Last week I started a new baptismal preparation class. I asked the group why they came. One young man replied: “I hate Islam. In fact, I hate all religions. But a friend of mine in refugee camp told me about his good experience here and I’m curious.” We read John 3:16, which I explained. Then … Continue reading Hope!
“For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:20). Last week I coached another Iranian preparing for the dreaded asylum interview before the German court. Assisted by a fellow Iranian congregant, who is also a pastoral student at Riga Luther Academy, I spent two afternoons going over … Continue reading There Am I Among Them
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 … Continue reading Do You Renounce Islam?
“Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deu 26:15). Praise God for people who think big! I recently video-chatted with Sahar Sadlovsky Gold, a Lutheran living in Tel … Continue reading Bless Your People Israel
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). This Thanksgiving weekend, indeed, this whole month, Lula and I give great thanks to our Lord for calling us to serve in Eurasia—but also to you, dear friends, for supporting us … Continue reading A Blessed Thanksgiving
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). *** “Pastor, should I tell my father that I am getting baptized?” one of my Iranian catechumens, 18 years old, asked me last week in class. “My mother is fine about me becoming a Christian. But my father is a strict … Continue reading Breaking Free
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). God willing, on December 3 I will have the privilege of baptizing another class of Iranian catechumens after … Continue reading From Death to Life
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the beard…” (Ps 133:1). These are my awesome Persian ministry colleagues in Hamburg, of whom only one has a beard . From L to R: Rev. Marko Turunen, his wife Siiri (a gifted linguist, musician, and … Continue reading Brothers in Unity
“The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). I recently checked up on an Iranian parishioner whom I had not seen in church for a while. I asked him if he was alright. He replied: “I am not doing well. My spirit is sick or … Continue reading Like a Zombie
When I think of October 31st, the first thing that comes to mind is not Halloween but Reformation Day. October 31, 1531, was the day on which Martin Luther—upset that the medieval Church had turned Christianity into something quite different from how the New Testament describes it—wanted to raise an in-house discussion among his fellow … Continue reading The Balm of the Pure Gospel
The Tiews in Germany 