We had a wonderful first day of liturgy, eating, and thinking at the Fourth Annual Brothers of John the Steadfast International Conference.
Pastor Fisk challenged us all with a presentation on the need for an old church and institution (the LCMS) to accommodate the new media and become leaner and more agile in bringing the Gospel to the world.
The dinner of Chicago style pizza was filling and a great addition to our weekend of cholesterol dumping – Grunt, grunt, grunt, grunt, grunt.
Before heading off to our No Pietists Allowed smoking and beer drinking parties we drank deeply of the word in the daily office of Evening Prayer (LSB) and the preaching of Rev. David Kind, who clearly bore the marks of persecution as he brought us the firm Word from Isaiah 62. In a very pointed fashion Pastor Kind asked “Where is the fulfilment of the promise of a Church that has a crown of beauty?” He also reminded us that St. Paul, Luther and Christians of every generation have asked the same question in the face of persecution. He then delivered to us the comforting Word of God’s promised forgiveness and new life in our Lord Jesus Christ. That Word will see us through the rest of the night and onto another day tomorrow of liturgy, eating and thinking.