Enduring Word

Dr. Reed Lessing

About The Episode

Many churches do not know about the ongoing need for Bible translation. Millions of people are still without Scripture in a language they understand. Join the Bible translation movement to put God’s Word in their hands.

Mark your calendar. Sign up to receive resources! Bible Translation Sunday is September 26th this year (lbt.org/bts).

Dr. Reed Lessing is this year’s sermon contributor for Bible Translation Sunday. He is the Director of the Center for Biblical Studies, a professor at Concordia University St. Paul, and the author of several Old Testament commentaries.


00:00
Dr. Reed Lessing
We understand that there’s only two things that are going to last forever. That would be people and God’s word. Isaiah, chapter 40, verse eight. Grass withers, flower fades. The word of our God shall stand forever. 


00:22
Rich Rudowske
Welcome to the essentially translatable podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible translators. I’m rich Rudowski. 


00:27
Emily Wilson
And I’m Emily Wilson. 


00:29
Rich Rudowske
And today we are getting to talk all about our favorite Sunday of the year. Or at least it’s got to be in the top three. 


00:37
Emily Wilson
I mean, Easter is our favorite, but. 


00:40
Rich Rudowske
Christmas isn’t always on a Sunday. 


00:42
Emily Wilson
Oh, that is actually right, is it? I think that it might be so. 


00:46
Rich Rudowske
Then it would be in there. But we are talking about none other than the thing, the Sunday that happens, the last Sunday in September every year. 


00:54
Emily Wilson
Known as Bible translation Sunday. 


00:56
Rich Rudowske
And what is Bible translation Sunday? 


00:59
Emily Wilson
Bible translation Sunday is a celebration that you can involve your congregation, your Bible study group, whatever you would like. But Lutheran Bible translators provides resources for people to engage in the work of Bible translation ministry. You can join the Bible translation movement right where you are and praying for engaging in worship. There’s all kinds of fun stuff. And this year we’re hoping to have 120 or more congregations involved. We’re doubling up from 2019 and 2020. 


01:33
Rich Rudowske
Yeah, and the beautiful thing is that if you are as an individual congregation, and of course as Lutheran Bible translators, we are thinking about lutheran congregations, although it’s not limited to that. But as a lutheran congregation, the thing is the story of Bible translation and the work in the thousands of languages that still are working towards having access to God’s word in the language they understand the best is your story. It’s part of your congregation story. You are part of Lutherans being involved and engaged in putting God’s word in their hands. Absolutely. And as we’ll hear in the podcast coming up, heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And so when you are investing in putting God’s word in the hands of people around the world, you are part of something that’s going to last forever. 


02:21
Rich Rudowske
And Bible translation Sunday is then our tool to try to open that window in the world for your small group, your Sunday school class, your congregation, to see what you are doing when you’re involved in mission, in God’s mission, in Bible translation. And where can folks find out more about Bible translation Sunday? 


02:39
Emily Wilson
You can easily find the resources@lbt.org bts and fill out the form to let us know that you are celebrating so that we can be praying for you and the people in your life who are going to be impacted by this ministry. So this morning we get to talk with Dr. Reed Lessing, who is actually the contributor for the Bible Translation Sunday 2021 sermon, but also the children’s sermon and message. And oh, my word, I have corresponded with Dr. Lessing. I have heard stories about him, and it was just such a joy to be able to sit down and talk with him about his passion for God’s word. 


03:23
Rich Rudowske
Yeah, Dr. Lessing was one of my professors as a seminary student and a renowned scholar, has published five commentaries in CPH’s commentary series, authoring a book that’s coming out with them, countless sermon resources and studies. The guy, actually, I don’t know how he can do it all, but he’s definitely been gifted by God to be able to write and to communicate about God’s word to folks. And he is the director of the center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University St. Paul and teaches religion there as well. He earned his doctor of philosophy and theology from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and it’s a real privilege to talk with Dr. Lessing. Faye, we hope you enjoy this conversation. 


04:10
Emily Wilson
Today we are with Dr. Reed Lessing, who is a professor at Concordia University St. Paul, and he is a theologian and commentary author of various books of the Old Testament. Welcome, Dr. Lessing. 


04:28
Dr. Reed Lessing
Good to be here. Thank you. 


04:30
Rich Rudowske
Glad to have you with us today. 


04:32
Emily Wilson
Yeah. So you have quite the repertoire of experience, and you’ve been in church work for the majority of your life, so can you share a little bit about your story with our listeners? What led you in the direction of becoming a church worker? 


