any of my mentors are dead. A lot of them I never met in person, but they have mentored me, encouraged me, and taught me.
Studying history provides us a great opportunity to expand the pool of those who mentor us. We read about how they lived out their faith in the Lord, and it adds texture to our picture of what it means to follow Jesus. They expand our vision of what is possible by faith in Christ. Some of my mentors lived centuries ago. The more I get to know them, however, the more it is apparent they faced the same kind of challenges we face.
Patrick returned to Ireland, even though he spent his teenage years suffering as a slave in that land. He has been a mentor, teaching me about forgiveness and showing grace. He also is an example of finding creative ways to communicate biblical truths with people who are unfamiliar with the Scriptures.
Francis of Assisi lived more than 800 years ago, but still he lived in an age much like ours. The temptation of riches and materialism was strong. Francis set an example of how those temptations can be overcome. He pursued peace more than material prosperity. He was quick to give. He cared about the poor and mistreated. He teaches me about appreciating and rejoicing in the beauty of God’s creation.
Hans Nielsen Hauge has mentored Norwegian Christians and others for more than 200 years. He has mentored laypeople, showing them that sharing God’s Word is not a privilege offered only to the clergy. He has mentored entrepreneurs by the various businesses he started and the creative means he used to help people find ways to support their families and ministries. He has mentored congregations by inspiring them to prioritize more than keeping rituals and traditions but to pursue sincere spiritual life.
Hudson Taylor has been a mentor on how to do missions. He gave concrete examples of what it means to live out I Corinthians 9:20: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.” He lived among the Chinese. He ate their food, dressed like them, and cut his hair like they did. He also teaches me about faith, since he didn’t engage in fundraising to support his mission work. He prayed, he trusted God would provide, and time and again he experienced the faithfulness of God.
Throughout Scripture we find encouragement to study history. An example of that is given in Psalm 77. As the psalm begins, the writer agonizes about being in distress and having trouble sleeping. He finds help by remembering his history lessons. “I thought about the former days, the years of long ago” (v. 5). He remembers that God, who has done great work in the past, has not changed. “Has God forgotten to be merciful? … I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (v. 9, 11–12).
When we feel distressed, when we need mentors, and when we need comfort and encouragement, we should study history. It is full of inspiring lessons on the faithfulness of our unchanging God.
—Pastor Craig Johnson, editorial board member
VOL. 63 NO. 7
Editor
Pastor Andrew Kneeland laeditor@aflc.org
Managing Editor
Ruth Gunderson ruthg@aflc.org
Circulation
Liz McCarlson lasubscriptions@aflc.org
Editorial Board
Monica Coyle
Pastor Craig Johnson
Pastor Jerry Moan
The Lutheran Ambassador (ISSN 0746-3413) (USPS 588-620) is published monthly by the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, 3110 E. Medicine Lake Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55441 Phone (763) 545-5631 Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to The Lutheran Ambassador, 3110 E. Medicine Lake Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55441.
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By tending and keeping the past, Christians can not only strengthen and revive our spiritual and intellectual formation, but we can also equip ourselves to communicate the truth, goodness, and beauty of Jesus Christ to a confused and rootless world.
[Sarah Irving-Stonebraker]
The way into the future is not an innovative new start for the church; rather, the road to the future runs through the past.
[Robert E. Webber]
Detachment of the Christian past from applying the Word of God in the present risks … having Scripture explained (or ignored) according to the whims or agenda of whoever is doing the explaining. [D.H. Williams]
The Christian believer approaching the Christian past does so first in the consciousness that he or she is engaging with fellow participants in prayer and eucharist, fellow readers of the same scriptures; people in whom the same activity is going on, the activity of sanctifying grace. [Rowan Williams]
Every renewal of the church, every great age in its history, has been grounded on a renewed reading of history.
[Justo L. Gonzales]
Cover: “Saint John Chrysostom,” 9th century, discovered on the wall of a church near Faras, Ethiopia, National Museum in Warsaw.
Our women’s Bible study recently celebrated completing a deep study of the Book of Acts. The study took almost an entire year. We read it line by line, discussing the characters, events, and message of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ amidst a rich historical backdrop of a world turned upside down. Without doubt, the most central character that arose in our study, other than the Holy Spirit, was the Apostle Paul. His conversion, life, and ministry amazed and inspired us all. As we approached the last verses of Acts, many of our participants were curious to know what happened to Paul, the apostle credited with writing almost half the books of the New Testament. How had his life ended?
To answer that question, I appealed to the writings of the Early Church historian Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History) and secular Roman historians. They described Emperor Nero’s escalating persecution of Christians, especially following the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. Of the 14 districts of Rome, 10 completely burned to the ground. Of the four remaining areas, two were predominantly Christian. The citizens of Rome accused Nero of starting the fire himself, and nothing he did could dissuade them. In response, Nero blamed the two Christian districts for setting the blaze. As Tacitus writes in The Annals, “Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty [of being Christians]; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much for the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.”
Many historians agree that it is quite likely that the Apostle Paul, who had continued to preach and travel after the concluding verses of Acts, was also arrested at that time with many others. Eusebius writes that Paul was placed in the infamous Mamertine Prison. The historian
Age of the martyrs
BY JESSICA BUNN
Sallust described the prison as “the House of Darkness, known everywhere for its neglect, darkness, and stench, which gave it a hideous and terrifying appearance” (The War with Catiline).
It is thought that Paul may have spent up to two years in this horrifying prison. However, we mustn’t forget what kind of man he was or what kind of love he had for Jesus, even in the depths of the dungeon. Story has it that, while Paul was awaiting his sentence of death by beheading, a crystal-clear spring bubbled out of the prison floor. Paul, being the man he was, put the spring to good use and began baptizing fellow prisoners who had decided to believe in the Lord Jesus.
