God is our refuge and strength

To prepare for our celebration of Reformation Sunday on October 29, our youth made copies of Luther’s Rose out of construction paper and tissue while learning the significance of the symbol. We also practiced singing “Castillo Fuerte” (“A Mighty Fortress”) and “Dios es nuestro amparo” (“God is our refuge”). Both of these hymns are based on Psalm 46. “Castillo Fuerte”, number 546 in our new hymnal, is a Spanish translation of Martin Luther’s “Ein Feste Burg” by Juan Bautista Cabrera (1837-1916), with the musical arrangement by Johann Sebastian Bach. The author of “Dios es nuestro amparo”, number 545 in Himnario Luterano, is unknown, but it is a favorite among Venezuelan Lutherans. Other Reformation Day hymns included “Justificados, pues, por fe”, 802 in our hymnal. It’s another anonymous tune, but the lyrics are straight from Romans 5:1 in the Reina-Valera Bible (equivalent to the King James Bible in the Spanish-speaking world).

Angi Santana.

Angi Santana, Luz Maria’s daughter, mounted the Luther roses on more solid cardboard for wall mounting. Then, on Sunday, each of the youth were presented with their plaque and encouraged to explain its significance to family members who were not in attendance.

During the week following Reformation Sunday, I shared with the preschool children the story of King Josiah's reformation in 2 Kings 22:1-23:30. The people of Judah had fallen into idolatry and error. The Temple of Jerusalem was in disrepair. The king and high priest were surprised when they found an original copy of the writings of Moses. He publicly read the book of the covenant to the people, beginning the restoration of true worship.

Next Sunday we will observe All Saints Day. Of course, October 31, 1517, is the exact date on which Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the doors of what is often called “the Castle Church” in Wittenberg, Germany, signalling the start of the Reformation of the 16th Century. In fact, the name of the church is All Saints Church. It was the chapel for Wittenberg University and the common practice was posting news and announcements on its wooden doors for the university community. Very likely no one gave Luther a second glance as he put up his document. Nowadays the doors are made of cast bronze with the 95 Theses engraved on them.

Presentation of plaques.

We cannot know exactly what Luther was thinking at the time, but it was fortuituous for him to post the 95 theses on the doors of All Saints Church on the eve of All Saints Day. In his theses, a series of propositions offered for academic debate, Luther challenged the idea that the Pope could use a treasury of merit earned through devotion and good works by people declared to be “saints” by the Roman church to alleviate the time served by less exemplary people as penance in Purgatory with letters of indulgence.

The early Christian church singled out for special honor those departed believers who had suffered imprisonment, torture, exile or death for their faith. Near the end of the second century, confessors (those who suffered for the faith, but were not put to death) were distinguished from martyrs (those who died for the faith). After the end of Roman persecutions, a confessor was a Christian noted for virtuous life. The building of churches above the graves of confessors and martyrs by the third century developed into the custom of placing their relics under or in altars and invoking their intercession. We still follow the custom of acknowledging heroes of the faith in the New Testament or early church history with the title of saint (e.g., St. Paul, St. Augustine). But, thanks to Luther and his fellow reformers, we now understand the entire church, both on earth and in heaven, to be the communion of the saints, who are all who have been declared righteous in God’s eyes through faith in Jesus Christ. According to the Lutheran Confessions, the saints in heaven may pray for the church on earth (Apology to the Augsburg Confession XXI 9), yet it does not follow that they are to be invoked. The saints in heaven are not mediators of intercession or redemption (Apology XXI 14–30). Invocation and prayers to saints are prohibited (Smalcald Articles-II II 25), but the confessions approve honoring the saints (Augsburg Confession XXI 4) in three ways: 1. By thanking God for examples of His mercy; 2. By using the saints as example for strengthening our faith; 3. By imitating their faith and other virtues.

The reformation of King Josiah.

A special day to honor all was kept on May 13 in the churches of the eastern Roman Empire according to Ephraem Syrus (who died around 373 A.D.) This may be why Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon, a former pagan temple, in Rome and an architectural marvel with the world’s largest masonry dome, as a church in honor of the Virgin Mary and all martyrs on May 13, 609 (which it remains to this day). But early in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in Rome on November 1 in honor of all departed saints. In 837 Pope Gregory IV ordered the observance of All Saints Day on November 1 throughout western Christendom. By the end of the 13th Century, November 2 was designated as All Souls Day to follow All Saints Day as the day to request requiem masses for those believed to be in purgatory.

In Venezuela, the second day of November often is called el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), but unlike Mexico there is no skull candy, parades or altars in the graveyard with food offerings for the departed. For many people, the day has little religious significance, but rather is the customary time to visit, clean and place fresh flowers on the graves of loved ones. Halloween is considered a North American holiday. Although retail stores will put up Halloween displays and sell Halloween-related merchandise, many evangelical sects strongly oppose Halloween for its supposed pagan origins.

So what about those pagan origins? The Samhain harvest festival appears to be a purely Irish, not a pan-Celtic, tradition. It’s not even mentioned in any historical documents until the ninth century, long after St. Patrick evangelized Ireland in the fifth century. Whether either Pope Gregory III in 731 or Pope Gregory IV in 837 was worried about any survival of Irish paganism is not certain. Scottish and Irish immigrants did bring some of their folkways to the United States in the 19th Century, which became popularized as Halloween traditions. For example, their skill at carving out turnips or beets to place candles inside was applied to the pumpkin, a very North American plant. (A similar type of giant squash, known as auyama, is found in Venezuela, but it is a different species (Cucurbita moschata) than the North American pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo).) “Trick or treating”, as we know it, began in Canada in the 1920s. While a direct link between modern Halloween and ancient Celtic paganism is dubious at best, there is reason to think of Halloween as primarily a North American secular holiday.

