There is much that could be said about the text of this hymn.  It holds up some of the best characteristics of twentieth century hymnody: powerful word painting, vivid imagery, strong biblical connections, etc.  But I mostly want to talk about the music of this text.

The music for this text, entitled “Lord of Life”, can be best described as haunting yet hopeful.  The topic of the text is death and resurrection, and following the biblical imagery, there are three stanzas that really address the grief of the bereaved.  The music beautifully holds this up.  There is a strength in classic Lutheran chorales that they don’t hide from grief.  Paul Gerhardt is perhaps best known for this.  In the same way, the music has to hold up this very real tension of grief and hope.  Hildebrand’s melody does this well.

But it’s more than that.

In the span of a day, I sang and taught this at our K-8 school chapel, sang and prayed it with a parishioner in the hospital with multiple chronic illnesses, used it to meditate on the text for the upcoming Sunday, and then sang, taught and prayed it with my own family before going to bed.  What a gift!  What a treasure!

Any music that can be taught to kindergartners and then used to comfort an eighty year old man is worth learning.

This is also a great example of why I love being a pastor.  We get to hold these great treasures of the Gospel up to God’s people, young and old.  I probably sang this hymn a dozen times today.  I’ll sing it a dozen more times tomorrow.  What could be bad about that!

-Pastor Todd Peperkorn

If you have received a set of the posters and have them hanging in your church, school or home, please take a few snapshots of them and send them to me (email: scott.stiegemeyer@ctsfw.edu).  I’d like to create a little album showing all the places our posters are at work.

If you would like to receive a set, simply email me at the above address.

This round, however, we brought a friend with us. As soon as the youth met him, like frenzied fans, they wanted to take pictures of him and with him. And take pictures they did! Decked out in a “Dare to be Lutheran” t-shirt, Dr. Martin Luther joined us for the festivities- and happily stood by the youth to ham it up for the camera.

Along with Luther, we brought a television that displayed various pictures of Concordia Theological Seminary; and after a few days of snapping shots of the youth at the Higher Things Conference, we put their pictures up on the tv, too. It was quite the active booth; and we-Rev. Cholak and myself, well…were compelled to match their energy!

All in all it was another wonderful conference, filled with great people, youth and adults alike. The chapel at St. Louis University was absolutely magnificent, too. Our very own Kantor Resch accompanied the youth choir on the organ, which only added to the transcendent quality of the the chapel services. It truly lived up to the organization’s name, “Higher Things,” in which the youth could receive and focus on the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation that God brings to us in His Holy Word and Sacraments through Christ Jesus our Lord. As God faithfully promises to transform our lives in the Gospel, I am confident that this conference aided in bringing the Gospel to the youth and giving them a firm foundation on which to live and see how God works in the world and in their respective home congregations. They learned (and relearned) that through water, bread, wine and Word, God reveals Himself, works faith, and makes us His own in Jesus Christ. What a blessing to behold with so many young people! Amen!

The Deaconess Program at Concordia Theological Seminary is enjoying the remaining weeks of Spring quarter, rounding out its established success of five years at Fort Wayne. Joyfully, we can report that there were 10 women eligible for internships this spring, and all 10 were filled by congregations and institutions. These internships will allow them to learn and better prepare for professional service post graduation, as certified Deaconesses in the LCMS. Further, in CTS tradition, we greatly anticipates the Placement Service for many of this year’s class of interns next Thursday, May 15th, in Kramer Chapel. However, like some seminarians, not every deaconess intern may receive a placement at the ceremonial time. These placements take time and work to cultivate as we educate congregations about the need that these church workers can serve.

One of the delights of my internship this year has been exactly that; educating the Church at large about diaconia and the richness a deaconess can add to the life of it. I don’t think there has been a single person that I have spoken to about deaconess service that didn’t understand its value, and hoped to see more deaconesses serving in their churches someday.

