The Canadian Lutheran November/December 2022

YOUR WORD LEAPED FROM HEAVEN

BY MATHEW BLOCK

“While gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, Your all-powerful Word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne…” — Wisdom 18:14-15

is you

While gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, Your all-powerful and dwelt among us.

SON OF MAN AND SON OF GOD

BY JONATHAN KRAEMER

New York, Hewett & Spooner Illustrated New Testament, 1850, via Wikimedia Commons.

MIT Technology Review

JESUS, THE CLIMAX OF HISTORY

JESUS, RELATIVE AND REDEEMER OF SINNERS

JESUS’ FATHER

REV. JONATHAN KRAEMER IS PASTOR OF ALL SAINTS LUTHERAN CHURCH IN EDMONTON.

New York, Hewett & Spooner Illustrated New Testament, 1850, via Wikimedia Commons.

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THREE DAYS OF SNOW

ONE CHRISTMAS IN SCOTLAND

by Sylvia Das

Rev. E. George Pearce Boxing Day, 1951.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo!

And in the same region there were shepherds

— Luke 2:8-14 —

ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY STOOD A LOWLY CATTLE SHED, WHERE A MOTHER LAID HER BABY IN A MANGER FOR HIS BED; MARY WAS THAT MOTHER MILD, JESUS CHRIST HER LITTLE CHILD.

— LSB 376:1 —

SON OF GOD LOVE'S PURE LIGHT. RADIANT BEAMS FROM THY HOLY FACE WITH THE DAWN OF REDEEMING GRACE, JESUS LORD, AT THY BIRTH JESUS LORD, AT THY BIRTH.

— LSB 363:3 —

Sylvia Das

HIS FATHER’S SON Jesus in the Temple

by Stephen Chambers

Child Jesus in the Temple. Jan Steen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

word go up go down

Your father

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Lutherans in Germany, Latvia, and USA mark special anniversaries

Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Latvia

ILC News

Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt introduces a panel discussion on the SELK’s 50th anniversary.

President Matthew C. Harrison preaches during the LCMS’ 175th anniversary service.

Germany

LCC’s 12th triennial youth gathering takes place in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG

A WHITE-KNUCKLED CHRISTMAS

from the regional pastor | rev. robert mohns

WEST REGION NEWS

25 years at St. Paul’s for Rev. Lunderby

CHILLIWACK, B.C.

Karissa McDonald (Rev. Lunderby's daughter), Rev. Lunderby and his wife, Cindy

EDMONTON

Assistant Pastor installed at All Saints

Installation at Grace Lutheran

EDMONTON

ALBERTA

Day 1: Divine Design—God is the builder of everything

Day 2: Promise Blueprint—God has made me

Day 3: Resurrection Repair—God has raised Jesus to life

Day 4: Remodeling Project—Jesus loved me and gave His life for me

BACK TO BASICS

from the regional pastor | rev. david haberstock

CENTRAL REGION NEWS

Rev. Parker celebrates ordination anniversary

SASKATOON, Sask.

Camp Lutherland is 90 years young!

QU’APPELLE, Sask.

Diane Dennis, Camp Lutherland Secretary

Photos by Jackie Ermel

Rev. Daryl Solie retires

REGINA

Retirement Committee

Mike Raedeke, Chairman of the Elders, presents Rev. Daryl Solie with his portrait picture. (Photo: Daryl Hoffman)

Rev. Daryl and Audrey Solie with the wallclock gifted by the congregation. (Photo: Arthur Colclough)

Rev. Daryl and Audrey Solie at his retirement dinner on October 7, 2022. (Photo: Daryl Hoffman)

YORKTON, Sask

Rev. Kai, Roderick, Melissa, Noelle, and Freya Buck. (Photo: Todd Haas)

Central Regional Pastor Haberstock preaching during the service (Photo: David Friesen)

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED

from the regional pastor | rev. marvin bublitz

EAST REGION NEWS

First St. Matthew’s celebrates anniversary

HANOVER, Ont.

Rev. Jody Rinas

St. Paul’s Cobourg purchases church building

COBOURG, Ont.

The burning of the mortgage with Rev. Dr. Kevin Fast and chairman Daren Zoldy.

contest

TIMMINS, Ont.

Quebec City Lutheran Youth Retreat

Rena Detlefsen

Francine VanWoudenberg Sikkema

MISSION

in Ukraine!

LCC-SELCU Missions during the war in Ukraine

UKRAINE As of October 31, 2022 the people of Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) have raised a total of $647,358.56 for the Ukraine Relief Aid Fund. The following update is provided by Rev. Oleksiy Navrotskyy, LCC’s Missionary-at-Large in the Ukraine concerning our partner church the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU):

SUMMER THROUGH FALL OF 2022

Rev. Oleksiy Navrotskyy

MISSION NEWS in Ukraine!

