Author: Julie Raffa

April 2020

The Pilgrim Herald
Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Saint Paul records in Romans, chapter 8:
28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” ESV

March 23, 2020
Dear family in Christ,
I pray this Newsletter reaches you, and all your loved ones, in health and safety during this pandemic. As you are aware, we are not able to have public worship services due to the restrictions of ten or fewer people gathering. I pray that our extra online worship services have brought Christ’s comfort to you during this stressful time. We are streaming live on YouTube a daily Matins service at 9:00 a.m., our Thursday Lenten services at 1:00 p.m. and our Sunday services at 8:00 a.m. All of these services are also viewable at any time after the service’s conclusion on the church YouTube channel: “Pilgrim Lutheran Church- West Bend, WI”.
I am sorry to say that it is not looking good that we will have our regular Holy Week observances. Please know that we will still have these services and will stream them live for your prayerful meditation.
We are offering the Lord’s Supper upon request, by appointment or by coming by the offices during regular office hours, and before or after our worship services. Pastor Raffa and I are using the Old and New Fellowship Halls for separate stations to offer the Lord’s Supper to families when they come, so that we may have best practices during this pandemic.
I would like to thank all who have mailed and dropped off their offerings this week. These gifts make it possible for us to continue serving you and our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have decided to share with you the sermon from Pastor Raffa on the Gospel of John, chapter nine, given on the Fourth Sunday in Lent, as I pray you will find it both timely and comforting. Please always remember no amount of bad news can change the amazingly wonderful news of Easter for all, Christ is Risen! He has Risen indeed!! Alleluia!!!
God Bless,
Pastor Fisher

