Pastor's Notebook
Dear Friends in Christ,
The English District is “re-igniting” 1-1-1, a dollar for missions. You can read a little about this on our 1-1-1 box in the narthex. In the 5 years since the District has been promoting it, over $211K have been raised for designated mission projects. This year the funds collected will go to help a campus ministry at Eastern Washington University and a Sudanese language ministry located at Church of St. Mark—Lutheran in Canada. Thanks to everyone who puts in their dollars!
From the weekly District newsletter (Servant to Servant) this was written: “Bishop Hardy was recently interviewed by Rev. Thomas Engler about this renewed emphasis. In this interview Dr. Hardy shares his heart and thoughts about 1-1-1 and its value to the mission of our English District.” If you'd like to check it out we will send the link in this email, or you could find it at the district website: englishdistrict.org.
In this video, Bishop Hardy said the North Dakota District has adopted “A dollar for missions” for its own district. Also, the Central Illinois District (CID) is using this model for funding extra missions. If you'd like to see their excellent video introducing it and what they support you can visit their website at cidlcms.org. They built on the original 1-1-1 video that was shot here at Prince of Peace. So, slowly, what was started here at Prince of Peace is making a wider impact! We are fulfilling one of the purposes we started this: to be a model for missions.
With the remaining space for my article this month, I'd like to show you a prayer that the author said could be reprinted. The author is a Lutheran pastor and poet serving in the Lutheran Church—Canada. He is the author of hymn #616, “Baptismal Waters Cover Me,” in our hymnal.
First, there is a prefatory remark by a Lutheran professor from Canada (John Stephenson). I pray this prayer may be of use to our membership, and it may be something you would like to pass along to other Christian parents and grandparents as appropriate.
Blessings always for us and our families—in The LORD!
Pastor Engler
The habit has grown up of speaking of our ‘unchurched’ relatives, friends, and neighbors, but...this vocabulary is nowhere to be found in the New Testament, which instead presents the stark dichotomy of faithful and unfaithful. Infidelity in itself is quite bad enough but acquires an added dimension of pain and danger when it can be asserted of children of Christian parents who for one reason or another have walked away from the Faith into which they were baptized and catechized. The last two generations have had probably the worst track record of any in Christian history for successfully handing down to the next generation the Faith that they themselves received from their forbears. This latest poem by...Kurt Reinhardt expresses distress, confidence, and bold petition in face of one of the most distressing signs of our times.
For Our Lost Children, Lord, We Pray
For our lost children, Lord, we pray, He was forsaken on the tree,
Who’ve wandered from the narrow way, Lost in the depths of agony,
They’ve headed off into the night Was swallowed up by darkest night,
And left behind Your guiding light. and was extinguished from Your sight.
We lie awake upon our beds, He was lost so they would be found.
Our hearts are full of doubts and dreads; He was damned so they would be crowned.
We groan for them with bitter tears He was rejected as He died,
As hell does plague us with our fears. That in heav’n they’d be glorified.
Will they forget all that is true? Christ died to save our children, Lord,
Will they fail to return to You? You claimed them with Baptism’s Word,
Will Satan claim them as his own? Forsake them not though they’ve left You,
Will they not enter heav’n’s home? Draw them again, their faith renew.
Remind us Lord of Your great love, Dear heav’nly Father to You we sigh,
That sent Your Son down from above We know You hear our every cry,
To seek and save all that was lost Help us to trust Your holy will,
and rescue them at any cost. With Your love bid our fears be still.
His head was crowned their shame to pay.
His feet were pierced for theirs that stray.
His hands were nailed for their misdeeds.
His voice was stilled for their false creeds.