Counting the cost of discipleship

We learn from Luke 14:28-33 that God has given us the ability to calculate the resources we have to carry out a project, as well as what we can lose and what we can gain. When we weigh our own strength against the magnitude of suffering and sacrifice required by the Christian life, we must give up all hope in our own merits and  place our faith in the righteousness of Christ, with which we are clothed in baptism. But this faith, which we receive as a gift from God in Christ, also gives us the confidence to measure and plan good works in this life. God also wants us to "count the cost" of what we would do for him here on earth. That's why basic education is important, especially reading, writing, and math. Therefore, we are pleased to organize a math workshop, primarily for young people starting high school next school year. The workshop was led by Eliezer Montoya, a member of Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas, who holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and is a teacher by profession. Professor Montoya covered addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers and fractions, and even a little algebra.

Renovation continues

The renovation of our former preschool space continues. Mi Pequeña Lucecita (My Little Light) House of Study is the new name of our educational program. We are preparing for an older group of students, from first grade up to sixth grade, with some of our communicant members who are attending high school as Luz Maria’s teacher’s aides. Our vision for the future includes more Bible studies and workshop in specific subjects for adolescents and adults. A new study table for taller people is nearly ready. Bookshelves are in place. What we still need: more chairs, a gas stove for the kitchen, a ceiling fan for better air circulation, and a water filter and cooler. Also, we would like to recondition an outbuilding with public restrooms that we closed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Let us pray together 

Global Lutheran Outreach recommends a  “Mission Circle” model of  a group of Christians who meet regularly to:
• Engage in a deeper study of God’s mission through the Word;
• Become informed and involed  God’s mission in other localities through communication with a specific crosscultural missionary;
• Pray for their missionary and for God’s mission in their own surroundings.

I would like to start a monthly “Mission Circle” podcast based on a videoconference between myself and whoever else would like to participate. It would last no longer than 30 minutes. The first videoconference would be on Monday, September 15, 8 p.m. Central Standard Time. Please let me know if you would like to be involved and I will send you a user ID and password.

Lord God, heavenly Father, who has placed the nations of the world under the authority of your Son, by your Holy Spirit incline the hearts of all who govern to submit themselves to the Lord of lords and King of glory, that the peace of heaven might prevail on earth. Let there also be peace in the church, in our homes and in our hearts. Amen.

 

Crossing a threshold

On Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, we cut the ribbon and opened the doors of our new learning center, where preschool classes will now be held. There were more than 50 people in attendance, including members of the Barrio Las Lomas common council and representatives of SENIFA, the state's child welfare agency. We began by raising the national flag and singing the Venezuelan national anthem outside the building. After the ribbon-cutting, I led an opening service, which was followed by speeches, pŕizes and awards for select people, then food and entertainment for everyone.

The children had a wonderful time, and many adults were visibly moved by the event. Why? We have had the support of the surrounding community for more than a decade. There is no other institution here that offers Christian education, and we have been here long enough for people to see tangilble results of this. The majority of young people in the community drop out of school after sixth grade (the minimum level of attendance required by law) and many drift into lives of low-paying jobs or unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, and petty crime. Children who have attended our preschool have done well in elementary school. Some have become the first in their families to finish high school and go on to the local university.

But even more important than their healthy physical and intellectual development is their spiritual journey. Many of the young people who graduated from our preschool have been baptized, confirmed and are now communicant members of our mission. During the last full week of August 2016, we for the first time sent a group of young people to the Lutheran Church of Venezuela's national youth gathering. All but one have been confirmed, yet they gathered for several weeks before the youth gathering for a refresher course on the means of grace, for that was the theme of the event. One example of our group is Gianny Vanesa Roa, who has was involved in both Sunday worship and the preschool since she was a small girl,


El crecimiento de Banesa Roa from David Ernst on Vimeo.

In the opening service, I read Psalm 111:10 and emphasized it as one principle of our educational program.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have good understanding. His praise endures forever!"

Education is more than the acquisition of knowledge; good judgment depends the formation of character, which in turn depends on the recognition and reverence for God as the source of all our blessings in life. Reverence for the Lord is an outgrowth of faith.

But there is even more to it than that. I also read 1 Corinthians 1:23-25.

"But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Where is faith and reverence for God to be found? God cannot be comprehended by intellectual speculation. The world, by its own wisdom, could not find the way to the knowledge of God, therefore it pleased God to lead human to Himself beings by a way which is ridiculed by those who consider themselves wise, but are foolish for relying on their own reason and strength. In Christ crucified for the sins of the world. By His sacrifice and the power of the Holy Spirit we receive the power to live as sons and daughters of God, full of hope for this world and the next.

Our mission has demonstrated this. But the people were moved because now we have another step forward in faith through the construction of a new building dedicated to Christian education, prayer and worship. There is a saying that, "A church is not a building, it's people." That is true, but for the people who gather to hear the preaching of God's Word in its purity and receive the sacraments in faith as the Lord instituted them, it is a great blessing to have a building. Especially if it is a building that looks like what people picture in their minds as a house of prayer, rather than an office building or storefront.

Even more than that, in the context of the current political and economic crisis in Venezuela, our construction project has shown our commitment to the future of our community and the country. It is something like the story of Noah's ark, but turned upside-down. The storm already is upon us, while others have fled to higher ground, we have built this refuge in the middle of the tempest in the hope that the rains will cease.

We have been able to do this by God's grace and the prayers and financial support of many caring Christians outside our community. Please continue to pray for us and for Venezuela, and consider donating toward our future today.

As a hen gathers her brood

I came to Venezuela as a volunteer for the Tierra de Gracia agricultural mission in the eastern state of Monagas. This was a working farm with three goals:

1. Generate revenue to support a pastor for small rural parishes in an economically depressed area.
2. Help the people improve their skills to find higher-paying agricultural jobs. 
3. Encourage them to grow as much of their own food as possible. 

After Luz Maria and I were married, we both lived in Monagas and were involved with the Tierra de Gracia mission for about a year. We lived on the farm where one of our chores was caring for a flock of chickens. Many people in the surrounding area were eager to buy eggs and chicken straight from the farm.

Late in 2004 we returned to Luz Maria's property in the western state of Barinas and start our own mission there. This was a parcel of land where Luz Maria had planted many fruit trees in the 1990s. We learned a lot working with former missionaries, Dale and Sandra Saville, But since we envisioned our mission as a center for Christian education, at first we did not expect what we learned about agriculture in Monagas to be as important as it has become.

Now Venezuela is going through the worst economic crisis it has faced in decades. With oil prices at an all-time low, the country is largely unable to import essential food items or medicines. Street protests over the shortages have turned violent, and people have begun ransacking businesses for food. The crisis is severely affecting the country's educational system as teachers and students abandon classes to search for food.

In the face of this crisis, we have planted more food crops on our land, including cassava, eggplants, plantains and papaya, in addition to our orange, grapefruit, avocado and mango trees. We are increasing our flock of chickens to 30 laying hens. Not only is this helping us to support ourselves and provide breakfast every day for 10 to 20 preschool children, but we are sharing our extra produce with neighbors, and incorporating gardening and raising backyard chickens into our preschool activities.

