Monday, July 26, 2010

LUTHERLAND, THIRD EPISTLE

Living in Germany for two weeks gives you a far different perspective than one day stopovers on a tour. Tour buses are great if you want to see many things quickly and not worry about getting lost. But staying the same place for a longer time has its special blessings.

People: friends among discussion groups or hotel staff, people you'd like to know in back home. Sounds: church bells tolling quietly at night, rapid footsteps, speeding bicycles, and horse hooves on cobblestone streets. Places: picturesque cafés, historic churches, and yummy ice cream parlors! Food: tasty soups, noodles and stroudels. Worship: energized Christians singing “A Mighty Fortress” with pipe organ power and Lutheran gusto!

Meeting Christians from all over the world is best. Saturday night after leading worship at St. Mary's, Luther's Church for 22 years, I spoke with a group of Hawaiians. As Americans, they joined Christians I met from 18 or more nations around the world over the past two weeks. God's people come here in all colors, sizes, languages and customs, and I can see how God could love them all. Most come here, weary and humbled at being where God did wonders through the Reformers. Saturday night held an unexpected fireworks display outside our hotel window, lignited from the Castle Church plaza and lighting up the City Church sky - fireworks made in Germany!

One of our last places to visit here was Wittenberg's Schmetterling Park, where we and family guests saw dozens of lovely, brilliant butterfiles in a jungle-like atmosphere and foliage, with caterpillars and cocoons awaiting their brief life as God's delicate creatures.

During this trip I've been reading Lee Stroebel's "The Case for Faith," where he quotes experts of all the disciplines who clearly see the hand of the Almighty Creator around us. In one chapter he quotes a scientist as saying if we cannot even understand the science of how a caterpillar changes into moth, how can we ever believe our world is the result of evolutionary chance? Stroebel, an expertly trained and bright investigative reporter, cites scientist after scientist as coming to believe an Intelligent Creator has made the universe. As my Dad would say, "Good for them!"

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1)

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