It was another innocent post run amok. A friend was considering migrating to Parler over concerns for alleged Facebook errors regarding policing of its site and allegations of outright censorship. A mutual acquaintance, a pastor, decried the use of Facebook in general for anything political. They found it best used for family connections and photos, not for “spouting off about politics.” He might not have meant to offend anyone, but it took only moments for someone to insult him. By not using Facebook for more important issues, someone implied, he must find Facebook’s practices expedient (politically?) or he is just a coward. I think there’s a wide variety of reasons to use or not use Facebook, not solely expediency or cowardice. And in this very exchange, I found a perfect example of how quickly the blessings of social media can go wrong.
I’ve never found Facebook or social media in general a great place to talk about politics. People seem prone to get angry and personalize things too quickly. People are easily misunderstood and talk at people rather than with people. Anonymous attacks are often the truly expedient and cowardly thing here, and attacking someone you barely know (if at all) from miles away, proves too easy. I suspect social media has a lot to do with our growing cultural and political divide these days, as well as the easy spread of half truths if not total falsehoods.
Yet, how can we influence anyone with what we understand as truth if we never interact due to our preferred social media bubbles? How can we humbly be sure that what we think is correct if fully so? Life isn’t as dualistic as social media can make things seem. I find there are other, better ways to talk about and address important issues. Face to face has a lot of benefits. If over a beer or other beverage, that certainly doesn’t hurt. People tend to listen better and be more respectful when together in person. We also communicate a great deal through our facial expressions and body language which gets missed in social media.
In person, I find I have a greater chance to have some form of lasting impact on someone, and I often feel I’ve come to a better understanding of things as well (either in affirming what I’ve come to believe or stretching my understanding in new directions). Preaching, teaching and (this day and age) blog posts or videos might prove more helpful and a more intentional way to share ideas – especially if a pastor/priest. Truth can get quickly muddled during social media’s pithy commentary, memes and jibes.
Facebook has a boatload of issues, perceptions of or very real censorship being one, but as for me, I don’t care what platform one uses. I just encourage people to remember their chosen platform’s limits and strive to use social media and interact in a way worthy of the name Christian. If it isn’t what one hopes, use it less or leave for hopefully greener passages.
With such limitations, I, like my fellow pastor-friend, find Facebook is perhaps best left to pictures/memes, family connections, and hearing about community events – not weighty discussions. It is demonstrably ineffective for that time and again. If one wants to migrate other places to discuss politics electronically (as many of my friends are), that’s fine with me too. Hopefully, it will prove better, but one never knows. I think it likely there will be limitations in any of these mediums at this point.
Will I migrate to another platform? Will I do several? I’m not sure yet or that Parler is a good fit for me or anyone. There are concerns over hate groups using it and other issues. I’ve not really looked into it. Again, I’m not a big fan of any social media even as I recognize it has some benefits. Plus, statistically, something new is always coming down the electronic pike. I anticipate Facebook will eventually go the way of Six Degrees, Myspace and others. I don’t feel a rush to change, but I won’t make fun of someone who does. I also won’t make fun of someone who wants to use Facebook or other social media for the weightiest of matters of all – to nurture loving connections with family and friends.
“To preach Christ is to feed the soul, to justify it, to set it free, and to save it, if it believes the preaching.” – Martin Luther
This fall, the ELCA marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s early important work, The Freedom of a Christian (also known as On Christian Liberty and other similar names), and we will remember it as well at Christ Lutheran. Why? Well, through this early work, Martin Luther decisively influenced the entire Protestant movement in all its forms. As the theologian Dietrich Oppen noted, “As such, it is one of the great documents of world history, a work which opened doors to the future, first in Luther’s time and still in our own.”
Starting on Thursday, September 10, at 10:00 am, join me as we journey through this important work anew or for the first time. Our sessions will help us better understand the mystery of Christ, especially Christ’s work in and through our daily lives. Participants will be provided a pdf copy of the text (which can be printed out or read electronically), but the text is also widely available for purchase if you prefer. A special anniversary study guide will also be provided. Recognizing both the importance of this work and busy schedules, sessions will be recorded and posted on our private Facebook group, but the sessions’ quality and impact will improve if you make an effort to attend together live – willing to share both your faith and questions about faith with others. Don’t worry if you can’t make every session, as always, just come as you can.
