The Meyer Minute for Call Day

My first call into the pastoral ministry was to a dual parish in New Memphis and Venedy, Illinois. Diane and I arrived in 1974 and took up residence in the Venedy parsonage, an old two story frame house next to the church and cemetery. Now, 30 years after moving away, the congregation is taking that old house down in order to build a parish hall. The parsonage comes down but the memories remain dear in our minds. Yes, even the memory of shoveling coal into the old furnace!

Today is “Call Day” at Concordia Seminary, the day 99 graduates will be given their first assignments in ministry. In the 19th century, Dr. C.F.W. Walther wrote, “When a place has been assigned to a candidate of theology where he is to discharge the office of a Lutheran minister, that place ought to be to him the dearest, most beautiful, and most precious spot on earth. He should be unwilling to exchange it for a kingdom. Whether it is in a metropolis or in a small town, on a bleak prairie or in a clearing in the forest, in a flourishing settlement or in a desert, to him it should be a miniature paradise.”

I pray for our students the joy we had in our first assignment.

-Well said Dr. Meyer

Today’s Meyer Minute on Baptism

Just about every evening before prayers and bed, my email dings letting me know the Meyer Minute has arrived. Today’s edition did not show up until this morning, but that is irrelevant. I usually read them as they come through and it provokes some serious thought. Today’s edition did the same thing so I figured I would share. Especially, since it talks about baptism in a very simple way. A summary from the website says, “The Meyer Minute… a short read but more than a minute’s worth of thought.”

———-Enjoy——–

“My name is Connor.  Bubby and I were taking our bath.   Bubby poured water on me.  He said he was baptizing me.”

“That’s right, Opa.  At church pastor baptizes people.  So I baptized Connor in the tub.”

Interesting.  A long time ago, this time of year, winter, Epiphany, Martin Luther preached about baptism.  He talked about many things, including how many times you should be baptized.  Some people get baptized but then fall away from God.  When they realize they’ve gotten away from God, they think they need to start all over and get baptized again.

“Like I did to Connor?”

Sort of.  Dr. Luther says it’s like taking a trip.  If you get lost, you don’t go back home and start all over again.  You just admit you got lost and get back on the right way.  No need to get baptized again.  Just repent and get back to God’s way of living.  After all, God did His part of Baptism right.  He gave forgiveness.  He doesn’t have to do it over.  We need to get back on the straight and narrow.

“Opa, you’re turning our bath into a sermon!”

“It was on my mind.  I was baptized on this date a long time ago.”

“Opa, did you know Dr. Luther?”

Meyer Minute © 2011

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I will leave you to soak that one in for the rest of the day. If you are interested in receiving these in your very own inbox you can go here.

Enjoy!