This is the day the Lord has made

 On September 15, 2024, the sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, we welcomed Maria Cecilia Ortega as a communicant member. Four of her children and three grandchildren were baptized at our mission, and five children received their first communion.

Her verse of affirmation of faith was Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will be glad and rejoice in it.” With this verse we celebrated only that Sunday, but the entire period of grace and salvation extending to the last day of the world (Isaiah 49:8; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 19:7). In ancient Israel, Psalm 118 was sung by the faithful as they entered the Temple in procession in Jerusalem on the first day of the Jewish liturgical year. The psalm also was sung by the Jews around the Passover table and was most likely the final hymn sung by Jesus and his disciples as they celebrated their last Passover (Matthew 26:30). The multitude acclaimed Jesus as the Messiah with the words of Psalm 118:25-26 as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We sing this every Sunday as the second part of the Sanctus: “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.”

School supplies from LeadaChild

On the same Sunday, we delivered backpacks with school supplies to the children of the mission, thanks to the donations of LeadaChild, a missionary society that has supported our mission since 2006. The people of LeadaChild provide funds for scholarships, school registration, and supplies for children so they can attend Lutheran schools and educational enrichment programs. They also provide professional develop
ment for leaders and teachers, with an emphasis on effective ways to share the Gospel and teach biblical truths to children. Our young women showed the fruits of the crocheting that accompanied their Bible study during the vacation.

Messengers of God

Every Friday I participate in a reading of the Greek text of the New Testament with the Rev. Dr. Roberto Bustamante and seminarians at Concordia El Reformador Seminary in the Dominican Republic. For September 27, the Friday before we celebrated the feast of St. Michael and All Angels on Sunday, September 29, the selection of Galatians 1:6-9 was most appropriate, especially verse 8. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

The word “angel” (ἄγγελος) is the Greek word for “messenger”. It is used not only in the Greek New Testament, but also in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, for the word מֲלְאָךְ (malak), which means the same. In some passages of the Old Testament, “the Angel of the Lord” is clearly God Himself (Genesis 16:7; Exodus 3:2; Numbers 22:23; 1 Kings 19:7). The divine Angel of the Lord appears in the New Testament as the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-2).

At times the word “angel is applied to human messengers of God. In the Old Testament, prophets and priests of the Temple are called angels (Isaiah 42:19; 44:26; Malachi 2:7). In the opening chapters of the Revelation of St. John, the bishops of the seven churches in Asia Minor are called angels (“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write…” Revelation 2:1). That is why St. Paul tells the Galatians that any “angel” or messenger that preaches a gospel different than the one revealed to the prophets and apostles must be ἀνάθεμα (anathema), a word which may be translated “accursed”, but also “excomunicated”. The church must repudiate human teachers of false doctrine so that they might repent before God’s judgment falls on them.

Of course, the majority of references to angels in the Bible describe spiritual beings who are neither human nor divine. In Revelation 22:8-9, the Apostle John prostrates himself to worship one of these angels, but the angel replies, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

Those who are with us

 

He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 2 Kings 6:16

That’s a key verse from the Old Testament lesson for the Day of St. Michael’s and All Angels (September 29 on the historic church calendar, but we will observe it Sunday, October 3). The entire lesson (2 Kings 6:8-17), the Syrian army surrounds the city of Dothan with the intention of capturing Elisha the prophet. Elisha’s servant is terrified until the Lord opens his eyes to the even greater army of angels protecting them.

We as missionaries at times feel that we are surrounded by forces beyond our control and that could completely overwhelm us. And that is an accurate evaluation of the situation. But God sends His holy angels to protect us (as Psalm 91, properly understood, assures us). And the casting of Satan and his rebellious angels out of heaven (referenced in Luke 10:17-20 and Revelation 12:7-12) assure us that we share is Christ’s victory over Satan now and forever. Because the entire life of Jesus, from His birth to His death on the cross, was a victory over Satan, the 70 disciples find that they are able to cast out devils in His name.

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:10-11).

Although Michael and the heavenly host of angels played their part in Satan’s defeat, the victory belongs to Christ and through Him, to the church triumphant. We remember that, even in the midst of the persecution of which the rest of Revelation 12 warns.