In these challenging times amidst much fear for the future, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to trust in Christ’s saving, active love for each of us and our world. Like the earliest disciples, we are called to certainly watch and pray, but we are also asked to be Christ in the world. God has a purpose for you and I to fulfill in this time and this place as unlikely as that might seem to us. Doubts may grow strong, but they are never stronger than Christ’s love for us or his purpose.
My hope remains that – whether you find yourself out in the world or find yourself restricted to serving Christ’s Church from home – these sessions bless you to be a blessing. I also pray that they nurture a joyful, certain hope to be found in our shared future as children of God. You and I have been set free for a purpose, and so as my friend and spiritual mentor Br. Roger of Taizé once wrote, “Set out, forward, one step at a time, from doubt toward faith, not worrying about the impossible ahead.” The door has been opened by Christ alone. Let us walk through it together.
I remain in communion with you and love you,
Pastor Lou
For the ELCA’s curriculum and/or a free copy of Martin Luther’s “The Freedom of a Christian”visit elca500.org.
If you have interest in our congregation’s class, please contact me.
I wouldn’t post this if it weren’t for the fact I see too many friends on Facebook expressing the same opinion in not so many words. “Sacrifice the weak. Reopen the economy.” A simple, utilitarian approach is antithetical to Christian faith.
No, we need not unnecessarily “martyr” the economy nor “sacrifice the weak.” Yes, I understand that sacrifices will need to be made, among all, and these sacrifices won’t always be perceived as fair. Life isn’t fair. Yet, we do need to remember the “least of these” and the most vulnerable of our society as we seek a way forward. They must remain an important part of our “equation.”
Out of love for our neighbors, some freedoms and prosperity might need to be given up freely; not out of obligation but in love, at least for a time. There is no other way forward if we want to walk with Christ. Loving your neighbor cannot be based solely on death counts or the perceived liabilities of “others.” Who rightly judges who is “weak” and without worth? That’s the way of that past in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Tough economic decisions can’t be based solely on fear of the virus nor fear about where our daily bread will come from. We can and must do better. Jesus said, “…But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13-14). If you hope to someday celebrate an economic recovery, you might just want to invite these folks as well.
The following is my Ash Wednesday sermon (2020) reflecting upon the findings of the investigation of Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, in relationship to our Lenten and life’s journey. It was preached at Christ Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg.
As last week ended, I learned of some horrifying, disappointing, maddening news. A man, Jean Vanier, who had earned enormous, international respect for starting a non-profit centered around those with intellectual disabilities…who was deemed a living saint by many and inspired a worldwide movement…whose books were often assigned reading in seminaries and among social workers…who was known to be friends with Mother Teresa, Br. Roger of Taizé, Popes and Archbishops of Canterbury as well as international political figures…was discovered after his death to have misused his place of authority to abuse at least six female coworkers or volunteers who had come to him for spiritual care. He had used his position of trust not only to do good over many years – and there was and still remains much good being done in those communities called L’Arche – but ultimately, he also greatly harmed others who were extremely vulnerable. His actions still negatively impact those victims’ lives and likely will for years to come. The sin perpetrated, as sin always does, had a ripple effect. Many of those who looked up to him or were inspired by him suddenly felt violated themselves. Their volunteering or vocation, perhaps even their personhood, felt threatened. Their faith itself often came under assault. If this supposedly great man couldn’t be trusted, then who can be? People are rightly grieving openly at their sense of betrayal, disappointment, anger, and loss.
I didn’t personally know Jean Vanier, but I have known throughout my later adult years many who served in L’Arche…who are L’Arche. I worked very closely with those who formed L’Arche Metro-Richmond as they sought to successfully create a community where people with and without intellectual disabilities can be found living, working, praying, and playing together. That’s a good thing, the work of many loving people and not just one person. Ultimately, I believe the love and joy found there is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work. The Ark (L’Arche means “ark” in French) might be badly scorched, but it hasn’t been consumed. It is a work that must remain ongoing no matter who might sin and fail among us or in whatever new form the future might bring. God intends to make good come from even the ash heaps of our lives.
