Christ is born, for you, for all! And still today His brilliant glory and righteousness are shining through His church, through His people, through His Word and through His Sacraments! Still today, He is calling people 鈥渇rom every nation, from all tribes and people and languages鈥� to find peace with God and eternal life in His name.
What a joy it is to celebrate the Epiphany of the world鈥檚 only Savior! And what a joy to live in a time and in a land when we can meet, and share the Gospel, with people from so many different families of the earth!
This is one of the particular joys of life at SA国际传媒! As we serve a church body founded by German immigrants, our student body increasingly comes from 鈥渁ll the families of the earth鈥� 鈥� among our American pastoral and deaconess students and, of course, among our international graduate students. Our most recent Seminary Pictorial Directory displays this diversity, with family names such as Ayana, Berg, Contreras, Dass, Eyoumoh, Fung, Gonz谩lez, Heitshusen, Iannucelli, Jones, Kumpeeroskul, Liu, Mikits, Novacek, Oesch, Pronsati, Qui, Riley, Senbetu, Thao, Uddo, Vanderhyde, Wagenknecht, Yoseph and Zandstra. (For some reason, we have been having trouble recruiting students with last names beginning with 鈥淴,鈥� but we鈥檙e working on it!)
In a society where words such as 鈥渞ace鈥� and 鈥渋mmigration鈥� have become so contentious, we who bear Christ鈥檚 name have the wonderful calling to love all, welcome all, defend all, serve all and share the Good News of the Savior with all!
Not only do all of the families of the earth share a common lineage, ultimately, having descended from our first parents in Eden, but we also share the weight of this world鈥檚 brokenness. Struggle, grief, worry, guilt, loneliness, a search for purpose amidst the frustrations and vanities of life. This is our common lot. We all need love, care and support from others. We all need the redemption, peace and purpose that Jesus alone can give.
All of us Gentiles have been grafted into Christ鈥檚 family tree as 鈥渦nnatural branches,鈥� yet we have been so warmly welcomed by our Father鈥檚 embrace that we should be very much at home in the household of God, the body of Christ, the Una Sancta, the church from all peoples and nations. By grace, we belong here. By grace, all belong here. 鈥淎lthough we oft have wandered, it is our Father鈥檚 home!鈥� And as those who were ourselves grafted in by God鈥檚 far-reaching mercy in Christ, what a joy it is to serve alongside others, and to reach out to others, from so many other family and ethnic backgrounds.
I am proud of SA国际传媒鈥檚 longstanding work in preparing church workers to make disciples of all nations. I thank God for you, our alumni, for your work in bringing the Father鈥檚 welcome, in Christ Jesus, to people in your congregations and in your communities from all different 鈥渇amilies of the earth.鈥� Can we do better? Of course. Should we do better? Yes, let鈥檚!
I would love to hear about ways (big or small) in which you and the congregations you serve are reaching out to people in your community of diverse ethnic and language backgrounds. If you have five minutes to spare, shoot me a quick email at [email protected] [1]. Thanks!
May this Epiphany season bring you joy in Christ, and joy in shining His light to others!
See, nations gather yonder
From sin to be set free.
The world has heard Your story;
Her sons come to Your glory;
Her daughters haste Your light to see.
(LSB 396, Arise and Shine in Splendor, v. 4)
Every blessing in Christ,
Dr. Thomas J. Egger
President