CARING FOR UKRAINE
Update from Matthew Harrison, President, LCMS Church
Update from Matthew Harrison, President, LCMS Church
Click here for current updates on Ukraine.
The following email was received from President Matthew Harrison, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, regarding the situation in Ukraine with respect to sister churches there.
Following President Harrison's note, you will find a meditation from Bishop Serge Maschewski.
======================================
From: Harrison, Matthew
Subject: Ukraine - A meditation from Bishop Serge Maschewski
Dear Brothers,
This is to let you know that we are in contact with our Lutheran friends in Ukraine, and also with those in surrounding countries, where refugees are fleeing (Romania, Poiand, Czech Republic and more). We are prepared to provide assistance upon request.
I just received the following meditation from Bishop Serge Maschewski (a graduate of CTS’s “Russia Project” 20 years ago) and want to share it with you. Rev. Jim Krikova is fielding many phone calls, requests and as needs continue to mount. We have funds to act now. We are posting information on where to give should our people wish to do so. We have a long standing relationship with Bishop Maschewski (pronounced Mah-SHES-kee), who’s church and some 35 pastors have suffered greatly in recent years, but remain steadfast Lutherans, and precisely in the midst of this horror. There are also a couple of other groups which we know and will assist as needed.
You may share this.
Lord have mercy upon us.
Matt Harrison
=====================================================================================================================
Dear friends,
I send some thoughts on Lent from Ukraine.
The Word for the week Estomihi, 2022
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.
When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,
“What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. Lukas 18.31-43
Very soon, on this coming Wednesday, the Church enters into Lent. A time of repentance and prayer, of teaching and self-examination.
Our local ELC entered the Lenten season a little earlier this year.
Ukraine is on fire.
Trouble has come to our land.
On February 24th war broke out.
Terrible, horrible, despicable.
Automatic rifles shooting, bombing with "Granades", bombing with "missiles", sirens, curfews - all of this has becmme our reality.
The dead, the wounded, the tens of thousands of refugees - a terrible reality.
And now, we hear the Lord's words to His disciples with special clarity and in a whole new way:
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all that is written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished."
The Lord knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem.
He knew He would be betrayed to the Gentiles,
that He would be mocked,
He would be insulted,
humiliated, spit upon, crowned with thorns on His forehead, and killed.
He knew about the Cross of Calvary.
Jesus' heart was filled with fear.
But, He still goes to Jerusalem.
Going to offer Himself as the Sacrifice of Atonement for the sins of the world.
Going to bring peace to men.
Now we, in the Holy Spirit, follow with Jesus the way of His suffering and death.
The apostles could not imagine what the words meant:
"betrayed, abused, insulted, spit upon, beaten and killed"
...
Why does this have to happen?
What does it mean?
Isn't there a way to avoid it?
Why is God willing to suffer such a fiasco?
The disciples didn't understand.
Their hopes for the future were crumbling.
Fear settled in their hearts, just as our hearts are now.
A war has broken out...
And we don't understand God's ways.
Why? Why?
How did God allow this to happen?
We go through fear, panic, frustration.
Why did this happen to us?
Why?
Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson...
Why?
It took the apostles some time to grasp the meaning of what Jesus had said and done.
The Spirit of God had to illumine their minds and hearts.
And then they began to preach: This was the only possible way for us to be saved.
At some time it will also become clear to us why God leads us in such a strange way, and we will testify:
"God's way is for good."
We have no illusions… Our Church has experienced persecution and pursuit from the state before.
We know and remember how, on the orders of the German Embassy, the Ukrainian government services destroyed our congregations. We know the hypocrisy, deceitfulness, and meanness of our state officials...
But we clearly distinguish the current government from our people, our country.
And now the aggression is committed not against the authorities of Ukraine, but against her people.
And we, the Church, with our children, with our brothers and sisters, are on guard and ready to defend our homeland to the last drop of blood.
Are we afraid? Yes.
Do we retreat? No!
And we believe that God keeps and protects us.
And it is no coincidence that in our Gospel passage we encounter two such different stories: Christ's prediction of His suffering and death and the healing of a sick man!
The blind man teaches us to see.
He hears Jesus of Nazareth passing by. And cries out, shouts even:
“Jesus, Son of David!
Have mercy on me!”
The disciples silence him;
but he cries even louder:
"Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Christ is at the center of his life:
Jesus, Son of David!
Have mercy on me!
The Lord, asks:
What do you want from me?
He said:
Lord, that I may see.
Jesus said to him, "See!
YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU!
And he immediately received his sight and followed him,
praising God.
This is how the blind, sick man meets the God who has mercy and heals.
A God who does not pass by,
but hears the cry for help.
God, Who, in suffering Himself, hastens to show mercy to those who cry out to HIM.
Our crucified Lord is no stranger to our pain, our need,
our despair, our fear,
our weakness.
Our crucified God overcame death and overcame hopelessness.
He did all this for us.
He walked this road to become the One who can save, the One who can help.
In any situation, at any time.
He gives us a blessing and a future.
He rewards us with a full life.
And we believe that the Lord will help us in our struggle, the Lord will not leave us, but will overcome everything with us.
Therefore, fear goes away and we look boldly into the present and with hope into the future.
And blindness goes away...
The ELCU is active in volunteer and diaconal work, in the defense of our cities, and in the spiritual care of those in need.
We meet God in the Sacrament.
And in it, Christ heals us.
We meet God in the prayer of our brothers and sisters. In the help and care of our Church.
I want to give special thanks to the faithful of Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, and personally to President Rev. Dr. Mathew Harrison and Pastor James Krikawa.
God bless you!
We, by the power of God, will overcome all things, and the Lord will grant us victory!
