For the Life of the World - Volume Three, Number Two

LIFE

The Prayer that Jesus Gave - p.6“Lord, Remember Us in Your Kingdom, and Teach Us to Pray...” - p.8

Prayer: The Voice of Faith - p.10Urbanology: Reflections on Mission for the City - p.12

In The Field - p.14

WORLDof the

For the

April 1999. Volume Three, Number Two

EDUCATIONAL — INSPIRATIONAL

LAND OFLUTHER

Hosted by Prof. Lawrence Rast,Asst. Professor of Historical Theology& Rev. Scott Klemsz, Publisher,

For the Life of the World

$2395Day 1 - DepartureDeparture from USA to Germany.Day 2 - Frankfurt/EisenachGreeting & motorcoach through countrysideinto former East Germany. Welcome dinner.Day 3 - Eisenach/Eisleben/BerlinWartburg Castle, Bach Museum & Lutherbirth site. Dinner in Berlin.Day 4 - BerlinBerlin City Center, Kaiser Wilhelm Church,Bauhaus Museum, Nikolai quarter, UnterDen Linden, Brandenburg Gate, Reighstag,and Charlottenburg Palace. Also shopping,sightseeing or independent exploration time.Day 5 - Wittenberg/Torgua/LeipzigVisit Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the inspiringCastle Church, “Stadt Kirche” and Luther-halle. Katherine von Bora’s home & TorgauCastle.Day 6 - Leipzig/Weissenfels/CoburgVisit the magnificent St. Thomas Kirche andSt. Nicoai Kirche. Weissenfels winery &Hummel porcelain factory.Day 7 - Coburg/RothenburgLuther’s Augsburg Confession refuge castle& the nearly intact medieval walled-city ofRothenburg. Christmas Village of KatheWolfhart.Day 8 - Ulm/Munich/RuhpoldingSpectacular Ulm Cathedral, MunichOlympic Stadium, the Maruenplatz, Old &New Town Hall & the celebrated “Glocken-spiel.” Continue into the magnificent Alps.Day 9 - Ruhpolding/SalzburgMozart’s birthplace & the imposing Holen-salzburg Fortress and Museum. Shopping,sightseeing or independent exploration time.Day 10 - DepartureMorning departure from Munich to arrive inUSA during the evening.

SEPTEMBER 1 - 10, 1999MAY 30 - JUNE 12, 1999

FOOTSTEPSOF ST. PAUL*

Hosted by Dr. Dean Wenthe,President, Concordia Theological Seminary& Prof. Richard Nuffer, Assoc. Professor

Pastoral Ministry & Missions

$2399Day 1 - DepartureDeparture from USA to Europe.Day 2 & 3 - IstanbulBascilica of St. Sophia, the Blue Mosque,The Hippodrome and theUnderground Cistern.Day 4 - NiceaThe Museum of St. Sophia.Day 5 - AnkaraThe Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.Day 6 - CappadociaVisit most unique of the 3,500 area RockChurches.Day 7 - KonyaVisit a well preserved SeljukCaravanserai. Lystra & Derbe.Day 8 - Antioch, PamukkaleSite of Paul’s first recorded sermon,hot springs & Roman baths & ruins.Day 9 - Laodicea, Ephesus &KusadasiTheatre where Paul defended himself andmarble streets where he walked.Day 10 - Ismir & IstanbulShopping, sightseeing or independentexploration time.Day 11 - Istanbul & USAMorning departure from Istanbul to arrive inUSA during the evening.*OPTIONAL EXTENSION - $700GREEK ISLAND CRUISE - ATHENSDay 10 - Greek Isles Cruise - PatmosDay 11 - Greek Isles Cruise - RhodesDay 12 - Greek Isle Cruise - HeraklionDay 13 - AthensDay 14 - Mycenae, Corinth & AthensDay 15 - Departure

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APRIL 1999 3

Dear Friend in the Faith,

It is no secret that we live in remarkable times. On the one hand, the advances in technology dazzle us daily with ever smaller andfaster computers. There is much to be thankful for in these achievements as they enhance and advance our ability to communicate, totreat those in medical need, and to apply such technology to a myriad of other uses. On the other hand, there is increasing evidencethat such advances do not result in more knowledgeable or virtuous people. Despite the multiplication of degrees, there is growingdata which suggests that the majority of our population is more rather then less ignorant concerning basic grammar, great literature,world history, and fundamental mathematics.

More critical than any measurement of simple knowledge is the growing awareness that there seems no longer to be a consensusin many circles about basic questions of what is right and what is wrong. The killing of the unborn and the elderly ... the casual aban-donment of marriage vows and parental responsibility ... the more public embrace by leaders in business, government and entertain-ment of lifestyles previously regarded as immoral: these developments jolt that part of our population with memories of a differentand more sensitive culture.

What is the church to do in such a setting? While we might be tempted to be discouraged, there are unique opportunities to serveChrist in such a dark epoch. First, of course, is the call to hold up the Scriptural vision with fidelity and clarity. How radically criti-cal the Scriptures are of human pride and pomposity as they empty human life of its significance before the Triune God! How redemp-tive is the Gospel when contrasted with the tottering toys that our culture bows down before! Secondly, we are called to engage in arigorous analysis of the sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant assumptions that undergird our culture’s thinking.

Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS) is devoted to both tasks - to a faithful confession of Christ as He is portrayed in the SacredScriptures and to critical reflection about what forms the minds and habits of human beings at the threshold of the third millennium.In this latter effort, the words of H. Richard Niebuhr in his classic Christ and Culture (1951, p. 131) are still poignant: “The Christ-ian-and any man-must answer the question about what he ought to do by asking and answering a previous question, ‘What is my pur-pose, my end?’” Increasingly people assume that they have no purpose and that death is the end. Period. How tragic!

When the church capitulates to cultural trends at the expense of fidelity to Christ, the tragedy is compounded. This meltdown inChristian truth and confession is movingly chronicled by Thomas C. Oden in Requiem (1995). Oden’s own description of his per-sonal pilgrimage back to Christ’s culture.

What a privilege and high calling the seminary has to serve a church which treasures the Scriptural truth and seeks to share the lightand life of Christ in this dark and dying epoch! Our baptism into Christ’s life, our nurture in His Word of life, and our participation inHis life at the altar all define us as people who have abundant life now and eternal life in Christ. Our purpose and our end are simplyto live in and for Christ until we rest in Him.

Enjoy and benefit from this issue of For the Life of the World. Each article points to Christ and the church’slife in Him. May this ancient prayer define your days, your life, and your end.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,Christ behind me, Christ before me,Christ beside me, Christ to win me,Christ to comfort and restore me;Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,Christ in hearts of all that love me,Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.(St. Patrick’s Breastplate)

Sincerely yours, in Christ’s service,

Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe,President, Concordia Theological Seminary

FROM THE

PRESIDENT

For the Life of the World4

F E A T U R E S

2 From the President

4 Letters to the Editor

6 The Incarnational Lifeby Rev. Dr. Arthur Just Jr.Professor Exegetical TheologyConcordia Theological SeminaryFort Wayne, Ind.

Our life in the church is incarnational, for itbrings us into communion with Jesus Christ sothat we might delight in Him.

8 Rituals and theEnactment of the Gospelby Rev. Dr. John W. KleinigLecturer at Lutheran Campus,North Adelaide, Australia

Rituals are important for Christians because theTriune God uses them to establish, sustain andextend the church on earth.

10 Born and Born Againby Debra L. Grime, MDSt. Louis, Mo.

At our physical birth, we receive a name. Atour spiritual birth, God writes His name on usas we are baptized, “In the name of the Fatherand of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

12 Kramer Chapel—The Jewel of the Seminaryby Pam KnepperManaging EditorFor the Life of the WorldKramer Chapel continues to represent thecenter of life at the seminary. For in this houseof worship, students, staff and faculty gather asa community to receive God’s gifts in His Wordand Sacraments. By gathering for worship, theseminary demonstrates the incarnationalcharacter of the Body of Christ—His Church.

