has a trained Evangelist (trained for 2 years prior to church work). These Evangelists preach and teach, but do not consecrate the Sacrament of the Altar. The pastors travel from one church to another either by foot or bicycle. Each church is about 2 miles apart. The pastors are able to be at about 2 of the churches on any given Sunday.

Saturday, October 8

At 9:00am, Chuchu and I will be with the LWML Zone Rally at St. Mark’s, Minot. When they heard of Chuchu’s travels through the District, these women graciously rearranged their schedule for Chuchu to visit with them. From there, I will be taking Chuchu to Devil’s Lake where we will meet the pastor there, Rev. Stout. When Chuchu attended Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne in 2000-2002, he was there at the same time as Rev. Stout and Rev. Judson. Pastor Bernie Seter will meet us there and take Chuchu to Grand Forks. Chuchu will be treated to a UND hockey game this night, compliments of Treasurer of the Board, Bob Wurl. When David found out he was going to a hockey game, we had to explain to him that this was a game played on ice with ice skates, hitting a puck, and trying to get the puck into the other person’s net. We also explained that there might be some fighting and fouls. He is most curious. That night Chuchu will be staying with Pastor and Mrs. Craig Fenske.

Sunday, October 9

Redeemer, Dickinson will be honored to have Rev. Chuchu preaching that morning, and also leading Bible Class. They will learn of Project 24. It’s very possible Chuchu will tell the congregation how many of the children in orphanages go on to college and are now holding wonderful vocations such as an attorney, a pharmacist, teachers, and more. Many of the orphans have written Chuchu notes well into their adult years, thanking him for the love and care the orphanages provided. Chuchu will then be taken to Fargo that afternoon, and will be hosted by Bill Sharpe and others.

On Monday, Chuchu will fly to Wisconsin to visit Bethesda Home in Watertown. After a few days there, he will fly to Texas, and finally at the end of the month he will return to Kenya.

Everywhere Chuchu has gone in the our great District, you have so graciously welcomed him and shown him great Christian hospitality. Thank you very much. It will be very exciting to pursue the possibilities of partnering with ELCK in the future. Who knows, maybe you will be one of the youth going to Kenya to make home visits with the deaconesses. Maybe you will be one of the pastors going to Kenya to teach a class to the Evangelists or at the seminary. Maybe you will be one of the teachers going to Kenya to work in one of their schools. The possibilities are endless.

Watch for much more Kenya items on our District Website in the near future. God bless our work in His marvelous Church, both within the North Dakota District and globally, even to the reaches of Kenya, Africa.

The last two days I have had an impact on me. I’ve spent time with Glenn Merritt and Darrell Howanitz from Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Relief and Human Care. They asked if they could come and visit with us, especiallythe Minot pastors and congregations most affected by the Minot Flood of 2011.

A couple nights ago, we had dinner with Rev. Paul Krueger of Our Savior, Minot. Listening to Paul speak made me realize all the more the tragedy of this flood and how many lives are being so dramatically affected. Over 200 LCMS families from our three Minot churches have either entirely lost their homes or suffered great damage. Every LCMS brother and sister in Christ in and around Minot has been affected by this flood.

I was also inspired to hear how Rev. Krueger has been instrumental in having a trailer full of tools brought to Our Savior’s parking lot for people to come and begin “mucking out” homes. I listened to Krueger plead for volunteers around the District to come and help in the clean-up effort. I heard Krueger tell how Pastor Bertsch was welcoming people with campers to park in his yard, and how Pastor Roth was working on getting a grant for washers and dryers and showers to be put into St. Marks for victims and volunteers. Most of all, I heard the compassion Krueger had for his sheep and all the citizens of Minot, realizing their loss, and desiring to take the mercy of Christ to his neighbor.

Last night I had dinner with Glenn and Darrell, along with Pastor Daryl Rothchild and his wife, Peggy. Listening to the Rothchilds, I realized all the more the deep sense of loss and grief they were experiencing. My heart ached for them. Glenn looked at Pastor Rothchild and said, “I can see it in your eyes the pain you are experiencing.” Recently, I sent out a letter to all the pastors, asking them and their congregations to join me in contributing toward a mercy gift to the Rothchilds. The Rothchilds are realizing a $60,000+ loss, after FEMA and other aid is realized. I am asking every pastor and congregation to take the month of September to collect this offering of mercy so we can care for our brother and sister in Christ in this very difficult time. I am asking your pastor to share with you the letter I sent to them explaining this mercy offering for the Rothchilds.