What we must consider is not the origin of Halloween, but what it has become, which is, for many people, an excuse to dabble in the occult. Certainly in my own experience, Halloween was a lot more fun in a social environment where witchcraft was only make-believe. That’s not the environment in which we now live. So we prefer to emphasize the significance of All Saints Day in church history, especially in relation to the Reformation. On this All Saints Sunday, we will remember the members or relatives of our members who have passed to eternal life:

• Marisol Torrealba

• Daniel Ramírez

• Xiomara del Carmen Torrealba

• Carmen Benicia Garrido

• Ramón Escorcha

The church sings the faith

From October 21 until December 2, Luz Maria and I will be participating in an online course in introducing the new Spanish hymnal led by Gustavo Arturo Maita, the pastor of Príncipe de Paz (Prince of Peace) Lutheran Church, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He was baptized and raised as a member of Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Maturín, Venezuela, and was, in fact, the first child in Venezuela to receive a Lutheran education scholarship from LeadaChild. The Olathe, Kansas-based mission agency has provided similar scholarships to our preschool children since 2006.

Gustavo Arturo Maita.

Pastor Maita began formal theological studies with the Juan de Frías Theological Institute in Venezuela and continued at Concordia Seminary in Buenos Aires,Argentina. He served his vicarage in the Dominican Republic and graduated from Concordia Seminary in Argentina. In 2017, he received a divine call from the Lutheran Church of Venezuela to serve as an Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod alliance missionary in Puerto Rico. As a church-planting pastor, he has shared preaching and teaching responsibilities at multiple church plants. Additionally, Pastor Maita is the Disaster Response Coordinator for Puerto Rico and provides long-distance disaster response consulting and in-person workshops for church leaders and laity in countries across the Caribbean.He is married to LCMS missionary Ruth Maita, a teacher who also serves in Puerto Rico. The couple has been blessed with two children, Mikhaela and Isaiah.

Go Beyond with Team South America

On November 8-9, 2023, we will participate with other Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO) missionaries in an online event to raise money for GLO to provide us with critical support services without increasing the current 10 percent missionary assessment. For just one day, your donation to GLO will be tripled thanks to our generous campaign sponsors! All contributions received through the Go Beyond! event will be directed to the GLO general fund, and not to a specific missionary. We will ask you to give directly to GLO so that it may continue its vital role as our sponsoring organization. Through GLO we receive international health insurance, plus accounting and tax services. GLO also underwrites the Medicine for Venezuela project, which supplies non-prescription medicines to members of Lutheran congregations throughout Venezuela; ministry to Venezuelan immigrants in Santiago, Chile; and enables the sending of missionaries by national Lutheran church-bodies around the world that lack a missionary support infrastructure.

Adrian Ventura in Wittenberg.

Luz Maria and I will be part of Team South America, which also includes Pastor Adrian and Cruz Maria Ventura, Corali García Ramos, and Elianeth Pineda Vielma, all Venezuelan expatriates in Chile, and Maira Ferrari de Muller, a Lutheran teacher and GLO board member in Montevideo, Urugay. We have set a goal of raising $4,000 for GLO, which with matching funds will total $12,000. Team South America will have its own Web page to receive online donations. The Go Beyond event will last from 2:00 pm US Eastern time, November 8 until 2:00 pm ET November 9. 

Here is where to find our Team South America Web site:

https://charidy.com/glo/samer

Adrian Ventura is the first Venezuelan national pastor that I met in 2002. For 20 years he was the pastor of Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Maturín, Venezuela, and twice served as president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. He is now the pastor of Divine Providence Lutheran Church in Santiago, Chile. We ask the God of all comfort to bring peace and comfort to his wife, Cruz Maria, upon the recent death of her father. May the promise of a blessed reunion in heaven be the balm that heals hearts which are separated by distance.

When the saints come marching in

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:13-14

In 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of All Saints Church on the eve of All Saints Day. He did this, in part, because the original significance of the Festival of All Saints had been all but forgotten. The castle church of Wittenberg, which also served as the univerity’s chapel, was the largest repository of relics of the saints outside of Rome. Many of those relics would be put on display on All Saints’ Day. Indulgences would be granted to those who came to the church to view the relics of the saints on that day. The 95 Theses, of course, were a series of talking points that questioned false teaching about penance, purgatory, indulgences, the definition of “the saints”, and, ultimately, the authority of the papacy.

In the early church , certain days soon were dedicated to the memory of each of the apostles and evangelists. A festival day to remember all martyrs, that is, those who had died for the faith, was kept on May 13 in the eastern church according to Ephraem Syrus (died c. 373). In the Eastern Orthodox churches of today, All Saints Day is observed the Saturday before Pentecost. All Saints Day was celebrated on May 13 in the western church as well, until Pope Gregory III (731–741) changed the date to November 1. Later on, November 2 was designated “All Souls Day” to honor the faithful departed who had died in the faith, but not for the faith.