14 In The Fieldby Pam KnepperManaging EditorFor the Life of the WorldFeatures the Rev. Rick Milas, Campus Pastorat University Lutheran Church at the Universityof Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.

FortheLIFE WORLDof

the

PRESIDENTRev. Dr. Dean Wenthe

PUBLISHERRev. Scott Klemsz

MANAGING EDITORPam Knepper

ART DIRECTORSteve Blakey

For the Life of the World is published quarterly by Concordia Theological SeminaryPress, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this pub-lication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For theLife of the World. Copyright 1998. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at FortWayne, Indiana. To be added to our mailing list please call 219/452-2150 or e-mailRev. Scott Klemsz at CTSNews. For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors andcongregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the United States andCanada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, FortWayne, Ind.

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APRIL 1999 5

This magazine is WONDERFUL! Thepearl in the crown of an already fantasticseminary. Please tell all your colleagues—including Dr. Wenthe—to keep up thegood work. This is exactly what thechurch is crying for.Rev. John M. BergVermillion, S. D.

In your March 1998 issue, the Rev.John Fiene stated, “We practice closedcommunion.” We find no mention ofclosed communion in the LutheranConfessions, nor do we find it in FranzPieper’s Christian Dogmatics. The 1943synodical catechism mentions closedcommunion in connection with Romans16 and 17. But this is hardly closed com-munion. Holy Communion is, by its verynature and will of Christ who instituted it,certainly not closed. Such a concept ofclosed communion reeks of legalism andan oversimplification of a very deep andcomplex theological issue.Rev. Robert BruecknerCentral Nyack, N.Y.

This letter is in response to the article writ-ten by Dr. Gene Veith in the March issueof For the Life of the World. Dr. Veith felthe needed to rip and back everything hecould to prove himself right about worshipin the LCMS.I choose to take a different approach.

And here it is: “Yet a time is coming andhas now come when the true worshipperswill worship the Father in spirit and truth,for they are the kind of worshippers theFather seeks.” (John 4:23)As you can see,Dr. Veith, Jesus says nothing about theblue hymnal.Danny MathisYorkville, Ill.

Your magazine is done in such a beautifulway, but more importantly, it is so wellgrounded in theWord. We really need thisone and I look forward to the next issue.Thank you so much.Erwin EsslingerFort Wayne, Ind.

Thank you for your recent issue of For theLife of the World which was devoted togiving amuch-needed caution about indis-criminately adopting from AmericanProtestantism worship styles which runcounter to our Lutheran heritage and tradi-tional liturgy. The articles are well-written,insightful and, for the most part, free ofthe polemics and misrepresentationswhich so frequently accompany this kindof discussion.I am looking forward to a future issue

which is devoted to exploring waysLutheran congregations can responsiblyuse liturgies and songs that are not consid-ered traditional. I am sure one article inthat issue would include a much-neededcaution about indiscriminately adoptingpractices, such as emphasizing externals(dress, posture, symbolism) over faith inthe heart; elevating liturgy above preach-ing; assuming that a worship service thatincludes Holy Communion is somehowbetter or more complete than a service ofthe Word.May our gracious Heavenly Father

guide all our discussions on this importanttopic and your magazine’s (and the semi-nary’s) participation in those discussions.Rev. Mark D. BrandtFrankenmuth, Mich.

Having just received theMarch 1998 issueof For the Life of the World, I am prompt-ed to drop you a note for a couple of rea-sons. First, may I compliment you and allwho are involved on this publication. Allof the subjects treated are so relative to thechurch today, and I was particularlyimpressed with Dr. Veith’s treatment inThrough All Generations and Dr.Gieschen’s beautiful presentation of FromWhere Do Christian Children Come?I am one of the older generation and

though I admit to a specific attachment tothe traditional worship settings with anattempt at understanding the completerationale behind the focus on the contem-porary, I have seen some of the failedattempts at throwing out so many hymnsin favor of all hymns of praise. I am thelast of the “old guard” here in Lincoln,having been here 57 years in the samecongregation.Andwhile in the new group,who have taken our places in the fifteencongregations in this circuit, we havesome brilliant youngmen. Several of themhave already demonstrated how complete-ly a church service of worship can change.I thank God this does not seem to be in theplans at my own congregation. I do seesome signs, too, of Generations X and Yseeking satisfaction for their spiritual livesthrough the traditional liturgies.Rev. Melvin TasslerLincoln, Neb.

Readers share their

LETTERSReaders share their

LETTERS

Your letters arealways welcome.

Please address them to:PamKnepper

6600NorthClinton StreetFortWayne, Indiana 46825-4996

Fax: 219-452-2227E-mail: [email protected]

The Lord’s Prayer is so short that it can be spoken in lessthan a minute. There is a depth to the prayer, however,which overwhelms everyone. Each word is crammedwith meaning and the prayer itself is repetitive, so thatminds wander. In so mouthing the vocables without

meaning we are at risk of “heaping up empty phrases” (battalogeo,Mt. 6.7) like the Gentiles who knew not how to pray. Then thereis Luther’s marvelous story about St. Bernard who complainedthat he could not finish a Lord’s Prayer without being interruptedby foreign thoughts which impeded his praying. When a friendexpressed surprise at this, St. Bernard bet him a stallion that hecould do no better. The friend took up the bet and began to pray,“Our Father who art in heaven ... “ Yet this thought had crept inbefore finishing the First Petition, “would the saddle belong to himalso, in case he won the horse?” He stopped the prayer and con-ceded victory to St. Bernard. Luther concludes, “If you are able tospeak one Lord’s Prayer without any other thoughts of your own,I shall consider you a master. I cannot do it” (What Luther Says,Vol. 2., pg. 1087).So a Christian learns to pray this prayer by fits and starts over

time. The Small Catechism’s teaching on the Lord’s Prayer (ThirdChief Part) is the best place to begin. Like that unnamed disciplein Luke’s gospel, so we ask, “Lord, teach us to pray [proseuch-esthai]” (Lk 11.1). The infinitive is in the present tense indicating,perhaps, that both the praying, and the learning how to pray, areboth ongoing activities in a Christian’s life.The Overall StructureEvery catechumen learns that there are seven petitions to thisprayer. But the very placement of each petition is significant.Aftercalling upon God as our Father in the Matthean version (Mt 6.9-13) we pray that God’s Name might be holy, that His Kingdommight come, and that His Will might be done on earth among us.These are the three “You-petitions,” the invocation of God direct-ly in the second person singular (verses 9c-10), and there is pro-gression fromGod’s Name, which brings God’s Kingdom throughthe Gospel so that, as hearts are changed, God’sWill can be enact-ed here on earth among His forgiven Christians. Then follow thefour somewhat longer “we-petitions” where we ask God for ourbread, that He might forgive our sins, not lead us into temptation,and deliver us from evil (verses 11- 13). Luther adds anothertremendous insight here, “The best part ... must be, “Thy name,Thy kingdom, etc. If this precedes, then that which is ours will cer-tainly follow” (What Luther Says, Vol. 2, pg. 1095).Two Versions of the Abba PrayerModern scholars (U. Luz, Matthew 1-7, pg. 371; J.D.G. Dunn,Prayer in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, pg. 617) point outthat the original language of the Lord’s Prayer was almost cer-tainly the people’s Aramaic, or (less likely) Hebrew since manyJewish prayers of that time (cf. the Shemoneh Esreh; the Qaddish)were formulated in Hebrew. At a very early time, however, theLord’s Prayer was incorporated into Matthew and Luke in Greekand these two forms still nourish the Church. Matthew’s version(6.9-13) especially retains a liturgical flavor-the three “You-peti-tions” begin with third person aorist imperatives and endwith sim-ilar rhythm and rhyme schemes. Such structure might betray anemphasis upon actually saying the prayer in corporate worship ormemorizing the prayer in catechesis.There is final rhyme also in Luke’s version (Luke 11.2 b-c), yet

