A bright new day
On Sunday 22 March, Concordia Lutheran Church Loxton celebrated its first service as a Lutheran Mission - Australia congregation at 10am on a glorious autumn morning. The service was well-attended, with many visitors from the area and from other LM-A congregations.
LM-A President Pastor Matt Anker led the rite of reception and preached. Pastor Wally Schiller, who has served the congregation for many months, was the liturgist.
President Matt began the service with the rite of reception into LM-A, reading the LM-A Confessional Statement to the congregation. A copy of the Confessional Statement was signed by Loxton Chairman Lyndon Hampel and Elders Gilbert Hansen, John Manuel and Trevor Wurst.
Pastor Matt preached on the Gospel reading from John 11:1-45, the raising of Lazarus. He described this text as ‘preview of Easter’, when Christ’s resurrection means that ‘you and I can confidently await the day when Jesus will call us out of the tomb. And we will arise to be with Him forever, just as surely as Lazarus walked the earth once more.’
Noting that the raising of Lazarus is ‘much more than a simple miracle story’, Pastor Matt reminded the congregation that after four days, Lazarus’ body certainly would have smelled very bad, as Martha points out. That is because ‘Death stinks. You know that as well as I do. Whether it’s the death of loved ones; friends; the old or the young. Death is unwanted but unstoppable. It is the life-sapping reality we all have to face and its shadow grows in our lives day by day.’ Jesus’ delay in arriving in Bethany meant that there could be no doubt that Lazarus was ‘utterly lifeless’ so that it is clear that he has been resurrected only by the Saviour’s life-giving Word.
What a magnificent sign that is for we who are loved by the Lord!… Jesus’ authority to raise even the dead is certainly the central point of this text. And undoubtedly this great act glorifies God even to this day. It was such an incredible act that inspired faith in many, that this is final straw that leads to the Jews plotting to kill Jesus. The promise that Jesus is ‘the resurrection and the life. And that all who believes in Him will live, even though they die’ is one of those life-giving, hope-affirming, joy-filled promises we all need to have on the tip of our tongues as we journey through this life.
Pastor Matt observed that there is even more comfort to be drawn from this text:
In the midst of calling Lazarus from the pit of death, Jesus provides the most profound comfort and assurance for all of us who continue to live in the valley of the shadow of death. You see, Mary and Martha and those gathered with them are in the midst of experiencing what we know so well. The sting of death, the heartache it inflicts, the ungodly pain it brings. Jesus enters into their grief and ours, and experiences it himself. In the midst of mourning, Jesus enters to bring hope. And His tears reveal God’s profound sorrow over death and His actions point to his ultimate answer.
Jesus’ tears remind us vividly that death is unnatural as far as God is concerned. It was not the way He created us to be. Yet because of sin, death is always hanging over our heads – either our own death or the death of those we love. With a definite end point in sight, life is stifled by this unnatural existence. It ceases to be all that it could be. And so Jesus’ tears are not just tears of grief, but of sorrow over the shadow of death that casts its gloom over our sin-entangled lives.
As a congregation you have experienced this is a very real way in these past months. As you have sought to be faithful to God’s Word and refused to be unequally yoked to those who have chosen to go a different path, you have experienced grief akin to that which we endure in the face of death. While it can be dangerous to allegorise the scriptures, I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that at times it looked like the stench of death would overcome you. But the Lord is faithful and, in your endeavours to simply follow His Word and obey His commands, He has been with you every step of the way, calling you out of the darkness of false teaching and into the light of His glorious gospel.
But even though He has accomplished this great work that will ensure the ministry of this congregation continues for generations to come, there are still tears associated with this journey for this is not the way it should be according to our Lord’s desires. Our brothers and sisters in Christ who have chosen a different path are beloved of the Lord and He longs for them to know the truth and to rest in Him. He longs for us to be united in faith and in the hope of eternity and so our prayers should not cease, regardless of what we have experienced in these past months. It is the Lord who has spared this congregation from the tomb of an early death and secured you in His sure Word for those who will come after us. So, as we celebrate this joyful and God-pleasing reality, we don’t forget that division in the church grieves the Lord even when it is necessary – as it was here.
At the close of the service, the congregation was presented with Sunday School books, and a large number of greetings were read from LM-A congregations. In-person greetings were brought from the chairmen of St Paul’s Lutheran Church Pinnaroo, Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Mission Callington and Mildura Lutheran Mission. Particularly moving was a letter of greeting from Pastor Avito da Costa, who formerly served as pastor of Concordia. Pastor Avito wrote:
I greet you with a joyful heart on the occasion of your first service as a congregation of Lutheran Mission – Australia.
I know of the road you have walked to reach this day. I have seen, and in some small way shared, the emotional pain and pressures you endured as you sought to remain faithful to the Word of God against those who would dissuade you. Such a path is never easy, yet the Lord has been faithful to you through it all. As the Scriptures remind us, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). And yet He has sustained you.
You have clung to what endures: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). This brings blessing to those among whom God has placed you to be salt and light, even while you bear their criticism. What a comfort it is to know that the foundation on which you stand cannot be shaken.
As you begin this new chapter, take heart that you do not stand alone. You are joined by many congregations across Australia who share your confession, and by faithful Christians around the world who, with one heart and mind, continue to hold fast to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Together, you are part of that fellowship which “contends for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
It has been one of my great privileges to serve you and to walk alongside you for a time, even as my father-in-law Pastor Albers and my friend Pastor Darrin Kohrt did to bring you God’s grace. I thank God for you - for your faith, your steadfastness, and your love for His truth. I pray that He will continue to bless and keep you, to gather you faithfully around His Word and Sacraments, and to grant you unity, courage, and joy in the Gospel.
And so I commend you to the Lord Jesus and to His grace. “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Following the service, the crowd enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship over a barbeque lunch, which was a fundraiser for Lutheran Theological Seminary - Australia. Chairman Lyndon was delighted to announce that over $1500 had been raised for our Seminary.
