Category: Current Events

Rev. Mark Buetow

When I was a young lad, I remember a poster showing a luxury home’s garage full of high-end sports cars. The slogan on the poster read, “Justification for Higher Education.” I couldn’t wait to finish high school, go to college and do something that would make me, if not mega-rich, at least well off enough to afford all the “toys” I wanted. I got a job in high school too so I could finally afford that pair of ridiculously overpriced sunglasses. Ah, hard-earned cash! That’s what school was all about. But do you notice something? School was all about me! And as a Christian, “me” is the last thing our lives are about.

As school begins again this year, ask yourself, “why bother going to school?” The answer? To serve your neighbor! First, there are all those neighbors who are your friends and classmates. They need you. They need help with their homework. They need a shoulder to cry on, someone to confide in. They need someone there when their parents get divorced and their lives come apart. They need someone to help them study and explain their homework. They may even need someone to tell them why believing in Jesus isn’t stupid. In short, high school and college, even apart from the classes and learning, are a crowd of opportunities for you to love and serve those around you.

And the learning you do is for your neighbor too. People need doctors and lawyers, they need artists and actors, they need insurance claims adjustors and accountants. They need financial advisors and journalists. They need software engineers and lab technicians, nurses and maintenance specialists. And even if you don’t head off to college, your neighbors need soldiers and airmen and sailors. They need people who can wait tables and work the factory lines and sweep and clean. In short, every vocation, every calling, every job is important, from the most glamorous and richest to the most forgotten, minimum wage work. In each one, the Lord has put you or someone else there to do a job that helps and benefits someone.

Yeah, but we really just want to get a good education so we can be well-off maybe even rich some day, right? Well, yeah. That’s why even school can become something selfish. That’s why even the Lord’s gift of vocation can get turned into just one more opportunity to put ourselves above others and to stomp on them on our way to the top. Repent! Repent of such selfishness if that’s what you look forward to in life! And rejoice that when the Father told His Son to take on the vocation of Savior, Jesus did it gladly. He wasn’t in it to get rich. He wasn’t in it for fame or glory. He wasn’t in it because it would gain Him some privilege or control over others. He did it in obedience to His Father and to serve His neighbor–you!– by taking away your sins. Your sins of being selfish. Your sins of thinking the world revolves around you. Your sins of desiring what God has for you only so you can just get more and more. All your sins. Paid for by the Savior who won forgiveness for you on Calvary and rose again to give you everlasting life.

Because, above all else, your teachers and parents and friends and classmates now, and your future clients and customers and bosses and coworkers someday, need you as a Christian. One who recognizes that you are no more or less sinful than someone else, that you live in this world and this life by grace, that you speak the truth lovingly without judging, and that you are happy and eager to serve as one who does it for the Lord and for no one else. And, they need you as a Christian to teach them forgiveness.

In the end, it is the forgiveness of sins that is the best work you can do for your neighbor. Christ has wiped out your sins and you know this because of your baptism, His Word and His body and blood. What comfort for your neighbor to know that you won’t hold their sins against them when they fail in their vocations and callings. And you, when you fail in yours? Jesus never fails in His. He’s always and perfectly your Savior and by His forgiveness, the Lord only sees you as a perfect son or daughter, friend, and student. You are the perfect neighbor, perfect in your callings, because Jesus is your perfect neighbor.

You may be finished with school or have many years yet to go. You may come out debt-free or loaded with student loans. You may end up super-rich or just plain struggling. But regardless, you are never less than a loving neighbor to those around you, using all you’ve learned and will learn to love and serve them. That’s because you are never anything less than one of the Lord’s dear and precious redeemed children. So welcome back to school in another year of the Lord’s grace and peace in Christ!

When I found out last year that Higher Things was coming to Maryville, Missouri for their LCMS youth conference, I knew I had to go. My youth groups had never gone to a Higher Things conference before, and I knew they would receive indepth teaching of the Gospel, participate in genuine Lutheran worship (only with 800 other people) and enjoy the organized, chaotic fun that Higher Things does so well.