two of the petitions (the Third and Seventh) are missing. Hencethe Lucan version has been called the more “abrupt” of the twoand possibly there is a more conscious echo here of Jesus’ actualprayer style (J.D.G. Dunn, Prayer in Dictionary of Jesus and theGospels, pg. 620). Both versions are probably slimmed down ver-sions of other Jewish prayers (particularly the Qaddish) whichwould have been known to contemporary Jews in longer, moreponderous forms. Luke shows (11.1) that Jesus taught this prayeras the model which would be peculiar to His disciples, overagainst those of John the Baptizer-and, one presumes, other rab-bis. So Jesus’ prime innovation was to teach His disciples theAbba prayer (Aramaic for “[O] Father!”), which is still reflectedin Luke’s very direct Pater ... (lacking Matthew’s “ ... Who art inheaven”).Such Pressing Need for Prayer!By now we have considered only the first word of the First Peti-tion in any depth, yet there is so much more to consider. Parishpastors can be of great service here as they teach the Catechismperiodically and so “learn the prayer” by constant repetition of itand familiarity. Perhaps they can be prevailed upon to preach theprayer sometimes to the entire congregation, petition by petition,and so allow a few of the wholesome “crumbs” to fall down to therest of us (cf Mt 15.27; Mk 7.28). Christians need to learn to praynow as our Lord Jesus taught us. Among the more compellingimages to emerge from the NewTestament is that of the strugglingchurch at prayer-virtually an embodiment of the Holy Ghost as theWord was preached and the Sacraments extended. In this way theHoly Ghost taught those first Christians how to pray, and so theybecame the new temple, the ones who bore God’s holy Name(A.A. Just, The Lord’s Prayer in Luke 9:51-24:53, pg. 461, addedemphasis). This proclamation, sacraments and reflective prayeractivity went on among all the threatened congregations of theNew Testament-”the Spirit of God interceding in our weakness”(Rom 8.26a, 27b)-and in proximity to various crises mentioned inthe New Testament narratives. Now our desperately godless agehas come full circle. Such prayers-and such praying-is of vital sig-nificance once again.Matthew’s Odd Expansion:“... on Earth as it is in Heaven”We must resist every tendency in ourselves and in our teachingwhich would reduce the Lord and His prayer to some basic moralimpulse. The Fifth Petition (“Forgive us ...”) seems the most obvi-ous place to scratch this surface, and once again the place-ment/order of petitions helps plumb the Gospel depths. Backingup a bit we note that the Third Petition in theMatthean version hasbeen expanded; thus, appended to “ThyWill Be Done” (Mt 6.10b)is the slight expansion, “ ... on earth as it is in heaven” (6.10c).Next comes the Fourth Petition (Bread), and only then the FifthPetition (Forgiveness). And so the following questions arise,“What does “earthly” Bread have to do with “spiritual” Forgive-ness?”And, “Does the Bread petition get in the way of or interruptthe flow of the idea that God’s Will might be done “... on earth asit is in heaven?”However, each component of the Lord’s Prayer is important and

serves the Gospel, even if we cannot see just how. To be sure, theexpansion of the Third Petition in Matthew may signify that “theFather’s concerns are earth-wide [and] bigger than [our own],”and that “we should pray more largely than we ... do” (F.D.

For the Life of the World6

THEPRAYERTHATJESUSGAVEBy the Rev. Dr. John Nordling

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy Will be done on earth as it is inu

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Bruner, The Lord’s Prayer in The Christbook: Matthew 1-12, pg.248). But such interpretation shifts the emphasis from God theFather, who is the Giver of all gifts (Gospel), and highlightsinstead ourselves and all that we can do (Law). And that wouldupset the focus and rhythm of the prayer, “First God bestows son-ship through Jesus, His Son, and with that gift comes holiness andrighteousness. Only then can one call upon God as Father and hal-lowHis Name” (A.A. Just, The Lord’s Prayer in Luke 9:51-24:53,pg. 464, added emphasis).Hence, the expansion to the Third Petition must do more than

stress the cosmic nature of the prayer (F.D. Bruner, The Lord’sPrayer in The Christbook: Matthew 1-12, pg. 248). Rather, it issome type of statement as to how God has “broken into this age inJesus” (A.A. Just, The Lord’s Prayer in Luke 9:51-24:53, pg. 466).We constantly minimize the Incarnation of our Lord, but JesusChrist the Creator has united heaven and earth in the flesh of HisSon (A.A. Just, The Lord’s Prayer in Luke9:51-24:53, pg. 468). This insight, then, willhave the greatest implication for “our dailyBread” = ton arton hemon ton epiousion, Mt6.11. Interpreters are at a loss as to what theadjective epiousios means here (cf. Lenski,269; Foerster; Luz, 380-83); most settle uponthe meaning, “Give us today our bread for themorrow,” and so the material dimensions ofBread are given fullest emphasis-as indeedthey are in Luther’s explanation to the FourthPetition. The idea that Bread means “every-thing that belongs to the support and welfareof the body” is a powerful one which meritsthe deepest contemplation by the people ofGod and thus many sermons proclaimed bytheir faithful pastors! The Catechism is sowonderfully concrete here, “all that we haveis ... a gracious gift of God [so that] we mayreceive it with thanksgiving” (Small Cate-chism, #228, original emphasis). Thus, thatwife, that particular car, that job and vocationare scarcely incidental but rather “on loan”from God by way of Fatherly grace andmercy.The Forgiveness of Sins:the “Chief Thing” in this PrayerBut there is still a dimension which manywho pray this prayer never consider.And thatis the idea that just as Bread is the staple of allphysical life (and the holy Lord’s Supper pro-vides sustenance to the communicant whichis both earthly and heavenly), so the forgive-ness of sins is the essential “food” for thespiritual life of a Christian, and our need for Forgiveness is con-stant and ongoing (A.A. Just, The Lord’s Prayer in Luke 9:51-24:53, pg. 469). The longest expansion in the prayer is appendedto the Fifth Petition: “... as we forgive those who trespass againstus” (Mt 6.12b). This same idea is elaborated upon by our Lord inthe verses which immediately follow the Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6.14-15) and so, by such emphasis, the “Chief Thing” of the Lord’sPrayer must be located precisely here, in the Fifth Petition.Therefore, this is either the most frightening idea in the world

(that we must suffer every one who does us wrong in order to beforgiven ourselves, cf. Dunn, 622), or a great comfort as we comeactually to realize the forgiveness of sins in the place where theLord has located each one of us to bear His Name. For the for-giveness depends not so much upon our Christ-like humility,

patience, and long-suffering (Law), as it is rather done to each ofus in spite of ourselves-screaming and kicking against the goads,as it were (Acts 26.14)-first in our holy Baptism into Christ, thenin our access to the proclaimed Gospel and the holyAbsolution ina specific locality, and only then, to be sure, reflected outward tothe other Christians and sinners among whom we have each beenset to be a Christian in actual fact.Here the prayer is so horrifyingly concrete whereas our old

Adam prefers abstraction. When we pray this Fifth Petition weshould not be thinking primarily about forgiving every bloke inthe world who might possibly do us wrong. Rather, God has seteach one of us among many fellow sinners with whom there isample opportunity to experience sin first hand and thengive/receive the forgiveness which Christ earned for us on thecross in actual fact. In addition to each one of us individuallywhom God forgives “daily and richly” (Small Catechism, Creed,

Third Article) must be set our own particularspouse, with all his/her particular sins whichvex us so particularly much. Then there areour children, other family members, and ofcourse the other Christians in a particular con-gregation where God has called me in partic-ular to hear the Gospel and receive the Breadof Life. In all these horizontal relationshipsvarious sins and slights are sure to come andin fact they will continue to sting throughoutlife. Nonetheless, Jesus has been given foreach one of us in particular and He meets usat the communion rail and forgives us vastamounts of sin every day in our baptism. Aswe contemplate the beauty of His cross, andhear the “He is risen!” from the pulpit, we tooenjoy forgiveness and life while in the midstof many sins and problems (Jn 3.14-15).Hence the sinning against and “owing” eachother in Christ are hardly incidental intrusionsinto lives of peaceful repose, but rather flesh-and-blood sinners who have been placed intoour paths deliberately by God the Father sothat our very limited and imperfect forgive-ness comes to mirror and even incarnate thefull and complete forgiveness we receiveeach day in Christ.

