Cross Ways. Grow, Go & Glorify God

Transcription

1 Beaver Lake Lutheran Church August 2017 Grow, Go & Glorify God From Our Pastor: Continued on page 2 Preparing for the Reformation Celebration (Part 2) As we approach the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, I have been pulling out books about Martin Luther from my days of seminary--luther biographies, sermons, and other theological writings. One of the books I have been rereading is the Luther biography, Luther The Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James Kittleson. It is truly a classic biography of Luther and, if you haven t read it, I highly encourage you to add it to your summer reading list. At the beginning of the Preface of Kittleson s biography he writes: In most big libraries, books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth. Wow! It truly is hard to estimate the impact that the life and work of the great reformer had--and continues to have--on the people of the world. For this edition of the Crossways, I want to talk a little bit about Luther s impact--both on the people of his day and his continued influence on our world. Of course many of you are probably familiar with some of the major events of Luther s life like his decision to become a monk, the Diet of worms, Luther s excommunication from the Catholic Church, and the burning of the papal bull sent out by Pope Leo. (If you haven t heard of these critical turning points in Luther s life, you should really brush up on your Reformation history!) But I wonder how much you know about how Luther s use of the printing press revolutionized mass-communication and got his message to the masses? I bet you know that Luther wrote the hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God, but do you really know what a prolific hymn-writer Luther was? And you might know that Luther was the first to translate the Bible into the German language, but do you really know what an influence Luther s German Bible would have on the German language? Luther and the Printing Press The printing press was a new invention during Luther s lifetime and it really allowed him to get his message to the world. Luther didn t just help the people of his time reimagine the Christian faith, he was able to share his theology with the world through the innovative use of the newly invented printing press. In his book Brand Luther, Andrew Pettegree writes, Printing was essential to the creation of Martin Luther, but Luther was also a determining, shaping force in the German printing industry, Pettegree writes. After Luther, print and public communication would never be the same again. 828 editions, the printing, sale and distribution of which capitalized and transformed the German print industry. (Pettigree, Brand Luther.) Because Luther was so well published, it helped him avoid execution as other opponents of the Catholic Church and the Pope had been. In his book, Brand Luther, Pettigree makes the argument that Luther shaped what books would look like in the future and how books were marketed to the public. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field. Psalm 103 Thought for the Month: Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

2 Page 2 Luther s Hymns No matter how many times we sing, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, I never seem to grow tired of that amazing hymn. If you asked most Lutherans to name hymns by Martin Luther, I think that is maybe the only hymn they might be able to come up with. But the thing is, part of the success of the Reformation came from Luther s use of hymns and Luther wrote nearly 100 hymns during his lifetime. He often used familiar tunes by which to set the words of his hymns so these hymns about justification by faith and the authority of God s word in our lives became part of the people s everyday life. People would sing Luther s hymns while doing chores around the house, at work, or even at the local bar. The great composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, even based some of his famous cantatas on hymn-tunes by Luther. Luther s work as a writer of hymns influenced the musical life of his entire country. Luther s German Bible Luther believed that the Word of God should be placed in the hands of all people. During his time, the Bible was printed in Latin so only the well-educated and the wealthy had access to the study of Scripture. Luther worked hard to change this by translating the Bible into the language of the people of his country. Luther s translation soon became widely popular among his countrymen. German humanist, Johann Cochlaeus complained of Luther s Bible: Luther's New Testament was so much multiplied and spread by printers that even tailors and shoemakers, yea, even women and ignorant persons who had accepted this new Lutheran gospel, and could read a little German, studied it with the greatest avidity as the fountain of all truth. Some committed it to memory, and carried it about in their bosom. In a few months such people deemed themselves so learned that they were not ashamed to dispute about faith and the gospel not only with Catholic laymen, but even with priests and monks and doctors of divinity. Because Luther had to invent new words for his translation, and because the translation was so widespread, Luther is credited with inventing the modern German language. Luther s Influence Today Luther s influence continues to be present our lives today. The great modern church historian, Martin E. Marty, said that he has a hard time picturing several aspects of the modern world without Luther. Of course, it s hard to know whether or not we would all still be Catholic if it were not for the influence of Luther. However, the prominence of the Gospel of forgiveness, which Luther championed, is seen in our modern Christian churches really stems from Luther s teaching and writing. Martin E. Marty, said that Martin Luther stands symbolically as the greatest single agent in increasing the value of the individual. With this, the value of universal education and modern healthcare became important and Marty said that Luther s value of the individual made democratic government possible. Of course, we Lutherans feel the impact of Luther when we worship, send our kids to Sunday School and Confirmation, and hear about how God loves and values each of us as individuals. But the influence of our church s founder is still present in so many of the things we enjoy here in the 21st century. Thanks be to God for the life of Martin Luther and his continued influence upon our lives! Yours in Christ, Pastor Nate

