Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2019 · 67th Convention, Tampa › Page 162

LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 162

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

162

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
is not his but that of Christ Himself.” For you
see that the tyrants have in mind not [merely]
to kill Luther but to destroy his doctrine. It is
on account of his doctrine that they attack you
and ask you whether you are a Lutheran. Here
surely you must not reply evasively, but you must
frankly confess Christ, whether He be preached
by Luther, Claus, or George. The person you
may ignore, but the doctrine you must confess.1

Being a Lutheran is about doctrine and confession. Being
a Lutheran is about identity and practice. Being a Lutheran is a
matter of life and living.
That all begins with the chief article of our Lutheran
Christian faith. It is said, rightly so, that Article IV of the Augsburg Confession is the article of faith on which every church
stands or falls;
Article IV: Of Justification.
1] Also they [the Lutherans] teach that men
cannot be justified before God by their own
strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified
for 2] Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that
their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by
His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. 3]
This faith God imputes for righteousness in His
sight. Rom. 3 & 4.2
We are Lutheran Christians: Lutheran in our doctrine and
confession. Lutheran in our confession of the divine service.
At our core we are a liturgical church. We recognize that as we
gather in the name of the triune God’s saving name, the triune
God Himself comes to us through Word and Sacrament with
His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. We are Lutheran
in our Communion practices, each person receiving “the very
body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of sins,” or they receive the precious gift to their soul’s harm.
Hence our practice of Closed Communion. Lutheran Christians we believe, teach, and confess that the world and everything in it was created by God’s spoken Word, in six normal, ordinary days. Lutheran Christians we believe, teach, and confess
that God knit us together in our mother’s womb giving us each
an immortal soul from the day of conception. Lutheran Christians we believe that our God has given each of us our unique
identity in the waters of Holy Baptism. Each life is so precious
that our Lord Jesus suffered and died to redeem your body and
soul from hell. Lutheran Christians we uphold the sanctity of
marriage and the traditional family: a father, a mother, and children.
Being Lutheran Christians sets us apart from the rest of
Christianity as unique. With time limitations here, I point you
to the Lutheran Confessions, to Luther’s Small Catechism, to
Lutheran Service Book. Each, a wonderful and fresh resource
for us as Lutheran Christians. For me it is gratifying to see how
quickly Lutheran Service Book and the newest version of the
Small Catechism have become so popular, so widely used. My
challenge to you is, to dig into the Lutheran Confessions. These
Confessions define who we are as Lutheran Christians. Every
home should have a dog-eared copy.
2019 Convention Workbook

2. This is our time to honor our vocation.
Vocation is about living out your life as a baptized child
of God. You are the baptized people of the Living God. What
will you do with that gift? What will you do with your vocation? Catechism: “Daily a new man should come forth and arise
who shall live before God in righteousness and purity.” There your
vocation. Vocation is the opportunity to live life for the glory of
God and for the benefit of others. Vocation links beliefs with
lifestyles, with actions.
Our Lord has called you to be His people, both individually
and corporately. While you share a common confession, you belong to different Lutheran congregations, part of one church.
You all have different occupations in life. You all have different
talents and abilities. You are the forgiven people of God. You
are fathers or mothers, children or adults, retired and grandparents, plumbers or electricians, factory workers or office workers,
employees or administrators, clergy and laity. But you all share
the same vocation. Paul tells the Thessalonian believers: “He
called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” St. Peter says, “You are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Our God has set you
here in this time for His purpose, so that people around might
see that being Christian matters, being Lutheran matters.
God wants us to let the righteousness that we
have received in faith break forth, demonstrate
itself, and benefit others, so that false faith becomes known and rooted out. God gives no one
His grace so that it may lie down and be of no
benefit, but so that it would give a good return,
and through knowledge and outward public
demonstration entice everyone to God. Christ
says, “Let your light shine before people, so that
they see your good works and praise your Father
in heaven” (Matthew 5 [:16]). Otherwise it would
be like a hidden treasure and concealed wisdom,
and what benefit are either of them?3
It has been amazing for me to witness how all that has unpacked in the aftermath of the fire at Trinity MKE. The outpouring of phone calls and messages, the expression of prayers
and concerns in support of the Trinity congregation.
It is amazing for me to see God’s people honoring their vocation, displaying mercy. An example of that can be seen from
the various trips that people from SWD made to Texas in the
wake of Hurricane Harvey. Countless man-hours mucking out
homes and putting up sheet-rock. All organized by our Mission
Executive, Rev. Jonah Burakowski.
We honor our vocation as the people of God as we join
together with the church at large to proclaim the saving name
of our Lord Jesus in faraway places. That’s the reason we have
asked Rev. Ted Krey and Rev. Joel Fristche to be here with us
during this convention. The story of the mission plant in the
DR is an amazing story of God’s grace! Earlier this past spring
a new church and school building was dedicated in Licey. There
are churches and schools, a group home for the developmentally disabled, a training center for deaconesses, and a seminary
training pastors who will serve throughout Central America
and beyond. Honoring your vocation as the people of God,
your generosity both in dollars and in man-power from many