This past Sunday I had the privilege of baptizing four Iranian adults at Zion Lutheran Church (SELK), Hamburg. The baptismal rite is in Farsi and includes all the elements most of you know from the Lutheran Service Book. But there are two passages in the Persian rite that you might find unusual. One of them is the so-called “alternate form,” which is available in the LCMS, although rarely used. Soon after “Dearly beloved, Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew…”, the pastor exclaims: “Therefore depart, you unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Spirit”— a baptismal component that goes back to very early Christianity. When baptizing adults, this phrase is appropriate because some candidates at one point in their life may have meddled with the demonic (through Ouija boards or the like). Thus, any evil spirits that may have afflicted them need to be vanquished before the Holy Spirit enters in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. The second unique component we use is significant for our ministry to people who grew up in an Islamic culture. After the familiar questions of “Do you renounce the devil, his work, and all his ways?” we pastors also ask: “Do you renounce Islam, its prophet Mohammad, his twelve imams [and, for Shiite Muslims], Jamal Ali?”Consider the courage it takes for these brothers and sisters to publicly reject their culture, background, and homeland (Iran is officially 99.6% Muslim) by making this confession! Converting to Christianity is the most significant decision they will ever make—not only for their eternity but also because rejecting Islam can have grave consequences in the world—especially these days when violent acts by radical Muslims are once again becoming more common. Our Lord concluded his three-year journey on a cross atop Mount Zion. In a similar way, these dear friends began their journey at Zion Lutheran Church, Hamburg—a journey that will one day lead them to an eternity with our Lord and Savior in the heavenly Zion.
The Tiews in Germany 