The unique “business” of planting a church

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Dear Christian Friend,

A local business owner, Kevin, met a WELS home mission pastor. As they formed a friendship, he learned about the work of starting a new church and remarked, “Wow! Planting a new church is a lot like starting a business. Church planters train people, create procedures, build an online presence, meet prospective members, and navigate real estate to find ministry space. On top of that, church planters preach sermons, teach the Bible, and visit hospitalized members. The business of planting a church is a unique challenge!”

Kevin is right. The “business” of starting a church from the ground up is unlike anything else in pastoral ministry. That’s why the Board for Home Missions supports the Church Planters Network, which offers training and resources for new missionaries through the Church Planter Intensive (CPI) and Church Planter Coaching programs.

CPI is a five-day “boot camp” for missionaries and their wives that covers crucial topics such as:

  • Prioritizing the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness of the pastor, his wife, and his family.
  • Pastoring the core group, reaching the unchurched, and leading both groups to unite in gospel ministry.
  • Crafting compelling mission, vision, and values statements to shape a mission-minded congregational culture.
  • Building ministry systems and equipping God’s “people for works of service” in those ministries “so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12).
  • Faithfully stewarding the financial resources provided by Home Missions.

The Church Planter Network’s support doesn’t stop when CPI ends. Missionaries also receive encouragement through the two-year Church Planter Coaching program. They work with an experienced missionary coach monthly to implement the knowledge gained at CPI.

The generosity of God’s people provides what is needed to plant new churches and share the changeless gospel with an ever-changing and always-challenging world. Please prayerfully consider supporting WELS home missionaries with a gift to 100 Missions in 10 Years. Your offerings support the specialized training that equips home missionaries with confidence and knowledge to serve in the unique “business” of starting a church.

Kevin is not merely an insightful businessman; he is now a son of God. Through a WELS Home Mission congregation, Kevin heard from his pastor-friend that his best friend, Jesus, laid down his life to save him. Kevin, his four children, and his sister were baptized at their church plant and now serve in the “business” of starting a church. Last Christmas, Kevin’s mother was baptized too. Praise God!

Fellow friend of Jesus, we praise God for our partnership in the gospel helping people learn and love that the real business of starting church is not about the work we do. Rather, the Father’s business is all about the work Christ has done for us—laying down his life and calling us from being sin’s slaves to his friends (John 15:13,15).

Yours in Christ,
Matthew Rothe
Mission Pastor, The Way Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, Va.
Coordinator, Church Planter Intensive

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Prayer: Lord, as you call workers to serve in your church we ask that you also continue to equip them for ministry. We thank you for fellow workers who are eager to share their experiences and mentor the next generation of gospel servants. May this strengthening of our leaders result in the nurturing of more members and visitors to our churches through Christ’s good news in Word and sacraments so that they may also serve you better. Amen.

Equipping future pastors for home mission work

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Dear Friend of Missions,

In January 2025, three different groups of students from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS) went on trips as part of a special partnership with WELS Home Missions. These efforts align with WELS’ goal of planting 100 Missions in 10 Years. Praise God for WELS members working together to train future pastors—equipping God’s “people for works of service” in those ministries “so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12).

Through this partnership, WLS students have the opportunity to learn what it takes to start a new church, work with and understand different communities, and grow their confidence in sharing the good news of our Savior Jesus. Students traveled to churches in Virginia, Florida, and Texas. By mixing classroom lessons with hands-on experience, they got to see what mission work is really like and build skills they’ll use when they become pastors. These young men gained the tools, confidence, and vision to bring Christ to diverse communities across North America. Student Collin Maurice summarized, “Every interaction is an opportunity to share your faith. This trip reinforced that mission work is a mindset, not just a strategy.”

Your prayers and support for WELS Home Missions’ 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative help start new missions and equip home missionaries. Watch your mailbox to learn more about these exciting efforts to share the gospel in communities across the U.S.!

Serving together,
Mark Gabb
Administrator, WELS Home Missions

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WELS Call Report

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The call report details when pastors, teachers, and staff ministers change positions within WELS. The Conference of Presidents oversees and coordinates the calling process.

The weekly call report offers a snapshot of the changes in service, location, and status of WELS called workers. A drop-down Action button offers filtering and search functions for easy access to specific information as well as the ability to download the report as a printable PDF.

View the call report

Obituary – Rev. Kirk Massey, Jr.

