In London, in 1890 The
Sign of the Four was published in
Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. This and other novels and short
stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle developed the character Sherlock
Holmes. This intriguing fictional detective has engaged and
captivated audiences in every generation since. In that same summer,
over here on the other side of the Atlantic, German settlers in
Fredericksburg, Iowa set to work to build a Lutheran church. 125
years ago these founding fathers of our congregation gathered
offerings and pledges for the resources to build the first house of
worship for St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Unaltered
Augsburg Confession. Although it was torn down in the late 1930s,
much of the lumber was salvaged and used to build the second church,
which still stands today, remodeled as our fellowship hall.
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| photo from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ |
Recent retellings of the Sherlock
Holmes crime stories have been modernized and updated, but the
essence of the character – his genius, his wit and his eccentricity
– have remained intact. Similarly, 125 years later, we have
modernized our church a bit with some minor details like indoor
plumbing and Wi-Fi. We sing our hymns in English now and we have
communion more regularly. But the essence and the character of what
we do is the same, because Jesus Christ, who is at the center of what
we do, is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). It's
a blessing for us to follow the pattern that those old Germans set
for us. Their legacy to us is much more than lumber and nails. They,
like us, desired for themselves and their children to hear God's Word
and believe in His Son Jesus Christ, “auf daß alle, die an ihn
glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben”.
(that whoever believes in Him will not perish but shall have
everlasting life. John 3:16b). In answer to their prayers, God is
allowing us to celebrate this anniversary year on June 14th
with services at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm.
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