Dear beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

This month, you will notice that we are beginning to share some District Convention business. You’ll see additional details over the coming months as our District Convention grows closer. The Minnesota South District 79th Convention is set for June 17-19, 2021, at Concordia University, St. Paul. God willing, we will be able to gather in person for a time of fellowship and growth.

The verse following verses from Colossians constitute our theme passage for the Convention:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17, ESV, emphasis added)

Verse 17 in particular is at the heart of our theme for this convention year: “Everything in the Name of Jesus.”

That statement offers hope, direction, and confidence all in one. It is an awe-filled statement that testifies to the life we have in our Lord Jesus. I pray it inspires you as it does me.

hope.

“Everything in the Name of Jesus” will be our gathering call leading up to and throughout our District Convention. Jesus is the beating heart of our confession. This beating heart of what we believe, teach, and confess flows out of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. His name covers us and leads us forward. It is Jesus who pumps the lifeblood of our faith. He alone, the living Son of God, provides the justification of the ungodly through the cross.

direction.

Once we’re baptized into Him, the name of Jesus goes into our lives and out into all the world as testimony to the Good News of love, forgiveness, and new life that we have in Him. The lives we live, the work we do, the care we give, and the love we extend are all done in His name.

confidence.

In a world of pandemic, racial tension, social injustice, unrest, heartache, and death, there is a powerful hope that comes in the name of Jesus. His name gives solace and comfort. Faith in Jesus secures the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

There is comfort and power in the name of Jesus. Placed upon us in Holy Baptism, His name is the Good News that He is ours and we are His. He is at work in us. Everything we do, in word or deed, is done in His presence and therefore to be done invoking Him as Lord.

at the convention.

Our District Convention next June will celebrate this truth and highlight the life we have in His name, the worship we do in His name, the service we provide in His name, the love we give in His name, and the mission of the Holy Christian Church that is carried out in His name. You will experience all of this—the life, worship, service, love, and mission—through the Bible studies, video testimonies, presentations, and resolutions at the District Convention next summer.

The District Convention logo boldly expresses these truths with the name of Jesus written large, in the shape of the price of our redemption, with “everything” literally in His name. You will be seeing this logo a lot in the coming months, and I hope that every time you do see it, you are reminded immediately of the power of our Savior.

The Lord bless you and keep you as you go forward even now, confident that everything you do as a Christian is done in the name of Jesus.

Everything in the name of Jesus,

Pastor Lucas

Rev. Dr. Lucas V. Woodford
President
Minnesota South District, LCMS
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