I remain glad that my faith is in Jesus and not in humanity. I learned as a police officer long ago that people can always let you down, sometimes in shocking ways, as they struggle with their own darkness….or perhaps start perpetuating wounds they themselves have received. Knowing this doesn’t make it easier when we are hurt by sin, but it might help us accept that bad things can happen to good people in a fallen world. In time, it might even help us forgive or move forward.
The failures of others to love need not stop us from looking to Jesus who asked us to serve as light among the darkness. This is a real darkness at work in the world often through ordinary people. Yet over those years, I also came to recognize that sin and death were also always at work in me. That’s why I came back to the Church. I needed more than just comfort or correction, some plan for doing better. I needed grace, forgiveness and salvation. I needed it not just once, but time after time each day. The darkness that we face or struggle with as Church should never keep us from striving toward the Light which is Jesus. You see, God desires to help us. Its why Jesus came to us.
That human condition reflects a bit about why we gather here tonight. No matter who we are, we as Lutheran-Christians understand that we are at our best sinner-saints. We tend to be bent inward on ourselves, Luther argued, always struggling with sin and never proving quite enough on our own to be the people we hope we can be…the people God desires us to become. Whether large sins or small sins, they come with a cost. We separate ourselves from God and neighbor. We hurt others, sometimes unintentionally, but its real hurt none the less. We experience the heavy reality of sin through bullies in school and negative, condemning self-talk in our heads, in addiction, misuse of what God has given us (even friendships and family relationships meant to be a gift from God are abused) and so much more.
This is largely unavoidable as humans, but it isn’t because we are a total mess or unredeemable…it is because we are human. Still as much as we humbly accept this fallen reality, we are asked by God to accept even more. We are fallen yet loved humans. Each year as we enter Lent, we are asked to contemplate how Jesus suffered and died for us (“for our sin” some say) in order to free us from the power of sin, death and the Devil. We are invited, not forced, to practice the disciplines of Lent: to cooperate with the grace offered us through prayer (justice towards God); fasting (justice towards self); and almsgiving (justice towards neighbors). We are called to repentance, to serve others, to offer ourselves up before God and ask God to transform our lives and community. God does so through his Spirit; making us holy.
In the early days of Christianity, the ancient practices of mourning in sackcloth and ashes became a new symbol of this season called Lent. It is a word meaning springtime, and it is meant for renewed life through loving God and neighbor as ourselves. Its not that we are asked to literally sit in ashes and dress in sackcloth like the prophets of old, but we are invited to receive a small cross made of oil and ash on our foreheads. Much like those who had been excommunicated in the early church for grave sin, we wear ashes as a sign of our modern regrets and hope for restoration. We remember the promises of our baptism where, yes, we made promises to God…promises we often fail in…but also where God made lasting, perfect promises to us. The Holy Spirit has claimed us. We have become by God’s power and proclamation beloved children of God, and God will never let us go.
I will never condemn anyone for crying over sin in the world or in ourselves. We have much to regret, and life often hurts. There’s much evil to contemplate, fear and cope with. Still, all is not lost. Jesus suffered and rose for our sake. The cross he bore…the life we live with all its problems and our fears…leads us to one certain end… Resurrection Day with a new and eternal life shared with Jesus.
As Paul so powerfully argues, we are as the dying, and see, we are alive. We might seem to have nothing, and yet we have everything. Yes, we have the love of Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer, our God. We can open wide our hearts to God and neighbor with courage, even as we might grieve sin and death. For with God, all things are possible including new starts and our salvation as gift. No matter what we see, feel, or fear, we can trust that God is making all things new. We can trust in Jesus even when we cannot trust ourselves. Amen.
For those who attend our theology on tap meetings, Three Priests Walk in a Bar, you might recall that we originally created a special Facebook group so conversations could continue. Our producer and facilitator, Nick2, similarly invited folks to “pick apart” our gatherings conversation at a later date. We invite you to join our Facebook group and join the ongoing conversations related to our gatherings and podcasts. Here’s the second of two essays that I am sharing regarding the Lord’s Supper in response to issues raised. The live event’s topic was “Can Christians Worship Together or Not?,” Episode 3.
