WITNESSWITNESSMARCH 2004 VOL. 123 NO. 3MARCH 2004 VOL. 123 NO. 3

GospelPartners in Asia

www.lcms.org/witness

Also: Man’s War, God’s PeaceSurfing the Synod

Also: Man’s War, God’s PeaceSurfing the Synod

GospelPartners in Asia

T h e � u t h e r a nT h e � u t h e r a n

FeaturesFeatures

2 LifelineKaren Tessaro

4 Letters

14 National News

20 In My OpinionKen Frerking

21 Searching ScriptureThomas Engel

25 Notices

26 Family Counselor

27 Q&A/Shedding Some Light

28 From the PresidentGerald B.Kieschnick

WITNESST h e � u t h e r a n

A Magazine for the laypeople of the lutheran church — missouri synod

march 2004

Official periodical of The Lutheran Church—MissouriSynod through the Board for CommunicationServices, Dr. Martin G. Schramm, chairman; Rev. J.Thomas Lapacka, executive director.

Staff: Rev. David L. Mahsman, executive editor; Don Folkemer,managing editor; Joe Isenhower Jr., news editor; Paula SchlueterRoss, contributing editor; John Krus, senior designer; CorinneLatimer, marketing manager; Pam Burgdorf, coordinator;Marcy Hanewinkel, advertising sales; Carla Dubbelde, editori-al manager, district editions; Karen Higgins, editorial assistant;editorial office: 1333 S. Kirkwood Rd., St. Louis, MO 63122-7295;(314) 965-9917, Ext. 1228.

© 2004 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Reproductionof a single article or column for parish use only does not requirepermission of THE LUTHERAN WITNESS. Such reproductions,however, should credit THE LUTHERAN WITNESS as thesource. Cover images and “Shedding Some Light” cartoons arenot reproducible without permission. Also, photos credited tosources outside the LCMS are not to be copied.

Published 11 times per year by Concordia Publishing House,3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-3968. Individual sub-scription $18.48 per year. Organized congregation subscriptionsand district editions offered at reduced rate if submitted throughlocal churches. Standard A postage paid at St. Louis, MO.

For subscription information or address changes, e–mail: cphorder@cph.org

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March 2004 (ISSN: 0024-757X) Vol.123, No3

Cover photo by Getty Images

To subscribe, renew or to give a gift subscription,call Concordia Publishing House at: 800-325-3381

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TO FORGIVE A THIEFby Deanna L.Sandcork

When missionary volunteersin Eastern Europe lost theirbelongings to a thief, theyprayed for his capture.Butwhat about his soul?

‘THANKFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP’by David L.Mahsman

The Missouri Synod’s “partner churches”inAsia, and around the world, are bringingChrist to their countrymen and beyond.

MAN’S WAR, GOD’S PEACE by Joseph Bruhl

Through the brutal events of “thatnight” in Iraq,God’s promises offeredcomfort and peace.

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SURFING THE SYNOD’S NEW WEB SITE by Linda C.Hoops

The Synod’s Web site has a new look.Here’s help finding your way around it.

1616

Letters

are all served better by intellectualhonesty with a valid response.

Rev. Jayson S. Galler

Austin, Texas

Dr. Brighton in his commentary

does indeed note, “Throughout the

history of the church, interpreta-

tions of the millennium have var-

ied. … In the early church a pre-

millennial interpretation was

seemingly prevalent, partly due

to the church father Papias. …”

Dr. Maier’s reference, however, is

specifically to the theological sys-

tem known as “dispensational

premillennialism,” which is the

theological basis for the “Left

Behind” books. As the Commission

on Theology and Church Relations’

1989 report, “The End Times,”

notes, “Dispensational premillen-

nialism, or simply dispensational-

ism, is a theological system having

its origin among the Plymouth

Brethren in Ireland and England

in the early 19th century. …”—Ed.

Hymns we can sing

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED

another new hymnal (“SomethingOld, Something New,” Jan. ’04).Every time a new hymnal comesout, many of the songs that congre-gations can sing with gusto aretaken out.

Rosemarie Armstrong

Flushing, N.Y.

THE HYMNODY COMMITTEE FOR THE

Lutheran Hymnal Project isdescribed as a “group of pastors,musicians and professors.” Where

WHAT IS MY TAKE ON THE “LEFT BEHIND”series (“The Bible and the EndTimes,” Jan. ’04)? I hope I have thecourage to stand up to those whoput down my God. I hope I take theopportunity to bear witness. Andmost of all, on the last day, I will goto heaven and not be left behind.

Lena Jo McCoy

Scottsdale, Ariz.

I ENJOYED THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE

Lutheran Witness, and especially“The Bible and End Times” by PaulL. Maier. I was especially struck bythis line from the text, “I guess theyfigure the church had had it allwrong during its first 18 centuries!”This is exactly the point I made in arecent article I wrote for our congre-gation’s monthly newsletter.

Rev. Ed Blonski

Mayville, Wis.

DR. PAUL L. MAIER’S STATEMENT

through his fictional protagonist,Jonathan Weber, carefully worded asit may be, that errant end-times the-ology “is only a recent novelty” is afiction of a different sort. OneLutheran end-times theologian has,for example, called a literal millenni-al reign “the prevailing orthodoxy”early in church history. Another, Dr.Louis A. Brighton, traced it out in hiscommentary on Revelation pub-lished by Concordia PublishingHouse.