But there was another reason I wanted to go. You see, Maryville is my hometown. My family moved when I was in kindergarten, when my dad took the call to serve Hope Lutheran Church in Maryville as their pastor. I was confirmed in Maryville and graduated from Maryville. Although I did not go to Northwest Missouri State, I was familiar with the campus. My high school Christmas concerts were in the Ron Houston Center, which served as the Higher Things chapel. I had attended basketball camps and a concert in same the Bearcat Arena where plenary sessions were held. So going to NWMSU for this summer’s Higher Things conference was thrilling, because everything I had known was transformed for the service of the Gospel.

The theme for the conference was “Twelve.” More than just a number, “Twelve” is the symbolic, Scriptural number for God’s Holy Church. There are the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles, and symbolic numbers in Revelation. Pastors Tim Pauls of Boise, Idaho, and Jeff Grams of Scottsbluff, Nebraska did a fantastic job teaching the large group sessions. Both pastors showed, by focusing on the Lutheran understanding of the end times and the book of Revelation, how popular Protestant teachings can bring great fear and guilt, and how Lutheran teaching gives comfort based on Christ alone. Sectionals offered many different topics that people could go to, ranging from Facebook, tv shows, movies, parts of Scripture and issues like depression or Islam. Thank you to all who attended my sectional on the Passover Roots of the Lord’s Supper.

The worship, as you would expect, was excellent. In a smoking hot Ron Houston Center, pastors conducted Lutheran worship using services and hymns from Lutheran Service Book. I thought each sermon was fitting and Christ centered. I was especially impressed at Rev. Bruce Keseman’s statement that God “twelves” you, making you into a member of His Holy Church on account of Christ Jesus. Who knew that “twelve” could be a verb? And seeing approximately 800 Lutheran youth and chaperones singing their hearts out on Lutheran hymns and liturgy was also moving.

One service stood out for me. On July 4 by Mozingo Lake, after the fireworks had ended, pastors led an acapella compline service. This was meaningful for me for two reasons. First, there I had many memories there. I had a summer job at Mozingo Lake years ago, and once I ran a mower out of gas on the very hills we sat on. Second, but more important, halfway through the service, I noticed that several of the motorboats that had been loudly sailing on the lake had stopped their engines, yet their lights were still on. It dawned on me that they were hearing us! From then on, I determined to enunciate every syllable and sing as loudly as I could. I wondered if any of my former classmates were on the lake listening. I hoped that Holy Spirit might work through that Word and lead them to faith in Christ, too.

Last but not least, there was the fun! Higher Things knows how to have a good time: ultimate frisbee, pickup soccer games, an iron chef contest using bacon, an illusionist who passed sharp blades through people, but left them unharmed, bouncy-house-laser tag and jousting (that did not leave everyone unharmed, such as Rev. Jonathan Fisk’s nose), games, excellent performances at the talent show, and some original movies created by Lutheran youth groups. I loved the video parody of Rev. Todd Wilken of Issues, Etc. fame, and Rev. Jonathan Fisk, of Higher Things and Worldview Everlasting fame. Judging by how he looked when he saw it, he thought it was hilarious, too.

Servant events and projects were also a part of the conference. Volunteers could help pick up Mozingo Park on July 5. The youth also collected project books for Bethesda Lutheran Home. Nobody else might have realized this, but Maryville has a Bethesda home, and the residents of the Bethesda are faithful members of my home church, Hope Lutheran in Maryville. I was so thankful that Higher Things youth groups helped these special people, and was humbled that I personally knew many of the residents who would benefit from these project books.