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Psalm 139:16 reminds us that all the days ordained for us were written in God’s book before even one of them came to be.

On October 8, 2024, all the days ordained for Kirk Massey, Jr, were completed and the Lord took him to his heavenly home at the age of 47. Those days were full of blessings.

Since the day of his birth on April 29th, 1977, the Lord has been good to Kirk, and blessed many through Kirk. He had the privilege of attending East Fork Lutheran Elementary and High School and married his high school sweetheart, Sheree. The Lord blessed them with 5 children to raise: Michael, Marcus, Leah, Lindsey, and Meghan.

Kirk continued to be a blessing to many in his community in his work with youth and fathers and then in his eventual calling as a Pastor in the Lutheran church. He was blessed to be able to travel, to teach, to coach, to counsel, and most importantly, to share Jesus.

He loved sports, he loved to learn, but most of all he will be remembered as someone who loved his family and loved Jesus. He was determined to be a good husband and father, determined to raise his children to love Jesus, and determined to share Jesus in his congregation and community. He will be missed here, but we look forward to our reunion with him in heaven.

A viewing was held on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 from 7:00 AM-10:00 AM at the Whiteriver Lutheran Church of the Open Bible. The funeral service was held that same day at 11:00 AM in the East Fork Lutheran School gymnasium.

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Continue the momentum

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Dear Friend of Missions,

If you received my letter this past week, you know that, as we aim to open 100 new home missions and enhance 75 existing missions over ten years, I’m encouraging us to keep in mind that “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” We thank God that the “race” has started well with 20 new mission starts and enhancements approved in year one!

We know we need to keep going to reach more of the lost and we want to equip our missions to thrive, not just survive. Yet, some might ask, “Is it worth the cost?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). As we consider our riches because of the cross and empty tomb, how can we not share Jesus with those who are still poor?

Our district mission boards have submitted 16 new starts and 17 enhancement requests for review at next month’s Board for Home Missions meetings. The financial cost to support these requests is not small, but it’s worth it realizing we’re sending missionaries out with the powerful gospel that changes hearts, just like it changed yours and mine. Will you prayerfully consider giving to support this 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative?

While there is still much work to be done, by God’s grace, we have started strong and, God willing, will continue this momentum in the years ahead.

In Christ’s service,
Mark Gabb
Administrator, WELS Home Missions

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A marathon, not a sprint

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Dear Christian Friend,

“Remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint.”

Growing up and going through school, I enjoyed playing sports like football, basketball, baseball, and even floor hockey. But as full-time ministry began, it became more difficult to find opportunities to do those things even though I knew I still needed to get exercise. So, I took up running. Little did I know that running would lead to competing in 5K races, which led to friends convincing me to compete in a half-marathon.

That’s when “it’s a marathon and not a sprint” hit home. While wind sprints get you in shape for football, basketball, baseball, and floor hockey, training for a half-marathon requires far less sprinting and far more long-distance running. You must learn to pace yourself so that you can run a strong race for the entire 13.1 miles.

“It’s a marathon and not a sprint” can also apply to the WELS initiative to start 100 missions and enhance 75 missions in 10 years. The “race” has now started with ten new mission starts and ten enhancements approved in year one. We thank God for you and our partnership in the gospel that enables us to reach more lost souls with the message of forgiveness, peace, and hope through Jesus Christ.

We’ve started strong and now need to continue going where the people are to reach more of the lost. We also want to equip our missions to thrive and not just survive. Yet, in these markets, we’re seeing the cost of real estate, rental property, and construction rising dramatically. Some might ask, “Is it worth the cost?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus became poor so that we could become rich. What we have wasn’t purchased with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and by his innocent suffering and death. We have pardon for our sins, peace with God, and hope for this life and eternity. We are rich!

The “100 Missions in 10 Years” initiative is all about sharing our riches with those who are still poor. By God’s grace, together with you, we have started strong. We trust that we will continue running strong. We trust that we will continue to pray for this initiative as well as the ministry of WELS.

During this season of Lent as we consider the empty tomb and the riches we have, how can we not share our riches with those who are still poor? We trust that as God has blessed you financially, you will consider a special gift that will help us continue to run a strong race by God’s grace. And remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

In Christ’s service,
Mark Gabb
Administrator, WELS Home Missions

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Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for blessing our synod’s “100 Missions in 10 Years” effort with a strong start toward the goal of 100 new home missions and 75 mission enhancements by 2033. Send your Spirit to bless the ten mission starts and ten enhancements that were approved last year. May they—and all of our congregations—stay focused on gathering around your gospel in Word and sacraments and sharing it with our communities. Amen.

