Anecdotes of Church History

Anecdotes of Church History

by | Aug 17, 2023 | RCUS News

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  1. NONE IS INDISPENSABLE
    In the early days of the German Reformation it was mistakenly believed that Martin Luther, especially after he was abducted after the Council of Worms (he was “imprisoned” in the Wartburg Castle), had been martyred for Christ. Devastated by the rumors of Luther’s demise, and to express his profound grief and misery, the renowned Albrecht Durer, painter and printer (1471-1528), famously bemoaned in his diary:
    “I know not whether he lives or is murdered, but in any case he had suffered for the Christian truth. If we lose this man, who has written more clearly than any other in centuries, may God grant his spirit to another. His books should be held in great honor, and not burned as the emperor commands, but rather the books of his enemies, O God, if Luther is dead, who will henceforth explain to us the gospel? What might he not have written for us in the next ten or twenty years?” (my emphasis) but that was not the whole story. So profound was Durer’s unhappiness that he even hoped that Luther (emulating the pioneering work of the Lord Himself) might be resurrected. He wrote: “O Lord, who desirest before thou comest to judgment that as thy Son Jesus Christ had to die at the hands of the priests and rise from the dead and ascend to heaven, even should thy disciple Martin Luther be made conformable to him.”
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Synod President’s Report

Synod President’s Report

by | Aug 10, 2023 | RCUS News

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What a rich privilege it is for each of us to be appointed in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ through the church as pastors and elders. I marvel that God has taken us as ordinary men from out of our sins and miseries, redeemed us through Jesus Christ our Savior and not only set us on a path of thankful living for such redemption, but also placed us as shepherds and stewards of His church.
You can imagine, then, the state of my marveling a year ago when I was appointed to serve our Lord Jesus Christ and this highly esteemed body of the church as president. I cannot adequately describe the immense honor of such an appointment. This has truly been a humbling experience. Thank you for your prayers, for your grace and for your counsel. I also want to give thanks for the Executive Committee’s iron sharpening iron. I hold each member in the highest esteem. Finally, I thank my Savior and King, Jesus Christ, for His everlasting love and grace.
Now for the state of the church. While weaving Classes reports, visits with Classis Presidents and permanent committees’ activity throughout the report, here is what I believe to be the state of the church in terms of what is good, what are those opportunities for growth and a proposed vision for next year in reliance on the grace of God. But first, let me preface the report with the reminder of what the church is called to do.

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