We give Thee but thine own, whate'er the gift

  

In Matthew’s account of the Epiphany, when the Magi came to the house where Joseph, Mary and Jesus were living in Bethlehem, they saw the young child with Mary, and fell down, and worshipped him. Then they presented Him with precious gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. All of these were gifts fit for a king; but all were used in religious ceremonies of the time as well.

Worship and the giving of gifts to the Lord always have gone hand in hand. The first recorded sacrifice of thanksgiving is found in Genesis 4: 3-4. It appears that both Cain and Abel freely gave the firstfruits of their fields and flocks to God in response to God's blessing. Abel's offering was acceptable in God's eyes, while Cain's offering was not, because the Lord judges the hearts of men. Abel gave an offering in sincere gratitude as Cain sought to gain more of God's favor.

The next mention we have in the Bible regarding the sacrifice is in Genesis 8:20 when Noah exits the ark. Here is the first mention of the construction of an altar and burnt offerings. We do not find any written command from God. This was Noah's grateful response to God's mercy. Abraham built altars and called on the name of Jehovah (Genesis 12: 7-8). We have no idea what kind of sacrifice was offered on these altars, but we do know that they came from a thankful heart (responding to God's grace and promises).

It was not until the covenant made with the Israelites on Mount Sinai that God actually gave the command to build altars and offer sacrifices (Exodus 20:24). God gave Moses plans to support the priesthood of Aaron and his children (Exodus 29: 26-34), and the work of the Levites in the tabernacle, later the Temple of Jerusalem (Exodus 30: 11-16).

In Genesis 14:20 that we find the first mention of the word "tithe" in Scripture. Once again, we do not find any command from God. The tithe was given to Melchizedek, King of Salem, who blessed Abraham after Abraham had won a great victory over the surrounding enemies. In response to this, Abram gave him one-tenth of all spoils of war (Genesis 14: 18-20). In the book of Leviticus 27:30 there is the first mention of the tithe as "belonging to the Lord." The principle was clear: one-tenth of the crops belonged to the Lord, as well as one-tenth of the cattle, sheep, and goats. Moses laid out God's expectations and promises even more in detail in Numbers 15-19; 28-36; Deuteronomy 1-30). In addition to the annual tithe, there were second and third tithes, every two or three years, that included provisions for the poor. In addition to tithes, there were special offerings and a "temple tax."

Today our worship does not require sacrifices of animals to appease God’s righteous anger over our sin. Jesus made that perfect sacrifice once for all on the cross to restore peace between God and human beings. Nor are we required to tithe, as were Old Testament believers. Tithing is not a requirement of the 10 Commandments, which are God's universal moral law that still guides us today. Rather, it is part of the ceremonial law of the Old Testament, which separated the people of Israel from other nations, taught them about the holiness and justice of God, and pointed the way to the coming of Jesus Christ. As with animal sacrifices, circumcision, and special dietary practices, tithing is not required of those baptized in the new covenant in the blood of Christ.

As we read in the book of Acts, some of the early believers sold everything they had and gave it to the church, but not as a way to justify themselves before God. Ananias and Sapphira were not condemned because they did not tithe, nor because they did not give a certain amount, but because they lied and therefore were not faithful to God (Acts 5: 1-9). As we read in the Epistles, caring for the widows, orphans, and the less fortunate. Loving and caring for others it is a manifestation of the love with which God first loved us in Christ. The quantity of the offering is not what matters to God. In Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44, Jesus observes that the offering of a poor widow meant much more than the larger sums of money that the rich men gave of their abundance.

Now, as God's redeemed people and a royal priesthood, we are privileged to bring our offerings, as well as praise and prayers, before God's altar. The offering, or sacrifice of thanksgiving, is a confession and recognition that everything we possess and all the good things in life belong to God, and that He alone is the source of all blessings.

In 1 Corinthians 16: 1-2, Saint Paul speaks of an offering that he is gathering from the churches in Galatia and Macedonia for the believers in Jerusalem who suffered from hunger. Several points can be learned from this verse. First, our offering should be regular, "the first day of the week." The first day of the week is Sunday when the first Christians worshiped. For the sake of order and proper worship, St. Paul suggests that Christians put their donations on a regular basis by giving at every Sunday service they attend. We have here the first mention of Sunday as an appropriate day for public worship, although it is not the exclusive day for church services, and it is not reserved by divine mandate.

As early as the fourth century A.D., the time of St. Augustine, it was customary for believers to place their offerings on the altar before receiving the Lord’s Supper. The Lutheran liturgy in its current form reflects this ancient practice. The offertory combines the offering with songs of praise and prayers of intercession in anticipation of partaking of the Lord’s body and blood. The offering isn’t a break in the Divine Service, but an act of worship.

Now, as the story of the poor widow shows, coins of gold, silver and copper were presented as offerings in ancient times. In modern times, metal currency was largely replaced by paper, either government-issued bills or checks. In our congregational life, cash or checks are what we have come to expect in the collection plate. That was true where I grew up, and, until recently, in Venezuela, too.

Cell phones and empty wallets

In the science-fiction magazines that I loved to read as a boy, there was the expectation that by the 21st Century electronic transfer of computerized “credits” would supercede paper money. I was thrilled, because, of course, I was sure I would live to see this future world, which also would include flying cars and vacations on the moon and Mars. I am as old as my grandfather was then, and the future is not what it used to be.

Venezuela is close to being a cashless society, in part due to technological advances, but also because of the hyperinflation that has made Venezuelan currency completely worthless. Almost all financial transactions are done via debit/credit card or cellphone, which nearly everyone has. Even street vendors have wireless point-of-sale devices, and no one writes checks because electronic payment with a card or cell phone is almost immediate. Any cash payments are in US dollars or Colombian pesos that have somehow filtered across the border, but still are not available from banks. In fact, all prices are posted in dollars and if you don't have dollars, you have to ask what the rate of exchange is at that moment in time to make your electronic transfer. People who do not have access to electronic account transfer or foreign currency have largely gone back to the barter system.

The problem for us is, if no one carries cash anymore, what’s left to put in the collection plate? Again, it’s not the quantity collected, it’s actually having something to place on the altar as part of our worship.

Of course, we can give people the data to make electronic deposits to the missions account and we certainly will. But what of the visible, public confession that is the offering? One alternative is having people write the amount of their electronic deposits on a piece paper and put it in an envelope for the offering. We also will renew our effort, which we started some time ago, to encourage offerings in kind. Clothes, food, household items whatever they may have to share.

To be sure, online banking enables to receive your donations and continue our service to our people in these difficult economic times. Thanks to all who contributed to Epiphany Lutheran Mission this past year!

Prophetic puppet show

We started a vacation Bible school for the children of the Las Lomas Sector on Epiphany, January 6, 2021. There were 38 children in attendance the first day, 36 on the second, and 38 on the third.