Before we left Nebraska, I thought I’d try to catch up with some old friends while I was back in Maryville. I tried calling some, but other than one family who belonged to my home church, I didn’t run into anybody I knew. Not one person in my class! Not one person I recognized! When I tried to start up conversations with the people of Maryville, no one even remembered my family name. Maryville had moved on. When I had lived in Maryville, I never really felt like I fit in. Perhaps it was that I was the only Lutheran out of 137 in my graduating class. And it was hard to fit in partially because I didn’t have agreement with others in the most important matters: Christ, His Church, and what His Word teaches.

But how different it was at Higher Things! Here are my friends, old and new. Here is my family in Christ. How easy it was to talk to people I didn’t know, on the way to a sectional, or at a meal. How often it happened that I or members of my group could sit down with a total stranger, and after some time, you could joke around as if you were old friends. I think this happened because we all had the same faith, the same grounding, and participated in the same gifts and Word of our Lord Jesus. We were “twelved” together as members of the body of Christ. And that makes all the difference. The members of my youth group are already making plans for next year. I can hardly wait.

In Christ,
Rev. Robert Mayes
“The Trombone Guy”
Immanuel and Zion St. John
Beemer and Wisner, NE

Happy New Year! New Church Year, that is. This Sunday begins the season of Advent in the Church Year. Advent is a season of waiting and preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s also a time of waiting and preparation for the Second Coming of Christ in all His glory with the holy angels on the Last Day. Advent is a season in the church that seems to fight a losing battle to compete with the “Christmas rush” and the “Holiday Season” of the world around us. While Christians are waiting to burst out with the joyous hymns of Christmas until Christmas is actually here, the Christmas music has already been blaring on store speakers since before Thanksgiving! Often there is a sort of tug-o-war between the church and the world over when to start celebrating. So which is it? Do we put off our Christmas shopping until December 23rd and let no Christmas music fill our ears until Christmas Eve? Or do we just forget about Advent and dive headlong into the glitz and glitter of the commercial holiday shopping season?

Well the truth is that Advent is like every other season of the Church Year. Advent is about Jesus. So even if we sneak a listen to some Christmas carols or were standing in line early on Black Friday, Advent is still about Jesus. Christmas is about Jesus. Advent is about “Jesus is coming.” (Advent means “coming.”) Christmas celebrates “Jesus is here.” But the Church Year isn’t meant to put a “Bah! Humbug!” on us. The Church points us to Jesus. And Advent is all about Jesus coming, arriving and showing up. There are three ways we look for His coming.

Jesus’ first Advent, His first coming, was in the flesh. That began with Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the Mother of God. And so on Christmas we celebrate His birth. (And whether Jesus was actually born on December 25 or not doesn’t really matter; we don’t make laws about such things or get worked up over them!) In Advent, we get to remember that for many centuries, God’s people were longing for the Savior He promised. And since we know that Jesus was in fact born and died for our sins and rose again, Advent is a reminder that the longing of God’s people was not disappointed. God was faithful and kept His promise to send the Savior!

Jesus’ second Advent will be in glory on the clouds of heaven with the holy angels and the blast of trumpets on the Last Day. That will be the day when every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. It will be the day the sheep inherit their kingdom and the goats are sent away. The day the wise virgins enter into the wedding feast while the foolish virgins are left out. It will be the day when the Lord will wipe away all your tears and take away all sin and sorrow and dwell with us forever and ever. It will be the beginning of our paradise and everlasting life with our Lord. Advent reminds us that just as Jesus came the first time, He will come again in glory. We can count on it.

So is Advent just reminding us of the past and pointing us to the future? Not at all. For in between His first Advent in the manger and His second Advent in glory, Jesus still has Advents. He Advents everywhere His Word is preached and people are baptized and His Body and Blood are given to His people to eat and drink. And as He gathers us in His church, as we take a break from counting the shopping days left to buy presents, we hear preached in His church the Good News that Jesus has already done His Christmas shopping. For He bought you. Purchased and won you from all sin, death and the power of the devil. And He didn’t do it with gold or silver or gifts cards. He did it with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. For all its “coming” emphases, Advent is still all about that.