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

Fourth Sunday in Lent: John 9:1-41
March 22, 2019
It’s not odd to say that you see yourself in the skin of the blind man these days. It’s an unsettling time. A dark time. A foreboding. A time where invisible threats lurk on every door handle and every cough. A feeling of uncertainty abounds in the economy, in the health infrastructure, in the life we have grown accustom to. Anxiety is on the rise. Perhaps now, in the mist of this pandemic you recognize how much your world, your flesh, your conscience, is the devil’s playground. Nothing is safe. That you need Jesus. His gifts. His bride, the church, to outlast that which slowly or quickly pulling you into the grave. A theology that has you thinking you got everything figured out, will never do.
And your pastor’s skin is no different from yours. He lives in the same twilight zone, with the same fears. We are here, and you are out there, somewhere in that vast digital landscape. Maybe you are feeling like a sheep without a shepherd, and we, shepherd without sheep. It’s all very surreal. There is an unholy distance between the holy things of God and the holy people of God. Please know that we are taking every precaution to love our neighbor (abide by the 5th Commandment) and to provide you with the daily pasture of God’s holy Word and Sacrament (abide by the 3rd Commandment). Though the earth gives way, know that your tremoring and trepid body and soul are kept in the new earth and heaven, by the preached Word, by your Baptism, by the Sacrament of the Altar, by a theology centered squarely in Jesus, that will always do.
A man is blind from birth. And Jesus disciples have a question. Who sinned? This man or his parents, that is he is like this? It is so instinctual to want to have a reason, especially when suffering and inexplicable things happen. Daddy, why did Mommy leave? Mommy, why did daddy leave? Why did he die in a farming accident? Why did the dementia take my mom’s mind but leave her body languishing in a nursing home? Why did that youth overdose on heroin? Why was my child born with cerebral palsy? Why is this pandemic happening now?
The questions keep coming, but God hides Himself in crushing silence. His mouth, stitched shut. Yet His “friends” sure love to defend Him, try to exonerate Him, or speculate on how much blood is on His hands and how much is on humanity’s. They get out their sin and punishment chart and they start calculating. Babbling words come out, but they all boil down to, “You must have done something to deserve this.” Imagine living your life thinking that. That God is punishing you or someone you love because you sinned. No mercy. No compassion. Just punishment. For your whole life. But here’s the problem: this is a theology done without Jesus, without His manger, cross, and empty tomb.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t answer the disciple’s question. Or at least not in the way they had expected. Jesus responds, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” And what are the “works of God”? In a few words: redemption, restoration, recreation. Now just watch and marvel.
Jesus, the Son of God, through whom all things were created, now will heal this man born blind. In the same way that He created Adam, so He will restore this poor man’s sight. Jesus spits on the earth and makes clay and smears it on the man’s eyes, showing how the ancient creation was made. Jesus is carrying out an act of re-genesis. Jesus did this miracle so that the “works of God” might be evident in this man and in Him. He did this so that we would never seek another hand than His, the one through whom all humanity is formed and sustained. We must not seek another father, a father of lies and deception, but only the Father of truth and mercy. In this, Our Father, we know that in these pandemic and perilous times He has sought us blind and lost children out. The Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit, is gathering His own lost and blind sheep. He is putting them on His shoulders and joyfully restoring them to the fold of life.
But not everyone is happy about this. A controversy breaks out. And this man gets to see something else—the ugly idolatry of sinful men. Accusing eyes. Faces twisted in anger. Fists clenched in rage. And then he is hurled out of the church. Say what? When he was blind, he was welcomed, but now that he can see, he is not? They called Him who healed the man a sinner. But how could he be if he healed a man born blind? Could they be the real blind ones?
It is painfully ironic that the man born blind actually sees, yet the Pharisees who can see are blind. When false gods are described in Scripture, they are those who have eyes, yet do not see; have ears, yet do not hear; have hands, yet do not feel. So, when Jesus talks about those who have eyes yet do not see, He is saying to the Pharisees that what they worship is the lie, they worship that which is not the truth. You have eyes in your head, but you don’t see. You have ears, but you are listening to the lie. For contrary to popular sentiment, seeing is not believing. The Pharisees did not believe, even though they could see the miracles Jesus did. But He says this not only to the Pharisees, but to us.
We are no better. We often live with this false belief: that seeing is believing. We question Jesus’ promises. We doubt He knows what is best for us. We close our eyes and ears to His Word. We refuse to beacon of His light because we have loved the darkness so long. We have lived with the false gods of our hearts so long that we think darkness is light and light is darkness. Not only do we deny the Creator Christ, we refuse to wash in the pools of His grace. So it was long ago, as Isaiah recounts, “because the people had refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently…behold the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the river, mighty and many, the kings of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, and it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of our land, O Immanuel” (Isaiah 8:6-8)
Whether it’s this pandemic, or another crisis. Whether it is our failure to fear God, love God, and trust in God. Whether it is our apathy to God’s house and His people, it all leads to the same place: blindness, darkness, eternal death. A theology not centered in Jesus will only crush you with the unknown, and with the guilt of the known sins of your body and soul. Beloved of God, notice that amidst widespread judgement and destruction the Lord still remains your Lord, “O Immanuel.” God with us. God for us in Jesus. God for us in His body bearing the judgement that should have fallen upon us.
Don’t forget: the cross of Jesus is the only way to reconcile suffering with God’s grace in life. The only answer to God hiding Himself, is His revelation of Himself in Jesus. In the preaching of His cross into your blind eyes and deaf ears. The cross alone is your theology. It brings you sight and life, where all but darkness and death reside.
Seeing is not believing. Believing is seeing. The blind man receives His sight by the ear of hearing God’s Word. And that Word working through water, creates faith. Because of the judging flood waters of Shiloah drowned our Lord with our sin into the depths of hell, we are granted entrance into the Pool of Siloam, where we are washed in a baptismal pool of regeneration. Faith comes by hearing. Not seeing, not miracles. Blessed is the man who hears the Word of God and keeps it. The doubt and despair we see in ourselves and others around us finds its answer, its merciful end, in Jesus, the Man of sorrows who has suffered it all on the cross. The cold, bitter pangs of a pandemic that we see tightening its grip around the world only finds its answer, its antidote in the Jesus who died our dead and lives that we would never die. All our questions, doubts, worries. All our fears, anxieties, and cares. It all finds its answer in the crib, cross, and empty tomb of Jesus.
Yes, you are in the skin of the blind man. But the blind man understands the work of the true curate of his body and soul, of Jesus. And also, pastors sent in His name. He knows him to be not a soothsayer or a medium. He knows him not to read tea leaves of tragedy and mayhem here in this world to discover the hidden meaning behind them. There is no healing in pastor’s empathetic listening—our our sympathetic tears either. Rather, your pastors point you blind and suffering children to the one place that God has opened up His heart to the world, to His cross. Often the only comfort that we have to say is this, “We have a suffering God.” We have God who became flesh as we are flesh, and who knew sickness and death first-hand, so that He could defeat what we remain helpless to stave off.
So in order to see Jesus, we must become blind to our attempts to figure out God, to seek the glory of this world, and simply look upon the strange glory of the crucified Jesus. That’s the paradox of faith. Before we can see, we must confess that we are blind. We see by hearing our Savior cry out, “It is finished. I have made all things news.” That Jesus, this Word of Promise, is the light of the world which will not let darkness, pandemic, not anything on this earth separate you from Him. Blind we go the Lord’s Supper, but hearing His Word and eating His Supper, we return seeing our salvation, having that comfort that what shall greet us is not an unknown deity, but the known God, Jesus, who loved us to the end, that our end, would be just the beginning.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son [+] and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
CR