The theme was "The Law and the Prophets point to Christ." Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist spoke to the children in the form of puppets. Every day of the vacation Bible school there was time for crafts, games, snacks and finally, prizes for everyone. We still use puppets made for us in 2003/2004 by Nancy Kapernick and volunteers from Woodbury Lutheran Church of Woodbury, Minnesota, and St. Michael’s Lutheran Church of Bloomington, Minnesota.

We find the story of the Epiphany, or the visit of the Magi, in Matthew 2: 1-23. Among the four gospels, the Gospel according to St. Matthew in particular emphasizes the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament in Jesus Christ.

The first people who paid homage to Jesus from outside Bethlehem were the wise men from the East. In their exile in the eastern regions of Palestine, the Jews spoke of the prophecies of the Messiah, the King of kings and Savior of the world promised in the Old Testament books from Abraham to Moses and prophets like Elijah. They had heard the prophecies as legend and guided by a star, the magi traveled to the land of the Jews.

The season of the Epiphany ends with the celebration of the Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appeared next to Jesus. Also in the Epiphany season we celebrate the baptism of our Lord by John the Baptist, the last of the old covenant prophets with Israel.

Passage to Portuguesa

We took our show on the road Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, with a journey to the town of Piritu in the neighboring state of Portuguesa. There is another place called Piritu in the eastern Venezuelan state of Anzoategui, also known as Puerto Piritu because it is a Caribbean beach resort town. As such, it could not be more different than Piritu, Portuguesa, a small farming community with the usual array of basic services and agriculture-related businesses.
We visited the home of Dina de Solanillo. When I first met Dina in 2003, she and her husband, Elvis (yes, he is named after the late Mr. Presley) were members of La Fortaleza Lutheran Church in Maracay. Dina served for some time as the church secretary. When I last saw them, Dina, Elvis and their newborn child were living in a tiny apartment. It consisted of one room, and not a very large room at that.
About eight months ago, Elvis found a better job in a butcher shop in Piritu, Portuguesa, and the family moved there. Now they have a much larger house, big enough to accommodate them and their two children, Sara and Josue. The problem is that there is no Lutheran church in Piritu, or in all of Portuguesa, for that matter. Piritu is about a two-hour drive from Barinas and approximately the same distance from Barquisimeto. So we are sharing the responsibility of ministering to the Solanillos with El Paraiso Lutheran Church of Barquisimeto.
The most difficult part about this, of course, is that we do not have our means of transportation. Rather we have to rely on public transportation or hire someone to drive us. This time, Luz Maria's brother, Robert, took us to Piritu, even though his son's 15th birthday party was that afternoon (the 15th birthday is a very important event in Venezuela, as in most Latin American countries).

Cost is only part of the difficulty with hiring transportation, there are also the logistics of coordinating your schedule and those of the people you mean to serve with that of a third party. I dream of the day when La Caramuca Lutheran Mission might have a minivan for transporting people and/or equipment and materials.
Our school year begins
The opening of our preschool for another semester was delayed to October 4 due to an important national election the last week in September. We were able to complete the installation of our playground equipment as well as needed maintenance projects.

In this new semester we are introducing a new method of teaching basic reading skills. Yolanda Marquez, the author of the book and accompanying teaching materials, came to our preschool on October 8 to explain the concept to the families of our preschool children. Venezuela has 26 states and territories, roughly corresponding to the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet (from Amazonas to Zulia). Actually, there is some repetition (Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, for example), so the name of every state does not correspond exactly to a letter of the alphabet, but if not, the name of the state capital or some landmark does. Also there are some sounds in Venezuelan Spanish that are treated as separate letters, although they do not correspond to the symbols of the common alphabet. But the goal is for the children to learn to associate letters, numbers and colors with geographical locations, using sounds and images of the traditional dress, music, food and natural wonders of each area to reinforce the point.

We had more visitors on October 9. Luz Maria's mother, Carmen, brought her younger sister, Eloena, to visit the preschool. The family organized a big celebration of Carmen's 80th birthday on Oct. 10, so people came to Barinas from across Venezuela for the event. Eloena lives in Ciudad Bolivar in eastern Venezuela.
Finally on Sunday, Oct. 11, Pastor Luis Moya of La Reforma (Reformation) Lutheran Church in San Felix de Guayana attended and assisted me with our worship service. Pastor Moya is a member of the administrative council of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, which met in Barinas that weekend. It was his first trip to the state of Barinas and he specifically was looking forward to visiting our mission.

Pilgrimage to Paradise

During Holy Week 2009, we accompanied 12 preadolescents, from six to 13 years of age, to El Paraiso Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto for a three-day retreat. We left Wednesday morning, April 8, and returned Saturday afternoon, April 11.

Five of the children were from La Caramuca and the rest were from Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas. With the children from Barquisimeto, there was a total attendance of 37 preadolescents. In addition there were six adolescents and 19 adults, including representatives from La Caramuca and Barinas.

Barquisimeto lies north of the city of Barinas, a journey of about three hours. Thanks to donations from our supporters in the United States, we were able to rent a bus.

The capital of Lara state, Barquisimeto is the fourth-largest city in Venezuela with a population of more than 800,000 people. It is home to a professional baseball team, the Lara Cardinals, and professional basketball and soccer teams, both known as the Lara Guaros. (The term guaro refers to a species of bird similar to a parrot. It also is used as a slang term for a person born in Lara and some surrounding areas). The large public soccer stadium in Barquisimeto was built specifically for several matches in the Copa America, an international soccer tournament that Venezuela hosted for the first time in 2007.

Barquisimeto is known as the location of several universities, a flourishing musical and cultural life and for the manufacture of musical instruments.

The city also is home to two Lutheran Church of Venezuela congregations, Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) and El Paraiso, plus two new Lutheran mission stations. None of these congregations are served by their own pastor. Rather a national missionary, a young man named Miguelangel Perez, has been assigned to serve them all. This year he has the help of two vicars, Isaac Machado and Angel Eliezer Mendoza. All four groups in Barquisimeto were represented at the retreat.

"El Paraiso" means "Paradise", but the name of the church has no Biblical significance. Rather, the church was named for El Paraiso de Cabudare, the "urbanizacion" or suburb, where it is located. Nevertheless, it is an apt name because the church grounds are landscaped and immaculately maintained, with stately trees and a collection of rare and beautiful flowering plants (rare and beautiful even for Venezuela). These all are well cared for by an older fellow who lives on the grounds.

There is a freestanding worship sanctuary, a large parish hall with kitchen, showers and guest bedrooms (where we all stayed), and a separate office building. This is quite an elaborate setup compared to what we are used to in Barinas.

