“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13
Left or right or in between in the US, we all are a sinful, stiff necked people in need of grace; called to become more through Christ. As a culture and fallen people, we historically swing dysfunctionally between political poles of excess and denouncing the “other,” hurting ourselves and those entrusted to our care all the while. Platforms tend to become more important than people, for we rest in the assurance that we are “right,” and we want to defeat the “other.” We self righteously think, “They are the evil ones after all.” In doing so, we often forget that true justice requires mercy and the least of these are indeed our responsibility. At the same time, or perhaps because of this plank in our eye, we tend not to like to reflect deeply on our own sins – what we have done and failed to do – with the gift of holy wisdom at our disposal. We prefer passion and group-think over the Holy Spirit’s guidance and light.
It ultimately doesn’t matter what wrong was done in the past. We must let it go instead of letting anger metastasize. We are called to love one another in the present, not ignoring or enabling wrongs, but striving with God’s help to see the Christ in others and treating them with gentleness, patience, and the love we ourselves have received first. As I’ve said before, it is a habit of life which takes practice. We are to forgive and forgive again when wronged. “Seventy times seven” times according to Jesus, we should forgive. This means we should forgive others without limit even when they don’t deserve it. For Jesus died for our sin – that which we have been born into or done, those we struggle with today, and the sins we’ve yet to do – when we still don’t and never will deserve it.
And what about us? Our recalcitrance in regard to all the teachings of Jesus including doing good to those whom hate us? What evil is at work in and through us and our choices as we face the fears and pressures of our day? How might we be making a bad situation worse? Who are we to condemn people to hell in our hearts or cause others to suffer through our actions? Each day in a similar way to our siblings in Twelve Step programs, we who are addicted to sin and selfishness can take a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Then, we ask for God’s forgiveness, seek to repent of our wrongs (turning back to God), make amends as we can (as we are empowered by God). We do so because Jesus said he wants us to have his abundant life and peace, and this is the Way.
We might feel caught in an impossible situation, but all things remain possible with God. We can make choices to help change our behaviors and attitudes for the better today; repenting of our wrongs and positively influencing others. God’s Spirit has already been sent to help us, residing in our hearts through the gifts of our faith and baptism. Most importantly, Jesus promises that we are never alone. He will carry our cross when we cannot. He already has!
Jesus once said, “People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” In times of trouble and discord, this is even more true. We need our yes to mean yes and to seek to love God and others as ourselves no matter the cost. It is Jesus who has called us to this time and place to be his body. Don’t be afraid.
Whatever happens around us or to us, our first allegiance as a Christian is always to Jesus. As we American Christians look upon fireworks tonight celebrating Independence Day, never forget that Jesus always wants us to reflect his light…always. Sinning in our anger is never his way. Political waffling is not his style. We can be better as a person and a nation. We can be healed. We live in hope thanks be to God.
I wish you a happy and safe Independence Day, while remembering and seeking to serve the only One who truly makes us free.
Jonathan Daniels while a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA
Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Class of 1961, was born on March 20, 1939 in Keene, New Hampshire – eighty-six years ago today. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. In his valedictorian speech, he ended by saying, “I wish you the decency and nobility of which you are capable.” This ultimately remains a challenge to us all no matter our faith, school, or political party. We need more decency and nobility right now in our nation.
Living this ideal out, Jonathan ultimately joined the ranks of those fighting for Civil Rights while an Episcopal seminarian. He was subsequently killed sacrificing his own life to protect Ruby Sales, an African American teen at the time. He was shot by an off duty, part time sheriff’s deputy, a member of the KKK, in Hayneville, Alabama (“Bloody Lowndes County”) on August 20, 1965. Upon learning of Daniels’ murder, Martin Luther King Jr. stated that “one of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry was performed by Jonathan Daniels.” In 1991, Jonathan was also designated as a martyr on the Episcopal Church’s liturgical calendar.
