A house of prayer for all the nations

José Miguel Albarran Pumar was baptized on on August 16, 2020, the 10th Sunday after Trinity. Since 2005, 23 people have been baptized at our mission. Of those baptized, 11 have received their first communion here.

The sermon text was Luke 19:41-48, which is St. Luke’s account of the cleaning of the Temple by Jesus. I noted that the Israelites in the Old Testament had a special place, a house for all the people to come together for worship, prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord. In the beginning that place was a tent, built in front of Mount Sinai under the direction of Moses. This tabernacle served the people on their pilgrimage in the desert. When the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, the tabernacle remained for many years in the city of Shiloh, then in Jerusalem. King Solomon replaced the tabernacle with the first temple of wood and stone a thousand years before Christ. At Epiphany Lutheran Mission, we worshipped first under a roofed patio, but now we have a beautiful chapel. Like the Temple of Jerusalem, this is a house of prayer for those of all nations who worship in Spirit and in truth. For us, the house of the Lord is wherever the Word is preached in its purity and the sacraments administered according to the Lord’s command. It is a special place because the Lord Himself has invited us to gather at an appointed place and time to receive His gifts (Hebrews 10:25). Our bodies also are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corintios 6:19). As our Lord cleared the moneylenders from the Temple, he cleanses our bodies and renews us in spirit through holy baptism. The church, both as the assembly of believers and place where believers assemble, belongs to Christ. He is the One who sustains it and has promised to keep it until His coming.

Distribution of food from LeadaChild

That same Sunday we distributed foodstuffs to 27 families, thanks to support from LeadaChild, a mission society based in Olathe, Kansas and dedicated to supporting Christian education around the world. We have received financial support from LeadaChild since 2006. In the past, we have distributed donations from LeadaChild as “scholarships” for students in our preschool and Luz Maria’s afterschool tutoring sessions. That is to say, as cash for the families to buy school supplies, clothing and food. This time around we purchased food

items in bulk, in order to get better value for our rapidly devaluing Venezuelan currency. Dividing the currency among the families would mean each household would get less than if we bought the food in one purchase. We were able to do this because of the automobile that we purchased with other donations this past year. Thanks to the car, we drove to the food distribution point and brought the food back to the mission.

On Saturday, August 8, we participated in a Zoom videoconference with Nury de Millian, LeadaChild director for Latin America. We listened to presentations on how to reopen Christian schools during the pandemic, testimony from a COVID-19 survivor, and advice from the Rev. Abdiel Orozco Aguirre, the pastor of Castillo Fuerte (Mighty Fortress) Lutheran Church in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and a immunohematologist.

LeadaChild was founded in 1968 as Children’s Christian Concern Society (CCCS) by Jim and Edie Jorns as agricultural missionaries to the Zacapa region of Guatemala. Their idea was to build a boarding house next to the new Lutheran school in Zacapa so that poor children would receive proper care while attending at the school. Jim and

Edie diligently gathered support from friends, family, and church members in their home state of Kansas. Throughout the years, CCCS grew to provide support to project sites in five world regions – Guatemala, Central America and Haiti, South America, West Africa, and Asia – and also supports an afterschool program in Bethlehem. The organization’s name was changed to LeadaChild in 2013.

I had heard of the Jorns’ mission work in the 1980s, when I was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Topeka, Kansas, the congregation in which Edie was raised. Luz Maria and I were privileged to meet Jim and Edie in 2006. Last fall we met Dr. Philip J. Frusti, the current executive director of LeadaChild, in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Frusti, a Lutheran teacher and former school principal, graduated from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Pray for recovery

 

We praise the Lord that Yepci Santana, Luz Maria’s daughter, is recovering from COVID-19 in Lima, Peru. Other members of Luz Maria’s family, with who we have not had face-to-face contact are recovering as well. Also in Peru, Kalen Yolanda Incata Fernández, wife of Martin Osmel Soliz Bernal, a pastor with the LCMS Mission in Lima, was diagnosed with COVID-19 after giving birth to her first child. Also, we should remember Diana Malik, a Global Lutheran Outreach missionary, who has lost 11 members of her extended family to COVID-19 in Kazakhstan. Holy and mighty Lord, who has promised, “no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent” (Psalm 91:10), we beseech You to hear our cry for those who are suffering and dying under the visitation of COVID-19. Mercifully bless the means which are used to stay the spread of the pandemic, strengthen those who labor to heal and comfort the afflicted, support those who are in pain and distress, speedily restore those who have been brought low, and unto all who are beyond healing grant Your heavenly consolation and Your saving grace, through Jesus Christ, Your only Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Welcome and farewell

One month ago I said that by Rogate Sunday (the fifth Sunday after Easter, which was May 6 this year) we either would be continuing to pray for rain or giving thanks for having received spring rains to recharge our well. ]ndeed, praise be to God that it was the second possibility that came true.

Better yet, on that Sunday we baptized Emmanuel David Sanchez and received into communicant membership Genesis Marquina. Emmanuel David is the son of Eleno Sanchez and Luz Maria’s daughter, Sarai, making him her twelfth grandchild. His baptismal verse was Colosenses 2:12. *Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Baptism is the visible means by which the Lord works regeneration in our hearts. Buried with Christ and dead to sin, we now, through the effective working of the word in Baptism, become partakers also of Christ’s resurrection: We are raised with Him by the same divine power by which God raised up Jesus from the dead. The casual comparison between circumcision and Baptism in this entire passage (Colossians 2:6-15) affords a very strong argument in favor of infant baptism; for the rite of circumcision, as practiced by the Jews, had to take place on the eighth day, and baptism is spoken of as being parallel to circumcision.

In fact, Genesis as one of the first to be baptized at our mission on June 29, 2008. Through baptism Genesis was adopted into God’s family, the church, by water and the Word, through a promise made good by the blood of Christ. Now she has entered fully into the communion of Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament of the altar for the strengthening of the faith created in her at baptism. This is the continuing work of the Holy Spirit as I noted in the sermon. Her confirmation verse: John 10:27-28. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” The Lord here gives us a guarantee against ourselves, against our own weakness and doubt. There are so many factors which tend to stifle faith in our hearts, to make us doubt the sincerity of God’s promises toward us, but this word of Christ must overcome all doubt most effectively.