Some churches use purple in Advent. Some use blue. Some pastors are picky about not singing any Christmas hymns until it’s actually Christmas eve. Some folks are already rockin’ their Christmas playlists. Some people fast in Advent. Some do extra baking for Christmas parties. Many churches have an extra service in the week during Advent. Some don’t. But here’s the thing: Advent is about Jesus. All of those practices and customs teach us about Jesus in one way or another. Ask your pastor what your church’s customs are and what they mean. Go to that extra service and have another opportunity to hear God’s Word call you to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Get ready to celebrate Christmas! Get ready to celebrate the Lord’s return! But throughout the Advent season, remember the most important thing of all: When Jesus came the first time, when He comes now in His Word and gifts, and when He comes again in glory, it is for one reason: to save you from your sins and give you everlasting life. Merry Advent in Jesus’ name!

Witches, wizards, skeletons, devils, and superheroes? Never mind that. Let’s get to the candy! As Halloween approaches, many calling themselves Christians will get all worked up about this supposedly satanic holiday. With emphases on witches and devils and violent horror, these folks get upset and say that Christians have no business observing this holiday and ought to do something better, something more godly and pious. Thus all over “Halloween” celebrations are replaced with “Fall Festivals.” There’s even a group who invented a new holiday on October 31 called “Jesus Ween.” (Does anyone else think that just sounds odd and creepy all at once?) So can you be a Christian and celebrate Halloween? Can you dress up and go to a party? Go trick-or-treating? Have fun? The fact is, a Christian CAN celebrate and enjoy Halloween. Read on to find out why.

First, a little bit of history. Halloween is taken from the old English “All Hallows Eve.” “All Hallows” refers to “All Saints” which is the festival on November 1 on which the church remembers all her baptized saints and especially those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Since Christian festivals begin at sundown on the day before, October 31 is the Eve of All Saints (just like December 24 is Christmas Eve) or All Hallows Eve, shortened and smushed together over time to “Halloween.” So, at its root, Halloween was just the Eve of the day when all Christian saints were remembered. And when we’re talking about saints, we’re talking baptism! And how can a day which reminds us of our baptism be bad?

On Good Friday, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil. He died for the sins of the world. He died for your sins. St. Paul writes that on the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers of hell (Colossians 2:15). That means when Halloween rolls around and little ghosts and goblins are running around they’re nothing more than jokes and mockeries of the devil. He has no power. He can’t harm you. The devil has no claim on those who have been buried and raised with Jesus and clothed with Christ in their baptism. Those upon whom the blood of the Lamb of God has been sprinkled cannot be snatched out of their Father’s hand! That means when we go out on Halloween, costume or not, we look like Jesus. That’s what your heavenly Father sees when He looks at you. You may be a ghoul or a superhero for trick-or-treating or a party but to your Father in heaven you’ll always look like His Son, dearly beloved and precious.

But isn’t October 31st also a traditional time for pagans to do their thing? Sure. That’s because whenever the church has a holy day, the devil tries to copy it and mock it and lead others astray. So the end of October has long been a time when pagan religions carried on rituals and other weird practices. But let’s face it. Halloween in America has become nothing more than a day to have some fun. Go and get loads of candy. Go to a party and bob for apples. Dress up and act a bit silly. As Christians, we’re so free, having been rescued by Christ from sin and death, that we can laugh at inflatable tombstones and dress like zombies. Perhaps, in some small way, Halloween is the world’s way of trying to pretend death is something to laugh at. But for those who are in Christ, we know that’s all death is. Something to be laughed at. Mocked. Because death has been defeated by Jesus. Your death has been overcome. We know we don’t come back as vampires or zombies. Rather on the Last Day, Jesus will come again and raise us up and there will be no more death.

