Training for spiritual warfare

Jesus began His earthly ministry by fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the Judean desert as preparation for being tempted by the devil. Matthew’s account of this (Matthew 4:1-11) was our appointed Gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Lent and the topic of our youth Bible study that afternoon. To many of us, the notion of fasting as a way of training for spiritual warfare may sound strange, but it has support in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. The theme of spiritual warfare continues in the readings for the second Sunday (Matthew 15:21-28) and the third Sunday (Luke 11:14-28) in Lent.

Our Lord never despised the blessings of food and drink as sinful in themselves. He performed his first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-12). Because he accepted the hospitality of many, he was falsely accused of gluttony and drunkenness (Matthew 11:19). But Jesus recognized that there was a time for fasting as well as a time for feasting. In Matthew 9:14-15, Jesus was asked why his disciples did not fast, even though the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist fasted often. “And Jesus said unto them, Can the bridegrooms mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.” In Matthew 16:1-21, he tells his disciples, “When you give alms,” “when you pray,” and “when you fast.” He never says “if.”

In both the Old and New Testaments, fasting oftern accompanies intercessory prayer. When we are full of food and drink, we usually want to sleep. By curbing our consumption of food and drink, we can stay alert for prayer.

King David fasted and prayed for the life of his sick child. Although he fasted, God denied his request for the child's life (2 Samuel 12:16-23). Anna the prophetess “did not depart from the temple courts, but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37). Paul was blind and did not eat or drink for three days after his conversion (Acts 9:9). The Holy Spirit told the believers worshipping and fasting in Antioch, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). After fasting a little longer and praying, they laid hands on them and sent them away. Paul and Barnabas also fasted and prayed when they appointed elders (pastors) for the young churches in Asia Minor (Acts 14:23).

Saint Paul speaks of the need for corporal discipline in the Christian life (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). To clarify his meaning to the Corinthians, Paul uses the figure of the athletic games, with which they were familiar because the Isthmian Games were held near their city every three years. All athletes at the Greek games did not indulge in anything that might weaken their muscles or their endurance; they practiced such severe severity that they abstained from the slightest concession in food or drink that might one day set them back in their training.

Many of the post-apostolic Church Fathers encouraged fasting. As early as 200 AD, it had become customary to fast on the Saturday before Easter. Later, a 40-hour fast (believed to be the length of Christ's tomb) became popular. In the third century, the Easter Fast was extended to the six days of Holy Week, and by the fourth century, many were observing a 40-day Lenten fast (the length of which was similar to Jesus' 40-day fast). We may see a reflection of the Easter Fast tradition in the Small Catechism, where Luther writes of “The Sacrament of the Altar,” “Fasting and preparing oneself bodily is, indeed, a good external discipline; but truly worthy and well-prepared is he who has faith in the words: ‘given for you’ and ‘shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’”

However, from the largely individual and voluntary observance of fasting in the days of the early church, a complex system of mandatory fast days gradually emerged. The medieval church was believed to have received the authority to issue such commands to God's people. Fasting was considered a work of merit. Excommunication was inflicted on those who violated the laws of fasting.

That is why Article XII of the Augsburg Confession warns that “although we are convinced that repentance must produce good fruits for the glory and commandment of God, and good fruits, such as true fasting, true prayer, true almsgiving, etc., have a commandment from God, nevertheless, we will never find in the Holy Scriptures any text that says that eternal punishments are not forgiven except because of the punishment of purgatory or canonical satisfactions, that is, by virtue of certain non-obligatory works, or that the power of the keys has the commandment to commute punishments or to forgive part of them."

Farewell to the flesh

The mandatory Lenten fast of the Middle Ages led to an equal and opposite reaction: The practice of throwing a big fit of conspicuous consumption in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of Lent. The object was to make sure everyone knew that you were not hoarding alcohol, red meat, eggs, dairy products and other forbidden foods in your house during the fast. This was known as Mardi Gras in France, Shrove Tuesday in England, and Carnaval in Italy and Spain. Carnaval (or Carnival as it is rendered in English) is derived from the medieval Latin phrase, “carnem levare” and means “farewell to the flesh”.

Masquerade balls and parades were a later addition to the festivities. Because of the forced closure of our preschool, 2025 was the first time in 21 years that we have not celebrated Carnaval with a masquerade party and parade through the community for the preschool children. For our children of the 21st Century, Carnaval meant, for the most part, girls dressing up as the Disney princess of their choice and boys putting on Spider Man, Batman or Superman costumes. We also got a fair share of pirates, probably because of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and not because of the real history of pirates and privateers attacking Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, or the fact that piracy is again a problem in Venezuelan waters.

Our objective was not to endorse the excesses associated with Carnaval, but to give the children the opportunity to laugh, play and exercise their imaginations in anticipation of the solemnity of Lent.

