Leap of Faith When He Said: According to the Calendar, a Leap Year “Sing to the Lord, Praise His Name; “As Long As It Is Day, We Must Do the Gives Us an Extra Day

DISTRICT NEWS 2020 / FEBRUARY OKLAHOMA

idea, and I thought it would make for a cheap date: 15 gifts instead of 60! I ain’t no fool!” Leap Year his year of 2020 gives us an extra Tday for living: 366 days instead of 365! Every four years our calendar adds an extra day to keep human minds in sync! It is strange that before human beings began developing calendars, God seemed to have it all under control. In Leap case you are interested, a year that has only 365 days is called a “common year,” while a year with the added day is called a “leap year” (instead of an “uncommon of Faith LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford year”). By the way, it is much easier just to buy a calendar and trust the astro- Calculations staying interested in ranch life. I asked nomical calculations than to attempt to t was enjoyable Edwin about his wife, Amanda. “She’s a calculate on your own. to chat with I real dandy,” he said. “We were Here’s the deal according to Edwin. His age high school sweethearts and Wikipedia: “In the Gregorian hovered around we got married in the Febru- FEBRUARY calendar, each leap year has 80, but his leathery ary after our senior year.” 366 days instead of 365, by face made him BLESSINGS extending February to 29 days appear older “Wow! How many anniver- Saints of rather than the common 28 thanks to years of saries have you celebrated?” I days. These extra days occur ranching in the asked. “Fifteen,” he answered. Oklahoma! In an attempt to correct his in years which are multiples sun and wind. My Rev. Barrie Henke calculations, I asked, “You of four (with the exception of mother would have District President centennial years not divisible by 400). described him as mean 50, don’t you?” “Nope, just 15! Similarly, in the lunisolar Hebrew cal- “rode hard and put up wet.” Well, we’ve lived together for 60 years, but we’ve only celebrated 15 anniversa- endar, Adar Aleph, a 13th lunar month, But he was a gentle man with a strong ries!” is added seven times every 19 years to faith in Christ, coupled with a German the 12 lunar months in its common I was totally confused. Then he added work ethic prone to long days and hard years to keep its calendar year from “We got married on Feb. 29!” work. He had a quick wit interjected drifting through the seasons.” throughout any conversation. His five “Why did you pick that date?” I asked. See MESSAGE, Page 2 children were grown with only one “Well, Amanda thought it was a clever

OKLAHOMA FEBRUARY 2020 / 1 DISTRICT NEWS MESSAGE Whether it is an extra day on the for us as individuals and even for our (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) calendar or just a common day, it is congregation as it reaches out into the filled with God’s grace, mercy and love. community. Leaping lizards! What did I tell you: Knowing that each day is a gift, the Just buy a calendar … with pretty There is urgency about this salvation Holy Spirit moves us to rejoice in God’s pictures! It is proposed that the name proclamation. You see, even though the presence and blessing. The writer of “leap year” probably comes from the calendar may give us an extra day, that Proverbs warns: fact that while a fixed date in the Grego- extra day is not guaranteed to us or to rian calendar normally advances one “Do not boast about tomorrow, for anyone. Dare we put off proclaiming day of the week from one year to the you do not know what a day may Christ’s salvation to the lost for another next, in a leap year it leaps over a day bring forth.” — Prov. 27:1 day, especially when this day may be to mark a different day of the week. For We may not know what a day may their or our last on earth. Whether the instance, Christmas Day in 2019 came bring, but we do know the One who calendar gives us an extra day or not, on a Wednesday, but in 2020 it “leaps holds that day in His hand. God’s Word we are to use each day for proclaim- over” Thursday to occur on a Friday. even tells us what we are to do with an ing Christ in word and action. We are extra day or all those common days: to take the attitude of our Lord Jesus Leap of Faith when He said: According to the calendar, a leap year “Sing to the Lord, praise His name; “As long as it is day, we must do the gives us an extra day. What do we do proclaim His salvation day after work of Him who sent Me. Night with an extra day? As Christians we day.” — Ps. 96:2 is coming, when no one can work. can declare with the We are often timid in our singing to the While I am in the world, I am the psalmist: Lord, but we are even more timid when light of the world.” — John 9:4-5 “ This is the day the it comes to proclaiming His salvation. Lord has made; let us Yet that is the reason God has given Take a leap of faith in this leap year by rejoice and be glad us 365 or 366 days — to proclaim the being a light of Christ on that extra day in it.” salvation of our God in Jesus Christ. To and all the days the Lord gives as you — Ps. 118:24 do this may take a giant “leap of faith” proclaim His great salvation! Blessings in Bethany Rev. Dr. Gary Rohwer was installed as pastor of Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Bethany, on Dec. 1. Participating were, from left (front row) Revs. Barrie Henke (district president), John C. Rumsey II, Dr. Gary E. Rohwer, John C. Rumsey III, Marvin Henschel; (middle row) Ron Christie, George Gustke, Clint McMullin, Butch Rains, Daniel Ross, Abuit Fajardo- Ruiz; (back row) Ron Simpson, Mark Muenchow, Fred Muenchow and Jonathan Meyer, and Lay Minister Ron Schaulat. — Submitted by Delores Withers