Then your light will open like the dawn,
and your healing will soon increase,
and thy righteousness shall go before thee,
and the glory of the Lord will accompany you.
Thank you all for your help and prayers!
In Christo,
Serge
Following President Harrison's note, you will find a meditation from Bishop Serge Maschewski.
======================================
From: Harrison, Matthew
Subject: Ukraine - A meditation from Bishop Serge Maschewski
Dear Brothers,
This is to let you know that we are in contact with our Lutheran friends in Ukraine, and also with those in surrounding countries, where refugees are fleeing (Romania, Poiand, Czech Republic and more). We are prepared to provide assistance upon request.
I just received the following meditation from Bishop Serge Maschewski (a graduate of CTS’s “Russia Project” 20 years ago) and want to share it with you. Rev. Jim Krikova is fielding many phone calls, requests and as needs continue to mount. We have funds to act now. We are posting information on where to give should our people wish to do so. We have a long standing relationship with Bishop Maschewski (pronounced Mah-SHES-kee), who’s church and some 35 pastors have suffered greatly in recent years, but remain steadfast Lutherans, and precisely in the midst of this horror. There are also a couple of other groups which we know and will assist as needed.
You may share this.
Lord have mercy upon us.
Matt Harrison
=====================================================================================================================
Dear friends,
I send some thoughts on Lent from Ukraine.
The Word for the week Estomihi, 2022
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.
When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,
“What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. Lukas 18.31-43
Very soon, on this coming Wednesday, the Church enters into Lent. A time of repentance and prayer, of teaching and self-examination.
Our local ELC entered the Lenten season a little earlier this year.
Ukraine is on fire.
Trouble has come to our land.
On February 24th war broke out.
Terrible, horrible, despicable.
Automatic rifles shooting, bombing with "Granades", bombing with "missiles", sirens, curfews - all of this has becmme our reality.
The dead, the wounded, the tens of thousands of refugees - a terrible reality.
And now, we hear the Lord's words to His disciples with special clarity and in a whole new way:
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all that is written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished."
The Lord knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem.
He knew He would be betrayed to the Gentiles,
that He would be mocked,
He would be insulted,
humiliated, spit upon, crowned with thorns on His forehead, and killed.
He knew about the Cross of Calvary.
Jesus' heart was filled with fear.
But, He still goes to Jerusalem.
Going to offer Himself as the Sacrifice of Atonement for the sins of the world.
Going to bring peace to men.
Now we, in the Holy Spirit, follow with Jesus the way of His suffering and death.
The apostles could not imagine what the words meant:
"betrayed, abused, insulted, spit upon, beaten and killed"
...
Why does this have to happen?
What does it mean?
Isn't there a way to avoid it?
Why is God willing to suffer such a fiasco?
The disciples didn't understand.
Their hopes for the future were crumbling.
Fear settled in their hearts, just as our hearts are now.
A war has broken out...
And we don't understand God's ways.
Why? Why?
How did God allow this to happen?
We go through fear, panic, frustration.
Why did this happen to us?
Why?
Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson...
Why?
It took the apostles some time to grasp the meaning of what Jesus had said and done.
The Spirit of God had to illumine their minds and hearts.
And then they began to preach: This was the only possible way for us to be saved.
At some time it will also become clear to us why God leads us in such a strange way, and we will testify:
"God's way is for good."
We have no illusions… Our Church has experienced persecution and pursuit from the state before.
We know and remember how, on the orders of the German Embassy, the Ukrainian government services destroyed our congregations. We know the hypocrisy, deceitfulness, and meanness of our state officials...
But we clearly distinguish the current government from our people, our country.
And now the aggression is committed not against the authorities of Ukraine, but against her people.
And we, the Church, with our children, with our brothers and sisters, are on guard and ready to defend our homeland to the last drop of blood.
Are we afraid? Yes.
Do we retreat? No!
And we believe that God keeps and protects us.
And it is no coincidence that in our Gospel passage we encounter two such different stories: Christ's prediction of His suffering and death and the healing of a sick man!
The blind man teaches us to see.
He hears Jesus of Nazareth passing by. And cries out, shouts even:
“Jesus, Son of David!
Have mercy on me!”
The disciples silence him;
but he cries even louder:
"Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Christ is at the center of his life:
Jesus, Son of David!
Have mercy on me!
The Lord, asks:
What do you want from me?
He said:
Lord, that I may see.
Jesus said to him, "See!
YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU!
And he immediately received his sight and followed him,
praising God.
This is how the blind, sick man meets the God who has mercy and heals.
A God who does not pass by,
but hears the cry for help.
God, Who, in suffering Himself, hastens to show mercy to those who cry out to HIM.
Our crucified Lord is no stranger to our pain, our need,
our despair, our fear,
our weakness.
Our crucified God overcame death and overcame hopelessness.
He did all this for us.
He walked this road to become the One who can save, the One who can help.
In any situation, at any time.
He gives us a blessing and a future.
He rewards us with a full life.
And we believe that the Lord will help us in our struggle, the Lord will not leave us, but will overcome everything with us.
Therefore, fear goes away and we look boldly into the present and with hope into the future.
And blindness goes away...
The ELCU is active in volunteer and diaconal work, in the defense of our cities, and in the spiritual care of those in need.
We meet God in the Sacrament.
And in it, Christ heals us.
We meet God in the prayer of our brothers and sisters. In the help and care of our Church.
I want to give special thanks to the faithful of Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, and personally to President Rev. Dr. Mathew Harrison and Pastor James Krikawa.
God bless you!
We, by the power of God, will overcome all things, and the Lord will grant us victory!
Then your light will open like the dawn,
and your healing will soon increase,
and thy righteousness shall go before thee,
and the glory of the Lord will accompany you.
Thank you all for your help and prayers!
In Christo,
Serge