April 2020 — Page #

From the synod

A Statement on the Government Mandates
From Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, LCMS President
President Harrison has provided the following statement on the current government mandates regarding group gatherings. It was posted on the LCMS blog on March 16, 2020. At that time, the government recommended limiting gatherings to 50 people.
1. Does the LCMS plan to stop Sunday services? If so, for how long?
The national headquarters of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, located in St. Louis, represents some 6,000 congregations across the country. Many of them have schools. Our polity does not give the national headquarters authority to tell churches to stop services. We are encouraging our pastors and people to follow civil authorities according to the Fourth Commandment (i.e., honoring parents and other authorities), and they are doing so according to St. Paul’s direction in Romans 13.
2. Does the LCMS plan to limit attendance to 50 people? Face-to-face distribution and reception of Christ’s free forgiveness in preaching (Romans 10:17) and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:28) are essential for us and at the heart of why we exist. Some of our churches are putting a plan in place to have multiple services during the week, with no more than 50 attending.* Others, based upon their circumstances, have made other arrangements. We trust our great clergy and laypeople to act appropriately. We have well-trained clergy, and they are consulting their local lay leadership.
3. Does the LCMS believe that a governmental entity has the right to limit a church service? We don’t view this as a matter of restriction of the First Amendment’s “free exercise” rights. That would be a different matter. We do not believe that the government is trying to limit religion in such an instance. Instead, we view this limitation of church services more as a duty and opportunity to act for the benefit of our fellow citizens, especially those most vulnerable (“love your neighbor as yourself,” Mark 12:31). We respect government authority as it acts for the physical well-being of our great nation and the world. “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good” (Romans 13:3–4). The good citizen leaders of this nation are trying to limit harm, and we support them.
Government limits might be tested, particularly if more stringent directives come. Our government has generally been limited from restricting the right of assembly and the free exercise of religion, and we are thankful for that, as all Americans are. But we also know that government has a responsibility to protect its citizenry.

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

Pilgrim News
Pilgrim’s Response to the Government Mandate
On March 17, members of Pilgrim’s Board of Elders and Church Council met with the Pastors to discuss the following mandate from the State of Wisconsin regarding “Mass Gatherings.”
Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm ordered a statewide moratorium on mass gatherings of 50 people or more to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, effective at 12:01am on Tuesday, March 17th. This order applies to all public and private gatherings.
During this meeting, it was announced that Gov. Evers had further limited gatherings to a maximum ten people.
In accordance with this mandate, it was decided that until further notice, all gatherings at the church will be cancelled. This includes all Worship Services, Bible Studies, Youth Catechesis, Sunday School Classes, Social Groups, Lenten Meals, Meetings, Easter Crafts and Egg Hunt, and Easter Breakfast.
In order to continue the work of the church during this time, it was decided that the church will
provide the Lord’s Supper to individuals on Sundays, 9:00 a.m.— 12:00 p.m., and upon request during office hours.
live-stream and store worship services on the church YouTube channel: “Pilgrim Lutheran Church– West Bend, WI”. These services will include
Matins, Monday—Saturday at 9:00 a.m.,
Lenten Midweek, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday Services on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m.
Service of the Word on Sundays at 8:00 a.m.
Following live-streaming, each of these services will be stored and available on YouTube for you to view at any time.

Board reports
There are no reports or meeting minutes available for publication from the Board of Elders, Altar Guild, Board of Education, or Board of Trustees. Until further notice, there will be no meetings held at Pilgrim.

Membership report
Baptized: None
Died in the Faith:
- Joan Leichtnam
Transferred In: None
Transferred Out: None
Released from Membership: None