But we did not forget the Ash Wednesday service of prayer and repentance with the imposition of ashes. As with fasting, the imposition of ashes is not obligatory for Christians, but it is not prohibited as an expression of humility and dependence on God. Sackcloth and ashes are associated with public fasting in the Old Testament (Jonah 3:1-10) and it seems to be implied in Matthew 6:16-17, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.” The Greek word translated as “disfigure” is the opposite of the verb translated as “appear”, so the hypocrites are trying to obscure or “disappear” their faces, presumably by covering them in ashes. But our Lord did not criticize external acts in Matthew 6, but rather the false motives the Pharisees had, not only for fasting, but also prayer and almsgiving. The imposition of ashes is useful as an expression of sincere repentance and faith.

Afterschool tutoring program expands
Luz Maria's afterschool tutoring program continues to thrive with the assistance of two young ladies as her assistants, Yusmelvis Salas and Anyi Garrido (both confirmed members of our congregation). There are now 11 students in the program, ranging from first to fifth grades. Daily sessions focus on mathematics and language skills. Venezuela faces an educational crisis because of a shortage of qualified schoolteachers. From 2018 to 2021, approximately 25% of teachers left the education system. Moreover, students are no longer atracted to pursue a career in educaton. The primary causes identfed for these challenges include extremely low salaries, a lack of teaching resources, insufcient professional development, a feeling of being underappreciated, and the loss of benefts they previously enjoyed. Many school-age children attend classes at the public school only two or three days per week and have fall far behind on their educational progress for their ages. As well, some of Luz Maria's students have special learning difficulties.

Every tutoring session includes prayer and Bible reading. The most recent topic was Genesis 28:10-22, Jacob's vision of the ladder to heaven at Bethel.

Taking it to the next level
Two former preschool students, Esteban Alzate (right) and Diego Montilla Farias (left), let us know that they graduated from elementary school and are ready for high school.

Anniversary after the ashes

 

