ILC Newsletter
Every other month we get an update on what’s been happening recently at our Immanuel
Lutheran High School, College and Seminary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
“Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing
seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.”
(Psalm 126:5-6)
There’s something special about autumn. The heat and labor of summer is past, and the stark stillness of winter is not yet come. Autumn has its own joys. It is traditionally the time of reaping, a time when our more agrarian ancestors rejoiced in the harvest. For them, the months of October and November represented a time of “bringing in the sheaves”–sheaves that, for them, often represented the year’s only payday. It was also a time for Christians to acknowledge the generous bounty bestowed on them by a gracious and provident God.
Needless to say, fall is a very special time here at Immanuel Lutheran College as well. Fall classes are once again in full swing. Fall sports are well underway. We enjoy cooler, more moderate temperatures now that the muggy heat of summer is behind us and the bitter cold of winter not yet here. Situated as we are in the deciduous forests of west-central Wisconsin, we are treated to an awesome display of God’s creation as the autumn colors reach their deepest hue.
Psalm 126 speaks to the restoration of Israel to its homeland. After a long night of weeping in exile, the morning of joy greeted them upon their return to Jerusalem. Similarly, ILC students and faculty alike are reminded that their labors here at Immanuel, though arduous and challenging at times, will, with the Lord’s blessing, bear fruits later in their lives—indeed unto everlasting life. Even more broadly, Christians everywhere who labor for the Lord in circumstances difficult and fraught with tears are reminded that the joyful relief of an eternal harvest is coming. In Christ, we can look forward to a rest from our labor, to a departure from this vale of tears, and an everlasting “harvest home” with our Redeemer in heaven.
It is in this joyful spirit that we offer you these beautiful autumn photos of our campus, taken by CLC Pastor Joel Fleischer of Berea Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In addition to his clerical calling, Pastor Fleischer is also a licensed drone pilot.
Paul Naumann is a professor at Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and editor of The Lutheran Spokesman.