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Save Your People, and Bless Your Heritage
by Mathew Block
Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever. – Psalm 28:9
This is a passage of Scripture that I meditate upon frequently, but it has been especially in my mind recently as the result of recent deaths in our Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) family. In December, Rev. Dr. Edwin Lehman—LCC’s first president, following the move to autonomy—was called to glory, as was former ABC District President Harold Ruf. They were preceded in mid-October by Rev. Dr. Roger J. Humann, the founding professor of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (CLTS) in St. Catharines, Ontario, with another CLTS emeritus professor, Rev. Dr. John R. Wilch, called home in late November.
Add in last issue’s annual “In Memorium” section—in which we remember those LCC church workers who have died over the past year—and a certain measure of melancholy begins to set in. We rejoice that these faithful servants of Christ have been welcomed by Him into His eternal presence. But we also grieve what their loss in some ways represents: the passing of a foundational generation in our church’s life.
When LCC became autonomous in 1988, there was a sense that new and great things were just on the horizon. There was real joy—if also a little uncertainty—about what the future held. So it is that the Canadian church issued a proclamation to be read in all congregations during the first Sunday of 1989, “praising God for yesterday’s blessings and tomorrow’s opportunities.”
We have seen the realization of so many blessings over the past 37 years—in the great unity our synod family enjoys, for example, and in the expansion of our international missions. But fast-forward to today, and optimism about the future seems to be in shorter and shorter supply. Today LCC faces many challenges: membership decline, closing congregations, issues with pastoral recruitment, and churches without a full-time pastor. These can be disheartening things. But God does not abandon His heritage! He continues to care for us in the midst of trial and suffering. He has given us this great heritage; He will not forsake us. The truth of this promise is demonstrated again and again throughout Scripture. In the beginning, God established a good and perfect world. Mankind rebelled, however, and the world grew evil—so evil, in fact, that it needed to be washed clean. But God did not abandon the faithful remnant! He saved Noah and his family by means of the ark. Abraham’s offspring were ultimately enslaved in Egypt. But God did not abandon His people! He defeated their oppressors and brought them up into a land of freedom. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and the survivors were taken into exile. But God did not forget His children! He sent the Persian king Cyrus to free the Jews, and allow them to return to Zion.
Scripture is full of these salvation stories—of God’s people up against it without any way to save themselves. But it isn’t just their stories: it’s our story too. For we also were up against it; though lovingly created by God, we all were born into the slavery of sin. But the Father did not abandon us! He sent us a Saviour, His own Son, Jesus Christ, to destroy the power of death and sin by dying on a cross. And through His resurrection, He won forgiveness and salvation for all who believe in Him. Now we are part of the family—the heritage!—of God, and have been given the right to be called His children (John 1:12).
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God,” St. John marvels (1 John 3:1). And it really is a marvel: God loves us so much that He sent His own Son to die for us, in order that we would be made members of His family. How then can we doubt that He cares for us now in the midst of our current circumstances? We are His children. Our heritage is His heritage.
In this issue, we reflect anew on our “family history” as children of God. Our first feature reminds us why the history of the church—both local and global—matters for us today. In our second feature, Rev. Dr. Richard A. Beinert reflects on the First Council of Nicaea in its 1,700th anniversary year. We include also a feature remembering the ministry of LCC’s first president, Edwin Lehman, now received into the arms of His Saviour. Finally, we note the release of new resources to help LCC congregations preserve their own local history for generations to come.
Lord Jesus, teach us to be grateful for all that You have done in ages past—for the heritage of faith which You have passed down to us through the saints who have gone before us. May we learn from their examples, with the aid of Your Holy Spirit. May we follow in their footsteps, in faithfulness to You and to Your Word. Oh, Lord, save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be our shepherd, and carry us forever. Amen.
