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.

He pitches His tent among us

Vacation Bible school.

On January 22, we celebrated the Transfiguration of our Lord, witnessed by the apostles Peter, James and John (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-13; Lucas 9:28-26). This last manifestation of the divine nature in Christ before His suffering, death and resurrection concludes the Christmas/Epiphany season.

The Tabernacle.

St. John recalls the Transfiguration in this way: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). This verse also proclaims the Incarnation. So it provided the theme for the vacation Bible school with which we ended the 12 days of Christmas and began the Epiphany season from January 4 to 7.

In the Greek text, the word translated as “dwelt” is eskenosen, which literally means He “pitched a tent” among us. This provided the theme for the vacation Bible school with which we began the Epiphany season from January 4 to 7. God pitched a tent among the people of Israel during their journey to the Promised Land. This was the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary constructed by Moses according to God’s specifications as a place of worship. The English word tabernacle derives from the Latin tabernāculum, meaning "tent" or "hut". It was in the Tabernacle that God manifested His presence and communicated His will to His chosen people of the Old Testament. Later on, King Solomon would build a permanent structure , or temple, based on the Tabernacle’s design, in Jerusalem.

Ark of the Covenant.

Luz Maria and her daughter, Angi Sarai, built a model of the Tabernacle which showed in detail the outer court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. In the outer court stood the altar of sacrifice for burnt offerings and a basin of water used by the priests for ritual washings. Only priests entered the Holy Place, where there was the table on which the bread of the Presence was placed, the altar of incense and the seven-branched candelabra (menorah). Within the Holy Place, but separated from it by a curtain as the Holy Place was separated from the outer court, was the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The high priest would enter the Holy of Holies only once a year, to offer sacrifices on the Day of Atonement. Luz Maria and Sarai made models of all these things to show the children.

The menorah.

In our vacation Bible school, we emphasized that even as the Tabernacle was replaced by the Temple of Jerusalem, the Temple was replaced by Jesus Himself as God walked among men in the tabernacle of His body. Jesus would say, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” in reference to His body (John 2:19-21). And, after describing the earthly Tabernacle, the writer of Hebrews says, “But Christ came as the High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal salvation” (Hebrews 9:11-12). The Temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 A.D., and never rebuilt, but even before that, on the day of His crucifixion, the veil of the Holy of Holies would be torn in two (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38), signifying that all clothed in Christ’s righteousness through baptism may enter into God’s presence without fear.

Solomon's Temple.

Now New Testament believers have the promise that Jesus still dwells among us, wherever two or three are gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20). But we dedicate physical locations and hours to the gathering of God’s people to hear the preaching of the Word and receive the sacraments. And even as elements of Old Testament worship prefigured those of the New Testament (the bronze basin for the baptismal fount, and the bread of the presence for the visible elements of bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper), our worship shows continuity with the Old Testament in the singing of psalms; the centrality of the altar or Lord’s table; and vestments for those who act as stewards of God’s mysteries.

Epiphany Sunday.

Seventh anniversary of our temple

Alfredo and Gladys Rivas.

Also on Sunday, January 7, we celebrated the seventh anniversary of the dedication of our “templo” or permanent sanctuary. For 13 years before that, we worshiped in a roofed patio with no walls. Every Sunday the altar and chairs were set up and taken down. It was our tabernacle. During that time there were 16 baptisms and 22 confirmations and reaffirmations of faith. Since January 2017, I have baptized 14 and received 16 communicant members through confirmation or reaffirmation of faith. In other words, comparable numbers of baptisms, confirmations and reaffirmations of faith in about half the number of years, praise be to God.

Members from Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, our sister congregation in the city of Barinas, attended our dedication service in 2017. Most of the same people returned for our seventh anniversary service, plus Alfredo Rivas, who designed and cut our stained glass, and his wife, Gladys, the sister of Ludy de Tarazona of Corpus Christi. Two who were not able to visit us on January 8, Virginia Jímenez and Roamird Castillo, attended the following Sunday.

Septuagesima or Carnival?

Carnaval princess.

With the Epiphany season behind us, we move into a time that sometimes is called Septuagesima after the first of three Sundays between the Transfiguration and Ash Wednesday. Septuagesima is Latin for “seventieth”. The following Sundays are called Sexagesima (sixtieth), and Quinquagesima (fiftieth). In very round numbers, this means 70, 60 and 50 days before Easter. The first Sunday in Lent was once known as Cuadragesima (fortieth) for the 40 days of Lent, and this is the basis for Cuaresma, the Spanish word for Lent. These pre-Lenten Sundays, mentioned as early as 541 A.D., are supposed to be a time of transition from the joyous festivities of Christmas and Epiphany to the darker, more somber mood of Lent.