So Rogate Sunday was a joyous day. But it also was a sad one, as we prayed that the Lord might protect them from material and spiritual danger, Luz Maria's daughter, Yepci Anahis Santana, and her children, Aaron, Oriana and Elias, in their travel to Peru. Like many Venezuelans, they will seek a brighter future in another country, Luz Maria's daughter, Wuendy Santana, has liived in Canada since 2010. Another daughter, Charli Rocio Santana Henrriquez, has lived in Ecuador for a little more than two years, as has Luz Maria's brother, Robert Henriquez Rivero. A niece, Romina Castillo, just left for Ecuador with her family, and another niece, Gabriela, now lives in Spain. So we prayed for them and the millions of other Venezuelans who have fled their homeland.

We ask that you, too, remember us and all Venezuelans in your prayers.

The baptism of Jhoan Andrés Leal Santana

Jhoan Andrés Leal Santana was baptized Sunday, March 3, 2013. He is Luz Maria's tenth grandchild, the firstborn son of her daughter, Charli, and the 15th person to be baptized here in Epiphany Lutheran Mission of La Caramuca.

It was Oculi, the third Sunday in Lent. The name.”Oculi”, is derived from the first line of the introit, which is taken from Psalm 25:15. In the Vulgate (Latin) Bible, this reads:

“Oculi mei semper ad Dominum quia ipse educet de rete pedes meos.”

The introit is an excerpt from verses 15-20, a declaration of confidence in the Lord, the God of Israel, and a prayer for protection from all danger and for the forgiveness of sins.

“Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.”

This was an appropriate verse to read on a day of baptism, for in baptism the Lord answers this prayer for protection and pardon by declaring us His beloved children, redeemed by the blood of our Savior, Jesus. The Gospel reading, Luke 11:14-28, also was quite appropriate, for two reasons.

First, because in the two weeks prior I had had conversations with various people on the subject of the influence of evil spirits. The passage from Luke is one of many New Testament stories about demonic possession and exorcism, Next to end-of-the-world prophecies, these are the passages that provide the most fuel for idle speculation.

However, in Venezuela there is cause for more than idle speculation because of the prevalence of brujeria (witchcraft) and espiritismo (necromancy). 
I tell people that based on the testimony of the Holy Scriptures and certain personal experiences, I do believe in the possibility of demonic possession, or the complete domination of the human personality by an unclean spirit.

I also believe the influence of evil spirits more often is of a more subtle and less obvious type. All who have not received the gift of faith and the new life in Christ are slaves to sin, and thus to the suggestive power of the devil and his angels.

Which brings up the second reason why I thought the Gospel reading was most appropriate, because the most common form of exorcism, which occurs every day, is holy baptism according to the Lord's command. In baptism we are set free from sin and the power of the devil, and are promised the protection of the Lord and His angels.

But what then? Is one who has been baptized totally immune from the influence of evil spirits? We find a clue in Luke 11:24-26:

“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

In Venezuela, if you leave a house or parcel of land stand empty, after a time you usually will find that squatters have taken up residence there. Evicting them is very difficult, and a violent confrontation may ensue. And if you do not continue to guard the property, they will return with more of their friends and family.

Likewise, in Jesus' illustration, if you leave “the house” (soul and body) empty, the unclean spirits will return with friends. Empty of what? The preaching and study of God's Word (the Bible) and the sacrament of the altar, which nourish and strengthen the faith created by the Holy Spirit in baptism. So we must remain constant in these and avoid all forms of occultism and anything else that invites the influence of evil spirits into our lives. May God grant this for Jhoan Andrés. Amen.

Pray for Venezuela 

On March 5, 2913, the government of Venezuela announced the death of President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. Shortly after winning reelection to another term last year, he was taken to Cuba for cancer treatment. He was never seen in public again, even after returning to a military hospital in Venezuela. A constitutional crisis occurred as he was not able to take the required oath of office on January 10. Now another presidential election must be held within 30 days.

One time of uncertainty (about whether the nation's president would live or die) has ended for Venezuela. Now we have entered a time of uncertainty about the nation's future.

On the day that Chavez was reelected, our power went down around midnight. Nevertheless, the sky was lit with fireworks and a stream of cars passed through our neighborhood, with honking horns and shouts of victory. On the day that his death was announced, our power also went down around midnight. There were no fireworks or motorcade. There were not even the sounds of a normal evening, when even after midnight, dogs bark at passers-by in the street, and the occasional car or motorcycle cruises by. There was only darkness, without the light of moon or stars, and deep silence.

As the Scriptures advise (1 Timothy 2:1-2), we offered a common prayer every Sunday for the health and recovery of Hugo Chavez, and now we will pray for the security of the country and for whatever new government emerges.

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The baptism of Adam Jesús Mogollón

Adam Jesús Mogollón was born August 21, 2012. He returned to the hospital with some kind of infection during the second week of his life. In his third week, he did not eat properly and seemed to have trouble breathing. Luz María and I visited his parents, Wuendy and Jesús, in Ottawa, Canada, that third week.

Wuendy is Luz Maria's daughter, and Adam Jesús is her ninth grandchild. His parents did not know this, but his initials, “A.J.” are the same as those of my great-grandfather, Andrew John Hemmingson. Due to the delicate nature of the child's health and because his parents have yet to find a church home in Ottawa, I baptized Adam Jesús in their home on Saturday, September 8, 2012. His maternal grandmother was physically present to witness the event, while his father's mother, brother and sister in Caracas were with us via the magic of Internet videoconferencing. That was a new experience for me.

We purchased a glass dish shaped like a scallop shell to hold the water for the baptism. The scallop shell is an ancient symbol for baptism, probably because the shells are easily found on any of the world's seashores, and because they are useful for pouring water. We have brought the shell-shaped dish back to Venezuela and will use it from now on for all baptisms at La Caramuca Lutheran Mission. Thanks to generous contributions from our sponsoring individuals and organizations, we were able, throughout our journey, to buy a large amount of supplies that are hard to find in Venezuela at this time.

 Of course, I explained to Wuendy and Jesus that the baptism of an infant represents a commitment by its parents and, ideally, a local congregation to continue its instruction in the faith. However, none of the Lutheran churches near their home offer worship services in Spanish. Wuendy and Jesus both have learned enough English and French for daily business and social interactions. But it is a universal part of the immigrant experience that the language of prayer and worship remains the last link to the immigrant's life in the old country.

I am reminded of the story of “Meyer vs. Nebraska.” This was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, the first in which the Court invoked the Fourteenth Amendment to protect the noneconomic rights of citizens against intrusion by the states.