Above all, we are trusting in the Lord's providence to sustain us through hard times. We are teaching this to the children as well. In telling them the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, I emphasized that here was a family that had to deal with a food shortage, as many do in Venezuela today. The Lord helped them through this crisis, and later, even when all the men in the family died, God did not desert the two women who placed their trust in Him. Ruth was able to support herself and Naomi by gathering grain that the harvest crews left in the field. Then God blessed her with a new husband, Boaz, and children who would form the lineage of King David and our Lord Jesus Himself.

"The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Ruth 2:12

With these words, Boaz praises Ruth, who had gone out into the fields to gather the remains of the grain harvest for herself and Naomi, not only  for her devotion to her mother-in-law, but also for her faith in the God of Israel who had determined Ruth’s course. These words are echoed in Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34, where Jesus compares His concern for the people of Jerusalem to a hen gathering her brood under her wings. These New Testament verses are the only direct references to chickens in the canonical Scriptures. The apocryphal book of 2 Esdras 1:30 describes God as saying to the unheeding children of Israel, “I gathered you as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. But now, what shall I do to you? I will cast you out from my presence.”

Old Testament references to "fatted fowl", such as 1 Kings 4:23, could mean pigeons or geese. Chickens are believed to have been domesticated in India around 2,000 B.C.  They appeared in Egypt before the 14th cent. B.C., so the Israelites may have known of chickens before the Exodus, and there is a remote possibility that chickens came to Palestine from Egypt. The earliest archeological evidence from Palestine so far is a seal showing a fighting cock, found at Tell el-Nasbeh, c. 600 B.C.

In Deuteronomy 32:11, Moses compares God's love and mercy toward His people to a mother eagle gathering its chicks under its wings. This passage also is echoed in Christ's call for the people of Jerusalm to repent of their sins in Matthew and Mark, an example of how the promise of God's care for those who seek refuge in Him is repeated throughout the Old and New Testaments.




Nuestro Proyecto Agrícola from David Ernst on Vimeo.

God's gift of life

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, it is well to remember that every baby born is a blessing and a gift from God (Psalm127:3). Every child, regardlessof of the circumstances of its birth, is God's creation, and has value and purpose in His eyes.

In Venezuela, a licensed health professional may perform an abortion to save the mother's life, with the written permission of the woman, her husband or a legal representative. In emergencies, the approval of a second physician may suffice. Abortions performed by anyone else, for any other reason, merit a prison sentence, ranging from six months to three years, depending on the circumstances. No one in their right mind would want to spend any amount of time in a Venezuelan prison, where prisoners often have to try and catch rats for food.
Nevertheless, non-abortifacient contraceptives are readily available. You can buy condoms off the rack at most pharmacies and supermarkets and obtaining oral contraceptives is not a problem, either. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the annual birth rate in Venezuela today is equal to that of the United States in 1965. That was, of course, when the use of contraceptives, particularly oral contraceptives, had become widespread in the United States, but the Supreme Court had not yet swept away all existing abortion legislation with the Roe vs. Wade decision.

But there is an important difference between Venezuela in 2014 and the United States in 1965:The number of children born out of wedlock to women between 15 and 19 years of age, and sometimes to girls under 15. Venezuela has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Latin American, a region of the world which itself is second only to Africa in its number of teen pregnancies. This serves to perpetuate a cycle of poverty, since 80 percent of these teenage mothers drop out of school. Not only do they fail to gain a basic formal education (we deal with quite a few illiterate adults) or marketable skills, they also lack the parenting skills necessary to raise their children. This is because their mothers, and even their grandmothers, became pregnant as teenagers and never had good role models. Many of the children in our community do not receive nutritionally balanced meals, not just because of their family's limited means, but because the adults who have charge of them do not have basic nutritional knowledge. Nutritionally related health problems are very common. For example, Venezuela has the highest incidence of uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Latin America.

 Most of the households in our surrounding community have a single parental figure, usually a woman who is mother or grandmother to the rest. Children often grow up with many brothers and sisters, all of whom have different biological fathers. The lack of responsible males in these homes means the boys do not learn how to be responsible,  caring men, which contributes the perpetuation of the cycle of poverty. Consumption of alcohol and other drugs is high, and so is the incidence of emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children.

The availability of contraceptives has not proved a remedy for this situation because those most at risk from early pregnancies do not have the maturity or the motivation to use contraceptives. There is a cultural dynamic that teaches girls that their sexuality is their only means of empowerment; that they only gain worth as individuals by their ability to attract men and bear children. Nor does the availability of contraceptives mean anything to boys who become men without learning respect for women and any sense of responsibility for any children they may bring into the world.

We do not believe the killing of the unborn would solve this problem, either. First of all, the Holy Scriptures teach us that life begins at conception (Isaiah 44:2, 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5). Indeed, we read in Luke1:39-56 that John the Baptist leaped in his mother's womb at the approach of Mary, because of the baby that she bore (""Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of they womb"). But we also interpret the Fifth Commandment to mean not just that we should avoid actively seeking to harm our neighbor, but to help him maintain and improve his life as well. So it is not our objective to advocate the extermination of the poor, but to help them.

In the second place, the legalization of abortion would not break the cycle of poverty,any more than the availability of contraception. It would not give the people the means or the motivation to change their lives. That is what we hope to do, with the help of God, through our mission.  To teach them needed skills and pursue continued education, instill Christian values regarding marriage and child-bearing, and above all, by preaching the Gospel of God's love in Christ,to give them the hope and confidence necessary to break free of the oppression of false beliefs as well as poverty. We are pleased that some of the young people involved with our mission have become the first in their families to graduate from high school, and that some adults are learning to read. But we are even more pleased that they have come to believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, and, by His resurrection, gained for them the promise of eternal life.

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Confessions of a godfather

Receiving a plaque.

The words “padrino” (godfather) and “madrina” (godmother) mean something more in Venezuela than just sponsors at a Christian baptism. Anyone who serves as a mentor or patron to an individual, or even to a group, may be honored with the title of padrino or madrina, and it is quite an honor.

So I was moved when I was named padrino of the 10th group of children to graduate from our preschool. They do not choose a padrino every year. In fact, the only other padrino in the last 10 years was a fellow who had children in the preschool and, as head of the neighborhood council, was a great promoter of it.

As padrino, I presided over the graduation ceremony, presenting the children with their diplomas and various gifts. Graduates from our preschool, who will be starting first grade in the public elementary school in September, include:

Yuliannys E. Ascanio	Ximena V. Barrueta Z.
Edwar J. Garrido S.	Ailyn T. Noguera S.
Angela I. Piñero A.	Luís L.Rivas M.
Nazareth Zambrano P.

The children and their teachers, in turn, presented me with two plaques. Two, because there will be some changes in our preschool this next school year, starting with the name. Up to now the preschool has been known as “Centro de Educación Integral Nutriniño Mi Pequeña Lucecita”. One plaque was from the preschool under this name, thanking me for my support and dedication to Christian education and “teaching us the Word of God.”