Over time, a complex body of errors obscured the proper observance of these festival days on the church calendar. First, that Christians must not only repent and confess their sins, but also do acts of penance to receive absolution. Second, those who are unwilling or unable to perform the required penance in this life will have to do so after physical death in an intermediate state between heaven and hell called purgatory. Third, the Office of the Keys (Matthew 18:18; John 20:22-29) gives the Pope authority over human souls after death, so that he may shorten the time spent in purgatory (which is not eternal condemnation). Fourth, he may do this by drawing on “the treasury of merits” accumulated by persons who have done sufficient good works to avoid purgatory. These are “the saints”, defined in this fifth error, as those who are known to be in God’s presence because prayers for their intercession before God were answered by miraculous intervention verified by the church.

So now we celebrate October 31 or the preceding Sunday as the beginning of the movement which freed the church from this soul-strangling tangle of errors. Luther took up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) to affirm the truths of Scriptures such our epistle for Reformation Day, Romans 3:19-26.

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

Furthermore, we may celebrate All Saints Day with the understanding that “all saints” means all of us who have been baptized in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and sanctified (made holy ones or saints) through the work of the Holy Spirit. But especially we honor the saints who have passed from this vale of tears to glory, for in them the work of sanctification is complete. We praise God for the mercy shown them and us, and for the examples they provide for us in our continuing struggle here on earth (says Article XXI of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession says).

Therefore, it is the custom in many Lutheran churches to read the list of all members who have returned to the Lord in the preceding year, although some do so on the last Sunday of the church year (just before the beginning of the Advent season). On Reformation Sunday, October 30, 2022, we in particular remembered Marisol Torrealba who died on October 29, 2022. Luz Maria and I had regularly prayed with her during her long struggle with cancer and taught her the Catechism. Although she completed the Catechism, confessed her belief and her sins, she passed before being publicly received into our congregation. However, her sister and niece remain communicant members and we prayed for the whole family as well. We also gave thanks for the 21 people who received their first communion at our mission on Reformation Sunday since 2008, the last being Diana Torres in 2021, and Rita Maria Zapata who was received by reaffirmation of faith on Reformation Sunday 2020.

Reading, writing and Reformation

In the week before Reformation Sunday we had our first general meeting with the families of our preschool students. Among other things, I talked about how the Lutheran Reformation gave new impetus to Christian education. The movement was successful, in part, because Gutenberg’s invention of the moveable-type printing press in 1450 made translations of the Bible available to common people at a reasonable cost. But to take advantage of the new opportunity for Bible study, more people had to learn to read. So the Reformers promoted schools for everyone. The objectives of Christian education include not only learning skills necessary for everyday living, but also that which is needed to understand God’s Word and apply for the benefit of our neighbors. Our preschool enrollment stands at 20 children with a waiting list, because we need to find another teacher to care for more young ones.

Tropical wind and rain strike Venezuela

National authorities indicated that at least 17 states with a total of 120 municipalities in Venezuela have been affected by heavy rains causing floods, flashfloods, and landslides since October 8, 2022. The states that have been affected include Anzoátegui, Aragua, Barinas, Bolívar, Carabobo, Distrito Capital, Falcón, Guárico, Mérida, Miranda, Lara, La Guaira, Portuguesa, Táchira, Trujillo, Sucre, and Zulia. Flooding, river overflow, and landslides were reported on October 17 in Aragua state (central coast of Venezuela), resulting in casualties. According to the government of Aragua, three people died and 50 households have been affected due to river overflow in Girardot Municipality. A downpour caused a dam to overflow, causing a flood that carried rocks, trees and mud down a main road in El Castano, a suburb of the city of Maracay about 119 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of the capital Caracas. Severe flooding caused by torrential rains hit a mountainous coastal region of Venezuela's La Guaira state on October 28, 2022, leaving a town's streets drowned in mud. The El Cojo river burst its banks in the town of Macuto causing devastating damage and leaving a huge clean-up operation.

Almighty and merciful God, who through your blessed Son Jesus Christ appeased the fury of the wind and calmed the waves of the Sea of Galilee: We beg you to have mercy on us, your defenseless people, and deliver us from all evil that may befall us because of storms, floods and other manifestations of your power. Through Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, always one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Be still, my soul, the waves and wind still know, the voice of Him who ruled them when He dwelt below.

An everlasting Gospel to all nations

Reformation Sunday 2021 was the day of first communion for Diana Carolina Torres. Diana was baptized on January 8, 2017, which was Epiphany Sunday and the day that our chapel was consecrated.

Diana attended our preschool from age 2 to age 6, during which time she received scholarships from LeadaChild, an Olathe, Kansas- based Lutheran mission agency dedicated to sharing the Good News of Jesus’ love to children through Christian education. LeadaChild gathers gifts and donations from supporters and use the funds to provide scholarships, school registration, and supplies for children so that they can attend Lutheran schools and afterschool programs. The scholarships allowed Diana’s parents to purchase school uniforms, backpacks, crayons, notebooks and other supplies. Since 2006, LeadaChild has provided scholarships to our preschool students as well as older students in our afterschool tutoring program.

On this past Reformation Sunday, we also announced the availability of LeadaChild scholarships for 2021/2022 school-year students. Instead of distributing cash, this year we gathered the information for electronic transfers into the parents’ bank accounts. Electronic transfers by credit/debit card or cellphone app have become the norm as Venezuela continues to be plagued by hyperinflation. Recently the government took action to bring the hyperinflation under control by issuing new currency. The rate of exchange had been more than 4 million bolivares to one U.S. dollar (our basic monthly expenses totalled more than 2 billion bolivares). In essence, they just erased six zeroes, so that now 4.18 bolivares equal to one U.S. dollar. But really the hyperinflation continues, so that’s only the rate of exchange for now. At least online banking has spared Venezuelans the need to push around wheelbarrows full of currency as was the case in Germany in the 1930s.