So live on Halloween the way you live every other day. Make the sign of the cross in the morning to remember that you are a child of God, marked by the Lord has His own child. Go and enjoy your day and eat your candy with a clean conscience, knowing that your robe of righteousness is no dress-up but true clothing whereby you have been covered in Jesus. Serve your neighbor and avoid anything that will harm or be a bother to them. (Not EVERY Halloween activity is a good idea!) And at the end of the day, make the sign of the cross again and know that you are still the Lord’s because of Jesus. And dare to be Lutheran too, remembering that October 31 is also the day that the Reformation began, the time when Martin Luther reminded the church that Christ was the big deal and that superstitions, even if they’re in the church, are still silly and useless. And who needs to be afraid of such things when we have such a Savior who has redeemed us, purchased and won us from all sin, death and the power of the devil? So Happy Halloween! Happy because you are a baptized saint in Jesus.

by Pr. David Oberdieck

Something is terribly wrong. Teenagers from across the LC-MS have been attending Higher Things youth conferences. They worship three times a day, listen to weighty teaching in plenary sessions, participate in a variety of substantive sectionals, and they like it!

Higher Things is an organization run by dedicated LC-MS pastors and lay people who challenge teens to “Dare to Be Lutheran.” Being Lutheran means nothing less than enjoying the abundant grace of God in Jesus Christ. Higher Things Conference Executive, Pr. George Borghardt, put it this way, “It’s all about Christ.”

Higher Things put on three outstanding conferences for LC-MS teenagers as July 2011 rolled around. They gathered on college campuses in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Bloomington, Illinois. If your church hasn’t yet participated, start planning for next year. Say “no” to fluff, and say “yes” to Higher Things!

What makes Higher Things unique? “First of all it is campus based…parents send their kids to science camp, music camp, all kinds of camps. We are essentially ‘Lutheran camp’,” said Pr. William Cwirla, President of Higher Things.

“The kids spend four days on a college campus all together. This is different from going to a hotel… where everyone is scattered and then gathered. Here they’re staying in dorms. They’re all together. They eat at a common place, the cafeteria… A lot of friendships are made as a result,” He said. “Basically it’s a four day intensive emersion in Lutheranism.”

This doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of fun to be had by the teens (adult leaders have fun too!). The conference at the Illinois State University in Bloomington featured rock climbing, scavenger hunts, sports, karaoke contests, movies, swimming, a talent show, and more.

These conferences are as weighty and meaningful as they are fun. Consider that worship is an important part of the gatherings. Higher Things will not have colored lights, a disco ball, fog machines, and a rock band leading worship. What they do in worship reflects what the average Lutheran congregation does week to week as they use the hymnal. It supports the local congregation rather than undercutting it.

The Illinois gathering had 1,200 participants from 29 states and four Canadian provinces. What is it like to hear all those young people worshipping the Lord? “It floats my boat,” Pr William Weedon commented. He was the Chaplain for the Illinois conference.

“They’re belting it out. They’re loving it. I’ve heard several people who have never had the opportunity to experience evening prayer before and that’s their favorite service,” he said. “I wish all the people that think ‘to really engage young people you have to put on a show’ could just come in and experience what this is like where it’s no show. We’re just doing the church’s worship the church’s way.”

Sandra Ostapowich, Conference and Retreat Coordinator, shared the experience of her youth group. One of their favorite parts was the Matins service. “Kids aren’t supposed to like what we’re doing,” said Ostapowich, “but they do.” Take Courtney for instance. She is a teenager from Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Perrysburg, Ohio. She really liked the sectionals and the Magnificat from the Vespers service.

The sectional topics are another important part of the conferences. They are at the same time theological and practical as they apply Lutheran theology to contemporary issues. Note some of the titles this year: “Consumed by Addictions,” “Dating, Relationships, and THAT,” “The Fatal Flaws of Darwinism,” “Talking to Your Non-Lutheran Friends about Jesus.”

