Trinity Good Shepherd 2010

Sunday of the Holy Trinity

30^th May 2010: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Collinsville

Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity!

Our Christian faith is fundamentally Trinitarian. That’s clear from the ecumenical creeds – the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed and also the Athanasian Creed. They affirm this central base of Christian faith. The central article of faith concerning the holy Trinity forms the basis for the Lutheran Confessions in the Book of Concord. That’s what it starts off with, only to reaffirm this time and again as the confessors believe, preach, teach, hold and confess their faith before kings and princes. Dr. Martin Luther affirms this in the Smalcald Articles, which he wrote on invitation to clarify the confessional stance of the Lutherans at the church council planned by Pope Paul III in Mantua 1537 – 20 yrs after the publication of the 95 Theses and the formal start of the Reformation in 1517. [By the way we’re just short of celebrating the 500^th birthday of the Lutheran Church in 2017 i.e. 7 years on]. To start off with Luther elaborates the basic tenet concerning the holy Trinity. He writes:

 

The First Part of the Articles deals with the lofty articles of the divine Majesty, namely:

1. That Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons in one divine essence and nature, is one God, who created heaven and earth, etc.

2. That the Father was begotten by no one, the Son was begotten by the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

3. That neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit, but the Son, became a human being.

4. That the Son became a human being in this way: he was conceived by the Holy Spirit without male participation and was born of the pure, holy Virgin Mary. After that, he suffered, died, was buried, descended into hell, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God, in the future will come to judge the living and the dead, etc., as the Apostles’ and the Athanasian Creeds and the common children’s catechism teach.

These articles are not matters of dispute or conflict, for both sides confess them. Therefore it is not necessary to deal with them at greater length now.

Well, today this Christian faith is not commonplace. The Muslims – as a post-Christian sect - deny this first and basic article of faith, but so do Unitarians, Jehova’s Witnesses, Mormons and African Traditional religions like the followers of another false prophet Shembe. Faith in a divine being might be quite common around the world, but the true Trinitarian faith is still marginalized and not common faith. That was not only in the days of the notorious heretic Arius in the 3^rd Century, who gave Jesus Christ a subordinate role in the holy Trinity and caused entire nations in Africa and consequently most of Europe to deny the true Trinitarian faith.Today some plead for unity amongst followers of the Abraham’s covenant, believing that could unite believers of Jewish, Muslim and Christian convictions – but because that does not encompass all and still excludes some, Noah’s covenant is propagated as truly universal and all inclusive. However looking at this common denominator more carefully, we will realize that this is a reduction to a very shallow and not very sustainable foundation. Believing in a common humanity or being and life does not give a lot of support for faith in this life, never mind coming death. Christians can never support a faith excluding Jesus Christ – or the Holy Spirit for that matter. That would give up their very essence of being. There is no other way to the father than via Jesus Christ. On the other hand nobody can recognize or come to Jesus Christ by his own means, power or insight except through the gracious workings of the Holy Spirit, who pulls, enlightens, sanctifies and preserves us with Christ in the true faith using his holy gifts of Word and Sacrament. In this matter it is either all or nothing. No half measures will do!

At the Seminary Pastor Glenn Fluegge preached on the “Shema Israel” from Dt. 6,4 on Monday. It is the daily prayer and confession of the true Israel. It rehearses the Churches faith in one God only:  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deu 6:4 ESV) And there is none besides him. That preaches loud and clearly against all the many deities on the Greek Olympus or Nordic Valhalla and the Hindu subcontinent of India. This not only disqualifies the tribal deities of the Canaanites of old, but also the African traditional religions where every town and village has its own effigy, localized godheads and leagues of family idol. The one holy God who spoke by the prophets and who was incarnate [became human/man] in Jesus of Nazareth is God not only of Israel, but all people and the entire world and cosmos. He is the creator and preserver – yes, Father – of all. There is no other God besides him. He is truly the one and only! That is one of the reasons, why it is possible for a Pastor like Wally Hischke to come to SA and preach/teach there. He’s not proclaiming the faith of some old traditional faith only relevant on the Indian mounds outside of Collinsville – but rather stands under the obligation of the preexistent one, who said of himself: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore don’t be afraid, but make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them everything I commanded you. That’s also a reason, why a student from Sudan – or Liberia – or even from SID for that matter [like the student of theology Jacob Mueller] can come and study theology at the LTS in Tshwane. Theology is not just about a tribal, localized God, but rather the word, teaching, dogma of the one and only God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The one God is also a guarantor of the one, holy Christian Church – because there is only one Father in heaven, who lets it rain over good and evil, who sent his only begotten Son to be the savior of all people – there is no other savior, way or truth or light besides him and he is the one, who wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth [cf. 1.Tim.2,4] It is as the apostle Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus: There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. (Eph 4:4-7 ESV)