Of course, if we refuse to forgive, thatis indicative of an unfaith which insists thatGod deal with us as our sins deserve, notaccording to His mercy (parable of the unfor-giving servant, Mt 18.23-35), “He who willnot forgive his neighbor will not obtain for-giveness from God, but will in this petition

call down upon himself the anger of God” (Small Catechism,#234, original emphasis).So Much to Learn, So Little Time!But enough. We have glimpsed a facet or two of this many splen-dored diamond. Petitions remain untouched, along with the Dox-ology and the greatAmen. But there will be time for them later, inother opportunities to learn the prayer that Jesus gave. Is not ourChristian life a constant process of dying to self and rising to lifein Jesus, gazing first upon a few humble aspects of the Gospel,then desiring a bit more-and finally hungering and thirsting forrighteousness, like castaways in the desert (cf. Ps 42.1ff; Mt 5.6)?So in this matter of prayer, “Lord, teach us to pray!” (Luke 11.1).

The Rev. Dr. John Nordling is Professor of Latin at ValparaisoUniversity, Valparaiso, Ind.

7APRIL 1999

Like that unnamed disciple inLuke’s gospel, so we ask, “Lord,teach us to pray [proseuch-esthai]” (Lk 11.1). The infinitiveis in the present tense indicating,perhaps, that both the praying,and the learning how to pray, areboth ongoing activities in aChristian’s life.

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heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass againstOurFather,whoartinheaven,HallowedbeThyName;ThyKingdomcome;ThyWillbedoneonearthasitisin

For the Life of the World8

Introduction — The Our FatherRooted in Our Baptism into ChristWe should not take it for granted, that we have been given theprivilege of coming to God in prayer. Nor should we take it light-ly, that He has given us the very words with which to approachHim. Certainly, we should not presume that such prayer is our ownprerogative or a matter of personal choice. Rather, it is a gift ofdivine grace, that God is our dear Father, that we are His dear chil-dren, and that He has given us both the invitation and the meansto come boldly before Him. All of this in and through Christ, andgiven to us in the waters of our Baptism.From the earliest days of the Church, the Our Father— along

with the Apostles’ Creed — has had a special relationship to thesacrament of Holy Baptism. Catechumens in the early churchwould receive and learn these two Chief Parts of the Christianfaith during Lent; then, at their Baptism during the Great Vigil ofEaster, they would confess the Creed as they were immersed in thewater, and afterwards (on the basis of their Baptism) they wouldpray the Our Father for the first time ... together with the Church.To be sure, it is only by our Baptism into Christ, “the Son of

God”, that we, too, are given the blessed privilege of approachingthe LordGodAlmighty as “Our Father” ... just as dear children asktheir dear fathers here on earth (but thankfully, with even moreconfidence than we have in our human fathers).I. The Our Father as the Prayer of the Church CatholicBecause we pray to our Father in virtue of our Baptism into Christ,the Lord’s Prayer (like all Christian prayer, properly understood)is never “private” prayer; there is no such thing as a “privateChristian” or “private Christianity.” Even when we take it to theLord in prayer in the solitude of our own homes, we do so asmembers of the Body of Christ, as members of His Church ofall times and places. It is always our Father, and never simplymy Father.The use of the Our Father, in particular, along with other stan-

dard prayers (such as Luther’s Morning and Evening Prayers), isan important confession of this catholicity of the Church and ofour connection to it. Because the Our Father is part of our com-mon language as Christians, this is a special language we all speak

as fellow citizens of our Father’s Kingdom. For the words we use— even before we begin to “understand” them (in part intellectu-ally — the words God has spoken and given for us to repeat arewords that every Christian has received and speaks, a confessionof the one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of usall (Eph 4:4–5).The catholicity of theOur Father is demonstrated in the special

importance attached to the Fifth Petition (“forgive us our trespass-es, as we forgive those who trespass against us”), which Jesus reit-erates in His teaching of theOur Father (Matt. 6:14–15). Since wepray in communion with the entire Church — in the unity ofChrist Jesus — our relationship with others (especially our fellowChristians) is an integral part of our prayer.And, as Christians, thatrelationship is defined by forgiveness.We come before the Lord in prayer with repentance and a hum-

ble recognition of our own sins; for we know that of ourselves weare unworthy to stand in His presence, and that we do so only by

His tender grace and mercy toward us. Each and every prayer thatwe bring to Him, therefore, presupposes and depends upon Hisforgiveness. And in this confession of our own sin, in our relianceupon the mercy and free forgiveness of our gracious Lord, we forour part must “heartily forgive and gladly do good to those whosin against us.”In much the same way, we pray the Our Father as a matter of

discipline,because it lifts our hearts and minds above and beyondour own selfish cares and concerns to pray for the whole Church,for all who are the baptized children of God, our brothers and sis-ters in Christ, wherever they may be in His vast Kingdom. For allthat we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, we pray not only for our-selves, but for all who call upon God as their Father (and for allwhom He would call to be His children).II. The Our Father as THE All–Encompassing PrayerAlong these same lines, the Our Father is an all–encompassingprayer. It includes (alongwith forgiveness) everything we need forthis body and life, and for the life eternal; nothing is excluded.There is no situation or circumstance for which the Our Father isnot most ideally suited; nothing we might face which is notaddressed in these seven Petitions.Whenever we find ourselves at a loss for words (and St. Paul

tells us that we do not even know how to pray as we should [Rom8:26]), we find our recourse and take refuge in this Prayer taughtby our Lord Christ Himself. And even though our hearts andminds are never as pious or as focused as they should be, we canknow for a certainty that our lips are here guided by the words ofGod Himself; and that the Holy Spirit is thus praying with us . . .and so also for us . . . in our sinful weakness.When we pray and intercede for others, as well — for our fam-

ily and friends, for the Church, for those who are sick, etc. — thenagain the Lord’s Prayer is alwaysmost appropriate, a prayer for allseasons, as it were.Certainly, we should never feel that we have nothing to say, nor

worry that we aren’t being “creative” or “clever” enough. “Whenyou pray,” says Jesus our Lord, “do so in this manner” (St. Matt6:7, 9), “Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name... “

Accordingly, the Lutheran Church has always included theOurFather in every single one of her liturgies— great and small alike,both short and long.AndDr. Luther recommends in his Small Cat-echism that we include the Our Father in our daily prayers ... inthe morning when we rise, and in the evening when we go to bed,and both before and after every meal ...In short, as the children of God, we do as St. Paul writes, crying

out, “Abba! Father!” to our Father in heaven (Rom 8:15). “Abba,”as some of you might know, was the Jewish equivalent of“Daddy,” or the infant cooing of “Dadda.” Thus, in followingLuther’s advice (praying the Our Father at least eight times aday), we might properly think of ourselves as tiny infants learningto speak, babbling, “Dadda, Dadda, Dadda,” over and overthroughout our day, with the grateful affection of children for thevery dear Father who loves and cares for us.In praying this dear prayer with our own children, in turn, and

teaching them to pray in this way, we are passing onmore than justa single prayer.We teach them how to speak theWord of Godwith