Recently, the first African American Superintendent of VMI, Major General Cedric T. Wins, did not have his contract renewed. He and many others think it is ultimately related to bias and racism, a hatred of DEI, and other political factors rather than his job performance as evident across multiple measures. Some concerned alumni started an online open letter to the VMI Board of Visitors demanding some transparency and accountability.
The letter can be signed by VMI alumni and any friends of (persons concerned about) VMI. If you’d like to sign it or read more about this effort, visit In Alma Mater’ Name. In Alma Mater’s Name is a nonpartisan, non-political community dedicated to preserving the traditions, values, and excellence of the Virginia Military Institute. At their site, one can read the open letter, see the signers, sign it yourself, and learn about or track this issue through their page. As of now, there are over 1000 signatories to the open letter. In a sense, the letter questions the decency and nobility of the board’s decision.
I first learned of Jonathan Daniels when a cadet at VMI (1982-1986). I would occasionally study in the English majors library, “the Daniels’ Den,” in Scott Shipp Hall (the liberal arts building). He would in time become an inspiration for my own path. I have reason to suspect what happened to General Wins was not ultimately the “decent” thing to do. I, too, believe his tenure was likely conflated with hatred of the reported excesses that can come with DEI or any modern political agenda – at least in some people’s minds. For example, I saw that one alumnus posted on social media that General Wins himself was a DEI hire. Others joked openly of his tenure’s demise. I find this kind of talk an insult to his reputation, honor, and all that he accomplished in the United States Army. I admire the many challenges he overcame while serving at VMI. I suspect but cannot know that he faced harsher words in his tenure from some alumni or citizens of Virginia upset over DEI, Confederate iconography being removed, and pandemic policies, all a reflection of our brokenness in society today.
I know of General Wins from my time at VMI as a fellow cadet. He seems a decent, capable, intelligent human being deserving more respect even if one disagrees with any policies or actions. I recall that alumni widely posted their pride and high hopes as he was appointed. The General did what he was asked by the Governor (a Democrat at the time and an alumnus), and the General performed well despite the pandemic and lots of anger generated as he sought to make VMI more welcoming to all. Some vocal alumni seemed to argue nothing was amiss. They grew angrier with every change. Acclaim from some turned to open derision. Sadly, this politicization of education, stated General Wins in a recent Roanoke Times article, has pitted cadets, staff, and alumni against one another “creating a toxic organizational culture.” This hurts everyone.
The Board of Visitors’ vote to decline offering a contract reportedly reflected the preponderance of board members appointed by Governor Youngkin (R), some added just before the vote. (I’ve read that two of his appointees voted in favor of extending a contract.) That the vote occurred as Black History Month ended seems a bit tone deaf and insensitive on its face. As already considered among the most expensive colleges per student in Virginia, one can probably expect Democrats in the House of Delegates to respond negatively as others suggest. I’d suspect some young women and minority prospects might opt to apply elsewhere in this uncertain and contentious environment. Certainly, if anecdotally, it seems many outside of the VMI community are judging VMI harshly for this move from what I see on social media and in news reports. Based on what I know from my relationship with VMI, a response is likely warranted especially if more positive change is to come. Yet, don’t be surprised if some argue to close the school. That’s come up in the past as far back as the 1920s for varied reasons.
Supporters of VMI often claim, “VMI is good.” Certainly, it was very good for me. I still recommend the school almost forty years after graduation. There are many great, generous and loving leaders that were molded at VMI now serving in all walks of life. Yet as a First Class Cadet (Senior), I had to stop a Third Class Cadet (Sophomore) from passing around virulent anti-Roman Catholic tracks and comic books. (I was Roman Catholic at the time and President of the Newman Club as well as President of the interfaith Religious Council.) It was out of ignorance, and he repented. I forgave him, and we moved on.