The season of Lent is supposed to a serious, solemn time with an emphasis on repentance and confession, meditation and prayer. But after an Ash Wednesday service which recalled the sackcloth, ashes and fasting of the Old Testament (Jonah 3:1-10; Joel 2:12-19), we joined in a celebration. Our mother congregation, Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, marked 29 years at its current location. Due to the recent departure of Pastor Raimundo Brito (who has announced his intention to emigrate to Brazil because of the economic hardship in Venezuela), I officiated at a eucharistic service with members of our mission and Corpus Christi present on Saturday, February 17, 2024. After the service, the youth and children went out to play games in the street. The Corpus Christi congregation sponsored me as a candidate for pastoral training so that our mission in La Caramuca could continue growing through baptisms and confirmations. When I made my grand tour of Lutheran churches in Venezuela in April, 2003, I stayed the night in the guest room of Corpus Christi. The following morning I found Luz Maria sleeping on of the pews in the church. Corpus Christi is not far from the public bus terminal, so upon returning from a trip to Caracas, she decided to stay at the church rather than look for a late-night bus to La Caramuca. We went out for breakfast and she introduced me to her mother, Carmen Rivero de Henriquez, who also lives close to the church. That was how we first met. While there is much that can be said about our mother church over the last 29 years, the connection between Corpus Christi and La Caramuca dates back many more years. While Corpus Christi acquired its own house of worship in 1995, Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) missionaries began evangelistic work in the city of Barinas in 1985. The first missionary to visit Barinas was Philip Bickel, who, as missions pastor at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Bloomington, Minnesota, convinced me to travel to Venezuela on a short-term mission trip in 2002. Lutheran worship services in Barinas first were held in the home of Luz Maria’s mother. Luz Maria and two of her brothers, Moises and Robert Henriquez, were confirmed as Lutherans. Moises would move to Caracas and become a member of El Salvador Lutheran Church, director of Christian education at its Concordia Lutheran School, and served a term as treasurer of the national church, the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. While living in Barinas, Luz Maria took courses in theology by extension provided by the Juan de Frias Theological Institute (this was a form of distance learning before the Internet was widely available). She moved across the country to the city of San Felix de Guayana and, while living there for a time, continued the formation that would lead to her certification as a deaconess. This included practical experience such as teaching Sunday school and other volunteer work in Ascension Lutheran Church of San Felix. She continued her work and study after her return to Barinas in the 1990s. Carmen, her mother, eventually joined a Baptist church in Barinas, but continued to host LCMS missionaries and Lutheran worship in her home until Corpus Christi established itself at the present site. At 92, Carmen is no longer capable of living on her own. Luz Maria and her six siblings are cooperating in caring for their mother, since placing her in an assisted-living unit is not an option. Every week we deliver food to her mother's house, and when Luz Maria’s siblings need a break for their family and work, we keep her mother here for a few days. That is why Carmen was with us for Ash Wednesday worship. We wish Godspeed to Pastor Raimundo and his wife, Sandra, who is one of the women that Luz Maria mentored through four years of the deaconess training program sponsored by the Juan de Frias Institute and Concordia El Reformador Seminary in the Dominican Republic. Our relationship with them was one of mutual support, even through the worst of the COVID-19 crisis. It began with Pastor Brito's installation and a joint Reformation Day service in 2019 and was last highlighted by a joint activity with members of Corpus Christi during Holy Week of 2023. Former missionary leads online class Speaking of former missionaries to Venezuela and distance, Daniel Conrad on February 29 (Leap Day!) taught a session of “Readings in the Confessions”, a course I am monitoring at Concordia El Reformador Seminary in the Dominican Republic. Pastor Conrad teaches at the seminary, which draws students from 11 countries in Latin America. Before that, he served as a missionary for 20 years in Venezuela (1984–2003), including the city of Barinas. While in Venezuela, he focused on the formation and mentoring of national pastors. Pastor Conrad also served as the pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Terra Bella, California, (2003–2014) prior to receiving the call to serve again as a theological educator, first in Mexico and now in the Dominican Republic. The February 29 class continued our study of the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, and included not only seminarians in the Dominican Republic, but also a visiting group of seminarians from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sweethearts of the science fair We give thanks for past recipients of LeadaChild scholarships who continue to excel in their academic pursuits as well as grow in their faith. Anyi Garrido and Yusmelvis Salas represented Samuel Robinson high school in the seventh Scientific Exhibition Challenge at the local level. Then they proceeded to take first place in state competition. The two will compete at the national level in Caracas at a date to be announced. The topic of their project is: "Solution or Toxin? Calling for reflection on substances that can be toxic to the body, such as tattoos or permanent makeup." Anyi’s brother, Eduar Garrido, and his classmates, Yandry Gomez and Franyelis Martinez, won a similar mathematics competition representing Samuel Robinson among three high schools at the local level, but did not place in state competition. It was said their topic, “Better Strategies for Learning Mathematics” was more suitable for teachers rather than students. Anyi, Yusmelvis and Eduar are all communicant members of our mission. Another shipment of medicine received from GLO We have received another shipment of non-prescription medicines from Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO) to distribute among the families of our mission according to need. This GLO project benefits not only Epiphany Lutheran Mission of La Caramuca, but all of the congregrations of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. Since 2017 volunteers in Chile have packaged and shipped needed medicine to Venezuela. Luz Maria works closely with Corali Garcia  Ramos and Elianeth Pineda, Venezuelan expatriates in Chile, to coordinate requests for medicines from all the Lutheran congregations in Venezuela. Recipients can choose from a list of 18 common medications (up to three medications per patient). Each of those medicines are available in Chile without a prescription. Additionally, every congregation in Venezuela receives a supply of seven common medications. Medicines are purchased in Chile with the cooperation of a local pharmacy. Volunteers collate the orders and prepare each congregation’s shipment. Medicine is shipped using a globally-known shipping company. After arriving in Venezuela, the medicines are sorted and packed for distribution to each beneficiary.

Outward expressions of inner reality

“Why do you dress like that?”, the little boy asked me after the Divine Service. Of course, he meant my alb, stole and cincture. “It is the uniform of a called and ordained pastor in our church,” I replied.

I could have given him the complete lecture, starting with Article XXIV of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession: “At the outset we must again make the preliminary statement that we 1 do not abolish the Mass, but religiously maintain and defend it. For among us masses are celebrated every Lord’s Day and on the other festivals, in which the Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved. And the usual public ceremonies are observed, the series of lessons, of prayers, vestments, and other like things.” Elsewhere in the Book of Concord there are many declarations that ecclesiastical traditions that have stood the test of time, and proven useful in teaching reverence for the Word and sacraments, even if they are not specifically commanded in Scripture, should be preserved and not be discarded (for instance, Article XV of the Augsburg Confession). Even the use of Latin was retained as part of the Divine Service! The Reformers were concerned with establishing they were not starting a new church, but were truly in communion with the church catholic, which has existed not only since the first century, but in the Old Testament as well. There are no detailed descriptions of how the New Testament church worshiped, probably because the early Christians were already accustomed to the liturgical worship of the Temple and synagogue. New Testament believers are not bound to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament as a matter of salvation, but it is clear what “worship style” the Lord prefers.

