LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1992, Page 77

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CONVENTION SERMON 77

But the prayer in Acts was very simple. “Enable us, Lord,
to speak Your Word.” We cannot help but speak about what
we have seen and heard. These people, they said, didn’t
want to let us do it; Lord, help us to speak Your Word.
One of the amazing things about God’s great plan of sal-
vation is that it happens by our speaking of the Word. He
came and dwelt among us and became one of us. He lived
our life, took our sins upon Himself, nailed them to the
tree, rose triumphantly from the grave, sits at the right
hand of God as our Lord of lords and King of kings, and
through our speaking of that Word of reconciliation and
life and power, God’s kingdom comes among us. And again
tonight, He speaks that word to us, “Eat My body, drink
My blood.” Lay this good news of your own forgiveness from
sin upon your hearts, for that’s where it begins in God’s
magnificent plan, with the speaking of His Word. \
Their prayer added the words “with great boldness. ”
This is no time for the timidity of a Moses who didn’t want
to go and release his people, or for the reluctant prophet
Jonah, who didn’t want to go where he was sent. Too many
times in the history of the church God’s people have found
excuses for not doing what He clearly wants us to do,
namely, to share this marvelous news of forgiveness with
others. With great boldness, we pray this evening and
throughout this convention, let us respond to God’s gift of
love to us this night and every day. His forgiveness of you
and of me and of our whole church is what we tell every-
one—each other first, and again and again, but then ev-
eryone else in this whole wide world. It’s difficult to count
the total number of Christians, but in a world of 5.4 billion
people, three out of four know Jesus Christ. The percent:

ages have improved since the time the apostles were speak-,

ing with great boldness, when one Christian needed |to
convert more than 300 people in order to reach all the lost.
Today, it’s down to three for each one of us. But to do that
it takes boldness in this convention and in every congre-

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gation of this Synod—the boldness to speak the Word of
God with power and with conviction—because it’s a Word
that frees us from our sins and it frees us from ourselves.
It’s a Word that focuses on the power and the meaning
and promise that lies in Jesus, risen from the dead.

Just two days ago, an outstanding black preacher of
The Luiheran Church—Missouri Synod addressed a gath-
ering of Missouri Synod Lutherans involved in black min-
istry here in Pittsburgh, the Reverend Othniel Thompson
of Philadelphia. I don’t mean to embarrass him but simply
to share with you a story that he told in his sermon that,

. it seems to me, describes too many of us too often.

He told a story of a man who had a fixation about pol-
ishing and restoring and refurbishing an old car, and that’s
about all he did, He made sure the upholstery was proper
and that the finish was beautiful, that the chrome was
shiny, that the engine purred like a.kitten. He would fine-
tune it again and again. One day someone came and asked
him, “Why do you spend so much time polishing that beau-
tiful car and you don't drive it?” And he replied, “Because
Ihave no place to go.”

Pastor Thompson asked, “Does that remind you of any-
body?” We all smiled instinctively because we recognized
that temptation as one that we have, too. To shine and
polish and refurbish and fine-tune our own engine, our own
car, our own Synod, our vehicle for being sent into the
world. And then we don’t go anywhere at all.

There’s forgiveness for that sin—your sin and mine, and
one we share with so many. Lord, be merciful to us as we
confess that sin to You tonight. But send us Your Spirit
through Your Word and Your sacraments, that He may
give new life and new power to us, His servants, so that
we may speak His Word with Great Boldness ... Telling
Everyone What HE Has Done. Amen.

Ralph A. Bohlmann, President

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