“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And [Matthew] rose and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9).
The Scriptures are full of stories like this—ordinary people called by the gracious voice of Christ and led by the Holy Spirit to follow Him. Matthew rose from his tax booth. The crowds at Pentecost were cut to the heart. Paul was stopped on the road to Damascus. Ruth, Rahab, and the people of Nineveh were also drawn by the mercy of God, revealed fully to us in Jesus Christ.
As an LCMS missionary in Germany, I have the joy of sharing Christ in Word and Sacrament, especially with people from Iran and Afghanistan. Some come to faith here; others arrive already believing, having followed Christ quietly in their homeland or having been raised in ancient Christian communities.
The two men pictured in the middle have especially encouraged me. Siavash, on the left in the black shirt, was once a devout Muslim who went daily to the mosque and took part in Islamic ceremonies. Then Jesus called him. Years later, he was baptized in India.
Rayan, on the right with the red stripe, is an Assyrian Christian who once served as an Iranian border control officer in Kurdistan Province. His people have carried the name of Christ through many generations.
Today, both Siavash and Rayan serve as leaders in our Persian congregation at Zion Hamburg and are first-year students at Riga Luther Academy, the online seminary where I teach.
It is a deep privilege to walk beside these brothers. Please pray that the Lord Jesus would bless their path toward the pastoral ministry and use them to call many more Persians to follow Him.
Far left: my friend and colleague, Finnish missionary Pr. Pasi Palmu.