There were devotions every morning, and throughout the day Bible studies and games for the children. Everything was aimed at explaining the events of Holy Week, starting with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, His suffering and death on the Cross, and ultimately the hope of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Of course, on Thursday and Friday evenings there were Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship services. In Venezuela Maundy Thursday is simply called "Jueves Santo" or "Holy Thursday". "Maundy" is a peculiarly English word of uncertain origin. One popular explanation is that it derives by way of Old French and Middle English from the the first word of the Latin translation of John 13:34, "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos". This passage is part of Jesus' words to his disciples after washing their feet after the Thursday Passover meal, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love another as I have loved you".

However, other scholars say that the archaic English word "maund" originated with the Latin "mendicare" (to beg), and the name Maundy Thursday developed from a medieval custom whereby the English royalty handed out alms to the poor on this day. "Maund" also is the root of "maunder", a word sometimes still used in modern English. It means either a) to talk in a rambling, foolish, or meaningless way; or b)to move, go, or act in an aimless, confused manner (after the manner of a beggar or homeless person)".

At any rate, the Thursday service was a communion service and Isaac Machado preached a sermon, based on Mark 14:12-25, about the significance of the sacrament. It perhaps was a little long and involved for the younger listeners, but he made all the right points, especially in regard to closed communion.

Closed communion means the practice of restricting participation in the sacrament to those who have confessed and received absolution for their sins, and who have confessed a common belief about the nature of the sacrament. This is based on a reading of Scripture passages such as 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:

"Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Thus it is an act of Christian love and responsibility to prevent those living in sin, including the sin of false belief, to participate in that would bring further judgment upon them.

St. Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes". For Lutherans, this means that those who commune at the same altar are thereby declaring publicly that they are united in the doctrine of the Apostles (Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 10:17).

So in Lutheran churches participation in the sacrament normally is limited to confirmed members of a Lutheran congregation, or, in other words, those who have publicly confessed the belief that in the Lord's Supper we receive the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, that along with the bodily eating and drinking we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

But the practice of closed communion was not invented by Lutherans and limited to Lutherans. Justin Martyr wrote this about early church practice in the second century A.D.:

"And this food is called among us Eukaristia [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined."

Some form of closed communion remains the rule in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and conservative Presbyterian, Baptist and even Mennonite churches around the world. Nevetheless, since the 18th Century, many Protestant denominations have absorbed the rationalistic idea that no belief, if sincerely held, can be considered a sin. More recently, the worldwide neo-Pentecostalist movement has mounted a renewed attack on the teaching that the Holy Spirit works through visible, exterior means.

Thus the widespread practice of "open communion", in which anyone, even those who have not received Christian baptism, may participate in the Lord's Supper. This is particularly true in Venezuela where "Protestantism" and "Pentecostalism" have come to mean almost the same thing. (Of course there are "charismatic" Catholics in Venezuela, too, but most people who become involved in this type of error wind up leaving the Catholic Church.)

Our Holy Thursday service concluded with the stripping of paraments from the altar in anticipation of the Good Friday "Tenebrae" service.

Seven candles were placed on the bare altar and Miguelangel, Angel Eliezer and I took turns reading the seven last words of Christ from the Cross. We extinguished one candle after the reading of each lesson.

Miguelangel let me be the "officiant" at the Good Friday service, which meant a couple of things. First, I got to wear the black vestments (coal-black alb and a black stole with silver-gray trim). It was quite a striking variation on the regular theme and I felt bad that the church only had one set of the vestments. Miguelangel and Angel Eliezer simply wore their black clerical-collar shirts with black trousers and shoes. It would have been quite a statement if we all three at least had worn black albs. I continually am impressed by how the ancient liturgical practices of the church teach the basic truths of the Bible in both visible and audible ways (much better than PowerPoint presentations).

The second thing was that I read the seventh lesson and, after the seventh candle had been solemnly carried out of the church, slammed the Bible shut as the church was plunged into total darkness. After some time, the seventh candle, representing the promise of Christ's victory, was returned to the altar where it remained burning for the rest of the night.

Angel Eliezer preached the Good Friday sermon on John 19:28-37. He had asked my advice on it, as he was struggling with how to explain why Christ had to die on the Cross for our sins. He was working with the idea of penal substitution, that Christ suffered and died for our sins so that the demands of God's justice might be met while making it possible for us to receive God's mercy. But he was not sure if he could make the congregation, especially the younger members, understand the legal concept of why things that happened so many centuries in the past would have a profound impact on their lives today.

I suggested using a medical metaphor, speaking of sin as a disease transmitted from generation to generation, and invariably fatal if left untreated. Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice so that His pure blood might cleanse our tainted blood. This might make sense to the children as during the week they had studied the Passover tradition and the importance of blood sacrifice in ancient Judaism. Angel Eliezer liked this suggestion and decided he would use the specific example of HIV/AIDS, since it is a big social problem in Venezuela and everyone would understand the analogy. HIV/AIDS is transmitted through the blood, often from generation to generation, poisons relationships between people, destroys trust, and is always fatal if not treated with expensive medicine. I had not thought of that, although we have talked to the children in La Caramuca about HIV/AIDS.

After the Good Friday service, the electric lights throughout the church's compound were shut off for about a half hour. As we sat in the darkness, some of the adults whispered the most difficult questions about divine truth and justice that they received from unbelieving friends and neighbors. Such as:

• If God is all-powerful,all-knowing and good, why does He allow evil to exist?
• If God made Adam and Eve so that they were capable of sinning, did not God make a flawed creation?
• With all the different religions and philosophies in the world, how can one be sure what is the truth?

The difficulties arise because, in fact, there are some things only God can know and only God can judge. Who deserves to live and who deserves to die? Actually, according to Scripture we all deserve to die and only by God's grace do we still draw breath. Yet the Bible also assures us that God formed us all in our mothers' womb (Isaiah 44:24) and because all human life is precious in God's sight, Christ died for all that all might have eternal life (John 3:16).

But what is the worse fate, to die at 18 in a terrible car accident with so much unrealized potential? Or to live to middle age and see so many youthful dreams turn out to be either false hopes or if realized, not really what you envisioned? Or to live to nearly 100 and, even you are fortunate enough to stay reasonably healthy and financially secure, see the world of your childhood fade completely into memory?

God only knows. But God promises that as long as we are still here on this earth He has a purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), that all things work for the good of them that trust Him (Romans 8:28) and that if we trust God, we will never be tested beyond our endurance (1 Corinthians 10:13).

How could an all-powerful, all-knowing God have made a world in which our choices have consequences for ourselves and others? Could He not have made a world in which we could put our hands on a hot stove and not be burned? Or throw ourselves off a cliff and not break our bones? Did not Satan once ask that of Jesus?

We have only the reply that Job received: Let God be God and trust that His will is holy and good. Aside from these Biblical assurances, what hope do we have? Even if we deny God, we still are left with a world full of pain and suffering and no expectation of ultimate justice or redemption.