The second plaque was from the preschool under its new name, “Simoncito Comunitario Mi Pequeña Lucecita,” thanking me for my support and “bringing us to know the love of God in Christ.” Of all the plaque that I have received in my life, none have mattered more.

To explain the situation a bit more: In 2003 there was in our area a program called "Nutriniño" funded by a state-supported, non-profit  organization called "Fundación del Niño." This program allowed persons living in poverty-stricken neighborhoods to open preschools in their homes, provided the homes passed inspection. The program provided the money for two nutritionally balanced meals per day for the children, and paid the salaries of certified preschool teachers to conduct classes.

Meeting with local authorities.

Luz Maria enrolled in the program and ours has become the most successful of the "Nutriniño" preschools. So successful, in fact, that it is the only one left.  All of the others, across the country, have now been closed as funds to continue the program have dwindled. The Nutriniño program no longer exists.

Now we will be subject to state supervision under the auspices of “Proyecto Simoncito.” This is a similar program to provide free preschool education and nutritionally balanced meals to children, ages 2 to 6, but under more direct control of the Ministry of Education.

There are three reasons, on this end, why our preschool will remain open, despite the closing of the other Nutriniño preschools:

1.  We have gained the confidence of local authorities, who see us as an extremely positive influence in the community;

2. We have the enthusiastic support of the preschool children's parents, several of whom showed up for our meeting with the local authorities to support the continuation of the preschool;

3. We meet an urgent need for quality Christian preschool education.

There are some adjustments that we will have to make. Up to now, our preschool hours have been 8 a.m. to  noon weekdays, leaving us plenty of time to prepare for Luz Maria's tutoring of older children from 4 to 6 p.m. Starting in September we will have to keep the preschool open from 7:30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.  This will require a number of things from us, such as making provision for as many as 25 children to take midday naps and baths, as is the custom. Luz Maria will continue her tutoring program, which also is quite popular and growing in numbers of students. Of course, we expect that the longer preschool hours will allow us additional opportunity to provide basic instruction in the Christian faith.

What we consider a real setback is that starting in September we will only be able to enroll children from 2 to 4 years of age. Five-year-olds will be required to transfer to another preschool, ostensibly to make the best use of existing educational resources. These are the children who we will lose as a result of this decision:

José Ignacio Garrido S.	Aliesca F. Ascanio V.
Anyilimar K. Meza R.	Dalmarys F. Barrios T.
Greisy C. Altuve R.	Erick A. Salinas M.
Angel M. Ascanio D.

We hope and pray that, God willing, we will get our five- and six-year-olds back in the 2014-2015 school year. The fact that our preschool remains open is also due to the prayers and financial  support of individuals, congregations and mission societies in the United States. God bless you all. We ask that you continue to pray for us and support us as we face the challenges of another 10 years.

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Summer of the prophets

We completed our vacation Bible school for the summer in five days, from Tuesday, August 16, through Saturday, August 20. In addition, on Sunday morning, August 21, the sermon was tied in with the final lesson of vacation Bible school and after the service, several students were recognized for outstanding memorization of Bible verses. Sixteen children attended the first day of vacation Bible school, with attendance of around 30 for each of the following days. Each daily session included an opening devotion, songs, crafts and games. This year's Bible school focused on several prophets of the Old Testament: Elijah, Elisha, Joel, Habbakuk and Christ in His role as prophet. The materials were developed and provided to us by the Lutheran Church of Venezuela.

The text for the first lesson was 1 Kings 17:1-15 (the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath). The objective was that the children might learn that God provides all that we have and all that we need. Each lesson was divided into a teaching of the Law and a teaching of the Gospel. In the first lesson, the message of the Law was that we often are afraid that we will not have everything we need because of a lack of faith that God will provide for us at all times and in all circumstances. The Gospel message: Knowing what God works and how He provides for each of us in our need, He promises to multiply the blessings in our lives, so we seek first the Kingdom of God and all the rest will follow.

The text for the study of Elisha was 2 Kings 4:38-44 (Elisha and the miracle of the great pot). The theme was the miracles of God in our lives and the objective was for the children to learn that in any situation, good or bad, God never will leave us and will provide the means necessary for us to emerge victorious. The Law: When we do not trust in God, we do not see His wisdom displayed in our lives, therefore we do not receive all blessings He intends for us. The Gospel: God has the power to transform the bad things in our lives into blessings. The text for the third lesson was Joel 2:27-32. The theme was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in baptism with the objective that the children learn about holy baptism and the Holy Spirit comes to them through the visible means of grace. The Law: God judges all nations according to His commandments and punishes those who do not trust in Him. At times we may believe that we can obtain salvation through our own works and forget that we are saved only by the merits of Christ, Who comes to us by means of Word and the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper). The Gospel: God will pardon all who call upon His name and all who receive the Holy Spirit in baptism will be illumined by His gifts and be able to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The text for the fourth lesson was Habakkuk 1:2-4, 3:17-19, and the theme was the just shall live by faith. The objective was that the children understand although many bad things may happen in this world, God does not abandon us, but justifies us through faith in Christ Jesus. Law: We may be tempted to despair, because we do not trust in God does everything good in His perfect time. The Gospel: We may have confidence that God will do justice in the perfect moment because we are not traveling through the valley of fear, but rather climbing the heights of faith.

The text for the fifth and final lesson was Matthew 17: 1-8 (the story of the Transfiguration). The theme was that Christ is now the one and only prophet and that the children understand the office of Christ as prophet, knowing that there is no true revelation from God apart from Him. Law: There are many things that we do not understand, so we look toward our own security and avoid venturing outside our comfort zone. The Gospel: With Christ as our Guide and Counselor, we need not be afraid and look toward the future with hope and joy.

That Sunday's sermon text was 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, in which St. Paul compares Moses, whom the Jews regarded as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, with Christ, the prophet greater than Moses of whom Moses prophesied, and the liberation of the Israelites from slavery with redemption and new life in Christ. In baptism we cross from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ, as the Israelites by a mighty show of God's power, were able to cross from slavery in Egypt to liberty on the other side of the waters of the Red Sea.

But they still had a long journey to the Promised Land, so God provided for them food and drink in the wilderness, as He provides His body and blood in the Lord's Supper to sustain us through our journey through this life. Despite God's loving care, however, most of the Israelites died in the wilderness and did not reach the Promised Land. So it will be with us if we do not stay true to the faith of our baptism and fall into idolatry. No matter if we receive the blessing of baptism, if we do not live as sons and daughters of God, if we fall into sin and not repent, we will not escape the judgment of God on the Last Day. And if we receive the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily, that is, without repentance, we receive the sacrament to our condemnation.

We give thanks to God for the children who were able to attend this vacation Bible school and we hope to host another during the Christmas-New Year break.

Eight graduate from preschool in 2011

We closed the 2010-2011 school year July 11 with an informal graduation ceremony for the eight children who will be leaving our preschool for first grade in September. Our graduates are:

• Marli A. Albarran P.
• Karla V. Altuve R.
• Dayimar A. Aranguren F.
• Brayan J. Arteaga P.
• Geiver J. Cordero U.
• Marlenis J. Piñero R.
• Solibeth del V. Sanchez S.
• Lorianny P. Vivas. M.