The Trinitarian blessing from St. Pauls 2.Cor.13,13: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2Co 13:14 ESV) show that this God is three persons in undivided unity. How this works is not said. It is a mystery. It is to profound to fathom. That is why Philip Melanchton writes in the first Lutheran dogmatics [The Loci communes]: The divine mysteries are to be adored rather than investigated/experimented [due to their profound intricacies and because in their pursuit even the most learned men can easily lose track of the true faith]. So we might not know and understand how the holy Trinity is essentially put together, but because this God has revealed himself in this way and thus given overwhelming proof we together with the entire Church remain convinced of this pillar of truth and confess: Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity! As I said before – this holds true in Ghana, Uganda, Botswana as in Illinois or Alaska for that matter.

Even in the first lines of the bible outlining the creation of heaven and earth in the very beginning we hear trinitarian connotations: God created by his word [Logos = IX] heaven and earth and the Spirit was hovering over the chaos floods. The pre-existence of Christ – the Logos/Wisdom – is emphasized in today’s OT readings from Psalms 8: O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! And also from Proverbs, which underlines the great wisdom of God behind creation, but especially that IX – the incarnate Word – the Logos – was there right from the start, even before the word: “Go!” That is why the Nicene Creed teaches us to confess: … “begotten from the Father before all the ages [“before all worlds” - German translation] ”. Therefore it is not true, that there is but one God, who just appears in different modes – like water/gas/ice or egg with its yolk/shell/albumen – OT: Age of the Father; NT: Age of the Son and Church History: Age of the Holy Spirit. [Modalists/Unitarians] – but rather three very distinct persons, but only one God!

There are just too many stories in the Bible telling us about the concurrent appearance of all three persons: God’s visit to Abraham before the destruction of Sodom/Gomorrah; when St. John baptized Jesus Christ and the voice of the Father was heard and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove; when Jesus bids his disciples farewell and tells them that he is going to the Father and that he will ask him to send them the Holy Spirit. Paul Gerhard’s hymn “A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth” [LSB 438] illustrates this wonderfully by the inner Trinitarian dialogue as we know it from verses 2 and 3: “Go forth, My Son,” the Father saith, “And free men from the fear of death, From guilt and condemnation. The wrath and stripes are hard to bear, But by Thy Passion men shall share The fruit of Thy salvation.” “Yea, Father, yea, most willingly I’ll bear what Thou commandest; My will conforms to Thy decree, I do what Thou demandest.”  You see, if we look at God himself and as he is in relation to himself then he is always distinguished into three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However if God acts and get’s busy outside of himself then he is always acting in unison with himself – one God! [opera dei ad extera sunt indivisa, sed opera ad intera sunt divisa.]

In the Apostolic creed we hear of this triune God creating heaven and earth [Creation: 1^st Article]. We learn about him saving mankind in Jesus Christ [Salvation: 2^nd Article], but also confess him as the giver of life and the sanctification of the Church [Sanctification: 3^rd Article]. That’s how Luther explains the Trinitarian work of the triune God: creation, salvation and sanctification! Before his time the Apostolic Creed was divided into 12 parts giving each Apostle credit for a section. This is not wrong, but emphasis something different than Luther’s explanation. It is one God, who creates, saves and sanctifies – the one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

This Trinitarian set-up of our God helps us human beings to realize more and more how great our God is and how all-encompassing his works. Everything that was, is and is going to be boils down to him and his doings. The entire Church year assists us to remember the wonders and miracles of our God we are well advised to not reduce this to just some sectarian abbreviation of our God’s being and doing, but rather worship the triune God who reveals himself even today as constantly pro-active and absolutely godly in his works of creation, salvation and sanctification.

Due to his faithfulness, we trust that he who was so creative, saving and sanctifying like that from the very beginning and throughout the history of his church will continue to be as creative, liberating/redeeming/justifying and sanctifying like that even in future – creating a new heaven and a new earth, bringing to wonderful completion the work of salvation when he returns in glory and also allowing us to see him fulfilling the perfection of his church triumphant in the sanctified bliss of his eternal presence. To him be all glory and praise and so we sing with Nicolaus Decius [1485-1546]:

All glory be to God on high, Who hath our race befriended!

To us no harm shall now come nigh, The strife at last is ended;

God showeth His goodwill to men, And peace shall reign on earth again; O thank Him for His goodness!