What kind of effort does it take to put on conferences like these? “We have one full-time staff member in the organization and that’s the conference coordinator,” said Borghardt, “It takes at least a year and a half of planning to put on a slew of conferences.” The work is largely done by volunteers.

This is one reason the conferences are comparatively inexpensive. Early registration costs were from $300 to $330. That includes room, food, fun, and the conference itself. That is hard to beat.

Next year’s conferences are as follows: 26 – 29 June at Wake Forrest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; 3 – 6 July at Northwest Missouri State, Maryville, Missouri; 10-13 July at Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, California; 17-20 July at Brock University, St Catherines, Ontario.

Rev. David Oberdieck is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lebanon, MO. Coram Deo – Illinois was his fourth Higher Things Conference. This article originally appeared in Christian News.

Rev. George F. Borghardt III

So, he’s dead. Finally. We got him. We may or may not see the pictures everywhere. But, everyone who is anyone believes that he is dead. The 9-11 victims and their families have some closure – even if it’s ten years later. Thank God.

Did you feel a twinge a guilt while you were celebrating? Maybe you started feeling not-so-hot about it. After all, isn’t it kinda awkward? We’re rejoicing over someone’s death. Should we? Shouldn’t we? What about forgiveness? What about mercy? Aren’t we Christians?

The two kingdoms doctrine! We learned about that in confirmation class. Pastor Cwirla explains it here quite nicely.

The left hand kingdom is the kingdom of temporal power. In this kingdom, you get what you pay for, the scales are balanced, and you get what you deserve. If you drive sixty miles an hour in a thirty mile an hour zone, the officer gives you a ticket. If you steal, you go to jail. If you murder, you could even be executed.

The government has been given the temporal sword. No grace – ALL law. God gives this sword to the government to maintain order in the world – to reign in manifest sin, to curb it, to catch criminals, to stop crime, and to keep us safe. They prevent crime and find and punish those that break the law. That’s one of the gifts of the government.

OBL was the mastermind of not only the 9-11 attacks but also the first attempt on the World Trade Center, the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, and countless other terror attacks all over the world. He murdered and orchestrated the murders of countless men, women, and children. God gave us the government to catch men like OBL and bring them to justice.

But what about grace, mercy, and forgiveness? That’s the right hand kingdom! When the Lord deals with you by His grace – you don’t get what you deserve. You don’t suffer the punishment you have earned.

You are guilty of more than speeding, theft, and murder. If God were to judge you, if He were to deal with you, if He were to set His scales upon you, what would the punishment be for you? Nothing less than death and hell.

Instead, in the right hand kingdom, you are treated by God the way He treats His Son. His Son is holy, so you are holy. His Son is pure, so you are pure.

Why? Christ lived a holy life for you and died the death that you have earned. You died with Him in Holy Baptism. His resurrection is your standing before God – yesterday, today, and forever.

So… What does this mean? Time to distinguish between the kingdoms! In this world, you work and get paid. If you are a good citizen, the government pretty much leaves you be. If you aren’t, they don’t. You lead a world-wide terrorist organization, they find you and kill you. And that’s what you deserve. That’s the left-hand kingdom.

But when God deals with you in Christ, He deals with you by the holy life and bitter sufferings and death of His Son. Christ is your Savior. Christ is the grace of God. Christ is the mercy of God. Christ is the right hand kingdom.

And if you want to celebrate the Lord’s justice, then do so. The government did what it was established by God to do. If you don’t think celebration over anyone’s death is appropriate, then mourn quietly. It’s a sad world where such things have to happen.

You haven’t been condemned. No, you’ve been forgiven. You might consider cutting your neighbor some slack and grant him the benefit of the doubt. That means no judging the people who rallied at Ground Zero or outside the White House or on Facebook.

