Preached on June 4th, 2024 at the groundbreaking for Luther Classical College.
Thank you all for coming this day and celebrating this historic moment for Luther Classical College. We especially appreciate the presence of our guests from Casper College, our contractors, and our County Commissioner.
As we sang earlier in hymn and psalm, “If the Lord doesn’t build the house, the labour is in vain.” For Christ is the Church’s one and only foundation. Many of you were here last year, and a year later you can see the developments at LCC in so many notable ways: hiring of new faculty and staff, including myself (the new president); the completion of an impressive academic curriculum and calendar that draws from the best that both classical and Lutheran education has ever offered; new partnerships with solid schools and leaders, especially within our church body, and incredible generosity in funding. We thank you all for your prayers, volunteering, support and financial gifts.
Four years ago, this was only an idea in the minds of many of the visionaries who spearheaded this project, like congregational leaders, district pastors, and especially Dr. Christian Preus, his brothers, and LCMS Wyoming District President, John Hill. It’s exciting to see how this dream has materialized today, by the grace of God, and the Holy Spirit at work through the labours of faithful men and women in this community.
Our school fills a gap in America, by being both classical and Lutheran. With the cultural trends that we witness around us (that undermine the holy Word of God and wholesome education), we have become very attractive to children and parents who care about the spiritual futures of themselves, children and grandchildren.
Yet, at the end of the day, this school is not about us demonstrating what we can achieve against all odds, or showing that we are right when others had doubts, or proving that we are better than others. It’s about glorifying God and serving our neighbour. We are humble servants of Jesus Christ. He loves the world and seeks to embrace all people with His grace through the saving forgiveness of sins that takes us rebellious sinners and restores us into a right relationship with Him as his saints. Luther Classical College is already part of that mission. By forming young people to think clearly and reasonably, fostering godly wisdom stemming from the Divine Word and rooted in history, and the best that Western civilization and tradition has to offer, and cultivating Christian virtue in the hearts and souls of our students, America becomes a better place, as these students serve others through their respective vocations.
At the same time education isn’t about improving the world, as an end to itself – lest we fall into the temptation of Babel, mankind’s goal to make a name for himself, a juvenile attempt to usurp the authority of God with a devilish spirit that wishes to make himself god. Instead it’s largely about setting conditions for the Gospel to be spread and advance, so more lost souls can be received into the citizenship of an eternal community–the one holy Christian and apostolic Church–by the holy means of grace through faith.
Good classical education empowers those who speak the truth, making us more credible, caring, and articulate missionaries and apologists. Good classical education celebrates true beauty and the best of the liberal arts, such as, in the case of music, directing human creatures to their Divine Creator. Good classical education makes hard working tradesmen, faithful husbands and wives, and effective teachers who, through their words and deeds, lead humbled hearts and minds to the one Lord Jesus Christ with fervent zeal to love their neighbours.
Are we overstating the significance of LCC here? After all, we aren’t planning to be that large. We are preparing the grounds for 300 students. Yet the most significant changes to world history have been tiny yet strategic ones that have had tremendously wide-scale effects. Just consider the crucifixion. Consider the effect of this one lone man, hanging on a single cross two thousand years ago. God orchestrated the events surrounding that One very carefully, in the fullness of his time. And through the death of God’s one and only Son came salvation for the whole world. God works great things in unexpected ways and places.
Well, this school will consist of disciples of that cross, and the timing of this build and this launch have been in his hands from the start. So, we may be small, but God is big, and that’s what counts above all our silly boastings and worries! We at LCC are excited to see what God has in store for this school, and the effect that this school will have on classical and Lutheran education across this country, as well as its positive impact on this local community of Casper, Wyoming.
So today we praise our holy Triune God for his goodness for providing us with this school, and ask for his blessing and protection on the commencement of the building. And we praise God for each of you here for joining us in this most blessed celebration.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