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints thanksgivings to God. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!

- 2 Corinthians 9:8-12, 15

New Year, Fresh Start

The beginning of 2022 brought the opportunity to visit with our friends in Nicaragua at CPTLN

The CPTLN is the local LLL office in Nicaragua and has been keeping active, sharing the good news of Christ Jesus at schools, and in the streets They have never stopped their work, equipping the saints of the Lutheran Church of Nicaragua, supplying booklets and leading workshops for the pastors and deaconesses of all the Nicaraguan Lutheran congregations. The people of Nicaragua have been impacted quite severely by the pandemic, and the CPTLN team uses the opportunities they have, to educate and support serve by sharing public health info such as hand sanitizer. Led by thei Arguello, the team continues to ex their reach with the Gospel. Clarin with the team for many years and during our visit we discussed her promotion to Project Director whic will provide her with the title to go along with the splendid work she has been and will continue to do in service to the mission of CPTLN.

We Are Better Together

Back here in Canada the doors for travel and face to face interaction began opening in the spring and suddenly we were thrust back into conferences, conventions, and care in the form of workshops and meetings. It was wonderful to see so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ, joining together in prayer, worship, and fellowship once again. All three LWML districts gathered, and we were blessed to be part of their final district conventions. Those inspiring ladies wasted no time, making up for lost months and quickly putting all their might and mites to work

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Partnering with YOU in HIS mission! NEWS from Lutheran Laymen's League of Canada and Lutheran Hour Ministries.

#YoungOldLutherans

In July we were excit d t t k part in the National Gathering where ki across Canada met u sing and celebrate th Canadian Lutheran i children who look to Our church is filled w amazing young peop excited to be together, and just as excited to share the hope they have in Jesus with others. The future of the Church is well cared for, and we look forward to a future with these talented and faithful young people leading us on.

Still a family tradition

The Lutheran Hour continues to be the biggest part of our budget and while Aleta has been managing all the moving parts of broadcast sponsorships, we have also been looking at how to keep Bringing Christ to the Nations and the Nations to the Church on so many stations spread out across the Great White North. This year we have had new listeners to The Lutheran Hour tell us that they began listening to the broadcast after taking over a sponsorship on a local station from their parents or grandparents who demonstrated their faith and stewardship through The Lutheran Hour for many years. Loyal sponsors, make it possible to face the challenge as growth has developed organically and a multi generational in reach program is taking place through the faithful witness of long term listeners to The Lutheran Hour.

Our digital reach to French speakers through Facebook in Canada and beyond continues to grow with increasing demand for resources and materials. Thanks to a partnership with MediaChrist.net

we have been able to offer daily devotions in French on our Facebook page. To manage the content and provide timely, doctrinally sound responses we invited Philippe Morel to work with us on a contract basis from his home in Montréal He is a member of Ascencion Lutheran Church in Montréal, receiving guidance from Pastor David Somers. Philippe is a law student and is also taking the theological training program online in French, offered by the Église Évangélique Luthérienne Synode de France (ÉÉL SF).

Supporting Little Lutherans, our Young at Heart Lutherans and those in between!

The April LLL Canada board of directors meeting agenda is when we look closely at the budget and planning for the upcoming year. This year, the board was trying to understand how we might build on the existing support we provide for children's faith formation through the Kid’s Lectionary Learning. We also felt a strong pull to support congregations with vacancies and dual parish needs and were not sure how to tackle such a demand. The board lifted the needs of the Church and those whom we serve up in prayer and left things up to Him who knows. As the summer progressed, we were presented with opportunities that we thought might be an answer to those prayers.

Once again, we par Canada’s Commun the LCC/LLL Summer Intern program and had the opportunity to work with two exceptionally talented #young oldlutherans Our primary intern, Erika Schroth Gajdos worked on several community engage notably helping us sustainable income

In September Rev. Cody Cooper joined our team, meaning that the creator of Kid’s Lectionary Learning could now help us provide resources beyond the broadly used activity pages. Immediately an additional Teaching Supplement was added to the weekly Canada wide distribution and is being used for Sunday School instruction, at home review, and in one case is even being used

as an educational supplement following worship.

The following feedback came to us from a congregation that does not have a full time pastor and provided us with assurance that what we are doing may be answering at least some of the needs we were unsure about filling when the board met back in April

I just wanted to let you know how much the Lectionary learning pages are appreciated by our entire congregation. On Reformation Sunday I was so inspired by the supplement explaining Luther's Rose! So inspired that I spontaneously used it as a "lesson" after the service for everyone attending. It helps to bring the old language of the bible & forgotten catechism lessons to everyone in a way that is easy to absorb. We currently have one child attending services, so there is no Sunday School. This was a way to incorporate a little bit of Sunday School into the service yet not be too childish for the adults. My "lesson" was so well received that I have been asked to add this lesson to every Worship service from now on! Thank you for helping us reach out & connect to our entire congregation, you are awesome!

