Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

 

Spiritual warfare is a recurring theme in Lent, beginning on the first Sunday with the confrontation between Jesus and Satan (Matthew 4:1-11) after 40 days of fasting in Judean desert, an episode from which we derive the 40 days of Lent. This followed on the second Sunday by the story of Jesus casting out the demon which afflicted a Canaanite woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21-28) and on the third Sunday by an accusation by the Pharisees that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub (originally identified as a god of the Philistines in the first chapter of 2 Kings, but by the first century another name for Satan) and Jesus’ rebuke of that accusation in Luke 11:14-28. On the fifth Sunday, the last before Holy Week, the Pharisees accuse Jesus Himself of being possessed by a demon as well as not having a genuinely Jewish ancestry (John 8:42-59). Jesus replies that not only is He the Lamb that “the Lord will provide” and the true son of Abraham chosen for sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-14), but “before Abraham was, I am”, revealing His divine and human natures.

The fourth Sunday would seem to offer relief from all the talk of demonic activity with the story of a feast, the feeding of the five thousand as described in John 6:1-15. Jesus once again sought a retreat into the wilderness, this time a remote region on the northeastern shore of the sea of Galilee, but a great crowd followed Him. They were full of eager desire to witness His healing miracles. There is no word concerning any eagerness for the words of eternal life, but nevertheless Jesus healed their illnesses and preached to them. He also multiplied the loaves and fishes, not simply that their material needs would be satisfied, but that they might continue listening to the Gospel and believe. But when Jesus perceived that a great many wanted to take him by force to make Him a king, He left them to pray alone on a mountain. In this way, He again resisted the temptations to use His divine power to gain material prosperity, popularity and an earthly kingdom. It was another victory in the spiritual battle, pointing to His ultimate victory over the power of sin, death and the Devil on the cross.

More medicine from Chile

On March 5, 2023, we began distribution of another shipment of non-prescription medicines made possible by Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO). During the initial years (2017-2020) of the GLO Venezuela Relief Project, many pharmaceutical companies had ceased operations in Venezuela, and local pharmacies had bare shelves. Today, medicine may be once again available but at high prices and in dollars! Medicines are purchased by Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile volunteers, many of them immigrants from Venezuela. Volunteers collate the orders and prepare each shipment according to lists of needed prepared by participating Lutheran congregations in Venezuela. In addition to La Caramuca, medicines have been distributed in other locations, such as the cities of Barinas and Barquisimeto.

According to a report by the Wilson Center, more than 82 percent of people in Venezuela have incomes below the poverty line and 53 percent live in extreme poverty. Even after correcting for the income that some households receive from friends and relatives abroad, the level of extreme poverty is estimated to be 34 percent. More than 78 percent of households experience food insecurity. In addition, according to the Global Hunger Index, more than 23 percent of Venezuelans suffer from high levels of malnutrition, the highest in South America. Furthermore, Venezuela’s restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid are as high as in Ethiopia and higher than in Haiti, Syria, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan. So GLO’s success in placing these medications in the hands of our people is quite an accomplishment.

New cycle of deaconess formation begins

Once again Luz Maria is mentoring women who aspire to be deaconesses in our national church. Many of them have served the church for years in works of mercy and Christian education. The three-year program, developed by Concordia The Reformer Seminary in the Dominican Republic and administered in Venezuela by the Juan de Frias Theological Institute, offers them the theological training to assist their pastors in meeting the spiritual as well as material needs of the congregation and the community. The seminary has extended its deaconess training program to nine Latin American countries, but Venezuela continues to have the largest enrollment with 28 women.

Each year of the program is a combination on in-person seminars and online classes. The students complete assigned readings and projects and put their new skills into practice with the supervision of the local pastor and deaconess mentor. Once they pass their final written and practical exams, they graduate and are commissioned as deaconesses.

Luz Maria and I traveled to Caracas to attend the first seminar from March 8 to 10. The women and pastors who attended were from congregations in the central zone (the cities of Caracas and Maracay) of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. The previous week the same seminar was held at Fuente de Vida (Fountain of Life) Lutheran Church in Puerto Ordaz for women and pastors in the eastern and southeastern zones (the cities of Barcelona, Maturin, San Felix de Guayana and Puerto Ordaz). There are no women enrolled from our western zone (Barinas and Barquisimeto) this time around. The instructors were Pastor Eliezer Mendoza, director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute, and deaconesses Luz Maria and Elsy Valladares de Machado, with assistance from Deaconess Ginnatriz Vera de Mendoza.

I participated in the discussions and led the opening devotion one morning. I read 1 Timothy 3:8-13. “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Women likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

The first word in verse 11 is gynaikas, literally “women” without a possessive article. So to render it “their wives” (meaning the wives of male deacons) is not justifiable, especially since verses 1-7 list the qualifications of a bishop or pastor without mention of the wives of pastors (and no vow of celibacy was required for the pastoral office at that time). There is other evidence in the New Testament that the diaconate, or helping ministry, was open to women as well as men, so the best interpretation of verse 11 is that the women to which it refers are deaconesses. As a historical example of a faithful deaconess, I used Olympias, the chief deaconess to John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople at the end of the fourth century AD. Chrysostom, by the way, interpreted 1 Timothy 3:11 as referring to deaconesses. When the archbishop was exiled for preaching against the luxurious living of the upper classes and their indifference to the poor, Olympias acted as his advocate in his absence and wrote to him regularly. Chrysostom’s 17 letters in reply to “the most reverend and divinely favored deaconess Olympias” may still be read.

Oh Christ, Thou Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us!

Oh Christ, Thou Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us!

Oh Christ, Thou Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us Thy peace!