We commemorate today three Lutheran missionaries: John Christian Heyer (1793-1873), Bartholomaeus Zigenbalg (1682-1718), and Ludwig Nommensen (1834-1918). Heyer and Zigenbalg were missionaries to India. Heyer was the first missionary sent by U.S. Lutherans. Danish-born Nommensen was the first Lutheran missionary to the Batak people in Indonesia.

I learned a bit about Nommensen. Although he struggled early in his work, he succeeded in establishing Lutheran churches in Sumatra which at his death total more than 180,000 members. Today the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (Batak Protestant Christian Church) has over 4 million members making it one of the largest Lutheran church bodies in the world.

I took a course from Dr. Sutan Hutagalung, secretary of one of the Indonesian Lutheran churches. He had met someone who had personally known Nommensen. This old gentleman said about Nommensen, “I once picked a flea off his coat.” Weird? No, it indicated that Nommensen was the kind of person who worked closely with the indigenous population, close enough to catch a flea from one of them. He tried hard not to be the know-it-all outsider that typified some missionaries in colonial settings.

I see in Ludwig Nommensen the key to being an evangelist. First, you have to have a passion for the Gospel. If the love of Christ doesn’t move your life, there’s nothing worth sharing. Second, you really have to care about the people you share the Gospel with. Third, you have to be humble. It’s about the Lord Jesus, not about me.

Thank God for all those who have told others the Good News.

Read 1 Peter 5:6 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne