Dear Brothers, Shepherds of the flocks God has put into your care:
Anniversaries are worth remembering and celebrating. They remind us of blessings God has given us and provide opportunities to praise the one who gives all good gifts.
Few events in history have impacted the church more than what took place five hundred years ago when Luther took his stand on Scripture and refused to recant his writings. To contemplate how we have benefited from that event, we need think only of the spiritual freedom that is ours because we know the truth: we are saved by God’s grace alone, which we receive through faith. Certainly, that truth is worth remembering and celebrating.
To help us remember, and to provide a venue for celebrating, Pastor John Braun has written a four-lesson Bible study based on the short film Here We Stand. The 12-minute film, included with the study, provides the historical backdrop, but Braun spends the majority of each lesson exploring foundational truths that Lutherans treasure today: grace, the royal priesthood of believers, Scripture alone, and serving others in Christian freedom.
We live in a world that denies the inspiration of Scripture and misinterprets Christian freedom. We live in a world that craves grace, but doesn’t know where to find it. This study will help God’s people recognize the truths that provide the foundation for our faith. As we do, we can’t help but celebrate the blessings we have received as a result of Luther’s bold stand five hundred years ago. The study, which will be available in early September in print or as a download, can be preordered through Northwestern Publishing House. As the centuries pass, it’s easy for us to lose sight of the importance of what took place on that April day in Worms, Germany. May God bless us with renewed appreciation for the fact that he has preserved the message of his grace down through the centuries.
And may God bless your work as you serve as messengers of his grace!
Ray Schumacher