However, in medieval times, Lenten fasting was required, and the rules were very strict. So, as something of a practical matter, people got into the habit of conspicuous consumption during the pre-Lenten period: Throwing big parties to use up those foods which could not be eaten during Lent, and which could not even be kept in homes during the fast – meat, butter, cheese, milk, eggs, fats, and bacon – as well as other rich foods and pastries. Later on, the revelry came to include parades and masquerade balls. This came to be known as Carnival (or Carnaval in Spanish) from the Latin “Carnem levare” which means withdrawal or removal of meat. The tradition continues in Latin American countries, although in Venezuela, the celebration of Carnaval is officially limited to the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (which, as it happens, falls on February 14, Valentine’s Day, this year).

We will hold a masquerade party for our preschool children as we have every year, but we will also use the selected readings for the pre-Lenten Sundays to emphasize the three solas of the Reformation. The readings for Septuagesima Sunday teach salvation through grace alone (Exodus 17:1-7; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5; Matthew 20:1-16); for Sexagesima, sola Scriptura (Isaiah 55:10-13; Hebrews 4:9-14; Luke 8:4-15); and for Quinquagesima, faith alone (1 Samuel 16:1-13; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 8:31-43).

Our 2023 Carnaval parade float.

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.

Meat offered to idols

“Conscience, I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks? Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:29-31

For the first time in 11 years, I received a complaint about posting photos on Facebook of our Carnaval party for the preschool children. We have celebrated Carnaval with them for 16 years, with the approval of their parents and guardians, but I have only had a Facebook account since 2008. The boys dress up as Spider Man or Batman, the girls as Disney princesses (or pirates) and we used our parade around the neighborhood as an opportunity to pass out tracts from Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (the Spanish Lutheran Hour) before CPTLN shut down operations in Venezuela. “But Christians do not celebrate Carnaval,” this person insisted. “It has pagan origins.”

A bit of background: In many countries, especially culturally Roman Catholic countries like Venezuela, the two to five days before Ash Wednesday is a time for masquerades, parades, parties and pranks. If that sounds something like Halloween, well, it is, and for some people it raises some of the same issues.

The word in English is carnival and it has the same origin as Carnaval, but the traveling shows known as carnivals are a somewhat different topic. People in the United States may be most familiar with pre-Lenten partying in the form of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, “mardi gras” being French for “Fat Tuesday”, the day before Ash Wednesday.

“Carnem levare” is the Latin root, and it means to take away the flesh or take away the meat. In medieval Europe, it became mandatory to abstain from foods derived from the bodies of land-based mammals and fowl during Lent, although the severity of the rules varied according to time and place. To remove some of the temptation, and, as a practical matter, because certain animal-based foods like eggs and butter would not keep for 40 days, it became customary to consume all remaining meat and dairy products in the house over several days of non-stop feasting.

The association of “carnivale” with masquerades and parades began in Italy, and soon spread to France and Spain, and from those countries to the New World. As with Halloween, which began with Christian observance of All Saints Day, but coincides with the approximate dates of ancient fall harvest festivals, some customs of pre-Christian origin may have been incorporated into festivities that usually coincide with the coming of spring.

Now the issue for Christians today is not so much the origins of Halloween or Carnaval, but what these events have come to mean as secular celebrations. In my childhood, Halloween was the occasion for pumpkin carving contests, bobbing for apples and going door to door in costume to receive candy. Some older youth were more into “tricks” than “treats” and sometimes crossed the line into vandalism, but that was the extent of the trouble with Halloween. For Luz Maria, who grew up in western Venezuela, “Carnaval” meant masquerade parties for children, parades and water balloon fights in the streets for the rowdier types.

Nowadays, many in the USA really think Halloween is a pagan festival and are tempted into actual witchcraft and occultism. Likewise, in many countries, Carnaval has become an excuse for sexual immorality and abuse of drugs and alcohol. Particularly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Carnaval has grown into an international event that throws a spotlight on Brazil’s social problems, such as sex trafficking and an extremely high occurrence of HIV/AIDS. Especially this year in Venezuela, in the midst of shortages of food and medicine, high crime rates and political tension, there are some who question why there should be something like Carnaval, frivolous at best and a invitation to wretched excess at wo

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But should we for these reasons deny children a time for make-believe and simple games? The first Christians lived in a world full of pagan ritual and symbolism. They were commanded to avoid idolatry, but did becoming a Christian mean cutting all ties with unbelieving family and friends, indeed with your whole culture? Furthermore, the mission of the church was to reach out to these same unbelieving family and friends to bring them into God’s kingdom.

The Apostle Paul deals with this issue in 1 Corinthians, especially chapters 8 and 10, when he speaks of “meat offered to idols”. The city of Corinth, like all urban centers in the first-century Mediterranean world, was full of pagan temples and shrines. Based on archeology and other sources outside of the Bible, we know that animal sacrifice was a key feature of all pre-Christian religion, including ancient Judaism. The meat from animals sacrificed on pagan altars would be consumed in feasts in honor of the god or goddess, since every temple had an attached dining hall. Any meat left over would be given to the priests of the temple and their families. Also, when the dining halls were not in use for the religious festivals, they would be rented out for weddings, celebrations of victory in battle and what we might call award ceremonies. Sacrificial meat would be served at these functions. Finally, if there was still some meat left over, it would be taken to the vendor’s stalls in the public markets to be sold to the public.