 In the years leading up to, and following World War I, anti-German sentiment led to the imprisonment of German immigrants suspected of being spies, and bans of the speaking of German, the performance of German music and the reading of German books. However, in 1923 the Supreme Court struck down a Nebraska statute that prohibited the teaching of modern foreign languages in private and parochial elementary schools. The Court held that the statute was unconstitutional because it deprived parents and teachers of liberty and property without due process of law in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Why? Because Robert T. Meyer, a teacher at Zion Lutheran Church, Hampton, Nebraska, defied the statute by openly teaching German, as did two other Lutheran parochial schoolteachers in defiance of similar state laws in Ohio and Iowa. Meyer argued that it was his duty to teach children the religion of their parents in the language of their parents. Since the Lutheran parochial schools already taught basic curricular subjects in the English language, the Court found that the Nebraska, Ohio, and Iowa statutes did not promote the states' interest in encouraging patriotism and the use of a common language.

 I long have thought that we who are descendants of German-speaking immigrants who sought religious liberty in the United States should not be blind to the reflection of our ancestors' spiritual needs and struggles in the more recent waves of immigrants. Jesús told me that although the number of Venezuelans living in Ottawa is small, the total number of Spanish-speaking people is much larger, with representatives from nearly all Central and South American countries, including Colombia, Ecuador and Nicaragua. I gather that the Lutheran Church – Canada (sister synod to the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod) once supported a Latin American mission in the Ottawa metropolitan area, but it was discontinued for reasons that I have yet to learn.

Anyway, while Wuendy and Jesus stayed home to care for their sick child, Luz María and I on Sunday attended St. Luke Lutheran Church. We are grateful for the warm reception by everyone, but especially Pastor Bryan King, and Skip and Anne Taylor.

 A tour of Issues Etc.

While visiting my mother before returning to Venezuela, we had the opportunity to tour the studio of Issues Etc., a Lutheran talk-radio program that broadcasts over the Internet, in nearby Collinsville, Illinois. I regularly listen to Issues Etc. In Venezuela and especially appreciate the interviews with seminary professors. Thanks again to Jeff Schwarz and Pastor Bruce Kesemann of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church of Freeburg, Illinois.

Baptism on Mother's Day

Baptizing Maria Alejandra.

Maria Alejandra Ruiz Gonzalez was baptized on Motherś Day, May 8, 2911. Maria, who is nine years old, has three younger sisters, two of whom attend our preschool. When her parents started talking to me about a date for baptism, I assumed they were talking about the youngest of these girls. But, no, it was Maria Alejandra herself who had decided to be baptized after the family began attending Sunday services. Maria Alejandra also is one of the stude ents who Luz Maria tutors every weekday afternoon.

This was almost like an adult baptism, in that she was able to speak for herself in the baptismal rite without any sponsors. Not only that, but at nine years of age, Maria Alejandra stands almost as tall as myself. She takes after her father, who is also named David. I estimate that he stands nearly two meters tall (that's six feet, six inches).

Maria Alejandra and her family.

I assisted in a private adult baptism about 25 years ago. That's a long time, I didn't have any assistants this time, and it was a public ceremony with all of our little congregation as witnesses. So it was something of a novel experience for me.

Maria Alejandra already has been studying the Bible with Luz Maria. We will begin confirmation classes immediately and shoot for confirmation in December.

Plumbing new depths

Thanks to generous donations, we have been able to renovate our well and it is now in operation. The work was completed just in time, as the municipal water system went down again for a day or two. We were able to refill our household tank from the well. With our gasoline-powered generator we were able to keep the electrical pumps running even with the power down as well.

Water from the well.

The power outages that plagued the country last year have continue. It appears that in the state of Barinas we ill wgo back on an electricity rationing plan that will deprive us of power for about three hours every day.

The next phase in our long-term building plan, which we hope to complete yet this year, is construction of an outdoor restroom facility separate from the house and preschool. More and more people afe using the existing facilities right now, but this step will be mainly in anticipation of building a freestanding meeting.house for classes and worship services. According to a plan that we have had drawn up, there is room on the property for a six-room structure with a chapel and office. We intend to add each room on a modular basis, as God gives the growth to our mission.

Spanish Lutherans: a legacy nearly lost

One of the things that first sparked my interest in Venezuela was the story of Juan de Frias, a Venezuelan priest of the Augustinian order, who was convicted and jailed on June 12, 1671, by the Spanish Inquisition for professing Lutheran doctrine. After 16 years in prison, he was burned at stake in Cartagena de los Indios (Colombia) on May 30, 1688. Until hearing this account, I had not been aware that the Reformation had spread outside of northern Europe, much less to the New World, and also that the Spanish Inquisition had been active in this hemisphere as well.

Then I learned of Casiodoro de Reina, a former monk who fled his monastery near Seville, Spain, one step ahead of the Inquisition and eventually ended his days as a Lutheran pastor. De Reina is most famous for leading a collaborative effort to translate the Bible into Spanish. First published in 1569, this translation is known as the Reina-Valera Bible, and, in its various revisions, still is the most widely distributed Bible in Latin America.

Seal of Spanish Inquisition
Image via Wikipedia

Recently the Latin American edition of Discovery Channel began airing "En Nombre de la Fe", a documentary about Spanish Inquisition's activities in the Americas. It mentions an even earlier Lutheran martyr, Mateo Salado, who was burned at the stake in Lima, Peru, on November 15, 1573. Born Matheus Saladé in 1526, he was a Frenchman who emigrated to Spain and came into contact with the Lutheran community that had sprung up in Seville. A taste for adventure led him to embark for the New World in 1561. He lived in Lima as a hermit and was regarded by most people as a religious eccentric until he was arrested in 1570 and executed three years later in the city's first "auto-de-fe" (public execution of heretics). Salado lived among some pre-Columbian ruins. Today this area has become a cultural center and archaeological site named in his honor, "Huaca Mateo Salado." It is one of Lima's premier tourist attractions.

The Spanish Inquisition established three "branch offices" in the New World, first in Mexico City and Lima, and later in Cartagena de los Indios. The first auto-da-fe in Mexico took place in 1574; a Frenchman and an Englishman were burned as Lutherans, according to Juan Antonio Llorente's history of the Spanish Inquisition,

Although created by papal decree in 1480, the Spanish Inquisition was under direct authority of the Spanish monarchy and its specific objective was the suppression of religious dissent in Spain and its colonies (there was a separate "Portuguese Inquisition" that operated in Brazil and other territories claimed by Portugal).At first the Spanish Inquisition targeted Jews and Muslims, or, more precisely, former Jews and Muslims who were suspected of being less than completely sincere in their conversions to Christianity. With the rise of the Reformation in northern Europe, the Spanish Inquisition turned to its attention to !the Lutheran heresy".