A strong start!

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Dear Friend of Missions,

Twenty new home mission starts and enhancements were approved in 2023—praise God! Thank you for your prayers and offerings that have helped us start strong! We know the incredible things God will do through each congregation gathered around and proclaiming his salvation from sin through Jesus. Realizing this is a marathon and not a sprint, we now want to maintain a good pace as we continue the race to reach more of the lost and equip our missions to thrive.

We do this through district mission boards, which support existing home missions and work with local congregations to identify where to plant new churches throughout their district. This volunteer group of two to four pastors and two to four laymen builds a solid foundation for each new mission, shepherding these churches and their pastors on their path from mission status to self-supporting congregations. The district mission boards are preparing a new round of mission start and enhancement requests for the Board for Home Missions to review at their April meeting.

We are confident in God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s power to continue to fuel our efforts for this marathon. Knowing there is a cost to running this race, would you consider a gift to help with the marathon ahead? We continue to pray that God would bless the efforts of the missionaries already on location and give patience to the groups of mission-minded believers waiting for their first shepherd so that in the end, more people see their desperate need for salvation and come believe the wonderful message of forgiveness and salvation through Christ alone.

Watch your mailbox for more information about this exciting initiative. And let’s remember this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Serving him,
Mark Gabb
Administrator, WELS Home Missions

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“Thank you” from the Ukrainian Lutheran Church

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The Ukrainian Lutheran Church Synodical Council wished to make a statement of thanks to you, and to the many people who have prayed for them and given gifts. This is what was expressed at their meeting:

We wish to thank the many people who have helped us since the time this war began. In many congregations your help has enabled us to survive. Without your help much of our ministry would not have been possible.

Your aid has helped members and their families, pastors and their families, villagers, volunteer workers, etc. With your help nearly, if not all, requests for aid have been met. Money for vehicle repairs and fuel have enabled pastors to travel and reach out to many people. The ability to get medicines have in fact saved lives. Food assistance has kept some of the elderly from starvation. For all of this we are so very thankful to you. But most of all, we thank our Lord for you.

Thank you for your love and concern for us during this difficult time.

 

Submitted by Rev. Roger Neumann, WELS liaison to the ULC

 

Pictured: Members of the Ukrainian Lutheran church with cards from WELS Sunday school students.

WELS is supporting the Ukrainian Lutheran Church with emergency needs as their country is torn apart by war.

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Update on the Ukrainian Lutheran Church – Dec. 13, 2022

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As I write this update about the Ukrainian Lutheran Church (ULC), it is day 288 since the war began on February 24. Throughout Ukraine there has been much damage to property—vital infrastructure, hospitals, schools, train stations, to mention just a few. While there are no official figures, there have been many casualties, both soldiers and civilians. But as of today, no ULC members or pastors have lost their lives. Praise be to God!

In the face of war, the ministry continues, relatively uninterrupted. The ministry has actually expanded as pastors and congregations are now helping refugees and members in need, along with their friends and neighbors. Christians are not only speaking of their faith in Jesus, but putting their faith into action. People and communities are witnessing the love and concern Christians have for others in their time of need.

Much of Ukraine now is without electricity or is experiencing periods of blackouts lasting for hours. Some of the effects of this are the loss of heating, charging phones and computers, running refrigerators and freezers, and lights at night. Winter always has a shortened period of daylight time, but without lights it makes the days longer and depression settles in quite easily. Many people buy candles, but now candles are hard to find and the cost of a candle which used to be ten cents is as high as two dollars and 50 cents (American currency). There are very many cases of stress related illnesses among the people. Bishop Horpynchuk says that at present their greatest concerns are heat and food.

Many people have been praying for Ukraine and the ULC since the outbreak of this war. Gifts from CELC churches have enabled pastors and congregations to buy generators, which have been a big help for them. Now there can be at least some heat in the buildings for their worship services. They also are able to buy food, medicines, fuel, warm clothing, blankets, shoes, and hygiene products. They thank you for your gifts that enable to make these purchases.

I’m often asked to pass along, from the members and pastors, thanks for all that people have done for them with their prayers and gifts. They appreciate these very, very much. In times of need, and at all times, Christians work together, laugh together, cry together, but we cherish the truth that we are all one in Christ. Our times are in his hands, and what better place can there be. The ULC extends wishes for God’s blessings for all of you, our fellow believers. Thank you for your prayers.

