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Take Heart
By Peter Kruschel:Bio on May 28, 2008
I invite you to read these words from Jon Scharlemann, director of Martin Luther College’s office of Mission Advancement, describing the recent groundbreaking for the campus chapel, which was authorized and approved a decade ago. As you read them, consider the debt of gratitude all of us owe to our God for his grace in moving the hearts of thousands of our fellow members to offer gifts that have made this day a reality.
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Waiting has never been one of my favorite pastimes. Those things that I watch for, the blessings for which I pray, the people that enter my mind often, these can fill me with longing. But as a child of God I wait for the Lord because God’s people are patient people. They have lived through times of waiting only to experience again God’s gracious hand lavishing blessings more glorious than could have been imagined.
That describes the groundbreaking event on the MLC campus on May 16, 2008. God’s people had waited for a dedicated space of worship for 124 years. These were not idle years of longing however. The students on this campus were busy learning from God’s word in Aula (now the Music Hall) and auditorium and in classrooms and convocations as they trained to be workers for His harvest fields.
And during that time, God moved the hearts of his people to provide a dedicated worship facility for Martin Luther College. The day of groundbreaking arrived, and what a glorious a day it was! Hundreds came to hear – as is the custom on this campus – the word of God proclaimed, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” As we moved outside to the groundbreaking site, the perfect skies provided a warming sun and refreshing breezes for the ceremonies. And in humble gratitude, we gathered around a small piece of ground to dedicate the construction to God’s glory.
Hundreds heard – as is the custom on this campus – the triune God praised for goodness, and petitioned for grace on this project. And in the wind, in the sun, in the combined voices singing “God’s Word is Our Great Heritage”, I could almost feel the hand of God. Like baptismal blessings poured over a grandchild, God’s word poured over me, filling my heart with praise and thanks, and filling those present with a memory that will live with them forever.
And those memories, those blessings, those words of God will be revisited again and again. They will be recounted in classrooms, in congregations, and in kitchens across our synod. Prayers have been answered. God again has reaffirmed His faithfulness to His people in a very special way. It was well worth the wait.
Topics: GENERAL, Ministerial Ed, SYNOD LEADERS