Valladolid, Spain via Puertas Online

In Spain the Inquisition's tribunals in Valladolid in the north and Seville in the south became expecially notorious for persecution of Lutherans. On May 21, 1559, 14 people were burned as Lutherans in Valladolid, Sixteen others escaped death by recanting their Lutheranism, but were subjected to imprisonment and confiscation of property, nonetheless. A second auto-da-fe took place in Valladolid on October 8, 1559, in which 13 were burned as Lutherans, while 16 others escaped death by recanting.

In the ancient city of Seville, 21 people were burned as Lutherans on September 24, 1559. More would have died, but Francis Zafra, the priest charged with reviewing accusations of Lutheranism by the Inquisition, was secretly a Lutheran and was able to save many from being condemned. He himself escaped from Seville after being discovered, and was burned in effigy.

On December 22, 1560, 14 more people were burned as Lutherans in Seville. According to Llorente, "The opinions of Luther, Calvin, and the other Protestant reformers, were not disseminated in the other cities in Spain with the same rapidity as at Seville and Valladolid; but there is reason to believe that all Spain would soon have been infected with the heresy, but for the extreme severity shown towards the Lutherans. From 1560 to 1570 at least one auto-da-fe was celebrated every year in every Inquisition of the kingdom, and some heretics of the new sect always appeared among the condemned persons."

It was a relentless campaign that stymied the progress of the Reformation in Spain and its colonies for nearly 500 years. But the truth of God's Word can never be completely obscured, and in the 21st Century, there is not only a Lutheran Church of Venezuela, but also a Lutheran church-body in Spain itself. On October 10, 2010, Juan Carlos Garcia Cazorla was installed as the first national pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Spain (la Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Española or IELE) in Seville.

In 2000, a Lutheran family in Toledo, Spain, partnered with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (IELA), to lay the foundation for a Lutheran church in Spain. An Argentinean missionary from the IELA was sent to lead outreach efforts, and a second arrived in 2002 to build upon his work, establish a congregation and extend outreach into other areas of Spain.

With the financial and logistical partnership of LCMS World Mission, the IELE was planted and recognized by the Spanish government in 2004. The IELE maintains a congregation in Asturias (northern Spain) and mission posts in Andalusía, Madrid and Catalonia. Several members of the church attend pastoral programs in order to provide the IELE with new pastors for the future.

Related articles

• Spanish Official Condemns Inquisition Killings (israelnationalnews.com)
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Anyi Vanesa baptized

Anyi Vanesa Garrido Santana was baptized Saturday, June 19, 2010, on her brother José Ignacio's second birthday.

Over the years I had assisted in the baptisms of children and adults, but this was the first time that I said the words of baptismal regeneration, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" and applied the water. It was a most moving moment, as I had explained to all involved that in her baptism, God Himself called Anyi by name and adopted her as His child through faith in Jesus Christ.

To me it was a marvelous thing how the appointed lessons in the one-year lectionary for June highlighted this event. On June 6, I preached on Luke 16:19-31, the parable of Lazarus the beggar at the rich man's gate. In truth, we do not deserve anything good from God. In His eyes, we are all dirty, disgusting beggars like Lazarus in our Lord's parable. We are sinners who deserve eternal punishment in hell. By nature, we are enemies and rebels against God. However, as the epistle for that day (1 John 4:16-21) said, God is love and in His love sent His only Son to be the Savior of the world. Christ suffered and died on the cross, so that we might have the promise of eternal life with God. Therefore, we will have no fear on Judgment Day, for we will be saved by grace.

On June 13, I preached on Luke 14:15-24, the parable of the great banquet, symbolizing the invitation to eternal life, which begins not in the remote future, as the Pharisee believed, but right now as we are born again of water and the Spirit. That is why Jesus emphasized the immediacy and urgency of the Gospel.

The text for June 20, Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the prodigal son, was most appropriate both for the baptism of Anyi and for Father's Day, for it spoke of a father's unmerited love for his sons and his desire to save the one that was lost.

Dr.David P. Scaer, chairman of the systematic theology department at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, calls "(the) popular slogan "Word and sacrament," a phrase so much a part of Lutheran theology that it enjoys a stellar ranking of the second magnitude,slightly below the three solas" (faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone). My years of observation and study in Venezuela have confirmed the truth of this for me, especially if you tack another word, "ministry", onto "Word and sacrament." Nowadays, "ministry" is loosely used to mean almost any kind of good work, but the one true ministry of the church is the public preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments.

In an article published in the January-April edition of Concordia Theological Quarterly, Dr. Scaer explains that although baptism is in itself a one-time act, "The continued effective force of baptism becomes visible and audible in the assembly of the worshipping Christian congregation. The believers assemble as the baptized, and the rite of baptism is repeated and reflected in the church's liturgy. The triune invocation derives its authority from the One who instituted baptism, and again the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost becomes the possession of the baptized. Sins are confessed as a repetition of the denouncing of Satan's kingdom and are forgiven again in the name of the Triune God to whom the believer belongs by baptism. The faith's requirements are repeated in the credal recitation. True worship of the church is the commemoration of baptism."

Dr. Scaer continues to say that, "Preaching should not be viewed as a separate function but rather it represents to the believer that same Christ in whose death and life he
shared through baptism. Preaching directs unbelievers to baptism to find Christ and believers back to baptism to reestablish their faith in Him. The organic unity between baptism and preaching must be preserved." In the Great Commission, the command to "teach them all the things that I have commanded you" does not precede, but follows the command to baptize and make disciples of all nations (implying that it is the sacrament of baptism that makes disciples).



Since in baptism we receive the gift of new life in Christ, once and for always, it does not make sense that this sacrament should be denied to infants. However, since the command to teach follows the command to baptize, the church, the community of believers, has the responsibility for the continued instruction in the faith of those who have been baptized.

There is a custom in Venezuela, and I have witnessed this myself, called "postura de agua." In many parts of Venezuela today as in times gone by, the Catholic priest will visit a village once a year to celebrate Mass and perform marriages and baptisms. However, many people grew impatient with waiting for the priest to show up either to formalize sexual unions or perform baptisms. So the concept of "postura de agua" arose. The man of the house does an abbreviated version of the baptismal rite and immediately after splashing water on the baby "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost," they immediately - and I mean immediately roll out the beer and finger-food for a big party. There is no sense of the beginning of a new life in Christ and the need to continue nurturing the child in faith and prayer. However, it is not the ritual itself or the phonetic formula, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost" that gives baptism its power, but the Holy Spirit acting through the Word (the proclamation of forgiveness of sins in Christ) and the water (as the visible element of the sacrament), creating faith in the baptized and strengthening the faith already inspired in those who bring the child forward for adoption in the family of God, that is, the church.