Professors do not serve theirstudents well—or magazine publish-ers their readers—by glossing overdetails of history with which theiropponents will confront them. We

The end timesRead Revelation. Then, by all means,

read More Than a Skeleton and the“Left Behind” books, but hold in yourheart our Lord’s words, “Surely, I amcoming quickly” (Rev. 22:20).

Darlo Harms

Bertha, Minn.

are the laymen, those of us who sitin the pews every Sunday andattempt to sing the hymns the pro-fessionals have selected for us?Please give the worshiper an equalsay in the selection of hymns andmelodies.

G.T. Daehnke

Wright City, Mo.

Information on the hymn texts

and tunes under consideration were

available for comment on the Web

for more than a year. According to

Dr. Paul Grime, executive director

of the Synod’s Commission on

Worship, “Thousands of comments

were received and taken into

account. The [hymn-selection] com-

mittee and the commission are very

cognizant of the concerns” of con-

gregation members. He added that

many familiar tunes in TheLutheran Hymnal that were not

included in Lutheran Worship will

be restored in the new hymnal.—Ed.

How to reach her

I WANT TO THANK THE LUTHERAN WIT-

NESS for telling about my journey ofgrace since I left the Amish. Mypastor and others have had numer-ous requests from churches andindividuals trying to reach me.Could you kindly note my Web site,which has all my contact informa-tion? It is http://ruthirenegarrett.

com. Thank you for your help.Ruth Irene Garrett

Glasgow, Ky.

Not to be misunderstood

IN A RECENT NEWS ITEM, “THIRD ‘IGNIT-ing’ Event looks at worship atten-dance” (“National News,” Jan. ’04), Iwas quoted as saying, “I have neverconducted my ministry in terms ofcounting heads . . . but solely interms of [properly using Word andSacrament].” While undoubtedlyunintentional, the article may havegiven the impression that I agreedwith everything that happened at

Illustration by Arthur KirchhoffTHE LUTHERAN WITNESS

this conference and that I approve thefirst sentence in the article, whichsays, “There is no single formula forincreasing worship attendance . . . butlots of approaches to share.”

I find this statement very disturbingsince it reflects the principles of theso-called Church-Growth Movement,which far too many LCMS pastors andcongregations are adopting and whichare, in fact, destructive of soundLutheran doctrine and practice, as ismade clear in the report submitted bythe late President A.L. Barry’s ChurchGrowth Study Committee to the 2001Synod convention. Our goal asLutheran pastors and congregationsshould not be merely to increase wor-ship attendance, but to proclaim pure-ly the precious Gospel of our LordJesus and to administer His holysacraments properly and let “the HolySpirit work faith where and when itpleases him in those who hear theGospel,” as the Augsburg Confessioncorrectly reminds us (Article V).

Rev. Steven C. Briel

Maple Grove, Minn.

CorrectionThe photograph on Page 9 of the

February issue, in “A ChristianInfluence, On Campus and Off,” isincorrectly identified as being ofChristopher Leslie, an alumnus ofConcordia University, Austin, Texas.The photo is of a current student,Chris Brynestad.

Also, although the enrollmentslisted for each campus of theConcordia University System in atable on Page 7 are correct, the totalnumber of church-work students isincorrect. That number should be2,805.

We apologize for the errors.

Send letters to “Letters,” c/o

The Lutheran Witness, 1333

S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO

63122-7295; or send them via e-

mail to Lutheran.Witness@LCMS

.org. Letters may be edited for

length and clarity.

MARCH 2004

Photo by David Mahsman

by David L. Mahsman

T his may be the largest singleconcentration of men andwomen anywhere on earth, and

it was spread out before us.From the glass-enclosed observation

deck on the 52nd floor of Tokyo’s newMori Tower office building, we couldsee city in every direction. But for thesea to the east and the mountains in thegrey-blue haze of the distant west, thecityscape would have stretched to thehorizon all around.

Some 30 million people live in theTokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area,making it the largest in the world. Andhardly any of them have saving faith inJesus Christ.

“Perhaps the biggest issue for us inthe religious milieu of Japan is, how do we carry outeffective missions?” Rev. Yoshiaki Kashiki, speakingthrough an interpreter, had told his American visitorsearlier that day.

Kashiki is president of the Japan Lutheran Churchand one of the Lutheran church-body leaders MissouriSynod President Jerry Kieschnick had traveled to eastAsia to visit. The others were in Hong Kong and SouthKorea.

In every case, missions and evangelistic outreach—sharing the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ with theircountrymen and others in Asia, of whom there are somany—was on the front burner.

On their turfThe east-Asia trip, in late September and early October,

was one of several Kieschnick has been making to theSynod’s partner churches—church bodies with whomthe Missouri Synod works and is in church fellowship—

around the world. This month, in fact, he is scheduled tobe in Africa to meet with Lutheran leaders there.

“Asia is part of a larger program of trying to visit all ofour partner churches, something that I strongly encour-aged,” said Dr. Samuel Nafzger, executive director of theSynod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations.Nafzger has accompanied Kieschnick on all his partner-church visits.

“It’s important to visit them on their own turf,”Nafzger continued. “It speaks to the importance wegive to them, and it lets them know that we have a feelfor their successes and challenges.”