As we head into Advent, Rev. Cody has also created devotional supplement to accompany the Lutheran Hour Ministries Advent Devotion series: A Son is Given. The addition provid opportunity for children to take part in their own, targeted devotional life Weekly colouring pages ar also being posted online, so that congregations who offer mid week services ca print them off and make th available for families at worship

Due to the positive reception and requests for copies of The Illuminated Catechism for new catechumens, we continue to send copies across Canada, in both English and our Canadian French language version It is a joy to be able to offer this gift, welcoming newly confirmed children into the LCC family

Illuminated Catechism We Are Better Together

In October, several workshops and events that had been perpetually postponed finally took place. I had the pleasure of spending time in devotion and retreat at the BC Church Worker’s and Alberta Church Worker’s conferences. I also joined a welcoming group in Warman Saskatchewan as we made our way through some of Lutheran Hour Ministries’ resources, tackling both and in an intense and focused day of study

During the same trip out west in October, the newly elected board of directors were installed at the Annual General Meeting, hosted by Foothills Lutheran Church in Calgary. Attendees got to hear news from the events of the past year, as well as inspiring updates from Rev. Cody Cooper, and Ron Ludke who is working to ensure we have a personal contact with our members and donors.

Our website has gotten a much needed facelift You can now easily find links to download the Weekly Kid’s P updates, order and pay for booklets, make donations

Go to LLL.CA to check it out

LLL Canada’s mission is to assist in the proclamation of the Gospel by creating, distributing and promoting resources through various media and equipping Christians for outreach. Board of Directors: President, Joel Haberstock, Coldstream, AB; Treasurer, Stephen Braaten, Regina, SK; Secretary, Brian Wardle, Kitchener, ON; Directors: Joshua Gadjos, London, ON; Ken Schoepp, Surrey, BC; Helga Danielson, Spruce Grove, AB; Rev. Mark Danielson, Spruce Grove, AB; Jane Jacob, London, ON; Pastor Keith Haberstock (pastoral advisor), Fort MacMurray, AB Media in Mission is published by Lutheran Laymen’s League of Canada, provider of Lutheran Hour Ministries resources.

Rev. Dr. Harold Henry Witte Rev. David K. Ramsey

Rev. Melvin Roy Knoll

Rev. Deane Edward Detlefsen

Rev. R. George Reinhart

Rev. Jon Estes

Rev. Ferdinand Jens Drewin

Rev. Dr. Forrest N. Stroup Rev. Carl Louis Wagner

Rev. Linden Winston Dressler

For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

— Romans 6:5 —

Rev. Frank Anthony Silver Jr.

Rev. Melvin Ronald Wolters

Life Insurance

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16

For us as Christians, there is great comfort in knowing God always keeps His promises, so our faith in the resurrected Christ guarantees us the assurance of everlasting life.

Conversely, life insurance only provides earthly benefits, purchased for many different reasons. Over time, the reason for the purchase may no longer be a concern, yet we continue paying the premiums. Did you know you can gift an existing policy to your Church or any LCC synodical family organization?

If you have an existing policy used to cover your mortgage and it is no longer needed for that purpose, consider transferring it as a gift to the church, thereby making the premiums a charitable gift.

Whether transferring an existing policy or opening a new one, different options are available based on the tax benefit you desire.

A Regional Gift Coordinator can assist you in determining what would work best based on your goals.

Contact your Regional Gift Coordinator today for more information on this wonderful act of Stewardship.

www.lutheranfoundation.ca

TRANSITIONS

Rev. Laverne Hautz

Dcn. Brenda Ryan

Rev. Frank Silver

Rev. Alex Timm Rev. Paul Roggow

Rev. Matthew Habermas

Rev. Linden Dressler

Rev. Joe Das

What is Regional News?

Regional News can include a congregation’s significant anniversary or other landmark occasion, a mission or outreach event, a retreat or special event hosted by an LCC organization or by the circuit, or other church involvement in the community. Regional News can ALSO be something unique that your congregation is doing for its members, like hosting a hiking club, mentoring younger members into leadership positions, or preserving a heritage church building. Sharing our news is one way our geographically widespread Synod can stay connected, and if you're not sure if a story qualifies as news, please ask!

regionaleditor@lutheranchurch.ca

ND ON

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BY PRESIDENT TIMOTHY TEUSCHER

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