Change can be painless

We have changed our hour of Sunday service from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. Originally it was set at 4 in the afternoon because I had the responsibility of assisting with the morning service at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas. Now I do not have that duty and we long have a problem with the later hour. That is, at 4 p.m. the tropical sun is situated at just the right angle to shine under the roof of our covered patio. No one wanted to sit in the direct sunlight (you wouldn't, either). We tried various means of providing shade, but nothing really worked. So we changed the hour to 10 in the morning and no one seems to mind at all.


History of La Caramuca

On June 16, 2010, the preschool children had the privilege of hearing Lorenzo Medina talk about the history of La Caramuca. Mr. Medina was president of the town council from 1982 to 1992. While the city of Barinas is more than 400 years old, La Caramuca emerged as a community in 1948. The first deeds to the land were written in the late 1800s, but until the 1940s the entire area was the private property of one or two families. From 1948 to 1974 there were only 16 houses in La Caramuca, now home to around 5,000 people. Mr. Medina also spoke of various local legends and landmarks, including la Casa de las Piedras (House of Stone), a geological oddity that I have not seen, but would like to.

Baptisms, confirmations and impending ordination

Well, more baptisms and confirmations.

Maria de los Angeles Brito was baptized in La Caramuca, Saturday, Novermber 29, 2008. Maria actually lives in Barinas and attends Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, but her father wanted to attend her baptism and was not able to do so on Sunday, November 30. So Maria was baptized by Pastor Ted Krey on his last official visit to Barinas and we had our second service of Holy Communion for the newly confirmed in our mission. I am happy to report that Sandro Pérez was once again released from the hospital and was able to attend.

The following day there were three baptisms and four confirmations at Corpus Christi. The children baptized were Moisés, Olgret and Ricardo Rivero. Confirmands were Maria Brito, Maria Eugenia Vera, Yelitza Pérez and Luís Eduardo Jimenez. Since Eduardo Flores personally instructed these four young people, it was a great way for him to end his year of vicarage in Barinas.

Eduardo and I will be in Caracas this week, preparing for our ordinations on Saturday, December 13. I have received and accepted a call from the Lutheran Church of Venezuela to serve as a missionary in western Venezuela. I will be based in La Caramuca (and authorized to preach and administer the sacraments there, but also will have the privilege and responsibility of searching for new locations to plant churches (we already have made some contacts in the neighboring state of Apure, for example).)

Eduardo and our fellow “seminarista” Sergio Maita will be ordained and installed as instructors at the “mini-seminary” that has been established in Caracas. Sergio has completed his vicarage at Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in the eastern city of Maturin. In addition to teaching new seminaristas (there are six prospects so far for this next year), Eduardo and Sergio will take turns serving the congregations of La Paz (Peace) and La Santa Trinidad (Holy Trinity) in Caracas. Neither of these congregations have full-time pastors.

Pastor Abel García, director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute, will be moving from the city of Barcelona, Venezuela, to Caracas in order to supervise the seminary.

The Juan de Frias Theological Institute was founded by Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod missionaries 45 years ago and based on the concept of theological education by extension (TEE). This concept, TEE, was pioneered by Presbyterians in Guatemala in 1963 as a way of meeting some of the challenges of training pastors within a Latin American cultural context.

After some apparent initial success, the TEE model became widely promoted throughout Latin America by many denominations. But, in Venezuela at least, after 45 years that as a total replacement for a seminary education, TEE leaves something to be desired.

The New Testament does not mandate any specific method for training pastors. We have the example of Jesus teaching the Scriptures in the typical manner of a Jewish rabbi, and selecting 12 men from among those who listened to His teachings. To these men He gave special training for three years before commissioning them as apostles (there were, of course, only 11 by that time, Judas Iscariot having dropped out of the program in a spectacular fashion). So according to the model of our Lord Himself, there should be several years of preparation and examination before one is qualified to receive a call into the public ministry.

This preparation does not involve only “book learning”. We read later in the New Testament that although Saul of Tarsus was highly educated by both Jewish and Greco-Roman standards, approximately 17 years passed between the time of his conversion and when he was ready to embark on his first missionary journey as the Apostle Paul (Galations 1:16-2:1). Preparation for the public ministry is a matter of character formation as well as intellectual development.

Finally, we may note the importance of Biblical instruction starting in early childhood for Paul's protege, Timothy. Before receiving Paul's special training, Timothy was taught the basic doctrines of the Holy Scriptures by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:14-16).

It also is important to consider that the original 12 apostles were devout Jews, too. Jews in the first century A.D., like Jews today, placed a great deal of importance on religious education. So, despite being “simple” fishermen and tradesmen, they did not start from a position of ignorance when Jesus chose them as his disciples.

The modern, North American system of recruiting young men for the seminary presupposes this kind of religious upbringing. The grooming of a pastoral candidate from early childhood on can greatly speed up the process of pastoral formation. In addition, a shared faith motivates a family to make the sacrifices necessary to support the prospective pastor for four years of college plus four years in the seminary.

Beyond the family, Missouri Synod Lutherans historically have recognized the importance of undergirding seminary training with formal Christian education at all levels. This is why the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod developed the second-largest network of private preschools, elementary schools and colleges in the United States (surpassed only by the Roman Catholic Church).

One problem throughout much of Latin America is these preconditions for seminary training often do not exist (although there are Lutheran seminaries in the larger, more prosperous countries of Brazil and Argentina). In Venezuela, second- or third-generation Lutherans are rare birds. Members of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela often are the only members of their extended families who are practicing Christians of any sort. So the young man who wants to become a pastor may not have a role model within the family to emulate, plus the family may not be keen on the idea of the young man being taken out of the workforce for eight years only to receive wages considerably less than what he could expect in a secular profession that required an equal amount of education.

Likewise, in Venezuela even the Roman Catholic Church does not support the vast network of parochial schools that one sees in the United States.

Then there is in Latin America the wide cultural gap between those who have received some form of higher education and those who have not. This gap exists to some extent in the United States between those who have gone from high school to four-year liberal arts colleges and classmates who ended their formal education with a high school diploma or maybe two years at a technical college or business school, but the difference in Venezuela and other Latin American countries is much more pronounced. Young people who have left their rural village or urban slum for the university may find it very difficult to reassimilate into their old community.