Also with Kieschnick on the east-Asia trip was Rev.David Birner. He was in the middle of moving back tothe United States from Hong Kong, where he and hiswife, Lois, lived for three years while he was areadirector for Asia with LCMS World Mission. He now isthe associate executive director of LCMS WorldMissions responsible for international work.

THE LUTHERAN WITNESS

The Missouri Synod’s“partner churches”

in Asia, and around theworld, are bringing Christ

to their countrymen and beyond.

LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick (left, hands on table) and others in the

Missouri Synod delegation talk with leadersof the Japan Lutheran Church in Tokyo.

Among them is JLC President Yoshiaki Kashiki(middle right, with books).

‘THANKFULFOR THE

PARTNERSHIP’

“This was the first Asiatour by an LCMS presi-dent in many years,”Birner said, adding thathaving Kieschnick’s wife,Terry, along on this trip“opened and builtbridges.”

“The visit built a senseof family and commonidentity that moved ourrelationships beyondwhere they had been foryears,” Birner said. “It putin place connections andrelationships for ignitinga Lutheran mission move-ment in Asia.”

Challenges andopportunities

“We have very fewmembers—you may bethe only one in your fami-ly who is a Christian,”Kashiki told Kieschnickand the others as they satat a large conferencetable in the church body’soffices, their street shoes outside the door in theJapanese way. “So you have to worship with no one elsethere from your family.”

Christianity has not gained much of a foothold inJapan, a country known for its staid and traditionalways. Depending on who’s counting, Christians make upanywhere from about three percent of the population toless than one percent.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod began mis-sion work in Japan shortly after World War II. The JapanLutheran Church grew out of that work. And though ithas just under 3,000 members in its 35 congregations, itis not without resources or strategies for continuing itsefforts on behalf of God’s kingdom.

One of those resources stands in the very shadow ofthe Mori Tower, which is the centerpiece of a brand-newinternational business-entertainment-housing complexknown as Roppongi Hills. In addition to the office tower,the 28-acre site includes a broadcasting center, a luxuryhotel, cinemas, more than 200 retail shops and restau-rants, and apartments for more than 840 families.

It also has a Buddhist temple—and one Christianchurch, a Lutheran church.

“This may be some of the most expensive land in the

world,” Birner com-mented. That’sreflected in the rents. The least expensive studio apart-ment goes for about $3,000 a month. For just over$40,000 a month, a family can have five bedrooms and astudy.

The Japan Lutheran Church does not have the kind ofmoney it would take to buy land in Roppongi Hills today.It already had a church there—on land purchased some50 years ago by LCMS pioneer missionary WilliamDanker—when the Mori Building Co. began to developthe site. The developer wanted to buy the church prop-erty, but the Lutherans would not sell. So, in exchangefor use of some of the land, the company tore down theold church building and put up a larger, multi-storychurch structure in its place.

“Can you imagine the opportunity for reaching theinternational business community that will be living andworking here, around the clock, every day of the year?”Birner asked.

A tradition for educationBut one of the main entry points into their own soci-

eties for the Asian partner churches is education, a tra-

Photos by David Mahsman MARCH 2004

Land purchased by anLCMS missionary 50 yearsago is now surroundedby an expensive newinternational-businessdevelopment in Tokyo.Partner-church leaderstook LCMS officials to thesite in Tokyo’s RoppongiHills area, where a newchurch building is beingbuilt by the developer inexchange for use of someof the land.

ditional strong suit for Lutherans.Many Japan Lutheran Church congregations operate

a kindergarten, for example. The national church alsooperates two junior-senior high schools. (When the base-ball team at one of them, Seibo—“Holy Hope”—made itto the championships last year, the students in thestands stood and sang “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus”with every run. “It was perhaps the first time hymnswere sung openly on national television,” the school’sheadmaster, Takashi Yuguchi, said with a smile.)

It is in Hong Kong, though, where the use of schoolsis especially impressive. The Lutheran Church—HongKong Synod, which has 8,500 baptized members, oper-ates 44 schools with 1,100 teachers and 22,000 students.

This is made possible by the Hong Kong government,which is a partner with the church in a way thatAmericans might find surprising. The government buildsthe school building and pays 100 percent of the costs ofoperating it, including teachers’ salaries. The churchfurnishes and equips the building, hires staff—and runsthe school.

“We can teach religion freely in the schools, eventhough the government pays for it,” said Hong KongSynod President Allan Yung. He added that the schoolshave provided the foundation for starting new missionstations.

Kieschnick and the Missouri Synod delegation visitedtwo of the schools.

At St. Matthew’s Lutheran School, a primary school,Bible passages are posted prominently throughout themodern building. Rev. Daniel Lee, the pastor of the con-gregation there, outlined for the visitors a wide varietyof Christian education, activities and worship opportuni-ties available through both school and congregation.

The group also visited a secondary school with a

rather long name: MKMCFMa Chan Duen HeyMemorial College. The staffat the school includes a“spiritual development coor-dinator,” Michelle Lok, who is an evangelist with theHong Kong Synod.

“Our mission is to spread the Gospel faithfully to ournext generation,” said Hung Kei Poon, principal of theschool.