Preschool opens October 25

We had hoped to open the preschool on October 11, but the opening of all schools was delayed until October 25. Biosecurity measures, such as facemasks (even for the youngest children) and mandatory handwashing remain in place. The number of students is limited to five at one time, so we have two shifts of five students every day, one group of 10 students on Monday and Tuesday, and another group of 10 on Wednesday and Thursday, with Friday as a free day.

Luz Maria and I both have been vaccinated against COVID-19, as have many other people in La Caramuca. I have received the booster shot, and Luz Maria soon will, too. She received the Russian Sputnik V vaccine at one location, because it was made available first and as a Venezuelan citizen, she had priority. Then the Chinese Sinovac vaccine was made available, and I received that. But I was able to get the second shot before Luz Maria, and now she has to go to a different place for her booster, because they do not want to mix and match the vaccines.

A host arrayed in white

November 1 is All Saints Day according to the historic calendar of the church. We will observe All Saints Sunday on November 7, and for the first time we will follow the practice of reading the names of those who passed from among us to eternity in faith during the previous year: Ramon Estorcha, Carmen Bendicia Garrido, Xiomara del Carmen Torrealba and Marisol Torrealba.

On October 29, 2021, Marisol Torrealba died after a long struggle with cancer. She was the sister of one of our members, Yudrica Torrealba, and the aunt of another, Karla Frias Torrealba. Luz Maria and I visited her during her illness, praying with her and studying the Bible and the Small Catechism. She confessed to us her faith and her desire to attend our church, but never recovered in time. At her burial on October 30, I read John 11:25-26.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

I reminded all those at the burial site that for Marisol, as for Martha, the new life in Christ was not simply the promise of a future resurrection, although that is our hope, but that Jesus was with her in the midst of her trial, too. This new life is God’s gracious gift to all who believe.

The sermon text for Reformation Sunday was Revelation 14:6-7, the vision of an angel in mid-heaven proclaiming the everlasting Gospel to all nations, tribes, tongues and peoples. I will follow up on All Saints Sunday with Revelation 7:2-17. Chapter seven is one of the most important sections in the book of Revelation. After the sealing of “144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel”, the apostle John sees “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

The innumerable multitude is the same as the numbered tribes of Israel, seen from another point of view. It is clear from the context that the writer is speaking about the total number of the elect. From the standpoint of the divine this sealing is a marking of all the members of church, past and present, as belonging to God. The sealing has been done on earth in baptism; that it is followed by the vision of the great multitude surrounding the throne of God in heaven. It is a crowd so large that no one is able to number it from a human point of view. But the number 144,000 in verse four tells us that God has counted every one.

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Oh, how glorious is that kingdom wherein all the saints do rejoice with Christ! They are clothed with white robes and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Oh, almighty God, who has knit together the elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joys which you have prepared for those who sincerely love you. Through Jesus Christ, your only begotten Son, who lives and and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, now and forever. Amen.

When the saints come marching in

On Sunday, November 1, 2020, we celebrated the 503rd anniversary of the Reformation and All Saints Day with first communion for four young women and one adult reaffirmation of faith. 

November 1 is often called “the Day of the Dead” in Venezuela, but it’s not like the Day of the Dead in Mexico, with elaborate rituals involving candy skulls and offerings of food to the departed. Rather, the first two days of November are when people lay flowers on the graves of loved ones, much like Memorial Day in the United States. As with the Mexican holiday and Halloween, it is related to the ancient church calendar which designates October 31, November 1 and November 2 as respectively, All Saints Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. And so is the Reformation.

The tradition of All Saints Day began in the fourth century A.D. as the day to honor all who had died for the faith during 300 years of persecution by the Roman Empire. The original date was May 13 and Eastern Orthodox churches still celebrate All Saints Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In western Christendom, Pope Gregory III set the date as November 1 in the eighth century, when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

In time, a prayer vigil on the preceding evening was added, which is All Hallows (Saints) Eve, from which the word Halloween is derived. Then November 2 was designated as All Souls Day in the 11th century as the day when prayers were offered for souls in Purgatory. By the end of the 12th century, it had become commonplace to ring church bells during these three days to remind people to pray for the souls of their loved ones in Purgatory. Not only was the false doctrine of Purgatory incorporated into these observances, in many regions so were pre-Christian customs associated either with harvesttime or honoring and/or placating the spirits of the dead. 

Lutherans added another twist to this tradition by establishing October 31 as the anniversary of the Reformation. Martin Luther is said to have begun the Reformation when he posted his 95 Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on All Saints Eve 1517. This surely was not happenstance, as the 95 Theses deal with medieval conceptions of penance, purgatory, merits of the saints and the authority of the papacy.

The Roman church still teaches that in baptism we receive redemption from original sin and eternal death. We agree and therefore recognize baptism in a Roman Catholic church. But, after baptism, when the Christian falls into sin because of the sinful nature, he must do penance, because repentance is not a change of mind and heart effected by the Holy Spirit, but an act of recompense done by the sinner. If the sinner cannot do enough penance in this life, he may suffer in purgatory before entering the eternal life promised in baptism. Suffering in purgatory is not forever, and the Pope has the authority to cut the sentence in purgatory by a letter of indulgence. This is still the teaching of the Roman church, no matter that no part of it is found in the Holy Scriptures. It is the fine print that denies the good news of the new life in Jesus Christ. This system that contradicts God's Word arose because many did not believe that we cannot do anything to receive God's grace. 