April 2020 — Page #

Church council Report
Meeting Minutes
The Pilgrim Church Council March 9, 2020 meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President, Jerome Sommers. Others in attendance were Pastor Fisher, Pastor Raffa, Rob Selzler, Suzanne Stadelmayer, Judy Frank, Bonnie Leffin, and Jim Behrens.
Pastor Fisher led an opening devotion.
The minutes from the February meeting were accepted without revision by common consent.
President’s Report—Jerome Sommers
Correspondence:
Matching grant from Lutherans in Africa has been offered
Thank you note from Gabor family for gifts given to help with funeral expenses
Thank you note and gift from Muriel Magnus’s son for Pastoral service she is receiving
A gift for the seminary in Ethiopia was received
Elders Report – by Pastor Fisher
Reviewed use of Pascal candle procedure
Trustees Report – Rob Selzler
Have set clocks, etc. for daylight savings time
Working on eliminating unused door in hallway near the mailboxes for security purposes
Some new exit signs, with battery-operated emergency LED lighting included, are being ordered
Unused outside storage closet being removed
Treasurers Report – Bonnie Leffin
New computer and financial software that have been donated for record keeping have been purchased and records are being entered.
Pastor housing allowance amount of $12,000 (used for tax purposes) motion was made by Judy, second by Suzanne, and approved
Pastor’s Report
Pastors Fisher and Raffa will be attending the funeral for Sarah Spalda’s father at Grace Lutheran Church, Menomonee Falls.
A motion was made by Judy and passed on voice vote to adjourn the meeting.
Pastor Raffa closed the meeting with prayer.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Behrens

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

From the ForT

CTS exists
to form servants
in Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and
care for all.

From Seminarian Meier:
March 2020
The Winter Quarter has finally ended, and I’m sad that it’s over. So many wonderful things happened over these past few months. My father-in-law was able to visit for the Lutheran Concerns Association Conference and Symposia (though we really know he came to spend time with his grandson!). Immediately following Symposia (thanks to a generous anonymous sponsor and an invitation from one of my former pastors) I was able to fly out to Washington D.C. to attend my first national March for Life. It was very encouraging to see so many people marching for those who are not able (at one point I counted fifty people in one row on the street and these rows went as far as the eye could see…). I’ve included several pictures from the march. I look forward to hopefully attending again in the future. It was a blessing to be able to re-connect with old friends in person. Yes we’ve grown older, yes hairs are more grey, but our God does not change. We are united in Christ the creator and giver of life. We take comfort in His Word and promises.
Upon my arrival back to Fort Wayne, it was back to my studies! The quarter ended well for me, My wife continues to count down the days to vicarage placement - she can’t wait! I, on the other hand, pray that time would slow down - there is so much learning to do! Though my time at the seminary is limited - there is joy in the knowledge that we are all perpetual students (yes that includes YOU!). Go to your pastor’s Bible study - I will be surprised if you don’t find yourself hungering and thirsting for more (Ps 42:1)!
Unfortunately being a perpetual student comes with a cost. Bookshelves get filled, and then more bookshelves are needed… My wife thinks I’m a bit of a nerd, and I might agree -I do enjoy discovering theological gems at the co-op and the CTSFW library (supporting the purchase of books that will be sent overseas). Many books are inexpensive or free, but there are also many books that cost quite a bit of money. Commentaries are not cheap! This quarter has been hard on my pocketbook. That is why I am so thankful whenever I find out that we have been blessed to receive financial support. It is amazing when just the right amount comes at just the right time. I pray that someday we may be able to provide support for those going into the ministry as my family and I have been blessed to be provided for. May God continue to send workers for the harvest!
We cannot thank you enough for your ongoing prayers and support! Your congregation is ever in our prayers. May God continue to guide and bless you all as you live in His service. God’s peace be with you.
In Christ!
Austin, Beth, & Edmund Meier