Nevertheless, I felt it was sufficient to speak of a pastoral uniform, because Venezuelans understand uniforms. Every branch of the military, and of local, state and national police have their distinctive uniforms. Venezuelan physicians identify themselves by their white lab coats. But uniforms not only identify figures of authority, but also those who belong to a particular group. Not only do the teachers in our preschool have uniforms, but also all of our students. This is the norm not only in preschool, but in the primary and secondary schools as well. The wearing of uniforms is not obligatory in the university, but every college or school in the university has its distinctive form and color of dress. And at graduation, it is customary to wear the academic robes which are derived from the uniform of scholars in the 16th Century. Uniforms signify vocation, which is a solid Lutheran doctrine and beneficial for an orderly society as well.

This month we distributed new uniforms provided free of charge to our preschool by the Ministry of Education. The uniforms are required, but many families cannot afford to purchase them. With the aid of LeadaChild, we provide scholarships for alumni of our preschool to continue their education through high school. Part of the money from these scholarships is used for the required uniforms which are not provided free for families past the preschool level.

The purpose of marriage and family

On the same day that we distributed the uniforms, we spoke with the guardians of our students about the Biblical model of the family: One man, one woman committed to an exclusive relationship for life. God intended this order of creation for the welfare of children, as well as mutual companionship and support of the complementary sexes. So far, we have not had to deal directly with what is referred to here as “gender ideology”, that is, the promotion of same-sex “marriage” and the idea of sexual identity as a social construct. However, the law in Venezuela has for many years permitted common-law marriage, or more precisely, concubinage. That is to say, it is sufficient for a man and a woman to be considered “married” if they live under the same roof and have children together. Marriage as a commitment to God, and not just a private arrangement, is a real cultural obstacle. Also, the responsibility of fathers to bring their children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord is a particular problem for men, as many children lack an identifiable father figure in the home.

Teachers’ strike continues, so does afterschool tutoring

While many COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted (according to this site, COVID-19 is not among the 50 leading causes of death in Venezuela), many schools remain closed because of a nationwide teachers’ strike over adequate pay and benefits. But even though her students are not attending regular classes, Luz Maria continues her afterschool tutoring. It is a remedial program for many of the students, who are far behind their grade level in basic reading and math skills.

Feast, then fast?

We began the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday imposition of ashes, but not before the preschool children participated in a traditional Carnaval parade. “Carnaval” is derived from an old Italian phrase, which means “farewell to the flesh”, specifically meat, dairy products and whatever else would not keep for the 40 days of obligatory Lenten fasting. The two days (at least) of merrymaking and conspicuous consumption before Ash Wednesday was a medieval form of virtue signaling, in which people demonstrated that they were not keeping anything hidden in the cupboards during Lent. During the Renaissance, parades and masquerade balls became part of the festivities. There is inherently wrong with these pre-Lent celebrations, unless they become occasions for idolatry and inmorality. The same may be said of Halloween, in which the original significance of All Saints Eve and All Saints Day has been forgotten by a great many people.

The appointed Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:1-11, might seem to forbid this kind of thing, except that Jesus begins by says “When you fast…” He does not require fasting as a condition of forgiveness, but assumes His disciples will fast. Fasting is often mentioned in the Old Testament. It was carried out voluntarily or by public prescription. The Law of Moses mandated a single fast, that of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-34). In addition, fasting was done by public prescription in seasons of drought or public calamity (Judges 20:26; 2 Chronicles 20:3; Joel 1:13; 2: 12,15). Fasting was also done individually and voluntarily from time to time. Hannah fasted because of her grief at not having a child (1 Samuel 1). David's action in fasting after the birth of Bathsheba's first child is peculiar in that he continued the fast only while the wounded child was alive and discontinued the fast when the child died (2 Samuel 12:21-23).

By New Testament times it is obvious that the Pharisees regarded fasting as a work of merit (Luke 18:12). However, this was an abuse that was already evident in the Old Testament. As Isaiah rebuked the people of his day for their cold, formal fasts and exhorts them to accompany their fast with a humble spirit and righteous living (Isaiah 58:3-12). The Pharisees fasted twice a week: Monday and Thursday. What Jesus condemns in Matthew, chapter 6, is outward acts of piety as works of merit to gain favor with God as well as the admiration of men. These acts include prayer and giving to the poor as well as fasting. In fact, the apostles fasted at times (Acts 13:2; 14:23). Many in the early church fasted twice a week: Wednesday and Friday.

The death of King David’s child was punishment for his adultery with Bathsheba, although because he confessed his sin, the Lord spared his life. This repentance is reflected in Psalm 51, where David writes, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Job expresses sorrow and repentance by sitting among ashes in Job 2:8. We find both fasting and the wearing of sackcloth and ashes as an expression of sorrow and repentance in the alternate Old Testament lesson appointed for Ash Wednesday, Jonah 3:1-10. This was appropriate to read because our Sunday afternoon youth Bible class had just completed a study of the book of Jonah.

