CTS students Geoff Boyle, Evan Goeglein, Chris Hull, Jonathan Lorenz, Ryan Ogrodowicz, Mark Steiner, and Professor John T. Pless returned from a spring break Mercy Mission Expedition to Madagascar on March 8. This was the fourth trip to Madagascar led by Prof. Pless under the sponsorship of LCMS World Relief and Human Care. This year’s trip was unique given the political unrest on the African island which has brought the country to the brink of civil war. While the group had to adjust travel plans due to rioting, Pless, still judges the trip a success.

While in Madagascar the cohort visited two tobys (villages of mercy unique to Madagascar), a leper colony, an orphanage, a school for the blind, two hospitals, an agricultural school and a seminary all operated by the Malagasy Lutheran Church, a church body of around four million members. While in the central Malagasy city of Antsirabe, the CTS group worshipped at a Sunday morning service attended by nearly 3500 people. The group also witnessed a service of exorcism at a toby on the outshirts of Antsirabe.

Rioting blocked the highway to Fianarantsoa preventing the group from visiting the Good Samaritan Center for the Poor, a project supported by LCMS World Relief and Human with funds raised by the 2006 Mercy Mission Expedition. Nevertheless, this year’s group was afforded many opportunities to see the church’s corporate work of mercy in action. It was exciting for the group to tour the newly-completed pediatrics unit at the Lutheran Hospital in Antsirabe. The unit was constructed with a grant from LCMS World Relief and Human Care.

Two days were spent visiting the seminary in Antsirabe. Prof. Pless gave a convocation lecture on “The Doctrine of Vocation in the Small Catechism.” The CTS students made a presentation of books to the seminary library purchased with funds from Student Association in Fort Wayne. Copies of Concordia: A Readers of Edition of the Book of Concord and other theological books were presented to each of the Malagasy students as a gift from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Clerical shirts, vestments and communion ware from the CTS Clothing Bank were also distributed. Prof. Pless presented the seminary president, Rev. David Rakotonirina a gift of $1250.00 from Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois to assist the school. A day earlier the CTS group also delivered a gift of $1250.00 from Bethany Lutheran Church to the Lutheran orphanage in Antsirabe.

As with past groups, the students who traveled to Madagascar have selected a project to support in partnership with LCMS World Relief and Human Care. This year’s project will provide cows for the leper colony and the toby in Antsirabe.

Reflecting on the trip, Prof. Pless commented “In spite of the perpetual tension generated by the unstable political circumstances in Madagascar, we had an excellent trip. In many ways this was the best of our trips to Madagascar. The students exhibited a good sense of humor, eagerness to learn from the Malagasy experience and a real empathy for the plight of our Lutheran brothers and sisters there. I am confident that this trip will be a formative event in the lives of these future pastors. We are deeply grateful for the steady support and visionary leadership of Pastor Matthew Harrison in making this opportunity available for our students.”

I wonder what sources they are using for this.

MEMORANDUM

To:                 The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
From:              Gerald B. Kieschnick, President
Subject:          Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Document
“Report and Recommendations on Ministry Policies”
Date:              February 22, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Grace and peace be with you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

It is with great disappointment and deep sadness that I share with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod these brief comments on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Task Force on Sexuality document “Gift and Trust” and the “Report and Recommendations on Ministry Policies.” The “Report and Recommendations” document recommends that the ELCA undertake a process that would result in the incorporation of “structured flexibility in decision making to allow, in appropriate situations, people in publicly accountable, monogamous, lifelong, same-gendered relationships to be approved for the rosters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” The two documents were released February 19 by an ELCA task force and are expected to be considered by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August.

If this recommendation should be adopted by the Churchwide Assembly, it would constitute a change in the ELCA’s present position, which precludes “practicing homosexuals” from being included on its rosters. More importantly, it would constitute a radical departure from the 2,000-year-long teaching of the Christian tradition that homosexual activity, whether inside or outside of a committed relationship, is contrary to Holy Scripture.

As the ELCA Task Force Report itself states, “This church [the ELCA] does not have biblical and theological consensus on this matter.” It therefore concludes that the ELCA “must seek a common way to live and serve in the midst of disagreements” such as “the understanding of the nature of sin,” “the interpretation of the Bible,” “how the Bible guides our lives,” and “the level of disagreement the ELCA can bear.”

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has repeatedly affirmed the biblical truth and historical understanding of the Christian church that the Bible condemns homosexual behavior as “intrinsically sinful” and is therefore contrary to the will of the Creator and constitutes sin against the commandments of God (Lev. 18:22, 24,20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-20; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and Rom. 1:26, 27).

Our prayer in the LCMS is that our gracious God will penetrate the lives and hearts of the leaders and members of the ELCA in the coming months as they discuss, debate, and determine the outcome of the task force report and its recommendations.

In the meantime, it behooves us in the LCMS, in a spirit of sincere humility, love, care, and concern, to continue to endeavor faithfully to honor Resolution 3-21A of the 2001 Convention of our Synod that while “we cannot consider [the ELCA] to be an orthodox Lutheran church body . we of the LCMS recognize that many of our brothers and sisters of the ELCA remain faithful to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and we resolve to reach out to them in love and support .”

God’s grace, mercy, and peace be with us all.

Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President
The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod

“Transforming lives through Christ’s love …  in time … for eternity …” John 3:16-17

Concordia Theological Seminary faculty, staff, and students are pleased to provide devotions for your meditation this Lenten season. Beginning Ash Wednesday, February 24, a daily audio devotion will be available for your PC or iPod.

We provide three methods to receive the devotions:
- Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary Devotions website
- RSS Newsreader feed
- iTunes Store podcast (free)

Read the rest of this entry »

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What if someone told the story of the Prodigal Son with an inventive twist?  The story of the Prodigal Father.  What would that look like?

In 2005, the masterful German director Wim Wenders, well known for the fabulous Wings of Desire, gave us Don’t Come Knocking starring Sam Shepard.  The story was, in fact, written by actor Shepard.

Don’t Come Knocking is the story of Howard Spence, famous movie western star, who in late middle age realizes that he’s squandered his life on boozing, womanizing and whatnot.  Seeking some form of redemption or inner peace, he sets off on a journey to reconnect with family and two adult children he never knew.

One of the adult children, a daughter who is named Sky and played by Canadian gem Sarah Polley, has gone to the place where her father was last seen to stand watch for his return.

The other child, a rebellious alt country musician named Earl, doesn’t want to ever seen his father and wishes he were dead.

Howard Spence is wrung out by years of wild and wanton living.  He goes to the nearest thing he has for a home looking for . . . he’s not exactly sure what he is looking for at first.  Forgiveness? Reconciliation?  He knows he’s not worthy to be called anyone’s dad or husband.  What he finds is not what he expected, but is better in every way.

I have a thirteen year old son who is interested in film-making and has begun directing and producing his own homemade digital masterpieces.  I told him he should watch this movie if only for what he calls the “camera-ology.”

Tenderly told, beautifully shot, exquisitely performed; don’t miss Don’t Come Knocking.

 photo credit: jae michie