Director’s Letter
Secure in Christ’s Victory
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll … . And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’” (Rev. 5:1a, 2).
Who is worthy? No one but the Lamb, the Lion of Judah, the promised Messiah, the Son of God. His opening of the heavenly scroll resides not in dream or fantasy, but in the reality of His victory, won for all upon a cross, declared in the resurrection. In what has been handed from the Father to His Son, Christ exercises His authority forever to deliver His faithful saints from every evil.
What is recorded in this scroll that only Jesus can open? The shining destiny of the people of God. No matter the darkness, terrors and agonies of suffering and death that we face in this earthly life, Christ is in charge. Too distracted, too fearful and anxious, we too soon forget: Nothing — no earthly wickedness, no demon or devil, no worldly ruler or powers or wars, no pandemic, no abundance or deprivation — can alter God’s righteous judgment. From beginning to end, A to Z, that sacred Word in the Old and New Testaments — opened by the Lamb of God once slain, the Lion who ferociously slew death and hell itself — brings you His hope and divine encouragement, giving you the confidence and strength to remain forever faithful to His promise of eternal glory. To forgive. To bring you to everlasting life.
Wherever and whenever Christ is preached, that ministry continues in amazingly diverse circumstances, as exemplified in this issue of Lutherans Engage the World. He is proclaimed as crucified for our sins, for in that blessed death is shown His victory for you and me.
In His hands,
Rev. Kevin D. Robson
Chief Mission Officer, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