So no condemning anyone to hell, even the most evil person you can think of. No judging or rejoicing in anyone’s eternal damnation. After all, didn’t you just barely – as in, only by the blood of Jesus – escape the flames of hell yourself? Leave the condemnation of criminals and terrorists to the government. That’s what they are for and that’s what they are given to do.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. (Psalm 130:1-4)

When Jesus’ disciples cried out because of a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, He stood up and with a word, calmed the wind and the waves. So where was the Lord when an earthquake rocked Japan and sent a rushing tsunami that leveled cities and washed away so many lives? That’s the question many will ask. “If God is good, why did He let this happen? If God is a loving God, why did He allow all those people to die? If God is all powerful, why couldn’t He stop this tsunami from happening?” They will ask those questions and they won’t wait for answers. The world will shake its head yet again at the God who seems to be nowhere around when death, destruction and misery come rushing in.

It’s hard as Christians not to wonder those same things until we remember that this world is under a curse. Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, and every other kind of disaster is the result of our fall into sin, a curse the Lord has put upon this world so that we don’t trust in ourselves and this life. Don’t misunderstand; the tsunami didn’t come because people in Japan are more sinful (anymore than in New Zealand, or Africa or elsewhere). But the tsunami came because there is sin in the world and this creation is fallen and groans. (Romans 8:22.) Furthermore, our Lord Himself reminds us that these things are signs that we are living in the time of the end, awaiting our Lord’s return (Matthew 24:7). But there’s no hope in the Law’s explanation!

Watching the video of a wall of water washing away an entire town reminds us of how helpless we are in the face of such a catastrophe. That’s what we are: helpless. And just as little as we can stop a tsunami can we overcome the sin that brings God’s judgment. But Jesus can. And does. But not the way we’d expect. Jesus overcomes our sin by being exactly what we are: weak. Helpless. Nailed to a cross. But His weakness is for our sakes. As true God and true man, Jesus has all power and authority in heaven and on earth. When He hides that power and doesn’t use it, sinners are saved. That’s because when Jesus appears to be the most weak, on the cross, He is the strongest. He throws down the Devil’s power and by His death overcomes sin and death. By His resurrection, our Lord robs death of its power and gives hope beyond this life. He gives the promise that on the Last Day He will wake us from the sleep of death and give us everlasting life.

The Bible never teaches us that salvation means “bad things won’t happen.” Being a Christian isn’t about disasters never striking. Surely both Christians and unbelievers perished in this tragedy. What the Gospel says, however, is that for those who are baptized into Christ, not even a tsunami can hurt them. Through Jesus’ blood, the curse that is upon this world, while it may affect the Lord’s people, cannot ultimately harm them. That is not an answer that is satisfying to the world. The world has a conception that “God is all powerful and yet not, because He couldn’t prevent this.” But the true Lord is not just some collection of adjectives that people don’t see fulfilled. He is the God who comes among us in the flesh to share in our sufferings and by His suffering to taste death and rescue us from our sins.

When such disasters strike, we turn to Christ, who is the only answer to such suffering and destruction. Such disasters are for many a source of despair. Jesus, however, gives us the proper perspective when He tells us, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my Word will not pass away.” Where Christ and His Word are, death and the curse are taken care of. It doesn’t mean we won’t suffer in this life. But in Christ, all enemies have been conquered and eternal life is ours. The same Lord who stood up in the boat and calmed a storm has calmed the storm of sin and judgment that was against us. That means that even if a tsunami were to destroy everything, the victory remains ours in Jesus.

Even if you’re far away, such a disaster reminds us of the opportunity the Lord gives us to love our neighbors. Keep the people of Japan in your prayers. Pray the Lord will comfort those who have lost their loved ones to death. Pray that our heavenly Father will provide everything needed for the bodies and lives of those who have survived but lost everything. The world won’t understand that sort of help either, but what greater gift do we have now than to call upon our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ and ask His blessings and care upon all those who have suffered in this disaster? To Christ alone be the glory, who rescues us from every evil!

For more information and ways to help and donate, check out the resources on the LCMS World Relief site here.