Everlasting God, You have ordained and constituted the service of angels and men in a wonderful order. Mercifully grant that, as Your holy angels always serve and worship You in heaven, so by Your appointment they may also help and defend us here on earth; through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Ninth shipment of medicines

On September 19, 2021, Epiphany Lutheran Mission distributed the ninth shipment of medicines from the Venezuela Relief Project begun by Global Lutheran Outreach and the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile. The Venezuela Relief Project began in 2017. Two people on our list died, but we distributed the medicines requested for them to three other persons. One particularly grateful recipient is Luz Marina Medina, a 45-year-old widow who lives with her elderly father. She has suffered from epilepsy since childhood and, due to the scarcity of medication, was experiencing more and more frequent seizures. However, now she has the medication that she needs.

As is our custom, the bulk of the medicines were distributed after the Sunday service, along with our homegrown fruits and vegetable. Thanks to abundant rain this years, we have bumper crops of avocados, passion fruit, tomatoes, cassava, bananas and plantains, papaya and eggplant. We also have a bountiful harvest of berries from our coffee tree. Coffee is a social necessity, here, if not a biological necessity, and it keeps getting more and more expensive.

Reopening the preschool

We began the new school year on Tuesday, September 28, by meeting with families who have enrolled their children in our preschool. After an opening devotion and distribution of medications sent to us by the Lutheran Women's Missionary League of Canada by way of the Dominican Republic (the LWML Canada sent the funds and the medications were purchased in the Dominican Republic under the supervision of Rebecca Pollex Krey, wife of the Rev. Theodore Krey, regional director for Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Missions in Latin America and the Caribbean).

The meeting was conducted according to strict biosecurity measures required by the Ministry of Education. Everyone wore masks and maintained a distance of at least six feet. Classes begin October 11, with two shifts of children per day, no more than five in each shift. Some of the parents were concerned about small children being required to wear facemasks, but a representative of Ministry of Education emphasized that this is the rule for now.

More generally, some parents question the Venezuelan government’s decision to require the vaccination of all children between the ages of three and 17. The argument is that as long as Covid-19 vaccinations are not ruled to be completely safe for children the government should prioritize making further strides in immunizing the at-risk population and personnel in the health care and education sectors.

Venezuela received 693,600 vaccines against COVID-19, September 7, as part of the first shipment made to the country by the World Health Organization’s COVAX Mechanism, of the total of 12,068,000 vaccine doses acquired. This first delivery of doses consists of vaccines against COVID-19 produced by the laboratory Sinovac Biotech and included in the emergency use list of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Sinovac vaccine, known as CoronaVac, was the one that I received on September 13. The two-dose vaccine is recommended for individuals aged 18 years and above. It has an efficacy rate of 50.4% for preventing symptomatic infection, according to data from a Brazilian trial, and an effectiveness of 67%, according to a real-world study in Chile. Some people we know experienced adverse reactions to CoronaVac, similar to those reported elsewhere, but I have had no problems.

Luz Maria earlier received the Sputnik V vaccine. On September 27, Venezuela’s Minister of Health, affirmed that “more than 8.8 million first doses” had been given, while 5.25 million received the second Sputnik V dose. Luz Maria and I are both waiting for second doses.

Let us remember that Psalm 91 not only promises that “He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”, but also under His protection we need not fear “the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday”, nor any physical or spiritual danger, for whether we live or die, He will show us His salvation. Amen.

Their angels always see the Father's face

The Day of St. Michael and All Angels is a minor festival on our church calendar. That means when the date falls on a Sunday which is not the date of a major festival (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and a long list of others, including all the Sundays of Advent and Lent), the lessons and hymns may reflect its theme, rather than those usually appointed for that day.

So, on Sept. 29, 2019, we remembered the holy angels. In western Christendom, Sept. 29 has been the traditional date since the fifth century AD, when a basilica near Rome was dedicated to Michael, one of the two archangels named in the canonical Scriptures (the other is Gabriel and we do not count Satan). The basilica no longer exists, but there are plenty of Lutheran churches named for the archangel. One of them is St. Michael’sLutheran Church of Bloomington, Minnesota, a congregation that has supported our mission in La Caramuca from the beginning. As a member of St. Michael’s, I first traveled to Venezuela with other members on a short-term mission trip in 2002.