Today, the Mamertine Prison is now a church, and there is still evidence of a place where water flowed through the lower-level floor of the old dungeon. And doesn’t this ring true with all we know of Paul’s adventures and writings from the New Testament? I can imagine he was preaching, encouraging, praying, worshiping, and baptizing until his last shackled walk down the Ostian Way. Perhaps he was remembering another road on another day, many years before, when Jesus had called him by name. Kneeling in the dust, in the shadow of his executioner, Paul knew the race was almost run. Perhaps he thought, just before the sword bore down, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Those of us who believe and follow Jesus wrestle with the hypothetical question, “What if it were me?” The unbelieving world may never understand the degree of faith that results in such a serious question. Today, secular culture often scoffs at martyrdom. In her book, The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom, author Candida Moss argues that most of the stories from early church history regarding persecution, martyrdom, and torture are purely fictional. Some writers have even accused missionaries of “stupidity” and martyrs of “getting what they deserve” for putting themselves in danger. It is important to remember that Nero accused the Christians of not only setting fire to Rome but of “hating mankind.” We live in a culture that is increasingly hostile to our faith because we, like the early Christians in Rome, refuse to participate in the pagan practices of the day.
“The Martyrdom of Paul,” by Jacques Callot, 1632–1634, Rijksmuseum.
In the end, however, just as Paul wrote, our response and perspective depend on love—a very specific kind of love. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
Paul had known and experienced the unforgettable love and forgiveness of Jesus. The last and selfproclaimed least of the apostles had chosen Christ’s way above all others.
At our end, may we have that sort of relationship with our Lord. May we know the love that withstands any external pressures. May we be rooted and grounded and built up in Christ, remembering that He is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
Bunn is a member of St. Ansgar’s Lutheran, Salinas, Calif. Artwork: “Fire in Rome,” by Hubert Robert, 1785, Musee des Beaux-Arts Andre Malraux.
1700 years ago
BY PASTOR BRIAN LUNN
The year of our Lord 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Concerned about the rise of Arianism and the unrest it created among the Christians in his empire, Constantine the Great assembled bishops (pastors) from all over the Roman Empire and beyond to deal with the issue, along with other questions that concerned the church at large. The tradition of gathering bishops at councils to decide matters of general concern for Christian congregations was not a new one, but two things made this gathering unique. First, it was called for by a Roman emperor, and second, it gathered representatives from the entire Christian world.
The most famous result of the council was the Nicene Creed, the most widely accepted formula of Christian belief in the world. For this brief, clear, and theologically sound statement of Christian faith, we should hold the council in grateful remembrance.
The council was conducted honorably. Constantine exhorted the bishops to strive for unity, but he did not try to impose a theological agenda of his own upon the bishops, nor did he vote. Furthermore, he did not tamper with the canon of Scripture, as some rumors have had it. He might as well have tried to change what was in last month’s Lutheran Ambassador after all the copies were out in the mail. We have copies of Bibles from before Nicaea and even lists of which books belong in the Bible from before Nicaea, with the result that we can be confident there was no funny business at the council. Both the biblical canon and the doctrine of Christ’s divinity and humanity were confessed by the council as they were believed in the church at large—not as if they were imposed from above or outside.
But the council was also a bad idea. It was not long before it became clear that a Christendom-wide council summoned by a Roman emperor could not succeed in stamping out heresy or fostering peace in the church. Arianism grew and thrived in the 300s. Emperors sometimes took the side of the Arians, and chaos ensued. Appeals by church leaders to the secular authorities, once impossible because Christianity was a persecuted minority, now became commonplace. Athanasius, the hero of orthodoxy, was exiled from his congregation in Alexandria (Egypt) five times by the successors of Constantine.
And while emperors and heretics disturbed the peace of the church, the councils of bishops themselves proved little better. Nicaea was the most honorable of all such gatherings. Many of the bishops who attended Nicaea had been persecuted for their faith. They may have been elated to have an emperor in the fold, but they were not cowed by him; subsequent generations were. Councils became arenas for shameless political jockeying, and the office of bishop became a desirable post, not for the shepherding of souls, but for the gathering of worldly power. The more “universal” a council aimed to be, the more shameless were the power grabs.
History is messy, I suppose mostly because it has to do with people, and people’s lives are not as clear-cut as we would like them to be. The Bible shows us that even the “good guys”
leave much to be desired. Jacob was a cheater. Peter was a blowhard and a coward. Noah got drunk. We wish we could look back and cheer for certain people without qualification, but that would be dishonest and miss the point.
The hero of history is Jesus, not any human character. We can be thankful for Constantine’s conversion, or for Athanasius’ defense of good doctrine, or for the Council of Nicaea’s clear statement of Christian faith. But we should not pretend that any person or council is flawless. Instead, we would do well to approach both distant history and our own lives with humility. Let God be the hero—the One who can make good things out of the biggest messes.
Lunn serves Word of Life Lutheran, Upsala, Minn. Artwork: “Bishops at the Council of Nicaea” (top), printmaker Bernad Picart, 1704, Rijksmuseum. Icon depicting the Emperor Constantine I and the bishops of the First Council of Nicaea holding the Nicene Creed (right), c. 381, Wiki Commons.
Author’s note: If you’re looking for a book to read to commemorate this anniversary year, permit me to recommend The Nicene Creed: An Introduction by Phillip Cary. This book examines the Creed line by line in a devotional style with very short chapters.
& the Papacy
BY PASTOR ANDREW KNEELAND
S Lutherans
hould we care about the pope?
Even confessional Lutherans can admit that the Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest institutions in the history of the world. For nearly two millennia, the papacy has towered over culture and history and profoundly shaped our world today.
Understanding this history is important. Knowing where the papacy came from helps clarify our theological convictions and equips us to engage our Roman Catholic neighbors with truth and charity.
Early Church Origins
Following Pentecost, the disciples carried the gospel throughout the entire world, and churches were planted in cities throughout the Roman Empire. There were no schisms or denominational differences, but even in the first few centuries of Christian history, churches in several cities claimed unique importance.
Jerusalem was important because Jesus walked its streets. Antioch was important because there believers were first called Christians. But the church in Rome had them beat: they were a church founded by Peter, the “rock” many believed Jesus had founded his Church upon.
Lutherans understand Matthew 16:18 differently—the Church is built not on Peter himself but on Peter’s confession two verses earlier—but nearly everyone in the Early Church looked to Rome for leadership. The lead pastor in Rome appointed other pastors, settled church conflicts, and influenced key decisions.
