In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians,
Paul describes how God has acted in an unexpected way in order to save us. He writes:
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25 ESV)
This description of God’s “folly” and
“foolishness” tells us about more than just the fact that Jesus died on the
cross for our sins. It reveals the
manner in which God works. God works in
ways that don’t appear to be what they really are. He works under opposites.
Martin Luther captured this profound
truth in his theses for the 1518 Heidelberg Disputation. There he wrote:
This truth is something that often gets overlooked when people consider individual congregations and pastors. Here we often look at the visible things and conclude that we learn from them what is really happening. So it is assumed that if a congregation is growing, then it is doing things well and God is at work. Likewise it is assumed that the pastor of this congregation is an effective and capable leader who is doing a good job. In the same way, it is assumed that a congregation that is seeing no growth or is declining in numbers is doing things poorly. It is assumed that the pastor of such a congregation is not doing a good job.19. That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible I those things which have actually happened [Rom. 1:20].20. He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross. [1]
Recently Good Shepherd has been
experiencing a time when we have seen new members come into the
congregation. The circumstances of two
families caused me to reflect upon this topic of God’s cruciform ways, and the
manner in which we often perceive them.
The first couple is transferring into the congregation with their two
children, and the second couple will be entering the Catechumenate in the fall
and will be received as members along with their three children at the Vigil of
Easter. We are blessed to have them with
us.
Any time a congregation receives nine
members in two families it is a good thing.
It becomes even better when they bring with them that highly prized
“ecclesiastical commodity”: young children.
In viewing these developments, the usual way of perceiving them is that
Good Shepherd and her pastor are doing a good job. Where the smaller
congregation Our Redeemer, Golconda, IL gets yet smaller and loses members, the
assumption is that this congregation and her pastor are not doing a good job.
Yet this conclusion based on outward
appearances is all wrong. Good Shepherd
has not received these members because of anything the congregation or pastor
has done. Their decision to attend Good
Shepherd is largely a matter of location.
The fact that one family left Our Redeemer is not a result of failure by
the congregation or pastor. Instead, the
ministry of Pastor Tyler Holt at Our Redeemer is the means that God has used to
bring both families to a full understanding of the Gospel and the manner in
which Christ gives us his forgiveness through the sacraments.
Pastor Holt’s prison ministry
introduced him to the husband of the first couple at the boot camp where he
works. Circumstances provided other
opportunities for informal interaction outside of work. In the course of that dialogue and the study
of the Scriptures, the first couple became convinced that what the Lutheran
church teaches is true. They went
through catechesis and joined Our Redeemer.
The husband began talking with his good friend about what he had
learned. The second couple also studied
the Scriptures and eventually arrived at the same conclusion.
It’s a great story … until you learn
how it turns out. The second couple lives
north of Marion and the husband commutes to work, so attending Our Redeemer,
Golconda was not a possibility. Instead,
on Pastor Holt’s suggestion they began to attend at Good Shepherd. The desire to get out of a rental property
and into a home they own also prompted the first couple to move north of Marion
and so they now attend Good Shepherd for the same reason.
Pastor Holt does the work of sharing
the truth and this will result in nine Lutherans and four baptisms but none of
them attend his church. Good Shepherd
does nothing, but because we are located located in Marion, we receive the
blessing of nine new members and five small children.
The wisdom of the world looks at the
outcome – the numbers of the congregational report - and says that one
congregation and pastor are doing a “good job” while the other congregation is
“stagnant” and so clearly her pastor is not doing a good job. Yet when we are willing to look at things in
the way of the cross – the way of God’s “foolishness” – we see that God has
been at work in the faithful ministry of Pastor Holt and the people of God
gathered around the Means of Grace at Our Redeemer, Golconda. Faithfulness has borne fruit, even though we
don’t see it there. The numbers don’t tell the whole story. In fact, they don’t tell the real story
because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is
stronger than men.
An excellent illustration. I'm also glad to hear something about what Tyler is doing. He's a good guy.
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