But in Christ, all Biblical promises are made good, and in Christ we may see that in this world of suffering, God Himself suffered more than we will ever be called on to suffer. And, since the teaching of the Bible all point to Christ on the cross, in God's Word we may find certainty amid the babel of religions and philosophies, all of which boil to down to finding salvation or enlightenment in ourselves rather than saving work of Christ (Ephesians 4:14).

I thought of these things as I prepared my Easter Sunday sermon on John 20:1-18. This is the glorious Easter story as told by John, but it also illustrates that all the evidence in the world does not compel faith. For the synoptic Gospels record that Jesus told His disciples three times that He would die on the Cross and rise on the third day: once after the confession of Peter (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Lucas 9:22), again after the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:22; MarK 9:31; Luke 9:44-45); and a third time (Matthew 20:18-19; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:31-33).

Despite this, what was Mary Magdalene's reaction upon seeing the open tomb of Jesus? She ran back to the other disciples and said, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we (she and the other women) do not know where they have laid Him". Then Peter and John went to the tomb and examined the discarded (yet neatly arranged) linens that had covered the dead man's body. But they still did not completely understand what had happened.

After Peter and John left, Mary Magdalene had a vision of two angels in the tomb, then encountered the risen Christ Himself. But she still asked Jesus, standing right in front of her, where they had taken her Lord's body. Only when the Lord spoke did she recognize Him. But if they had paid more attention to His words in the first place, they could have spared themselves much fear and doubt.

Our faith is based on evidence, not wishful thinking. Palestine is a real place on the map, not an imaginary country. Jerusalem is a real city that still exists today, as do the towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth. Pontius Pilate, Caesar Augustus, Tiberias, King Herod and his sons, and Quirenius the governor of Syria were real historical figures. There is much testimony outside of the New Testament to indicate that something extraordinary happened in Palestine 2,000 years ago. At the very least, the Roman and Jewish authorities had an extraordinarily hard time explaining an empty tomb.

Yet it is not the evidence interpreted by human reason that leads to savng faith, but rather the Holy Spirit working through Word and sacrament. May God bless you with the certainty of this faith.

Queen for a day

The preschool children chose Gaudis Saray Rangel Rosales as their Queen of the Carnaval for 2009. Every year we have a Carnaval party on the Friday before Ash Wednesday because what follows is a four-day weekend, in which schools, businesses and other institutions are closed. "Carnaval" is derived from a medieval Latin phrase that means "farewell to the flesh", and the four days of Carnaval are supposed to provide a last chance for partying before the beginning of Cuaresma, or Lent. Supposedly everyone will be fasting and avoiding meat and other fleshly pleasures during Lent (if you believe that, I have some ocean-front property in Arizona that might interest you).

Carnaval in Venezuela is characterized by parades, street parties and pranksters throwing water-filled balloons at passing traffic. Every parade must have a queen to lead it. We choose our queen with a simple show of hands, but often the selection of a Carnaval queen is a fullblown beauty pageant. This type of contest is serious business in Venezuela. It is a matter of national pride that Venezuelans have won more international beauty pageants than women from any other country.

Winners of the national Miss Venezuela pageant have won the Miss Universe contest five times, Miss Universe five times (including Miss Universe 2008), Miss World five times, and Miss International five times. Alexandra Braun Waldeck, who won Venezuela's first Miss Earth title in 2005, was first runner-up at the Miss Venezuela pageant.

Between 1983 and 2003, Miss Venezuela placed in the Miss Universe semifinals each consecutive year, and placed in the top six or higher every year from 1991 to 2003. This streak was ended in 2004 when Ana Karina Áñez was not chosen as a semifinalist at Miss Universe 2004. Venezuela has also twice held the Miss Universe and Miss World titles simultaneously: in 1981-1982 with Irene Saez (Miss Universe) and Pilin Leon (Miss World), and again in 1995-1996 with Alicia Machado (Miss Universe) and Jacqueline Aguilera (Miss World).

Some Miss Venezuela competitors have achieved success in other national pageants. Natascha Börger became the first Venezuelan to switch countries, when she won the Miss Deutschland title in 2002 after placing 14th at Miss Venezuela 2000. She went on to place sixth at Miss Universe 2002 behind Miss Venezuela Cynthia Lander. In 2006, Francys Sudnicka, who placed in the top 10 representing the state of Trujillo in Miss Venezuela 2003, won the Miss Poland Universe title. She represented Poland at Miss Universe 2006. Three Venezuelans who won the Miss Italia nel Mondo (Miss Italy in the World) pageant placed in the final five of Miss Venezuela.

Nevertheless, we do not emphasize competition in our selection of a queen. The point of our Carnaval party gives the children the opportunity to dress up in colorful costumes and spend some time with their parents, many of whom attend. Genesis Marquina came as a cat and another girl wore a rabbit suit this year. After enjoying some games and refreshments, the children march around the neighborhood blowing whistles. They also distributed about 50 tracts from Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (CPTLN or the Spanish Lutheran Hour).

Due to drastic worldwide budget cuts by Lutheran Hour Ministries, CPTLN activities in Venezuela have been greatly diminished. The organization's headquarters has been moved from Caracas to the much smaller city of Valencia. Longtime director Dr. Jaime Paredes resigned and passed administration of CPTLN in Venezuela to a nephew. That is about all we have heard, although we continue to occasionally receive packages of CPTLN tracts.


The story of Samuel

The following Saturday, February 21, we brought five young people from La Caramuca to a one-day vacation Bible school at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas. We had visiting teachers from Barquisimeto, Sandra and Francisco Mania, and Pastor Miguelangel Perez. Pastor Eduardo Flores also was on hand. There was a total of 12 young people in attendance.

The theme was the birth and childhood of the prophet Samuel. We began by discussing how God answered Hannah's prayer for a son (like Isaac, Samson and John the Baptist, Samuel will be a son born to a previously barren woman) and looking at the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. The Song of Hannah is a poem inserted into the prose narrative of 1 Samuel. In synagogues to this day this passage is read every year on the first day of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year celebration.

The Song of Hannah follows the characteristic patten of an Israelite hymn:

• An introductory summary;
• Praise of the Lord as Creator of the universe;
• A confession of confidence in Him who will judge the entire world and send His Messiah.

The Song of Hannah foreshadows the Magnificat, or Song of Mary, in Luke 1:46-55. Like Hannah, Mary praises the Lord for the gift that He has implanted in her womb. It was not only a personal blessing for her, but for Israel and all nations, and for that, "all generations shall call me blessed." Also, like the Song of Hannah, the Magnificat plays on the theme of reversals; God shall humble the proud and exalt the humble, show mercy to the righteous and judge the wicked.

The Song of Hannah was used to explain to the young people why hymns used in liturgical worship are structured the way they are. The point of singing hymns is not to make ourselves feel good, but to glorify God and proclaim His message of salvation.