3 Page 3 Memorials Given: For: Wayne Frost By: Betty Bates Goldie Frost For: Bob Jaspersen By: Lu Larsen Gerry Madsen Jerry & Peg Swanson Be Thankful By Jewell Johnson Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20) I m not thankful for the illness nor for pain I must endure. But I am thankful for a pillow soft, a blanket warm, a place to lay my head. I m not thankful for the raging foe that threatens my existence. But I am thankful for the friends who pray, touching heaven s throne for me. I m not thankful for life s storms nor the confusion these create. But I am thankful for a God of hope who hears my prayers and bears me up. Community Block Party Mark your calendars! August 5th! Our annual Block Party, Car Show and Ice Cream Social will be held on Saturday, August 5th. The fun begins at 4:00 pm and goes until 7:00 pm. There will be live music provided by The Children Of The Light from the Church of Acts and kids games. A light summer meal will be available. Everyone is welcome, so be sure to invite family and friends to come along. They are sure to have a great time. Deadline for Publications Crossway articles are due by the 20th of each month. Info for weekly bulletin is due by noon each Thursday. Electronic content can be ed to jdhilpert@comcast.net. Do We Have Your Correct Address? Please notify the church office when you have a new address, phone number or address. This will help us with our church directory, other publications and mailings. Thank You!

4 Page 4 Family Service Project a volunteer opportunity for ages 5 years and up join us as we pack meals for hungry kids on come! Saturday, August 26 from 2:00-4:00 pm At the Eagan location Car pooling available FMSC offers volunteers a one-of-a-kind experience. You ll hand pack rice, soy, dried vegetables and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals into bags which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets and shipped to our incredible partners working hard to reach the neediest children around the world. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board or for more information, contact Kim Richardson, Julie Johansen, or Katie Xiong with any questions. Annual Combined Worship Service The Annual Combined Worship Service with Calvary s Cross Church is coming up on August 6th. The service will be held outside (weather permitting) at 10:00 am, followed by a potluck lunch. Hope to see you all there. There is a sign-up sheet posted on the bulletin board asking for volunteers and donations. Any help would be truly appreciated!

5 Page 5 By: Deb Houtkooper Organ Donation Myths and Facts Sometimes myths and misperceptions about organ and tissue donation can prevent someone from signing up to be a donor. You can help bust the myths about organ donation and help save lives by learning and sharing these facts. Who can be a donor? People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated. Very few conditions would prevent a person from becoming a donor - such as HIV, AIDS or active cancer. Even with an illness, you may be able to donate your organs or tissues. Am I too old to be a donor? Don t rule yourself out. Being older doesn t mean you can t be a donor. There is no age limit to organ donation. To date, the oldest donor in the US was age 93. He was a liver donor and saved the life of a 69-year old woman. If I am at the hospital and they see I m a donor, will they still try hard to save me? When you are sick or injured and admitted to a hospital, the one and only priority is to save your life. Period. Donation doesn t become a possibility until all lifesaving methods have failed. Can I have an open casket funeral if I m a donor? Yes. An open casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors. Through the entire donation process, the body is treated with care, respect and dignity. Does my family have to pay more if I am a donor? There is no cost to donors or their families for organ or tissue donations. What organs can be donated? Organs that can be donated after death are the lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, pancreas and small intestines. What tissues can be donated, and what are they used for? Tissues that can be donated after death include corneas, skin, veins, heart valves, tendons, ligaments and bones. Corneas are used to restore sight; skin helps save patients facing life-threatening burns; veins are used to help restore circulation in someone whose own vessels are damaged by injury or disease; heart valves aid in repairing cardiac defects; tendons and ligaments help rebuild and restore function to joints after injury and bones (and bone dust) are used during surgery to strengthen weakened or damaged bone and to prevent the need for amputation. Each year, approximately 30,000 tissue donors provide life-saving and healing tissues that can dramatically improve the quality of life for recipients, and even save lives. Just one tissue donor can restore health and heal the lives of more than 75 people. Organ donation statistics: More than 120,000 men, women and children in the US are on the national transplant waiting list. 22 of these people die each day waiting for a transplant In 2015, 1 out of every 3 people who donated organs was over the age of 50. You are never too old to make a difference. It can be hard to think about what s going to happen to your body after you die, let alone donating your organs or tissues. But being a donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that can truly be life-saving. After we die, we are done with our bodies. We who believe know that we have a very different future in store for us in heaven. Let s all consider becoming donors so that the gift God gave us can go on to bless and give life to others. If you are interested in registering to become a donor, it takes less than a minute and I would be honored to help you with the process. Information from: United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Donate Life America, U.S. Government Information on Organ Donation and Transplantation (organdonor.gov)

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