# Der Lutheraner_Frankfurt am Main_Juni 1948_S50
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Page 50 June 1948 Number 6

...as Philip once demonstrated to the eunuch
from the land of the Moors in answer to his question: "How
can I, unless someone guides me?"
(Acts 8:31).
Let us take up at once with this story.
The guidance that Philip gave to the eunuch
is reported to us in these words:
"Then Philip opened his mouth
and preached the gospel of Jesus unto him"
(verse 35). We learn from this that the best
guidance toward personal Bible study is
the preaching of the gospel. Bible
study can and must therefore never seek to
replace preaching; for "faith comes from
preaching." Young Christians especially are
easily inclined to think that missing
the worship service could be made up for by reading the Bible,
and in doing so deceive only
themselves. Yet just as faith comes from
preaching, so too preaching will always
be the best guidance and encouragement
toward a blessed Bible study. We
learn this from the example of the Christians
at Berea, who were moved by the preaching of the apostle
Paul to search the Scriptures daily
to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).
Their example shows us that
personal Bible study is a precious fruit and
necessary complement to hearing the sermon.
And for this the "Young
Lutheran" now wants to give you a few pointers
and suggestions. It does not wish to replace
the sermon, nor should it preach at you,
but it wants only to encourage you and give impetus
to reach for the Bible again and again with joy,
so that you may read it with inner, believing
participation and that your reading
may become a blessing to you.

Each of us has surely already had the experience
that when reading a good book
— whether it offers a gripping
life story or an exciting travel
narrative — our engagement
with what is told is often awakened so strongly
that while reading we feel
as if we were woven into the events and
ourselves involved in them. We experience so vividly
what we read that we are carried
along by it. But what happens with such a book
only because our imagination is stimulated
through reading, what in a certain
sense is there only an illusion of the senses,
is with the Bible full reality. It speaks
and truly deals with your own life story.
Behold, it is the fate of humanity,
fallen into sin and lost, that is
unrolled before our eyes in Scripture,
and likewise the mercy of God,
his desire to help this world, that is
painted before our eyes there. And with this
your own fate is presented to you: how you,
together with the world, are lost before
God in the same guilt, and how you,
along with the world, in the same
distance from God and in the enmity toward God
of your own nature, are estranged from God, your
Lord — but then also, that God's
unfathomable grace and love has mercy on you
in the same way that God embraces the world
with his love and wills that all
people be helped. Huebener.

Correspondence between East and West

Below we publish a correspondence
with the youth of our congregation in Dresden, which
was sent to us by Werner Schubach.
Please send more reports about your
congregational youth circle! It captivates
others as well. Certainly some can draw
valuable suggestions from this letter
for their youth meetings.

Dear Werner!

After a longer while, you shall finally
receive another letter from us. Surely
you will be interested above all in what
we have been doing during the winter months.
And we can write to you that we
have not stopped our youth work.
Despite the scarce supplies of wood, we were able to
hold our youth meetings regularly. We
had thought of the words of King Solomon:
"Rejoice, O young man, in your
youth, and let your heart cheer you
in your youth." Only the right
room is lacking for us. So we are dependent on
the love and accommodation of the congregation members.
Every fortnight we
come together on Sunday afternoons in hospitable
homes. Some have long distances
to travel. We too here in Dresden suffer
greatly from the aftereffects of the war. Long
waiting at the streetcar stops,
the ride in overcrowded cars are some
of the "foretastes of joy." But finally the goal
is reached, and all the hardships are
forgotten more quickly than one had thought
beforehand. The greeting is each time a new joy.
From a plate one takes a beautifully
painted little card. Then the assignment
of seats takes place. Everyone looks on the tables,
which are wonderfully decorated, for the
picture belonging to the card they took.
In a colorful mix we then sit together.
On special festive days each person is given a plate
with pastries. It is true: many
small things add up to something great. By the spoonful,
indeed by the teaspoonful, the ingredients are
gathered together. Should the brown cookies not
taste especially good now?
And now the afternoon begins. In Bible
studies we may hear from our dear
pastor what we so
badly need for everyday life, so that we may then
go strengthened back to our work.

A colorful sequence of presentations
follows. Whether musical
performances with violin, flute, or piano, discussions
about various personalities,
parlor games, even shadow
plays, and not least we always
delight again in beautiful songs.

At 7 p.m. the first ones already have to
go home, to look after their siblings
or attend to other duties.

Such a day is always a special
event for everyone. We are especially glad
that no one disturbs us in our
youth meetings, as was
the case some years ago.
And this we may tell you in closing:
your joy is also our joy,
and your suffering is also our suffering. For as
members of the body of Christ we belong
together.
In this spirit your Dresden
youth friends greet you.

Dear Dresden boys
and girls!

Many thanks for your kind lines.
How glad we are that a proper life
prevails among you again as well, even though the
war has torn gaps in the circle among you as among us.
But no obstacles can
hold us back from continuing to hold
our youth meetings.

Sunday Oculi was here in Groß-Desingen
a day of jubilation. Two churches have,
through God's inexpressible grace, been brought
together. Should not the youth also
rejoice at this, and let no day pass
without setting to work together with the
youth of the sister church, still unfamiliar to us?
You will hear many details
from us yet, and we may then also
certainly hope that a good deal of news
will arrive here from all of you.

Commended to God! In heartfelt fellowship,
Your Werner

For our younger readers

Of the Frog and the Mouse

A mouse would gladly have gotten across a body of water and
could not, and asked a frog
for advice and help. The frog was a
rogue and said to the mouse: "Tie your
foot to my foot, and I will swim
and pull you across." But when they
came onto the water, the frog dove down
and wanted to drown the mouse; but while
the mouse struggled and fought, a
kite came flying by and seized the mouse,
pulled the frog out along with it, and devoured them both.

Moral.

Take care with whom you deal! The
world is false and full of unfaithfulness; for whoever
can betray his friend
puts him in the sack; yet unfaithfulness always
strikes its own master, as happens here to the frog.

Fable by Martin Luther.