April 2020 — Page #

In a survey of more than 1,000 confirmation leaders, parents, and youth that I conducted, an overwhelming majority of confirmands affirmed the importance and benefits of confirmation instruction. Adults also made it clear that confirmation is a very important ministry. Several highlights of the study will illustrate why confirmation is important.
The History of Confirmation
Perhaps a brief overview of confirmation can help to clarify its role in the life of the church. In the early church, when adults were the center of its outreach, the church developed a “catechumenate.” Though the catechumenate took many forms, the content was a confession of faith, instruction in the Word of God, Baptism, anointing with oil, laying on of hands, and Holy Communion.
In the fifth century, leaders of Western churches began to describe a bishop’s anointing of a priest with oil and the laying on of hands as a confirmation. Then, the initiation rites of those churches were divided into three separate parts: Baptism, confirmation, and first Communion. The claim made by the church in the Middle Ages was that the grace of God was given in Baptism for the remission of sins, while anointing of oil and the laying on of hands in confirmation resulted in a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit who gave strength for daily living. In 1150, confirmation became one of the seven sacraments of the church.
The Middle Age practice of confirmation became a target of Luther’s Reformation. He was amazed that the laying on of hands and anointing were called a sacrament, since neither was commanded by Christ nor ever endorsed as a channel of God’s grace. Luther’s focus was instruction in the Word of God, and he preached sermons on the key teachings of the Scriptures. He then wrote the Small and Large Catechisms for parents and pastors.
Today in the LCMS, some 99 percent of the congregations offer the rite of confirmation. The aim remains the same as the early church’s: to answer Christ’s call to go to the nations and make disciples by baptizing and teaching. In our society, outreach among children, youth and their parents presents the best opportunities to connect with the non-connected.
Why is Confirmation Important?
In my survey of 1,015 participants, confirmands reflected many of the benefits of the instruction and nurture of parents, confirmation leaders, teachers, and congregations. The survey results revealed that:
Ninety-three percent of youth described confirmation as being very important or important.
Three of four youth named growing in faith and living as a Christian as the number-one reason for being in confirmation.
Confirmands have a clear view of the value of human life, with 90 percent rejecting the statement that it is OK for a couple to seek an abortion.
While more than 50 percent of Protestant youth are involved in various forms of “supernatural” experiences such as astrology and a belief in reincarnation, 8 of 10 LCMS confirmands have nothing to do with these practices or beliefs.
Ninety-eight percent of confirmands said that their faith in Jesus Christ helps them to know what is right and wrong.
Ninety-eight percent of the parents said that confirmation is very important or important in the lives of their daughters and sons.
Is Confirmation a Theological ‘Graduation’?
If Lutheran youth are eager to mine the rich theological treasures of the church now, what happens after confirmation? What is the role of parents? And how can pastors, directors of Christian education, Lutheran teachers, deaconesses and other congregational leaders help encourage these young people in the faith?
The survey found that more than nine of 10 leaders identified a “confirmation is graduation” view in their congregations. When a schooling model is the structure for a confirmation ministry that includes grade levels, robes and diplomas, it is not surprising that the purpose of confirmation is seen as graduation.
Leaders responding to the survey indicated that only 41 percent of those who confirmed their faith in the rite of confirmation were active as high school seniors. Confirmation leaders named issues in confirmation that present challenges. The most frequently named issues were:
the need for a higher level of commitment by some parents,
cultural and moral issues that are facing families today,
issues related to confirmation such as one’s first Holy Communion and a time for the rite of confirmation, and
responding to time and schedule conflicts.
In the same survey, “suggestions” for strengthening confirmation ministry included
more applications of catechetical content in the lives of young people,
a greater participation by
youth in the congregation and in leadership roles,
more involvement by the congregation in confirmation ministry and
a greater clarity of expectations and accountability in a confirmation ministry.
How can the Congregation Help?
Considering this survey’s results, there are several things you can do to encourage the youth of your congregation prior to, during and after confirmation.
Connect the cognitive content of catechetical instruction with life expressions of faith. For example, viewing the Lord’s Prayer as a topic of major importance can be linked to the practice of prayer and meditation as a topic of major importance rather than of somewhat or of no importance.
Involve adult members other than parents in mentoring confirmands. The survey revealed that 32 percent of the confirmation practices engaged adult mentors, and 51 percent of the parents indicated that mentoring relationships can provide a great deal of help for confirmands. More than one-half of the confirmands stated that meeting with an adult member for 30 minutes a week can be very important or important.
Integrating a plan that will help young people to develop a better grasp of the Scriptures prior to the confirmation years can contribute to their growth in faith.
Similarly, each congregation can engage its youth in what it means to be Lutheran after confirmation by involving them in church activities that involve all generations.
More than nine in 10 confirmands who completed the survey said that their congregations were helping them to grow in faith and in living as a Christian. The same number stated that their confirmation experiences gave them great or much help to live as a Christian. This is where parents, called church workers, Sunday Schoolteachers, grandparents, peers and congregations can make a huge difference. As a church family, we can help young people develop a Law-Gospel view of God’s character as a seeking and sending God, be clear about their identity as disciples of Jesus Christ, be grasped by the power of the Gospel, stand on the solid foundation of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, have a vision of one’s role in the mission of Christ’s church and live daily in the light of one’s Baptism.
Being a new person in Christ happens through nurture and instruction based on Word and Sacraments. When confirmation contributes to this aim, isn’t this a blessing to celebrate?
For this survey, data from 1,015 adults and confirmation-age (11-16) youth were gathered in the spring of 2006, 2007 and 2008. Analysis and summary writing occurred in 2009 and into 2010. The final summary report of the survey is posted on the website of Concordia University Nebraska at www.cune.edu/confirmation.
____________________
This article was originally posted on the LCMS Reporter blog on September 1, 2010. It has been edited for publication here. To read the unedited article visit https://blogs.lcms.org/2010/commentary-confirmation-more-than-a-graduation/
The author of this article, Dr. Marvin M. Bergman, is an emeritus faculty member of Concordia University Nebraska and lay ministry coordinator for the LCMS Nebraska District. A 1959 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, he earned doctorates from Columbia University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He taught confirmation classes for 26 years.