All of these children were born in 2005, three years after my first visit to Venezuela.

We also were delighted that many of the older children in our afternoon tutoring program finished the school year with overall grades of "A" or "B", a fact for which we gave thanks during the Sunday service.

My second bicentennial

I am experiencing a national bicentennial celebration for the second time this year. The first time, of course, was in 1976 in the United States. Now, in 2011, Venezuela is marking the 200th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from Spain. Actually, not just Venezuela, but also Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico are celebrating their national bicentennials.

There was a big parade in Caracas and formal ceremonies in other parts of the country, but no fireworks to mark the bicentennial on July 5. That's Independence Day here, but fireworks are not part of the Independence Day tradition in Venezuela, but rather are associated with the Christmas season (setting off fireworks in the nighttime to early morning hours is supposed to mimic the appearance of the angels to the shepherds watching their flocks by night). By the way, Venezuelans also observe April 19 as a national holiday since April 19, 1810, was the day when revolutionary forces deposed the Spanish governor of Venezuela, effectively ending Spanish rule. However, July 5, 1811, was when Venezuela formally declared its independence.

The last decade has been one of economic and political upheaval, conflict and controversy in Venezuela. Despite being on different sides of the issues, I have been impressed from the beginning with the common desire of Venezuelans for a strong, independent nation. No one wants outside interference in Venezuelan affairs, which perhaps reflects the fact that despite winning independence from Spain 200 years ago, Venezuela has since struggled to be free of foreign economic domination and to realize the ideal of equal economic opportunity for all.Venezuela has enormous potential with abundant natural and human resources waiting to be used in the right way.

And what do I remember about my first bicentennial? Apart from the U.S. flag-themed license plates, T-shirts and other paraphernalia, more than a decade of scandal, disillusionment, inflation and unemployment, with still a few dark, depressing years to go.

But in the decade that followed, there was a renewal of national hope and confidence, buoyed by nearly 10 years of sustained economic recovery and the unexpected collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. It was an exciting time to be alive to be alive and to be an American. I saw really grand fireworks displays for the first time during this period, over the waters of Lake Michigan. This occurred at at various times in Chicago, Racine, WI, and Milwaukee. It was one great bicentennial decade.

Those happy days came to an end, of course. Both the best of times and the worst of times in this world pass. The ultimate triumph of good over evil will not occur in the political arena, and the interests of one nation, or alliance of nations, cannot be equated with the kingdom of God (for the elect of God will be gather from all nations, Isaiah 66:18, Revelation 7:9) God will raise up a nation or alliance of nation as a judgment against those that tolerate immorality and injustice (Job 12:23, Jeremiah 25:14). Yet for this reason, all kingdoms and empires of the earth eventually crumble to dust, for all are tainted by sin. Thus the counsel of Psalm 118:9, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." We should beware of political movements that promise the complete elimination of war, poverty and other societal problems, for only the Gospel of Christ can transform sinful human nature.

Nevertheless, God Himself ordained civil government to execute the first use of the divine Law: to restrain the outward manifestations of sin, maintain external order and the safety of its citizens. Good government is a blessing and so St. Paul in 1 Timothy 2:2, admonishes all Christians to pray "for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" and so we do every Sunday in La Caramuca, first for the peace of the whole world, but especially for the national leadership of Venezuela, that it, too, may know a period of confidence, independence and hope for the future.

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Preschool graduation 2010

We concluded our 2009-2010 school year with a graduation ceremony at the preschool, July 16. Most of our eight graduates and their families attended the previous Sunday's service, at which we gave thanks for having the children in our preschool and prayed for their future starting with first grade in September. I was pleased to note on both Sunday and Friday that for the first time two of our graduates, Elias Montoya and Genesis Marquina were baptized at our mission.



The other six graduates were:

• Diego Sanchez
• Breitny Morales
• Suneisbeth Pacheco
• Eduar Cuevas
• Carla Peralta
• Anny Arteaga

We also were pleased and honored to have two important figures in our local community attend the graduation ceremony: Noel Marquina, father of Genesis and president of the Barrio Las Lomas community council; and Yelvis Selina, director of all the preschools in our sector. These two left early from graduation ceremonies at other preschools specifically to attend our graduation.

There is reason for us to feel optimistic at this point. The population of La Caramuca continues to grow and the existing first-grade classrooms will be filled to capacity this year. If we could raise the money to build additional classroom space, the next few years would be a good time for us to expand our program to include first grade students.

Honoring marriage and martyrdom

On July 25, 2010, Luz Maria and I marked the sixth anniversary of our wedding ceremony at La Fortaleza Lutheran Church in Maracay. Of course, we have two anniversaries, since we were married in a civil ceremony in La Caramuca November 29, 2003. In Venezuela, religious marriage ceremonies are not legally binding. You have to publicly sign the contract, along with witnesses, in front of a civil magistrate. Actually, first you have to apply for the marriage license and the date for the civil ceremony is set by the magistrate according to his (or her) convenience.It took us seven months from the date of the civil ceremony to arrange a church service asking God's blessing on our marriage. Because of the complications and expenses involved in a "proper" church wedding, many people will forgo it in favor of having their pastor come to the magistrate's office and say a prayer before the civil proceedings begin.

On both our dates, Luz Maria and I always give thanks for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we received to work in partnership toward the realization of a Lutheran mission in La Caramuca. There is no doubt that we have accomplished much more as a married couple than either of us could have on our own.

On the church calendar, July 25 is the day of the Apostle James the Elder. This is James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, fellow apostle and evangelist, as distinguished from James, son of Alphaeus (or Clopas), another of the original 12 apostles, and James the Just, brother of Jesus and bishop of the church in Jerusalem after the death of James the Elder.

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By the way, Venezuela's national capital is named after James the Elder. The city was founded July 25, 1567, and its full name is Santiago de Leon de Caracas (literally, "St. James of the Lion of Caracas"). The city seal incorporates the Cross of St. James and a lion,
James the Elder is the second Christian martyr mentioned by name in the New Testament, after the deacon Stephen, and one of the only two apostles whose deaths are recorded (the other being Judas Iscariot). According to post-apostolic Christian writings, his brother John was the only apostle to die of old age. The Scripture readings appointed in our lectionary for the Day of St. James reinforce the theme of sacrificing all for Christ and there are lessons to be learned by all Christians, these passages speak quite directly to those who have been called into the public ministry of the church.

The Old Testament reading, 1 Kings 19:7-18, God finds the prophet Elijah hiding in a cave and asks him what he is doing there. Elijah replies, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” There always are those who rebel against the authority of God's Word, and thus against those who attempt to preach and teach it, even with violence. But as God revealed to Elijah that he was not alone, that were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed down and kissed Baal, God in various ways reminds those of us charged with preaching the Word that wherever it is preached, there also will be those who respond in faith and so will be saved.

Likewise, in the epistle reading, 1 Corinthians 4:9-15, "For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things."

