The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1927, Page 120

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120

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

China, in Mexico, and elsewhere where Christ’s
messengers are bringing the Gospel story.

In these days it is, therefore, quite pertinent
that we encourage one another with the words of
the Savior, “Be of good cheer!” Let us lift up
our hearts and summon new courage. May the dif-
ficulties that just now beset our path induce us to
redouble our zeal in behalf of the holy cause of
missions.

The situation in China is not hopeless by any
means. Chinese Christians are putting us of the
Western World to shame by their faith. Despite all
the defeatist propaganda that is being sent out by
the enemies of the Gospel, let us hold fast that
whatever the outcome of the political upheaval may
be, there will remain the hundreds of millions of
people in China to be led into the brighter light
through the spiritual conquests of that Gospel which
must go on from victory to victory.

We of the Church at home shall look upon these
days as days that God permits to come in order that
our faith may be tried and our trust in Him and
His promises may be revealed. Let us lift up our
hearts in hope and faith and courage. F.J.L.

The Mission’s Gratitude for the Gift
of the Synodical Conference.

During recent years rich people all over the
country seem to be vying with each other in shower-
ing blessings upon the colored race. Large sums are
bequeathed to endow colleges, erect buildings, and
raise curriculums for the race’s advancement.

These gifts are good and greatly needed and are
sincerely appreciated by the people upon whom they
are bestowed. But while they are good, they are
not the best gifts; while needed, they are but
temporal; while appreciated, they leave a real, a
great want. There are gifts more valuable than
intellectual attainments, more valuable than silver
and gold; gifts whose value cannot be estimated in
dollars and cents, —and these are the ones which
man cannot well do without.

The Synodical Conference came to the Negro
mace fifty years ago this year, saying: “Silver and
gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.”
True, she has given money, but this was given only
as a means of conveying the real, the true gift.
The great gift which the Synodical Conference
_ wished to bestow is—salvation through Christ
_ Jesus. She found the race morally crippled and
___ helpless; a superstitious beggar, a spiritually igno-

rant bondman, forced to do another’s will —a lost
and condemned sinner before God. Seeing those
who had been freed by the Emancipation Proclama-
tion and led from intellectual darkness by education
still left in spiritual slavery to Satan and held in
spiritual darkness, the Lutheran Church comes with
that great gift— the name of Him who can make
us whole, glad,—free indeed. The souls in the
Colored Missions needed and need just what the
poor cripple who appeared before Peter needed —
power to stand, to leap for joy, and shout forth the
praises of God. Being in darkness, they need light;
being hopelessly lost and dead in sin, they need a
merciful Savior who can and will save.

By bringing us the best gift, the Gospel in all its
truth and purity, the Lutheran Church has given
strength to the impotent, light to the blind, joy to
the sorrowful, and life to those who were dead in
trespasses and sins. The question, “Does God care
for the souls of the poor, benighted freedmen of the
South ?” is answered in the call which the Savior
flung out to the publicans and prodigals whom the
world counted as worthless.

The Synodical Conference has given such as it
had, and our hearts overflow with gratitude, for its
gift has proved the best that could have been given.
It has given us the Word of God in its truth and
purity. How dark indeed our lives would be if we
did not have this Word! Just as our hearts swell
with gratitude for the light of day, so we thank the
Lord that He has not left us to grope in spiritual
darkness, but has sent us His Word and Luther’s
doctrine pure. This Word tells us whence we come,
for what purpose He has created us, and what He
has done for us through our Savior and through the
Gospel He has graciously sent us. With this Word
we have all that we need for our spiritual welfare,
namely, Christ and His wonderful plan of salva-
tion — pardon, peace, justification by grace through
faith, strength in the hour of temptation, comfort
in the hour of trial, full assurance in the hour of
death, and the blessed hope of eternal life.

Who would not rejoice because of this wonderful
gift and be duly grateful for it? For the blessing
with which we have been favored in the past fifty
years by the faithful work of our Lutheran Zion,
we love her; and if our expressions of gratitude
sound boastful, blame it to simple, grateful affection
and pardon it, remembering that it is but natural
for a child to kiss the hand that nursed it and esteem
‘and praise a faithful mother. The Lutheran Church
has been a mother to our mission and to a host of
people round about us. She called us when we were