 Furthermore, in the Roman church, the saints are the ones who have avoided purgatory on their own merits. We can know someone is a saint when requests to this person are answered by miracles verified by the church of Rome. The treasure of the church, according to this belief, is the abundance of the merits of the saints that the Pope can apply to the account of others. This idea is not from Scripture either. 

In contrast, Luther wrote thus in the theses: “Any truly repentant Christian is entitled to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters. Every true Christian, living or dead, shares in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted to him by God, even without indulgence letters ... The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God." 

So this year we received five sinners by Adam’s fall and saints by Christ’s resurrection and their baptisms into the full blessing and fellowship of the church. 

Rita Maria Zapata. “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Mateo 28:20b 

Yusmelvis Naikeli Salas Medina. “Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 

Lorena Alexandra Rujano Contreras. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should sho forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 

Anyelimar Katiusca Meza Ruiz. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 

Jariannys Nathaly Rojas Arias. “Jesus sad to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 

Answered prayer 

We had a positive and productive meeting October 23, 2020, with representatives of the Ministry of Education charged with the care and education of preschool children. Most of them had not visited our campus before, and were surprised by its size and condition. They were impressed by our commitment and service to the community as a church (in the sense of a local congregation), tending to both spiritual and material needs. This bodes well for when we reopen regular classes in January. For now, our teachers continue to distribute food and online lesson plans to our preschool families.

 

So great a cloud of witnesses

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

There will be no tricks or treats in La Caramuca this year. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given economic condition of the country. But, in fact, there were no tricks or treats here even when times were good. Carnaval, the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is the time for children to dress up as make-believe characters. We have a masquerade party in the preschool every year.

Carnaval is the time of mystery and masquerade.

Venezuelans know what is the custom of “trucos o dulces”. But Halloween and everything associated with it is considered foreign. It’s a North American holiday that manifests itself mainly as horror movie marathons on cable television throughout the week.

The cultural tradition in Venezuela is to place flowers on the graves of departed loved ones on November 1 and 2. To an extent, this is closer to the thoroughly Christian origin of All Saints Day, yet it also fall short of the deeper meaning as much as the horror movies. In other Latin American countries, such as Mexico, pre-Columbian traditions into Roman Catholic observances on October 31, and Nov. 1 and 2.

It is a great blessing that, in our Lutheran churches, we prepare for All Saints Day by celebrating the Reformation. Martin Luther knew what he was doing when he posted the 95 Theses on the doors of All Saints Church on All Saints Eve of 1517.

But first, let’s travel a little farther back in time. All Saints Day originally was dedicated to remembering and honoring the martyrs, the many people who died for the faith during the 300 years of Roman persecution. References to a day or days dedicated to the martyrs date back to Turkey or Syria in the second century AD. By the late fourth century, John Chrysostom wrote that All Saints Day was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost, as it is to this day in the Greek Orthodox churches of eastern Europe and Asia.

But two interesting changes occurred in western European, Latin-speaking Christendom. On May 13, 613 AD, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon, a former pagan temple in Rome, as the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Martyrs. In doing so, he proclaimed that date as All Saints Day, and so it was observed in Rome and many other parts of Europe. Some scholars point to that fact that May 9 to 13 was the time of the Lemuralia, a pagan festival dedicated to the appeasing of vengeful spirits of the dead. Although Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire by that point, and pagan worship prohibited, perhaps the Pope chose May 13 as a way of quashing any surviving pagan rituals by replacing them with a Christian holy day. But that´s really speculation.

In any event, in 740 AD, Pope Gregory III changed the date again, to November 1, with the consecration of a chapel in the first Basilica of St. Peter. Yet November 1 as All Saints Day did not become a hard and fast rule in western Christendom until the rule of Pope Gregory IV (827-844). Some time later, around 1048 AD, November 2 came to be designated as All Soul’s Day, when those who died in the faith, but not as martyrs, were remembered.

So, you ask, what about the ancient druidic festival of Samhain? Many people believe this to be the basis of Halloween, because it supposedly was celebrated from late October to early November. Did Pope Gregory III choose November 1 to steal some thunder from Irish druids? Well, the earliest written references to Samhain are found in Irish manuscripts from the ninth century AD, which is some time after Pope Gregory III, and, in fact, long after St. Patrick and the Christianization of Ireland. Nevertheless, there are some who claim the Samhain celebration dates back to the druids and the Romans may have incorporated some of the druidic rituals into their own pre-Christian observances. Except that the ancient Romans hated the druids and persecuted them as much as they did Christians, so a connection between the druids and an eighth century pope seems unlikely.

In fact, Halloween as it is known today is very much a North American development. In the 13 Colonies, All Saints Day was seldom observed because the Puritans and others considered it “popish superstition” in light of the veneration of the Virgin Mary and the saints as defined by the Roman Catholic Church. By the mid-1800s, however, Irish and other immigrants had brought with them many folkways concerning fall harvest and lengthening winter nights. In a more secularized society, these were seen as colorful and entertaining, especially when adapted to an American setting. For example, in the British Isles since antiquity, it had been the custom to hollow out turnips and insert a candle for use as a lantern. Often the carvings were creative and so were the stories invented to explain them. Irish immigrants adapted this carving skill to pumpkins, a plant native to North America, and a new fad was born.