Lutheran catechesis
Commentary: Confirmation — more than a 'graduation'
By Dr. Marvin Bergman

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

April 2020 — Page #

Lutheran library
Temptation in C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters”
By: Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz

In July 1939, with war on the horizon, the Polish Cipher Bureau gave British Military Intelligence years worth of cryptanalysis and deciphering techniques used to crack the legendary German Enigma cipher machine. Armed with this vital information and their own cipher device, named Ultra, the British began the war with the ability to decipher German military movements, tactics and strategy.
In July 1940, with war raging in the skies above Great Britain, C.S. Lewis began cracking a very different kind of enemy code: temptation from the tempter’s perspective. He had an inkling of an idea for a book eventually titled The Screwtape Letters. “The idea,” Lewis told his brother, Warren, “would be to give all the psychology of temptation from the other point of view.”1
C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters features a series of fictional letters written from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood. The Screwtape Letters first appeared in May 1941 as a serial publication in The Guardian, a weekly Anglican newspaper. Eventually, all 31 letters were published in February 1942. Lewis skillfully used his fictional letters to take Christians behind enemy lines and glimpse the devil’s tactics and strategies.
Lewis did not intend The Screwtape Letters to replace Scripture, but to reinforce and reveal the teaching of Scriptures on the reality of temptation. He warned us: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”2
For Lewis, the battle against evil was not fictional but real. Screwtape is a murderer and a liar, just like Jesus says of the devil: “He is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Screwtape behaves like a prowling lion, seeking to devour his so-called patients (1 Peter 5:8). Whereas God desires to give His free grace, life and peace in Jesus, Screwtape’s only desire is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
However, the devil and his demons are not God’s opposite. God has no opposites, C.S. Lewis reminds us. Not only that, Scripture proclaims Jesus has conquered sin, death and crushed the ancient serpent’s head on the cross.
Still, in this life, Satan lashes out with venomous, fiery darts of temptation, trying to drag us into destruction with him. In this, The Screwtape Letters are especially beneficial in our daily battle against temptation. Lewis helps us decipher many of the crafty ways the devil tries to tempt, mislead and deceive us into false belief, despair and other great shame and vice.
Screwtape begins by attacking the source of a Christian’s faith: “Keep his mind on the inner life” (p. 16). Satan loves to tempt the Christian to turn inward on ourselves. Scripture describes sin as being curved inward upon ourselves so that we do not fear, love and trust in God above all things. The devil tempts us to shift our eyes from Christ crucified to me, myself and I. In the fourth letter, Screwtape tells Wormwood to “keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce their own feelings there by the action of their own wills” (p. 21).
This temptation lands the Christian in one of two ditches, pride or despair. Satan is equally pleased by both. He uses pride and despair to trap us in a spiritual catch-22. On the one hand, we are tempted to boast in ourselves with that “strongest and most beautiful of vices — Spiritual pride” (p. 111). “Your patient has become humble,” observes Screwtape. “Have you drawn his attention to the fact?” The trick of this temptation is to catch the Christian thinking, “‘By Jove! I’m being humble,’ and almost immediately pride — pride at his own humility — will appear” (pp. 62–63).
On the other hand, Satan tempts us to despair of God’s forgiveness. Screwtape cleverly suggests that Wormwood tempt his patient to think “that in respect of the one vice which he really understands in its full depth of dishonor he cannot seek, nor credit, the Mercy” (p. 138).
Screwtape, like Satan, will use any means necessary to tempt us. For, Screwtape says:
“It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts” (p. 56).
Screwtape’s temptations, like Satan’s, are designed to uproot, consume and destroy the Christian and our faith in Christ. God in His mercy, however, is always busy giving, nurturing and filling us with His life in Jesus crucified and risen for you. Screwtape writes, “We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over” (p. 38).
Using his imagination, and the narrative irony of viewing temptation from Screwtape’s perspective, Lewis teaches Christians how to avoid temptation by telling us the story of spiritual warfare from a demon’s perspective. The Screwtape Letters are a spiritual and theological Ultra machine, a window into our daily struggle against the devil, the world and our sinful flesh, and a trustworthy cipher that unmasks Satan’s tricks, traps and temptations. And yet, as fierce as the warfare is, take heart. For us fights the Valiant One, Jesus. On the cross, Jesus won for you the decisive victory over sin, death and the devil and all his temptations.
————————
This article was originally posted to the LCMS Reporter blog on March 12, 2020. (https://blogs.lcms.org/2020/behind-enemy-lines/) It’s author, Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in 2007 and serves Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, Washington
1 C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, vol. 2, ed. Walter Hooper (New York: Harper San Fransisco, 2004), 426–27.
2 C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1977), 3.