I often think of this as I struggle to learn guitar chords. Alonso's assignment to Corpus Christi ends this month and he has done so much to teach music both to the young people and the congregation as a whole. For example, he has taught the congregation to sing "Sostenos firmes, oh Señor" ("Lord, Keep Us Steadfast In Thy Word") as a round, which is very beautiful. We certainly will miss him when he's gone.

After the Song of Hannah, we focused on the story of Samuel as a boy in the temple and how the Lord called to him (1 Samuel 3:1-4:1. We emphasized how even a young person might be called to serve the Lord, even in a difficult task (in the case of Samuel, it was to announce God's judgment against the high priest Eli and his corrupt sons).

After the lessons, the young people enjoyed themselves, playing games in the street.

Imposition of ashes

We had an attendance of about 15 people for the Ash Wednesday evening service, which was quite good when you consider a) the total membership is no more than 30; and b) Ash Wednesday, unlike the days of Carnaval, is not a national holiday in Venezuela. We followed the Order of Public Confession in Culto Cristiano (much the same as in the 1941 Lutheran Hymnal), but added in the imposition of ashes (definitely not in TLH, but I understand there is an order of service for it in the new Lutheran Service Book).

The practice of wearing sackcloth and sprinkling oneself with ashes to express sorrow and/or repentance of sin dates back to ancient times. The ritual of beginning the season of Lent with everyone receiving the mark of the cross in ashes on one's forehead seems to have originated in the 12th Century. Before that, the imposition of ashes was reserved only for those who had fallen away from the church through grave public sin (murder, adultery, etc.) and wished reconciliation. During the time of the Reformation, Lutherans retained Ash Wednesday as the beginning the 40 days of Lent, but the imposition of ashes ritual fell into disuse, for reasons that are not entirely clear. Recently there has been a revival of the ritual in Lutheran circles, including the Lutheran Church of Venezuela but it is not considered mandatory for everyone to participate.

As practiced here, everyone who so desires may write down on a piece of paper some specific sin of which they wish to repent. Then the pieces of paper are burned to produce the ashes. (I have heard elsewhere that the tradition is to burn palms from the previous Palm Sunday.)

Receiving the imposition of ashes certainly is consistent with our understanding of Lent as a time of repentance and reflexion on the suffering and death of Christ on the cross for our sins. Luz Maria and I wish all of you a blessed Lent in anticipation of an even more blessed Easter.

Advent wreath ablaze!

It can terribly distracting when the entire Advent wreath catches on fire during the worship service.

Here is how it happened: Corpus Christi Lutheran Church does not have air-conditioning nor what we North Americans would call “storm windows”. Most of the windows in the church are protected by a wrought-iron framework which includes louvered glass panes which may
be closed in the event of rain. The window nearest the altar, however, only has iron bars to keep out intruders, but no louvered glass.

Often we have trouble keeping the candles on the altar lit when there is a good, stiff breeze blowing. This time, however, the problem was not keeping the candles lit. Rather, the breeze fanned the flames into a close encounter with less-than-fireproof material.

Luckily, there was no serious property damage, although Virginia Jimenez burned her finger helping me put out the fire.

The beautiful Advent wreath, with four blue candles and one white Christmas candle, was made by Ludy de Tarazona, a member of Corpus Christi. We thank God that it served its purpose in marking the weeks of Advent before this unfortunate incident and that it almost certainly can be repaired for continued use. We also give thanks that the Advent season and Christmas Day passed with little incident and the receipt of many gifts, including hallacas (the traditional
Venezuelan Christmas dish) and a bottle of wine from the older fellow who lives at the bottom of our hill.

There were more than 30 people in attendance at Corpus Christi on Christmas Eve. We thank God for this also, for as I have explained before, the idea of attending a midweek service is quite novel for most Venezuelans. The majority spend their Christmas/New Year vacations in the mountains or on the beach, or partying at home with family and friends. We had no December 25 service, so Sunday, December 28, was our Christmas service, more or less. There were about 20 in attendance.

That same Sunday I also led a complete worship service in La Caramuca, with Holy Communion for our confirmed young people. Eduardo Flores said his farewell to Corpus Christi and returned to Caracas after Christmas Eve. Corpus Christi still does not have its own pastor, so this is the plan for now: I will lead the service and distribute Holy Communion every Sunday morning at Corpus Christi and every Sunday afternoon in La Caramuca.

Alonso Franco will arrive in January to serve as vicar at Corpus Christi for three months, thus sharing some of the load. We look forward to seeing Alonso, because he and his parents, Pastor Alcides and Nancy, are old friends of Luz Maria and her children. Luz Maria considered Alcides Franco her mentor in the faith during the years she lived in San Felix de Guayana.

Remembering the Holy Innocents

According to the church calendar, December 28 is always the day dedicated to the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, the male children that King Herod slaughtered in his rage against the newborn Christ (with whom Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt), and to Christian martyrs around the world. I would recommend the Web site, www.persecution.net, for learning about the more obvious ways in which Christians are persecuted today and how Christians in many parts of the world do not have the blessing of religious liberty that Christians have in the United States. The Web site is sponsored by “Voice of the Martyrs”, an organization founded by Richard Wurmbrand.

It was about 20 years ago that a friend gave me copies of Wurmbrand's books, “Tortured for Christ” and “In God's Underground”. Born a Romanian Jew, Wurmbrand flirted with Marxism
as a young man, converted to Christianity and eventually was ordained a Lutheran pastor. He was imprisoned for many years by the Romanian Communists. He at last found political asylum in the United States and western Europe.

Of course, this year December 28 also was the first Sunday after Christmas, so although I mentioned persecuted Christians in the general prayer, we used the Scripture lessons appointed for the first Sunday after Advent rather than the Day of the Holy Innocents.

Historic lectionary a help

Starting with this liturgical year, the Lutheran Church of Venezuela has returned to “the historic one-year lectionary”. The practice of preaching from a text appointed for the day predates the New Testament. When Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah in the Nazareth synagogue, according to Luke 4:16-21, He preached from Isaiah 61:1-2, the appointed reading for that day. Various other passages in the New Testament indicate that the early Christians continued the practice of Scripture readings as they did much of the rest of Jewish liturgical tradition.

The church calendar developed as a way of rehearsing, through the course of the year, the important events in the life of Christ, especially His birth, passion and resurrection. A common lectionary designed to follow this annual cycle first appeared in 471 A.D. Further standardization of the lectionary occurred 300 years later in western Christendom under the reign of Charlemagne. Finally, by the end of the 13^th Century, the lectionary had taken the form
it would retain until 1969.