In town, the KKK posted flyers against minorities while I was a cadet. Their wild accusations against others included Roman Catholics. (Among the more ludicrous claims was that the Pope was plotting to take over the post office.) I also overheard upperclassmen jokingly talking about Roman Catholics as “Fish Eaters” while a cadet. I never heard that before or since, but I interpreted it as idiotic bias. I heard people openly and often say Roman Catholics were not Christians. I had Jewish cadets share similar frustrations. They felt uncomfortable and misunderstood in the very overtly Evangelical and often pushy conservative Christian culture present at VMI at the time. Intentionally or not, the welcome mat didn’t always seem out. I have other stories too from my time as a cadet. (As a graduate, I have heard other more recent concerns, but only second hand. These Jewish cadets – now alumni – would have to come forward to share their stories, but I was told that they hesitated out of fear of repercussions.)
I want to note that the chaplain at the time, Col, Charles Caudill, worked hard to address such issues – to build both understanding and community. The chaplain office’s Religious Council actively sought out diverse membership under his watch. I always trusted I could go to him to talk honestly about life in the Corps, even when we disagreed over things at times, and the Religious Council ultimately brought cadets of diverse faith together to help facilitate all religious life. Many members also became my friends.
Unfortunately outside of religious bias, I’m also aware of a few felonies (properly adjudicated thankfully) being committed by cadets on occasion – some very serious. I know some later female graduates who have claimed to experience bias and overt abuse. And, also since my cadetship, I’ve heard alumni concerned at times that the Honor Court might be unfairly targeting people – often athletes and thus often minorities. A report suggested just that in 2021. Then within its adversative system, one which helped me grow as a leader, there’s always a tension over what is placing pressure on cadets to push to their limits often while under great stress and what is hazing. It was debated then, and I expect it is debated now. Even the modern US military struggles with this issue, so I don’t think that’s a surprise. Although, I hear there are many more controls, limitations, and safety protocols in place today at VMI to make what’s called the Rat Line safer. (It’s also a shorter duration than when I was a cadet.)
My African American peers never spoke to me about racism and bias when I was a cadet at VMI (no real surprise considering the culture of the time), but some have been more willing to talk in recent years. If they say they faced discomfort, a lack of welcoming, or more overt negative treatment, I’m going to listen to them; not deny everything off the cuff. These are people I respect and trust. I have no reason to doubt them. I’d encourage other alumni to speak to past minority and female cadets that they know. I suspect some people might now share stories.
Certainly, most minority cadets of my time were not keen on saluting Jackson’s statue, a requirement for new cadets at the time. Many likely bristled to answer the common question asked of first year students called Rats, “Who won the Civil War?” The demanded answer was, “VMI with the help of the South.” My First Class mentor when I was a Rat, also from Massachusetts, insisted instead that I answer, “The United States of America, Sir.” That earned me a lot of push ups, but I wouldn’t call my treatment abusive. It was annoying though. How much more annoying for my minority classmates? Only they can say or truly know. I never shared that experience or context as a white cadet.
So, although I usually prefer writing my own advocacy letters, and I’ve only signed one other group letter before (with other Richmond pastors against racism as self-identified KKK, Proud Boys, and Neo-Confederate members began to make appearances as the Robert E. Lee statue’s future was debated), I’ve signed the letter mentioned above. I expect some of my classmates and VMI contemporaries might not fully understand why.
Yes, VMI is much more good than bad. It’s the same school that nurtured George C. Marshall and Jonathan Daniels for a start. (I’ve not sought to share that much longer, more comprehensive, positive history here. There are many sources you can find for yourself if interested.) Yet, it’s always been a school comprised of imperfect humans – some very imperfect. There have been bad things that have happened and still likely could happen as on any campus. Yet this all leads me to say, “VMI is good, but it always can be better. So can I. So can we all.” Recognizing VMI has growing edges is not a betrayal of the school or its alumni. In fact, I am writing this blog post because I care about its cadets, faculty and staff, and all its alumni, along with its ongoing legacy.
