Saddle up the burro for Bethlehem!

 

At last we began the preparation for our Lord’s birth and the mystery of the Incarnation! On Sunday, November 27, we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath. The Gospel reading appointed for the first Sunday of Advent according to the historic lectionary is Matthew 21:1-9. This is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ last entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Why jump ahead in the narrative? The Palm Sunday story is a fulfillment of the prophecy that the King would come in humility, on a mission of peace and reconciliation (Zechariah 9:9). But the King was born into this world in humility and with the announcement of “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Also, the very beginning our Lord’s life points toward the Cross.

Oddly enough, none of the Evangelists mention Mary riding on a donkey, although it’s been a staple of Christian art for centuries. First of all, it’s a reasonable assumption: Donkeys were a common form of travel, and it is hard to imagine a woman in the last stages of pregnancy walking the 111 kilometers (70 miles) between Nazareth and Bethlehem. Also, there is the image of Jesus entering David’s city the first time on a donkey (in Mary’s womb) and for the last time as well.

Both the Gospel reading (Luke 21:25-36) and the Old Testament lesson (Malachi 4:4-6) for the second Sunday in Advent remind us that not only does the Nativity story point to the Cross, but also to the Final Judgment, with Christ enthroned in glory rendering judgment on the nations.

The blue candles symbolize not only the anticipation of Christ’s birth, but this end-time hope as well. The third candle is rose-colored to signify that Christ’s great day is not only closer than it was 2,000 years ago, but closer than when we first believed, as well.

A thorn in the flesh

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” 2 Corinthians 12:7

Between the first and second Sundays of Advent, I was hospitaled for a heart attack. I thank God for Luz Maria and her family, doctors and nurses in Barinas and fellow pastors of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. It was an object lesson for me on the importance of taking care of my health. The episode evidently resulted from psychological stress, high blood pressure and poor circulation. Also, lack of proper hydration, which is more important than one might think in a tropical climate. Water improves blood circulation.

My plan of recovery involves trying to clean out my blood stream with reduced caffeine consumption, better sleep management, more fruit juice and vegetables, and medication. Oh yes, I have to lose weight, too. 

I was unconscious for most of my night in the hospital, but Luz Maria tells me that while I was in emergency, Sra. Blanca Aponte, the widow who live next door to the mission was brought in, also having suffered a heart attack. As I left the hospital, Eduardo Garrido was brought in for an appendicitis operation. Eduardo was baptized in our mission, but has yet to take first communion.

 Please pray for all who suffer infirmities here with minimal resources.

And now a word from our sponsor

Thanks be to God, the costs of my medical treatment are covered by the excellent group health insurance plan provided by Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO). In many parts of the world, there has been an increased emphasis on the theological education of national church workers to carry on in the event that missionaries sent from the United States have to leave. But there remains the problem of supporting the work of national missionaries in impoverished economies. There are confessional Lutheran church bodies around the world, but not all have the financial or human resources to set up an effective missionary support system.

GLO does not call, ordain, commission or send missionaries, but rather facilitates the sending of Lutheran missionaries who have been called, ordained, commissioned, or appointed by their local or national church body. I was ordained by the Lutheran Church of Venezuela, a partner church of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and a member of the International Lutheran Council. But times are hard for many people in Venezuela, and our mission congregaton would not be able to support a pastor on its own, even if everyone tithed. But the spiritual and physical needs are still there.

For an assessment of 10 percent of donations received by each GLO missionary, GLO provide top-notch, ongoing missionary care, according to the needs of each particular missionary, including training, language learning, medical insurance, and emergency evacuation. On December 27 GLO wants to raise enough funds to provide support services to its missionaries for a full year, without increasing the 10 percent missionary assessment. A special fundraising Web site will be open from 2:00 pm EST. December 27, until 1:59 pm EST, December 28. Just for these 24 hours, each dollar donated at the site will receive $3-4 in matching funds.

Once past Christmas Day, I will send you more information. We are not asking our long-term partners to pledge more than they already have. But if you, or any individual or organization you know, would like to help out GLO in this regard, please give this some thought.