04:48
Dr. Reed Lessing
Sure, I’d love to tell a little bit about my story. It actually all began in the great state of Minnesota. I was a student in college and I was offered a job to work at a lutheran camp in Waterville, Minnesota, called Camp Omega. It’s the ministry of the Minnesota south district of the LCMs. And being on staff there for three summers and being involved in studying God’s word and sharing God’s word really transformed me and led me then to enroll at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and. 


05:27
Rich Rudowske
Want to be a pastor. 


05:28
Emily Wilson
Oh, that’s awesome. Camp experience really is very a transformative thing. You were a camp counselor, right? 


05:35
Rich Rudowske
I was, yeah. That’s where I met my. Yeah. Oh, really? 


05:38
Dr. Reed Lessing
So what camp was that? 


05:40
Rich Rudowske
Well, it was a camp called Camp Warren, run by the local conglomeration of churches. I’m sure they had a better name than that in Michigan, in the county where I grew up. Camp? Yep. 


05:52
Dr. Reed Lessing
Wow. Yeah. Well, that’s wonderful. 


05:55
Emily Wilson
Yeah. I know that the camp experience is really very formative of not only discovering more about yourself and the people around you, but also really being drawn to God. So three years in a row of doing that, I can definitely see where that was a transformative experience. So your experience at the seminary then prepared you and your first call was to a congregation where. 


06:24
Dr. Reed Lessing
So I have served. Prior to joining the faculty at Concordia seminary, I served in congregations in Louisiana and Oklahoma. 


06:33
Emily Wilson
Wow, that’s awesome. Getting a different cultural experience in Minnesota, right? 


06:38
Dr. Reed Lessing
Yes, ma’am. 


06:40
Emily Wilson
So you’ve had some different directions then as pastor in Louisiana and Oklahoma, but then you moved into the seminary teaching position. And like you’ve mentioned that rich was actually one of your students at one point. So that was an experience, right, rich? 


06:58
Rich Rudowske
Yeah. 


06:59
Dr. Reed Lessing
Oh, not just one of my students. Stellar students, no doubt about it. No, really. I’m being very honest, very sharp mind and big heart. 


07:11
Rich Rudowske
Well, thank you. 


07:12
Emily Wilson
He’s not blushing over here. So what was it that led you to become a professor and actually focusing in on Old Testament history and digging deeper? 


07:26
Dr. Reed Lessing
I fell in love with the Old Testament while I was doing my masters of divinity work at seminary in St. Louis. In my undergrad programs in the Old Testament, I was taught a lot of history. So the Old Testament is a lot of history, and that’s probably pretty much it. Maybe one or two, half a dozen predictions of Jesus, and you can move on to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That was my. In the Old Testament. What I learned then at the seminary was that testament is full of wisdom and theology and drama and poetry and lament and celebration, and it paints a marvelous, beautiful portrait of Jesus. So I learned Hebrew in the Old Testament and have been a proponent of that for the last 40 years or so. 


08:25
Rich Rudowske
So in your role at Concordia St. Paul, you also have gotten to start a new ministry there at the university called the center for Biblical Studies. Can you tell us a little bit about that? 


08:35
Dr. Reed Lessing
Oh, I’d be happy to. The center has as its goal to disseminate biblical confessional lutheran resources for pastors and parishioners. We do that primarily through seminars and workshops in which sermon series are developed and shared. And that would be annual seminars that help pastors and churches prepare for advent and lent, as well as their stewardship emphasis in the fall. So we have those three seminars and then we have a general Bible seminar for laypeople every march. So I invite people. You can just simply google a CSP center for biblical studies, go to our webpage and you’ll find out about those seminars, those workshops, those materials. We also host a scholar in residence every summer. This summer, we’re hosting Dr. Timothy Celesca from Concordia Seminar in St. Louis, who’s going to do a three day study in the book of Psalms. 


09:48
Dr. Reed Lessing
We also lead tours to Bible lands. We’ve got a tour going, hopefully Deo Valente, God willing, to Israel after Christmas this year, led by the fourth vice president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Reverend Nabil Newer, a Palestinian who was born in Nazareth and raised in Haifa. Maybe people, a little sense of what the center is trying to do. 


10:18
Rich Rudowske
Awesome. 


10:20
Emily Wilson
Well, sign me up. 


10:23
Dr. Reed Lessing
There are still spaces, Emily. 


10:25
Emily Wilson
Oh, that’s good. 