If I had more influence, I’d like to see more interpretive signage across campus and cadet led history projects (perhaps even a podcast) on the past wrongs at VMI just like Mount Vernon has done – particularly on slavery, the context and VMI’s part defending that horror. I’d like to see more focus on women’s rights and other hot button issues, not to indoctrinate, but so that cadets can learn to agree or disagree on sound principles rather than assumptions or feelings. I’d like more history and ethics courses wrestling with these issues and to provide cadets with the broadest experiences possible across genders, cultures, and religions affiliations, and yes, that means humanist secularism too. They would be better able to engage with the world with more decency, empathy, and compassion. I suspect they would prove wiser too. One can be book smart yet very unwise.
The Institute seems much better in academics, military training, studying abroad, and in addressing such tender subjects as above than when I was there. Our culture as a whole in the US has improved in its treatment of racial, ethnic or religious minorities, women, and others, although it might not always feel like it. (This is supported by many research markers, but sadly, this, too could be regressing.) Yet many of the recent improvements at VMI have been because of the influence of General Wins along with dedicated faculty and staff who want cadets ready for a multicultural world. I’d hate to see VMI move backwards. So, if not DEI, what other efforts can be made? We shouldn’t be afraid to say that it’s not a perfect place.
My signature on the open letter only represents me, no other organization, nonprofit, or my congregation. Yet, I think transparency and accountability is not a big or controversial ask. I remain hopeful VMI will continue to evolve and excel. Even with all I’ve shared above, again, I know there’s much more good. I can honestly sing with other alumni the old school song ending, “God bless our team and VMI.” I’m hoping and praying that we all are always capable of greater decency and nobility by God’s help.
St. Isaac the Syrian knew what he was talking about. For the Orthodox and many other Christians (sadly not all) humility isn’t docileness. It’s an understanding and deep trust that all we have comes from God. We are sinners in need of God’s mercy and direction. Yet because God is love and loves us, we can find peace. We can be nonanxious as others rage. We can rest in Jesus even as we work hard for justice, mercy and truth. We can be patient with those who don’t see the world as we do. We know who we are but also whose we are. This doesn’t mean we don’t struggle with fear at times or never fail or fall, but we find the strength in God’s Spirit to keep trying; to seek to love as God loves us; to keep moving forward knowing we don’t walk alone. Some people will see Christ in us and want the peace we have. Many more might reject us as they do Jesus and his message through word or deed, even as they might call themselves “Christians.” That matters not. Embraced by Christ, we can do no other than cling to Christ and our call nonetheless, even as we fight the interior whisper of demons telling us we aren’t good enough, don’t have the strength, must give up. Yet how can we give up when we have everything in Jesus who has already made us victorious? In that shared victory, we ought not judge or puff ourselves up. We must love the other. We should forgive. We should nurture peace. We do this from a God-given humility, not out of our willfulness. “What is hell as compared with the grace of resurrection?” St. Isaac once asked. Nothing. We can always choose to live in hope by God’s help. And through the power of his Spirit, God will.
St. Blaise (1740), Maria-Trost Church, Berg bei Rohrbach
Today, not on our Lutheran calendar but celebrated by many other Christians, is yet another feast day connected to spring and growing light, the Feast of Saint Blaise (pronounced blayz).
Blaise is considered to be an historic figure, but there has grown a great deal of myth around his life. A physician and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia, he died as a martyr on February 3 sometime around 316 AD. He is remembered for many miraculous (if perhaps mythic) healing stories to include saving a child from chocking on a chicken bone while on his way to his own judgement and death. He is said to have died by beheading.
And so being the day after Candlemas and with his being associated with stories about the throat, some early Christians through to this day often have their own throats blessed, sometimes while two candles blessed on Candlemas are layed in a crosslike shape upon their throat. Indeed in the Middle Ages, Blaise was considered one of “the Fourteen Holy Helpers” who during the time of the plague became popular for intercession for everything from a headache to an unexpected death.