Of course, there are logistical realities when deliberating over calling any church worker. But the first step to creating these opportunities begins with prayer. There is no magic involved. It is simply talking with God and asking for His wisdom in what direction your church should go. Asking your pastor and council members to discuss new church worker possibilities also prepares the way for careful deliberation. But God’s timing, the resources, and right people to be involved in the decision making- not to mention the right person to be called upon to serve- is key in making it all happen. This is how God works and He always answers our prayers. No matter what the outcome, God provides for the needs of His church.

I often think about the Israelites deliverance out of Egypt in the book of Exodus in terms of how God uses people for His glory and our redemption. It was through Moses, who God chose to act on His behalf; but also Aaron and Miriam (Micah 6:4), who helped lead Israel to the Promised Land. This is the very same endeavor of the church today. There will always be needs in the church, and pastors simply cannot and should not shoulder it in entirety. Sharing the responsibility that God has commanded us to do (Gal 5:2), is truly a blessing to all. A deaconess’s goal, just as a pastor’s, is to lead people from their wandering. Outside of the liturgical setting, she points them to the Promised Land [heaven], Jesus Christ, and where He is found in His Word with His Sacraments through teaching the faith, acts of mercy and spiritual care.

If you or your congregation is considering a deaconess, continue to pray about it. Further inquiries can be directed to 260.452.2178, or melissa.degroot@ctsfw.edu.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t all work and no play for the group. In fact, when we first arrived, we were quite literally whisked away at the airport to the southeastern part of South Africa to visit the Ithala Game Preserve. This adventure proved to be quite the adrenaline rush as we interfaced with an elephant, rhinos, giraffe, wildebeests, zebra, warthogs…oh, the list goes on! Every kind of deer/antelope variety you can think of. Thankfully, no snakes, though.

We then traveled to Themba which was close by. We visited both the girls and boys school, and worshipped in Zulu with the boys’ school. It was beautiful as the congregation sang harmoniously and in unison hymns that we have come to know and love. We had nary an idea what they were saying, but sang and spoke as we realized that their liturgy mirrored ours, and recognized such pillars of our faith as The Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer.

We then returned to Pretoria, and after the first week of classes, our second weekend was chock full of more education in the missions variety. We conversely traveled west, and visited 2 struggling missions in the countryside. The father of Dr. Weber (the rector at LTS), used to be a missionary at one of these sites, and you could see the hurt in this seasoned and weathered man’s eyes, as he looked around at the dilapidated buildings and church; he later explained all that had gone on in the efforts to spread the Gospel there in an evening lecture, where hundreds of missionaries and laypeople had been involved. Today you can go and see a very quiet, “people scarce” and compound-like set of buildings. There are farm animals grazing all around it; most notably, the steeple of the church now serves as a sheep pen. Quite the metaphor.

Finally, as the second week wrapped up and Church History III came to an end (And everyone received good grades), we treated ourselves to an authentic, great South African pastime: a Pro Rugby game! I think it is safe to say that rugby is like American football…on drugs. These guys are tackling each other, scrumming and throwing their bodies every which way without a single pad on. We later learned that the careers of pro rugby players are typically short, like 5 years. Well no kidding.

The purpose of my going along with all of these men [without developing a Smurfette complex] was to learn about the plans for the seminary, specifically in their hopes to start a deaconess program in the next couple of years. The interest is there, trickling down from both the faculty to the prospective deaconess students. It is just going to take time, money and labor. The seminary in South Africa is 4 years young. The vision and future is bright, but there is much work to be done, and limited resources. The seminary, like most, relies heavily on donations from people, churches and institutions around the world. They are off to a great start, but are always in need. Like CTS, their mission is clear: to form pastors (and eventually deaconesses) in the Lutheran Churches in and around Africa. We pray that they are comforted, strengthened and nourished in the Gospel as they carry forth the mission to send pastors. If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more, receiving their newsletter and/or making a donation, you can contact Dr. Wilhelm Weber at LTSinTshwane@telkomsa.net.