Making the good confession

Remembering the Reformation

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Sunday, June 25, was the date of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession in 1530, so we celebrated it as a minor festival of the church. The appointed Gospel (Matthew 10:26-33) and epistle (1 Timothy 6:11-16) readings both were very timely, given the state of the world today.

It also was an opportunity to draw a connection between Venezuela and the Reformation. Before he was Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was Carlos I, King of Spain. He was the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, the power couple who financed the voyages of Christopher Columbus, including the third voyage in 1498 when Columbus made landfall in what is now Venezuela. In his quest to become emperor, Charles gained the financial support of the Welzers, a rich family of bankers who lived in, wait for it, Augsburg, Germany. As a reward, the Welzers were given charge of the colony of Venezuela, where they ruled from the city of Maracaibo from 1528 to 1546. They profited from gold mining and the production of sugar cane. The mines were worked by laborers from Germany, the plantations, unfortunately, by native American and African slaves. Although there is no evidence that the Welzers ever involved themselves with the Lutheran Reformation, they were unpopular with Spanish colonists already living in Venezuela, and were accused of being Lutherans in secret.

Studying the Augsburg Confession.

By the way, there is an excellent Spanish-language miniseries about the life of Charles V that Luz Maria and I watched on Venezuelan television, “Carlos, Rey Emperador”. It portrays Martin Luther in a surprisingly sympathetic light. But perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the miniseries was seeing the historical panorama as the action shifted from Hernan Cortes conquering the Aztecs in the name of Spain to the diets of Worms and Augsburg to the the army of the Turks gathering on the eastern edge of the Holy Roman Empire.

With that historical background, it was easy to draw a comparison between the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 and “the good confession” of our Lord before Pontius Pilate, an example that St. Paul tells Timothy and every believer to be willing to emulate (1 Timothy 6:13). Although he was nominally a Christian ruler, Charles V was no more interested than Pilate was in the saving truth of the Gospel. Pilate wanted to avoid an insurrection of the Jews that would have gotten him in trouble with the emperor Tiberius. Charles wanted Europe to maintain a united front against the Turkish threat. But as Pilate was used by God to accomplish Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil, Charles, because of his fear of internal conflict, gave the signers of the Augsburg Confession a platform to declare their faith to the world. In fact, they insisted the confession be read loud enough for those outside the council chamber to hear. In this, they followed the Lord’s command:

Carlos, Rey Emperador.

“What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:27-28)

Lord God, heavenly Father, You preserved the teaching of the apostolic Church through the confession of the true faith at Augsburg. Continue to cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed by the doctrine of the blessed apostles, may walk in the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Treasury of Daily Prayer).

Holy Spirit banner.

A new parament from Peru

We are very pleased with the gift of a new banner for our sanctuary from Luz Maria’s daughter, Yepci. Since we put out the red paraments on Sunday (consistent with Reformation Sunday) as a sign of the Holy Spirit’s continuing guidance and protection of the church, it arrived at just the right moment. Yepci taught in our preschool for many years before leaving Venezuela with her three children in 2018. She and her son, Elias Montoya, painted the symbols of the Holy Trinity on the stained glass above our altar. (Elias was the first child baptized at our mission on June 25, 2005.)

We are thankful that she found another home and another congregation in Lima, Peru, where Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Missions is active in serving local congregations. Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod involvement in Peru began in 1997 with flood relief and medical care. In August 2007, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck south of Lima killing more than 500 people, injuring more than 1,000 and destroying more 34,410 homes, according to news reports. LCMS missionaries traveled to Lima, Lucumo and Lunahuan two weeks after the earthquake to evaluate how they could respond to the people in need. Missionaries handed out Bibles, food and personal hygiene products, and they got approval from the local government authorities to work there.

Yepci and her children attend the congregation in the Los Olivos District of Lima, where there are other Venezuelan expatriates. Her daughter, Oriana Montoya, is one of seven deaconess students mentored by missionary deaconess Caitlin Ramirez.

Close of school year.

Close of 2022/2023 school year

On June 29 we marked the end of the 2022/2023 school year with gifts and games for the children. This was the year in which COVID-19 restrictions were lifted for educational institutions in Venezuela. Yet many schools remained closed because of a public teacher’s strike over inadequate wages. We were able to keep our preschool open, thanks be to God and the patrons of our mission, with many opportunities to proclaim the Gospel to the children and their families.