Of course, although many people, such as myself, grew up thinking of the carving of jack o’lanterns as a means to an end (pumpkin pie), and dressing up as witches and goblins as a harmless pastime, we must realize that we live in a different world than that of my youth. Sad to say, for many people the Christian significance of All Saints Day has been completely lost. Either it’s just a celebration of autumn or an excuse to indulge an unhealthy interest in the occult.

Martin Luther.

But, thanks be to God, Martin Luther has been down this road before us, and challenged an even greater error about All Saints Day. The 95 Theses questioned the false doctrine of Purgatory and affirmed all Christians, living or dead, had claim on all the blessings of Christ and His church by grace and faith alone, and not by works.

Over the centuries, the practice of remembering and honoring those who had died as witnesses to the faith grew into the cult of the saints, in which “saints” were those known to be in heaven because prayers to them had been answered with miracles. The medieval concept of penance and purgatory undermined the promise of eternal life in baptism and “the communion of the saints” in which all Christians, here on earth or in heaven, are to be considered saints (holy ones) of God, made holy by the blood of Christ.

Luther would write in the Large Catechism under the explanation of the third article of the Apostle’s Creed: “The Creed denominates the holy Christian Church, communionem sanctorum, a communion of saints...But this is the meaning and substance of this addition: I believe that there is upon earth a little holy group and congregation of pure saints, under one head, even Christ, called together by the Holy Ghost in one faith, one mind, and understanding, with manifold gifts, yet agreeing in love, without sects or schisms. I am also a part and member of the same, a sharer and joint owner of all the goods it possesses, brought to it and incorporated into it by the Holy Ghost by having heard and continuing to hear the Word of God, which is the beginning of entering it.”

But while the church, the communion of saints on earth, may be small and surrounded by overwhelming forces of evil, we are not alone. There are, as the writer of Hebrews says, the great cloud of witnesses, by which he means the believers of the Old Testament. For us today, the great cloud includes apostles and other heroes of the New Testament, the martyrs of all eras, and even those of our own family have testified to us of the worth of faith.

Article XXI of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession speaks of these saints in heaven, the church triumphant: “Our Confession approves honors to the saints. For here a threefold honor is to be approved. The first is thanksgiving. For we ought to give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy; because He has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be praised, who have faithfully used these gifts, just as Christ praises faithful businessmen, Matt. 25,21. 23. The second service is the strengthening of our faith; when we see the denial forgiven Peter, we also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds over sin, Rom. 5, 20. The third honor is the imitation, first, of faith, then of the other virtues, which every one should imitate according to his calling. These true honors the adversaries do not require. They dispute only concerning invocation, which, even though it would have no danger, nevertheless is not necessary.”

Not only do we confidently believe, that by God’s grace, we may follow in the footsteps of those who have risen to glory, but we join with them now in prayer and song. For the structure of our worship is based on the Apostle John’s vision in which he saw an uncountable multitude of the faithful from every tribe, race and nation gathered around the throne of God with angels, archangels and all the celestial beings in eternal adoration and joy (Revelation 7:9-17).

So, in our commemoration of the Reformation, we recall the true significance of All Saints Day: Not the fear and wonder of what might happen to us after death, but the sure promise of the spiritual life that begins with baptism and culminates with our own resurrection and ascension to join the hosts of heaven.

Oh almighty God, who has knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those unspeakable joys which you have prepared for those who unfeignedly love you. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigna with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

This October we commended to the Lord the sould of Eladio Azuaje. Last year he received medicine, thanks to Global Lutheran Outreach.

500 years and counting

So what's the best film about Martin Luther and the Reformation? Martin Luther (1953) or Luther (2003)? The 2017 PBS documentary, Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed The World or its Wisconsin Synod remix, Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy?

We did not have much of a choice. The 1953 film is not widely available here, nor is the 2017 documentary in either version. The 2003 film was shown in Venezuelan movie theaters and is available on DVD. In fact, I have a copy that I bought in Barquisimeto. We showed clips from that one as part of celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, first on October 21 and also on October 28.

I have fond memories of the 1953 film, having seen many screenings in church basements as a child. As an adult, living in Topeka, Kansas, from 1983 to 1986, I remember the local PBS station showing the film every year during the last week in October. There was an introduction by David Soul, who some may remember from the classic 1970s television series, “Starsky and Hutch”. The actor also is the son of Dr. Richard Solberg, a Lutheran minister who served as a religious affairs advisor to the U.S. High Commission in Berlin and as senior representative for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) refugee relief agency that was involved in the post World War II reconstruction of Germany.

“Martin Luther” still has its strong points, I think, but there are some things that make it less than the best introduction to the Reformation for contemporary audiences. It's in black-and-white, of course, and slow-paced, with less fluid camera work than more current films. Then there's the curious fact that the British-made film has all the people of higher education and status speak Oxford English, while the peasants speak with working-class accents. That's something that's hard for people not raised with British class consciousness to appreciate, even if one speaks English in the first place.

The 2003 film has its weaknesses, too. Mainly, I think, because it tries to present a broader historical context, yet within the confines of a two-hour featur film, it presents too much information and yet not enough. Who are all these people, and what is their relationship to Martin Luther? It's hard to keep track, if you do not already know. I have heard the 2017 documentary is even better, but I have not had the chance to see it.