Eidólothutos, the word translated “meat offered to idols” first appears in Acts 15:29. It was a Jewish term (Gentiles referred to such meat with the term, hierothutos), and the passage in Acts represents the preoccupation of Jewish Christians with sharing meals with Gentile converts. The Jerusalem church council advised Gentile Christians to avoid serving meat that had been offered to idols, along with any other meat not prepared according to kosher rules out of love for their Jewish brethren (not because they were bound by the ritual purity laws of the Old Testament).

In 1 Corinthians, the emphasis is on encounters outside the community of faith. St. Paul warns that Christians absolutely should not participate in pagan religious rituals. In chapter 10:21, he says, “You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons.” Although the gods of pagan mythology, like Zeus, Apollo or Hermes, did not exist as such, nevertheless the temptation to idolatrous worship was the work of demons. Today there can be no “interfaith” worship, even with those who claim to worship just one god (Jews or Muslims).

But there were those in the church at Corinth who believed themselves to be of superior understanding and “strong” in the faith. Because they did not believe the pagan gods had any power over them and that all meat was just meat, there was nothing wrong with attending feasts at pagan temples that were not specifically for religious purposes.

Paul rebukes their spiritual pride and tells them that, even though it was quite true that the pagan gods had no power over them, that meat offered to idols was just meat, and that simply entering a pagan temple did not tempt them to idolatry, they should be concerned for the “weak” who could be tempted by such things. They should not even give the appearance of condoning pagan worship or allowing that pagan gods had some kind of authority.

However, Paul affirms the principle of Christian liberty against those, who out of a different kind of self-righteousness, would go to the other extreme. Meat sold in the public markets was not labeled according to origin, therefore there was no problem with purchasing it, even though it was likely some had been sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 10:25). Likewise, if invited to a meal in the home of an unbeliever, with the opportunity of sharing the Gospel, the Christian should eat what is set on the table and not make a fuss about where the meat came from. However, if someone else were to identify the meat as having been sacrificed in a pagan temple, the Christian should politely refuse it, rather than dismiss the scruples of weaker brethren before unbelievers.

One form of legalism is to insist on observance of ceremonies that God has not commanded as necessary to salvation or Christian living. Another is to insist that all abstain from practices that are not contrary to God’s will. We should resist efforts to force such views on us. As with meat offered to idols, we may enjoy customs that may have non-Christian origins, as long as no one is really tempted to sin by them and they provide the opportunity to share God’s Word with those who have not heard it.

Postscript on the capybara

I cannot talk about the Lenten fast in Venezuela without mentioning the capybara or “el chigüire” as it is known here. Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris is world’s largest species of rodent. It has a heavy, barrel-shaped body and short head, with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of its body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Adults grow to 106 to 134 cm (3.48 to 4.40 feet) in length, stand 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 inches) tall at the withers, and typically weigh 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 lbs.). In the 16th Century, the Pope responded to a petition from Venezuelan priests to declare the semi-aquatic rodent an exception to the rule against eating red meat. Since then, eating chigüire during Lent has been a Venezuelan tradition, much like turkey dinner for Thanksgiving in the United States.

Ash Wednesday and apagones

Our Ash Wednesday service on March 6, 2019, was bookended by power outages or apagones in Spanish. On late Monday afternoon, our power went down for 21 hours. I do not know if this was just a local blackout, because it didn’t make the news, but the next one sure did. On Thursday, March 7, the entire electrical grid went down across Venezuela for 60 hours, leaving most of the country without electricity, telephone, television, radio, Internet or water (because no power for the pumps). The lights came back on at 5 a.m. Sunday for 5 hours, then went out again. It was the same Monday: Five hours of electricity early in the morning, then a blackout for the rest of the day. Finally, at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, full power was restored.

This is apparently what happened: There was a major breakdown at the Guri Dam hydroelectric plant. When it was built in the 1960s, the Guri plant was the largest generation facility of its kind in the world. Today it is the third-largest, at I7,426 meters in length and 162 meters in height. It impounds the Guri Reservoir, which has a surface area of 4,250 square kilometers (1,641 square miles) . The Guri hydroelectric power plant is situated 100 kilometers upstream of the Caroni River in Necuima Canyon i. With an installed capacity of 10,200 megawatts, it has for years provided 75 to 80 percent of Venezuela’s electrical demand.

Electricity generated by the smaller Matagua hydroelectric plant and a thermoelectric plants allowed the government to implement the draconian energy rationing program of five hours of electricity per day.

In La Caramuca, we lost contact with the outside world, except for intermittent cellphone signals. But we were able to pump water from our well with a portable gasoline generator. We have not used the generator for some time, because even gasoline is strictly rationed now. Also the generator is over 10 years old, has been overhauled several times and no longer has the capacity to do everything we would like it to do. But it earned its keep this past week. No more than ever, we would like to install a battery backup system, perhaps with solar panels on the roof, and a satellite link to the Internet.