The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1914, Page 81

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Che Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

Pus.isueD BY THE EvanceLicaL Lurmeran SynoprcaL Conrerence or Nortn AMERICA.
REY. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITOR.

Entered at the Post Oflice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. XXXVI.

— =

ST. LOUIS, MO., NOVEMBER, 1914.

No. ll.

A Thanksgiving Hymn.

Lord, we thank Thee for the blessings
That we this year have enjoyed;

And we pray Thee without ceasing
To preserve us in Thy Word.

Lord, we thank Thee for Thy merey
And for all Thy wondrous good,
For the sending of Thy Gospel

In a language understood.

Lord, be praised that ‘Thou hast kept us
Through the trials of this life;

And we ask Thee, as dear children,

To protect us in the strife.

Lord, we thank Thee for the Savior,
Who redeemed us from our sin,

Strove with death and grave and devil,
And the victory did win.

Lord, we thank Thee, Lord, we praise Thee
For the peace which Thou didst give;
And, O God, in tender mercy,

Let this peace forever live!

Lord, be, praised that Thou hast kept us
From the ravages of war;

Stay the swords of warring nations,
Satan’s fell designs debar.

Now we ask Thee, our dear Father,
To protect us with Thy might;
Give us of Thy living water,
Guide us ever in ‘Thy light. Amen.
R. O. L. Lynn.

What Is the Reason?
[i a aes

What is the reason that within the Christian
Church ever and again money, time, and labor are
spent, and that many a severe sacrifice is brought,
much disagreeable work is undertaken on the part
of the Christian for missionary work? What is

the reason that such as have been prepared for the
holy ministry with great willingness, yea, even with
joy go forth over land and sea to a distant heathen
land where their health is in danger of being
weakened by the unaccustomed tropical climate, and
where they must endure the ridicule, contempt, and
scorn of those that are still spiritually blind, dead,
and enemies of God? What is the reason — to
mention another instance — that church-members
who are not all in very easy financial circum-
stances give to missions their little sums of money
which they have earned by hard toil, and which
the children of the world would use for the pur-
pose of enjoying a day of temporal pleasure and
bodily relaxation after strenuous work?

The unbelievers cannot understand why we
Christians do this, why we act so foolishly in
their opinion. Why do we do this, dear Chris-
tian reader? Would we not act a good deal_more
wisely if we would spare our energy and keep our
gifts for ourselves? Why do we members of the
Christian Church do that which, according to the
judgment of human reason, we would do better to -
leave undone? Why do we—and even with such
sacrifices — carry on mission work? The following
words of the Apostle Paul solve the riddle com-
pletely: “Whe love of Christ constraineth us.”
(2 Cor. 5, 14.) 2

The unspeakable love of Christ, which, as the
same apostle writes, passeth all knowledge, moves
us to do this work.

A number of reasons could be mentioned in
answer to the question why the task of rescuing
human souls is so important to us, but really the
first and fundamental reason is, and ever will be,
the love of Christ, who has given Himself for us

an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-