The good reputation of Hong Kong Synod schoolsresulted in a request from the education department ofone of the provinces in mainland China: Can you helptrain our English teachers? As a result, 120 teachers ayear from mainland China will attend eight-week ses-sions at the Missouri Synod’s Concordia University in

Pupils at St. Matthew’sLutheran School inHong Kong greetvisitors from TheLutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

President Allan Yung, left, of The Lutheran Church—HongKong Synod discusses with Rev. David Birner the agenda fora visit from President Gerald Kieschnick and others from theMissouri Synod. Birner is the associate executive director of

LCMS World Mission responsible for international work.

Photos by David MahsmanTHE LUTHERAN WITNESS

Young children in daycare are among thoseserved by Hong Kong

Lutheran Social Service,which Executive Director

Paul Chan says touchessome 30,000 people of

all ages each year.

MARCH 2004

Irvine, Calif., over the next fiveyears—paid for by the People’sRepublic of China.

“Because we have this partner-ship, Allan could say, yes, we canmeet your higher-education needs,even though they don’t have a uni-versity,” LCMS World Mission’sDavid Birner said, referring to theHong Kong Synod’s president.

“These top-tier English teachersin Chinese public schools will belearning American culture throughIrvine and Lutheran schools, bymeeting Christians, visiting inLutheran homes,” Birner continued.“This is an opportunity for us tospeak one on one with them andshape their impressions, not only ofthe United States, but also ofChristians.

“For many—perhapsmost—of them, this will betheir first encounter withChristians and the Christianfaith,” he added.

China’s second-largestuniversity, Fudan Universityin Shanghai, also asked theHong Kong Synod for help,Birner said. In this case, withteaching human care, anotherarea in which the Hong Kongchurch has built a reputation.

Hong Kong Lutheran SocialService has 800 employeesand 42 human-care centersthat serve children, youth, theelderly, and those who are blind,deaf, or developmentally disabled. It operates foster-care, family-edu-

Photos by David Mahsman

T en years ago, there wasn’t much inPudong, across the river from

downtown Shanghai, China, but ricepaddies. Today, it’s sprouting skyscrap-ers and attracting international busi-nesses.

It’s there that The LutheranChurch—Missouri Synod planted itssecond international school in eastAsia. Concordia International School,Shanghai (CISS) is modeled after theSynod’s first such institution, HongKong International School.

“We have got to be where the actionis,” says CISS Head of School DavidRittmann.

The two LCMS schools focus on theinternational community (though theyincreasingly are serving national clien-tele as well). Both provide anAmerican-style, college-prep educa-tion, and are supported largely bytuition.

“We are the only school here with aChristian character,” Rittmann, a for-mer headmaster of the Hong Kongschool, told the LCMS delegation thatvisited in October. He said four moreinternational schools have opened inthe area within the last year. “Therewill probably be 40 within 15 years.”

Growth has been rapid for CISS. It

opened in 1998 with 22 students.Now it has about 400 students(whose parents work for some 200different companies) and a brand-new building that opened in the fall,thanks to a $5 million loan from the Synod’s Lutheran ChurchExtension Fund. The loan, whichalso will help fund future expan-sion, is the largest yet from LCEF’sArthur C. Haake World MinistryFund.

The Hong Kong school has beenaround a lot longer. Founded in1966, it has more than 2,600 stu-dents (representing some 40 coun-tries) and 480 faculty and staff onfour campuses.

“Amazing” and “impressive” aretwo adjectives Synod PresidentGerald Kieschnick used after visit-ing the two schools.

“The challenge, as with all ourschools in foreign countries, is to do an excellent job of seculareducation in the arts and scienceswhile also inculcating a Christianperspective, clearly proclaiming theChristian message and values,”Kieschnick said. “That becomessomewhat difficult in an environ-ment largely supported by the

tuition dollars oflarge companiesand by govern-ments, and it’s acontinuing chal-lenge to keep solid,Christian teachers.”

The presidentsaid that he’s“encouraged” byhow the schoolshave managed tomeet those chal-lenges. And theeffort is worth it, headded. “What’s thevalue of a soul?” heasked. “Of manysouls?”

— D.L.M.

President Kieschnick, himself a former teacher, leads adevotion for primary students at Hong Kong InternationalSchool, one of two international schools in east Asiaowned by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

BEING ‘WHERE THE ACTION IS’

cation, and school social-work programs.Paul Chan, the executive director of HKLSS, says his organiza-

tion touches about 30,000 people of all ages each year, sharing“love and concern.”

“We also tell them about the love Jesus Christ has given tous,” Chan added.

A ‘debt of gratitude’“It is a fact that throughout the world every day—every

second of every day—people are dying without saving faith inJesus Christ. … The Bible says those who die without that faithin their hearts will spend eternity in hell. … This is an urgentmission for your church and our church.”

It’s Sunday-morning worship at Jungang (“Central”)

THE LUTHERAN WITNESS Photos by David Mahsman

ABLAZE! INTERNATIONAL

If Lutherans are going to reach 100 million previouslyunreached people with the Gospel by 2017—the

500th anniversary of the Reformation—it will take aworldwide effort, say the Missouri Synod’s missionleaders. And that worldwide effort is starting to takeshape.

Ablaze!, the name given to the initiative to reachthat 100 million people, began with LCMS WorldMission, but it’s catching on with the Synod’s partnerchurches, too.

