LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 9

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 9

in God’s sight a thousand years are as a day and a day
is as a thousand years. On the foundation of Jesus
Christ and the apostles we can build a structure that
will endure for a thousand years. But today may be
our last day to search out stones which can be built
into this living temple of God.

How much time do we have? The answer lies with
God. For us there is only the present. We can work
neither in the past nor in the future. We have only now.
There is no room for complacency in a church which
knows her Lord will come as a thief in the night. There
is no time for private speculations when men are hun-
gry for the bread of life. There is no place for person-
ality clashes in the church which knows it is engaged
in the struggle with the powers of darkness. There is
no freedom to fritter away strength and time when God
calls men to discipleship.

The imminence of Christ’s coming unites us. If to-
morrow we are to join in the chorus of angels singing
praises to the Lamb who was slain for us, what ought
we to be saying to one another today? If tomorrow the
Good Shepherd will close the door of His fold, what
ought we to be doing today for the lost and straying
lambs and sheep of God? If tomorrow we are to bend
the knee to the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
what should our posture be today?

Time is short. But we must continue to take time
to be near the power and the voice of God in the Scrip-
tures. We are drawn to that Word because we know
our God to be a gracious Father. Our coming is itself
a confession both of weakness and of strength. We say
with the disciples: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
hast the words of eternal life.” And He will not fail us.
Our concern must only be that we do do not fail Him.
More concerns than we can know will vanish in the pres-
ence of Him who says: “My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways
higher than your ways and My thoughts than your
thoughts.”

We are being driven to God in His Word. Though
our founding fathers may not have intended it to be
so, our Synod came to live and grow in relative isola-
tion for a long period of time. Now the walls and bar-
riers have crumbled. We have been breaking out into
a world that is somewhat strange, always changing, and
quite terrifying. New questions clamor for answers,
and old answers are being put to the test in our lives
and in the marketplace where people live. But this is
where and how our Lord lived, too, who in every mo-
ment of testing turned to the Father. Like Him, we
will come through victoriously as we listen and as we
surrender in faithful obedience.

Those of us who know Satan’s ways and strength
might have expected what would happen. Even as he
came to create doubt in the minds of our first parents,
so he whispers to us: “Did God really say this? Did
God really mean that?” The father of the lie is no less
deceptive now. He creates doubt toward God and dis-

trust toward one another. He urges us to find fault and
to blame one another, to be suspicious and unforgiving.

In this setting God’s people lose the sense of joy He
wants them to have. In this atmosphere church workers
and their people become hesitant, confused, and fright-
ened. When we lack this joy and confidence which God
gives, there is little zeal for Kingdom work. It becomes
difficult or impossible to give a good witness to our
neighbor, to someone in the relationship, to a fellow
worker, to an associate in business, or to a social ac-
quaintance. Satan does everything possible to rob us of
the joy and confidence which God gives when He says:
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is
greater than all.” Satan knows that such true joy and
trust are in themselves an invitation which says: “Come
unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of
Me. ... For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

In our fear and distress we cry out: “O God, where
will it end? Where shall we go? What are we to say
and to do?” And God answers: “Be still, and know that
I am God. I am the Lord your God, and you are My
people. I will be with you if you will be with Me. I will
never leave you nor forsake you.”

We can almost hear our heavenly Father saying to
us in His kindly voice: “My children, remain true, re-
main faithful, be constant in love toward one another.
Be what you are as My children at this moment, re-
membering that My Son will soon return to complete
your rescue. Be united in Him through your baptism,
by your faith, by your hope. In Him you can find the
strength that enables you to reach out to hold hands
with one another, creating a tremendous circle that en-
compasses the whole world. In that circle of love you
can embrace the elect of God who are gathered in your
midst. Speak and sing to them that they, too, can find
mercy with Him who has won forgiveness for every
man, woman, and child in the world.”

This is a time for leadership. The world needs lead-
ership. Christendom looks for leadership. Will Missouri
help the church be the church in our world and time?
We know that Satan is interested in the answer to this
question. He is concerned because the power which God
invests in us is the only power Satan fears. This is the
power that has conquered him. By this power we can
dare to say, “Get thee behind us, Satan. You are an
offense to us. We stand before you in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Even as
He has conquered by death and the resurrection, we too
shall conquer in His name.”

This, then, is the time for us to put God’s power
to work. The Gospel is still the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth. Our task is great
and the world situation is grave. But God is even
greater. And He has supplied us with all that we need
to get the job done.

It is not as if we were alone. Thank God for the