Submitted by Rev. Roger Neumann, WELS liaison to the ULC

This update was shared from the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference website.

 

WELS is supporting the Ukrainian Lutheran Church with emergency needs as their country is torn apart by war.

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Feedback encouraged on doctrinal statement

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Biblical doctrines and principles do not change. But there are times when those doctrines and principles need to be understood clearly as new situations arise and are addressed by the church. That is certainly true when it comes to what the Bible tells us about the God-given roles of men and women and the nature of their relationship with one another.

Our synod’s current doctrinal statement on the roles of men and women is called “Scriptural Principles of Man and Woman Roles.” After more than a decade of work and discussion, it was adopted by the 1993 synod convention as a correct explanation of biblical truth and as our synod’s formal doctrinal statement on the issue.

Since the adoption of “Scriptural Principles of Man and Woman Roles,” our synod’s doctrinal position has not changed; the statement still expresses biblical truth. But new questions and issues have arisen regarding the biblical roles of men and women that did not really exist in 1993. Understandably, those questions were not addressed at the time.

For those reasons, the Conference of Presidents determined that it would be beneficial for our synod to consider an updated restatement of the scriptural principles outlined in the 1993 document. After three years of work and study, a proposed draft of that statement is now ready. The new statement is entitled “God’s beautiful and balanced design for male and female.” The Conference of Presidents encourages you to study and discuss the statement and invites you to provide feedback.

Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder

 

 

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Update from Ukraine: Sept. 16, 2022

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Rev. Roger Neumann serves as the WELS liaison to Ukraine. He has been able to maintain regular contact with the leadership from the Ukrainian Lutheran Church (ULC) and is providing regular updates about how our brothers and sisters in the ULC are doing. WELS has decided to share Neumann’s updates. Please keep the people of Ukraine in your prayers.

September. 15:

There has been a vacancy at St. John Lutheran in Lazarivka.  Lazarivka is located southwest of Ternopil.  Though in a safer area of Ukraine the economy has hit the people hard there as well.  Refugees from Kyiv, Kharkiv and Avdiyivka currently live in Lazarivka.  Pastor Serhiy Somin was able to visit this congregation, he held a worship service, and delivered food aid to them. Plans are being made to have services there once or twice a month.  Thank you, Pastor Somin for your love for these fellow believers, and your efforts to serve them with the Word and sacrament.

Izium was recently liberated from Russian control. We have heard from some of the members of the church, who thankfully are alive, but have not heard from everyone.  We pray for these believers and trust that they are in Jesus’ loving care. Izium is served by Pastor Victor Khaustov.  May God continue to bless his ministry to the people there.

September 14:

While there are reports of Ukrainian forces reclaiming territory, which is true, yet there is now increased rocket and missile strikes against key infrastructure targets.  There are now reports of water shortages, and even a complete cut off of water in a few locations.  In preparation for the cold of winter, and possible heating fuel shortages, many small stoves are being made and sold so that people can burn wood, coal, or peat for the heating of their homes and churches.  It suspected that Russia will continue to try to cut off utilities from the people with winter coming soon.

From gifts that our church gave to the ULC to buy more Bibles, over a year ago, they have now come and some were delivered to Kharkiv.

More Bibles and Catechisms will be needed in the future.  Many of these are being given out to refugees, who receive them with great joy.  Amazing how the Word of God can spread in times of adversity and war.  God’s ways are certainly not our ways.  We simply cast out the seed, God will give the growth.

September 6:

An example of another door that our Lord has opened to his Pastors in the ULC happened recently.  Pastor Yuri Tytski, who serves Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Bereznehuvate, but has moved his family to Kremenets until it’s safe to go back, encountered some people who came to the church in Kremenets for food and aid.  He found out that they were from Snihurivka, not far from Bereznehuvate.  He, along with Pastor Roman Anduntsiv, welcomed them to worship and they have now begun Catechism classes with them.

September 1:

Earlier this week, Pastor Khaustov who serves in Kharkiv was able to travel to some of his members who have moved to Poltava.  Poltava is located about 85 miles southwest of Kharkiv.  He held a worship service with them and delivered some People’s Bible Commentaries.  Many of the ULC Pastors are now serving smaller numbers of worshipers, due to the fact that so many people have moved to safer areas.  Yet, they continue to serve their members who have stayed.  We thank them for their faithful service.  Other pastors who have taken refuge in other areas help serve in those places.  The ministries continue, by God’s grace.