Fasting and imposition of ashes had again come to be considered acts of merit in the medieval church. The Lutheran Confessions reject burdening consciences with these rites, but teach that right fasting is a fruit of repentance commanded by God in the same way as right praying and right almsgiving; that fasting is useful for keeping the flesh in check (Article XXVI, Augsburg Confession); and that fasting and other forms of bodily preparaton are fine external training in preparation for receiving Holy Communion (Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar).

At any rate, we remember that while the 40 days of Lent are intended as a season of penitence and prayer, there are feast-days embedded in Lent: The six Sundays are not considered part of Lent proper, because we celebrate the Resurrection with the Eucharist.

We wish all of you a blessed Lent in anticipation of Easter triumph and Easter joy!

The fiesta before the fast

For most of the past month, all schools have been closed in and around La Caramuca, including our preschool. This was because of concern about the effects of the omicron variant on children. However, by the final days of February, COVID-19 fears had faded enough that cities across Venezuela had announced plans for traditional Carnaval celebrations and we were able to open our preschool for a Carnaval party for our children and their families.

Carnaval, or Carnival as it is spelled in English, is derived from either Latin or Italian phrases meaning “goodbye to meat” (“carne” means red meat in Spanish as well). The Carnaval tradition came to Venezuela from Spain. Northern European, predominantly Lutheran, countries have an equivalent of Carnaval known as Fastelavn in Denmark and similar names elsewhere. People in the United States perhaps are most familiar with the French term, “Mardi Gras” (“Fat Tuesday”), which is quite the tourist attraction in New Orleans. English speakers also might recognize “Shrove Tuesday”, like Mardi Gras referring to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Customs associated with Shrove Tuesday include the eating of pancakes and other sweets, as well as the ritual burning of palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday to use for the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. Around the world, Shrove Tuesday is observed by Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists as well as Roman Catholics.

By the way, for several hundred years, Roman Catholics in Venezuela have had papal permission to hunt and eat the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the world’s largest rodent species, during Lent on the theory that its semi-aquatic lifestyle makes it more like a fish than a mammal.

It was in 18th Century Italy, France and Spain that Carnaval festivities took on what may be their most well-known characteristics, namely masquerade balls and parades. And that is how we celebrate with the preschool children. These days, the girls like to dress up as Disney princesses, while the boys favor Batman, Superman or Spider Man, a tribute to the worldwide influence of the U.S. entertainment industry.

Before our festivities began, we prayed the Lord’s Prayer, the children sang a song based on Romans 8:39, and I read from Luke 5:33-35.

“And they said to him, The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink. And Jesus said to them, Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”

This, along with its parallel verses in Matthew 9:14-15 and Mark 2:18-20, is one of only two passages where Jesus speaks of fasting. The other is the appointed Ash Wednesday text, Matthew 6:16-21.

I explained that there are times when the Christian can be festive, as well as times for somber, solemn reflection. We may rejoice with those who rejoice, without falling into drunkenness and debauchery, while those given to drunkenness and debauchery will find any excuse to do so, even the Christmas holidays. We should never forget that the point of our feast days is to enjoy and give thanks for the material blessings that God has given us, even as He has commanded us to pray for our daily bread in the Lord’s Prayer. Nor should we cease to pray and cast our cares on Him in times of scarcity, whether doing without is a voluntary choice or not.

Then came Ash Wednesday, when I did read the lesson from Matthew 6.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus talks about almsgiving, prayer and fasting, and makes the same point each time. These things should not be done to gain the admiration of men, but with an attitude of humility and selflessness, the fruits of the Holy Spirit working in us (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). And as Psalm 51, the psalm appointed for Ash Wednesday says, the acceptable sacrifice of thanksgiving to God is a repentant and contrite heart.

For dust you are, and to dust you shall return

One goal of Ash Wednesday and the subsequent days of Lent is the meditation on our own mortality. Through baptism we have the promise of sharing in Christ’s resurrection (Romans 6:3-4), yet as sinners we cannot escape the sentence of physical death in Genesis 3:19. This was brought home to me just before Ash Wednesday, March 2, as Bruce Keseman, pastor of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Freeburg, Illinois, conducted a wonderful memorial service for my sister, Deborah Ann Ernst, on Saturday, February 26. My sister, Deborah Ann Ernst, received in full the peace which the world cannot give on Sunday, February 13. This is the second time that Pastor Keseman has presided at a funeral for a member of my family, the first being at the death of my father in 2000.

The saddest part was not the loss of my sister, because we know that she is with Jesus, but knowing that 10 to 15 years ago, it would not have been that hard for Luz Maria and I to journey to the United States to be with my mother at this time. Of course, many Venezuelans have had the same experience from a mirror-image perspective. Having emigrated from Venezuela, they have found it impossible to return for the death of a family member.