“Lord,Rememberus inYour Kingdom, and

the language of faith. And we teach them the most basic patternof worship.II. The Our Father as Divine Service and WorshipThe fact of the matter is, that the Our Father embodies the entirescope of Divine Service and Christian worship in a nutshell. It isthe gracious Word of Christ to us, His work and His gift. Thisprecious thing is not of our own fabrication or design, nor is itanything that we could have thought or imagined. Like all DivineService, it comes to us from God. And when we pray in thismanner, it does not cease to be His Word and His work in us. Notthat our praying is the Gospel or a means of grace; but the wordsthemselves, with which the Lord has opened our lips to call uponHis Name, these are indeed agift of pure Gospel and grace.Our praying of the Our

Father, on the other hand, is agenuine good work of faith, asacrifice of repentance andthanksgiving, and an act ofworship in Spirit and Truth(that is to say, the worship ofthe Father through Christ inthe Holy Spirit, by means ofHis Word of Truth).How appropriate, there-

fore, and how richly multi-faceted the Our Father is inits use within the LutheranLiturgy. In Matins and Ves-pers, it is part of that daily(morning and evening) sacri-fice of prayer that rises beforethe Lord as the holy incenseof faith (Ps 141:2). In the Ser-vice of the Word, it is thesummary and conclusion ofany and all other prayers,encompassing all for which

the Lord would have us pray.Prior to the Words of Institu-tion in the Divine Service, itis a “Eucharistic” sacrifice(of thanksgiving), offered ingrateful anticipation of thewords and gifts of ChristHimself about to be received.And where it is used, according to the most ancient practice of

the Church Catholic, immediately prior to the distribution of theHoly Communion, the Our Father serves as our petition, that Hewould (by HisWord and Spirit) lead us to recognize the Body andBlood of Christ in the bread and wine, and that He would grant usto receive this Bread of Life and this Cup of Salvationwith thanks-giving, in true faith, and to our abundant blessing. It is indeed, aswell, a confession that He does all these things (and more).

Conclusion — Command, Promise, and NeedAs Luther reminds us several times over in his Small Catechism,God answers our petitions “even without our prayer.” Just as Hehas promised, “Before you call, I will answer; and while you areyet speaking, I will act.”(Is 65:24) Thus, everything we pray for intheOur Father (which includes all that we need for our bodies andsouls) is already granted freely and by grace alone in Christ Jesus.Our prayer is not a button or a cord that we push or pull for ser-

vice from the Lord, as thoughHewere a household servant insteadof our dear Father in heaven; as though He were not already (evenwithout our prayer) daily and richly providing us with all goodthings ... solely out of Fatherly, Divine goodness and mercy, with-

out any merit or worthinessin us. Just as He gives dailybread to all people, even tothe wicked, and causes Hissun to shine and His rain tofall on both the evil and thegood. But we pray that Hewould grant us grace to seeHis Fatherly hand in allthings, and to cling by faith toHim alone, trusting not inourselves but in Christ andHis mercy.But ultimately, we pray the

Our Father — and we do sowith confident faith in Christ— because He Himself hascommanded us to pray in thisway, and He has promised tohear us.We come to Him in prayer,in this respect, in much thesame way that we go tochurch and receive the HolySacrament: not because we“feel” like it (but especially

when we do not); not becausewe thereby do some great“favor” for the Lord; and cer-tainly not because we aresomehow worthy of our-selves to stand before Him.But simply because He hascommanded us to do so ...

because He has promised to be with us and to bless us ... andbecause we need His gracious mercy and forgiveness every day ofour lives.Thanks be to God that we have it without measure in His Son—

our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him alone be allhonor and glory and praise, both now and forever. Amen.

The Rev. D. Richard Stuckwisch is Pastor of Emmaus LutheranChurch, South Bend, Ind.

APRIL 1999 9

Teach us to ....”PrayPrayBy the Rev. D. Richard Stuckwisch

Prayer does not begin inthe human heart but in the hear-ing of God’s gracious words of life andsalvation spoken to us in the Gospel ofHis Son. Thus Luther explains the intro-ductory words of the Our Father saying,“With these words God tenderly invitesus to believe that He is our true Fatherand that we are His true children, so thatwith all boldness and confidence we mayask Him as dear children ask their dearfather.” Just as faith comes by the hearingof Christ’s words so prayer is created andsustained by the Word of the Lord.The confidence is not in the praying

heart but in the promises of God. In hisclassic little study of prayer, Psalms: ThePrayer Book of the Bible, Dietrich Bon-hoeffer writes, “The richness of the Wordof God ought to determine our prayer, notthe poverty of our heart” (p. 15). Thehuman heart, that cesspool of sin andunbelief, is hardly the fountain fromwhich the aroma of sweet smelling prayerarises. Indeed the Prophet Jeremiah says,“The heart is deceitful above all things,and is desperately wicked; who can knowit?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Christian prayer isnot based on the instincts of the heart,instincts that by their very nature rob usof the fear, love, and trust in God aboveall things. Instead, our Lord invites us topray in His name, that is, on the basis ofgood and gracious will and His surepromises.Often times prayer is described as a

conversation with God. This is a helpfulimage if we keep in mind that Godalways has the first word. We can speakto God in prayer only because God hasfirst spoken to us in His Son. We arereminded of this blessed reality in theprayer offices of Matins and Vespers asthe vesicle from Psalm 51:15, “O Lord,open my lips, and my mouth shall showforthYour praise,” is chanted. It is only as

10 For the Life of the World

TheVoiceof FaithPrayer:

TheVoiceof Faith

God has given His children a wonderfulprivilege in prayer. Prayer is abused if itis reduced to a spiritual technique foracquiring blessings from a stingy deity. TheGod who has given us His Son tenderlyinvites us to trust His Word and call uponHis name with boldness and confidence.

APRIL 1999 11

God opens lips locked by sin that mouthsare free for the full-throated prayer thatdelights the ears of our Heavenly Father.When we sinners try to open our own lipsin prayer, we know what happens. Insteadof praise and thanksgiving, intercessionand supplication, out come petitions ofself-justification and attempts to bargainwith God. Prayer then becomes a tool ofunbelief that is used in a vain and self-serving attempt to pry from the hands ofGod the answer that we want rather thanthe gifts that our Father would give us.When prayer becomes unglued from theWord of God, it is transformed into aweapon that sinners would use againstGod in a foolish attempt to have their ownwill done on earth.Prayer is not an instrument which we

use to get something fromGod. To use thelanguage of Lutheran theology, prayer isnot a means of grace. God richly and lav-ishly bestows the forgiveness of sins, life,and salvation on sinners for the sake ofthe atoning death of Jesus Christ. OurLord wills to give us these gifts in theconcrete and earthly instruments that Hehas designed and established for Hischurch. In baptism, God washes away oursin and gives us the gift of His name andSpirit. The words of absolution unchainus from the fetters of our sin by the powerof Jesus’ death. In the Lord’s Supper wefeast on the fruits of the new testamentgiven in body and blood of the Lamb ofGod. This means that when we are trou-bled and tortured by our sin and the hell-ish attacks of Satan we do take comfort inthe strength or sincerity of our praying butin rock-solid gifts won for us on Jesus’cross and delivered to us in the means ofgrace.C.F.W.Walther noted the spiritual dam-

age that is done when sinners are directedto their own prayers rather than theGospel, “ ... the Word of God is not right-

ly divided when sinners who have beenstruck down and terrified by the Law aredirected, not to the Word and the Sacra-ments, but to their own prayers andwrestlings with God in order that theymay win their way into a state of grace; inother words, when they are told to keepon praying and struggling until they feelthat God has received them into grace”(The Proper Distinction Between Lawand Gospel, p. 2). Our confidence is not tobe found in our prayers but in God’s workin Word and Sacrament. Pietism, both inits classical and contemporary forms,directs troubled consciences to prayer andthus burdens them with the law. The fruitof faith rather than faith’s source becomesthe focus and struggling sinners are set upeither for despair or pride.When law and Gospel are properly