Kretzmann´s commentary says, "Paul has in mind either a public procession on a great festival day, in which the condemned criminals on their way to the arena marched last, or he thinks of gladiators who, no matter how often they escaped death on one day or during one season, were always brought forth again and were thus doomed to die... The ministers of Christ must pass for fools, because they preach Christ crucified, a message which in no way conforms with the wisdom of the world..." The lay Christian, not obligated to preach publicly, may escape for a time being the target of the world's wrath, but it is the pastor's duty to be such a target, to endure all manner of humilliation and mockery that the Gospel of Christ may be proclaimed in all its power and purity. For this reason, the pulpit and altar must be kept off-limits to those who are not prepared to be stewards of God's mysteries, those who only want a soapbox for their own opinions, and the attention and praise of the crowds.

Jesus Himself makes this point in the Gospel reading, Matthew 20:20-28. After the mother of James and John has requested special positions of honor for his sons in the kingdom of heaven, He says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” All Christians must be prepared to serve and care for the needs of other, but especially those entrusted with positions of authority in the church must be the servants of the servants of Christ. Those who publicly preach the Word especially must be prepared to share the "cup" and "baptism" of which our Lord speaks in these verses. This means that the public ministry is not just a ministry of words, but of actions which reflect, on a smaller scale, the suffering and death of Christ.

Kisses sweeter than wine

It sounds like a line from a love-song and it is. You probably have it heard it somewhere, sometime. "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" was first recorded by the Weavers in 1951 and later by Jimmie Rodgers, Eddy Arnold, Andy Williams, Jackson Browne and Waylon Jennings, among others. The chorus goes, "Uh, oh, she had kisses sweeter than wine."

The chorus of "This Magic Moment", another classic ballad, features a variation on the phrase. The singer recalls the first kiss with his beloved as being "sweeter than wine, softer than a summer's night." "This Magic Moment" was originally released by the Drifters in 1960 and later by Jay and the Americans, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, among others.


Who knows whether the writers of these American pop standards were consciously borrowing from the Bible, but it's hard not to hear an echo of the Song of Songs (also known as the Song of Solomon), verse 2: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine." Verse 1 is the book's title: "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's."

I opened our discussion of courtship and marriage for the youth with a meditation on the Song of Songs. Luz Maria got the idea for a series of such discussions after hearing rumors of many pregnant sixth-graders this year and learning that as of 2010, Venezuela has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Latin America, although teen pregnancies are increasing throughout the region.

The Song of Songs seemed appropriate to me, even though explaining its message in a simple manner posed a challenge. Franz Delitzsch, a German Lutheran scholar and theologian of Jewish descent, called it "the most obscure book in the Old Testament" and, in some ways it is. This is primarily because the Song of Songs is a lengthy poem consisting almost entirely of dialogue. The problem is that the text offers very few clues as to who is talking and when. It is as if the book of Job started right in with the debate over why the righteous suffer with no framing narrative about who Job was or what kind of predicament he was in, and with no phrases like, "Then Job said..." or "Then Elihu said..." or "Then the Lord spoke..." This has led to an abundance of speculation, much of it rather fanciful, about how many "voices" there are in the poem, who is speaking, and the details of the underlying narrative.

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What is clear is that there are at least two speakers, a woman called "the Shulamite" (the Hebrew word appears in no other book of the Old Testament and might be a proper name) and a man, apparently King Solomon. The two express their feelings for each other over the course of a courtship, wedding and marriage, a relationship that is tested at every stage. Ultimately, however, the Song of Songs concludes with a triumphant reaffirmation of marital love and commitment (chapter 8, verses 5 to 7).

The Song of Songs is frankly sensual in its language. The writer is keenly attuned to colors, sounds, smells, textures and tastes. He (the first verse would indicate that Solomon himself wrote it) is deeply appreciative of the beauty of the human form as well as the corresponding beauties of nature and the landscapes of Palestine. Thus the Song of Songs may be read as an affirmation of the goodness of God's creation and of romantic love and marriage, and a corrective to the many Old Testament warnings against the temptations of the flesh.
But there is more to it than that. Since ancient times the Song of Songs has been interpreted a symbolic representation of the relationship between the Lord and His people. The traditional Jewish interpretation is that the Song of Songs is a picture of the history of Israel beginning with the Exodus, which is why to this day the Song of Songs is read in synagogues during Passover. Later Cbristian commentators would see the Shulamite as a symbol of the Church and her kingly bridegroom as Christ.

How is this connection made? The moral of the story in Song of Songs is that commitment plus fidelity equals a lasting relationship characterized by joy, contentment and complete trust in the beloved. This principle may not only be applied to the most intimate of human relationships, but also to relationship between God and His people. Hosea 2:16.20 makes this clear:

“And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband"...and I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD."

And again in Isaiah 54:5

"For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called."

On the negative side, not only does the Old Testament condemn the sexual immorality and perversion of the pagan world, but idolatry in itself is considered adultery. Jeremiah 3:1 says this: "You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the LORD."

Given this theme of fidelity, it might seem inconsistent to identify the Shulamite's suitor as Solomon, since the historical books of the Old Testament tell of the king's many wives and concubines, and his eventual fall into idolatry. But not if Solomon is seen in a prophetic fashion as prefiguring another son of David who would bring justice and mercy to His people. In fact, Solomon is portrayed as a messianic figure in 2 Samuel 7:12–17, Psalm 72 and also in Matthew 12:42.

In the New Testament, St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, "I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

And in Ephesians 5:22-32, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church."

Finally in Revelation 19:7-9, there is the triumphant vision of Christ, the Lamb of God, His bride, the Church, and the eternal wedding-feast:

"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready...And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

In conveying these ideas to the youth, it helped to point out how the Song of Solomon was the source of words and images in some of their favorite songs. For example, Song of Songs 2.4 says, "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love," while in chapter 6, verse 3, we read, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." One of the songs that the children and youth really like to sing is called "Su Bandera sobre mi es amor" (His banner over me is love) and the first stanza is "I am Christ's and Christ is mine; His banner over me is love."

Likewise, in Song of Songs 2:1 we read, "I am the rose of Sharon; I am the lily of the valley." So in the song, "Cristo es la Peña de Horeb" (Christ is the Rock of Horeb), the second stanza goes, "Cristo es el lirio del valle de los flores, la Rosa pura y blanca de Sarón."

After the opening meditation and prayer, Luz Maria led the group in a discussion of what physical changes they could expect as they entered adolescence. and how that might affect their emotional, intellectual and social development. She talked about some of the immediate consequences of early pregnancy and the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as the long-term consequences of becoming sexually active too soon and outside the bounds of matrimony.

Luz Maria says that, based on the discussion so far, the youth have inadequate knowledge of basic facts of life, despite having an idea of what condoms and birth control pills are. However, their families have responded favorably and we will have at least one more session.

Giving thanks for a successful semester

On July 5, the first Sunday in July this year (and also Independence Day in Venezuela) Sandro Perez requested a special prayer of thanksgiving for the completion of another semester of school. Our summer break has begun and the new semester begins in mid September. Sandro, who suffered a couple of bouts with dengue fever this past year, will start seventh grade. This is an important moment for Sandro, because many children in our community drop out of school after sixth grade (the maximum amount of education required by law).