Pray for safe passage to Caracas

Travel inside and outside Venezuela was becoming more expensive and uncertain even before the COVID-19 crisis. For two years we have traveled only as far as the city of Barinas, and we can only pray that soon the travel bans, COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements will be lifted. How the ripple effects from the current war in Ukraine will affect us is anyone’s guess.

For more than a year, Luz Maria has been mentoring online women enrolled in a deaconess training program sponsored by Concordia El Reformador Lutheran Seminary in the Dominican Republic. This past month, Pastor Eliezer Mendoza, direct of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela’s Juan de Frias Theological Institute began a series of three in-person seminars for the deaconess students. The first one was last week at Ascension Lutheran Church in San Felix de Guayana (in eastern Venezuela on the banks of the Orinoco River). The second will take place this week at Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Maturin (also in eastern Venezuela, but to the north). Next week Luz Maria hopes to travel to a seminar in Caracas (central Venezuela) with a group of other women from the west. (We are living in Venezuela’s wild western frontier, as a matter of fact.) I will pray for her safe passage and I hope that you will, too.

Churches and mission agencies should pray and reflect on how to continue cross-cultural mission work in a world of closed borders, open war and increasing hostility to the proclamation of both Law and Gospel.

Fireworks, but no frost

The last two years have begun with unusual fireworks (although our dogs find even the ordinary kind distressing).

After our New Years Eve service on December 31, 2019, a ventilation fan was left running. Some time after midnight, it shortcircuited and exploded. Neighbors came running from their houses to tell us there was a fire in the church. And so there was, but it proved relatively easy to put out. Not so easy was cleaning a thick layer of ash deposited over everything and repainting the walls, but we get it done by the following Sunday. Other events in 2020 overshadowed this mishap. 

 On February 5, 2021, we heard another big bang. This time it was one of the four batteries in our solar backup system. Thanks be to God, there was no irreparable damage, although acid from the battery removed the finish from the polished concrete floor. Above all, nobody was in the room where the batteries are housed. When the sealed batteries were installed, we were assured that they were not dangerous. We are still waiting for the vendor to give us an explanation or replace the exploded battery.

Brent Friedrichs of Global Lutheran Outreach, gave me this advice: “ Although I have not had a solar battery explode – I (while 23 years in Africa) did have a couple of deep cycle batteries get so very hot that it bulged out the sides and completely ruined the battery. If a battery explodes/overheats it is sometimes due to the cap not ventilating enough ( or fast enough) and/or the level inside not being enough to cover the seps/plates wherein the battery then boils out from uncontrolled charging. If you are using a higher end charge controller/inverter (like Trace/Xantrex models) – you may want to consider temperature sensors. The sensor sticks to the side of the battery and its cable plugs directly into a socket on the front or side of the unit. The socket on controller/inverter sort of looks like a telephone socket. The charge controller may also be set too high (too fast of charge rate) for the battery (or batteries). Some charge controllers are adjustable.” We will take this into consideration.

Meanwhile, power outages remain an almost daily occurrence, although in recent weeks lasting no longer than three hours at a time, although the power may go down at any time with no indication for how long. Sometimes it’s for 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes longer. Once again, we appreciate the gift of a K-Tor pedal-powered generator, which I have put to use during one of our longer blackouts. 

At this time of year, the temperature may dip to 70 degrees F by 5 a.m., so at least we do not have to deal with loss of electricity and freezing temperatures with violent wind and snow as have had many of you in the states. We continue to pray for the affected states as I remember well this type of situation from my youth in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, and, in later years, Wisconsin and Minnesota. There were several people that died during the hard winter of 1967 in Yale, SD, but the story I remember best is that of Martin Ziegeldorf, a member of our church. One night as he was returning from work, the drifting snow engulfed his car. He walked about a mile across open fields in the snow and bitter cold. When he was only a few yards from the back door of his house, he fell down and died. That same year the electricity went down for the entire town. We only had electric heat in our house, but we were invited to stay with Claud Green, also a member of the church, who had LP gas heat at his house about two blocks away. Dad tried driving, but the car soon slipped into a drift. We walked the rest of the way. I held Dad's hand while he carried my brother, Dan. My sister, Dorcas, held Mom's hand, while Mom carried my other sister, Debbie. I could not see anything through the white-out, or hear anything over the roaring wind. But I could feel Dad's hand and I knew not to let go of that.

How about a Parler t-shirt?

Even more disturbing than the winter storm reports from the states has been the news of restrictions on freedom of speech over the social networks. I have never been in “Facebook jail”, but I had this curious experience. I had heard that Facebook was banning posts of the Lord’s Prayer. That sounded dubious, but I decided to post the Lord’s Prayer, just to check out the story. Immediately, Facebook informed me that independent fact-checkers had determined that I was relaying false information. Plus, they attached an article saying that Facebook's censoring the Lord´s Prayer is a hoax.