While we were at dinner last night, Glenn Merritt informed me, that after he had learned of our mercy offering for the Rothchilds, he was in contact with “Synod people” in St. Louis. However all that works,

“Synod” is matching
our District Mercy Gift to the Rothchilds
up to $15,000!

What a display of “Mercy and Life Together!”

On my drive home from Minot last night, I was processing the last couple days as it related to the Minot flood and how it has affected so many lives. Ecclesiastes 3 came to my mind (selected verses):

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance,
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…

What time is for you right now? In the disasters and problems of your life – what time is it? As you deal with this broken and fallen world of sin and death, what time is it for you? Regardless of “what time it is in our lives right now” – God’s timing is always impeccable – because in the middle of it all, He is Immanuel, God is with us all the time!

In the difficult “times” of life, God has not deserted you, but He is there suffering beside you. In “times of loss and breaking down, and mourning,” the cross intersects with your life to give you peace and calm. In “times of death and weeping, and casting away,” Christ is there to forgive, to heal, and to restore you. In the middle of your hurts and fears, Christ is right there – recreating you, assuring you, and promising that He is with you, even to the end of the age. This, my friends, is what His death and resurrection is all about.

God’s promise of His presence, His forgiveness, and His peace is ours even now in this “time” and place, which gives us pause for laughter and dancing, celebrating all His gifts to us. But there will be a day of no more floods, and no more disasters, and no more need for mercy offerings, and no more “mucking out” houses, and no more “losing or being cast away.” When Christ returns, He will restore us in full, and ours will be eternal “laughter,” eternal “dancing,” and eternal “speaking” His praise, praise to the Lamb who receive all honor and glory and riches and power and might.

Remember the group Chicago? They had a song that went like this: “Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?” Yes! We know what time it is – it is time for God’s grace and mercy and peace to cover His people. It its time for God to show His mercy to our neighbor through our acts of mercy and love toward them. It is time to rejoice that God came to fix a broken world such as this through His death and resurrection. It is time to rejoice that God has “flooded” us with forgiveness and eternal life through the waters of Holy Baptism, claiming us to be His forever.

People of God, God knows your every hurt and sorrow, your every crisis and your every need – and your every “time” in life is in His pierced hands and resurrected embrace.

Just today (Aug. 2) I had an experience some of you have encountered before. My wife, Myrna, and I saw our son off in Fargo, as Josh was headed for Ft. Leonard Wood, MO for Basic Training with the National Guard. Earlier this summer I had purchased for him the CPH military devotion book, which I wrote in, signed, and gave to him. For his birthday, back in March, his older sister asked me if Josh had a Bible. I told her he had the big Concordia Self-study Bible. She decided to buy him a smaller-sized ESV Bible, and marked passages she felt were good for various situations in life.

And so, last night, Myrna and I stayed in a hotel with Josh, anticipating the next day. Everything Josh needed to take with him was in his camouflage backpack – everything he would need from now until the middle of November was in that backpack. He went through it to see if he had everything: toothbrush, extra change of clothes, 3-oz bottles of various liquids which were allowed on the plane, his wallet, ID, cell phone, and a few other things.

Then I asked him, “Do you have the devotion book I gave you?” “Yup,” he said, as he pulled it out to show me. Along with the devotion, he also held up the Bible his sister gave him for his birthday. Of all the things in his life, and those which he decided to take that would fit into this one military backpack, the essentials he needed for the next three months – he included his Bible. Seeing him hold up his military devotion book and his Bible was a pretty special moment for his dad!

Psalm 1 is an introduction to the entire Psalter. It begins,

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

The word “law” in this context is not that which is contrasted to the “Gospel.” The word “Law” in this context means the entire Word of God, the Holy Scriptures.

When I used to teach the Catechism to pre-confirmation children, they often heard the same speech. Certainly I tried to connect the Catechism and the Scriptures with their current context of life, however I knew they often wondered why this was so important, and would they ever use it later on in life? And so my speech sounded something like this:

“Someday when you’re in a foxhold and bombs are going over your head, Luther’s Evening Prayer will come to mind. Someday when you and your wife, who is from a Reformed background, have your first child and you enter into a deep conversation about infant baptism, your Catechism is the first place you will go. When you and your spouse are having marriage difficulties, and you think there is no hope, passages like Psalm 121 will come to mind in the darkness of your life.”