 

We praise, we worship Thee, we trust And give Thee thanks forever,

O father, that Thy rule is just And wise, and changes never;

Thy boundless grace o’er all things reigns, Thou dost whate’er Thy will ordains; ’Tis well Thou art our Ruler!

 

O Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, Begotten of the Father,

O Thou Who hast our peace restored, And the lost sheep dost gather,

Thou Lamb of God, enthroned on high Behold our need and hear our cry; Have mercy on us, Jesus!

 

O Holy Spirit, precious Gift, Thou Comforter unfailing,

Do Thou our troubled souls uplift, Against the foe prevailing;

Avert our woes and calm our dread: For us the Savior’s blood was shed; Do Thou in faith sustain us!

 

Yes - Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity!

Amen.

 Wilhelm Weber

Bishop

 

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Sermon for Pentecost

23^rd May 2010: Acts 2,1-18

Dear friends of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God our Father, who sent his Holy Spirit, so that we would believe and trust in him alone now and forever! 

On this day the one holy Christian and Apostolic Church celebrates its own birthday. Together with Christians all over the world, together with Angels and Archangels, with Saints and Martyrs of days gone by we are praising the living God for all he has done for us and our salvation throughout the Ages through this his very own institution, Christ’s living body and most effective instrument: The holy Christian Church from all nations and throughout all Ages.

Oh yes, the Church was there from the very beginning. The triune God spoke to his people since the times of  Adam and Eve. He spoke his holy word in Law and Gospel from the very beginning – and we know that Jesus Christ is that word, which became flesh and lived amongst us on Christmas, but was there one with God before all time and space. Since those very early days long gone by the triune God has called people from all parts of the world to trust and believe in him – and we know that the Holy Spirit is the one, who does these miracles and wonders amongst his folks, that they repentant, that they are converted and that they believe and trust and love Jesus Christ as their only true Lord and Saviour. Oh yes, this has been the divine activity from the very beginning – gathering, collecting, joining together, unifying, strengthening, building and edifying the Church from all ends of the world. That was his business on Pentecost and that is his business even today. Wherever the living and most gracious God uncovers sin to forgive it by his grace, wherever he proclaims his own goodness and mercy with sinners, wherever he feeds hungry people, heals ill and sick, frees captives and those in bondage, makes foreigners and migrants be at home even in strange places and allows the poor and needy to hear his good news – that’s where his Church is right amongst us in this very world. God did his church business in the time of the apostles amongst the nations in the Middle East, reaching out from Jerusalem [the centre of the world] to people in Asia and Africa and Europe: Parthians, Medes, Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,  Phrygia , Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and Rome,  both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians. What a international, global event Pentecost has always been! That’s where the living God himself made up for the mischief of that idolatrous tower of Babel. Now by his forgiving grace these different cultures, languages and traditions are no longer doomed to live separated in fear, hatred, envy and strive with each other, unable to understand each other, unable to sympathize with one another and just banned to worshipping their family deities, village spirits and tribal idols or national ideologies  By God’s grace and forgiving mercy the most diverse people are brought together by the Holy Spirit into one body, one Church so that they can hear the miracles and wonders of the one and only God of this universe and together with one voice give him his due praises as one big happy family as it was meant to be from the beginning. Here at Pentecost the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob grants his own Church to witness the starting realization of his final Church version for the entire globe encompassing all nations and continents. His beloved Apostle and Bishop of the seven Churches St. John saw it on Patmos and we too are looking forward to seeing this vision with our own eyes and to hear this beautiful song with our two ears and joining in with our humble voices too. St. John describes the  “great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" [Rev. 7,9f]

This Pentecost message is especially comforting to those, who in this life and time experience the discrimination, isolation and persecution of the Church. However there is comfort, because it is the living God’s promise, that his Church will not be overcome but will remain to the very end. Not even a thousand or more devils nor any evil or anything else can stop him from taking his Church to its final destination – the glorious perfection of his honorable bride. You can build on that. You can trust him on that because he is faithful and will surely do as he promised. Already his great works are proclaimed beyond Africa, Europe and Asia in the Americas, Australia and even Oceania. That is another good reason to rejoice and thank God today. He alone can take credit for all this goodness for it is done “Not by might, nor by power, but  by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” [Zech. 4,6 Watchword for Pentecost] This is so true everywhere, but especially in the Church. Look how it was with Moses. [OT Reading Nm.11,11f.14-17.24f]. God gave him 70 elders to help him carry his burden. For God it is easy to help in this or that way. Nothing is impossible for him. Look how it is with me. I can’t even talk or write in isiZulu, but my father has translated this sermon and so you can hear of God’s miracles and wonders anyway. We are never alone in the Church, but rather we are joined to various members and limbs under the one head Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit joins us together with a common faith, love and hope so that we become more and more what God has envisioned for us – one, holy Christian and Apostolic Church proclaiming his miracles and wonders in this world and even amongst those, who don’t yet believe. God has established his Church worldwide and we are part of it, because he is good, gracious and merciful.  Therefore let us continue in his word and remain at home where his glory dwells. He will continue to teach and guide us with his holy word and thus keep us in all truth despite all affliction and temptation. [Gospel Joh.14, 23ff] To him be all the glory now and forever. Amen. The peace of Christ be with you always+

