“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce” (Jeremiah 29:4-5). Yesterday I was back in the mental health facility to visit my Iranian Lutheran parishioner, Mohammad. He … Continue reading Living in Exile
Jesus says, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation” (Mk 16:15). I recently visited our Iranian congregant Mohammad who is still in a mental facility (see my post from Aug 30, 2024), yet making good use of his time there witnessing to Persian patients. Mohammad introduced me to a young … Continue reading He Has the Words of Eternal Life
“My Word…that goes out from My mouth…shall not return to Me empty” (Isaiah 55:11). After visiting an Iranian parishioner in a mental facility in Hamburg yesterday, I was walking past a lady sitting on a bench. I was wearing my clerical collar. “Hello, hello…!” she called out after me. “Are you a pastor?” She looked … Continue reading Can You Help Me? I am Being Persecuted
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Back in Hamburg after instructing at Riga Luther Academy’s Summer Intensive in Lutherstadt Wittenberg this past week. At our “youth hostel” (Colleg Wittenberg), we bumped into a group of students from Concordia Ann Arbor, whom one … Continue reading Love and Mercy
“For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Week 9 of home service, winding down our travels in the U.S. *** I recently met a young lady who shared a touching story with me. She and … Continue reading For Where You Go…
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?
The Tiews in Germany 