When I was a child long ago, it was a common practice to have those coming to the Lord’s Table for the first time to dress in white. It was to serve as a reminder of our baptism. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, both means of God’s grace, are intricately linked almost as if one sacrament. Fr. Adam (Orthodox), Fr, Nik (Episcopal) and I (Lutheran) agree on that understanding.
As our last live gathering came to a close, Father Nik offered last words, passionate and extensive ones, in defense of common liturgical practice and Apostolic tradition: the unbaptized should not receive communion. I can’t say I explicitly disagree with his argument. Nor is it the first time that I’ve heard it. Yet, I do wonder about the certainty of his biblical interpretation, particularly as it comes to the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14). God might surprise us yet.
Fr. Nik, as many others before him, argued as if the meaning of the parable is both clear and specific. (At least to my ear, that’s the way I heard it.) One of those guests let in to the wedding banquet had refused to wear the appropriate wedding garment to the feast. Traditionally, such wedding garments were provided by the host, much as baptismal candidates were presented a white robe upon their baptism to remind them of their now being clothed in Christ. Many see the wedding banquet, an End Time symbol when we will live in the fullness of God, as also representing the Lord’s Supper, “a foretaste of the feast to come.” So, the argument goes, our faith and Baptism (the grace-filled garment) must be worn to the feast (the Lord’s Supper).
I accept the tradition and polity of the historic Church as understood by the ELCA. We do save communing for baptized members of Christ’s Church. Yet, I think it immensely important to point out (but we did not have the time to do so at our gathering) that parables are teaching stories. In Jesus’ time, they were commonly riddles and short stories used as a tool by instructors of all kind. They are meant to be wrestled with and often can have multiple answers and meanings. Despite the apparent certainty of Fr. Nik’s argument, isn’t it possible more is going on here? Isn’t it possible he (and others) have misapplied it to fit their already held liturgical and religious dispositions? What else could God be saying?
Certainly, there is no one way to understand this famous parable and its component pieces. Yes, as mentioned above, baptismal garments were offered the newly baptized (who entered the waters naked) to reflect our “putting on” Christ, our rebirth and regeneration – at least in a number of communities. Yet, that practice only became a norm after Jesus’ resurrection. In the scriptural account, Jesus was speaking to a crowd who would not necessarily make such a connection, even though later Christians might. In this point of his ministry, most of the original audience would likely have interpreted Jesus’ parable through the lens of Jewish scriptures and experience.
If you side with some scholars that argue the story might reflect later teachings of the community of Matthew, you might be assuming a great deal. Even with each Gospel witness being somewhat different, sometimes quite different, I’ve not been convinced by anyone that the writers played with Jesus’ central teachings freely to better fit their specific geographic, cultural context or the current theology. Jesus certainly could have intended elements of the story for future disciples, but that too, is hard to prove. It might be best to look for allusions and connections to the Jewish scriptures; something Jesus’ original audience (and the original audience of Matthew’s Gospel who are widely thought to have been Jewish Christians) would be familiar with. Let’s consider what he is saying to them, and that might help us make better applications today.
In Genesis 3, God made garments of skin to cover Adam and Eve, a sign of God’s grace amidst their rebellion. There are many instructions and commands regarding the use and care of religious garments in the Jewish scriptures. Garments could reflect one’s tribe and one’s purpose. In the Psalms, God’s loving activity and light is often compared to a garment. And the prophets speak of putting on the Lord’s splendor like a garment. So, the original listeners could have made many complimentary interpretations while excluding any particular allusion to Baptism or the Lord’s Supper.
Many argue that the garment at some level represents God’s love, grace, protection and works. It defines who we are and who we trust in through faith; faith itself being a gift. The garment in this parable need not be explicitly or solely connected to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Indeed, many scholarly and historic interpreters do not limit it in such a way. One modern Orthodox resource alluded to Baptism, but more so, the author argues we will be examined at the End of Time to see if we have shared in a life of repentance within the Church (in their mind, the Orthodox Church alone). Did we desire and accept God’s mercy? It isn’t so much about the Lord’s Supper as much as it is about our entire lives lived in faith within the holy community. Explicitly, the author asked, “Have we lived in the light we have been given?” Perhaps that proves a better understanding of the passage.
