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How We Hallow:Missionary Zerit Yohannes:
Rev. Zerit Yohannes
This morning millions of us prayed “Hallowed be Thy name.” It is later in the day and I wonder if we thought about what we were praying – specifically, what does it mean to “hallow”?. Dr. Martin Luther thought about it. Rev. Zerit Yohannes, a missionary in America from Eritrea, showed us.
I assume you know to “hallow” is to “make holy.” But how does a human hallow God’s name? In his explanation of the Lord’s Prayer’s first petition Luther points out,“God’s name was given to us when we were baptized.” Then this: “it becomes holy when both our teaching and our life are godly…” (The Large Catechism).
In my understanding the petitions following “Hallowed be Thy name” explain how we do that, how humans “hallow” the Name of God. For instance “They kingdom come.” We hallow God’s name when we help to usher in the Kingdom of God. We hallow God’s name when we pray “Thy will be done” – trusting God loves us and His will for us is for always good. “Give ‘us” this day our daily bread;” not only me, but the “us” of those around us, especially those in need. When we pray “Forgive us our sins AS WE FORGIVE” we hallow God’s name, if we really mean what we are saying. As we pray “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us in the time of trial,” we are preparing to hallow the Name of God. We pray all these things because we know “Thine is the kingdom.” We do not rule ourselves – we want to live under the kingship of our Father in heaven. Which brings us back to the second petition.
Although never fully realized here on earth, the Bible has much to say about signs that God’s kingdom is coming.
Baptist (Mathew 11:3) called out to Jesus,”Are you the Coming One?” In his answer Jesus enumerated signs the prophets used to describe the coming of God’s kingdom “Go tell John …the blind see and the lame walk; lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (see Isaiah 29:18, 35:4-6; Psalm 22:26; Isaiah 61:1; Malachi 3:1).
God’s name is hallowed when those in distress hear the good news of Jesus and see His love in action. Zerit Yohannes was an instrument God used to bring in the kingdom. At times it was harrowing.
Rev. Yohannes lived through “The Red Terror” in Eritrea. Through that time in the 1970s his faith held and grew; he was a missionary during the worst times, an instrument to usher in the Kingdom to a war torn people .
Missionary Yohannes graduated from the largest Lutheran seminary in Africa, in Tanzania. He spread the good news of Jesus throughout Africa as a missionary broadcasting over the radio in Nairobi, Kenya, and through mercy work. He began a ministry among immigrants arriving in Kenya fleeing war and famine, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked. An instrument to usher in the Kingdom of God. Zerit was hallowing God’s name as he made God’s kingdom real in that place and time.
The African Christians hallowed the name of God when they developed programs to aid victims of HIV, hunger and poverty: the church’s role as a servant of the people made lasting impressions in Tanzania and in Eritrea. Then, A door opened for Zerit and his family to go to Canada, where he began ministry to African immigrants in Toronto. He also attended Concordia Seminary in St. Catherine, as well as at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
The Kingdom of God was made concrete, the mission in Canada grew, the poor heard the good news and experienced it in the work the churches did. Then a call came for Pr. Yohannes to return to Eritrea to teach mission work at the Church’s seminary. For nine years he worked to equip new pastors and missionaries to usher in the Kingdom of God. He was hallowing the name of God.
Rev. Zerit was called back to North America, to St. Luke Lutheran Church in Lansing, Michigan, to train missionaries from Africa to the United States. When we recently spoke via Zoom, Rev. Yohannes with his fellow pastors of St. Luke Lutheran and Rev. Todd Jones, Mission Secretary of the Michigan District, were preparing to teach about thirty missionaries (men and women) who
came from the Democratic Republic of Congo making God’s love real in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa and South Dakota. “Hallowed be Thy Name.” His insights on mission work are important for all who would bring the lost to Christ in America, for all those who hallow God’s Name.
St. Luke Lutheran Church, Lansing, MI.
Each petition of the Lord’s prayer is, finally, a way to hallow God’s Name. The next time you pray the Prayer – think about how you can hallow God’s name in the coming day – pray “Thy Kingdom come” -and then go out afterwards to heal and preach the gospel to a hurting world.
It is a a gift of His grace that you and I have been allowed to pray the Lord’s Prayer – and this day to hallow the Name of God.