When Rome fell to the Visigoths in AD 410, the prestige of the bishop of Rome only increased. The center of the Roman Empire had shifted east to Constantinople, leaving the bishop of Rome as the only
remaining figure with any level of authority. It fell to him to organize the distribution of food and water, oversee reconstruction projects, and even plan the defense of the city. This trajectory continued through the fifth century. Bishop Siricius was the first to call himself pope—from the Latin word for “father”—and Innocent I, who succeeded Siricius two years after his death, issued a decree that claimed “all greater issues” must be settled by Rome.
At the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I extended Rome’s power even further. He claimed that not only did the pope have authority over the other churches, but also over the state. If the church and the state were ever in conflict, the decision of the church would have more authority.
The medieval church called this the Sun and the Moon Doctrine. The church is like the sun, and the secular government is like the moon. They both shine light, or exercise authority, but the moon only reflects light that comes from the sun.
The crystallization of this growing power was Christmas Day in the year AD 800, when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor in St. Peter’s Basilica. Reformation Conflict
The papacy claimed more and more authority through the Middle Ages and into the Reformation period. Rome controlled the correct interpretation of Scripture. Rome distributed grace through the sacraments. Allegiance to the Roman pope was the only way to be saved.
“Martin Luther and the Wittenberg Reformers,” Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1543, Toledo Museum of Art.
Many Christians called attention to the errors and abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. Peter Waldo believed in the universal priesthood of all believers. John Wycliffe worked to make the Bible available in the common language. Jan Hus held that papal authority was not equal to Scriptural authority. And finally, Martin Luther taught that being made righteous was a gift from God and not available for sale through indulgences. Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther in 1521, and the Council of Trent (1545–1563) solidified Rome’s position against this new Protestant teaching.
This history defines Lutheran identity. The Reformation clarified that salvation is by grace through faith, not through papal mediation. Christ is the head of the Church, not the pope. The Lutheran confessions famously label the pope as “Antichrist” for usurping authority that rightfully belongs to Christ.
Why It Matters
Does this history matter today, more than 500 years later? Yes! Knowing the history of the papacy sharpens our theological clarity and guards our teaching. The Roman Catholic Church, with a quartermillion parishes and more than one billion souls, is a human institution that evolved into the elaborate papacy we see today. There are certainly true believers within this church, many of whom are our friends and neighbors, but several of Rome’s official teachings obscure Christ and the gospel. The Roman Catholic Church makes theological claims that challenge justification by faith, sola Scriptura, and how the Holy Spirit works through the local congregation.
We cling to Christ alone and trust his Word above all human institutions. Understanding Roman Catholic tradition, from Peter’s confession to Reformation battles, equips us to share the gospel with precision and charity. We study the past not to dwell on division but to boldly call all to the cross where salvation by grace through faith is proclaimed.
Kneeland, a member of Solid Rock Free Lutheran, is the editor. Artwork: “St. Peter’s, the Basilica and the Piazza,” Francesco Panini, c. 1800, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
BY BRYAN BOHL
MLight in the
any scholars and historians have credited Martin Luther as “the father of the Reformation.” Indeed, his work was pivotal to the movement’s growth and is still relevant today, even beyond Lutheran circles. However, it may be irresponsible to forget that Luther was not the sole source of the concerns and protests regarding the Roman Catholic Church, its teachings, leadership, and the need for reform. From the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, God used Luther’s 95 Theses to ignite the Reformation from protests that had been circulating over the last several centuries. In his theses, Luther directly relayed some of the questions that had been expressed by shrewdminded laypeople who were recognizing inconsistencies between the doctrines and traditions within the Church and Scripture. Before Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517, many proto-protestants had challenged some of the practices of the established church, claiming that it was out of alignment with God’s Word, often precipitating a backlash of persecution from the papal authorities.
In the late 12th century, a wealthy French merchant named Peter Waldo experienced the very sudden death
of a friend. The abrupt loss acutely altered his perspective regarding life’s brevity and fragility, which compelled him to ponder his own eternal destination. In his soul-searching, he sought wisdom from Scripture and the promise of the gospel, but he did not want it mediated by a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, whose doctrines he was already beginning to question. He commissioned a translation of the New Testament into common French, and in studying this translation, his concern and conviction deepened.
Waldo believed that people needed to study Scripture for themselves. He saw that the clergy were using the people’s ignorance of Scripture to perpetuate false doctrines that manipulated them for personal and political gain. Waldo began protesting this corruption within the Church while preaching and distributing copied portions of the French New Testament among the common people.
During this time, Waldo chose to adopt a lifestyle of poverty while giving to the needy and proclaiming the gospel of Christ. Some followed this example, and they began to be known as “Waldenses.” These bold believers spoke out against the Roman Catholic Church on many controversial issues, such as transubstantiation, indulgences, and prayers for the dead, garnering the attention of the Church’s leadership, pope included. The Waldenses fled, taking refuge from persecution in the high alpine valleys of southern France and northern Italy. From there, they continued to minister as traveling traders and peddlers, distributing carefully concealed portions of Scripture to anyone with a heart hungry for salvation in Christ.
Though Waldo’s movement was forced into hiding, its
Mitre’s Shadow
influence quietly endured. A century and a half later, amid great turmoil in the world, John Wycliffe, a young Catholic professor and theologian at the University of Oxford, began his own public challenge of the corruption within the Church and the papacy. Some of his more poignant and timely writings had a very polarizing effect on people, both spiritually and politically. He directly opposed the political authority that the pope held at the time and bluntly attacked his misuse of spiritual authority, saying that “Christ, not the Pope, is the true head of the Church.” He firmly believed that no authority on earth, Church included, could stand above the authority of Scripture.
Wycliffe also shared Waldo’s conviction that common people ought to have access to Scripture in a language they understand. To that end, in the latter part of his life, Wycliffe orchestrated the first full translation of the Latin Vulgate into English without authorization from the Church. Wycliffe himself was protected for a time by his position and standing at Oxford and by other powerful sympathizers, but his writings were condemned, and after his death, the Church labeled him a heretic. His followers, known as the “Lollards,” faced brutal persecution. Many were imprisoned, tortured, or burned at the stake for even possessing translated Scriptures or preaching without Church approval.