10:28
Rich Rudowske
You were just thinking where you want to go next on your next trip. So as you’ve studied the. You know, I think a lot of folks get a little bit nervous about the Old Testament or feel less knowledgeable about what’s in it. What inspired or intrigued you about the Old Testament in particular? 


10:46
Dr. Reed Lessing
Yeah, I think the simple answer is that the best commentary on the New Testament is the Old Testament. I love the New Testament. In fact, I got to teach Greek this past year at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. So my Greek has never been better in my life, and I love to read the New Testament. I was reading the New Testament this morning in my devotions in John, chapter six. But just to use that as maybe an example, Jesus bread of life discourse, a lot of it centers around Exodus, chapter 16 and the giving of the gift of man. So I found that the more I dove into the Old Testament, the more finally I understood the New Testament and the ministry and the mercy of Jesus. 


11:42
Emily Wilson
That’s awesome. And so for those of us who are, you know, I know the New Testament really well. I’ve engaged with, like, where would you say would be a good space of either a rhythm, a place to start, or just a posture to take when approaching the Old Testament. And, I mean, you were expressing beautifully that this is a commentary to develop with the New Testament, but sometimes it’s like a mental hurdle or like an emotional hurdle. 


12:15
Dr. Reed Lessing
No, I understand. So I just started the book of Esther this morning in my devotions, and, oh, my gosh, Esther. Now I’m in the persian empire with artaxerxes as king in the capital of Sousa. Well, what is all of this about? So, it is challenging. There’s 39 books in the Old Testament, 77.4% of the whole Bible. So don’t anyone say it’s two thirds or even 3477.4%. But the way I read my Bible is I read sequentially through the Old Testament, Genesis through Malachi. I always read from the Book of Psalms every day, and then I read sequentially from the New Testament. So I already said John six, Esther one, and psalm 110. What I have suggested for people to do is to add the book of proverbs. In other words, Genesis one, psalm one, proverbs one, Matthew one. 


13:26
Dr. Reed Lessing
I think that’s a wonderful way to read through the Bible, and I need to do that myself because I haven’t added proverbs to my regiment, but I’ve had other people encourage me to do that. So I think that’s a wonderful way to dive into God’s word and not get bogged down just trying to read through the whole Bible. Genesis through revelation. 


13:55
Emily Wilson
Yeah. 


13:56
Rich Rudowske
And you’ve been in addition, of course, to being a scholar and professor in the parish, both in your first calls and then between your time at the seminary and your current time at St. Paul. So what’s the blessing, I guess, of being in the parish and the challenge, especially with regard to helping people get into the word? 


14:17
Dr. Reed Lessing
My journey has been nothing I could have ever planned. I have a foot in both the academy and in parish ministry, and I’ve been that way, really, for most of my ministry. All that is to say is that I’m not unique in this. I don’t mean to put it that way, but I do have the ability to live in both worlds and to bridge both worlds. A couple examples of that would be most recently, I mean, most recently, like this month, my commentary on the book of Zechariah was published by Concordia Publishing house. And that commentary, that’s my fifth commentary, it would be pretty different from the prior four. 


15:10
Dr. Reed Lessing
There’s a lot more pastoral, homiletical preaching, teaching moments in Zechariah, because I wrote it while as a parish pastor, and yet I still dive in pretty deep into the Hebrew and the poetry and the history, et cetera. So to have my foot in both worlds helps bridge both worlds. And another example would be a book that I’ve written on Jeremiah. Not a mean there are big difference. Books are a little bit easier than commentaries, but my book on Jeremiah, coming out in August by CPH, is very pastoral. It’s also, again, a pretty deep dive into Jeremiah. 


16:00
Dr. Reed Lessing
So as much as I have gone back and forth between the academy and the parish and the angst that has brought, it finally dawned upon me, oh, I don’t know, five or six years ago, that God has uniquely charted my life so that I can contribute to the kingdom of God and the advancement of the gospel through these two different worlds that I live in. 


16:33
Emily Wilson
That’s wonderful. 


16:34
Rich Rudowske
Yeah, I’ve just got to say I’ve spent, especially in more recent months, spent time reading more in these CPH commentaries, of which you’ve authored five of them. And I just wonder if you could tell us, give us a little insight, what does it look like to write those commentaries? And that’s probably a huge question or got a big answer, but just kind of curious of the process and the way you approach that. 