At any rate, we showed what I think are the best parts of the 2003 film: Luther´s pilgrimage to Rome in 1511; the entire segment on Tetzel's sale of indulgences and Luther's posting of the 95 Theses; the Diet of Worms; and the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. We invited people from the community, and the time between the clips allowed for plenty of discussion about issues which still divide us from the Roman Catholic church (penance, purgatory and the papacy), and the enduring significance of “Scripture alone”, “faith alone” and “grace alone”.

Also, in the week before our special Reformation Day service on October 29, Luz Maria presented vacation Bible school lessons emphasize salvation by faith and grace in place of her regular afterschool tutoring. The preschool children heard of the importance of everyone being able to read the Bible in their own language and made a representation of Luther's seal.

During an opening prayer service on Monday, October 30, I spoke to the families of our preschool children and their teachers about impact of the Reformation on education. The rallying cry of “Scripture alone” resulted in the translation of the Bible into many languages; the motive for printing copies of the Bible in the common tongue through the use of Gutenberg's moveable-type press; and the promotion of public education (public in the sense of teaching all to read and write, as well as other useful skills, not just a fortunate few).

But the real high point of it all was on Sunday, October 29, when we received Jeckson Gabriel Marquiz Marquina and Kimberly Gabriela Roa Marquina as communicant members of our congregation by public confession of faith. As I stressed in the sermon, public confession is not only good for the soul, it could change the world.

For all the saints...

But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
 The saints triumphant rise in bright array.
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lutheran Hymnal No. 463

We celebrated Reformation Day on Sunday, October 25. This is the recommended rubric:

If the Feast of the Reformation is observed on Sunday, it should be the Sunday before October 31 in order to be allow for a similar celebration of All Saints Day the Sunday on or after 1 November. (Fred H. Lindemann (The Sermons and The Propers IV: Trinity Season - Second Half. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1958. p. 134-135)

In addition, we expected good attendance on October 25, better than we might have had on Saturday, October 31. We did indeed have good attendance on the 25th. Since the celebration of the Reformation is not something that should be overlooked, we decided to observe it on the day when the larger number of people would be present.

To talk about these dates on our church calendar, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, is a little tricky because of strong "anti-Halloween" sentiment in certain quarters of Venezuela. There is much of the same "Halloween is a pagan holiday" propaganda here that you might encounter in the United States. It is spread by the same kind of "evangelical" sects who are either unaware of the Christian origin of All Saints Eve and All Saints Day, or see it as something Roman Catholic. Because Venezuela is not the country of the "middle way"; People here are either traditionalist Catholics, with their veneration of the saints, or sectarions who want to throw out all of the traditions of the ancient church altogether.

Not only that, but in Venezuela there is an element of anti-United States feeling in the anti-Halloween movement. Halloween, as we North Americans know it, is a foreign holiday here (and, in fact, many of the customs that we associate with Halloween (or All Hallows Eve), such as jack o'lanterns or trick or treating, really got started in the United States, although with roots in the cultural heritage of immigrants.

This giant squash is of a different species than
the North American pumpkin, but is similar.

I like to tell Luz Maria about how much fun I had carving faces in pumpkins while growing up in a thoroughly Lutheran community. Nobody thought that carving jack o'lanterns had anything to do with witchcraft back then. First I would carve an opening on top and remove the stuff inside the pumpkin. That was not the most pleasant part, but later my mother would make a pumpkin pie out of the material.

In fact, pumpkins are native to North America and American Indians were baking pumpkin pies before any European settlers showed up. After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, the Irish adapted an old custom of carving out turnips to place a lighted candle inside to serve as a lantern. Irish immigrants brought the custom of carving pumpkins to the United States, and in the early 1800s, making jack o'lanterns for Halloween "went viral" as we would say now.

But there is a problem with Halloween, although it is not the supposed pagan origin of jack o'lanterns and the like. Like Christmas, Halloween has become big business and the Christian significance of it has largely been forgotten.  Halloween as it has been exported to Venezuela is scary, with all the emphasis on vampires, zombies, etc. And witchcraft is not make-believe in Venezuela. Christians in Venezuela must struggle to free themselves from occult practices that are commonplace.

However, as Lutherans we have an advantage in that Martin Luther chose October 31 to post the 95 Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This was not by accident. In the 95 Theses Luther dealt with the destiny of human souls, which would have been on everyone's minds during the festival of All Saints.

Thou was their Rock, their Fortress and their Might,
Thou, Lord, their Captain, in the well-fought fight.
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia! Alleluia! TLH No. 463

All Saints Day was first observed in the fourth century A.D., in the part of the world we know today as Turkey and Syria. There had been so many martyrs to the faith in the first 300 years of the Christian era that there were not enough dates on the calendar to devote a day to remembering each one on a separate day. So one day was chosen to honor all the martyrs, later all those who had died in the faith (the saints in heaven). It seems that All Saints Day at first was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost, and this still is the date on which it is observed in most Greek Orthodox churches. 

However, around 610 A.D, Pope Boniface IV changed the date to November 1 for the church of western Europe (the Orthodox churches of eastern Europe and Asia officially rejected the primace of the Pope in 1054 A.D.). Pope Boniface IV wanted the dedication of a church in Rome to be a special occasion. The celebration of All Saints eventually would include the evening of October 31 and the day of Nov. 2.

We Lutherans also reject the primacy of the Pope, yet we continue the custom of observing All Saints Day on Nov. 1 because of the importance of Luther's posting the 95 Theses on the eve of All Saints. For us, All Saints simply continues the theme of Reformation Day.