Throughout the centuries leading up to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, Waldo and the Waldenses, Wycliffe and the Lollards, and other notable figures alongside countless more unnamed, contributed in their respective seasons with the means at their disposal—all of it
according to the plan of a completely sovereign God. These people, their determination to seek the truth in Scripture, their faith to stand firm on the authority of God’s Word, and their courage to lay down their very lives in obedience to Christ, challenge us today. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8). Their faithfulness made it possible for many to receive and understand the gospel. Their bold protest of the pervasive corruption within the Church calls our generation of Protestants to hold high the light. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Bohl is a member of Living Hope, Rogers, Minn. Artwork: “The Seven Works of Mercy,” (below) by Master of Alkmaar, 1504, Rijksmuseum. “Johannes Wiclif” (left), by Alexander van Haecken, c. 1735–57, The Trustees of the British Museum. “Peter Waldo” (right), 1877, anonymous, Wiki Commons.
“He was ambitious without being proud ... He was biblical without being bigoted ... He was a follower of Jesus, without being superficial ... He was charismatic without being selfish.”
Arthur F. Glasser
Igrew up in a church that venerated the classic stalwarts of missiology. Names like Hudson Taylor, David Livingston, and Amy Carmichael were pinned at the top of the list of examples of a life wholly devoted to the Lord. “Look at what they did; see how they lived.” I enjoyed the stories of adventure and sacrifice but often felt a pang of guilt when I acknowledged that my life would never look anything like these. One may be tempted to survey the cultural landscape of 2025 and dismiss these old missionary stories as a romantic picture of a world long ago. Beautiful, yes, but are they applicable today?
While the world may look different today than it did in 1853, people haven’t changed much. Their lost nature and profound need of a Savior remain as stark as ever. So I’m grateful to have the opportunity to reflect on the life of a man who cast aside worldly ambition for the sake of the lost. A man as intelligent, driven, and perseverant as Hudson Taylor could have quickly risen to the top of an industrializing America. Instead, this servant counted the cost, laid aside selfish ambition, and esteemed others’ eternal salvation as a higher priority than his own desires. Hudson Taylor was born in 1832. He eventually felt called to the mission field and committed to going to China. In preparation for this, he studied Mandarin, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. He was eventually fluent in several varieties of Chinese and soon fluent enough to prepare an edition of the New Testament in two of them. He also
Missions expansion
studied medicine and midwifery to be able to serve the people to whom he would be ministering.
Hudson Taylor’s life and ministry were marked by perseverance in the face of adversity. Despite hardship, heartache, illness, and death, he persisted in his work to share the saving knowledge of a Savior with a lost people. He was married, widowed, and married a second time. He was the father to 14 children, five of whom died in infancy. His first voyage to China was a disastrous five months, and he arrived to a country embroiled in a civil war. After 12 years of ministry and family building together, Taylor’s wife, Maria, died of cholera. During the Boxer Rebellion in 1870, 58 missionaries and 21 children from the mission lost their lives. During the winter of 1874, Hudson suffered an injury to his spine that left him paralyzed for about six months.
In the midst of these challenges and losses, Taylor, along with William Thomas Berger, founded the China Inland Mission. This mission embraced members of many leading denominations if there was a “soundness in the faith in all fundamental truths.” Members were unified in their aim, with the help of God, to bring the Chinese to a saving knowledge of the love of God. Missionaries were to go in dependence upon God for temporal supplies, with no guarantee of any income. At the end of his ministry, Taylor had spent 54 years in China. The CIM that he began was responsible for bringing 800 missionaries to China. Due to CIM’s outspoken voice against the opium trade, Taylor is considered one of the most influential Europeans in
BY STEPHANIE PATENAUDE
China during the 19th century. Taylor and the ministry of the CIM went on to profoundly influence the lives of Amy Carmichael, Eric Liddel, Jim Elliot, and Billy Graham.
The greatest people accomplish a lot but never draw attention to themselves or seek human praise. Hudson Taylor didn’t seek his own glory. He didn’t recognize his own greatness and show it off to the world. He saw a people who needed to hear that they were loved by a God who is mighty to save. I’m convinced that these are the men and women worth heralding as heroes and encouraging our children to emulate; they point ultimately to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.
“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering” (Hebrews 2:9–10).
This is the same Jesus that Hudson Taylor wanted to show to the people of China—the Jesus who suffered and died to redeem us who are lost and bring us to glory. And because of that, we can and should rejoice.
Patenaude is a member of West Prairie Free Lutheran, Kindred, N.D. Artwork: “Map of China and the Adjacent Countries,” William H. Allen and Co., 1842, Yale Center for British Art. “Hudson Taylor,” 1893, Wiki Commons.
M Pietists
& Puritans
BY PASTOR TERRY CULLER
ost people reading these words know that the AFLC has a heritage of Scandinavian Pietism. I suspect that those same people know some, but not much, of the history of what has been called Puritanism, and, as I have said when I taught classes on the Puritans, most of what you “know” might very well be wrong. In this article, I hope to show that there is a great kinship between these two particular ways of living faithful lives and “doing church,” and that this was recognized by at least some of the Pietists and Puritans of the past.
Pietism can be said to have had its start in the Lutheran Church when a pastor named Johann Arndt published a book called True Christianity. I have read that German immigrants to America in the 18th century often brought two books with them: Luther’s translation of the Bible and Arndt’s True Christianity. When another pastor named Philipp Jacob Spener wrote a new introduction to Arndt’s work, he called his article Pia Desideria, or “Pious Desires.” The Lutheran Church had strayed from Martin Luther’s vision of church life by focusing too much on holding right opinions on doctrine without paying the necessary attention to living a Christian lifestyle. It would probably be too strong to say that the Church didn’t care at all how its members lived as long as they agreed with Lutheran doctrine, but certainly a biblical lifestyle was not front and center in their teaching.
Puritanism began as a movement to further reform the Church of England after Elizabeth I came to the throne. The early Puritans wanted a presbyterian organization like that found in John Calvin’s Geneva, where many of the Puritans sought refuge during the repressive anti-Protestant reign of Elizabeth’s sister Mary. Puritans especially sought to remove what they saw as remnants of Roman Catholic teaching and practices in the English Church. The Puritan movement began before the Pietist movement and actually impacted the development of Pietism as the writings of early Puritans circulated among Protestants in Europe.
