Rev. Marvin Henschel -- Gentleness

When I first met Rev. Marvin Henschel he was the pastor of First Lutheran Church in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Later he moved to Messiah Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City. He currently is retired in Oklahoma City.

I grew up in the 60's and 70's. Those were vastly different times. Our nation and the world was changing at a breakneck pace. My recollections of church and pastors during those influential years could be summed up in the word "Harsh."

During my youth my impression of a pastor was someone who had no sense of humor and who was never a kid. For years I thought pastors were born with those black shirts with the funny collar. I do not remember the name of the pastor of my first year of confirmation but I remember him. I was deathly afraid of him. I was more afraid of him than I was any other person on earth! He may have smiled, but I'm sure it was never in front of us. Pastors during my youth were to be feared. Respected yes, but respect forced out of fear. The last thing I wanted to be was a pastor. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew what I didn't want to be like.

In 1981 I moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma. We joined First Lutheran by default. It was the only LCMS church in that Baptist Bible Belt town. The pastor was Rev. Marvin Henschel. We joined a home Bible Study group shortly after joining the church. It met every week in the homes of the members of the group. One member of the group was Pastor Henschel.

I soon realized that Pastor Henschel was unlike any other Lutheran pastor I had ever met. He was one of the kindest and most gentle men I have ever met. He understood as we all struggled with Paul and justification by faith. He didn't force the LCMS way down our throats as we pondered the imponderable in the Lord's Supper. He gently taught us about that difficult passage on picking up our cross and following Jesus. In him I saw a gentle and kind man. He was the kind of person that showed the gentleness of Jesus in all he did. He was gentle enough to let us be ourselves, doubts, fears, faith all at once. He was the one who gently asked me "Have you ever thought about being a pastor?" (Silence on my part.) "Maybe you should."

St. Paul wrote "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness." He also wrote to the Philippians "Let your gentleness be evident to all." As I look back on it, Pastor Henschel was the first Lutheran pastor in whom I truly saw this Fruit of the Spirit and it has had the most profound influence on my life.

God has placed us on this chunk of rock racing through space for a reason. One obvious reason is to give Him glory in all we do in our lives. But we also are here to touch others with the love of Jesus Christ. At times we think that we must preach to thousands as Billy Graham, or sing as an angel like Amy Grant to touch lives. To touch lives requires gentleness. A gentle word, a gentle hug, a gentle touch. In the grand scheme of our lives it may be nothing. To those who receive that gentleness, it can change a person's day, his/her attitude, or even the very direction of their lives. I know. Pastor Henschel's gentleness changed the course of mine.