As many of those whom I have confirmed are now grown up, some have been entrenched in military combat. Some have married a spouse from a different denomination. Some have had rocky marriages. And this I know – for many – the very Word that was planted in them since childhood and junior catechesis, has indeed been their Rock and their Refuge.

This month many parents will take their children to college for the first time. Many parents will help their children move out of the home, as these children enter the workforce and get a place of their own. Some parents witnessed their children getting married this summer. And still, other parents will see their children off to boot camp or a tour of duty.

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, church members and baptismal sponsors – as these children move forward in this broken and fallen world, help them, remind them, encourage them to have their Bible in their “backpack” of life. The Word that has been planted in them, that Word which shaped and formed them in faith and life continues to be just as important and vital now as it ever has been.

Not only for our children, but for all of us, indeed, Christians are in the Word. That’s who we are: people of and in the Word of God. As we are in the Word, so we are absorbed in Christ Jesus, who loves us, redeems us from sin and death, and who promises us eternal life with Him. As Bible classes now begin this fall, O people of the Word, I pray you are in the Word! Being in the Word is not about what we know and don’t know. Being in the Word is about the Triune God shaping and forming our faith and life in Him. Being in the Word is being connected to Christ who loves us, guides us, leads us, forgives us, comforts us, and is with us always – even to the end of the age!
For all of our children, for all of our loved ones, for all of our brothers and sisters in the faith, for all our neighbors, believers and unbelievers alike, this Psalm is our hope and our joy, our promise and our salvation, “Blessed is the man…who delights in the [Word] of God!”

I had the privilege this June 23-26 to be with over 4,400 women in Peoria, IL for the 2011 Nation Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) Convention. What a marvelous experience. The following hymn definitely captures this group of women:

For all the faithful women
Who served in days of old,
To you shall thanks be given;
To all their story told.
They served with strength and gladness
In tasks you wisdom gave.
To you their lives bore witness,
Proclaimed your power to save.

Let me tell you about the faithfulness of these women.

• They began each day with a marvelous Bible Study led by Dr. Reed Lessing from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Lessing’s riveting study took them through Acts 4:20, “Filled with the Holy Spirit, we must speak with encouragement and boldness against idolatry” – and this turns the world upside down. Lessing told the women they may not be Barnabas (from the Book of Acts), but they can be Barna-babes! The phrase stuck for the rest of the convention.
• A goal of $1,825,000 was passed to support LCMS mission projects throughout the world – all from mite monies collected for the next 2 years. And when the LWML sets a mission goal, they plan on making it become a reality! Read through these wonderful mission recipients.

2011-2013 Grants Selected!

The following mission grants were chosen for the 2011-2013 biennium:

1. Support for Lutheran Orphanages – Haiti …………………………………….. $70,000
2. Lutheran Braille Workers Plate Embossing Device ………………………$100,000
3. Lutheran Bible Translators (LBT) Spread God’s Word Through Print and Audio ………………………………………………………………………… $97,344
4. Outreach to At-Risk Children – Detroit, Michigan ……………………………$55,000
5. Cancer Care Package Ministry ……………………………………………..$100,000
6. Crow Indian Ministry – Montana …………………………………………..$69,999.64
7. Exodus 2:6 Project: Spiritual Care in Disasters – Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma…………………………………………………………………. $50,000
8.Children’s Nutrition and Care – Vietnam ……………………………………..$72,255
9. Grace Place for LCMS International Missionaries …………………………$75,000
10. Pregnancy Center: Newborn Protection – Malaysia, Southeast Asia……………… $54,500
11. The Lutheran Malaria Initiative – Kenya, East Africa …………………..$100,000
12. Two Graduate Scholarships for International/Minority
Students -Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri……………………………$50,000
13.Project JOEL – Outreach to Youth – Central/South America …………………..$75,000
14. Children’s Developmental Disabilities Group Home and Rehabilitation Center – Dominican Republic ………………………………………………………..$100,000
15. Missionary Family Care and Education …………………………………….$100,000
16. Gospel Outreach Through Open Arms Child Care ……………………….$65,000
17. Haskell Indian Nations University Lutheran Campus Ministry Expansion – Lawrence, Kansas ………………………………………………………………………$100,000
18. Financial Support for LCMS Prison and Jail Ministry Conference……………… $27,500
19. Physical and Spiritual Nourishment for the Impoverished – United States/Mexico Border ……………………………………. Partially funded at $28,470.36