Puritans focused much of their teaching on what they called “experimental” Christianity, which we would translate into modern English as “experiential” Christianity. Without denying the importance of doctrine (indeed, as Calvinists, they held doctrine dear), Puritans contended that real (or, as Arndt called it, true) Christianity involved a change in a Christian’s way of life. As Calvinists, they would have known that the subtitle of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion was intended, as Calvin said, for direction in godliness. The Puritan William Ames described it as “living to God.”
Spener made use of what was called in the 17th century “the order of salvation.” This is the pattern in which the Holy Spirit works out the salvation of the believer. First, the believer is elected, then called, and then illumined. He or she is then
converted, regenerated, justified, united with Christ, renovated, preserved to the end, and finally glorified in Christ. This theological approach, somewhat at odds with what was widely regarded as orthodox among many Lutheran clergy, focused more on the experience of God in the life of the individual than simply having the Church tell the laity what they were to believe without encouragement to true Christian living.
The English and Scottish Puritans and the German and Scandinavian Pietists each lived in a world where the government controlled the Church. The governments wanted to control church life as they tried controlling everything else so that there would be unity among their people in most things. If clergy, controlled directly or indirectly by the government, were the only teachers and leaders in the church, then local governments felt comfortable. But both the Puritans and the Pietists encouraged what were then called conventicles, which we refer to as small groups. Both groups also were open
to relationships across church body lines, something that caused concern among the leaders. For example, the American Puritan leader Cotton Mather carried on an extended correspondence relationship with August Hermann Francke, a student of Spener and the leader of the University of Halle (Germany).
Satan always seeks ways to turn anything in the Church against the true faith, and heresy is always a potential as people explore their faith lives. Unfortunately, both Pietism and Puritanism have occasionally spawned factions that distort the truth and lead people off the narrow path. That said, both movements have been influential in encouraging both a personal and a corporate emphasis on a living faith in both private and public arenas. And both are finding new adherents today.
Culler is a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran, Hagerstown, Md. Artwork: “Coventicle in Nordkapp, Norway,” 1931, Wiki Commons. “Philipp Jacob Spener,” c. 1675, Rijksmuseum.
Pastor Todd and Barb Schierkolk have served in Mexico since 1996. They host kids club, Bible studies, and youth group, and are involved in their congregation. For more information on their ministry and to learn how to support them financially and in prayer, visit their web page: aflcworldmissions.org/todd-schierkolks
Schierkolk is an AFLC missionary serving in Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico, with his wife, Barb.
BY PASTOR TODD SCHIERKOLK
n May, my wife and I reached a significant milestone in our ministry here in Mexico. It was 30 years ago that we started Spanish language school as young missionaries with two of our three little girls in tow. It’s no surprise that we began working with kids and youth. The surprise is that 30 years later, we’re still working with kids and youth.
I sit in the barber chair watching Juanita in the mirror opposite me as she cuts away with the scissors, and chunks of gray hair fall on the floor around me. Tonight, I’ll be meeting with a 16-year-old in distress. That’s after Barb and I drop off his sister from the kids’ club we lead.
It seems like many years ago, when I was already feeling old for this kind of ministry, Pastor Paul Kneeland encouraged me in our work with kids and youth by reminding me of the example of Caleb in the Book of Joshua. “I was forty years old when Moses ... sent me ... to spy out the land,” he says. “And now, behold, the lord has kept me alive … these forty-five years ... I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me” (Joshua 14:7, 10–11). I don’t know what kind of supplements Caleb was taking, but I definitely don’t feel as strong today as I did 30 years ago—I can’t run as fast, or jump as high, or play the high-energy kids’ games I used to play. But I can say with a sincere heart that Barb and I love these kids as much as and more now than we could have back then.
We shake our heads and marvel that they still want to come and hang out with a couple of grandparents. They like being picked up in our old green Suburban and coming along for the ride. They like sitting at a table and playing board games with us (we do have a Foosball table, too). They like reading a section of Scripture and telling us what stands out to them. And they like eating potato chips and ice cream bars and having pizza when someone has a birthday. At our last meeting, there were three junior high kids—and they had the best time. Go figure!
I recently got a chance to visit with Pastor Jason Holt via video chat, and I took advantage of his experience with youth ministry to share with him my disbelief about our continuing ministry with these kids. I wondered how many people in youth ministry he knew of who are as old as I am, and he said, “Well, actually …” Ha! Who knew! And then he affirmed what Barb and I had wondered and assumed—that sitting down with a grandma and grandpa can bring security, a sense of peace, something to rely on, and a place where they feel loved.
A couple of months ago, one of the high school girls was in a dangerous free fall in her life. Things were spinning out of control. By the grace of God and so many people’s prayers, that base of security, peace, and love that Barb and I had been able to build over many years enabled us to speak to her heart. The Holy Spirit helped her to hear us—to hear him. And she broke through to a place of peace and stability again.
So, we’ll keep on playing board games, eating ice cream, and celebrating birthdays with pizza. We’ll keep on reading through the most important stories in the Bible. Because the love of a grandma and a grandpa counts. And the love of God the Father counts even more, no matter who it comes through.
BY ANNE PRESTENG
f you follow our WMF Facebook page, you may have seen invitations to spring rallies across our districts. It is an encouragement to meet with other women, hear the Word of God, pray, and fellowship together. Here are a few updates from district rallies this spring.
Pacific Northwest
At the Pacific Northwest rally, district president Sherri Scavo welcomed about 40 ladies to Stillwater Free Lutheran in Kalispell, Mont. Karen Floan and Anne Presteng shared about Jesus bringing light to the world using the theme verse, John 8:12.
Minneapolis
President Cheri Anenson greeted about 40 women at Christ the King in Wilson, Wis., at the Minneapolis District rally. The theme verse was Isaiah 43:18–19: “Remember not the former thing, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I’m doing a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Linda Hensrud shared a message of hope, and Shelby Greven gave an update on her time as a short-term missionary assistant in Paraguay and Brazil.
Eastern North Dakota
“Living to Serve” was the theme of the Eastern ND rally. Forty-seven women enjoyed delicious food and fellowship thanks to the ladies at Zion Free Lutheran, rural Valley City. President Kya Schroeder led in devotions, and guest speaker Vicki Johnson creatively illustrated the theme verse Matthew 20:28: “... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Northern Minnesota
At the rally in Northern Minnesota, Judy and Elizabeth Jore spoke on mentoring and women’s ministry in the local church. Lucy, a woman in her 80s who drove two hours one way to attend, shared with Elizabeth her heart for spiritual mentoring.