Indeed, Pope Gregory the Great argued in a sermon that ultimately the garment is God’s love. “[Jesus] came as a bridegroom to unite Himself to the Church. There was no other means than God’s love by which the Only-begotten could unite the souls of the elect with Himself. This is why John tells us: God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son (John 3:16). He who came to men for love’s sake, calls this love the wedding garment.” To him, this garment has two threads: the love of God and neighbor. As Jesus taught and recorded in Matthew, this is the greatest commandment. This doesn’t necessarily exclude one referencing the Baptism or the Eucharist, but that explicit connection seems a bit forced if Gregory the Great’s argument and many others like it hold true. Indeed, the Jewish foundation of Matthew’s Gospel might promote the greatest commandment being the preferred interpretive lens over any sacramental focus.
So, is it wrong for Fr. Nik and others to use this parable to defend the sanctity of the Lord’s Supper and how we should participate? I don’t think it necessarily is so, but there is a need for caution. It appears this parable might primarily be aimed at something quite different – a simpler application. Trust or faith in Jesus Christ might prove the preferable focus. Love and grace in light of “the fulfillment of the law” might serve as a better, more direct interpretive key. The parable might even be best understood as a warning for Christians not to take their salvation for granted as in Bonhoeffer’s arguments against “cheap grace.” Yet if one believes it to be primarily about Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the risk of being cast out for receiving the Lord’s Supper improperly (without being baptized, or while being ignorant or ill prepared) then there remain important questions to be addressed.
Does this mean only those who are baptized or who died as martyrs are saved? If someone receives the Eucharist in error or with bad intention or practice, are they without hope? Would that be a mortal sin? (As Roman Catholics understand it, this is a sin that leads to damnation if not confessed and repented of, but Lutherans reject such a hierarchy of sin. All sin separates us from God and one another.) Can faith be enough to save us, even the faith of those who are not yet baptized for whatever reason? Could not God choose to save those who are unbaptized whether infants or those who have not heard of Jesus yet for extenuating circumstances, even as we remain certain that through our faith and participation of the Sacraments we are saved by grace?
And what about those who have had members of the Church act as stumbling blocks to the faith, keeping the “little ones” who would otherwise believe away from Jesus, the Church and the Sacraments? In this last case, one might recall Jesus’ comment that it would be better to die with a millstone around one’s neck and be cast into the sea than be the one who kept the “little one” away. The sin appears to be on those who keep people away from Jesus, not those who are kept away (Matthew 18:6-9). There exist people historically and today who have been kept away from Christian faith through individual abuse and poor witness as well as the corporate power and influence of political and family systems in the Church. If we share in that sin as part of the Church or explicitly, does that mean we will found naked at the feast? I trust from the promises of Christ that will not be the case for us, and I suspect greater grace will be offered to others “outside” the Church than many Christians expect.
In the West (and perhaps the East), it appears historically common to have at times simply interpreted the parable as a call for faith, Baptism, and active life in the Church to include the Lord’s Supper. This doesn’t mean it is the best interpretation. In truth, pastors and theologians, Popes, Patriarchs, Bishops and councils have erred when addressing important issues. This parable was not always deemed explicitly about the Lord’s Supper, and I think it improper to present it as if it was.
To reject the garment was thought to reject God’s grace. But what is the garment explicitly? Anyone out of communion with the Church (as defined by varied dogma, councils, and cannon law; East verses West; Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant or Radical traditions all interpreted differently) was often declared doomed. To not be baptized would doom you. To not receive the Sacraments “rightly” and regularly would doom you. To not believe in approved dogma and previous interpretations of scripture (even when it might be wrong) was believed to doom you. Unfortunately, real life like the parable is never so cut and dry as our too often simplistic interpretations. God’s love is cut from a broader clothe, and I am not sure any of us humans can fully discern the scope and full intentions of God’s grace in the present.
Perhaps like Martin Luther, it is best to trust in, remember, and encourage others to believe in what we know saves us (as promised by Jesus). Through revelation, we know that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but God might yet have mercy on whomever God wants to. If these folks are saved (shown mercy), I believe it would ultimately be because of Jesus’ sharing our lot through his life, death and resurrection. Yet with our finite wisdom, we can never really know in this life God’s full plan.