16:58
Dr. Reed Lessing
Yeah, it’s messy. It’s just messy. There’s no magic silver bullet. I start in reading and rereading and translating and retranslating the book that I’m commenting on both in the Hebrew and in the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint. And along the way I start looking at all the secondary literature. Again, it’s just messy. So to take Zechariah for an example, it’s about 537 book pages. I probably had about 1000 book pages in notes and I didn’t know what I had in a way. But once you have like 1000 pages, you just start reading and editing what you have. And I do that about five to six times. That is to say, I rewrite the book five to six times and about, on the fourth time, of course, I’ve deleted a lot of stuff, but about the fourth time I kind of find my voice. 


18:15
Dr. Reed Lessing
I say, oh, now I understand my contribution to this book of the Bible. So that’s one part. The other part is just sheer determination, I imagine, just not giving up because just emotionally it’s quite a ride because you’re in it for the long haul. It’s like raising children or something. It’s not going to be over in 18 months or three years, so you just keep after it. I would just say one more thing. Finally at the end of the project, it’s just a great delight to be able to understand this part of the Bible a little bit better and not only to write a book on it, but also to go out and do workshops and seminars on these biblical books. 


19:12
Rich Rudowske
Absolutely, yeah. Because ultimately the word is for proclamation and the proclamation is the good news of Jesus and God’s work in our lives and in the world. 


19:22
Emily Wilson
Yeah. Your process kind know from what I’ve heard, I’m not a Bible translation advisor myself. I have only been able to visit the field and pass through in a two week time frame. But the processes of that, this is for the long haul and the dedication, and I like that term that you used of the messiness. Right. But the joy that comes along with it, of that. What is it that we have as the goal is really for God’s word to be known to people? And so there’s just kind of, as I was hearing you, it’s just like, oh, there’s some parallels here of being able to wrestle and, okay, looking over and over the text. 


20:11
Rich Rudowske
It is a lot like Bible translation in that way, too. I worked in Botswana and for almost six years, and at the time I was done, there’s only one book of the Bible as the Gospel of Luke, and I have a copy of that on my shelf. And it’s nothing the size of a CPH commentary, but it is still this precious thing that you say, wow, I had a hand in helping create this, and it had a messy process like that, too. And that one’s about to publish, Lord willing, in the next year here, a full New Testament in that language. So just exciting stuff. And it is a privilege, I think, to be able to have the ability, the resources, the time to really dig in and do stuff like commentary writing or translating the Bible. 


20:56
Dr. Reed Lessing
Oh, isn’t that wonderful? The Gospel of Luke got everything started. Is that pretty typical for LBT, that you would start with Luke, or how do you make that decision? 


21:10
Rich Rudowske
I thought I was the one that asked the question. That’s a great question. There is not a typical LBT way, except that our projects are guided by local committees from the language community and the church. That’s usually the case that there are already christian churches. And in the case of this particular language, they asked for the Gospel of Luke to be first because they had seen the Jesus film shown in other languages, and they wanted the Jesus film in their language for going out to these remote areas to show. And that’s based on Luke. So that’s how we got there. 


21:47
Emily Wilson
Yeah. And actually, interesting what I was thinking of, because you are an Old Testament scholar, there is a lot of the parallels within culture. A lot of times the language communities that we’re working alongside, the things that we have to have side notes about or cultural explanation before we dive into a text. There’s a little bit more of a familiarity as our translation advisors are working with language communities that are more relationship oriented cultures that experience honor and shame more acutely than maybe we do. So there are things that are beneath the surface that maybe have to be made known to us more explicitly that language communities, where we work with, it’s more intuitive. 


22:40
Emily Wilson
So that’s kind of exciting, too, of when narrative is so strong, but also like genealogies and how that’s something that a lot of times were like, okay, I don’t know who any of these people are, but the impact that makes on language communities where family ties are so strong, it says so much. 


23:07
Dr. Reed Lessing
I really like your concept and strategy of translating the Bible into people’s heart language. I’m really captured by that phrase because finally, that’s the goal of christian ministry, right? Whether it’s Bible translation or camp ministry or writing a commentary, you’re trying to get God’s word into people’s hearts. It’s quite a challenge, isn’t it? But as you said, emily, there’s great delight in that. You have to love words to do any of this, and you finally are captivated by the word made flesh. Right? Jesus, it’s all just a wonderful calling upon our lives. 