“We will do this in genuine partnership,” PresidentAllan Yung of The Lutheran Church—Hong KongSynod told LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick whenthey met in Yung’s office last fall. Yung said that hischurch body’s schools would be a big part of thateffort.

Yung has since been to St. Louis, along with threeother church body leaders—from Europe, Africa andSouth America—as part of the steering committee forthe Ablaze! International Conference being plannedfor July 6–9 in St. Louis, just before this year’s Synodconvention.

“This is the first timeour partner churcheshave come togeth-er around amissiontheme,” saidRev. DavidBirner, associ-ate executive director of LCMS WorldMission for international work. “Their role [inAblaze!] will be a critical factor in reaching 100 millionpeople around the world.”

Kieschnick agreed, saying, “The national churchbodies have so many built-in advantages and opportu-nities” for reaching their own people with the Gospel.He cited their connections with their government andother leaders, for example, and the absence of lan-guage and cultural barriers.

The Synod’s partner churches “loom large” in plansfor reaching people with the Gospel and are “impor-tant” to the endeavor, Kieschnick said.

The leaders of most of the Synod’s 29 partnerchurches worldwide will be in St. Louis for the Ablaze!

conference and also will take part in the opening ofthe Synod convention.

“Many of our partner churches are coming to adefining moment in their history,” Birner said, refer-ring especially to those that are about 50 years old, theage at which the Missouri Synod began its overseasmission work. He added, “I think we have the capacityas the LCMS to strengthen, encourage, empower andequip them for outreach around the world.”

— D.L.M

LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick waits for his interpreter duringhis Sunday-morning sermon at Jungang (“Central”) Lutheran Churchin Seoul, South Korea.

The choir at Jungang Lutheran Church in Seoul, contributes to Sunday-morning worship.

MARCH 2004

Lutheran Church in Seoul, South Korea. The congrega-tion is listening, through an interpreter, to the presidentof The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, who ispreaching that day.

President Kieschnick tells them, “I am truly thankfulfor the partnership in the Gospel that we share.”

Rev. Hong-Yeol Lee, president of the LutheranChurch in Korea (LCK), offered thanks of his own.

“Some 45 years ago, after the Korean Conflict, TheLutheran Church—Missouri Synod sent threeAmerican missionaries to this poor and impov-erished land, in order to give birth to theLutheran Church in Korea,” Lee said in his for-mal greetings to the LCMS contingent, also atCentral Lutheran that Sunday. “The LCMS hassent more than 20 missionaries and sent a hugeamount of mission support to assist the missionwork of the LCK.

“We who are part of the LCK can never for-get that debt of gratitude,” Lee said.

The LCK is roughly the same size as theJapan Lutheran Church, with about 3,000 mem-bers in 34 congregations. Yet it’s had an impacton the much larger Christian population—morethan 40 percent of the Korean people are identi-fied as Christian—than its size would suggest.For example, some 400,000 people, including8,000 pastors, have studied the Bible in “BethelSeries” courses offered by the LCK. And some750,000 people have signed up for the LCK’s“Christian Correspondence Course” throughthe “Korea Lutheran Hour.”

The Korean church also operates the firstaccredited Lutheran university in Asia. LutherUniversity’s most recent president has been an LCMSmissionary, Dr. Hilbert “George” Riemer. With his wife,Joan, who also taught at the university, Riemer devot-ed most of his life to this country. They arrived inKorea nearly 43 years ago; in retirement, they returnedto the United States just last month.

The same missionary spirit that brought theMissouri Synod—and the Riemers—to Korea is evi-dent also in the Korean Lutherans today.

“Now we, the LCK, as the debtors of mission, have anew mission calling before us,” LCK President Lee said.“If the LCMS in the USA 45 years ago looked to thewest and did mission work in Korea, now we, the LCK,look to the north for the mission task we must under-take for the sake of Russia, China and North Korea.

“As the LCMS without any condition beganproclaiming the Gospel for the sake of Korea,” Leecontinued, “now we, following that example of theLCMS, will go forward and take on the mission for thesake of the north.”

LCMS World Mission’s David Birner notes that TheLutheran Church—Missouri Synod was about 50 yearsold when it sent out its first overseas missionary—toIndia, in 1898. “We’re seeing churches we visited inAsia just at the 50-year mark and at the point of send-ing their first missionaries and engaging in the missionof the church,” he said.

As he recounted some of his impressions from thevisits in Asia and elsewhere, President Kieschnick

included “the appreciation shown by the people ofthese partner churches, particularly those begun by themission efforts of our Synod.

“The thanks I received as president really was forthose who dedicated their lives to bringing the Gospelto these countries, and for the Synod that sent them,”Kieschnick said. “It was a very humbling experience.”

Nafzger, of the Commission on Theology andChurch Relations, said it is good to see the fruit ofLCMS mission work around the world. He said,“People are going to be in heaven because TheLutheran Church—Missouri Synod cared enough toshare the goodnews of theGospel.”

Rev. David L. Mahsmanis executive editor ofThe Lutheran Witness.

Photos by David Mahsman

Students at the Lutheran Church in Korea’s Luther University study the Bible.The university, near Seoul, is the first accredited Lutheran university in Asia.