But let me back up. On Monday, Sept. 23, we opened a new school year in our preschool with a service of morning prayer in the chapel. The Scripture reading was Luke 18:15-17, in which Jesus blesses children, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” This, I explained, means that whether we are baptized as infants or adults, we receive do not receive the new life in Christ by our own understanding, will or merit, but as a gift of the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit continues its work of sanctification in us, His instruments include, particularly for small children, is the Christian family and the Christian school. What a blessing for a child to have the Spirit’s direction his or her entire life!

The preschool is up and running now with an enrollment of 32 students, most of them new to the program. Luz Maria has resumed afterschool tutoring with 20 to 22 older students and a waiting list of those who would like to receive her tutoring. Thanks be to God, this is despite that the fact that many surrounding preschools and elementary schools are closed for lack of teachers and students. The high school in La Caramuca will not open until October 14!

Of course, the appointed Gospel reading for St. Michael’s Day is the parallel text, Matthew 18:1-11. Jesus also says, ““Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” But, then, at the end, there is this bit about guardian angels. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Because I had expounded on the subject of little children on Monday, for Sunday’s sermon I focused on the Old Testament lesson, 2 Kings 6:8-17 (our Spanish hymnal, Culto Cristiano, uses a different selection of Old Testament texts than the English-language hymnals). This is the account of how the king of Syria sent troops to encircle the city of Dothan where the prophet Elisha was staying. The Syrian king had heard that Elisha knew of all his best-laid plans for war against Israel, through supernatural means, and was telling them to the king of Israel. So, early in the morning Elisha’s servant sees the Syrians surrounding the city and cried, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” And Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

The point being that, even though he knew there was a mighty host of angels all around, Elisha did not invoke the name of Michael or any of these created beings, but the name of the Lord God. I read this from the Smalcald Articles, Part Two, Of the Invocation of the Saints:

“And although the angels in heaven pray for us (as Christ Himself also does), as also do the saints on earth, and perhaps also in heaven, yet it does not follow thence that we should invoke and adore the angels and saints, and fast, hold festivals, celebrate Mass in their honor, make offerings, and establish churches, altars, divine worship, and in still other ways serve them, and regard them as helpers in need (as patrons and intercessors), and divide among them all kinds of help, and ascribe to each one a particular form of assistance, as the Papists teach and do. For this is idolatry, and such honor belongs alone to God.”

The invocation of angels, as well as saints, is widely practiced in Venezuela, so it is necessary to warn against this, while acknowledging the existence of angels as celestial beings sent to watch over us. It is not idolatry in itself to name a church or a day after St. Michael any more than St. Paul or St. Peter, for Luther also said that “the acknowledgment of angels is needful in the church” (Luther’s Table Talk, p. 245). Rather, it is idolatry to regard any of the angels, apostles or the Virgin Mary as intermediaries between ourselves and God. We have only the one Mediator and High Priest, who is Jesus.

Thus we pray:

O everlasting God, who has ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that, as Thy holy angels always do Thee service in heaven, so by Thine appointment they may help and defend us on earth, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with Thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Installation of new pastor in Barinas

On Friday, Sept. 20, representatives from our national church sat in on the afterschool tutoring. Our guests were Eduardo Flores, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Caracas and acting president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela; Eliezer Mendoza, pastor of Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto and director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute; Roamird Castillo, legal adviser for the national church; Ginny Mendoza, deaconess and wife of Pastor Eliezer; and Sandra de Brito, wife of Raimundo Brito, who was to be installed as pastor of Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas the next day.

The Corpus Christi congregation has not had a fulltime pastor in seven years. Occasionally members of Corpus Christi have attended the Divine Service at Epiphany Lutheran Mission. Last fall I went to the hospital in Barinas to administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper to Graciela de Brito for the last time. A few days later, I said some words over her coffin before it was taken to the place of burial, according to custom.Other national pastors have preached and administered the sacraments at Corpus Christi. But the job has become increasingly difficult with the collapse of the public transportation system.

We were able to attend Pastor Brito's installation thanks to our new (for us) car. Eduardo, Eliezer and I participated in the rite of installation. I first met Raimundo Brito in 2006, when he was studying for ordination. Later, he served as national missionary to rural church in the eastern Venezuelan state of Monagas.

We are planning a joint Reformation Sunday service with Corpus Christi here in La Caramuca on October 27. Anyi Vanesa Garrido will receive her first communion on that day.