What Does This Mean?

By Pastor Matt Clark

Pastor clark and evangelist gurung with the class. note the nepali copies of luther’s small catechism.

What does this mean? Perhaps many of us became familiar with this question during our confirmation instruction. In Luther’s Small Catechism, this question is asked again and again as Martin Luther unpacks the meaning of the chief teachings of the Christian faith; such as the Ten Commandments, The Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. Since 1529, this book, and its Bible-based answers to “What does this mean?” has helped make, and strengthen, disciples of Jesus Christ.

What does this mean? This question is currently being asked, and answered, on a weekly basis at the Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA) Peace Center. Every Saturday afternoon, a group of about ten Nepali youth and adults eagerly gather to learn the key teachings of the faith in both English and Nepali. An extension of Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis, this bi-lingual class is taught by Pastor Matt Clark and translated into Nepali by Ascension’s Nepali Evangelist, Gagan Gurung.

Would Luther have ever imagined that his Small Catechism would be translated into Nepali and be used to instruct refugees who now call St. Louis home? Probably not, and yet, the Lord is working through CFNA and area Lutheran congregations to do just that. This Saturday afternoon confirmation class is just one of many examples of God working through perhaps formerly unimaginable partnerships. Partnerships that help new Americans answer a simple, yet vital, question when it comes to their relationship with their Savior, specifically, “What does this mean?”