The TEE alternative is to offer theological training to people already recognized as leaders within their communities without requiring them to change their place of residence or abandon their means of earning a living. The students are given printed materials to study on their own time and meet periodically with an instructor to discuss and review what should have been learned. The student can take as many courses as desired and advance at his or her own pace. Involvement with a local congregation is supposed to provide the opportunity for practical application of the knowledge acquired.

Over the past 45 years, the Juan de Frias Theological Institute has offered theological education by extension to all interested parties, with the proviso that one must complete the more basic courses before continuing to a more advanced level. This approach has proved successful in providing laypeople with the basic grounding in Christian doctrine that they may not have received as children or teenagers.

As a method of training pastors, TEE has proved to have a number of shortcomings:

1. It assumes an extraordinary degree of self-discipline on the part of the pastoral candidate, assuming that he will devote himself to daily study for an indefinite period while working to support himself and his family, and assuming leadership responsibilities within a local congregation. The result is a high drop-out rate as students become discouraged by these demands. I should also note that in Venezuela it is, in the first place, quite difficult to find a) a job that b) pays enough to support a family while c) allowing one enough free time for night courses and church activities.
2. The Lutheran Church of Venezuela is struggling to fill its existing pulpits in the face of an urgent need for pastors to plant new churches. Doors are open that probably will not remain so permanently. Yet training pastors solely by TEE has proven extremely time-consuming. The historical average for achieving the training needed for the pastoral ministry by means of Juan de Frias TEE courses is 13 years.
3. The TEE approach does not promote a sense of dedication to the pastoral office. Jesus told Peter, Andrew and the rest to leave their fishermen's nets and follow Him to the ends of the earth, if need be. He also said that heeding His call might well mean leaving family and friends behind (Mark 10:28-31, Lucas 9:59-62). He did not say, “Stay in Capernaum where you can witness to the people with whom you feel most comfortable when you have the time.” According to a Lutheran understanding of mission, not every Christian is called to be a missionary, but all pastors are called to be missionaries wherever the Lord may lead them. It is the responsibility of the whole church to send pastors to preach and (the sacraments, even into the poorest and most remote areas.

While not an inherent flaw in the strategy of theological education by extension, another problem the Lutheran Church of Venezuela must consider is this: LCMS World Missions withdrew nearly all of its ordained missionaries from Venezuela in 2003. Theodore Krey, the last LCMS-sponsored theological educator in Venezuela, will leave in January 2009. The Lutheran Church of Venezuela lacks the financial resources to support theological educators whose only task is to travel regularly to the far corners of the country to teach theological extension courses as the LCMS missionaries did.

Starting in 2006, the Juan de Frias Theological Institute has attempted to balance its TEE offerings with a program of resident or semi-resident study in a central location for pastoral candidates. Eventually this program will be supplemented by regional centers for theological education which will not only serve to teach basic doctrine to the laity, but also recruit pastoral candidates. One of our goals is to establish La Caramuca Lutheran Mission as one of these regional centers.

I began taking Juan de Frias courses during my first year in Venezuela as I realized my continued presence in Venezuela would require at least the capacity to teach Bible classes in Spanish. At first I did not seek the responsibilities of the pastoral office, but eventually I realized that our mission in La Caramuca would require the attention of a resident pastor and that I was the most likely candidate for the position. So it was a great blessing when I was invited by the national church to participate in the pastoral study program in 2007. The program requires a five-year commitment: one year of intensive, resident study; a year of vicarage; and three more years of attending seminars in Caracas and other locations.

This program has allowed me to study for the ministry without interrupting the development of our Lutheran school in western Venezuela.

Over the past five and a half years in Venezuela, I have had the privilege of receiving instruction from the following visiting profesors:

• Dr. Douglas Rutt and Dr. David Coles of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• José Pfaffenzeller, Concordia Seminary, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Dr. Rudy Blank, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
• Mark Braden, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Cleghorn, Wisconsin, and a Greek tutor at the Fort Wayne seminary.
• Paul Brink and Henry Witte, both former missionaries to Venezuela currently serving Latino missions in Iowa.

I am grateful to these people and also to Phil Bickel, another former missionary pastor to Venezuela, and Dale Saville, agricultural missionary in eastern Venezuela, who awakened my interest in mission work as a second career and in Venezuela as a mission field.

Five confirmed in La Caramuca

"So, when's your second communion?" That was the question from Elihu, a boy just old enough to understand that we had a "first communion" service for five confirmands, Sunday, November 2, 2008. It is a very good question, one that we are asking ourselves. Only for us it is more in the form of a prayer to the Lord to help us follow this great first step with many more.


Each confirmand received his or her own Bible with their confirmation verse written on the first inside page and signed by Pastor Krey, myself and Eduardo Flores. The confirmands and their confirmation verses are as follows:

Aaron Josué Montoya Santana:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble" Psalm 46:1.

Adriana Karolina Talosa Mendoza:

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying: I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall
not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" John 8:12.

Dariana Estefania Talosa Mendoza:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" Matthew 6:33.

Noel Alexander Marquina Villamizar:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9.

Sandro José Pérez Pumar:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1.

We sang songs based on some of these verses, including "Dios es nuestro amparo" (Psalm 46) and "El Señor es mi luz y mi salvación" (Psalm 27). Psalm 46, the appointed psalm for the day was also the inspiration for Luther's hymn, "A Mighty Fortress".

Earlier that morning we sang both "Dios es nuestro amparo" and "Castillo Fuerte" ("A Mighty
Fortress" in Spanish) at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas, because November 2 was Reformation Sunday according to the liturgical calendar used by the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. In many countries, Reformation Sunday is celebrated the Sunday before October 31, if the 31st does not fall on a Sunday. (Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.)

So we had red paraments on the altar in both Corpus Christi and La Caramuca to symbolize the continuing activity of the Holy Spirit in the Reformation and in the church today through Word and sacrament. We also will have red paraments next Sunday, November 9, as we celebrate the Sunday of the Fulfillment. On most liturgical calendars, the Sunday of the Fulfillment, when the church looks forward to the second coming of the Lord Jesus to take His redeemed people into heaven, is observed on the last Sunday before the beginning of Advent season. However, according to our Venezuelan church calendar, November 16 will be All Saints' Day, a commemoration of all Christians who have departed this life, but especially the blessed martyrs. On November 23, the last Sunday in the liturgical year, we will celebrate the festival of Christ the King, which is combined with the observation of the Sunday of the Fulfillment in many churches. During these last two Sundays of the Pentecost season, the paraments on the altar will be white.

This arrangement of the church calendar, while somewhat unusual, is consistent with the tradition that the last Sundays of Pentecost focus on the end times, in anticipation of Christ's Second Coming, even as we prepare to remember His first appearance on earth during Advent.

