# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1898_S40
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

40 Proceedings of the seventeenth convention

glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" — so it is also with Christ's kingdom of heaven on earth. To a "leaven" the LORD compares it in the words cited. Could he have made a smaller, we might say more contemptible, comparison? What is a little leaven? It is still more unremarkable, smaller than the seed. That, after all, has life in it, although it too must first die before it can bear fruit. But leaven is actually something that has already passed into decay, fallen to death. And how, the kingdom of heaven of Christ is like that? Yes, so says the LORD, and thereby he sets before our eyes an only too true, indeed at the same time deeply humbling picture of the church, as of its individual members. For the church does indeed often appear quite small in this world. There are few wise, rich, mighty of the earth who belong to her, but mostly the poor and despised. She appears as one wretched and forsaken, over whom all storms go, who sees her final downfall before her every day. Often she is covered with sin and offense as with floods of water. So it is, however, also with the individual Christian. Of his divine glory too little is often to be seen. He is called God's child and yet is and remains a sinner in himself, and his last thing on earth is also death and grave. Scornfully the world calls out to him: What, are you Christians better than we? Sinners you are, like us, and death and grave will swallow you up at last just as they do us! Yes, truly, the picture of the leaven fits the church and her members. Outwardly we bear the wages of sin, death, on us, like the world. But it is only to outward appearance. As the leaven holds within itself powers of life and, leavening the meal, creates delicious bread full of nourishment, strength and life, so it is with the heavenly leaven of the church of Christ on earth. What seems her death is the revelation of her life and her blessedness, and the grave is the body's chamber of rest for the resurrection into glory. Yes, Christ's kingdom on earth knows nothing of death, grave, hell and damnation that it would have to fear; only of grace, righteousness, salvation, heaven, life and eternal blessedness. Its members are already partakers here of divine glory. But it will become fully manifest before the world only when their LORD and Master is revealed in his glory on the last day. Now it is still hidden. Yet even here it already breaks forth at times in brightly shining rays, as with their Master in the state of his humiliation, and reveals itself as the divine leaven that leavens, renews and improves the world altogether and wins souls for heaven, even though the world resists with all its might. The fulfillment of the words of our parable is before our eyes. Twelve men, unlearned and from the lowest station, the LORD of glory sends out into the world, without arms or weapons, equipped only with his Spirit and Word; the world has them