Photo credit: Figurines of the Fourteen Holy Helpers by an unknown artist, Chapel on the Michaelsberg, Untergrombach, Germany, by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
These kind of practices – and the sometimes mythic aspect of these fourteen saints themselves – often caused them to diminish in stature following the Protestant Reformation. Our Augsburg Confession, Article XX1 teaches us: “Of the Worship of Saints they teach that the memory of saints may be set before us, that we may follow their faith and good works, according to our calling, as the Emperor may follow the example of David in making war to drive away the Turk from his country. For both are kings. But the Scripture teaches not the invocation of saints or to ask help of saints, since it sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Propitiation, High Priest, and Intercessor.” We remember and give thanks for the example of all the saints whether on a list for recognition or not, including Blaise, but even as we might venerate and honor them, we seek to reject superstition and, as Lutherans, we do not invoke them.
For his part, Martin Luther, seeing many abuses and evidence of magical thinking and idolotry in some cases, argued, “No one can deny that by such saint worship we have now come to the point where we have actually made utter idols of the Mother of God and the saints, and that because of the service we have rendered and the works we have performed in their honor we have sought comfort more with them than with Christ Himself. Thereby faith in Christ has been destroyed. [E 28:415; quoted in MartinLuther, What Luther Says, Vol. III, ed. Ewald Martin Plass (St Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), 1254; cf. LW 36:299-300]. There is no explicit biblical citation supporting invocation of the saints (so Christians might disagree), but a larger concern for Martin and the earliest Reformers remained our human tendency for magical thinking.
Many great saints and martyrs have long been forgotten by the world, but they are never forgotten by God. Not everyone makes a liturgical list. Some through no fault of their own have become wrapped in myth. Yet, through the gift of faith, the legacy of any saint can instruct or inspire us in some way. They can serve as great examples for us. So, rest in peace, Blaise. Your efforts still burn brightly…not because of what you did or failed to do, but because the light of Christ chose to shine brightly through you love.
Through remembering the saints and martyrs, Jesus reminds us, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” With God’s help, may our lives burn brightly, too.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this post are from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) translation.
Read an article about what Valentine might have looked like here.
Much like Charlie Brown waiting to be noticed by the little red-haired girl, it seems we have come to overlook and ignore the very source of “Valentine’s Day.” Yes, the living, breathing follower of Christ who died as a martyr seems to have been forgotten. Even his title of “Saint” has most often disappeared from February 14th. Somehow, his historic contribution to our shared faith has been transfigured into candy sales, cards, and romantic movies. Good grief!
Valentine of Rome, known as Valentinus in Latin, was a well-known saint at one time with a popular devotion dating back to the late 3rd Century. There exist several Valentines on liturgical calendars, but much of the details of his life are lost to us. As questions exist about the veracity and scope of what we know, Roman Catholics took him off their liturgical calendar in 1969 as part of their process of liturgical renewal and modernization. Some other denominations – including the ELCA – followed suit. (He is still considered a saint, but he does not have a dedicated feast day celebrated at worship; excepting any local commemorations.)
Despite some doubts, a consensus about THE Valentine’s life exists. Some argue the famed Valentine was a Roman priest and physician or healer of some kind. He died during a general persecution of Christianity led by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus in about 269 AD. His day of martyrdom, February 14th, became his feast day. (The Church tends to recognize the day of death as a day of new birth in Christ, so the day of death most often becomes the feast day.) Other candidates include a bishop killed during a similar persecution under Emperor Aurelian in 273 and a person only known by this name martyred with other Christians in Africa during an unspecified date that same century. Both later Valentines allegedly also died on February 14th, and some argue the bishop may even be the priest (just two versions of the same life). Valentine was a common name back in those imperial days, and there are about one dozen other saints with that name, as well as a Pope (reigning for two months in 827 AD). So with limited documentation, one can understand the confusion.