Angie Perez and Noel Marquina also will enter seventh grade next semester. Sandro and Noel have been confirmed, while Angi is preparing for her confirmation this fall. She and Sandro are not related; Perez is a name like Smith, Jones or Johnson in the United States. The Venezuelan equivalent of "John Smith" would be "Pedro Perez".

We also prayed for the health of Angi s brother, Jimmy Perez, who was ill to the point of coughing up blood, but who now is recuperating and for the nations of the world to peacefully resolve their problems. Amid our everyday concerns, all eyes have been glued to the television for news of -- well, not so much the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death, although the pop star's funeral was enough of a spectacle to merit extensive coverage. People here are more concerned with the civil unrest in Honduras and what it means for all of Latin America.
Later in the week Luz Maria went to town with Sandro and some of the other children receiving scholarships from Children's Christian Concern Society of Topeka, Kansas, to help them buy school uniforms with their scholarship money. Almost all Venezuelan schools, public or private, require school uniforms. The children in our preschool wear a uniform that consists of a red shirt and blue slacks.

On Wednesday, July 15, we had a graduation ceremony for 12 children who will be leaving our preschool and starting first grade next semester. The group included Luz Maria's granddaughter, Oriana Montoya, who will celebrate her seventh birthday in December. Oriana was born just six months before my arrival in Venezuela in 2003, so strange as it seems to say, I have known her nearly all her life.

The other graduates were:

• Kelvis Artahona
• Yerika Galindez
• Kemberling Altuve
• Gianny Roa
• Jeiximar Arellano
• Yorman Poveda
• Maikel Caraballo
• Jhon Piñero
• Ana Garcia
• Gaudis Rangel

Only Gaudis was not able to attend the graduation. The rest were there with their families. I opened by reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, verses 1-10. Then, since the children learned the Lord's Prayer this semester, I led them in singing a version of it set to music. I liked this song from the first time I heard it. Ruth Witte, wife of Pastor Henry Witte, a former missionary to Venezuela, sang it to a group of vacation Bible school children at Roca de Eternidad (Rock of Ages) Lutheran Church in Quebrada Seca, Monagas.

Padre nuestro, que estás en los cielos,
Santificado, santificado sea Tu nombre.

Venga a nos, Tu reino, Señor, hágase tu santa voluntad.
En el cielo y la tierra, haremos Tu santo voluntad.

Danos hoy, dánoslo Señor, nuestro pan, el pan de cada día,
Y perdona nuestras deudas, así nosotros perdonamos.

No nos dejes caer en tentación; antes bien, líbranos del mal.
No nos dejes caer en tentación, líbranos del mal.

Porque tuyo es el reino, Señor, el poder y toda la gloria,
Por los siglos de los siglos, para siempre, aleluya, amén.

I cannot sing like Ruthie Witte, nor can I play the cuatro (four-stringed guitar). But the children sang from memory and with impressive volume and enthusiasm, which was the main idea.

Later on, Vicar Alonso Franco arrived from Barinas to lead the children in more songs to the accompaniment of a guitar. He was delayed by rain and road construction, but that really did not matter. Alonso has begun teaching the guitar to a group of boys in La Caramuca on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have given up trying to learn guitar chords for the time being so these guys will have the chance to practice with our guitar.

After saying a prayer for the coming semester, for the children passing on to first grade and for those returning to our preschool, the graduation ceremony continued with the awarding of diplomas, and, of course, cake and refreshments.

Homilectics and hermeneutics

From June 29 to July 3, 2009, I attended a seminar in homilectics in Caracas, taught Dr. Douglas Rutt of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Actually, the course combined the study of homilectics (preaching) and hermeneutics (Biblical interpretation) as the two are closely related. It is a course generally taught to second-year students at the Fort Wayne seminary. Our thanks to Dr. Rutt for his willingness to travel to Venezuela to teach this course.

Luz Maria receives her education degree

Luz Maria received her "licenciatura" in elementary education on June 3, 2009.

In Venezuela's educational system, there are nine grades of elementary school. Then you go to the equivalent of high school, except that in only two years you receive the title of "bachiller". This is what in English we would call a "bachelor's degree", except that it is really the equivalent of a high school diploma. You need your bachiller before you can enroll in a university. But instead of four years of undergraduate coursework, you have to take six years worth of university courses before you get the licenciatura.

As alternatives to public and private universities, there also are vocational-technical colleges that offer "technical" degrees, but these do not count toward the licenciatura. The title of licenciatura is necessary if you want to be a doctor, lawyer or some other type of professional.

After you get your licenciatura, you may, much like in the United States, earn a master's degree after two more years of postgraduate study and, two years after that, a doctorate.

Luz Maria earned her licienciatura by taking continuing education courses from la Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos "Ezequiel Zamora". This translates roughly as "Ezequiel Zamora National Research University of the
Plains". It's a mouthful in either Spanish or English, so the university is commonly known by its acronym, UNELLEZ. It's pronounced "oo-nay-zhays", except the way people say it here it sounds like one syllable.

UNELLEZ is much like the "land-grant" universities of the United States, in that it was established as a combination of an agricultural research station and a teacher's college. In fact, the UNELLEZ motto is "La universidad que siembra" or "The university that plants". They mean this both in an agricultural sense and in the sense of teachers sowing the seeds of knowledge. It's as good a university motto as any, I suppose.

Most of Luz Maria's fellow graduates also received their degrees in education, but there was a smaller group that received licenciaturas in animal science.

UNELLEZ is located on the road from La Caramucas to Barinas. On our way into town we first pass the military base, then the prosperous suburb of Alto Barinas (where you find the big, North American-style shopping malls) and finally, on the outskirts of the city itself, the entrance to the UNELLEZ campus. This is a circle with a fountain in the center and surrounded by food stands and street vendors' kiosks.

UNELLEZ owns a large tract of land in La Caramuca, just a few blocks from us. Rumor has it that one day the university will develop this property into a branch campus. The resulting influx of jobs and people would have a great impact on the community and on our mission.

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By the way, Ezequiel Zamora was a hero of Venezuela's Guerra Federal, a five-year-long civil war in the mid-19th Century. Zamora was born in 1817, in the midst of Venezuela's War of Independence from Spain. As a grown man, he became a champion of the Federalist cause. The Federalists envisioned Venezuela as a constitutional republic with a strong central government, similar to the United States. This plan was opposed by the powerful land-owning class that wanted to keep Venezuela a feudal aristocracy (but without having to pay taxes to the King of Spain).

On December 10, 1859, as a general in the federal army, Zamora led his troops to a sweeping victory in the Battle of Santa Ines, which took place only 36 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of the city of Barinas. This was one of three critical battles which led to a Federalist victory in 1863. However, Zamora was killed in 1860, less than year following the Battle of Santa Ines.

Trinity Sunday and the Athanasian Creed

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June 7, 2009, was Trinity Sunday and I took advantage of the opportunity to introduce our flock to the Athanasian Creed. They know the Apostle's and Nicene creeds. I reminded the members of our new confirmation class that the Apostle's Creed, which we will study in depth, is the shortest and simplest of the three great creeds. The Nicene Creed is a little longer and more involved,
but the Athanasian Creed is undoubtedly the longest and most complex.

