PPassport to Eternity

August 2, 1931 – April 2, 2023

This issue of Saturday’s Notes is intended to recount my life and times with one of my mentors, my friend, my pastor, and most of all one who is a partner and fellow heir with Pastor Gene: a passport to eternity.  Sadly for those of us remaining, the LORD took His servant, Pastor Gene, to be with Him in eternity on April 2, 2023.  Yes, on Palm Sunday.  Just as Christ rode triumphantly into the Holy City of Jerusalem, so Gene traveled triumphantly to the Heavenly Jerusalem to be with his Savior.

Pastor Gene was born on August 2, 1931, the son of a Lutheran pastor.  Shortly thereafter, he was born again by water and the Word in Holy Baptism applied and spoken by his father, the late Reverend William A. Lauterbach.  This was Pastor Gene’s beginning of a life with a passport to eternity.  One of my most cherished memories of my mentor is his recital of the “Seven Words of Creation” in its original language (likely the only Hebrew he remembers!)

Genesis 1:1 Hebrew Bible: Seven Words of Creation

I have deliberated over these past days and weeks about what to say about this under shepherd of The Shepherd Jesus Christ.  The past times include my over forty years knowing this man and how we served our LORD together.  The present times reflect on his falling asleep in Jesus. And finally, the future relates to my life without all three of my former mentors; and most of all, the wisdom that I learned from Pastor Gene on a park bench in a rural Indiana town.

The Past: I was privileged to have received a present from Pastor Gene some years ago.  It was a copy of his father’s compilation of various articles authored, some of which appeared in Portals of Prayer.  His book is entitled, The Crucial Hours.  His father’s foreword is worth repeating because it was Pastor Gene’s source of his pastoral focus over sixty-seven years of ordination.  Listen! “The goal of this book is to aid the reader in understanding and appreciating our Savior’s redeeming love – that he may be led to a deeper knowledge and a bolder confession of His glorious name. The constant focal point is Christ and His sacrificial work.”

Once upon a time (circa 1980-1), I was chairman (Herr Vorsteher) of our congregation.  We found ourselves without a pastor.  One of my duties was to attempt to find local pastoral assistance not only for Sunday worship but other pastoral duties. I found Pastor Gene who was then a lecturer/trainer for Parish Leadership Seminars in Indianapolis.  When not traveling, Pastor Gene was happy to assist our congregation and often did so. Our fellow members submitted Pastor Gene’s name as a possible full-time pastor for our church. Indeed, our members voted to call him to serve with us. Following that evening call meeting, I drove to Pastor and Betty’s home to deliver the news that we had issued an invitation to be our pastor. As they were about to depart for a Canadian training trip, I was instructed to mail the formal call papers to their first stop in their journey. Well, finally after being forwarded several times, the papers arrived; literally covered with stamps. That was the beginning of Pastor Gene’s twenty-five years of service to our congregation.

During his tenure, I served with him as the head elder or chairman of the congregation. This writing cannot list all the things that I learned from him – from weekly Bible class and beyond. My Bible is full of handwritten notes that I have written from Pastor Gene’s lessons, sermons, or other learning events. My wife and I became very close friends with Pastor Gene and Betty outside the church proper. Our travels together were referred to as “outings.” Our outings included driving just an hour to Upland, Indiana to a college town with a renowned ice cream shop whose version of strawberry shortcake is a meal in and of itself. Of course, many of our outings included shopping for our wives.  But Gene and I would find a coffee shop or just a park bench while the women were doing their thing.

One of most memorable times the two of us shared was dealing with the disaster that struck our nation in New Orleans in 2005. History records almost 1,400 fatalities and billions in damages; let alone lives torn apart. I went into Pastor Gene’s office before Sunday service and said, “Regardless of our size or financial health, we cannot just sit by and do nothing.” Before the words were fully penetrating into Pastor Gene’s mind, a parishioner and her little daughter entered the office with us.  The mother spoke on behalf of her little girl and said, “my daughter has brought her piggy bank and would like to give it for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.”  Pastor Gene and I looked at each other with jaws gaping open. Surely, this was the Holy Spirit guiding us in our action. Pastor then addressed the little girl and asked, “would you be willing to come up to the altar and place your piggy bank contents into a collection plate?” She nodded her head in the affirmative. At the conclusion of services that day, deacons were available to collect funds to assist, bearing in mind, that little girl gave everything she had! Well, over the new few weeks, we sent two checks totaling $15,000 to a congregation of equivalent size and functioning to ours. Sometime later, I was in New Orleans for a meeting; and was able to meet with the pastor and congregational leader for dinner and a tour of their campus. Tears flowed at dinner as they elaborated on the timing and generosity of our gift. To God be the Glory!

The Present: The day arrived – that day that everyone wants to avoid thinking about. Betty texted me to call her right away. My heart rate was accelerating as I dialed Betty’s phone. And then she told me that Pastor Gene had passed as he was prepared for bed that night.  The LORD said, “it’s time Gene!” My wife and I were not long in visiting our great friend in her loss. It was difficult seeing Gene’s empty chair in their family room. While in failing health physically, his mind was as sharp as ever. He continued to be my spiritual advisor in my studies and writing.  Yes, he even gave me a copy of his Hebrew professor’s book when I was authoring my book, Reflection: Journey through the Psalms.

My mind kept wandering back in time to various situations where his wise counsel was coveted. Yes, in the 1990s as I wrote Saturday’s Notes each week, I often called him when I had difficulty finding a Bible verse.  And as usual, he would usually quote the book, chapter, and verse off the top of his head.

Gene’s most favorite verse in Scripture was what he called, “the greatest promise in the Bible.” In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, St. Paul writes, “but our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the LORD Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

Their pastor arrived while we were with Betty to plan Gene’s service of celebration of his life in Christ. Gene had already planned the various Scripture readings and hymns. But he and Betty wanted me to give a eulogy. I said, “I’m not sure I can do it.”  Like Gene, my remarks pointed not to Pastor Gene but to the LORD whom he served from his baptism to his falling asleep. His grandson, another Reverend Lauterbach, read Pastor Gene’s favorite Scripture from Philippians. And then we laid Gene to rest with his tombstone reading, “awaiting resurrection day.” To God be the Glory!

Epilogue: Wisdom from the Park Bench: My three mentors served their LORD for 183 years in total as ordained servants of the Almighty God. Now at the age of seventy-eight, I am all alone. Where can I go for wisdom? Or answers? Pastor Gene paid me a great compliment when he wrote a note in a book that he gave me. He said, “to a sterling churchman.” That statement would not have been possible without the wisdom and counsel from my three mentor pastors. I continue to have the greatest mentor and that is the same Jesus that Pastor Gene professed.  He is the Wisdom of God.

Years ago, Gene and I found ourselves sitting on a park bench in a small town in central Indiana. I remember him echoing some statement of wisdom that I thought I would never forget – but I did.  But I have concluded that the exact statement is not as important as what Gene was saying.  And that was, Jerry, keep in His Word and walk in His path of grace and mercy. That is the real message from Gene to me on that memorable day.

Let me close with Paul’s doxology in Romans. “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him – to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” (Romans 16:25ff)

Peace

Connected in Him, I stand

GHR