Capstone Portfolio

by

Veronica (Vicky) F. Daub

Theological Convictions

Presented to Dr. Mary Hess

Luther Seminary

As a Requirement in

Course LD0530: Missional Leadership in a Professional Setting

St. Paul, Minnesota

2019

The Apostle’s Creed.

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

“What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has

given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my

senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink,

house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily

provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all

danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly,

divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my

duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”i

In June 2017, I travelled to Leipzig, Germany with the Colorado Luther Chorale. This is

part of the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig. Martin Luther preached from the pulpit of this

church. “Nikolaikirche, with its undistinguished façade, was center stage during the

demonstrations that helped bring down the Communist regime. Every Monday for

months before the government collapsed, thousands of citizens gathered in front of the

church chanting, “Wir sind das Volk” (“We are the people”).”ii On the night of June 8,

2017, I stood on these steps. As I sang, I looked at the faces of those in the audience. I

thought about of all the people who had been in Nikolaikirche over the centuries. I

marveled how this church survived World War II. My loving God gave me eyes and ears

to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience! On several occasions, I was overcome by the

sheer majesty of it all.

“I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the

Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,

died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he

ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come

to judge the living and the dead.”

“What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from

eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Who has redeemed me,

a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from

the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with

His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His

kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as

He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”iii

Our chorale group traveled to Torgau, Germany June 11, 2017 for a day of exploring the

town on our own. I visited Schlosskapelle first. “The castle church (also a castle chapel)

is the first Protestant church building in which the doctrine of the Reformation was

realized in architecture and art. Martin Luther consecrated the church on October 5,

1544.”iv 

“Outside Germany, the town (Torgau) is best known as the place where, on April 25th,

1945, U.S. and Soviet forces first met near the end of the Second World War.”v This

memorial, just across the Elbe River, is a 10-minute walk from the Castle Church

(Schlosskapelle). Imagine. Just over 400 years after Luther consecrated this church,

soldiers from the United States and Russia met on a bridge to signify the ending of World

War II by shaking hands. Out of our group of 90 or so people, I was the only one to

discover this amazing coincidence. After I took the picture above, I remember standing

there, knowing that this was not happenstance. I thought about Jesus dying on the cross,

and rising three days later. I wondered if the soldiers felt “re-born” that day, now that the

war was finally over. In my minds’ eye, I imagined them worshipping at the Castle

Church together later that day. I also realized that here was yet another sacred place that

was not destroyed during World War II.

“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the

forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

“What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in

Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel,

enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way

He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and

keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and

richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me

and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most

certainly true.”vi

Our next stop June 11, 2017 was Wittenberg!!! As you can imagine, the place was

PACKED with fellow 500th Reformation tourists. This was also the last day of an annual

festival celebrating Martin and Katherina’s wedding, which took place in Wittenberg in

1525.

The enormous crowds mandated that I once again be separated from my fellow travelers.

A stranger was kind enough to take this picture. The huge smile on my face signifies my

joy at standing at a place that I never imagined I would actually see.

This is Martin Luther’s grave. I could have stood here for hours. The crowds mandated

that I stand here for only a moment or two. I felt God’s Holy Spirit while standing there.

As I stepped away, with tears running down my face, I thought how blessed I was not

only to be lucky enough to tour Luther Land on the 500th anniversary, but also how lucky

I felt to be starting seminary a short three months later.

i Dr. Martin Luther, A Short Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, A Handbook of Christian Doctrine (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1943), 91.ii “Nikolaikirche information,” accessed March 12, 2019, http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/leipzig-nikolaikirche.iii Dr. Martin Luther, A Short Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, A Handbook of Christian Doctrine (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1943), 100-101.iv “Schlosskapelle information,” accessed March 13, 2019, https://www.sachsen-tourismus.de/en/service/points-of-interest/poi/poi/castle-church-torgau-hartenfels-castle-torgau/.v “Torgau information,” accessed March 13, 2019, https://www.google.com/search?lei=DFSJXOijNOXLjwSK05_gBQ&q=torgau%20germany&ved=2ahUKEwjA9Ly25__gAhWE7oMKHbC-C0MQsKwBKAB6BAgBEAE&biw=1536&bih=760.vi Dr. Martin Luther, A Short Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, A Handbook of Christian Doctrine (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1943), 123.