Despite its length, the Athanasian Creed was always a favorite of mine. Because the congregation only recited it publicly once a year, on Trinity Sunday, I was sure that made it a very special creed. Later, as an adult, I realized that nobody was clamoring to recite the Athanasian Creed more than once a year because of its length and the use of words that you never hear in everyday conversation, like "uncreated" and "co-eternal".

Nevertheless, I hope to introduce the custom of publicly reciting the Athanasian Creed on Trinity Sunday in La Caramuca. This year I just read it as part of the sermon, after a brief discussion of the sermon text, Matthew 28: 18-20, as one of the key passages that provide the foundation for the doctrine of the Trinity and of the life of Athanasius of Alexandria, the brilliant and courageous fourth-century theologian who defended the Trinitarian doctrine against the Arian heretics.

Without getting into the intricacies of the Arian controversy, I explained that in Athanasius' day, just like today, there are people who think that it should be enough to say there is one God and leave it at that. As Athanasius maintained, however, the Scriptures do teach the doctrine of the Trinity and without a proper understanding of the Trinity is essential to understanding the person and work of Jesus Christ. And apart from know Christ as He reveals Himself in the Scriptures (rather than some wish-fulfillment portrait of what you think Christ should be), there is no hope of salvation.

Which is, of course, why Jesus commanded His disciples, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you..."

Autumn in Argentina

It should not surprise anyone that Luz Maria had a wonderful time in Buenos Aires. She really impressed with the city's many parks and plazas, the clean streets and the classical architecture.

The deaconess conference was held at a resort complex called Las Clavelinas. Argentina is a considerable distance south of the equator, so there are four seasons. But the order of the seasons is the reverse of that in North America. Due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, the months when daylight hours are longest in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite of the Northern Hemisphere.

Which is to say, it's autumn in Argentina right now. Luz Maria was enchanted by the changing colors of the trees, which you do not see in Venezuela. We are just a little north of the equator, so daylight hours vary only a little throughout the year. The sun rises and sets at nearly the same time all year round, so there is hardly any change in the seasons.

Luz Maria experienced a bit of culture shock in the area of social beverages. Coffee in Argentina was expensive and she find Argentine coffee to be rather weak (like North American coffee).

All coffee sold in Venezuela is espresso coffee, and the custom is to drink shots of coffee in tiny cups throughout the day. That is, except in the evening, when they serve "cafe con leche"
(coffee with milk) in large mugs.

On one of my first visits to Venezuela, another fellow gave me two bits of advice. First, I should consider marrying a Venezuelan woman, because they are the best in the world. Second, I
should get used to drinking at least four cups of coffee per day, the last one at 11 p.m. I took both of these suggestions to heart.

The hardest part about suggestion No. 2 has been getting used to coffee always being laced with sugar. Even if you ask for black coffee, they assume this means black coffee with sugar. Some place you can ask for "cafe guayoyo", which means a shot of espresso mixed with hot water and no sugar. Usually, in the coffee shops I ask for "cafe marron" (brown coffee), because this means coffee with a little milk and no sugar (although they do give you two sugar packets, in case you
want to add sugar).

At any rate, in Argentina, the social beverage really isn't coffee, but yerba mate. The yerba mate plant is a shrub related to holly, which is native to Argentina, southern Chile, eastern Paraguay, western Uruguay and southern Brazil. It also has been successfully cultivated in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Here's the idea: You have a little pot (traditionally made from a gourd) in which you mash up the yerba leaves, maybe with other medicinal herbs. Then you pour regular tea over this mash and sip from the infusion through a metal straw (often silver or silver-plated). Actually, you do not do this alone, but rather pass the pot around so your friends can take sips from it.

Luz Maria found this custom as odd as a North American would and considered the sharing of a common pot unsanitary, but in Argentina it is considered rude if you do not take a sip.

The deaconesses had the opportunity to visit Concordia Seminary in Buenos Aires. This institution, founded in 1942, is small compared to say, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, with only about 25 students in residence. However, the seminary also maintains a theological education by extension (distance learning) program which involves about 500 students.

Luz Maria made many new friends and since her return has received e-mails from places as far away as Uruguay and Guatemala. She received a gift for the two of us from Dr. Arthur Just, professor of exegetical theology and director of deaconess studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Although a native of Salem, Massachusetts, Dr. Just's family lived in Mexico and Spain for 12 years during his formative years, so he and Luz Maria were able to converse in Spanish. His gift was his book of devotions and prayers to use when visiting people in difficult circumstances, especially the gravely ill and dying. Dr. Just wrote an inscription in the book for Luz Maria in Spanish, but the book is in English, so I have been reading it more than Luz Maria has.

Seminar in First Timothy

Luz Maria also made the acquaintance of Pastor Roberto Bustamente, professor of New Testament studies and coordinator of the Buenos Aires seminary's theological education by extension program. He also is theological consultant for two series of children's books
published by Editorial Concordia, the Spanish-language division of Concordia Publishing House.

I met Roberto Bustamante myself the week after Luz Maria returned from Argentina. He was the instructor for a seminar on Paul's first epistle to Timothy, held in Caracas.

Pastor Bustamante had a supply of yerba leaves, but there were few people willing to share his yerba mate. I tried to explain to him about the casabe we had with our meals. Casabe is a flatbread made from cassava. Actually, it is made from a specific variety of cassava, which is found in eastern Venezuela, but not in the west.

Eastern Venezuelans love casabe, and since most of the people at the seminar were from the east, casabe was served almost every day. However, western Venezuelans have the same opinion of casabe as most North Americans: It tastes like cardboard.

A different type of cassava is used a potato substitute in western Venezuela. The whole tuber is either boiled or fried. McDonald's outlets in Venezuela often offer a choice of potato or cassava fries.

The plantain is another alternative to the potato. Plantains are like bananas, but not as sweet. In fact, they tast more like potatoes. Some people prefer fried plantain chips to potato chips.

The seminar was excellent. First Timothy is an important book of the New Testament, which deals with issues surrounding the church and the office of the public ministry. One of our
more interesting discussions concerned the identity and nature of the false teachers against whom St. Paul warns Timothy. There seems to have been two categories of false teachers
within the early church:

1. The "judaizers", or those who taught that Gentile Christians had to follow all of the ceremonial and dietary laws of the Old Testament in order to be saved (something like present-day Seventh-Day Adventists, of which we have plenty here in Venezuela):
2. Early Gnostics.

Both types may have been present in the church of Ephesus in Timothy's day and some passage suggest there may have been some affinities between the two. Thus, in the first chapter,
when Paul talks about the "fables and endless genealogies" that fascinate the false teachers, it could be a reference to the judaizers. Placing great importance on their Jewish background,
the judaizers would greatly concerned with pedigrees. In a similar passage in the epistle to Titus, Paul explicitly refers to "Jewish fables". But it might also apply to the Gnostics with their endless genealogies of spirit-beings and elaborate mythologies.