To see a short video introduction to the work of Rev. Yohannes, click here.
To see the complete video, click here.
To purchase a biography of a missionary to America, click here.
To listen to the opening chapter of our coming audio book, No Accidental Missionary: the life of Dr. Tesfai Tesema,click here.
To order the new audio book, click here
To donate to Mission Nation and give a voice to more missionaries to America, click here
HELP ERASE MEDICAL DEBT
March 2020 – our LWML is looking to raise $1,000 for RIP-Medial Debt through the sale of the missionary biographies. Every donation made by buying a biography will go to decreasing medical debt for the poorest of the poor.
Thanksgiving – thankful for…
MISSION NATION GIVES THANKS FOR YOU! |
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Dear Friends of Mission Nation Publishing, I’m Bob Scudieri from Mission Nation Publishing (501(c)3) writing to express my thanks for your generosity in support of:
Last year at this time Mission Nation partnered with ONE congregation, with your support there are now 17 partnering congregations. Last year we were publishing eight mission books; this year there are twelve. Four more biographies are in the works for next year: Melissa Solomon, whose ancestors came to America in 1598; Farrukh Khan, the head of the most successful Muslim mission agency in the LCMS; Aden, a former Ethiopian Air Force captain now a missionary in Jacksonville, Fla; James Roy, a missionary from Bangladesh, kidnapped and a gun held to his head for bringing Jesus to Muslims. And a new Mission Bible Commentary from Missionary Dr. Paul Bruns, The Gospel Of John. Thousands of dollars have been raised by our partner churches from the sale of the books for a ministry they select. Here’s my request! Each book we publish costs Mission Nation around $3500 (writing, editing and publishing). You or your congregation can become an active participant inside the work of Mission Nation: _____Help 10 churches get a display $5,000 Transformational Partner _____Publish one book $3,500 Publisher _____Host a pastoral circuit gathering $500 Host _____Donate to Mission Nation $___ Pillar You will receive updates on the progress of Mission Nation; access to all the videos on the website (easy to download) to share with your church at worship, Bible Study, along with study guides, great for youth groups and confirmation classes! As you consider your gift browse our website to learn more about the “best kept secret in mission work today.” www.MissionNationPublishing.org Donations accepted by check sent to Mission Nation Publishing, 1795 Leamington Ln, Naples, Fl. 34109 or Click here to donate via credit card. As we thank our God for all His blessings, I thank you for the blessings you have poured out on Mission Nation. Yours in Christ our Savior, Bob Scudieri |
MAY MISSION BOOK – FEATURED
The Resilient Missionary is the featured book this Sunday, May 19, 2019:
Dr. Yohannes Mengsteab is from Eritrea, a country in North Africa. When communist insurgents began a campaign to take over Eritrea, Yohannes joined up. He was a communist soldier, and was wounded. Escaping to Sudan, he made his way to a refugee camp along with thousands of other Eritreans. Swedish Lutheran missionaries in the camp evangelized Vohannes, and he became an evangelist. The missionaries helped him gain entry to America, where he began six churches in the Washington DC – Baltimore area. Today he is a mission executive in the Texas District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. This book is available in the Narthex, following the service. The cost is $20, of which $10 goes to mission work.
Mission Nation Publishing and Missions Board at Peace Lutheran Naples will also be partnering with Samaritans Purse for Christmas Shoebox ministry to give a voice to missionaries to America.
APRIL MISSION BOOK – FEATURED
MARCH MISSION BOOK DISPLAY – FEATURED
The featured book for March 2019 is The Despicable Missionary by Christine Schulden. The Despicable Missionary is about a Christian girl growing up in Muslim Pakistan. The story is about finding the spiritual strength to love Muslims, and the difference that has made in her life and the lives of Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus in Pakistan and in America. Pick up your copy at the bookstand outside the sanctuary. Of the $20 price, $10 goes to support themissions of our Lutheran Women’s Mission League.
KIOSK – MISSION BOOK DISPLAY – What it’s all about!
Click below for video:
missions @ peace – focus archive
VIDEO UPDATES
Congratulations – You’ve won the trifecta” now, come find out what that means and what you can expect. Click on video below:
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