Inkulumo ephathiwe ekuvalelisweni kombhishophi omdala uTswaedi nasekungenisweni kombhishophi omusha uWeber ngmhla ka 21 Mashi 2010

Brother Tswaedi, mfowethu Wilhelm I have come here, leaving my home in the lovely KwaZulu to be with you here in this place of many cars on this great day of our church. I have brought with me a story about an old Zulu man and his beautiful herd of nguni cattle.

Once upon a time, it was in the Kingdom of the Zulu, kwaZulu, an old man lived with his herd of cattle eduze kwasoTugela, that great river. He had a lovely home, ikhaya lakhe laba ikhaya elihle ngempela. Grass was always plentyful and his cattle were fat and fertile. His ngunis, the cattle of the Zulu, like all ngunis, were very colourful, colourful like the rainbow. He loved the brown, the white, the black, the red, the yellow, the red and white, the black and red, the black and white and he loved the ones with three colours, of course knowing each one by name, like “Orange” or “Khalisamadoda”, “Thawula” or “Twentyten”. He had big bulls, that could fight for a whole day, bellowing and challenging each other across the valleys. He had wonderful cows, that where good mothers, not scared to fight of Leopards with their long and shining horns, and of course many beautiful calves, that could tshekula for the joy of being alive. Boy, did this man love and know his cattle. We ma, lomuntu wazazi, lomuntu wazithanda izinkomo zakhe kakhulu.

When the ploughing season came, he would take a look at his oxen. To see which ones would be put under the yoke. Never would he choose an ox by it's colour, but only by it's ability to work in his field. Being a nguni oxen your colour did not matter but your strength, your endurance, your patience. For his work the old man needed big, strong, healthy oxen. Oxen that he had taken care of for many months. Oxen that responded to the sound of his voice. Oxen that had been trained by him. The old man let his one son take the plough. The smaller son took the lead rope. The well trained massiv oxen followed the umholi, the leading boy. Even though he was only half their hight he led them, he showed them the way, he held the lead. The oxen had to work together, they had to pull this heavy plough together, the old oxen, the amafolozi helping and guiding the young ones, the young ones pulling with great strength and vigour. The old man knew when the oxen needed to be rested, he knew which one would tier, which one would hold, which one would pull hard. At the end of the day the field would be ploughed, ready for planting, ready for the seed. The oxen would be rested, fed, they would be led to good water. It was a good life in the herd of the old man, there near the big Tugela river.

The herd of the old man, dear brother Tswaedi is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have been the ifolozi in the LCSA for many years, you have pulled hard, you have supported, you have burdend with the other oxen. You are not out of the ploughing team, but you have been given a slightly lighter yoke. Thank you for your work, thank you that you are still available for pulling that heavy plough which is the gosple. I wish you a slightly easier ploughing season. More time to be with your favourite cow and calves, more eating of grass, more time to chew your cud, more rest in amongst the herd.

Brother Wilhelm in this season you have been choosen to be the leading ox in the LCSA. Not the only ox, but the leading one. Next to you is another ox. Behind you are older oxen and younger ones, stronger and weaker ones. To be the leading ox takes great care, don't tear yourself loose from the leaders rope, let the Holy Spirit lead you. Ungabi njengenkhunzi ethanda ukulwa, ukugoloza, ukuba nenkani. Thamba fowethu, njengekabi ebhekezelayo, ekwazi ukuzithoba, bangabantu alabo Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ holding the plough, his gosple, he will guide you with his word. Listen to the bellows of the other oxen. Eat and drink at the fountain of life. Don't try and pull on your own, the plough is much to heavy. You are a big ox, Jamludi obomvu njengentolwane, but the plough, the gosple is bigger. Let other oxen help you pull, let them take their part of the burden. So we can prepare the soil for planting the gosple in South Africa. And don't forget the calves and the cows, stay in the herd, in the congregation, rest with them, eat with them, live with them, because without them our life as oxen would be a shame.