Mythic stories have been shared about the primary Valentine’s marrying people in secret, sharing a card with his jailer’s daughter signed “your Valentine,” healing a judges blind daughter (inspiring the judge to convert to Christianity), and other such things, but they do not seem strongly supported by evidence. Valentine’s life and death probably had little to do with romance, but more likely a love for God and neighbor; a love that always heals and brings new life. Valentine appears to have been beheaded for his faith, and his flower crowned skull is now venerated in a Roman Catholic cathedral. That is not a very romantic ending, but it did inspire many others toward faith in Jesus.
So, how might we best put the saint back into the day? Perhaps, we could strive to serve our neighbors somehow? How could we help heal others – in mind, body, or spirit? Families might seek to take the focus from romantic love and refocus on the mutual love that builds others up. It has become the practice of some to draw names and seek to do something nice for the person chosen. We might take some time to tell one another how we see God at work in them. We could do something nice for those in the healing profession or serving as first responders. We could even pray for the Church, especially the persecuted Church. No, I am not suggesting we need to avoid fancy dinners and chocolates entirely, but maybe there could be more to the day than some would have us believe.
Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
We’ve been talking a lot about saints in our recent podcasts, “What the Halo?!” and “Halo2,” and St. George is among my favorites. Of course, slaying dragons is cool. (OK, maybe that didn’t happen.) Yet, it is also on his feast day in 2001 that I slayed bachelorhood. (That did happen. Kristine and I became engaged.)
Why get engaged on his feast day? It was during a visit to Barcelona for Taizé’s European Gathering that I recognized Kristine was my true one and only. In Barcelona, St. George’s Day is a kind of St. Valentine’s Day, a day for romance.
Spain’s tourism department explains why: “This curious festival comes from a mixture of traditions from different periods. It coincides, on one hand, with the fact that Sant Jordi has been the patron saint of Catalonia since the 15th century and on the other hand, it comes from the famous legend of Saint George and the dragon (the knight defeats the dragon, who was terrorizing the village and the princess, and after penetrating the dragon with his sword, Saint George gave the princess one of the beautiful red roses that spilled out of the beast’s body) and the old medieval tradition of visiting the Chapel of Sant Jordi in the Palacio de la Generalitat, where a rose fair or ‘lovers fair’ used to take place. This is why Sant Jordi is also the patron saint of lovers in Catalonia.”
In 1926, Spain declared the 23rd of April, the anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, the most famous Spanish writer, as Book Day. These two notable anniversaries (St. George’s Day and Book Day) became marked as one celebration. The most common gifts between those in love remains books and roses often wrapped in the colors of the Catalonian flag.
Although this year’s public celebration is hampered during this time of COVID-19, love need not be. Enjoy your day and the sites and sounds of last year’s festival in Barcelona below.
As I write this, Baltimore is in flames. Pundits are spouting off. Peace seems a mirage; very much out of reach. Yet the peace Christ offers us isn’t of this world. It is both available to us here and now but also on its way.
If we say we want peace and justice, I found through the years that it isn’t achieved by pointing fingers of protest or in harsh judgments. It begins with a searching, fearless and ongoing look at my life and how I contribute to the injustices around me. Then, I make amends where I can.
It requires listening to the voices, pain, and problems of those I disagree with or who might not wish to listen to me. It comes from loving your enemies, and doing the good to those who hate you.
This is all difficult, but I think it is the only way for real and lasting change – Christ’s way.
We don’t offer such a love based upon people deserving it. We love because Jesus loved us even when we were his enemy. It is a conscious, heart centered choice. We make this offering even though we might be rejected, made fun of or worse.
This doesn’t mean we become doormats, for even the first disciples needed to dust off their sandals and walk away at times. Yet we might at other times be called to a form of martyrdom, where our pride, prejudice and preference are surrendered to the will of God despite the cost.
Our relationship with Christ calls us into relationship with others, even our enemies. That has to be our intentional goal. We need to seek them out. Again like the early disciples, we might have to return multiple times to try just once more to offer our faith and friendship. The person we seek to love might never get it. They may never understand and remain suspicious of us. Yet, change is possible.