In that year, the Roman Catholic Church abandoned the one-year lectionary in favor of a three-year cycle of Scriptural lessons. In a fit of ecumenical fervor, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and other Protestant church-bodies followed suit. The reasons given for this change were that:

1. The three-year cycle would give pastors a wider range of Scripture verses on which to base their sermons, and;

2. Increase Biblical literacy among the laity.
   

Ironically, although the one-year lectionary had been used by Catholics and Protestants alike for nearly 400 years, the united front for the three-year lectionary soon began to splinter. Each
denomination began revising it, until each had their own distinct version.

Never mind the Catholics, Anglicans and Presbyterians. The Thrivent pastor's agenda that I was given to use for 2008 has three different Lutheran versions of the Series “A” readings for each Sunday: one for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), one for the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and one for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (the Lutheran Church of Venezuela followed the WELS version last year). Personally I found it difficult to just glance at the agenda to make sure I had the right lesson in hand when my eyes had to run down the list of the three versions.

My point being, the three-year lectionary does not make preaching easier for novices like myself. I find the one-year lectionary simpler and more useful. Also, the idea behind a common lectionary never was to “widen options” but to sharpen the focus of preaching throughout the church and discourage pastors from using the Christian pulpit as a soapbox for their personal opinions.

As for increasing Biblical literacy among the laity, a review of research by George Barna and associates will reveal how unsuccessful the three-year lectionary has been at achieving this goal.

Finally, one great advantage to the one-year lectionary is the rich heritage of hymnody, sermons and other liturgical resources that have been based on it. There is much material from which to draw inspiration, including the sermons of Martin Luther himself. Concordia Publishing House
just released a volume of Luther's sermons translated into Spanish that I purchased through the Juan de Frias Theological Institute for about $8. However, Luz Maria grabbed it and won't let me have it until she is done reading it.

Workshop on Christian art

Luz Maria has been organizing a workshop on Christian art to be held in Caracas on January 9. The idea came to her after the ordination service in December. As part of our ordination, Eduardo, Sergio and I were presented with red stoles (symbolic of Pentecost, the season of the Holy Spirit) hand-made by Yoxandris Marcano, a young woman from Monagas. Yoxandris also made a beautiful green stole (for the Trinity season on the church calendar) for her boyfriend,
Sergio.

Also, the three pastors from La Reforma Lutheran Church in San Felix de Guayana – Alcides Franco, Jonathan Franco and Luis Moya – wore elegant chasubles made by Luis' wife. The chasuble is a poncho-like garment which, according to the ancient liturgical tradition, is worn over the alb and stole by the presiding pastor during the service of Holy Communion. During the 16^th Century, Lutheran pastors wore chasubles as a matter of course, but with the rise of Pietism in the late 17^th Century and the continuing influence of Calvinism, many such “high church” accoutrements were abandoned. The anti-liturgical influence was particularly strong in the United States, where the strains of Pietism, Calvinism and Arminianism have formed the basis of popular religion from the nation's beginning. In recent years the chasuble has been reintroduced in some Lutheran churches in North America and now, apparently in Venezuela.

I should explain that, despite external pressures, Lutherans historically have held to the “normative principle of worship”, which may be summed up as saying that the ancient traditions of the church should be preserved as long as they do not conflict with the doctrines of Holy Scripture. This is opposed to the “regulative principle of worship” held by Calvinists, Arminians and Anabaptists, which says that only practices explicitly commanded in Scripture may be allowed in public worship. Once this principle was taken to the extreme of prohibiting all musical instruments (because none are mentioned in the New Testament) and all hymns other than
metrical versions of the Psalms (in England, the Puritans advocated “the iron rule of psalmody”).

The Westminster Confession states:

"The acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture." (WCF 21.1)

Nowadays many churches in the Reformed tradition allow “contemporary Christian music” and “praise bands”, but remain fairly hostile to the use of visual arts which do not require a video screen. In Venezuela, many “evangelical” churches take this to the extreme of not allowing even plain crosses, much less crucifixes (with the image of Christ), set up inside or outside their sanctuaries. The only way you can tell these churches from public auditoriums is the presences of plaques bearing Bible verses on the back walls.

It is for this reason that one of our neighbors in La Caramuca, a staunch Roman Catholic, declared that the spread of Protestantism within the community was destroying traditional Christmas customs (such as the construction of elaborate manger scenes, which Venezuelan evangelicals regard as idolatry).

In contrast, the Lutheran Confessions say:

“Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence. Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved, save
that the parts sung in Latin are interspersed here and there with German hymns, which have been added to teach the people.” (Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV: Of the Mass)

“At the outset we must again make the preliminary statement that we do not abolish the Mass, but religiously maintain and defend it. For among us masses are celebrated every Lord's Day and on the other festivals, in which the Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved. And the usual public ceremonies are observed, the series of lessons, of prayers, vestments, and other like things.” (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV (XII), Of the Mass)

“For although the holy Fathers themselves had both rites and traditions, yet they did not hold that these matters are useful or necessary for justification; they did not obscure the glory and office of Christ, but taught that we are justified by faith for Christ's sake, and not for the sake of these human services. But they observed human rites for the sake of bodily advantage, that the people might know at what time they should assemble; that, for the sake of example all things in the churches might be done in order and becomingly; lastly, that the common people might receive a sort of training. For the distinctions of times and the variety of rites are of service in
admonishing the common people. The Fathers had these reasons for maintaining the rites, and for these reasons we also judge it to be right that traditions [good customs] be maintained.” (Apology of the Augsburg Confesson, Article XV (VIII): Of Human Traditions in the Church)

The Lutheran Reformers realized that certain rites and practices, while not absolutely required by Holy Scripture, were valuable in a number of ways, for example, as visual aids in teaching
the people. Stained-glass windows originally were a way of illustrating Bible stories for a largely illiterate population.And, of course, music and visual arts provide avenues of artistic expressions for believers as signs of their devotion to God.

Which is what Luz Maria's workshop will be about. In addition to the examples that I mentioned above, many members of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela have demonstrated their talents in the making of stained glass, baptismal fonts, crosses and crucifixes and in other ways. Luz Maria has been very pleased with the enthusiastic response to the workshop so far.

What about Papa Noel?

During Advent we covered the Nativity story with the Sunday school children. But one boy asked, “What about Papa Noel?” Papa Noel is another name for Santa Claus in Venezuela. The boy was particularly interested because his name is Jefferson Noel, his brother's name is
Noel Alexander, and his sister's name is Genesis Noeli.

So I told him that Papa Noel was really Nicholas, bishop of the city of Myra, in what is now Turkey, in the fourth century after Christ. Once there was a very poor couple who had three
daughters. It was the custom in those days that the family had to provide a dowry for each daughter to get married. This family did not have any money, so it appeared the girls had no other options in life but to become prostitutes. Nicholas gathered up enough gold coins to
provide each of the three with a dowry, put the money in three bags and in the dead of night threw the bags through a window in the family's home. That is how the legend of Papa Noel, or Santa Claus, got started.

