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.”

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. 

Our journey there and back again

We rented this bus to take the youth on a retreat in 2015.

A Venezuelan Facebook friend recently observed that, in 2007, a new car cost about 30,000 bolivares, Today, 30,000 bolivares buys a one kilogram bag of sugar. Such is the magnitude of Venezula's skyrocketing inflation, which is expected to continue.

If we could have predicted this situation, we might not have turned down the offer of a used car back in 2005. A car or light truck would have been useful for transporting people and supplies, but we decided the stated price versus the condition of the vehicle meant it was not such a great deal.

So, for more than decade, we have relied on taxis and buses, sometimes hiring a truck to carry construction materials. Sometimes, the logistics were tricky, but we made due without too much difficulty. Recently, however, the situation has gotten much worse, and the purchase of our own vehicle is far beyond our reach.

It's more complicated than simply costs that double every 17 days, although raising funds to keep up with the inflation is a concern. We also have to cope with limits on how much cash we can withdraw from the bank in one day. You can withdraw a maximum of 10,000 bolivares per day from an ATM machine, regardless of how much you have in your account. If you have time to wait two or three hours to talk to a bank clerk, you may withdraw a maximum of 30,000 bolivares.

One thing we have going in our favor is being able to do most of our financial transactions on-line. Even so, after someone stole the fiber optic cable that provides voice and data communications for La Caramuca, not only were we without telephone and Internet access at the mission, none of the businesses in La Caramuca could accept electronic payments through their point-of-sale devices. We are thankful that landline service has been restored.

Nevertheless, the taxis, buses and trucks for hire alway require cash payment. A bus into Barinas now costs 500 bolivares per person, while taxi fare is 20,000 bolivares. Obviously, the buses are more economical. But taking the bus is very slow, because there are fewer buses in service. Luz Maria had to wait three hours the other day for bus back to La Caramuca from her mother's house in Barinas.

So we have to carefully plan our trips into town, based on amount of time and money that we have available each day. But our worries do not end with the rising cost and declining availablity of public transportation. Let me illustrate by describing our recent trip to Caracas.

Twice a year the Lutheran Church of Venezuela schedules national pastors conferences. There are fewer than 20 ordained pastors in the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, so it's easy to get us all in one room. Maybe we could all stuff into a phone booth, if there still were phone booths around. I missed the last one because on the day that Luz Maria and I were to leave for Caracas, there was a blockade on the highway to Caracas.

Things have quieted down a bit since then, so the first week in October we set out for Caracas. Our bus had mechanical problems once along the way, but otherwise the trip was uneventful. There's not much to say about the pastors conference, either, although some positive action was taken.

On the day we planned to return to La Caramuca, however, we were unable to buy bus tickets. All the bus lines now require that you buy tickets on the day of departure, and on the day of our departure we discovered that none of the bus lines in Caracas would accept electronic payment. They wanted cash, to the tune of 30,000 to 40,000 bolivares per person. By the next day, we were able to come up with the cash, after visitng several banks where Luz Maria and I have accounts (not all of them had any cash for us to withdraw at all).

So we left by bus the following evening. (There are, by the way, only two flights each week out of the Barinas airport, to and from Caracas on Friday and Sunday, so traveling by air is not more convenient and is still more expensive). But that's not the end of our story.

As we were on the way back to Barinas, at about 10 that night, the bus blew a tire and started swerving across the highway, just barely missing oncoming traffic. But that's not what frightened the passengers most. No one thought the blowout was an accident. There have been reports of gangs strewing sharp objects across the highway for just that purpose. When the bus is disabled, the robbers take all the luggage, everyone's wallets, cellphones and other paraphernalia, even shoes and clothing that look expensive.

Fortunately for us, if the blowout was the result of such a trap, the gang was busy elsewhere. The driver, his assistant and two young passengers who agreed to help, were able to replace the tire quite rapidly and we were on our way. However, this shows why travel in Venezuela has become both slower and more risky.

This happened the week after the day on the church calendar dedicated to St. Michael and all angels (September 29), so we remembered Martin Luther's evening prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray You to forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Do not despise these little ones

We were invited to give a presentation at CEIB "Las Delicias", another preschool in La Caramuca, to kick off a new school year on September 28, 2015. This was the day before the Day of St. Michael and All Angels on the church calendar, and the first part of the appointed Gospel lesson for that day (Matthew 18:1-11) fit the occasion very well.

There is a lot of substance in this entire passage. In verses 8-9 we find these well-known words: "And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.   And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire." That is enough material for a sermon right there.

There also is the profound truth in verse 11;  "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."

But I used the first six verses for our opening devotion: "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them  and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,  but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

I explained that little children are not capable of providing for their own needs, or even understanding their needs, but must depend entirely on their parents for everything. "To enter the kingdom of heaven as a little child" means to realize that we are incapable of saving ourselves from our sin and must trust completely in God for our redemption and not our own good works. The passage also emphasizes the importance of small children to the Lord, and the great responsibility and opportunity we have as parents and teachers in the formation of faith and morals in our young ones.

This was the springboard for Luz Mariá's PowerPoint presentation about the Scriptures as the source of our values. We have the moral law written in our minds and hearts, but because of our sinful nature, we have the perfect knowledge of God's will, we are also rebel against their will because of our pride and selfishness. However, Scripture is the revelation of the moral law in its fullness, also the good news of Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins on the cross and therefore we restored to a right relationship with God.

We had no special weekday service, but on Wednesday I talked with the preschool children about verse 10 of Matthew 18, which ties in with the Day of St. Michael and All 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."

There still are churches dedicated to St. Michael.

Sometimes called "Michaelmas", the observance of this day on the church calendar dates back to the fifth century A.D. with the dedication of a church outside of Rome to the Archangel Michael. The Lutheran Reformers removed from the church calendar many saints' days that had no basis in the Holy Scriptures. But they retained the Day of St. Michael and All Angels because, of course, angels are mentioned in the Bible. Michael is one of the holy angels given names (the other is Gabriel) and he is presented as the defender of God's people in times of trial. He appears in both the Old and New Testament in visions of the end times.

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:1-2

And in Revelation 12:7-12, Michael and his army of angels are associated both with Christ's victory over the devil on the cross and with the Final Judgment.

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,  but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.  And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  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.  Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Images like these often are the object of
idolatrous worship in Venezuela.

In our confirmation classes, when we discuss the Apostle's Creed, we speak of the angels as God's (normally) invisible creations, who have power and knowledge beyond what we have. But there are only two classes of angels: The holy angels who exist solely to do God's will and are therefore not to be prayed to or worshiped; and the devil and his angels, who are the adversaries of God and humanity, and are therefore not to be prayed to or worshiped. In Venezuela, many people use images of the Archangel Michael for idolatrous purposes. For example, they carry pictures of Michael in their wallets for good luck.

With the preschool children, I spoke of all the times that angels appeared to people in the Bible, starting with the angel with the flaming sword barring Adam and Eve from returning to the Garden of Eden, and emphasizing the appearance of Gabriel to Mary, the chorus of angels that announced the birth of Jesus, and the angels who told the women at Christ's tomb of His resurrection. And, although we cannot see them now, there are angels all around us today, watching over us. As Psalm 91:11 says, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."