divided, prayer will be seen as anchoredin and fueled by the Gospel. To use thewords of Eugene Peterson, “prayer isresponding speech.” That is, the Christianspeaks to God in prayer because he or shehas first listened to the Holy Trinity in HisWord. The Sacred Scriptures, the Cate-chism, and the liturgy tutor us in suchpraying.Adolph Koeberle writes that, “Prayer

escapes the danger of disorder and confu-sion only when it is enkindled by thewords of Scripture. From the Word pro-ceeds its inner justification, as well as itslife-giving power and the clearness of itspetitions. A prayer that does not stick toScripture will soon become poor in ideas,poor in faith, poor in love, and will final-ly die” (The Quest for Holiness, pp. 176-177). Martin Luther recognized howprayer is “responding speech” in theadvice on prayer that he gave to his bar-ber, Peter. Luther encouraged Peter to tiehis prayers to the text of Scripture, takinga text like one of the commandments andturning the text into a prayer (see “ASim-

ple Way to Pray” in Luther’s Works, Vol.43, pp. 193-211). In this way prayer isanchored in the Word of God and notallowed to become the play pen of humanemotion and imagination.Thus the Catechism became the prayer

book for Luther and the Lutheran Church.Not only did the Catechism providesplendid instruction in prayer shaped bythe Gospel as we can see from Luther’streatment of the “Our Father,” the Cate-chism also provided some very basicforms for prayer set within the rhythm ofdaily life (morning and evening prayer,prayer at meals). Moreover, the Cate-chism itself could be prayed!The liturgy also becomes a tutor in

Christian prayer as the liturgy not onlygives us the words and gifts of the TriuneGod, but also gives us God’s own wordsso that we might faithfully confess Hisgifts, extol His saving name, and callupon Him in prayer and intercession.Prayer shaped by the liturgy draws us outof our inborn selfishness, freeing us to useprayer in faith toward Christ and in lovefor the neighbor. As the liturgy is first andforemost, “Gottesdienst” (divine service)or God’s service to us, liturgical prayerreminds us that prayer is always aresponse to what God says and does.Hearing God’s words, we use His wordsto speak to Him.God has given His children a wonderful

privilege in prayer. Prayer is abused if it isreduced to a spiritual technique foracquiring blessings from a stingy deity.The God who has given us His Son ten-derly invites us to trust His Word and callupon His name with boldness and confi-dence.

Rev. John Pless is Campus Pastor ofUniversity Lutheran Chapel at the Uni-versity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.

FaithP

FaithBy Rev. John Pless

12 For the Life of the World

There have been and always will becities in North America that haverapid growth which at times is star-

tling but today has become a widelyaccepted reality. However, churchesincluding Lutheran churches, are strug-gling with these burgeoning cities. Bigcities are characterized by religious, ethnicand economic pluralism; lives which aremolded by industrialization and new tech-nologies; fluctuating economic condi-tions; and by the steady influx of people.All these factors areadversely affectingthe traditional Christ-ian community in thecities. At an alarmingrate Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod con-gregations are slowlybut surely loosingtheir foothold in theinner-cities. In viewof this, urbanologyhas become a keyphrase in churchesand at theologicalseminaries whereplans are now beingmade to initiate aninvestigation into thechallenges churchesface and hopefully tocome up with mean-ingful answers as to how they can be over-come.Inner-Cities Need MissionWhen dealing with inner-city life and itsimpact on churches, one priority item per-sists—urbanization has become oneof the great mission challenges ofour day. Urbanology therefore studiescore and peripheral issues related to bring-ing the message of salvation to an inner-city setting, either to where a churchalready exists or to where a church mustbe planted. Urbanology is missional, but afurther core principle of urbanology is that

it is also ministerial and sacramental.Every mission outreach of the church isstructured around theWord and the Sacra-ments which must be preached andadministered through the divinely institut-ed office of the church. The means ofgrace are undoubtedly the only meansthrough which the Holy Spirit sustains achurch or brings it into being. Urban mis-sion outreach is therefore principle orien-tated. It may never be blurred by a merepragmatic mind-set of making effective-

ness and success theultimate criterion. Toask “what is mosteffective” or to believethat “nothing succeedslike success” runs therisk of compromisingthe biblical and divinetruths. Instead, “God’sways are higher thanour ways” and they arethe only sure guide tothe future. So oftenresults of humaninquiry are promotedas “principles”. Justbecause some churchhas had a positiveexperience with certainapproaches does notmean that they apply toevery church every-

where. In effect, we very often substitutethe changing word of man for the eternalWord of God.Building Bridges to Peoplethrough Love and WorshipThe urban environment does not providethe same context as that of villages andsmall towns. The Christian communityneeds to find its way into the patterns oflife and thought which are characteristic ofurban settings. The modern frontier ofinner-cities is often multi-ethnicity andpoverty. Congregations in the inner-citymust reach out and build bridges to people

By Dr. Detlev Schulz

The basis of the Christian missionin urban areas is the presenceof worshipping communities.Congregations, where the Word ispreached and the Sacraments aredistributed, become the leavenfor Christian witness and serviceto neighbors. The worship lifeultimately transgresses andtransforms the lives of all thoseindividuals received into such abelieving community.

Reflections On

13APRIL 1999

who often understand the face of Christ asblack and poor. This is not only donethrough the call to repentance and faith,but it must also include the expression oflove because “love goes forth upon earth,among the people and does much good”(Apology IV: 226). Urban mission wouldbe misapplied if not applied at all if it wereto walk within a narrow evangelical orbit.Crossing frontiers and barriers implies thatthe proclamation of the church will haveto be made meaningful to the context ofthose people it administers through theministry of the Word and the deed. Thebasis of the Christian mission in urbanareas is the presence of worshipping com-munities. Congregations, where the Wordis preached and the Sacraments are dis-tributed, become the leaven for Christianwitness and service to neighbors. Thewor-ship life ultimately transgresses and trans-forms the lives of all those individualsreceived into such a believing community.Statistically Alone, The CityDemands Our AttentionThe city of Detroit serves as a good illus-tration for the serious state of urban Chris-tianity. In the last 50 years LutheranChurch-Missouri Synod congregations inDetroit have seen great changes. In 1947the Michigan District had 34 congrega-tions and the English District had 12 con-gregations in the city of Detroit. Now, in1998 the Lutheran Annual lists 25 congre-gations in the city of Detroit. There are 22in the Michigan District and three in theEnglish District. Despite a burgeoningcity, the congregations are suffering froma rapid decline in baptized members. Forexample, the current East Detroit circuit ofthe Michigan District had eight congrega-tions in 1947 with a total membership of9,642. These congregations peaked in1968 with 13,124 baptized members. Asof the 1997 statistics, these same eightcongregations had a total of 2,244 bap-tized members. A congregation that listed3,962 baptized members in 1968 closed in