To try to unpack this, it seems that perhaps the rumor of a ban on the Lord’s Prayer was a hoax, but Facebook made it a reality by setting its watchdogs to look for any posting of the Lord’s Prayer and issuing warnings to whoever posted it. So, in effect, Facebook proved that it is monitoring and attempting to control what you say on their “public platform”. I also posted the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish and koine Greek, but did not receive a warning, so it seems the Facebook censors are linguistically challenged.

There seems to be a similar problem with Twitter and so many of our U.S. contacts have said that they have opened accounts on alternative social networks that we have, too. I had a Parler account until Parler was shut down by an extraordinary concerted action by Google, Apple and Amazon. In case anyone thinks this is normal business competition, who remembers Google Plus? This was Google’s last attempt to overthrow Facebook as king of the social networks. The Google Plus network was launched in 2011 and shut down in 2019. Proving two things: Google had no compunction about trying to take away at least part of Facebook’s business and even with all of its resources, it failed to do so. So why would Google, much less Amazon or Apple, feel the need to protect Facebook from a startup with against-the-odds chances of success? Except for the politics, of course. Anyway we now have accounts on Telegram, a text messaging service that I prefer to Twitter, and MeWe, which I find only so-so. You can send and receive messages from us at laepifania on Telegram. 

Still, I think that I should have a “I had a Parler account” t-shirt and/or coffee mug. 

Eighth shipment of medicine delivered

On Septuagesima Sunday, January 31, 2021, we delivered the eighth shipment of medicine from Global Lutheran Outreach and the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile. But we received this word from James Tino, executive director of Global Lutheran Outreach:

“The country of Venezuela - where we served as missionaries for 13 years - continues going from bad to worse. Wages are now two dollars per MONTH. For the past three years, we have been supporting our Venezuelan brothers and sisters by sending life-sustaining and (in some cases) life-saving medicine from Chile. A typical shipment serves about 1000 patients with a month or more supply of their medications. Medicines are distributed through the network of 21 Lutheran congregations in Venezuela. Since many of our members in Santiago are Venezuelan immigrants, this project is near and dear to our hearts. Unfortunately, this may have been our last shipment as funding for the project has been exhausted. Each shipment costs about $10,000, or about $10 per patient.”

 

Click below to donate to this project.

http://globallutheranoutreach.com/blog/venezuelarelief/

On-line deaconess formation continues 

This past week week Luz Maria and representatives of other regional divisions of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela presented reports on their use of the Small Catechism to an audience in four other Latin American countries (Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico).

Concordia the Reformer Seminary launched the online deaconess program for 2021 on January 14, with an eight-week intensive course entitled “The Catechism – Disciples for Life: Instruction in the Christian Life from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism”. As a deaconess-mentor, Luz Maria supervises weekly reading, writing, and video assignments from 90-minute teaching/discussion sessions that include practical application of the lesson.

First steps on the journey of 40 days 

From Ash Wednesday, February 17, until Easter Sunday, April 4, we will remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. We take this time, then, to examine our hearts, repent of our wrongdoing, and receive Christ's forgiveness. In the season of Lent, the traditional ways of expressing repentance are fasting and the imposition of ashes. These practices are not meritorious acts to justify us before God. Martin Luther made these comments on Jonah 3: 1-10): “Notice that the people of Nineveh do some things that God does not command them. But Jonah relates them. For example, they fast and wear sackcloth. What does fasting matter to God and that they wear sackcloth? God wants the heart; He wants to see the whole life of a person transformed. Likewise, God did not require these things of them through Jonah; all He asked was that they stop their wickedness.” However, every level of Ninevite society responded to God's Word with visible signs of repentance. Their quick response was in contrast to the often hard hearts of the Israelite people. And God showed the Ninivites His mercy.

In Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21, our Lord does not command his disciples to stop doing acts of piety such as fasting, but to ensure that they are done for the glory of God. Fasting was a very common practice in ancient times, especially before going to the sacrament, although today it has fallen into disuse. However, Jesus fasted in the desert prior to His temptation by the devil, as described in the Gospel reading for the first Sunday in Lent, Matthew 4:1-11.

The Holy Spirit had led Jesus into a desert where there was no food, but Jesus trusted the Father. It was a severe test, even from the point of view of the physical nature of Christ. The purpose of this retreat was not to provide the opportunity for blessed rest and joy, nor to offer an opportunity for deep contemplation, but to be tempted. of the devil. This fight against the devil was part of the trade and work for which he was sent by God and anointed with the Spirit. Just as the arch enemy of mankind had tempted and defeated the first Adam, thus plunging the entire human race into damnation, he now set out to defeat the second Adam by hindering the work of redemption. 

