To the Saints of Iowa District East
I hope you had a safe and joyous celebration of the Savior’s birth. And I pray that 2009 will be a year filled with blessings. Of course our Heavenly Father has guaranteed the greatest blessing for 2009 and for all eternity by sending His dear Son to save us from what we deserve and to receive what we have not earned!
The past year certainly presented some challenges for many in Iowa District East. Not the least of which was the record flood of 2008 and the tornado that ripped through several communities. And, of course, there is good reason to lament the religious and moral decay in our country. A few weeks ago as I listened to a presentation by a right to life group I was reminded of a quotation I heard recently: “...Apostasy from the gospel [in Protestant churches] is so general, that even secular papers in recent years have pointed out that from pulpits Christ the crucified is no longer preached, and instead morality and politics are proclaimed... Furthermore, in recent decades the number of children, particularly among the American born population, has taken a dive. The chief cause is that hundreds of thousands of American women consistently murder their unborn children, with and without the consent of their husbands.* (Who Said This? See answer below)
King Solomon said it well, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl. 1:9) Such events as the brutal murder of the TV newswomen in St. Louis, the murder of a young child, apparently by his mother, and abortion ought to shock us! However, it ought not surprise us! There is no limit to what our old sinful nature is capable of doing if it is unchecked either by the fear of punishment under the Law or redeemed by the blood of Christ.
A Thank You:
As we bid farewell to the old year and ring in the new I wish to extend a public thank you to the IDE office staff – Rosanne Mashek, Pam Krog, Sherry Brendes, my trusty assistant, Dr. Dean Rothchild, all of the faithful people who continue to work with the flood recovery, especially Crysten Sanchez and Kris Ruprecht who have joined our office staff on a part-time basis to coordinate the flood relief efforts.
Special thanks to Rev. Matthew Harrison, executive director of LCMS Human Care, and his faithful staff for the wonderful support they have given to the flood recovery work. Thank you also to all of God’s people who have contributed so generously.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 107:1)
*From an article by Franz Pieper in Der Lutheraner following the assassination of President William McKinley September 1901. (Translation by Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, Executive Director of LCMS Human Care.)