• It was wonderful to hear past mite money mission recipients tell the story of how past mite money has been used in the kingdom of God, including a missionary from Guinea, Africa and a Lutheran School renewal project in East St. Louis.
• The Convention also has the privilege of having Rev. Ken Klaus preach for the opening service, which included a marvelous organist, trumpet, and handbells.
• It was a joy to have LCMS President, Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison address the convention, and also play banjo during singing time.

All in all – it was a marvelous, Christ-centered convention which should make every LCMS pastor and congregation thankful and proud for “all these faithful women.”

But wait… there’s more!

This was an especially joyful convention for the North Dakota District! The convention voted in our very own Kay Kreklau as the new national LWML president. How cool is that?! The North Dakota District women were so excited at this election they even hosted a special breakfast on Sunday morning in Kay’s honor to congratulate her and to pray for her. Kay, and her proud husband, Mark, attend Trinity Lutheran Church, Drayton, ND, served by our very own Rev. Bernie Seter. Kay also serves on the Board of Directors of the North Dakota District LCMS. Now being a national leader in our church body, I ask you to join me in keeping Kay in your daily prayers, as the LWML is in very secure and wonderful hands under the faithful leadership of Kay.

The ND District is also very proud of Rev. Tim Jenks of Bethel Lutheran Church, Bismarck. Rev. Jenks was on the ballot for pastoral counselor of the LWML. While Jenks was not elected, he was the favored candidate of the ND District, and many, many more at the LWML convention. We thank Pastor Jenks for his continued faithfulness and pastoral leadership in our beloved District.

You can see much more about the convention by going to www.lwml.org – this website is full of wonderful information, not only about the recent convention, but the LWML in general.

I would certainly encourage all of our District’s women to be involved in the LWML. If you congregation already has an active LWML and you are not yet a part of it – get on board! If your congregation does not have an active LWML, why don’t you start one? Our District’s LWML website is www.ndlwml.org.

As with everything in our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, we continue to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Certainly this was/is evident in the LWML – as the message of Christ crucified and risen from the dead for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life is first and foremost in this mission auxiliary of our Synod! With the LWML, we continue to celebrate our Savior and give thanks to Him for all that we are and have in and through Him!

So, in summary – I very much enjoyed being with 4,400 “Lutheran women on a mission” – try it yourself! Oh, you can – in Pittsburgh, PA in 2013!

I am not the only one who has been filling sandbags, building sandbag walls, and moving furniture lately…

Bismarck and Mandan (where I live) are not the only places in North Dakota affected by floods, high water, winds, and other anxieties…

Many in our congregations are being displaced, evacuated from their homes (like Pastor Rothchild in Minot), and our many farmers being able to seed only 30-50% of their fields this year…

Those in our churches, who happen to serve in the military, are being called up to help in disaster relief (like my son, Rev. Buchhop’s son, and Pastor Stout)…

The other night Bill Sharpe and his wife sat in their basement, as well as many others who did the same in their own homes, when the horrific winds drove through Fargo, taking roofs and trees…

The Missouri River in the next few days will almost double its flow, the Souris River is soon to crest, the Amtrak railroad tracks are not safe for the trains and oil rigs are being closed down because of too much water, and each of you face anxieties all of your own from health to family, from finances to faith…

On Saturday, May 25, the family of an infant girl was preparing for her baptism, which was to occur the next day at Messiah, Mandan. Extended family came in on Saturday morning, and the infant’s mother asked her nephews, brothers, father and inlaws to join her in helping save another Messiah’s family from losing their home in the coming flood. Without complaint, they went and filled and carried sandbags all day.

The next day, the day of the Baptism, the mother of the infant writes on Facebook, “Wohoo!!! Today is the day! Baby Carolyn Marie will be Baptized into Christ at Messiah Lutheran Church today!!!!” A response comes back saying, “That is the kind of water we like flowing over God’s people! So happy for you.”

