LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 104

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106

CONVENTION BIBLE STUDIES

ning, at the creation, because He is the eternal Logos of
God, the Word by whom and through whom all things are
created (Colossians 1:15–20). He is there as Adam is created and Eve. He is there in the days of Naaman, blessing
the witness and faithfulness of that little girl. His face
shows a sacred cringe, if you can imagine such, as He hears
the griping of great grouch Jonah. He smiles as Big Fish
swallows the old goat, loving the prophet all the while, and
faithful Big Fish as well.
He comes into the flesh, this One who has all power. He
walks the roads of our world, preaching the Good News and
sharing its power. He loves His people so completely. He
wants them to have the Life that only He can give. He
shows the power of His Word to give such life as He brings
healing to the dead son, the beloved little daughter, His
friend Lazarus, the blind man, the lepers, the prostitutes,
and the sinners. At the call of His Father, He is obedient
to death, even death on the cross (Philippians 2:1–11). He
gives His life there as the ransom for many, and in that
death we are given life. On the third day He is arisen! His
authority over life and death is not in question. With all authority, He sends His people into the world to carry on the
task of speaking and doing the Gospel of God! The task, so
perfectly accomplished while He was among us walking the
streets of our round earth, He now turns over to the likes of
you and me. He has unbridled confidence in the likes of us!
I love this story:
The ascending Lord comes through the clouds into
the heavenly realms. The angels and the archangels
gaze with wonder upon Him, for this is the first time
they see the Son of Man in His risen glory and full, perfect humanity. They worship Him with awe and speak
their words of welcome.
“Welcome home, Son of the Father. And what of
your time on earth, great Son of God?”
“It went well,” He replied.
“Did you speak the Word of the Father to the people?”
“Indeed I did.”
“Did they listen to You?”
“Some did,” He replied.
“How many accepted your words, O Son of Man?
Surely thousands? Myriads?”
“No, not yet.”
“How many then?”

+ Speak about a significant person who shared the Good
News of the Gospel with you.
+ Can you share an experience of telling the Good News to
another?
+ Do you feel equipped to articulate the message of salvation
to another? If yes, how did you gain this ability? How can
one gain this ability?
+ Can you think of ways to share the faith in everyday conversation with people?

VIII. Speaking the Gospel
of Jesus in These Days
Speaking the Gospel
to One Another in the Church
We people of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are
a wordy bunch. Witness this convention. Probably the majority of us think we are pretty much on target with our
opinions. Sometimes our words to each other and about
each other are good, while sometimes they need to fall on
the ground and just go away. Our words often cause division, and on rarer occasions, they unite us. No doubt, we
need to watch our words, our attitudes behind our words,
and our demeanor lest all of this gets in the way of our witness to Christ.
Some months ago in another place, I told this story.
Apologies to those who have suffered through it before.
During a temple service in eastern Europe, as the
Great Shema prayer was intoned, half the congregants
stood up, and half remained seated. The half that was
seated started yelling at those standing to sit down, and
the ones standing demanded that those sitting stand.
The newly appointed rabbi, learned as he was in the
Torah, the Mishna, and the commentaries, didn’t know
what to do. The congregation leaders suggested that he
consult a house-bound, 98-year-old man who was one of
the original founders of their temple. The rabbi agreed,
hoping that this wise man would be able to tell him
what the actual temple tradition was. So he went to the
venerable man’s nursing home, accompanied by a representative of each of the two factions.
The one whose followers stood during the “Sh’ma”
asked, “Is it not the tradition to stand during this
prayer?”
The old man answered, “No, that is not the tradition!”

“ There are dozens of faithful. And then there are
The Eleven.”

The one whose followers sat asked, “Is it not then
the tradition to sit during the “Sh’ma?”

“Eleven? Only eleven? And what Lord will You do if
they do not continue to spread Your message of salvation and hope and healing. What is Your contingency
plan, dear Lord?”

The old man answered, “No, that is not the tradition!”

“There is no contingency plan!”

You may quibble about such a story, but the point is
clear:
The Lord has called you and me to be the witnesses. We
are the ones who speak the Gospel. We are those who are to
be involved in the “critical event” of speaking the Good News
to another. There is no one else!

VI. Sharing: Stories and Experience
Take a few moments for conversation with one another
about these things. Perhaps the following will assist:
2004 Convention Proceedings

The rabbi said to the old man, “But the congregants
fight all the time, yelling at each other about whether
they should sit or stand.”
The old man exclaimed, “THAT is the tradition.”

That story is more real than fiction in our beloved
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We tear one another
apart nicely. Time to stop that. Time to speak words of
Gospel to one another. Time to encourage one another in
our church body!
Many of us face situations that are draconian and dark.
No doubt, the only answer to some of these perplexing situations is the Good News of the Gospel. Are you hearing the
Gospel from others in your ecclesiastical family? Are you