In his 95 Theses, Luther challenged Roman doctrine on penance and purgatory. Eventually he would reject Rome's definition of sainthood. The saints are not those who by their own merits have left purgatory and entered into the presence of GodThe Bible teaches us that all who believe in Jesus Christ are saints. What do we confess in the Apostles' Creed? We believe in the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints. The holy Christian church is the same as the communion of saints. The church is all who have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and in sincere faith receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper. They are the saints of God.. 

Among us Lutherans we speak of the heroes of faith as saints, for example, St. Matthew, St. Paul, St. Luke or St. John. They are holy. We recognize them as models for us. We also speak of those who died in the faith as saints and honor them on this day. As our text for today says, the saints in heaven are they which came out ofthe great tribulation. What is the great tribulation? Life in this world, because in this life are sufferings, trials and difficulties. The saints in heaven have passed beyond all these things. As John says, now they do not hunger or thirst, or feel heat or pain. They live forever with Christ as the reward for their faith. They are at rest and peace with Christ. Therefore, we honor, but not pray to or worship them. We have one Mediator between God and us in Christ and do not need another. Amen

Click here for my complete All Saints Day sermon and here for my Reformation Sunday sermon.

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Celebrating the Reformation amid chikungunya

On Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, we celebrated Reformation Day together with members of Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas, in keeping with the liturgical custom of remembering Martin Luther´s posting of the 95 Theses on or the Sunday before October 31.

On that date in 1517, Luther got the Reformation ball rolling by nailing a copy of the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The paper challenged the validity of papal indulgences (letters of release from having to do penance for sins, including punishment in púrgatory), but beyond that, questioned the very concept of "doing penance", repentance as an outward, legalistic requirement to regain God's favor, rather than an inward transformation of heart and mind accomplished not by one's own works, but the action of the Holy Spirit. Even beyond that, Luther asked why the Pope, if indeed he had the power to impose penalties on people who had passed from this life, would not simply release all souls from purgatory out of Christian love.

Even that wasn't the end of it. Luther's theses by impĺication raised other issues. When asked by what authority he challenged the authority of the Roman church, Luther cited the Holy Scriptures as an authority greater than that of popes and councils. This led to one of the great rallying cries of the Reformation, "Sola Scriptura" (Scripture alone is the only infallible rule of faith). 

Our appointed epistle lesson, Romans 3:21-28, covers the other two, sola gratia ("For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." verses 23-24) and sola fide ("Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." verse 28). But also we find an emphasis on the power and certainty of God's abiding Word:  "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..." verse 21-22.

This theme we find in the Old Testament lesson, 1 Samuel 3:19-21: "And all Israel from Dan even to Beer–sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD...for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD." verse 20-21. And also in the Gospel, John 8:31-36: "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." verses 31-32. The freedom spoken of here is not political liberty, as Jesus makes clear, but freedom from the condemnation of original and actual sin in the eyes of God.

The written Word is the testimony of the prophets and apostles, who were eyewitnesses to the mighty, revelatory acts of God within human history. But their writings are authoritative not only because of what they saw and heard for themselves of God's revelation, but because God the Holy Spirit revealed through them both God's Law and Gospel (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 16:26; Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 3:5; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 3:2). The Holy Spirit not only spoke to the prophets and apostles hundreds of years ago, but continues to speak to us today through the Scriptures. It is through the Scriptures that we, who have not seen Christ in visible form, still come to know Him as Lord and Savior, and it is on the Scriptures that the authority of the Church and the validity of its sacraments are based. To the extent that the Reformation reaffirmed the authority, sufficiency and clarity of the Scriptures, it was a victory and evidence of the Holy Spirit continuing to guide the church into all truth.

Chikungunya arrives in La Caramuca

The chikungunya virus was discovered in 1952, following an outbreak on the Makonde Plateau, a border area between Mozambique and Tanzania. The name chikungunya is derived from a Makonde word that describes the stooped posture that results from the arthritic symptoms of the disease. Subsequent outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease occurred in Africa, Asia and Europe at intervals of two to 20 years. In late 2013, the chikungunya virus was found for the first time in the Americas on islands in the Caribbean.  The first cases of chikungunya in Venezuela were reported on June 12, 2014. As of early October, 788 cases of chikungunya had been confirmed in Venezuela.

These are more than statistics to us now as three of Luz Maria's grandchildren have been diagnosed with the disease: Aaron and Oriana Montoya, and Jhoan Andrés Leal. Also we have heard that Graciela de Brito, a member of Corpus Christi Lutheran Church has been stricken.

The most common symptoms of chikungunya virus infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Chikungunya disease does not often result in death, but the symptoms can be severe and disabling. Most patients feel better within a week. In some people, the joint pain may persist for months. People at risk for more severe disease include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults, and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.

There is no vaccine or treatment for chikungunya except for the use of painkillers like acetaminophen. Unfortunately, such common medications are in short supply here. On Friday, Oct. 24, when Luz Maria, her daughter, Charli, and I traveled to Barquisimeto, Venezuela's fourth-largest city, to receive our certificates for on-line teaching from Universidad Centrooccidente "Lisandro Alvarado", we looked for acetaminophen in five pharmacies, including a hospital pharmacy and could find none.

Venezuela also is faced with new outbreaks of dengue fever, and malaria. It is feared that with the shortages of foodstuffs and basic medicines, Venezuela will be particularly vulnerable to an outbreak of ebola.

Please pray for us as we confront this public health threat.

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