The acronym WMF has sometimes been thought of as “Women Ministering Faithfully.” We minister to encourage each other but also to build up the body of Christ. Our rallies are a time of fellowship along with remembering our missionaries and church-wide projects. It is good to remind ourselves of the sisterhood we share in Christ.
The purpose of the WMF is to awaken and deepen interest in and love for the kingdom of God, at home and abroad, thus sharing in the great missionary enterprise of the Christian Church.
• Website: aflc.org/women
Presteng, Grafton, N.D., is the first vice president of the WMF.
BY PASTOR ANDY COYLE
hurch planting is front-line missions. These new congregations face a great amount of spiritual warfare, pressure, and volatile emotions as the gospel is planted in a hostile environment. As a family of congregations, we have the privilege of caring for and supporting these ministries. How can a congregation care for a new church plant in another state? Here are a few ways for you to consider:
Support team: Create a support team for the purpose of intentionally connecting the ministry of the sending church to the church plant. This team would help organize and plan all other ways of support.
Prayer: Prayer is the primary work of God’s people. You and your congregation can partner in this vital way by praying regularly in church services and staff meetings. Remind your church of their commitment, responsibility, and privilege to pray. Have them set their phone/clock alarms to an agreedupon time and stop and pray. Create a prayer chain that will commit to immediate prayer for real-time requests and needs. Pray over the specific community of a church planter.
Inform: Share quarterly updates in a worship service. Share printed materials and the planters’ social media platforms. Encourage them with regular messages of “You have been prayed for today.”
Give: Financially support the church plant as your primary local or national mission. Make a longterm commitment until the plant is self-funding and self-governing (three–five years). Provide prayer cards and direct the congregation on how to support their missionary. Bless the planter and spouse in generous ways that will nurture their marriage or family life. Enlist other financial partners for the church plant. Church planting is costly. It takes a coalition of churches to plant a new church.
Assist: Allow the planter and congregation to have access to the institutional systems you have, for example, financial or accounting software or marketing resources. Do you have members who are especially gifted in certain areas (technology, audio) that could help train or advise?
Pictured: Members of Salem Lutheran, Radcliffe, Iowa, participate in Emmanuel Lutheran’s first preview service in Ankeny, Iowa
To discuss ways to connect your congregation with a new ministry, contact Pastor Coyle:
• andy.coyle@aflc.org
• (763) 412-2018
Coyle is the executive director of AFLC Home Missions.
Learn: Take opportunities to read and study the art and science of church planting. This will help you become a stronger supporting congregation, get a greater sense of God’s mission in the world, and manage your expectations.
Care: Provide prayer cards and direct the congregation on how to support their missionary. Provide date night and childcare opportunities for the planter and family. Assign small groups and Sunday school classes to routinely write cards and letters of encouragement to the planter and congregation. Send the planter to church planting and ministry conferences.
Serve: Send mission teams from your congregation for strategic ministry (outreach, service, prayer, construction). Allocate two or three Sundays a year for your pastor to attend/serve at the plant. If you are local, organize volunteer teams to regularly assist with ministry help on Sundays. This may include sending a few families to serve as church members for the first year. There are certainly many more creative ways to come alongside a new congregation in their early years of volatility. Your partnership in the gospel is so important and deeply needed.
BY HEATHER HANSEN
he Alaska Mission team is in the midst of a busy summer season in Naknek. A huge thank you to those who have supported us financially and in prayer. We have been incredibly blessed by the body of Christ. Here’s a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.
At the Net, the Christian hospitality coffee house, the boxes of cake and cookie mixes, sugar, and more just keep coming in. Thanks to Loren and Sharon Tungseth for coming up to deep clean and get us ready to start off the season. The Net was ready for locals and visitors starting on June 9, and we’ll be open through July, serving up comfort through cups of coffee, sharing Jesus, and donating warm clothes! The ministry here will be run by volunteers from the lower 48 states and Mexico for the entire season.
We have a team of nine people for vacation Bible school. We will send out two teams in one week for the first time since 2017. The team will go to seven different villages, and we will drop off VBS goodie bags at two other villages. The team is 100 percent supported financially.
We have accomplished several radio station projects this past month. In Dillingham, Rod Scheel lowered the small FM tower and got the damaged transmitter antenna at the Moravian church functioning again. This station is now fully functional and running well. He also upgraded the power switching equipment, a fan unit, and a heating/cooling option for the UPS power in Igiugig. Dave Perkins updated three computers with new SSD cards, making the system run faster, along with other projects. Dean and Dewey from Fergus Falls, Minn., replaced the cable support fence in the backyard at KAKN. This ensures that the cables from the transmitter room to the tower are well protected for the next several years.
The FLAPS planes will get lots of airtime flying the VBS teams to villages and kids to a Christian camp. We are thankful for the team from Mission Aviation Training Academy that came up in February to do routine maintenance to make sure the planes are at their best for summer flying.
We have many reasons to be grateful. We’re thankful for many volunteers who have and will come up to serve. Between May and August, we will have more than 50 people helping with ministry. We’re thankful for the quilts that have been sent up for us to pass out at villages this summer, too. We thank God for the many financial supporters who make projects and missions possible. And we thank God for the prayer warriors who make sure there isn’t a battle or setback we can’t face. We are thankful for a God who is able to use each and every one of us for his glory. We will continue this good work that he has started.
Hansen serves the Alaska Mission as a missionary working with children.
Top: Dean and Dewey from Fergus Falls, Minn., came to fix the cable fence in the KAKN backyard that goes to the tower. Above: Dave Perkins, Josh Fish, and Loren Tungseth visit Egegik to check on the KAKN radio transmitter.
Ritlands commissioned as missionaries to Paraguay
Zach and Carey Ritland were commissioned as AFLC missionaries to Paraguay on June 12 during the Mission Festival Service at the AFLC Annual Conference.