2 / OKLAHOMA DISTRICT NEWS

Congrats!Perry, Christ

We congratulate those who are celebrating 90 years or more. We rejoice with those in the Oklahoma District who Covington, St. John’s are celebrating wedding Bob and Elaine Fleenor Dorothy Murphy 52 years, Feb. 25 95 years, Feb. 4 anniversaries of 50 years or Okmulgee, Trinity Tulsa, Our Savior more in January. Enid, St. Paul’s LaVern Gragert Marina de Tiews Larry Wigger Tulsa, Christ the Redeemer 91 years, Feb. 9 95 years, Feb. 25 Breckineidge, Immanuel 92 years, Feb. 10 Howard and Stella Powell Oklahoma City, 50 years, Feb, 14 Messiah Tulsa, Christ the Belated Broken Arrow, Trinity Phil Benjamin Redeemer Fairland, St Paul’s Wilmer and Lorene Wagner 96 years, Feb. 6 Ramona Smith Adolph Loehr 62 years, Feb. 9 Wilbur Lee Brakhage 91 years, Feb. 19 95 years, Jan. 4 Covington, St. John’s 92 years, Feb. 9 Tulsa, Good Shepherd Okmulgee, Trinity Louis and Pat Schweer Richard Svoboda Marlies Osberghaus Sue Carr 67 years, Feb. 8 90 years, Feb. 22 92 years, Feb. 9 93 years, Jan. 18 Enid, St Paul Robert and Lanece Young Gene and Christine Hollrah 56 years, Feb. 29 59 years, Feb. 5 Norman, Trinity Paul and Donna Bushore Tulsa, Our Savior 54 years, Feb. 19 Share your news Oklahoma City, Messiah David and Alice Giles 64 years, Feb. 5 Bill and Nancy Varner 60 years, Feb. 13 Glen and Ann Hallum 61 years, Feb. 18 Ron and Kristi Barsotti Verna and Lorin Saathoff 56 years, Feb. 22 54 years, Feb. 19 Okarche, St. John’s Allen and Norene Stroud 53 years, Feb. 4 Belated Okmulgee, Trinity We are always in need of more submissions for the Oklaho- Broken Arrow, Trinity ma District insert of The Lutheran Witness. Please submit anything of note in your congregation, in- cluding announcements, special events or human interest stories that you or your organization would like published. Please send submissions to [email protected]. You may also mail your submissions to Janice Hedrick, P.O. Box 70, Owasso, OK 74055 (918-396-9629). Please ensure photos sent electronically are high resolution. Robert and Judith Wessels Dan and Janet Colombin 54 years, Feb. 14 66 years, Jan. 5 The deadline for the April issue is Feb. 14.

FEBRUARY 2020 / 3 RURAL & SMALL TOWN MISSION

mous mission field all around us. Out of 6,000-plus LCMS congregations, some 3,136 are in rural and small-town settings. These numbers show us that there are nearly 17 million people living in and around these congregations. With a conservative estimate of 50 to 60 percent of those folks being unaffili- ated with a church or a faith of any sort, the possibilities for outreach are most assuredly there. Not to mention that there are studies which show us that in many of these areas there is beginning to be a positive net in-migration of people and even a “Brain Gain” of sorts, where in the past it was mostly a loss. Of course, we must deal with the real- ities of our age. But we simply cannot forget that the Lord of the Church has it all under control according to His will. The Lord is my helper Bear in mind what we are told in Have you ever felt down or even depressed Heb. 13:20-21: about the challenges facing congregations in “ Now may the God of peace who rural and small-town America? brought again from the dead our It’s altogether too easy to fall into that trap. Between Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the “So we can the perceived shrinking populations, the aging con- sheep, by the blood of the eternal confidently say, gregations and members with competing interests, it covenant, equip you with everything ‘The Lord is my can seem difficult at best to carry out ministry, at least good that you may do his will, work- to carry it out the way we’d like to or have in the past. ing in us that which is pleasing in his helper; I will not sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom fear; what can man These factors often bring about a lack of hope and a sense of fear of the future. be glory forever and ever. Amen.” do to me?’ ” Written by Rev. Todd Kollbaum, pastor — Heb. 13:6 Yet, it’s helpful for us to remember that the Lord of the Church always has work for us to accomplish. of Trinity, Madison, Neb., and director of LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission There are so many opportunities for us in rural and (RSTM). This article appears in the January small-town congregations. There is still an enor- 2020 RSTM newsletter. LHM Lenten devotions available Feb. 26

very Lenten season, we reflect Since creation, God has been with awe and humility the pains God on God’s work on our behalf setting us free. From Adam and took to win us back to Himself, sparing Ethrough the telling of Eve’s transgression to Israel’s not His only Son. Christ’s Passion. In Deliver Us: slavery in Egypt to mankind’s Available to read online or as a pod- Jesus Sets Us Free, we remem- bondage to sin and death, God cast beginning Feb. 26, Deliver Us: ber our Savior’s triumphal act of liberates the captive! In De- Jesus Sets Us Free can also be received redemption in Israel’s exodus from liver Us: Jesus Sets Us Free, you’ll as an e-mail subscription throughout captivity in Egypt. see God’s love in action — working the Lenten season. Churches can also His purposes through human affairs, Just as Moses led Israel to the Promised download, personalize and print them drawing us into a relationship with Land, Jesus won victory for us through to give to congregation members or use Him. Even as Moses (a kind of redeem- His life, death and resurrection. In as an outreach tool with guests. both events, God saves His people. But er) foreshadowed the work of Christ through Jesus, God saves completely. (our ultimate Redeemer), we remember Visit lhm.org/lent.

4 / OKLAHOMA