It was indeed a great time to take part in the divine service conducted by the Chief Apostle in Karlsruhe on Sunday 28th June 2020.

The text word was taken from the book of Psalm 146:7b-8, ‘The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous.’

The Chief Apostle started by thanking God, who made it possible for him to experience the divine service with everyone who is connected online via different media and devices across the globe and those in the beyond who have also joined the fellowship.

Being a preparatory service for the divine service for the departed, the Chief Apostle dwelt on theme of the salvation of God.
 

The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners
 
The Lord Jesus Christ liberates and sets free, those who are in prison and makes them free from the government of sin. He has power over the evil one. When we follow Jesus Christ, believe and trust in Him by partaking in the sacraments, He saves us from sin and will take us to the place He has prepared for us. Finally, we shall experience eternal freedom in nearness with God in His presence.
 

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind

We are blind when we do not understand the task and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ and the task given to us as Christians. The task of Jesus Christ is to free us from the government and the force of sin. Our task is to accept Jesus, believe and be faithful despite the problems of life.

We are blind when we judge our neighbours or always see things that are wrong about them without examining our own life. We must look up to Jesus Christ and strive to be like Him. He is our model and example.

We are blind when we do not see the needs of our neighbour. Jesus has put the Love of God in our hearts, so we need to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The Lord raises those who are bowed down

So many people are bowed down on earth and in the beyond. It is not late. They can be redeemed through the grace and mercy of God. We raise those who are bowed down on earth by comforting them and encouraging them through our deeds, words and prayers and those in the beyond through our prayer of intercession.
 

The Lord loves the righteous
 
Our Lord God raises those who are down through His love. To benefit from the love of God, we must believe in Jesus Christ and because of our faith we will be righteous.

The Chief Apostle was assisted by District Apostle Michael Ehrich. In the divine service, Apostle Bansbach was retired and Bishop Martin Rheinberger was ordained as the successor.