Concordia University Chicago - Pillars Yearbook (River Forest, IL)

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OUR PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

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iS of to a person, but to on idea - to , united in a common spirit with fellow ar and to our God.

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Concordians are different. They should be. God has made them new creatures in Christ Jesus. He has distributed a great diversity of talents to them, He has set them as lights in a dark world in many different places in our land and other countries. There is' distinguishable and understandable diversity in Concordians. But there is great unity in our diversity. Our unity is in Christ Jesus. He is our Lord. Though we follow Him so often with falter- ing steps, yet He leads and we follow. When we fail and fall, He forgives and lifts us up. He is our mutual Friend in Whom we con- fide, our continuing Hope in Whom we trust, our persistent Advo- cate to Whom we pray. He has by His Spirit restored us to the family of God. His Father is our Father. He is our Brother, and in Him we are brethren. His Spirit leads us ever deeper into that fellowship of faith, which shares'that which is God's, and shares all it has with God and the brotherhood. Concordians are a family, a fellowship of the sons and daughters of God, They have feet of clay, but they also have feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. They have unruly tongues of fire, but they also bring a message of salvation on their lips. They have hearts which are black with the stain of sin, but they can also love the souls of men because they believe they are beloved of God. These family ties unite us when we separate, for our union in Christ Jesus is eternal. Let us pray that He keep us in His grace and in this family forever! Martin L. Koehneke President 5