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

Birthdays
Benjamin Grosskreuz
Brian Nitzke
3 Mary Lehtimaki
5 Dennis Engmann
Karen Spiering
6 Phyllis Weihert
7 Jerome Sommer
8 Suzanne Stadelmayer
Melanie Buchholz
10 Collin Olig
12 Arlyne Becker
Natalie Ruppier
Matthew Franke
13 Tiffany Schneeweis
16 Rita Dahl
Mallorie Held
17 Levi Spaeth
18 Susan Grosskreuz
Craig Schreiner
Sara Oppermann
Michael Mejchar
20 Nancy Rosenthal
21 Katie Schettle
22 Brandon Eifert
23 Cheryl Virchow
Darleen Baerenwald
Traci Chapmen
27 Orville Heckendorf
Elaine Pinto
Azalea Wollner
28 Joseph Fisher
Kenneth Sauter

Anniversaries
7 Howard & Marlene Glassel
15 Paul & Barbara Soat
18 Tyler & Suzanne Voge
19 Joy & Jeffery Buchholz
Gregory & Betty Voelzke
25 Jeremiah & Gertrude Sullivan
Dean & Amber Milis
26 Becky & Christopher Ruppier
Christopher & Jodi Held
27 Michael & Linda Mejchar

April 2020 — Page #

Communal Prayers

Voice of Faith

The season of Lent is a time of prayerful and penitential reflection; these prayers help with self-examination through God’s Commandments.
Seventh Commandment: Have I at all times treated my neighbor justly with respect to his property, given to each what is his, and left to each what is his, and by advice, action, and prevention of all harm helped him to preserve it? - Have I restored to its rightful owner whatever I have found, or property otherwise obtained in an unjust manner, or have I tried to keep it away from him? - Have I not often coveted my neighbor’s property, tried to get it by deceitful words or to acquire it by scheming? Have I faithfully given to authorities what is theirs, honestly and diligently labored in my office and vocation, gratefully and properly used the benefits shown me or the righteous alms given me? - Have I taken advantage of my neighbor in business and commerce though false measures and weights or wicked, unreasonable prices and stinging taxes? - Have I been a wise steward, guarded myself against debts and sureties, or tried to pay what I owe in an honest manner? - Have I loved idleness, waste, and luxury, or tried to use impermissible means such as gambling, luxury, foolish jesting, and flattery? - Have I oppressed or sucked dry anyone who was subject to me, or delayed and withheld the wages of any workers and staff? - How have I treated to poor? Have I shown true and genuine mercy by my actions?
Eighth Commandment: How have I treated my neighbor's honor and good name? Have I grieved him by any sort of treachery, slander, or sarcastic and pointed remarks, or hindered his well-being? Or have I deceived him by false compliments, and in judging his life generally sought my own honor and contentment—Have I continually and earnestly guarded myself against wicked suspicions, falsehood, lies, flattery, and useless chatter?
Ninth & Tenth Commandment: Have I earnestly resisted my wicked desires for increase, such as envy, pride, covetousness, and the like, and conversely pursued contentment and humility? - Have I come to the aid of my neighbor at every opportunity with prayer, good will, advice, and help, and rejoiced when he prospered? - Have I practiced moderation in all things, especially in eating and drinking, joy and sorrow? - Have I continued the fight against evil desires as one who belongs to Christ, and used the proper means, such as prayer, vigilance, shunning the occasion, repeated renewal of good resolution, and other such things? - For what has my greatest desire aspired: heavenly or earthly things? - How far have I come in putting on the new man, and how have I increased in that renewal? O my God, search me Yourself! Try me and know my thoughts! See if I am on the just way, and lead me in the way everlasting. You alone can understand the heart, which is deceitful and desperately wicked, and uncover all the guile of narcissism. Oh, how much good I have omitted, and how much evil I have committed! What good I find is only external. Rarely is there a true, good intention and good basis of true virtue. Therefore, O mighty and jealous God, make me to hear the thunder of Your holy and immutable Law, to be terrified by the curse and wrath which I have earned, and to turn in penitence to Your grace Christ!
Dear God, I confess to You that I am a great sinner, and the Ten Commandments drive and thrust me down to hell, but the Gospel teaches me that this is to be regarded as the highest wisdom: to know and believe that it is Your will to be gracious and merciful. Therefore I take these together in one word and confession: I am a sinner, yet You are merciful to me; I am Your enemy, but Your are my friend only; I ought to be condemned, but I know that Your do not wish to condemn me, but to save me as an heir in heaven. . Indeed you wish it to be so. You have preached this to me and commanded me to believe it for the sake of your dear Son, whom You gave up for me. Amen.