THE LUTHERAN WITNESS Photo courtesy of author

by Joseph Bruhl

Last spring, as the nation held its breath and thelast measures of diplomacy were brought to bearon Saddam Hussein, I deployed with my unit,

1st Operational Longbow Attack Helicopter Battalion,227th Aviation Regiment, to Udairi, Kuwait, less than 15miles south of the Iraqi border.

After training and waiting for six weeks, PresidentBush made his “48 hour” speech, and we made finalpreparations for combat. With nerves at a heightenedpitch, pilots and soldiers were mentally sharp, planshad been reviewed and rehearsed, and every trooperwas ready.

My experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom canbe divided into two distinct portions: “that night,” andeverything else.

“Everything else” was what I imagined it would be, ifnot better. My brother Jake was a company commanderfor 46th Engineer Battalion, assigned to build the run-way and ramp areas at CampUdairi. For almost a week,we ate every breakfast anddinner together, meeting at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to catch upand check up on each other.Even then, we were fullyaware of what a precious giftthose few, short days togeth-er really were. We would talkabout our family, his wifeexpecting their second child,our units and anything thatpopped up during the smalltalk that accompanied eachmeal.

After our last dinner together, we walked back to my tent and stood in the darkness of the cool Marchevening, pondering out loud what would transpirebefore we saw each other again. Jake gave me somefinal words of advice, and I offered my support andassured him that I “wouldn’t do anything stupid.”Lighting cigars, we talked one last time about our fami-ly, shared a couple of funny stories and that was it. Wewere both uncertain what the impending war wouldhold, but as we fumbled around in the darkness withour words, neither of us came close to guessing whatwould happen “that night.”

As the Army pushed north, our battalion attacked theMedina Division of the Republican Guard in order tosoften them for 3rd Infantry Division’s attack throughthe Karbala Gap. On 23 March 2003, 1-227th receivedthe mission to attack Iraq’s Medina Division. My compa-ny, B Company “Reapers,” was to lead the fight.

Through the brutal eventsof “that night” in Iraq,God’s promises offered

comfort and peace.

MAN’S WAR,GOD’S PEACE

The author, right, and ChiefWarrant Officer 2 Doug Sanders,

flew their Apache Longbow helicopter in combat around

sunset last March 23, the firstnight of the war in Iraq, near

Najaf, where they came underheavy ground fire.

MARCH 2004Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Serving as the scout platoonleader, it was my job to lead the firstteam in, find the enemy, fix his loca-tion and begin the fight. As we flewnorth, I scanned the long columns ofAmerican vehicles that passedunderneath us churning up billowingclouds of dust, hoping that in one ofthe nondescript trucks beneath mewas Jake and that he was safe.

After landing at our prearrangedlocation near A Najaf, about 160kilometers southwest of Baghdad,the pilots relaxed on their aircraftand gathered in small groups as thesun sank behind the horizon. We hadlanded in knee-high wheat fields, thefirst patch of green we had seensince leaving Fort Hood, Texas. Itwas a refreshing sight and seemed tocalm our nerves as we made ourfinal preparations for the mission.As night fell, we completed ourrehearsals and cranked the aircraftbefore receiving word the missionwas delayed for two hours.

The two hours passed like aneternity. Then, we huddled in dark-ness for the final update. The battal-ion commander passed out refine-ments to the plan as the intelligenceofficer updated the information onthe enemy. We prayed, shook handsand climbed back into our cockpits,this time knowing there was noturning back.

Along the route to the objective,things were quiet. We slowed backour airspeed and moved into posi-tion for the attack. I identified a self-propelled artillery piece at a range of5,700 meters, and destroyed it with aHellfire missile. It was the first shotof the battle and it did not take longfor the Iraqis to respond.

Less than 30 seconds later, mywingman reported taking fire. Theradios erupted. I looked to the west,and I could see waves of orange andred tracer fire dancing toward us. Itlooked like a summer thunderstormracing across a field, coming so fastyou can only wince and wait for it toreach you. Rounds were being fired

from rooftops and in the streets;anti-aircraft artillery was positionednext to homes, making it impossibleto return fire without inflicting col-lateral damage. The fire was thick.As we broke left away from fire, weflew directly into more streams oftracers. Bullets ripped up the bot-

tom of our aircraft, not once, nottwice, but three times.

By now, the attack team, a groupof four Apache helicopters coming15 minutes behind us, rolled in readyfor the battle handover. I reported mycurrent location and recommendedthey remain approximately four kilo-meters south, unaware that I had justordered them to wait in the area ofthickest fire. It was there as theywaited that U.S. Army Chief WarrantOfficers Dave Williams and RonYoung were shot down, eventuallybeing taken as prisoners of war andheld for 19 days before their rescue bythe 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

We continued to return fire andmaneuver. As we turned south, Ilooked across the city. The fire wasso thick that it looked like a blanketof red and orange had been wovenacross the sky. I sighed. A fourthround of bullets tore up the left sideof the aircraft, rattling around only

inches from my cockpit. I could hearthem tear through the skin of theaircraft and through the computersthat sat just to the left of my knee.

That shook me. For the first time,my mind began to wander. I knewthat I would have to fly backthrough that blanket of fire and I hadjust received a rude reminder of howdangerous it would be.