I should also mention in regard to October 31, that Halloween is known in Venezuela, but is more of an imported, totally commercialized holiday. In fact, the Venezuelan government has tried to discourage the observance of Halloween for this reason. A more authentic Venezuelan tradition is el Día de los Muertos on November 2. Like the Day of the Dead in Mexico, the Venezuelan holiday has roots deep in pre-Columbian culture. But the Day of the Dead in Venezuela avoids some of the more occultic aspects of its Mexican counterpart. There are no skulls made of sugar and no graveside altars with offerings of food and beverages to the departed. Rather, much like Memorial Day in the United States, it is the day to lay flowers on the graves of loved ones.

Sunday, November 2, 2008, also was notable for the baptism of Luís Gabriel, infant son of Lusveidis and Luís Orellana in Corpus Christi. I got to hold the bowl of water (there was no baptismal font) while Pastor Ted Krey baptized the child. I played a more active role in the administration of Holy Communion in Corpus Christi and La Caramuca, distributing the bread while Pastor Krey distributed the wine.

Which brings me back around to the question: What happens next for our little flock in La Caramuca? Pastor Ted Krey, who has been the supervising pastor for myself and vicar Eduardo Flores, will leave for the Dominican Republic at the end of this year. The good news is that I
have been extended a call from the Lutheran Church of Venezuela to serve as a national missionary in the Western Zone, with my base of operations in La Caramuca. I will be authorized to preach and administer the sacraments myself to those who need them. The date of my ordination has been set for December 13, 2008, at El Salvador Lutheran Church in Caracas.

La Caramuca Lutheran Mission will continue to depend on the prayers and financial support of our friends in the United States, as there is no large, strong congregation in the area to support our work, and the national church-body does not have the funds to support all the mission
work that must be done. There is an urgent need for Christian schools and churches here despite the widespread poverty. That is why I have taken the rather unusual step of remaining in Venezuela rather than returning to one of the seminaries in the United States and seeking a
call to the ministry after graduation there.

Baptism of Jose Ignacio

José
Ignacio Garrido Santana was baptized Friday, July 18, 2008, by Pastor Miguelángel Pérez. We had been talking about having him baptized in another month or so, after the baby had to undergo surgery, we decided to have him baptized immediately upon release from the hospital. Miguelángel made a special trip from Barquisimeto Friday afternoon, baptized José Ignacio that evening and returned home Saturday morning. He is the youngest of Luz María's seven grandchildren and the eleventh person to be baptized at our mission in La Caramuca.

José Ignacio spent four or five days in the hospital and only his mother, Sarai, was allowed to see him. The problem seemed to be some obstruction in the passage to his stomach. There were members of both sides of José Ignacio's family present and also friends of the family. We celebrated his baptism and return home with soft drinks, cake and Jello. I never have in my life cared much for Jello, despite it being a staple in the German- and Scandinavian-American communities in which I was raised. Nevertheless, Jello also is a favorite in Venezuela, and you seldom get cake or ice cream without Jello.

At any rate,José Ignacio is recuperating after a tough spell. The occasion of his baptism was oddly appropriate for the text for my July 20 sermon in Corpus Christi, Romans 8:28-30.

Romans 8 is full of hope and assurance. The chapter begins by saying,"There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2 New King James Version).

Likewise, St. Paul closes Romans 8 with these words: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV).

Verse 28 also begins with consolation: "And we know all things work together for good to those who love God..." , but then introduces a most difficult concept, "...to those who are called according to His purpose."

Verses 29-30 continue with this theme: "For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called, whom He called, He also justified, and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

People often ask how, if God is both all-powerful and compassionate,can he allow the degree of suffering and death that there is in the world? Why do children starve to death, while other people live to a ripe old age? Why do a few survive earthquakes, floods, wars and other catastrophes while hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions do not?

To these types of questions, the Bible simply tells us to trust that God is sovereign over His creation, knows what we cannot understand, and actually does not owe us any explanations. As He said to Job in his suffering:

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when all the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7 NKJV).

We must trust that God has ordered all things for the ultimate good and that He will balance all accounts:

Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there. I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every purpose and for every work" (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 NJKV).

This is not all that hard to accept. This world is the way it is, full of suffering and death, whether we believe in God or not. We all die, sooner or later. Nothing in this world lasts forever, whether good or bad. In the midst of our trials, it is comforting to believe
that there is a just and merciful God who places both our pain and our joys in a broader context.

Furthermore we know that God is not capricious for He has created an orderly world where certain outcomes are predictable. (For instance, if I build my house below sealevel in a coastal area where hurricanes appear annually, I should not be shocked when disaster strikes.)

But here is the more difficult question. What are we to make of what's hinted at in Romans, chapter 8, more so in chapter 9 and other passages such as Matthew 20:1-16 and Matthew 22:1-14? That God sent His only-begotten Son into the world to suffer and die, so that all who believe in Him might have eternal life, but that the number who actually gain eternal life will be smaller than all for whom Christ sacrificed Himself?

How do we reconcile "God...desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4) with "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Ephesians 1:3-4)?

To be more specific, why if God wills all to have eternal life in His name, why are some among "the elect" from before the foundation of the world and others not? This is the unsettling implication of salvation by grace alone. If we are saved solely through God's grace, not by any
worthiness or action on our own part, why are we sinners saved and others, no less deserving of God's judgment than ourselves, damned for eternity?

In this case also we must accept by faith something the Bible affirms without explanation. We must not try to reduce a mystery of God to something that human reason can comprehend. The Bible speaks of an election to grace, but not of an election to damnation. We are saved wholly through God's
action, but the damned are lost through a rejection of the Holy Spirit for they alone are responsible, and not by divine decree.

The point of these verses about predestination is to assure us that our salvation from sin was part of God's purpose for our lives from the beginning, that God is faithful to His promises and will not abandon those whom He has chosen as His own. His grace is both universal (revealed in visible form to all humanity when Jesus died on the cross) and particular (revealed to each of us specifically in the sacrament of baptism).

Thus, we thank God that José Ignacio has received divine grace and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit through the Word and water of baptism. Throughout his life he will be able to recall the day he was baptized and know that redemption may always be his.

Preschool graduation

Another semester of the Venezuelan school year has passed and four children have graduated from our preschool. Next semester (which begins in September) they will begin first grade. This semester's graduates are:

• Carlos Morales


• Jesús Enrique Piñero


• Esther Cuevas


• José Gregorio Meza

On Sunday afternoon, July 6, I led a short prayer service for these children and their families. Afterward We went to visit Esther Cuevas and her family in their home, because her mother had just given birth and could not attend the prayer service. On Friday, July 11, we threw a party in the preschool to honor the graduates and to mark the end of the semester.

