Zion's Messenger
Volume 13 Issue 2
February 2008
Remembering God’s Faithfulness
1Chronicles 16:12,15 - Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations.
Psalm 42:4 - When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
John 16:4 - “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”
February is the month that we remember some of the heroes of our nation because they were born this month. Think of Lincoln and Washington. But did you know that we have Lutheran heroes and events of faith that are connected with this month of February. Jason Todd and Tom Baden worked very hard to develop a comprehensive list of events related to February. You can check out their full list of historical Lutheran events online. Here’s a sampling:
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9 February 1717 | The cornerstone for the first Lutheran church in Tranquebar, South India was laid. | |
11 February 1683 | Swedish Lutherans arrived on the Delaware River. | |
15 February 1643 | Johann Campanius arrived in the United States with the governor of New Sweden, Johann Printz. Campanius served as a pastor to German and Swedish settlers and as a missionary to the Delaware Indians, for whom he translated Luther's Small Catechism. | |
16 February 1497 | Philipp Melanchthon was born Philipp Schwartzerd. Melanchthon was one of the original leaders of the Reformation. | |
18 February 1546 | Martin Luther died. Luther was a monk whose attacks on the corruption within the Roman Catholic Church began the Protestant Reformation. | |
20 February 1620 | Rasmus Jensen died at Port Churchill, Hudson Bay, Canada. He was the first Lutheran pastor to serve in North America. | |
24 February 1520 | On his twentieth birthday, Charles V was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo X. Charles was to be the last emperor crowned by a pope. Though he condemned Martin Luther at Worms, Charles was later tolerant of Luther and his followers for political reasons. | |
26 February 1531 | David Chytraeus was born. Chytraeus was a Lutheran theologian who played an important role in the writing of the Formula of Concord. | |
28 February 1551 | Martin Bucer died. Bucer spent much of his time working for unity among the splintering Protestants. He differed from Luther in his belief in "double predestination." |
Each of these historical events in themselves are interesting and significant in the life of the church. As important as they are, however, there is something even more important to remember.
Jesus Christ has told us what is important to remember. Would you believe that it is God and God’s Word. When we remember the Words of Christ, there is comfort and assurance that the Lord is in control.
The early Reformers took comfort in God’s Word and in the salvation provided through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. The work of the church, the work of clergy, the work of world leaders—all these were irrelevant when it came to faith. The Reformers understood the importance of faith in the Faithful One, the one to remember. We can take comfort in God’s faithful working through their faithfulness to give us our beloved Lutheran Church today.
~Pastor Dave
Hear
God’s Loving Kindness
in the Morning
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Radio Ministry
WHEP Radio AM 1310
8:34 AM Weekdays
6:44 AM Sundays
“Ye are the light of the world.
A city that is
set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick,
and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house.”
~ Matthew 5:14, 15
Grandma's Hands
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking, she said in a clear str! ong voice.
I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK I explained to her.
Have you ever looked at your hands she asked.
I mean really looked at your hands?
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They wiped my tears when my husband went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold our newborn daughter. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.
They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.
~Unknown
Children Learn What They Live
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with security, they learn faith.
If children live with approval,
they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance and friendship,
they learn to find love in the world.
~Dorothy Law Nolte
Hannah Rose Honaker
Wycliffe missionaries Jared and Bethany Honaker announced the birth of their daughter Hannah Rose, born on January 21st at 9:43 p.m. She is 7 lbs. 1 oz. and is 20 in. long. Both mom and baby are healthy and happy to be home. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Jared and Bethany Honaker visited Zion Lutheran Church on September 10, 2006. Read more about the Wycliffe Bible Translators and their visit to Silverhill.
God is in Every Tomorrow
God is in every tomorrow,
Therefore I live for today,
Certain of finding at sunrise,
Guidance and strength for the way;
Power for each moment of weakness,
Hope for each moment of pain,
Comfort for every sorrow,
Sunshine and joy after rain.
God is in every tomorrow,
Planning for you and for me;
E’en in the dark will I follow,
Trust where my eyes cannot see.
Stilled by His promise of blessing,
Soothed by the touch of His hand,
Confident in His protection,
Knowing my life-path is planned.
God is in every tomorrow,
Life with its changes may come,
He is behind and before me,
While in the distance shines home!
Home - where no thought of tomorrow
Ever can shadow my brow,
Home - in the presence of Jesus,
Through all eternity - NOW!
~Laura A. Barter Snow, in “With Tongue and Pen”
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