If nothing else, you’ll witness the peace of Christ breaking into your heart and your world in a new way. Christ promised this. And maybe…just maybe…one who was your enemy might become your brother and sister, an unexpected gift in your life and to the world.
This is a difficult way, but it is true. Let’s seek to walk this way together, no matter what others might choose.
Christ’s peace,
Pastor Lou
This post originally appeared as a pastoral letter in Messiah Lutheran‘s newsletter, The Messenger (May 2015).
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
Kayla Mueller, an American hostage of ISIS, has been in the news a lot since her death was announced. Her Christian faith and love, inspirational to her friends and family over the years, is now being recognized by the wider world. In confirming her death Tuesday, the Mueller family quoted an earlier letter the young woman penned to her father on his birthday in 2011.
“I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you,” Kayla reflected. “I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I find God in suffering. I’ve known for some time what my life’s work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering.”
In her final letter, she wrote “If you could say I have ‘suffered’ at all throughout this whole experience it is only in knowing how much suffering I have put you all through; I will never ask you to forgive me as I do not deserve forgiveness. I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator b/c literally there was no else…. + by God + by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall. I have been shown in darkness, light + have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it. I pray each each day that if nothing else, you have felt a certain closeness + surrender to God as well + have formed a bond of love + support amongst one another…”
A friend, the Rev. Kathleen Day, recently commented, “They tried to silence her. They locked her up. They kept us silent out of fear. But now she is free. She said she found freedom even in captivity. Her light shines. And we thank you for shining your light, not on Kayla, but shine your light on the suffering that Kayla saw.”
As humans, our political solutions to the world’s problems may differ. People may disagree over faith issues. Yet, I think we all could learn something important from Kayla.
Our lives need to be shaped by the love of Christ, who humbled himself to serve us and set us free to love.
Certainly, God will present us with different calls and spiritual gifts. (Charisms some call this.) We will find Christ reaching out to each of us differently through ordinary people, places, situations, and for some perhaps a more direct, mystical call. It might prove hard to see the Christ in others, and at times, ourselves. Still, we are all created and called to share in the same purpose: making God’s love manifest in the world.
Most simply, we are asked to love God and one another.
Through our faith and baptism, Christ declares us the children of God; a God who is only love. Our acts of love – no mater how small – will never be wasted. We and the love we seek to share remain God’s own forever. It changes our world a relationship at a time. God intends to use us all – liberal, conservative or anywhere in between.
Listen for Christ’s call in your life at all times and in ever place. Seek him even in the utmost darkness when God seems most silent and far way. Don’t fear mistakes or rejection, but instead love with abandon. For, God’s kingdom will surely come. It is already at work through remarkable people like Kayla and like you, children of Love created and sent to this time and place.
Some might argue, “…but I’m no saint.” Yet before we ever recognized it, the Love which is God knew us. Jesus promises to be with us always. The Spirit is sent to sustain us. Wherever we find ourselves, it is the right time and place for us to make Christ’s love known throughout the world. For, deny it as we may, we who believe in Jesus are his saints in communion with the Heavenly Host and one another. We are never alone, and our lives prove part of a sacred plan bigger than ourselves. Miracles will happen (both large and small) when we only seek to love.
So, seek Jesus in your life as Kayla tried to do – in nature, love, suffering, whatever. Keep your heart and mind open, for God can meet you anywhere and at any time. Don’t be afraid. We won’t all be called to martyrdom. (Yet, if we ever are, Jesus will help us find freedom even then.) We only need start with our small piece of the world. Our context is our mission field. Our gifts are Christ’s own.
Just try to love those Christ has entrusted to your care or sends to intersect your life. Seek and serve Jesus in others. He is there. Don’t fear mistakes but please reflect upon your actions as honestly and gently as possible. Speak with trusted friends and spiritual advisers to help you discern your course. Listen to those who oppose you with patience and a desire to learn. Be open to repentance if you ever sense you are wrong.