I did not tell him my favorite part of the real St. Nicholas story: How the bishop of Myra attended the Council of Nicaea as a defender of Trinitarian doctrine against the heresy of Arianism and how he supposedly punched the arch-heretic Arius right in the face!

With that image of “action hero Santa” in mind, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Gates of beauty

Open now thy gates of beauty,
Zion, let me enter there,
Where my soul in joyful duty
Waits for Him Who answers prayer.
Oh, how blessèd is this place,
Filled with solace, light and grace!

These words comprise the first verse of Catherine Winkworth's translation
of an 18th Century German hymn based on Psalm 100. During her lifetime (1827-1878), Winkworth translated more than 80 German "chorales" dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries for use in the Church of England. Her work has never been equaled and her translations are well-known not only to Anglicans, but also to English-speaking Lutherans around the world. She is credited with introducing a distinctively German musical form to a culture shaped by the English language. Winkworth also had 44 of her original poems published (in English), as well as two books documenting the foundation of mission work among the poor. The daughter of a wealthy textile mill owner, she herself was involved in charitable work among the disadvantaged in Victorian England and was a tireless advocate of higher education for women.

"Open now thy gates of beauty" ran through my mind as I gazed upon the newly installed gates to our mission. God willing, this will be a place of His solace, light and grace. There are three gates, one large one for vehicles and large groups of people, and two smaller ones for normal entrance from the street. All three incorporate Luther's seal (the
cross inside a heart inside a rose) as part of their design. The plan was to have Luther's seal on only one gate, but the man who did the ironwork was really taken with the design. Luz María was at pains to explain to him that the seal is not just a decoration, but is meant to identify who we are and what we believe.

Recently Luz María ran across a new community profile of La Caramuca that someone had printed up. Under the "Religion" heading, it said that there were two churches in La Caramuca, one being the Roman Catholic church on the plaza and the other being "Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones" ("Christ For All The Nations"). The second one would be our mission, because we dutifully distribute tracts printed by CPTLN, the Spanish arm of Lutheran Hour International Ministries. CPTLN has been broadcasting on Venezuelan radio and television since the 1940s and the phrase "Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones" is a familiar one, but CPTLN is not as strongly associated in people's minds with the Lutheran Church of Venezuela as we might like.

The struggle to establish an identity for the Lutheran Church of Venezuela takes on an added note of seriousness when you consider there is a decidedly non-Christian group active in Venezuela with a history of copying Lutheran symbols. This would be the Rosicrucian Fellowship, which has 20 lodges and chapters across Venezuela, including nearly all the cities where the Lutheran Church of Venezuela has congregations.

"Rosicrucian" is derived from both the Latin and German words for "rosy cross" and it is no accident that the Rosicrucians have an emblem that incorporates both a rose and a cross like Luther's seal.

The Rosicrucian Fellowship is one of those groups that seek esoteric or "hidden" knowledge under a veneer of Christian symbolism and terminology. Invariably such groups deny the sufficiency and clarity of the Bible as the rule of faith and seek a "deeper" source of knowledge.

At first the Rosicrucians claimed to have discovered the "philosopher's stone" (the secret of transmuting metals, especially lead into gold) and the key to physical immortality. Nowadays the Rosicrucians run newspaper ads making more modest promises of health and wealth. The main distinction between the Rosicrucians and other esoteric groups, from the Cathars of the 12th Century all the way back to the Gnostics of the early Christian era, is that the Rosicrucian movement emerged in 17 Century Germany, that is to say, against a background of Lutheran orthodoxy. Imagine, if you will, that the more recent New Age Movement in the United States had started in Wisconsin rather than California.

In fact, one of the founding documents of Rosicrucianism was written byJohann Valentin Andreae, a grandson of Jakob Andreae, one of the signers of the Formula of Concord in 1577 and an editor, along with Martin Chemnitz, of the Book of Concord in 1580. Johann Andreae was something of a wayward youth, having been expelled from the University of Tubingen for playing a practical joke and later flunking his ordination exam at the Stuttgart Consistory. Eventually, however, he was ordained a Lutheran pastor and became quite the respectable citizen. He freely admitted writing in his younger days the document that had come to be associated with Rosicrucianism, but claimed it was intended as a parody of similar writings. Not everyone believed this, and Johann Andreae's name still had enough of an association with the occult for him to be identified as one of the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion, a "secret" organization actually founded in 1956, but which claimed origins in antiquity. The Priory of Sion was exposed as a hoax by scholars and journalists in the 1960s, but its false claims were asserted to be factual by author Dan Brown in the preface to his notorious novel, The Da Vinci Code.

The Rosicrucians later developed ties with the Masonic Lodge and piggybacked on the movement of Freemasonry throughout the world. As I have written before, the Masonic Lodge also is quite active in Venezuela.

Candles in the dark

On Sunday, October 19, Pastor Adrian Ventura, president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, visited Barinas. That morning at Corpus Christi Lutheran Church, Eduardo played the guitar, I led the opening Service of the Word, and Pastor Adrian preached and administered the sacrament of Holy Communion. His sermon was excellent, but perhaps the most notable aspect of the service was that as it was underway, Venezuela experienced its third nationwide power blackout in the last six months. The electricity was cut off that morning and for most of the rest of the day.

The church has no air-conditioning, but there are two banks of fans on each side of the sanctuary to provide ventilation. However, these were not working during the blackout. Pastor Adrian and I both were wearing white albs over our regular clothes. Generally Venezuelans handle the tropical heat better than North Americans, but I noticed Pastor Adrian's face also was shining with sweat by the end of the service.

Later that afternoon, Pastor Adrian visited La Caramuca with Eduardo and Armando Ramos, former pastor in residence at Tierra de Gracia Lutheran Farm.

The following day, October 20, we experienced another blackout in the evening. This one was local, affecting only La Caramuca, although that did not make a lot of difference to us. In addition to the three nationwide blackouts, there have been an increasing number of local blackouts nearly every week. Like most developing countries, Venezuela suffers from a lack of
adequate infrastructure (roads, telephone and electrical lines, waterworks). Years of inadequate public investment in infrastructure have resulted in a decaying power grid that is no longer capable of meeting consumer demand.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of electric lights, Luz María and I hosted our regular Monday confirmation class by candlelight. We have five young people who have been faithfully attending confirmation class on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. One of them is Sandro Peréz, the boy
who recently was hospitalized for dengue fever. We thank God that he is completely recovered. Our goal is to have these five confirmed by Pastor Ted Krey on November 2, when he visits Barinas for perhaps the last time before leaving Venezuela for the Dominican Republic.

Beating on Barney

The new semester for our preschool began today. We have 27 children, ages 2 to 6, enrolled so far. Some parents wanted to enroll children under two years of age, but we are not prepared to give nursery care at this point.