1997. A congregation that listed 497 bap-tized in 1968 closed in 1979. Once a cen-ter of Missouri Synod Lutheranism, thechurches in the city of Detroit are seekingnew ventures in ministry and outreach tothe community. In light of this realityurban mission remains a high priority.Unmasking The Urban AnguishA commitment to the city mission findsitself in the midst of opposing “push-pull”forces. One of the forces which upsets thebalance of the Christian presence in allmajor cities is the significant drop in thepercentage of members. The above statis-tics of the city of Detroit are a reflection ofwhat is commonly known as the urbananguish associated with a rapid exodus ofinner city Christians to suburban areaswhere a security in life-style of a lastingstandard is envisioned. But this urbananguish reflects a larger cultural context,that of the overallAmerican society, wherethe general “moving out mentality” con-fronts pastors and members at the locallevel. Very often pastors and members ofinner city congregations contribute andpromote such a mentality, but surely, theyare equally also its victims.“How Local Is Your Church?”A paramount question for all congrega-tions living in the inner-cities is, “Whatsort of a church ought we to be?” Oneimportant response to this question isworking towards making the church local.Urban mission encourages a greater iden-tification of the church with its neighbor-hood. Christ’s command, “Love yourneighbor as yourself” (Romans13: 9) is acall to resist the temptation of moving outbut rather a motivation to stay and reachout. Members and pastors are encouragedto pick up the cross of Christ (Luke 14: 27)and to define statistics and comparisonswith “flourishing” churches. To be mis-sional is to remain loyal to Christ’s com-mand by “declaring the praises of himwho called you out of darkness” (1 Peter2: 9), to be a “light” and “salt” to all peo-

ple (Matthew 5:13-16) and “make themcome in” (Luke 14: 23). Urbanology istherefore strategical, whichmeans that it isprepared to look into ideas and waystowards cultivating and directing a con-centrated outreach of a believing commu-nity in its immediate setting. Urban mis-sion promotes existing congregations asoutposts and stations from which the trea-sure of salvation flows and to which thosein need may be received. Therefore,despite all the efforts to address urban cen-ters with specialized ministries, the basicsignificance of local worshipping congre-gations must not be forgotten. One impor-tant sobering fact in successful outreachthough remains—a rise in membershipfrom a changing neighborhood does notbring immediate financial gains.Counteracting The Urban AnguishAt Broader and Higher LevelsAdding immensely to this time of instabil-ity is themassive inattention to the topic ofurban mission on a transparochial level.This means that local congregations aregenerally left to tackle the problem ontheir own. But as one pastor of an innercity congregation in Indianapolis despon-dently declared, “Our church has support-ed the Synod since 1903, now its her turnto take up our cause”. If inner city duressis not brought about entirely through one’sown fault but results from pressurescaused by the overall cultural and socio-logical mindset of most American people,then urbanology summons all brothers andsisters in Christ at district and synodicallevel to express their support. Task forceteams or inner-city committees of con-cerned pastors and members should befounded to raise the interest level forurbanology beyond its parochial borders.Dr. Detlev Schulz is Assistant Professor ofPastoral Ministry and Missions at Con-cordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne,Indiana

MissionR Mission For The City

For the Life of the World14

In the

FIELDInthe

FIELD by Pam Knepperby Pam Knepper

The Pastor WhoCouldn’t RetireIt has often been said that pastors neverretire. For Rev. Raymond Mueller thisphrase couldn’t be truer. Ordained into theHoly Ministry 45 years ago, today Rev.Mueller is still faithfully serving God’speople even though he is at a point in hislife where many people are enjoying theirretirement years.Born in Kodaikanal, India in 1929 to

Lutheran missionary parents, Rev. Muellerspent the first four and a half years of hislife in this foreign country until illnessforced the family to return to the UnitedStates. Upon their return they lived in amissionary house in south St. Louis, Mis-souri for six months until Rev. Mueller's

father accepted a call to a two-point parishin Topeka, Illinois. It was here that Ray-mond spent all of his elementary years in aone-room schoolhouse.In 1944, during his sophomore year in

high school, Raymond’s father accepted acall and the family moved to Elberfield,Indiana, and again in 1946 to Seymour,Indiana, where his father became pastor ofFirst St. John Lutheran Church.When Rev. Mueller reached the ninth

grade he began his studies for the ministryat Concordia Lutheran High School andJunior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Inthose days boys who were consideringstudying for the Holy Ministry wererequired to attend four years of high schoolfollowed by two years of college beforethey could attend seminary. While at Con-cordia, Rev. Mueller prepared for his yearsat the seminary by studying Latin, Germanand Greek.In the fall of 1949, Rev. Mueller began

his seminary studies at Concordia Semi-nary in St. Louis, Missouri.While there, heexperienced a time when he began to ques-tion whether God even existed.“In early 1950 during my first year at the

seminary, I had a professor that told us theBible had mistakes in it and that it was ahuman book and not really God’s word inthe full sense of that term,” rememberedRev. Mueller. “I was being taught to acceptthe historical critical method of Biblicalinterpretation. Other professors of thisstripe also had a profound influence on me,but it really didn’t take hold until almostthree years later when I went out on vic-arage.”Assigned to Grace Lutheran Church in

Fargo, North Dakota, Rev. Mueller said itwas during this time when he really beganto question God’s existence.“During vicarage I saw how cruel cer-

tain church members could be to oneanother. When both my bishop and Iaddressed these matters in our preachingand the cruel behavior did not change eventhough ‘the love of Christ constraineth us,’I drew the conclusion that there was noth-ing to the Bible or to Christianity,”explained Rev. Mueller.For nearly a month Rev. Mueller found

himself preaching and teaching things hedid not believe while he tried to tie every-thing together in his mind without God ascreator.“I was constantly asking myself, 'What

is the Bible? Is it God’s Word or just man'simagination,’” explained Rev. Mueller.“Finally God in His grace forced me to askdeeper questions about Himself and Hisword than I had ever asked. It was then thatI came to the conclusion that there must bea God and the Bible must be His word.”Rev. Mueller further explained, “God

led me into a situation in which I experi-enced anger, sympathy, and pangs of con-science. I thought, ‘How can such experi-ences fit into a world without God, a worldwithout any spirituality or differencesbetween right and wrong which is whatlogically results from atheism?’ Then Iwent to my room, opened my Bible, acci-dentally found Psalm 34 and ran acrossverse eight, ‘O taste and see that the Lordis good!’ So I began to taste the Scripturesand, after much contemplation concludedthat there has to be a God. And not only aGod but also One, who invented commu-nication, including the Bible, which is howGod communicates with His people. ThenI tested Luther’s Catechism and it too rangtrue. By midnight I had not only comecompletely away from atheism but hadalso become a thoroughly convinced andjoyfully confessional Lutheran. God wasawesomely gracious!”Rev. Mueller said that while this time

was extremely frustrating for him, it alsoproved to be very beneficial because it pre-pared him for many hurdles that he wouldlater experience as a pastor.Graduating in 1954 from the seminary,

Rev.Mueller’s first call was to Zion and St.Paul’s Lutheran churches, a two-pointparish in Gladwin,Michigan. Serving from1954-1957, Rev. Mueller said his first callprovided him with many opportunities forgrowth as a pastor.“Think of any situation that could possi-

bly come up for a pastor to deal with and Idealt with it while in Gladwin,” said Rev.Mueller.In 1957, Rev. Mueller left Gladwin to

accept a call to St. Mark’s Lutheran

In the Field is a special feature section that focuses on the life and ministry of a pastor within the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

“During my time on the Board of

Regents I was able to see the

seminary grow and expand in a

very positive way,” explained

Rev. Mueller. “Again I saw God's

rich grace at work and the mar-

velous developments since 1995

make me wish I could go back to

the seminary and start all over!”

APRIL 1999 15

Church in Battle Creek, Michigan. Duringhis 8 1/2 years at this parish, the churchgrew from 27 communicant members to312. While there he also was elected toserve on the district stewardship board.His next call was to St. Paul’s Lutheran

Church in Bremen, Indiana. Serving from1966 to 1975, during his time at St. Paul’sRev. Mueller proved to be instrumental inreviving the parochial school that wasattached to the church.“When I first arrived the congregation

was trying to decide whether they shouldphase out the school. Its enrollment haddropped from 79 to 17, but a very hard-working principal was trying, with theLordís help, to revive it,” explained Rev.Mueller. “When I suggested that we hirenew teachers and buy new property andbuild a new school, the congregation votedin favor of my suggestion and almostinstantly we saw improvement. Both thecongregation and the school, now underthe shepherding of two faithful pastors,both of whom graduated from ConcordiaTheological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indi-ana, are joyful exam-ples of what the graceof our Lord Jesus doesamong His people.”After serving St.