WELS World Missions provided this map to show where major Ukrainian cities are located and, more specifically, where the Ukrainian Lutheran Church has congregations.

 

 

WELS is supporting the Ukrainian Lutheran Church with emergency needs as their country is torn apart by war.

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Offer from Church Mutual

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WELS and a significant number of its affiliated organizations have entrusted the insurance coverage of its buildings, property, and people to Church Mutual for more than 40 years. This has also included providing innovative risk control technologies through a sensor technology program designed to alert customers to act before damages and disruptions to their ministries can occur. The program includes a CM Sensor® 24/7 Temperature and Water Alert System that provides notifications when it detects water or extreme temperature fluctuations in your building, added proactive support to an existing fire preparedness and prevention program with an ALARM ALERT™ Smoke Alarm Notification Service, and a PULL FOR POLICE™ Armed Intruder Emergency Service that includes a device that notifies local law enforcement of an armed intruder situation within seconds of being pulled. Church Mutual is working with WELS to promote this innovative technology, and customers can expect to receive a future communication directly from Church Mutual regarding its sensor program.

For more information on these Church Mutual programs, view this online brochure.

 

 

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2021 WELS Schools Christmas Concerts

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Fact Sheet – Template

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Worship during a pandemic

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Pastor Jon Hein, coordinator for WELS Congregational Services, has put together a helpful tool to assist congregations as they consider how best to resume in-person worship as the COVID-19 situation evolves. The Conference of Presidents has suggested that this document be made widely available. It is not intended to be a “directive” or mandate from the synod. Rather, it’s intended to provide resources and information to you and your congregation as you make important decisions in the weeks and months ahead.

Feel free to consult the materials and use as you see fit in your own unique circumstances.

For Such a Time as This - Worship during a pandemic

 

 

 

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Videos for outreach during this time

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Our good Lord promises that he will make all things work for the good of his people (Romans 8:28), even things like a pandemic. One of the blessings we pray he might provide is increased opportunities to share the gospel with those who do not yet know the good news of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ. It may very well be that he is even now using this situation to prepare hearts to hear this good news.

To assist you in reaching out to those souls WELS Commission on Evangelism is making available a series of devotions. These devotions were originally produced by Pastor Collin Vanderhoof for Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Menomonee Falls, Wis. He has given us permission to make them available to you. These professionally produced video devotions speak directly to many of the fears and concerns people are having as they face uncertain times. Each video is less than two minutes in length, making them perfect for a variety of applications.

Please use these videos however you like. Perhaps you could e-mail one at a time to those on your prospect list with whatever frequency you feel best. You might also consider sharing a video periodically on your social media platforms. Another option would be to share the devotions, one at a time, with your members along with a brief encouragement for them to share them with their unchurched friends.

 

 

Go to Vimeo to browse all videos

 

We realize that some of you might prefer to record your own videos so that your prospects are hearing these messages from someone they already know rather than from a pastor they have never met. So, we are providing the written scripts for these devotions as well. You can access the scripts here.

 

Video Script

Advent – a time to wait

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Wait! That’s not one of our favorite words. Who likes to wait? In a long line at a checkout counter in a supermarket, for a freight train going four miles an hour at a railway crossing, for a prospective employer to make up his mind, in an airport when the monitor says your flight has been delayed, for your doctor to get back to you with the results of a biopsy? For most of us, waiting is not something we relish. It’s not a pleasant pastime; it’s a frustrating waste of time.

Sometimes perhaps, but not always. Especially not now at the beginning of a new church year. It’s Advent again, that perennial four-week season of the year that Christians set aside to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Advent is a Latin word that means “coming.” Coming implies waiting.

Advent is an invitation to wait—quietly, patiently, expectantly, joyfully.

Quietly and patiently

Advent waiting is something the people of God have been doing ever since God first promised a Savior from sin after the fall in Eden. God’s Old Testament people waited 4,000 years for that promise to be fulfilled. That was a long wait. The promise finally reached fulfillment with the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. Before Jesus left this world and returned to his throne in heaven, he issued another promise: “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). That was 2,000 years ago. We are still waiting. That’s what Advent is all about.

The author of the book of Lamentations says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (3:26). That is why the church, ever since the Synod of Lerida in A.D. 524, has designated the four weeks before Christmas on the church’s calendar as Advent. It is definitely a good thing to be waiting “for the salvation of the Lord.”

