A Lion in the Lord

Pr. Kent Tibben of Trinity Lutheran Church, Danville, Ill., left the following quote from Wilhelm Sihler in the comment section of a previous post and I thought it worth a post of its own. Sihler, (1801-1885) while Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ft. Wayne, founded Concordia Theological Seminary in the church parsonage at the encouragement of Wilhelm Loehe and was the President of CTS from 1846 until its move to St. Louis in 1861. The following is one of Sihler’s answers to “What are the necessary requirements for an upright minister of the holy Church?”

As he tends his flock faithfully to the best of his ability, he does not desire or expect in this life great accomodations. Rather, for the sake of the Lord and His pure doctrine, he is prepared at all times to endure all sorts of trouble and to take up his dear cross after the Lord Christ so that he would not merely confess Christ but also be His disciple. He is a lion in the Lord, a lamb in his own matters. For only when he endures with Christ shall he also rule with Him. Only when he dies with Christ shall he also live with Him.

At Home in the House of My Fathers. Trans. by Matthew C. Harrison Concordia Publishing House, 2011. p.814