Even still, I suddenly felt peace.Looking over my shoulder, I knewthat if the Lord planned for me toland that night, I would land safelyand if this were my appointed time,then I was taking in some of my lastsights. In a way so similar to what

A U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter, similar to the one flown by the author,patrols a road in southern Iraq.

As we flew north, I scanned the long columns of American vehicles …

hoping that in one of the trucks beneath me was Jake and that he was safe.

God had shown me countlesstimes before, and yet in amanner so powerful I hadnever imagined, the Lord toldme, as he had the prophetJeremiah, “I know the plans Ihave for you … plans to pros-per you and not to harm you,plans to give you hope and afuture” (Jer. 29:11).

And then tracers streamedpast the cockpit, close enoughto light it as bright as thenoonday sun. My mind wasback in the fight, the peacefulmoment over. As I led myteam back out, we bankedhard left and then right again,turning towards the tracers ofAK-47 rifles being fired fromthe banks of the EuphratesRiver. We punched off ourfinal six rockets and turnedaway as they exploded, stoppingthe tracers.

The next few moments passedlike hours—or in the blink of aneye—it is hard to tell which. But,we were through the fire and it wasquiet again. I had one wingmanwhose gunner was wounded whenshrapnel burst into his cockpit. Myother wingman was limping homeon one engine, the other taken outby a rocket-propelled grenade. Still,we had made it through what wouldlater be referred to as the fiercesthelicopter fire fight since Vietnam,and, at least for that night, God hadchosen to prosper us with life.

Once our aircraft began to land,the damage became apparent in away that was blurred in the heat ofcombat. Blades had holes in them,cockpits too. We had come withinsix inches of losing three differentpilots and as the crews gatheredtogether, it became clear that wehad lost two. Dave Williams andRon Young were still out there.Reports of their location varied asaircraft had attempted a rescue. Butthe volume of fire was too heavy.Radios had been blaring all night,

and only now, in the quiet of thegroups gathered around tail booms,did most crews realize we weren’tcoming home with the same numberof men we had left with.

Conversations continued, center-ing on the bullet holes in fuselagesand the shared awe and frustrationof fire from rooftops. Crews tookturns embracing and then inspectingeach other’s airframes. It was clearthat the unit had been through some-thing each man had anticipated butno one could have ever imagined.

Slowly, the adrenaline relentedits control of bodies that gave intothe exhaustion of a 20-hour day. Asthe eastern horizon began to showthe first light of a rising sun, crewssprawled over their aircraft, andunder them, closing their eyes toscenes of tracers racing up from thenight sky. They would open them tothe fullspectrumof whatthosetracershad doneto theirbattalion.

The next several days wereas difficult an exercise in per-severance as the night ofMarch 23. We each had to copewith a failed mission, nearfatal encounters and the factthat two of our close friendswere now prisoners of war.

Again, God’s quiet voicewas ever present: “For I knowthe plans I have for you...Plans to prosper you and notto harm you, plans to give youhope and a future.”

“Be still, and know that I amGod.”

“They that wait upon theLord shall renew theirstrength.”

And wait we must. Whetherwe are in the middle of com-bat, or in the middle of ourdaily routine, the Lord certain-

ly will renew our strength, and wewill mount up with wings as eagles.But first we must wait. And as wewait, the Lord promises that if wedelight ourselves in Him, He willmake straight our paths.

Our Lord is a good God, and I donot say that because I lived. I cantestify to that because I knew Hewas good when I stared through thethick of fire, and though I did notknow His plans, I knew they weregood. What happened to me doesnot determine the Lord’s goodness,but rather what happened to me is aresult of His goodness. I am unde-serving and unable to earn God’sfavor, and whether He chose toprosper me with safety or peace,each is a precious gift. So God doeskeep His promises.

And He promises to prosper us.

Capt. Joseph Bruhl is a helicopter pilot in theUnited States Army, serving with the 1-227thAviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. This month,he is returning to Iraq for a second tour of duty. Joe and his parents, Win and Rita Bruhl, are mem-bers at Christ Lutheran Church, Little Rock, Ark.

THE LUTHERAN WITNESS

Then-Lt. Joe Bruhl and his older brother, Capt. JakeBruhl, commander of A Company, 46th EngineerBattalion, were both stationed at Camp Udairi innorthern Kuwait, just 25 miles from Iraq, during the week immediately preceding the war. They meteach day for breakfast and dinner, thankful of thosefew days together.

Photo courtesy of author

MARCH 2004Illustration by Ed Koehler

by Thomas E. Engel

Do you remember when, asa child on dark and stormynights as lightning bolted

across the sky and thunder shookthe window panes, you thoughtyou saw shadows across fromyour bed—shadows of a monster?

On such nights, I would standat the door, flip the light switch offand run and dive into my bed tohide beneath the covers. I didn’twant the monster that I thoughtwas under my bed to reach outand grab my ankles and pull meunder the bed, where I would belost forever in monster land!

Monsters. If they were real,they would be terrible. So ourparents would comfort us byassuring us, “There are no suchthings as monsters. You don’t needto be afraid.”

I have to admit that I’ve neverseen the creepy monsters that gobump in the night. But I have runinto a monster or two that havetried to pull me into a world offear.

Our monsters can be the loss offinancial security after getting laidoff from a job, sickness that bringspain and uncertainty when waitingfor the results of medical tests, orthe loss of a loved one and the fearof loneliness and of heartache.And there’s the one monster thatwill get us all one day—death.Death will swallow us and try totake us to the depths of its bellyforever.