Waiting quietly, that is. And that’s not always an easy thing—given the prevailing moods that pervade the pre-Christmas atmosphere. As the masses see it, this is no time for waiting quietly. This is a time for hurrying and scurrying. You know the routine. Perhaps you get caught up in it too.

It takes conscious effort to resist the temptation to get swept up in the tide and then carried away in the secularization that is the hallmark of the Christmas season.

Advent says, “Wait, slow down! Don’t get entangled in the hustle and the bustle of the season. Get focused instead on what really matters.”

But what does it mean to “wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord?”

When the author of Lamentations wrote those words, Israel was at the nadir of its existence as a nation. It was 586 B.C., the date for the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Saddam Hussein’s predecessor). Wholesale slaughter and devastation engulfed kings, priests, princes, prophets, and common people alike. Starving mothers ate their offspring. The nation’s elite ended up in exile. The fall of Jerusalem was a wake-up call. God was using drastic measures to teach his apostate people to “wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” His promise to send a Savior had not been invalidated by the rebellion of his people.

A grim reminder that we too live in troublesome times—exacerbated by the constant and growing threat of terrorism, the erosion of basic morality, and the lack of respect for the sanctity of life? The season’s misplaced emphasis may be a diversion. But it’s hollow. It’s only temporary. In the midst of all the seasonal trappings, Advent is reminding us, “It is good to wait quietly.” For what? “For the salvation of the Lord.”

The exhortation to “wait quietly” presupposes that in this world “we do not have an enduring city,” and that we are “aliens and strangers on earth . . . longing for a better country—a heavenly one” (Hebrews 13:4; 11:13,16).

Expectantly and joyfully

The Advent disposition of waiting quietly for the salvation of the Lord evokes two dominant moods—expectation and joy. Advent expectation is nourished by the confidence that the Lord, who came once as he promised, will come again—as he promised. And when he does, all lamentations will come to an end as we are ushered, finally and endlessly, into the presence of our Lord. Meanwhile he says, “Lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Advent joy is nourished by the awareness that what we are waiting quietly for is the salvation of our Lord. What God’s Old Testament people awaited for 4,000 years is now an accomplished fact, signed, sealed, and delivered by the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord. The Advent joy we have in Christ is a theme that St. Paul wove like a silver thread into his letter to the Philippians. Though he was being “poured out like a drink offering,” he could still say, “I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me” (Philippians 2:17,18).

This coupling of the moods of expectation and joy is prominent in many of the 32 Advent hymns in Christian Worship (CW). Perhaps none of them expresses those moods to affect us more than does the familiar and beloved “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel.” The contrast between the opening lines and the refrain is unmistakable—and intentional. It makes the hymn what it is. The plea for Emmanuel to come “and ransom captive Israel” is somber, plaintive, and expectant. The refrain that follows is irrepressibly exuberant: “Rejoice! Rejoice!”

This year in Advent, read and ponder an Advent hymn a day. Look for the words “come,” “wait,” and “rejoice.” “The Advent of our King our prayers must now employ, And we must hymns of welcome sing in strains of holy joy” (CW 1:1). That’s the first of the Advent hymns. The last one ends on a similar note. “All grief must flee before his grace, And joy divine will take its place” (CW 32:1).

Let this Advent season be for you what our fathers meant it to be when they incorporated it into the Church’s calendar more than 1,500 years ago. May blessings abound to you as you remember that “it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Joel Gerlach, a retired pastor, is a member at St. John, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

 

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Author: Joel C. Gerlach
Volume 91, Number 12
Issue: December 2004

Copyrighted by WELS Forward in Christ © 2021
Forward in Christ grants permission for any original article (not a reprint) to be printed for use in a WELS church, school, or organization, provided that it is distributed free and indicate Forward in Christ as the source. Images may not be reproduced except in the context of its article. Contact us

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Who am I and why am I here

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Presented by Rev. Tom Kock
Pastor Kock leads us to see that the grace of God gives us a wonderfully positive understanding of what God has declared us to be, filling us with confidence and peace.
Originally presented January 2013

STUDY GUIDES

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

I’d like to read my Bible, but …

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Presented by WELS President Mark Schroeder
Rev. Mark Schroeder provides practical helps for people to study God’s Word on their own with confidence and understanding.
Originally presented February 2014

STUDY GUIDE

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4