It was beautiful for us to learn of the sacramental nature of the liturgy, how God comes to us to deliver His saving and life-giving gifts through His holy Word and Sacraments, and how we respond to those gifts through the sacrificial acts of giving Him thanks, praise, and our supplications. Rev. Smith reinforced how the Gospel is not simply informative but performative and transformative, delivering to us the very gifts Jesus won for us on the cross, the gifts that the Holy Spirit uses to create and strengthen in us saving faith, gifts that allow us to have communion with God and each other. 

After receiving the seminar, all the participants had the comforting feeling of how blessed we are to have the Divine Service and how important a healthy way of worship is for our spiritual welfare and how it is a great mission tool when we share with others the wonderful divine gifts we receive in the Service.

We are deeply grateful to Lutheran Church–Canada for always maintaining their love and commitment to the training and preparation of the servants of the Church, for the great love they feel for the mission in Nicaragua, and the many ways they assist us. We particularly are grateful to Rev. Smith for his visit and for the eloquent way of transmitting his teachings, his good humour and his affection.

 God keep and protect you.

 — Your brother in faith, Rev. Hector Morales

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You can learn more about Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)’s partnership with the Lutheran Church Synod of Nicaragua (ILSN) by visiting our Nicaragua Missions webpage.