Early Evening Prayer
for Individuals and Families
The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
A candle may be lighted.
Let my prayer rise before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Joyous light of glory: of the immortal Father; heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ. We have come to the setting of the sun, and we look to the evening light. We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever. O Son of God, O Giver of life: the universe proclaims Your glory.
A hymn, canticle, or psalm may be sung or spoken.
An appointed reading or one of the following is read: Luke 24:28–31; Exodus 16:11–21, 31; Isaiah 25:6–9; Matthew 14:15–21; Matthew 27:57–60; Luke 14:15–24; John 6:25–35; John 10:7–18; Ephesians 6:10–18a.
A portion of the Small or Large Catechism may be read.
Lord’s Prayer
Prayers for others and ourselves
Defended by Your grace, we ask You, O Lord, to provide us with good and faithful leaders who will preserve the precious gift of liberty and protect the lives of our citizens. Give them special wisdom, and help them to work in harmony in the midst of this pandemic. Bless the members of our armed forces, and protect them as they defend us. Grant Your blessing to all emergency and medical workers who continue to come to our aid in times of great need.
Enjoying the riches of Your grace, we ask You, O Lord, to give us generous hearts, that we may share what You have provided with those in need and work for the common good of all. Give us patience in our seclusion, and comfort the lonely. Grant relief to the unemployed, the underemployed, the homeless and all their families.
Knowing Your healing will and gifts, we pray You, O Lord, to spare us from all calamity by pestilence, scarcity and fear. Remember the sick in their afflictions, calm those troubled in mind and keep steadfast the dying. Hear us especially for our friends and family that have asked for our prayers: Deb Ziemann, Kandie Darmody, Wilma Wilson, Dennis Engmann, June Fry, Audrey Hilgendorf, Orville Heckendorf, Erv & Ruth Mertz, Jerry & Gert Sullivan, David & Olivemae Olson, Richard Reich, Judy Clark, Louise Kreis, Dot Miller, Jennifer Jensen, Eric Johanen, Diane Behrens, Marge Legate, Suzanne Stadelmayer, Elaine Kuenzel, Ray & Frances Neerhoff, Karen Haufmann, Donald Teske, Connie Hackbarth, Sheryl Pajewski, Jeanette Guillaume, Donna Sommer, Inez Schwoch, Glenn Schnabel, Tim Allen, Jenny Vickerman, Stewart Clark, Lois Pritzlaff, Linda Lukas, Linda Borneman, Tracey Leffin-Hedrick, Nancy Nicholas, Scott Biskobing, Carolyn Bren, Rachel Davis, Marissa Flanders, Linda Schmidt, Vanessa Kuehne, Laverne Gierach, Travis Winkler, Brian Vonlender, Scot Meisenheimer, Thomas Kramlik, and Jody Meisenheimer. Show us Your gracious will, O Lord, and sustain those who are afflicted in body or mind until that day when You will bestow upon us new bodies fit for the eternal life You have prepared for us in Christ.
Concluding prayer: Lord Jesus, stay with us, for the evening is at hand and the day is past. Be our constant companion on the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope among us, that we may recognize You as You are revealed in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread. Grant this for Your name’s sake. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Lutheran Service Book, Page 297

The Pilgrim Herald — Page #

April 2020 — Page #

#

Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
462 Meadowbrook Drive
West Bend, WI 53090

#

Phone: 262-334-0375
Email: office@pilgrimlutheran.wb.org
Website: www.pilgrimlutheran-westbend.org

Jesus answered,
“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

(Sermon...Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Vigil of Easter … Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

Inside this Issue:
Letter from Pastor Fisher
1
Sermon from Pastor Raffa
2
From the Synod
4
Pilgrim News & Reports
From the Fort
Lutheran Catechesis
5
Lutheran Library
10
7
Birthdays & Anniversaries
11
8
Communal Prayers
12

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Prayers...Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Confirmation Continued on page #)

(Confirmation Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Sermon...Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Continued from page #)

(Continued on page #)

(Prayers...Continued from page #)