23:59
Rich Rudowske
It sure is. And it’s a great privilege. And this year, particularly in 2021, if people are listening in future years, you have shared your passion and skill for putting God’s word in people’s heart language by connecting with our ministry to produce the materials for our Bible translation Sunday. And first of all, we want to say thank you for that. And I’m really looking forward to congregations all over the United States and other parts of the world really accessing these materials and going a little bit deeper into learning about Bible translation ministry and God’s word and how it endures and how it points us to Christ. Tell us, when did you first learn about Bible translation work, the type of in all the languages around the world? 


24:48
Dr. Reed Lessing
Oh, my gosh. That’s a good question. Probably in 1989. How does that sound? I was a delegate to the LCMS convention that was meeting in Wichita, Kansas, in the summer of 1989. And what a great experience just to get a much greater view of the mission of the LCMs and RSOs like LBT. We love to throw around our acronyms. RSO, LBT. There you go. But I remember being introduced to LBT at that point and just being so in favor of the philosophy, the strategy, the missional impact that Bible translation has. 


25:41
Emily Wilson
Yeah. Being able to hear about the different language communities and how God’s word is for all people and how that just ties in so beautifully with the image that we have in revelation. For example, I’m sure that you’ve heard some stories over the years connecting with Lutheran Bible translators and being connected so deeply with the biblical languages. What is it that’s been so intriguing to you about Bible translation ministry? 


26:12
Dr. Reed Lessing
Well, as someone who has been captivated by scripture for most of my life to be able to share that same joy with other people. There’s nothing greater in the world. You have both heard this, and this isn’t obviously unique to me, but we understand that there’s only two things that are going to last forever, and that would be people and God’s word. And so why waste your time doing anything else in life? Get God’s word into people. And I had alluded to this earlier, and of course, my LBT sermon is based on the book of the prophet Jeremiah. But Jeremiah is just enamored with God’s word. God puts his word into Jeremiah’s mouth in Jeremiah one nine. And then in chapter 15, verse 16, Jeremiah says, when your words came, I ate them. They were the joined a light of my life. 


27:20
Dr. Reed Lessing
So that’s the goal of Bible translation, right? To get God’s word into people’s hearts. So they read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s word, and so are transformed to live to the glory of God and to be with the heavenly hosts. As you said, emily, revelation seven. All nations, peoples, tribes and languages for people to be part of that celebration forever. 


27:50
Rich Rudowske
So tell us a little bit about the sermon itself that folks will find on the Bible translation Sunday website. 


27:59
Dr. Reed Lessing
Yeah, right. So my work in Jeremiah, I was dabbling in Jeremiah for a couple of years, as I had indicated earlier, and there’s this marvelous narrative in chapter 36 of Jeremiah. JeReMiah is the longest book in the Bible, word for word. 


28:15
Rich Rudowske
Wow. 


28:16
Dr. Reed Lessing
So it takes a while to slog your way through, but there’s a lot of rock them, sock them, beat them, bust them. That’s our custom kind of stuff. It’s pretty breathtaking. And the Guy in the black hat is JEhOyah Kim in chapter 36, and the setting is 605 BC. And JeHoYah Kim is destroying the word of God. He’s cutting it up with a knife and throwing it in the fire. And so what does Jeremiah do? Well, the last verse in Jeremiah, chapter 36, is that Jeremiah then dictates to his Emmanuelnsis, or secretary named Baruch, all the words that were in the scroll that Jehoyakim had cut up and burned, and many similar words were added to them. It said, so it does take us into Isaiah, chapter 40, verse eight. Right? Grass withers, flower fades, the word of our God shall stand forever. 


29:21
Dr. Reed Lessing
So that particular event in Jeremiah’s life has intrigued me for probably ten years or so. So when I was contacted by LBT, I thought, well, I bet a lot of people have never heard the sermon on Jeremiah 36. So let’s go with that. 


29:39
Rich Rudowske
It is time, right? 


29:44
Emily Wilson
It really sounds like just how beautiful that God is working all of these things together of your study and your connections with Lutheran Bible translators over the years and being rich’s professor and all of that coming together, that more people might be able to celebrate on Bible translation Sunday God’s word in the hands and hearts of people and digested and how he transforms us by his word. So I want to, as you have been the author of this sermon and by the children’s Sermon and other materials that are being created, what words of encouragement would you have for people who are considering, oh, are we participating in Bible translation Sunday this September? What words of encouragement would you have for them? 