Rather than act as if we are God, proclaiming and arguing about who is or will be cast into the pit, perhaps we should be more humble. In condemning others to hell, we risk being unscriptural and walking astray ourselves. (We can address the power of the keys at another time.) Let’s not limit the power of amazing grace, when we don’t understand its full limits.
As the Church already has often done, we of varied denominations might develop policies and procedures regarding the administration of the Sacraments for good order, right theology, or for other good and loving reasons, but we need to always be prepared for grace, a gift that is often unfair and not ours to give. There might just be something more going on in the parable and with the Spirit’s activity in our lives. After all, “for now we see in a mirror, dimly” (see 1 Corinthians 13:12). Certainly, all things remain possible with God (see Matthew 26:25-26). Regarding the Lord’s Supper, God could be doing something new. It is worth talking about even as I listen to the arguments and teachings of the past.
Post Note:As with any of our theology on tap events or podcasts, please remember we are limited by both the time and format. When someone speaks authoritatively, whether me (as a Lutheran Christian), Fr. Nik (as an Episcopalian Christian), or Fr. Adam (as an Orthodox Christian), we are speaking for ourselves as best as we understand scripture and tradition from our context. We certainly can err in the moment as well. To those who listen, our teachings might unintentionally become conflated or we can appear to be in full agreement when we are not. Feel free to ask us questions after the event for further clarification.Also, keep coming back!
For those who live elsewhere, we invite you to listen to the Three Priests Walk in a Bar podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify and more.
It is November and Thanksgiving is
coming. Yet this year, I’m filled with thanksgiving for one primary reason.
Twenty years ago, I became a Lutheran right here at Christ Lutheran.
Like many young adults, I wondered and
wandered in my journey with God. As I began to refocus my life with the help of
friends, someone recommended I check-out this faith community. Coming from my Roman
Catholic background, I found the theology sound and grace focused. The liturgical
worship was familiar and like home to me. The music and preaching encouraged me
to trust in God and rejoice. They didn’t just entertain. Yet among my greatest
reasons to join the congregation was the people I found here – people willing
to engage with the word, the world, and me.
Every seeker’s needs and ultimate experience
will be different. Some might benefit from moving on, but they can still be
blessed on their way. Others might find hope here and remain. Every visitor’s
contact with us – no matter how short or seemingly insignificant – matters. For
in welcoming them, we welcome Christ, and potential miracles lie before us. Lives
can change for the better.
In Matthew 8, there was a centurion who
desired to see his servant healed. Jesus responded that he would come to the
centurion’s home to heal the servant. Understanding the honor this represented,
the centurion protested, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;
but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.” With this sign of
faith, the servant was declared immediately healed.
We might not be worthy of Christ
entering our home (spiritual or otherwise), but Christ desires to come in
anyway. Through our experiences in welcome and hospitality, we don’t just meet cultural
expectations. We don’t just bring joy to others or ourselves. We are offered the
opportunity to meet Christ in a new and vibrant way. Christ is seeking to do
something new through our experiences with every visitor.
As we begin to see holiday visitors, I invite each and every one of us to recommit in our authentic, gracious welcome of people who are new to us. Make the time to welcome them with a heartfelt graciousness. Get to know them a bit. Let them know you. Open your hearts; vulnerably sharing your faith and struggles. Just as happened with me, you might prove just who the person needs to have their lives changed eternally. Also, in my experience since, you will likely find that welcoming Christ in others will bless you as well.
Originally published in the June 2019 newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
This
Sunday, I presided at a bittersweet wedding. The bride’s beloved grandfather
had died unexpectedly this past year, and he was sorely missed. The
grandfather’s absence was palpable, but there was a lot of joy as people shared
stories about him. As part of this celebration of ongoing life and love, the
bride’s grandmother gifted the bride with a Bible given to her at her own
wedding over 60 years ago as a remembrance to be used during the service. Among
the texts chosen was the popular John 15:9-12 where Jesus invites us to abide
in his love.
The
bride’s grandfather, John, was a very intelligent, loving, Italian grandfather,
the kind who could lovingly dote on children without spoiling them. Indeed, he
often became a surrogate grandfather to many children at my former
congregation. Not only would he give them little penny candies, he often asked
questions about their week. He would offer them advice and encouragement in
response to their answers. He was never too busy for a child.