How do we prepare for the “floods,” and disasters, and anxieties of our lives in this broken and fallen world? The same way the above family did – by preparing and celebrating our Baptism in Christ. In Baptism, Christ washes away our sins and our anxieties and gives us hope and forgiveness of sins. Even as we bear the cross of suffering in this world, Baptism is the reality that we belong to the one, true, and living God who died for us and who rose from the dead – that we would be His forever.

The flood waters of Holy Baptism are good waters, for these waters are the reality that Christ does indeed care for you. While the world, our own sinful flesh, and the evil one try to flood us with disaster and harm, the water of Christ in Holy Baptism floods us with forgiveness, and rescue, and protection, and salvation.

I Peter 5:6-11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

This joyful Eastertide
Away with sin and sorrow!
My love, the Crucified,
Has sprung to life this morrow:
Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain;
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!

Dear Baptized in Christ,

My wife, Myrna, is a first grade teacher at Martin Luther School in Bismarck. When I was in her classroom the other day, I was looking at the Painted Lady caterpillars she ordered for her class. Her excited little first graders are anxiously waiting for these caterpillars to enter their chrysalis, and then finally come forth as beautiful butterflies.

How magnificent that the God, in His creation, gives us a picture of His redemption for the world in HIs created cycle of the Painted Lady.

Jesus is like the caterpillar. What a picture this is of His human nature as He comes to earth to take on our human flesh and blood. This reminds us of the hymn that says, “Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” Or consider the words of Martin Luther as he describes God becoming man in Christ like that of a man becoming a slug on the sidewalk. Like the unattractive caterpillars in the jar in the first grade room, so is Jesus as He comes to earth with all of our unattractive sins and eternal death.

Holy Week comes… Our Savior willingly goes the cross in our place. With bitter grief and sorrow, with whips and nails and spears, Jesus dies the death of every sinner. He enters the tomb that cocoons Him in for 3 days. Walther, in His delightful Easter hymn pens,

“The foe was triumphant when on Calvary the Lord of creation was nailed to the tree. In Satan’s domain did the hosts shout and jeer, For Jesus was slain, whom the evil ones fear.”

Satan, and all that belongs to the darkness, were having a party – thinking Jesus was wrapped in the cocoon shroud forever.

“But short was their triumph; the Savior arose, And death, hell, and Satan He vanquished His foes. The conquering Lord lifts His banner on high; HE lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die.”

Christ broke forth from the cocoon of death, and comes out our beautiful Savior and Redeemer. He is the firstfruits of all those who will rise from the dead. Today, yes today, you have new life in Christ. All your sins are forgiven. You are a new creation! Daily you are washed in the Easter waters of Holy Baptism.

On the Last Day, the triumphant risen Lamb of God will return and call you forth from your grave. Not even death can kill you forever. This is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter morning is all about. You are a saved eternally!

Now YOU are the beautiful butterfly, coming forth from the baptismal font everyday, dying with Christ, and rising with Him every single day!
This IS a Joyful Eastertide! For Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia! (And so have you)!

Baptized in Christ,

On Sunday, April 10. Messiah Lutheran Church, Mandan ND, has extended to me the call of Assistant Pastor. In the time Messiah needed in preparing the call papers, and with Holy Week and Easter, I am now at this time able to share this call with you.

Allow me to share with you some of the wording from the Call Document:

“Messiah Lutheran Church is extending this call to the District President of the North Dakota District in response to Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession, “Our churches teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments without a rightly ordered call.”

“Messiah Lutheran Church wishes to extend this call so that the District President is “attached” to an altar and pulpit of a congregation,”

“This call as Assistant Pastor carries with it no administrative or decision-making role.”

“Rev. Baneck would be asked to preach a minimum of four times per year at Messiah.”

“Rev. Baneck’s role may also include teaching of Bible Study, Catechesis, workshops, an occasional hospital visit, assisting with the liturgy, etc.”

“There is no remuneration with this call.”

“It is understood that as District President, the duties and responsibilities as District President take priority over any and all duties at Messiah.”

As I contemplate this call, I would certainly welcome your thoughts and questions, and especially I would ask for your prayers.

In the name of our Risen Christ who is Lord of the Church,

James A. Baneck
District President
North Dakota District LCMS