May the Holy Spirit lead you, Jesus Christ guide you, God the Father protect and keep you. Mfowethu donsa igetsha levangeli, thwala umsebenzi wakho, uNkulunkulu makakuthwale, makakuhole, makakuqinise kulomsebenzi onzima kabi. Siyabonga.

LCSA greetings to its sister FELSiSA

LCSA greetings at the FELSiSA convention at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Durban/Westville, May 2010.

Dear friends in Christ and fellow Lutherans in the FELSiSA! I greet you with an excerpt from Sunday’s epistle:  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” (Col 3:15a ESV)

Thank you for inviting me to this convention! It is my privilege to bring blessings to you from your brothers and sisters in the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa – your siblings in the Lutheran faith, with whom you have been in altar and pulpit fellowship for decades and with whom you are united as members of the one body of Christ by the grace of God. We in the LCSA are grateful to the Lord of the Church, that he has linked us to such faithful brothers and sisters across the colour- and racial line and that by his mercy we together with you are not just a Zulu- or Tswana or Bantu Church, but rather – in confessional church fellowship with you – a reflection of our Lord’s vision for his most beloved bride: the Church everlasting. Even if our respective Churches remain but a humble reflection of this, yet by God’s grace they are a shadow of what is to come: … this great multitude no one can number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb! [Rev. 7,9ff] It is what St. Paul describes in the words preceding Cantates epistle lesson: Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. (Col 3:11 ESV) The one holy Christian Church is  what our Lord’s prayed for: "…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (Joh 17:20f ESV) Thank God by his grace we are members of this most highly venerated body of Christ.

This one holy Christian church moving across boundaries to all nations, across continents to the ends of the world is “der Lieblingsgedanke aller Heiligen” [Wilhelm Löhe]. This church moving forward renews our confidence, joy, hope and love for all. We trust that he who started this good work will complete it in glory. His vision unites us and spells out the mission into which we have been called to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them everything the Lord taught us [Mt.28,18ff].

Sunday’s epistle guides our confessional partnership in Lutheran missions with remarkable benchmarks: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:12-17 ESV)

God willing we are moving forward towards the 500^th birthday of the Lutheran Church 2017. That is also the 50^th birthday of the LCSA, constituted in 1967. We in the LCSA pray that you from FELSiSA will strive, plan and work together with us as we strategize how best and most faithfully to go about celebrating this historic occasion, but also how best and most faithfully we as God’s chosen people can fulfill our joint calling in loving obedience to his mandate on this beloved continent. In the name of the LCSA Church Council I invite you to delegate suitable men to deliberate with us on the way forward. Hopefully this will further strengthen the ties between us.

Dear friends, we in the LCSA are thankful for your ongoing support at congregational, diocesan and  church levels with prayers, fellowship, sympathy and support.  The following projects involve Lutherans from both our confessional churches benefitting people in need inside and outside our congregations:

v  Shelly Beach and Ohlangeni  [Crèche in Mafu]

v  Durban/Westville & Ntshongweni  [Community centre & housing project]

v  Kirchdorf & Pella [Rev. C. Tiedemann serving both English and Zulu congregations]

v  Greytown St. Peters and Krankskop

v  ALPIC:  Lüneburg, Kirchdorf, Greytown, Uelzen, Shelly Beach, Vryheid  support LCSA pastors financially

v  Lüneburg  grants vehicle repairs for LCSA pastors and cooperate with Emphileni

v  St. Pauls [Arcadia] plays a leading role in ALM [Arcadia Lutheran ministry]

v  Panbult, Lüneburg, Kirchdorf, Greytown, Shelly Beach, Wittenberg, Fairlands and St. Pauls [Arcadia] supporting the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane [LTS] as a joint venture of the three shareholders LCSA, FELSiSA and MLC not only financially, but also with good advice, all sorts of donations, hard labour and professional input.

Thank you very much for your significant and ongoing support in the “relief of the saints” [2.Cor.8,4]. Your generosity is “not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God” [2.Cor.9,12]. Thank you very much for being our brothers and sisters in Christ’s Church and in the Lutheran faith sustainably joined together by our Lord’s most gracious institution of holy Baptism, his real presence in Holy Communion and his most holy word in law and gospel creating in us faithful obedience, trust, love and hope! May God continue to bless us in the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa as we go forward together towards his goal lying ahead obedient to his command to hallow his name, faithfully trusting his kingdom to come to us also and his good will to be done by us too as in all the heavens and throughout the earth: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body + (Col 3:15a ESV)

Dr. Wilhelm Weber +

Bishop of the LCSA