It
had become John’s habit long ago with his own children to jokingly offer a
grade whenever a task was performed, or a challenge met. No matter how well
they did, it was a C (an average grade) – maybe on a very good day a C+.
Perhaps this was meant to challenge people to increasingly do better, or perhaps
it was offered for the laughs and smiles it would solicit as they heard this
grade and saw his smile again, and again, and again. Whatever the reason, I found
in it a loving reminder. We are all human. We can always do better, love
better, be better, and we need one another.
The
liturgical wedding service reminds all of us through its words that although life
is filled with love and excitement, it can become overcast and hard. Yet, the
service, especially the Gospel, also reminds us of an A+ kind of love. It’s a love that we can rest in and find
strength from. It is a love that helps us bear all things patiently, to wait
with hope, to accept one another as we are and not for what we would hope to
be. It is a love that grows and lasts; always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres. It is a love that forgives and never fails. It
reflects our God who is love and loves us.
As individuals, couples or community, we
might only reach the grade of C+ on our own (even at our best), but God’s love
is transformative. It is an A+ kind of love that we can abide in each and every
day. It has the power to make our lives significant and declare us perfectly
forgiven and free.
Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran
Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
Everyone has a unique call from God. Ultimately, we are to glorify God by
loving God with all that we are and through loving others as ourselves – no
matter what we do or where we find ourselves. Yet, the Devil is often in the
details! How do we know which way to go?
Interests, hobbies, varied experiences and talents all come together to
help clarify our way. Some of us end up in overt care, teaching or service
professions. Others might find their primary place is in the home building
family life. Still others might find themselves placed in jobs which seem far
removed from faith. Indeed, our call may even change over time as we learn more,
encounter new people and experiences, or our abilities change.
Yet not surprisingly, if love for God and our neighbor is present in
the way we fulfill our duties, we will discover sacred moments in ANY
job. If faith shapes how we treat others in business, Christ will be there with
us. God wants sacred light to shine throughout the world, even where we work or
study. Our intended vocation (at its root meaning “sacred call”) often will be discovered
where our passions and God’s purpose for us cross.
Last Sunday, we exposed our youth to a “Wheel of Service.” In one
station, a Fredericksburg medic taught them about emergency medical care for
serious, bleeding wounds. He also shared about volunteer opportunities for
teens with his department and the joys of his career. In a second station, our
youth group served other youth by packing “Feed the Children” bags. These bags
help food insecure students in our region. They also learned about the
operations of our Food Pantry and how it helped our neighbors. Finally, Pastor
David Casey, our Campus and Young Adult Missioner, led us in a discussion about
campus ministry. Not only are such ministries an opportunity for food,
fellowship and relaxation, such programs can help one grow in faith and find
one’s way forward to the place Jesus is trying to lead us. Retreats, spiritual
direction, volunteering (such as with Young Adults in Global Mission or the
Lutheran Volunteer Corps), service projects, presentations about other people’s
calls and our shared ministries, and yes, even attendance at Sunday worship can
all come together to plant seeds for tomorrow.
However, don’t think such discernment is only for the young. Each and every day, we have a new adventure instore when following Jesus. No matter how old we are, our perceived abilities or disabilities, our assets or struggles, Jesus is calling us. Jesus is calling you. Seek to intentionally discern that call and follow Jesus. There might be a time of waiting. Perhaps we will only understand looking backward. Yet, Christ will get us to where we each need to be for the sake of his Church and the world.
Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
Picture credit: zsuga on Pixabay. Used by Permission.
Over the next few months, our ministry
teams will each have an opportunity to share about their ministry area through
music. They will choose our hymns for worship. How appropriate our Evangelism
Team started us out by choosing the hymns last Sunday. The hymns helped remind
us that as we (re)gather this fall, we do so for the sake of being sent.
Together, no matter our age or skills, we share the Great Commission to go into
all the world for the purpose of making disciples for Jesus.
To many, evangelism can seem like a daunting task. Yet, it proves much easier than people think. Successful evangelism is based on relationships: with God; with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ; as well as with those who God sends to cross our path in daily life. In a recent article, Christian author, Jen Wilkin, offered a few simple ways “to raise little evangelists,” but it provides incites for all of us who are children of God.