Paul’s for nine and ahalf years, Rev.Mueller accepted acall to Holy CrossLutheran Church inSt. Louis, Missouri. Alarge church located inthe inner city, Rev.Mueller served as thesenior pastor out of astaff of three minis-ters. Spending muchof his time makingshut-in calls, visitingthose in the hospitaland performing funer-als, Rev. Mueller alsowas responsible foroverseeing the schoolthat was attached tothe church.While at Holy Cross, Rev. Mueller also

spent time serving on the Missouri Syn-odís Board for Parish Services (now a partof Board for Congregational Services).Elected in 1977, Rev. Mueller went on tobecome chairman of the board in 1981 andserved in that capacity until 1986 whenSynodís bylaw limitations forced him tostep down.During this time, Rev. Mueller decided

to leave St. Paul’s and accepted a call to St.Thomas Lutheran Church in Rocky River,Ohio. Located in an upper middle classsuburb of Cleveland, Rev. Mueller served

the 1,100 member church from 1983 until1994 when he decided to retire from theHoly Ministry.Like his experience at St. Paul’s, while

serving at St. Thomas Rev. Mueller wasonce again elected to serve on a board.This time it was the Board of Regents atConcordia Theological. Elected in 1986,Rev. Mueller went on to become chairmanin 1995 and served until 1998 when thebylaws of Synod again required him tostep down.“During my time on the Board of

Regents I was able to see the seminarygrow and expand in a very positive way,”explained Rev. Mueller. “I came to deeplyappreciate the attitude that the Lord hasdeveloped in the students at ConcordiaTheological Seminary especially since Dr.DeanWenthe has become president.AgainI saw God's rich grace at work and themarvelous developments since 1995 makeme wish I could go back to the seminaryand start all over!”After retiring from the Holy Ministry in

1994, Rev.Mueller decided to take a trip to

Nagercoil, India, a town not far fromwhere he was born.“I wanted to go back to where I was

born and see where I had spent my earlyyears of life,” remembered Rev. Mueller.“I was able to do all of that and I even hadthe opportunity to see the very roomwhereI was born.”Along with visiting his birthplace, Rev.

Mueller also taught classes on preaching,the Augsburg Confession, and the Ecu-menical Creeds at Concordia TheologicalSeminary in Nagercoil.“When the principal (president) of the

Nagercoil seminary found out I was going

to take a trip to India he approached meabout teaching classes while I was there,”explained Rev. Mueller. “I agreed to teachfor one quarter. In addition, I visited fellowLutherans of the India Evangelical Luther-an Church-our former Missouri Synodmission field-in nearly fifty places. Itended up being a very informative experi-ence for me-and, I hope, strengthening forthem.”Shortly before leaving for India, Rev.

Mueller received word that there was amission church in North Webster, Indiana,that was interested in having a retired pas-tor serve as their part-time mission devel-oper. This would be on the order of anexperiment to see whether a very smallmission church that could not afford a full-time, non-retired pastor could be estab-lished under the leadership of a pastorwhose living expenses were assured forthe most part by retirement income. Theidea was that the Lord would grant enoughgrowth that the retiree could “retire again”and the congregation could then call a full-time pastor.

In October 1994,after returning fromIndia, Rev. Muellerwas installed as pastorat Shepherd by theLakes LutheranChurch, then locatedin a township hall inNorth Webster, Indi-ana.In the last five years,

God has grantedremarkable growth atShepherd by theLakes. Beginning with10 people and usingonly a straight Wordand Sacrament, Lawand Gospel approach,the church now has 80baptized members andin November 1998dedicated their firstchurch building.

“It has beenwonderful to see how the Lord has blessedall of us at Shepherd by the Lakes,” saidRev. Mueller. “At this point I plan to stayhere for at least another year or two untilthe church can afford a full-time pastor.After that I am preparing to retire for good.But as a pastor you never can tell whatGod may have in store for you!”

Rev. Raymond Mueller and his wifeVivian are the parents of three childrenand four grandchildren. They reside inNorth Webster, Indiana.

Since October 1994 Rev. Raymond Mueller has served as pastor at

Shepherd by the Lakes Lutheran Church in North Webster, Indiana.

Over the last five years, the church has grown from 10 to 80

baptized members and in November 1998 dedicated their first

church building (pictured above).

1999 Concordia Theological Seminary Retreat Registration Form

Retreat Date______________________________________________________________________Name(s)__________________________________________ Phone ( )___________________________________________________________________________________________________Address_________________________________________________________________________City____________________________________________ State________ ZIP_______________Occupancy: �� Single �� Double �� A $20 non-refundable deposit is

enclosed with this reservation.�� After retreat, please send me a certificate of

Continuing Education Units for a charge of $7.00.Campus Tour: �� Yes �� No (Note: Dorms are air-conditioned)

Mail reservations at least one month in advance of retreat to:Retreat Coordinator � Concordia Theological Seminary6600 North Clinton Street � Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825

(please circle contact person)

oncordia Theological Seminary is happy to offer our beautiful campus,our rich worship life, and a schedule of outstanding teachers for yourretreat. In this relaxed and quiet setting you can study subjects that are of

interest to you without homework and tests. You will sit at the feet of some greatteachers of the faith, but without any of the normal academic pressures. You willalso join the faculty and seminarians as they gather around altar and pulpit, as they sing liturgy and hymns as asthey, too, grow spiritually. Welcome toConcordia Theological Seminary.Retreats are open to all. $125 per registration includes all meals, housing, and instruction. Please notethat some retreats follow a Thursday,Friday, Saturday schedule & othersFriday, Saturday and Sunday.Lutherhostels are five days of beingimmersed in seminary campus life.$360 per registration includes all meals,housing, tours, receptions and instruc-tion. The schedule will include a varietyof activities both on and off campus inaddition to the classroom study.Youth Retreats follow their own,more relaxed schedule. Each partici-pant pays only $60; the balance of $30has been underwritten by a grant toSeminary Continuing Education.

1999 Retreat ScheduleApril 9-11, 1999High School Retreat

May 3-7, 1999Lutherhostel"A Study of the Lutheran Confessions"Presenters: The Rev. Prof. Kurt E. Marquart, TheRev. Prof. Richard E. Muller, The Rev. Dr. David P.Scaer, and The Dr. Detlev Schulz, faculty membersat Concordia Theological SeminaryJune 2-4, 1999"Understanding Bach's Cantatas"Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Robin Leaver, Professorof Church Music at Westminster Choir College ofRider University and Drew UniversityJune 25-27, 1999"By Prayer andCareful Study"College Men's Retreaton the Holy MinistryCoordinator: The Rev.Scott Stiegemeyer,Admissions Coun-selor, Concordia The-ological SeminarySeptember 17-19,1999Altar Guild RetreatCo-presenters: Helen Kraus, author and frequentaltar guild guest lecturer; The Rev. Prof. Daniel G.Reuning, Dean of the Chapel and Professor ofLiturgy, Concordia Theological SeminarySeptember 19-24, 1999Lutherhostel"Luther/Luke/Liturgy"This Lutherhostel will include the following mini-courses:Luther by The Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzieLuke by The Rev. Dr. Arthur A. Just Jr.Liturgy by The Rev. Kantor Richard C. ReschSeptember 24-26, 1999Confirmation Retreat

October 1-3, 1999Confirmation RetreatNovember 5-7, 1999Elder's Retreat"Holding Up The Prophet's Hands"Presenter; The Rev. Harold L. Senkbeil, Pastor ofElm Grove Lutheran Church, Elm Grove, Wis.November 19-21, 1999High School Retreat

For more information or to reserve yourspace (at least one month in advance ofstart date) please call Marge Wingfield at

(219)452-2247

RSetreat

to theeminary

6600 N. Clinton St. � Fort Wayne, IN 468251-800-481-2155 � www.ctsfw.edu

C