 "And the tempter came to Him and said: If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus responds to Satan, with great humility, by quoting the Scriptures. With "it is written," Jesus marks Deuteronomy 8 as the Word of God. Deuteronomy 8: 3 describes Moses reminding Israel of God's tender care for his people during the forty-year journey through the wilderness. In particular, it shows how the Lord had fed them with manna, hitherto completely unknown to them and their parents, in order to teach them that "man does not live by bread alone, but by all that proceeds from the mouth of Jehovah man lives". 

Jesus refers to himself as true man and also in a broader sense to every human being. This is true of all people, believe it or not. Food is produced by the creative power of God. Believers know this and believe also that beyond material bread, man needs the faith, joy and hope that the Word of God yields. 

Lord, bring us close to your cross that we might know how you loved us and gave yourself for us. We would keep Lent, Lord, in a way that is pleasing to you. As we follow you from Gethesemane to Calvary, do not let us follow afar off, lest we deny you. Help us watch and pray with you that we may not fall into temptation. In your holy name we pray. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Prayer, CPH, 1970.)

To fast amid famine

Ash Wednesday.

We have begun another Lenten season in Venezuela, at a time when talking about fasting is a challenge. For more and more Venezuelans, eating less food is not a choice. Many families eat only one or two meals per day, and malnutrition is a growing problem, especially in the poorer sections of Caracas, the capital and largest city. Venezuela used to produce more than two-thirds of its food, and import the rest, but those proportions are now reversed, as the result of runaway inflation and government-imposed price controls that have decreased profit margins for Venezuelan farmers and ranchers.

That he who by a tree overcame...

Nevertheless, our appointed texts for Ash Wednesday talk about fasting. In the Old Testament lesson, Joel 2:12-19, we find this: “Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

And our Gospel lesson, Matthew 6 16-21, says this: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, *xvanoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. *xwAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Furthermore, the Gospel for the first Sunday in Lent, Matthew 4:1-11, speaks of Jesus fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness.

So what do you say? First that people, from Old Testament times to the present, have practiced fasting and covering the head in ashes (for example, in Jonah, chapter 3) to express sorrow and repentance, these are not required to gain God’s forgiveness for sin. Our Lutheran Confessions teach that fasting in itself is not obligatory, nor forbidden by God, but the correct fast is the fruit of repentance in the same way as correct prayer and the correct giving of alms; that fasting is useful for self-discipline; and that it is an excellent external training in preparation to receive the Lord’s Supper (Apology to the Augsburg Confession XII 139, 143; XV 47; Small Catechism VI 10). For the rest of Matthew 6 deals with prayer and giving of alms (it is where we find Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer) and the Lord discusses fasting in that context.

Carnival costumes.

Venezuelans are familiar with a legalistic approach to fasting. They inherited from the Spaniards the tradition of Carnival. In the Middle Ages in Europe, strict fasting was mandatory. So, the purpose of the Carnival parties was to clear the cupboards and pantries of meat, butter and any food and drink that would not keep for 40 days. However, since Spanish colonial times, Venezuelans have had a papal dispensation to eat the meat of the capybara during Lent. The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris; known in Venezuela as the chiguire) is the world’s largest rodent. Because it has webbed feet and is semi-aquatic, Roman Catholic missionaries successfully petitioned the Pope to classify it as fish for the purpose of the Lenten fast. Today the capybara is regarded as a seasonal delicacy.

The problem is that, if the Lenten fast is upheld as a rule that must be kept, then people will look for ways to cheat. In a recent Issues Etc. interview with Terry Mattingly about current media coverage of Lent, there was much discussion of “veggie-burgers” (plant material engineered to look and allegedly taste like a hamburger) as an exemption to the “requirement” to abstain from meat during Lent.

Matthew 6 teaches us a different perspective as do the words of Psalm 51, which we recite in their entirety on Ash Wednesday and in part every Sunday. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right*n1 spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit...O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

The Law given by God through Moses did command propiciatory sacrifices, but even under the old covenant of the Law, the Lord did not look for mere outward compliance with the letter of the Law, but contritition and repentance in the heart. Now, under the new covenant in Christ’s perfect sacrifice, God still pleased to have the true faith of the heart shown in outward acts of worship. But what matters most of all is what God has done for us, not what we do for God.

Prayers for China

In my last newsletter, I requested prayers for Venezuela in view of the potential threat of what they now are calling the COVID-19 virus. It is widely thought that Venezuela at this time does not have the resources to track and contain an outbreak of this new disease. As I write this, there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Chile, but the virus has not yet reached Venezuela. On our first Sunday in Lent, we remembered in prayer the Christians of China, who are trying to help their neighbors by distributing inhalation masks amid increased persecution.

Repairing the playhouse

The wooden playhouse for our preschool was badly damaged by termites this past year. We purchased wood and started repairs, thanks to your continuing contribuitons. Please consider donating online at Global Lutheran Outreach.

Repairing the playhouse.