As scripture attests, you were created to be a child of Love. Do your best to love. Then, trust Christ has done or will do the rest. He’ll lead all his children home.
This fall has seen a flurry of activity at Messiah: new audio-visual assets installed in the sanctuary; a very successful and well attended effort during God’s Work – Our Hands Day; a growing craft fair and pet blessing; wonderful and numerous contacts made at the county’s community fellowship festival; and of course an attention getting but very helpful effort by Kevin Hendrickson and our Virginia Synod team at Over the Edge for Special Olympics. I could make a longer list if I cared to do so. In short though, it has been a busy but productive time, and it couldn’t have happened without your support. I give thanks to you and our God for all the mighty things that God has accomplished through our small church family and its shared ministry.
As we continue into November, things will seem only to get busier. I would encourage all of us (me included) to not get lost in the hustle and bustle. Turn toward God and his church instead. Remember we were created to be human beings, not human doers. God reminds us, “Be still and no that I am God” (Palm 46:10). Let’s take time to reconnect with friends and family, as well as our family of faith. Let’s take time to be together and to rejoice in the love that we share. If you have been away, we invite you to come back and join our celebrations. Let’s give thanks together.
The truth remains, we need one another, and the world needs our witness. As Jesus reminds us, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there” (Matthew 18:19-20). Yet also we are told that we proclaim the risen Christ through our gatherings, service and celebrations. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus needs to be invited into our lives and thus made manifest in the world. Do you already sense his presence, or is he perhaps inviting you to seek him out? Either way, we’ll find our place at his table when we live as church together.
I pray that the holiday season ahead serves to bless you to be a blessing to your family, your congregation, and the world. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good; his love endures forever. His love is at work in you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pastor Lou
This post was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (November 2014).
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
Thanks to all those who helped Messiah Lutheran Church and School celebrate our 45th anniversary. I created the above video to present during our worship service to help us reflect on our past, present and future together. It includes many (but not all) of our partners in ministry. For a small church, you’ll see once again that we have a long and loving reach! It is not by accident a Thrivent loan representative remarked that we do more than many congregations ten times our size.
At Messiah Lutheran, we live out many signs of discipleship: feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and those at risk, meeting the marginalized and loving them as they are. Our financial stewardship has increased each year (faster than our growing membership), and our volunteering and lay leadership at our congregation and in the community has increased even more so. We have many new partners and now friends in ministry that help us reach beyond Hanover County to the world. Firmly Lutheran, we open our hearts to work with other Christians as part of one universal church, the family of God.
Yet we aren’t just busy bodies. Our activities, programs, wealth, size or location don’t make us who we are. In fact, we sometimes “lack” in those areas by standards of the world. No, we seek to act in response to our greatest gifts from God – hope, faith and love – and that makes all the difference. It defines us, shapes us and is the source of our ultimate significance. It is what makes so many notice our small little church in Mechanicsville as something “different.”
Over six years ago, the love I saw you have for one another attracted me to say yes to the offer of a call as your pastor. It is your love, a reflection of Christ’s own, that inspires me still. It is what amazes so many I meet, and I see it changing the world a relationship at a time. God’s doing something here. Christ is being made known.
Sure we aren’t perfect, and we can always do better. A small church that seriously struggles at times, we have Jesus and we have each other. That’s more than enough, and so we keep on discipling…together…no matter what.
As my friend from the Congo wrote, “Glory be to God for his faithfulness, happy celebration to everyone at the Messiah Lutheran Church and School.” Indeed, it is God’s faithfulness that invited us to be church together and made our celebration possible. Thanks for letting me walk with you. It is my honor, privilege and joy.
Pastor Lou Christ the King Sunday November 24, 2013
(I hope you enjoy the video. Please feel free to share this video with your family and friends.)
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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