The Ritlands, who are members of Salem Lutheran, Radcliffe, Iowa, received a call from World Missions to be lay missionaries earlier this year. They will assist Pastor Matthew and Ednay Abel in the work of church planting in Villarica, Paraguay. The Ritlands are currently in the process of visiting AFLC congregations and raising support for their missionary work. They plan to leave for Paraguay in early September. Their first year will be spent learning both Spanish and Guarani, a language of the indigenous people of Paraguay.
To become part of the Ritland’s support team, including subscribing to their newsletter or supporting financially, contact World Missions at worldmis@aflc.org.
Zach and Carey Ritland (center) were commissioned at the Mission Festival Service on June 12, with Executive Director Earl Korhonen (to their right) officiating and members of the World Missions Board of Directors present, including (from left) Pastor David Johnson, Sam Quanbeck, Pastor Jerry Nelson, Pastor Craig Johnson, Mark Riley, and Ken Sletten.
Fargo congregation to host 2026 conference Pollestad resigns from Development department
The AFLC Conference Committee received an invitation from members of St. Paul’s Free Lutheran, Fargo, N.D., to host the 2026 Annual Conference. Along with the help of congregations from the Eastern North Dakota District, the St. Paul’s congregation will host the conference June 10–13, 2026, at a site yet to be named.
The first Annual Conference was held in Fargo in 1963 and three times in the first 15 years of the AFLC’s existence. It will have been 49 years since the last time the conference was hosted in Fargo.
Information about the conference site, along with registration, housing, WMF Day, Rekindle the Fire, conference committees, etc., will be published as the information becomes available.
Pastor Tonnes Pollestad has resigned as director of AFLC Development, effective immediately. His resignation came during the AFLC Annual Conference at the ARC.
In an email sent from the AFLC President’s Office following the conference, Pastor Micah Hjermstad noted that Pollestad “has faithfully served the people of the AFLC for over 14 years; we are so grateful to God for him, and he will be missed. We pray that God would abundantly bless him as the Lord directs his next steps.”
Pollestad joined the AFLC Development department in March 2011 following a conference resolution in 2010 to create and support the position. Pollestad had previously served with the Bible League International and as director of Vision 2004, the funding program for the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary.
For more information, contact Mark Sivertson, vice president of Development, by email at mark.sivertson@aflc.org. Questions may also be sent to Hjermstad at president@aflc.org.
FLY Convention to livestream evening services
The 2025 FLY Convention will begin on June 30 and run through July 5 at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colo. Evening sessions will be livestreamed each day and can be found on the FLY Convention Facebook page and website. Tune in to hear messages from FLY speakers, including Pastor Nathan Olson, Matthew Monseth, Pastor Scott Stroud, Pastor Eric Westlake, and Pastor Ben Sollie. Daily updates will also be posted on the FLY Convention’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
The booklet, packed with information about events at FLY, is available online. Visit flyconvention.org for the booklet, schedule, and other information.
Wilderness Camp to host summer services
AFLC Wilderness Camp is hosting weekly services at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings through August. The camp is located at 12220 County Highway 5, Lake Park, Minn. All are welcome to join.
FLBCS to host Summer Institute of Theology
The Summer Institute of Theology will be held Aug. 4–8 on the campus of the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary, Plymouth, Minn. The week-long lecture series focused on theology and ministry features guest lecturers and FLBCS faculty.
Brad Pribbenow will present the plenary session on “Praying the Psalms with Jesus” daily at 8:30 a.m. Pribbenow is the dean, chief academic officer, and professor of Old Testament studies at the Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Fergus Falls, Minn. He is the author of Prayerbook of Christ: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms.
Two lecture options from FLBC faculty will be available for the 10:30 a.m. session Monday through Friday, including “Studies in Hebrews” with Dr. Jarrod Hylden and “Who Do People Say That I Am? Studies in Christology” with Dr. James Molstre.
Following a break for lunch, two lectures will be offered for the 1:30 p.m. session (Monday through Thursday), including “Truth, Meaning, and the Gospel in the Writings of C.S. Lewis” with Dr. Wade
Pastor Harold Senkbeil was the plenary speaker at the 2024 Summer Institute of Theology.
Mobley and “Law and Gospel Preaching” with Pastor Sam Wellumson.
Participants may register for one, two, or three sessions. A discounted rate is available for a second registration from the same congregation.
Optional additions include campus housing and noon meals. Two free options include a dinner (Tuesday) and a dinner and testimony time (Thursday). For more information and to register for the event, visit flbc. edu/sit.
Upcoming Events
• Golf Scramble: July 25, The Refuge Golf Club, Oak Grove, Minn., noon shotgun start; sponsorships available.
• Disc Golf Tournament July 26, Lion’s Park, Shakopee, Minn.; tournament kickoff at 9:30 a.m.
To register for either event, visit flbc.edu/events
PEOPLE & PLACES
Pastor Kyle Smith has accepted a call to serve Freedom Lutheran, Ottawa, Ill., and has resigned from his call to First Lutheran, Ellendale, Minn.
Pastor James R. Johnson has accepted a call to Redeemer Free Lutheran, Ontonagon, Mich., beginning September 1, and has resigned from his call to Calvary Free Lutheran, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Diane Brubakken has been hired as the new Home Missions administrative assistant starting in July. She has served as the administrative assistant for AFLC Parish Education. Jaelynn Kozicky was recently hired to fill the administrative assistant role for Parish Education.
Nine volunteers are serving on the Alaska Mission’s vacation Bible school (VBS) team this summer. They include Ethan and Claire Flude, Chris and Kristen McGuire, John and Jennifer Shrock, Katelyn Gresli, Dylan McQuery, and Susanna Benito. The team will be flown to seven remote villages near Naknek, Alaska, to teach a week-long VBS program to local children.
Support the AFLC’s magazine
The Lutheran Ambassador is free for all subscribers. Our ministry is subsidized by your gifts. Thank you! Our mission continues to provide encouraging and informative content. For information on giving, please visit our website at aflc.org/lutheran-ambassador.
MAY MEMORIALS
All Ministries
Gloria Lee, Sharon Alt
Development
Paulette Hoffman
FLAPS
Gloria Lee
FLBCS
Gloria Lee, Ruth Claus, Viviann Christenson
General Fund
Gloria Lee
Home Missions
Pastor Paul Nash
Gloria Lee
Parish Education
Gloria Lee
Free Lutheran Seminary graduates are ordained in Valley City
Two 2025 Free Lutheran Seminary graduates, Mikey Meester (kneeling) and Troy Hansen (standing), were ordained May 17 at Grace Free Lutheran, Valley City, N.D., their home congregation. Pastor Micah Hjermstad (center), AFLC president, officiated at the service.