At least some of the false teachers may have had a foot in both the judaizer and Gnostic camps. This would be consistent with the idea that Gnosticism, or at least the variety of Gnosticism that the apostolic church had to deal with, originated during the Hellenistic era (roughly 323 to 146 B.C.) This was the time of the first great dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the Mediterranean world. The Gnosticism of the New Testament may have begun with attempts to synthesize Judaic theological speculation with religious ideas that were popular in the predominant Greek culture.

Mystical Judaism is still with us today in the form of groups like the Kabbalists (followers of the Kabbalah), who claim to have found hidden meaning in the writings of the Old Testament.
The Greek word, gnosis, means knowledge, and a common belief of the Gnostics was that the discovery of hidden knowledge or wisdom meant the liberation of the soul.

Another common belief of the Gnostics (for there were many different groups) was that the material world was inherently evil and that which was spiritual was inherently good. The human
soul belonged to the spirit world, so it was good, but it was imprisoned within the human body (which was bad).

This idea led the Gnostics in two different directions. One school of thought believed that the way to liberate oneself from the body was to practice a very ascetic lifestyle and abstain from all pleasures of the flesh, whether food or sex. Other Gnostics went completely the opposite way and said that, since the body was just a temporary shell eventually to be cast aside, one might indulge all one's appetites in whatever way one saw fit.

The more ascetic form of Gnosticism might have appealed to the legalistic Jewish convert to Christianity, while the Jewish ceremonial and dietary laws might have appealed to this sort of
Gnostic. There is historical evidence of at least, one Gnostic teacher, Cerinthus, who combined Gnostic and Judaism in just this way, insisting on complete obedience to the Old Testament law.
Cerinthus is believed to have been a contemporary of the Apostle John and, in fact, the Gospel of John may have been written to counter the teachings of Cerinthus.

Thus, in chapter four of 1 Timothy, when St. Paul warns against those who would forbid marriage and the consumption of certain foods, saying, "For every creature of God is good, and nothing
is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving," he again could be speaking to both judaizers and Gnostics. Finally, 1 Timothy 6:20 seems to point directly at the Gnostics:

"Oh, Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge..."

The judaizers might have "forbid marriage" simply because they did not approve of marriage between Jews and Gentiles. However, all types of Gnostics, both the ascetics and the libertines, had a profound distaste for matrimony itself and for reproductive sex.

This is important to understand because there has been a resurgence of interest in Gnosticism by people wishing for a more "feminist" form of religion. It has become almost customary every Easter season for someone to promote one of the bogus"Gnostic gospels", such as the "Gospel of Judas" as an aalternative" interpretation of the life of Christ.

But the Gnostics were elitists, not egalitarians. Their Jesus was not the Savior of the world, Who came to redeem all who would believe, but a guru who revealed the secret knowledge to a select
few. Those who have this knowledge, whether male or female, are not bound by the petty rules that govern ordinary people, including the rules of gender. But that does not mean the Gnostics worshipped "the feminine principle" or were particularly interested in the rights of, say, single mothers.

Here is what the Gnostic "Gospel of Thomas" reveals about Gnostic attitudes:

"Simon Peter said to them, 'Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life.' Jesus said, 'I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.' "

The Judaizers denied the Gospel by denying that Jesus fulfilled all the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament and through His life of perfect obedience to the Father, all of the Mosaic law.
So, in the new covenant in His blood, salvation comes by faith alone, not by works of the law.

But the Gnostics denied the Gospel in two ways:

1. By denying that all that God created is good and that evil entered the world only through man's disobedience;
2. And that there will be a bodily resurrection to eternal life for all who believe.

Fifteenth anniversary of Cristo es Amor

Following the seminar in Caracas, I did not immediately return to La Caramuca, but rather traveled to Barquisimeto with Pastor Miguelangel Perez. He serves as national missionary
to two congregations and two mission stations there.

Teresa Leonbruni, a member of one of the congregations, Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church, wanted to donate some musical instruments to Corpus Christi Lutheran
Church in Barinas and to La Caramuca Lutheran Mission. So I went to Barquisimeto to personally accept the donation and to preach at Cristo es Amor, May 17, 2009.

It also happened to be the Sunday on which Cristo es Amor celebrated the 15th anniversary as a congregation. When I first visited Cristo es Amor in 2003, the congregation was meeting in a large, beautiful church building and Sunday attendance usually was more than 80 people. Much has changed since then.

First, a former pastor left the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, taking a large part of the congregation with him. This led to a prolonged struggle in which the original congregation lost
all of its property.

Membership dropped to between 15 and 20 people. This remnant was able to find a tiny storefront in downtown Barquisimeto in which to meet on Sundays. The rent was exorbitant, but at least they had a location.

A longtime Sunday school teacher, Jesus Franco, stepped up to the plate and became pastor of Cristo es Amor in 2005. The congregation rallied behind him, only to be rocked by his sudden death in 2007. Since then Cristo es Amor has not had its own full-time pastor.

However, the congregation now rents the lobby of a government building for a much more reasonable rent. It provides them a lot more space, although the only public restrooms are up on the third floor. The congregation now has around 25 active members and Sunday attendance
is increasing.

They set up the altar in front of the main elevators. I halfway expected someone to arrive from "on high" during the service, but that did not happen.

Since it was Rogate Sunday, I preached on John 16:23-30. I reminded them that "rogate" was the Latin root for the Spanish word "rogar" or "to pray". Rogate Sunday is especially devoted to prayer because in most parts of the world, it falls during the time of year when spring rains are
due to begin. If there is anything that people in farming communities pray for desperately, it is spring rain. John 16:23-30 records the first time that our Lord gave His disciples permission to pray in His name. With this authorization came the promise that God will hear all prayers offered sincerely in the name of Jesus, but without Christ as our Mediator in heaven, there is no such assurance.

After the service I was presented with the musical instruments by Teresa Leonbruni's children, Omar and Genesis. They gave me a guitar for Corpus Christi and a cuatro (Venezuelan four-stringed guitar) for La Caramuca Lutheran Mission. Our mission now has three cuatros,
a six-stringed guitar and young people who want to learn to play these instruments. But we have to find a music teacher to instruct everyone in how to play them.

I was able to return that afternoon to lead worship in La Caramuca.

Mother's Day at the mission

The previous Sunday, May 10, in between Luz Maria's return from Argentina and my departure for Caracas, we observed Mother´s Day. Several of the mothers of the Sunday school children were in attendance. One mother was very interested in having her two children attend our new confirmation
class. We now have about six enrolled in the class, the problem is getting everyone to show up the same day at the same time.

The appointed Gospel for May 10 was John 16:5-15, but since it was Mother's Day, I also quoted in the sermon from the Jubilate Sunday text, John 16:16-22. Specifically, the part about the troubles and trials of this world between now and the Lord's Second Coming are like a woman's
labor pains. I reminded the children of how much trouble it is for a woman to carry a child for nine months, and asked to think of how their mothers went through that pain for their sakes. Why would anyone endure it except that the labor pains are scarcely remembered, but the joy of having a child lasts for years and years.

Also that Sunday, we delivered a "care package" from Corpus Christi Lutheran Church to the Torres family in La Caramuca. The items in the care package were gathered by children receiving supplemental tutoring in their public school studies from Luz Maria´s daughter, Charli, at Corpus Christi on weekday afternoons.