30:40
Dr. Reed Lessing
Oh, my gosh. What a great opportunity to get behind one of the best ministries in Lutheranism. So don’t miss the opportunity. Give people the chance to see what LBT is all about. And as they say, right, if this doesn’t light their fire, then they’re working with wet wood. Get some new wood, because this is right on the cusp of making disciples of all nations. So don’t miss it. 


31:13
Emily Wilson
Well, we so appreciate your dedication, your enthusiasm, and your prayers for the work of Bible translation ministry and the work that you are doing at Concordia University St. Paul, to share the word of God with these young men and women who maybe are just starting to delve in. Maybe they’ve been lifelong christians, but that trusting that God is at work in and through your ministry, and we thank you for that. 


31:42
Dr. Reed Lessing
Well, thank you. We’re looking forward to connecting more with LBT, and we do have Dr. Samuel Duressa on our faculty, who is from Ethiopia. I know you do a lot of work in that part of Africa, and we’re hoping that we can partner a little bit more strategically and intentionally because we have Samuel and the connections that he has with Ethiopia. And l, so whatever I can personally do along those lines, you got me. I’m committed to helping you in any way, shape or form. 


32:24
Rich Rudowske
Thank you. That’s so awesome. And we really appreciate your partnership in the gospel, your passion for the word of God, and for sharing that with us. 


32:32
Emily Wilson
Thank you so much, Dr. Lessing. 


32:34
Dr. Reed Lessing
Thank you. 


32:39
Emily Wilson
Dr. Lessing’s energy and passion for Bible translation and just God’s word in a language that we understand is just infectious and contagious. And I couldn’t stop smiling as were doing this interview. He was just like, not only the passion being endearing to my heart, because when you’re in that kind of presence. You want to mirror that. You want to engage and you want to share that same kind of energy. It’s so inspiring. 


33:12
Rich Rudowske
Yeah. The thing I loved about being a student of Dr. Lessings was the connections that he would make clear for us, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. And when you start to see those connections, you just can’t help but get excited about the word of God and more so the word made flesh and who dwelt among us all pointing to Christ. And so you can hear, of course, those of us involved in Bible translation ministry. We are passionate about putting God’s word in the hands of people. And I think for many of us it’s because we have been personally touched and really can resound with the feeling of how God’s word has moved our hearts. I’m sure for our listeners you have that experience, too. 


33:50
Rich Rudowske
But I’d certainly recommend if you have the ability and resources to connect with the center for Biblical Studies at Concordia St. Paul and take advantage of some of the opportunities Dr. Lessing talked about, because they’re really going to enrich your love for the scripture and see why. Also, maybe you want to get involved in putting God’s word in people’s hands, and that’s why Dr. Lessing wanted to get involved with us in launching Bible translation Sunday 2021 and providing those resources, and we want you to be involved in that as well. 


34:19
Emily Wilson
Yeah. So if you haven’t checked out the website yet, lbt.org btS, we’d love for you to join us. You can be one of the 120 congregations we’d love to join the celebration together and joining the Bible translation movement. 


34:34
Rich Rudowske
So yeah, we want to say thanks to all you folks out there who’ve already done that and who are preparing for your congregations to do that. If you’re a member of a congregation, you’re not quite sure how this all works, we certainly encourage you to talk to your pastor and point them to lbt.org bts or to talk to your Sunday school class or if you have a small group or just invite a group to your home and download those materials and talk about it. 


34:57
Rich Rudowske
And certainly you can reach out to us at LBT by writing an email to info@lbt.org if you’d like to request that somebody come and talk to your congregation or to your small group about Bible translation ministry, whether it’s the last Sunday of September or any Sunday or any other day during the year, Bible translation Sunday is whatever you want to make it. Thank you for listening to the essentially translatable podcast brought to you by Lutheran Bible translators. You can find past episodes of the podcast@lbt.org Slash podcast or subscribe on audible, Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow lutheran Bible Translator social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Or go to lbt.org to find out how you can get involved in the Bible translation movement and put God’s word in their hands. 


35:44
Rich Rudowske
The essentially translatable podcast is produced and edited by Andrew Olson and distributed by Sarah Lyons. Our executive producer is right over there. Her name is Emily Wilson. The podcast artwork was produced by Caleb Rotelwald, music was written and performed by Rob Weit, and I’m Rich Radowski. So long for now. 

Highlights:

  • Dr. Lessing is an Old Testament scholar who shares about his experience in ministry and his passion for God’s Word.
  • Dr. Lessing talks about his process of writing commentaries, which involves reading, translating, and editing the text multiple times
  • Bible Translation Sunday resources are available at lbt.org

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