Lutheran Ambassador
Gloria Lee
WMF
Linda Nelson
World Missions
Helen Knapp, Larry
Moan, Gloria Lee, Priscilla Dutcher, Pastor John Abel
Ralph Klein, Mark Fagerstrom
... in honor of FLBCS
Paul and Jenell Johnson
BENEVOLENCES January 1-May 31, 2025
BY CLARA GUNDERSON
rom 1949 to 1957 there was a delightful TV series called “I Remember Mama.” The basis of the series was the Hanson family, immigrants from Norway now living in San Francisco. A black and white show, it touched on the wisdom and common sense of Mama Hanson. It was a heartwarming drama, and we watched it every week to see how Mama’s words rang true, saving her children from temptation and disobedience. Mama always knew best!
Of course, it took me years to realize that truth in my own home. Lillian, my mama, lived life without fanfare, one day at a time. It amazes me that though she lost her mother at age 4 and was raised by a working father and housekeeper, she was such a nurturing person. Softspoken, nurturing, and forgiving are true descriptions of my mama.
Like Mama Hanson, my mother came up with some pretty significant bywords that served her well. Three generations later, she is still quoted. One especially so: “Be a credit,” she would say every time one of us left the house. What did she mean? “You are a Bouchard,” she would answer, “Make us proud!” As I picked up this proverb with my own children, I realized it had a far deeper meaning. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ …” (Philippians 1:27). In other words, Mom was saying, Jesus died for you; don’t let his sacrifice be in vain.
My mom and dad came to the Lord slowly as young parents; they grew into their faith over the years. I remember my mom leading a children’s Sunday school class. I was so proud to see her up front! Her favorite hymn was “Sing Them Over Again to Me, Wonderful Words of Life.” Mom borrowed a slogan from the local electric company that she loved to say to us: “Progress is our most important product.” She’d say this when we were amid a remodel, walls torn down, dust everywhere. She’d remind me of it when I didn’t want to finish my homework or got discouraged with the dress I had started to sew. “Done is better than perfect,” she’d quote. Each step completed was a success. Here in Idaho, as our house was being built, this proverb was quoted often! Solomon, God’s man of wisdom, says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might …” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
I remember my mom’s words when a young girl at church found herself pregnant. The gossip was unkind, unforgiving. Mom said, “I’m not going to say a thing until all of my girls are married.” Maybe she had tasted the bitterness of public criticism herself. Perhaps she had been hurt by another’s cruel words.
She had definitely learned the value of the Golden Rule as we read it in Matthew 7:12, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you …” I remember my mom serving us hot tea and something from the oven every night at
ten, listening to the news, and going to bed. Oh, and I well remember her humor at the dinner table when she had made a new dish, always very savory. She put us all to shame as she said, “Let’s have whoever made this make it again.” Not one of us had said how delicious it was. Shame on us! Ungrateful, we presumed on her goodness.
I remember coming home from school and seeing my mom sitting on the couch, one leg tucked under, reading—her favorite downtime. It may have been a book of poems, a novel, or her Bible. Marrying young and having her children by the time she was 26, she gained knowledge from reading. Vicariously, she traveled as we, her children, did in reality.
I remember my mom years later, after suffering a stroke, wheelchair-bound, unable to express herself, yet smiling at me in her love. Toward the end of the day when Dad was expected home, she would wheel herself over to the big picture window in the living room, eyes sparkling as she saw his truck pull into the driveway. “She watches over the activities of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her saying: Many daughters have done nobly, but you exceed them all” (Proverbs 31:27–29).
My mom lived her own advice, living her life worthy of the gospel.
Gunderson lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Photo: The author’s mother and sister, 1948.
BUILDING THE BASE \\\ THE LORD’S PRAYER \ Part 4
BY PASTOR NICK SCHULTZ
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
here is a beautifully honest sentence in Luther’s Large Catechism at the beginning of his explanation of this petition: “We stumble daily and transgress because we live in the world among people. They do us much harm and give us reasons for impatience, anger, revenge, and such.” That’s right, we’re tempted to think. It is all your fault! We also can’t forget to mention the devil’s attacks. If it weren’t for you and the devil, wow, would I be the holiest person in the world.
Pride is a wily thing like that. We can take something that is true and turn it around into sin without even blinking an eye. In our fallenness, it is our nature to not trust or believe God and to seek after sin. I remember the first time I contemplated that truth sitting at Living Word Free Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, S.D. I hate sin. But I also like my sin. On the face of it, it makes
sense, right? Or else why would I do it?
That is why Jesus teaches us to pray for forgiveness of sins. By teaching us to pray for forgiveness, he breaks our pride and keeps us humble. The truth is, no matter how good we are at submitting to God’s will and keeping His law, we will always need forgiveness. The prophet Isaiah did not only confess, “I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” He also confessed, “I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).
But God does not merely wish to break our pride and force us to agree with the reality of our sin and brokenness. That is only a part of what God’s desire is for us as revealed in this petition. As Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
God’s desire is to forgive you abundantly. We pray that God would deal with us graciously and forgive us. This is not a prayer with a hope based upon a probability or upon how good I’ve been
lately. It rests on the promise of God in Christ crucified for you. When we pray this prayer, we pray it with confidence, knowing that our prayer is not in vain. That makes this the most joyful petition in the Lord’s Prayer. It is a prayer of weakness that says, “God is God. I am not. Forgive me,” while recognizing and realizing that God’s forgiveness is already ours.
Then, there is that last little phrase, “as we forgive others.” At first glance, God’s forgiveness seems to be based upon the forgiveness we extend to our neighbors. However, as already stated, God’s forgiveness rests not on our actions or merit, but on God’s promise in Christ. This means that our forgiveness of others is a sign alongside the promise to confirm and assure us of God’s forgiveness.
Schultz serves St. Olaf Lutheran, Chamberlain, S.D., and Pukwana Free Lutheran, Pukwana, S.D.