Cultural celebration

On Sunday afternoon, July 20, the Sunday school children participated in a "cultural celebration" within the community (essentially it was a big talent show). The children sang songs they had learned in Sunday school.

My new photoblog

Venezuela is a beautiful country with a diverse population and a diverse geography. Over the past six years, I have accumulated a collection of hundreds of digital photos of Venezuelan people, places and things, which do not necessarily have anything to do with our mission work. Also, I have traveled to and taken pictures in Bolivia and the island republic of Trinidad-Tobago. To showcase some of these photos, I have started a new photoblog at davidternst02.wordpress.com. You can flip through the photos by using the arrows at the bottom of the page.

10th baptism in La Caramuca

Genesis Noeli Marquina Villamizar was baptized June 29, 2008, in La Caramuca. I assisted Pastor Miguelángel Pérez in this, the 10th baptism here since we started our mission project in 2004.

Genesis, who is one of the children enrolled in our preschool, was born in 2004. It is sobering to realize that many of the preschool children were not yet born when I first visited Venezuela in 2002. Of course, this includes Luz María's three youngest grandchildren. Her fourth-oldest grandchild, Oriana, was an infant when I met Luz María. Now Oriana is nearly six years old.

Sponsors at the baptism included two relatives, Angelmiro Camacho and Ana Julia de Toro Peña, Yepci, Luz María's oldest daughter, and Eduardo, my partner-vicar. There were more than 30 people, children and adults, present for the baptism that Sunday afternoon. Eduardo was not actually present, since he took Miguelángel's place, preaching in Barquisimeto. But Genesis loves Eduardo, so we made sure his name was on the baptismal certificate.

Noel and Jefferson, the two older brothers of Genesis, have been faithfully attending our Sunday school. The boys received the sacrament of holy baptism as infants from a Roman Catholic priest, but Genesis never did, due to the influence of a relative who converted to Pentecostalism.

For hundreds of years, Venezuelans regarded baptism in a Roman Catholic church essentially as an insurance policy in case the Christian God turned out to have the last word after all. They were not helped in their understanding by Roman Catholic teaching which emphasizes the ritual of baptism as being efficacious in and of itself, apart from the Holy Spirit working within the heart and daily life of the believer.

Nevertheless, as Lutherans, we agree with Roman Catholics that God has instituted the sacrament of baptism as the visible means by which the believer receives the promise of eternal life in Christ and thus the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

However, over the last 30 to 40 years, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church has waned in Latin America. This may be largely the result of a worldwide shortage of priests as well as a general dissatisfaction with established institutions due to the persistent wide gap between the rich and the poor in this part of the world. During this same period, most traditional Protestant churches have greatly reduced missionary efforts in Latin America, leaving the field open to Pentecostal/charismatic groups which teach that all may have direct access to the Holy Spirit apart from the authority of the inspired Scriptures and the sacraments instituted by Christ Himself.

Luther recognized the corrosive effect of this idea on any objective standard of faith when he said of the Zwickau Prophets, “They have swallowed the Holy Spirit, feathers and all.” Indeed, one of the most active groups in Venezuela today is the United Pentecostal Church, a “charismatic” body that denies the fundamental doctrine of the Trinity. Under the Pentecostal umbrella there are many other lesser-known heresies, generated by leaders who claim “apostolic” authority apart from either an ecclesiastical hierarchy or the Holy Scriptures.

And certainly Pentecostal theology fits in well with the syncretistic stew that is popular religion in Venezuela. The idea of daily supernatural revelations and interventions is very consistent with the practice of brujeria and espiritismo, as is the “health and prosperity” gospel which claims that if you pray hard enough, God will bless you with all of your earthly desires. In fact, this aspect of Pentecostalism may be the most popular of all here.

Finally, there is the notion that if you may receive a “baptism of the Spirit” apart from the visible means of grace, “water baptism” is not necessary at all, despite our Lord's command. We praise God that after hearing Luz María explain the blessing of holy baptisms to the mothers of our preschool children, Zoraida, Genesis' mother, decided she wanted this gift for her daughter. Eduardo and I, and finally Miguelángel, had further meetings with the family to explain what we believe about baptism, and the responsibilities of parents and sponsors.

Miguelángel also preached and administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper that Sunday morning at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas. I do not recall now under what circumstances I first meet Miguelángel. It seems he always has been in the picture. He is about the same age as Luz María's older daughters and is an old friend of theirs from national Lutheran youth gatherings. When Luz María and I were living on Tierra de Gracia Lutheran Farm in eastern Venezuela, Miguelángel came to visit us there.

He had been studying for the ministry for nearly the whole time I have known him. He
was finally ordained March 30, 2008, and now serves as the pastor of two congregations, Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) and El Paraiso (Paradise), in Barquisimeto. He originally was a member of Cristo es Amor.

The week before the baptism I attended a seminar in pastoral care in Caracas. Pastor Henry Witte led the seminar. He and his wife, Ruthie, served as missionaries in Venezuela for 20 years and for five years in Panama. They are back in the United States where Henry has accepted a call to Sioux City, Iowa.

The focus of the seminar was following the theology of the cross rather than the theology of glory in counseling the severely ill, the dying and the families of such people. The "health-and-prosperity gospel” is, of course, a form of the theology of glory, which says having a right relationship with God means gaining everything you want in this life. The theology of the cross, on the other hand, says suffering is part of living in a world marred by sin and that the
point of the Christian life is not to avoid suffering, but to withstand the temptation to despair through the hope of life eternal.

I met the Wittes on my first visit to Venezuela six years ago. Ruthie led the children in vacation Bible school in Quebrada Seca, Monagas, in the “Padre Nuestro” song which we now are using to teach our preschool children the Lord's Prayer. This past week I recorded Eduardo and his brother, Francisco Rafael, singing “Padre Nuestro” and other songs for children to guitar accompaniment. Then I burned a CD to play in the preschool even on the days when Eduardo is not able to come to La Caramuca.

Listen to "Padre Nuestro".



We would ask you to remember in prayer the family of former missionary Rudy Blank and his wife, Ramona. Her father, Adrian Rivero, passed away this week. Adrian was one of the first national pastors in the Lutheran Church of Venezuela and remained a member of Principe de Paz (Prince of Peace) Lutheran Church in Sierra Caroni until his death.