First, she suggests we should practice
being fluent in kind words. This skill is in short supply in our world. When we
don’t exercise such prudence, we can become the stumbling blocks to faith
Christ warned his followers about. When we do, our gentleness can become an
invitation to deeper relationship.
We should also be fluent in reconciling
words. Words of confession (such as “I’m sorry”) and grace-filled words (such
as “I forgive you”) reflect the Gospel. In relationships, we can give and
receive these signs of God’s own love for us.
Third, she suggests that we should
become fluent in slow words echoing James 1:19 – quick to listen, slow to speak
and slow to become angry. Measured words at the right moment help us share love
and life rather than discord and death.
Here in this season of Sunday school, we
are also reminded that as children of God the Word should dwell in us richly.
We should be fluent in eternal words – words that help us help others discover
our Triune God and the great love waiting to embrace them. Memorizing
scripture, participating in small groups (classes and Bible studies) reflecting
upon life applications, attending worship and meditating of scripture are times
used by God to fill us with God’s Spirit. From this intimacy, love can flow
more freely.
Last, we should practice hospitable
words. Inviting people into our homes is often a normal consequence of new
relationships. So, why not invite folks into our church home as well? “Why
don’t you come to church with me some Sunday?” “I find hope from going to
church. Maybe you can meet me there?” “Looking for a church family? I’m part of
a great one. Maybe you would like to visit mine?”
These are all the kind of words Jesus used with great success. They are our legacy which can be easily shared – spoken, sung, written or even digitally – along with our faith, hope and love.
Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
As August ends, I am participating in a community worship service and national
ringing of church bells. Sunday, August 25, will mark four hundred years since
the first Africans arrived by force at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Slavery is a
tough subject to address, and when you add the many ongoing sins related to
slavery, Jim Crow Laws, segregated communities, and other signs of personal and
systemic racism, it becomes even more difficult.
Whether racism or any other hot button issue, it is helpful to remember
that forgiveness is already ours. We need not get stuck in shame whether it is
our sin, the sin of others or of the world. Nor should we fear acknowledging
guilt. Instead, humility calls us forward into a future together with Christ. We
who have been reconciled to God through Christ have also been entrusted with a
ministry of reconciliation (see 2 Cor. 5: 11-21). We can indeed address
hurtful, “hot button” issues without defensiveness or unholy anger.
As election fever rises again and troubles of the world present
themselves, I find it helpful to listen more than talk. What is really being
said and why? Is my momentary adversary speaking from their own woundedness and
therefore wounding me? Sometimes angry people facing compassion and gentleness
can be moved toward compassion and gentleness themselves. In speaking, I try to
avoid blanket statements, as hot button issues are often multilayered, nuanced
and intersect with others. As a flawed human, I might even be wrong, so I try
to consider both what I might need to learn and where we might be able to find
areas of agreement. Although Lutheran Christians have always been encouraged to
engage the world and call authorities to account when necessary, regarding the Eighth
Commandment (as Lutheran’s count them, the admonition to avoid bearing false
witness), Martin Luther cautions, “We are to fear and love God, so that we do
not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their
reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and
interpret everything they do in the best possible light” (Small Catechism).
And then, of course, we have Christ’s own teaching and example, “You
have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I
tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may
be children of your Father in heaven.” Praying for those we oppose might not
always result in an observed change in their behaviors, but I always find it
brings a change in me – in attitude toward them and the world, in my own
general peace, or sometimes in my own repentance. Consider praying before you
hit that post button or begin a difficult conversation. Or, just step away, and
then come back to address things after some prayer and reflection. It is
amazing how the Spirit can give us just the right words.
Like the Psalmist in Psalm 27, “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Sometimes that goodness will enter the world through us.
Originally published in the June 2019 newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
Husband, Pastor, Law Enforcement Chaplain, and member of the Clerical Errors (aka "The Three Priests"), I'm sharing my two cents with anyone who cares...
You can also find me on social media as Loudluthrn (Lou-d-Luthrn or Lou the Lutheran). It is a moniker given me while attending a Presbyterian Seminary, but I'm a loud and proud Lutheran too (just not too loud and proud, mind you).
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