What imagery do these versesgive of death?

Ps. 49:14 __________________________________________________

Ps. 69:15 __________________________________________________

Prov. 1:12 ________________________________________________

SearchingSCRIPTURE

Is. 5:14 _____________________________________________________

According to Hab. 2:5, who willdeath swallow?_______________________________

_______________________________

Why do you think Scripture usessuch strong imagery when it talksabout death?_______________________________

_______________________________

Death may be able to swallow us,but Christ has swallowed up death.By His death and resurrection Hedefeated the monster death, andnow nothing can hurt us. We belongto Christ now and forever.

What does Is. 25:7–8 say to youabout Christ and death?_______________________________

_______________________________

In 1 Cor. 15:26 and 15:54–55, howdoes St. Paul confirm what Isaiahsaid about how Christ saved usfrom the monster death?

Rev. Thomas E. Engelis pastor of RedeemerLutheran Church,Louisville, Ky.

VICTORY OVER THE MONSTER

______________________________

______________________________

What does Rev. 21:4 tell youabout the power that Christ hasover death?______________________________

______________________________

There is nothing to fear. Goahead and look beneath your bed;look all your troubles in their eyes.See death and do not fear. Christhas taken care of all your mon-sters—even the monster death. Wecan live fearlessly because we livevictoriously in Christ.

Go ahead and look beneath your bed … Christ has taken care of all your monsters.

THE LUTHERAN WITNESS

from thePRESIDENT

necessary ingredient in separation,sectarianism and schism, as well asin a widespread lack of faithfulnessto God’s Word as revealed in HolyScripture.

“To say the least, we are achurch body experiencing signifi-cant tensions regarding numerousdoctrinal issues, and regardingways of carrying out the missionand ministry of the church. Leftunresolved, these differences willcontinue to provide a foothold forSatan. His influence and subtlemanipulations catalyze our individ-ual and corporate sinful thoughts,words and deeds. Divisiveness anda spirit of contention are the result.

“Accordingly, I believe it is timefor a widespread call to prayer,repentance and spiritual renewalamong us. I say this with deep sin-cerity and conviction … mindful ofPaul’s words in Galatians 5:

You, my brothers, were called to

be free. But do not use your free-

dom to indulge the sinful nature;

rather, serve one another in love.

… Live by the Spirit, and you will

not gratify the desires of the sinful

nature. … The fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace, patience, kind-

ness, goodness, faithfulness, gen-

tleness and self-control. Those who

belong to Christ Jesus have cruci-

fied the sinful nature with its

passions and desires. Since we

live by the Spirit, let us keep in

step with the Spirit. Let us not

become conceited, provoking and

envying each other (Gal. 5:13–26,selected verses).

“Critical aspects of spiritualrenewal include humility, self-examination, confession, repen-tance and absolution, results ofwhich cannot exclude a deepeningpersonal relationship with JesusChrist, along with fervent prayer

By the time this articleappears, the Lenten seasonwill be under way. Lent is a

time for personal and corporatereflection, prayer, repentance andmeditation on the suffering anddeath of our Lord Jesus Christ. It isalso a time to give thanks to Godfor the wonderful blessings of theforgiveness of sin, life and salvationthat are ours as a result of God’sgrace, demonstrated in the life,death and resurrection of our Lordand Savior, Jesus, the Lamb of Godwho takes away the sin of theworld.

In separate letters to the pastorsand congregations of The LutheranChurch—Missouri Synod, I recentlyshared with the church “A call toprayer, repentance and spiritualrenewal.” This call is extremelyimportant, both during the seasonof Lent and also in the months priorto the 62nd Regular Convention ofour Synod this summer in St. Louis.

Mindful that many individuals inthe LCMS do not have access toletters addressed specifically topastors and congregations, I amsharing with you, the readers of thisarticle, pertinent portions of thoseletters:

“A matter of importance amongus is our recognition of the depth ofsin in the world, in the church andin our own personal lives. Sin mani-fests itself in many ways. Sin is a

A CALL TO PRAYER, REPENTANCEAND SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

and humble commitment to our partin Christ’s mission on earth.

“Prayer is an integral part of spiri-tual renewal … especially if we areserious about setting hearts on fire—a work that only the presence andpower of the Holy Spirit can accom-plish in our midst. As Luther teachesus, ‘We must, after all, achieve every-thing through prayer.’

“Therefore, my dear friends inChrist, in a spirit of genuine humility,regularly and painfully aware of myown sinful nature, failures andimperfections, I respectfully andfervently encourage you to continueto commit yourself to:• … regular and fervent prayer for

our church and its courageous,uncompromising, unapologeticwitness to the world;

• … private and public repentancefor sins of omission, commissionand no mission;

• … spiritual renewal through personal and group Bible study,devotion, Christian witness andservice.”

God bless your Lenten reflections,dear friends in Christ!

Jerry Kieschnick

Lives Transformed through Christ,in Time ... for Eternity!John 3:16 –17e-mail: president@lcms.org

Web page: www.lcms.org/president

I believe it is time for a widespread

call to prayer, repentance and spiritual renewal among us.

I say this with deep sincerity and conviction. …