We celebrated the first day of preschool with a piñata shaped like Barney the Dinosaur. To be honest, I experienced a guilty pleasure in seeing small children attacking the extremely annoying TV character. I would have liked to have taken a few whacks myself. But as none of the children were able to break the piñata, the cheap thrill of seeing Barney take a beating faded as each child took his or her turn and the minutes mounted. Finally Luz Maria sliced Barney open so the kids could do the customary dive for candy and trinkets. A good time was had by all.

This past Saturday, Luz Maria and I visited the home of Jordi Duque (13), one of the recipients of a Children's Christian Concern Society scholarship in La Caramuca. Jordi's 15-year-old brother, Leonard, had been suffering from a combination of hepatitis and dengue fever. The fever seems to have passed after 12 days. We prayed with Leonard and his family for continued recovery.

Hepatitis perhaps needs no explanation, but for those of you unfamiliar with dengue fever, it is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes found in tropical and subtropical areas, the primary carrier species being Aedes aegypti. Symptoms of classic dengue fever include high fever, skin rash and severe inflammation of the muscles and joints.

There is no vaccine for dengue fever and no treatment except for plenty of bed rest, fluids and acetaminophen to kill the pain. Although it is painful, most people (especially adults) recover from classic dengue fever in about two weeks. However, there are two other forms of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, that can be fatal, especially to children. The chances of contracting these more dangerous forms of dengue fever increase with successive infections.

In our part of La Caramuca there has been a concerted effort to eliminate or disinfect the free-standing pools of water where the mosquitoes breed (this is the only way to control the spread of the disease). But Jordi, his mother and two brothers are extremely poor and live in a section where there is little effective sanitation. Jordi and his family live in a shack cobbled together from leftover pieces of wood and sheet metal. They have no indoor plumbing, only a basin for water out back.

However, their lot in life is improving as they have qualified for a government housing program in which a better house will be built for them. Concrete for the foundation will be poured this week.

Once again we would express our gratitude to Children's Christian Concern Society (CCCS) for providing scholarships for Jordi and 11 other children of needy families in La Caramuca. Based in Topeka, Kansas, CCCS supports Christian education in countries around the world. Here it is a struggle for many families to afford books and basic school supplies, and children often drop out of school after sixth grade.

It took some time, but Luz Maria finally completed her "overview of the Bible" course with the group in Punta Gorda. These were the last students to complete the course and Luz Maria found their last class to be a very positive experience. She was delighted that one man said he at last understood the image of the Cross was a symbol for Christ's suffering and atonement for the sins of all people and not an object of idolatry. To put this in context, Christian symbols in Venezuela are often used in a superstitious way. For example, it is common for people to paint a simple cross on the outside of their houses because they believe the image of the cross itself drives evil spirits away. Likewise, keeping a Bible open to Psalm 91 is supposed to guard against evil spirits during the night.

Even more important, he said he now understands how completely Christ's atoning death on the cross covers all sins and that one does not have to try and stay on God's good side by observing all kinds of rules that He has not commanded. One idea that many people have is that taking even one sip of an alcoholic beverage will send you straight to hell. This, too, is something of an overreaction against the prevailing culture. Abuse of alcohol and other drugs is widespread throughout Venezuela, and compounds the cycle of family instability and poverty in which so many are trapped.

We do not believe the Bible flatly condemns the consumption of alcohol, but following the teaching 1 Corinthians 8, we respect those who wish to break free of this cycle and see even the moderate use of alcohol as too much of a temptation. We do not ridicule them for this, and we strive to avoid even the appearance that we condone alcohol abuse. But we will not compromise the truth that we are saved through faith and not by works, especially by man-made codes of conduct, and we rejoice when someone recognizes this.

Pastor Edgar Brito has begun training me and other men to help him with the liturgy. For the last couple of years, his Sunday-morning congregation has been composed almost entirely of women, but that is changing. Two adult men were recently confirmed as members and two or three other men have said they wish to begin confirmation instruction. Pastor Edgar sees an opportunity to improve male participation in Sunday worship, consistent with our belief in male responsibility for leadership in the home and the church. This teaching is hard to get across in Venezuela where men to avoid responsibility in the home and the church, especially if the church seems to be dominated by women.

Pastor Edgar takes the liturgy very seriously. During our recent vacation Bible school, he explained the word "antiphon" to the children, which certainly going to more trouble than I would have. Members of the Corpus Christi congregation take the liturgy seriously, too. Another man told me what he liked about the appointed lectionary was that he could study the lessons for each Sunday for several hours the week beforehand, again quite putting me to shame.

Corpus Christi uses "Oficio Divino", a simple Spanish order of service developed by Edmund Mielke, a former Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod missionary to Venezuela. On Sundays without Holy Communion, the public confession and absolution of sins is followed by the service of the Word, in which the Apostle's Creed is recited prior to the sermon, which is followed by offering, prayers and closing benediction. On Holy Communion Sundays, the Nicene Creed is recited before the sermon and the Lord's Supper is celebrated between the prayers and the closing benediction.

"Oficio Divino" includes copious notes in the margins explaining the Biblical and other historical sources of the liturgy. It helped me greatly in my developing appreciation of the liturgy to understand how it was rooted in forms of worship used in the Old Testament as well as the first century and later eras of the Church.

There are talented people in the Corpus Christi congregation and one such person is Yelitza Valderrama. Yelitza tutors children during the week at Corpus Christi and also teaches Sunday school (her tutoring also is funded by CCCS). Her activities with the children include helping them to express themselves through dance (virtually all Venezuelans love to dance). There are Christian versions of popular music styles in Venezuela and Yelitza will slip a CD of these tunes in a boombox and choreograph a dance routine for the kids.

She and the children from Corpus Christi did that for our Sunday school kids in La Caramuca last Thursday. They used a recording of an example of Christian "reggaeton". Reggaeton is a form of dance music that originated either in Puerto Rico or Panama. It combines Jamaican reggae rhythms with elements of rap and hip-hop and is usually characterized by a type of line dancing. The routine the kids practiced in La Caramuca included backflips, spinning around on one's head and other moves that I couldn't do even when I was young. The words went something like this:

People of Christ here are singing, yes, yes,

Introducing a new style,

Powerful reggae music sounding,

People of Christ, He is the Lord that I will speak of to you,

And they ask me, What's up? What's up with the reggae?

The music that I sang before, forget it, forget it.

I want, I want my country for Christ,

The words of salvation describe my song,

Because I want my nation for Christ,

I broadcast this message, that you may be aware,

Record in your mind that Jesus is coming in power,

All that I knew was lost, I had no other choice,

To find purpose in my life, I tried drugs and other bad things,

But one day I was able to see the sad reality and was able to change for the love of God.

H