Addressing the Topic of Ferguson, Missouri

It's been a week since the grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown.  Some people believe that this was the most just outcome because they believe that Michael Brown was the aggressor during the encounter.  Others believe that Darren Wilson is getting away with murdering Michael Brown because they believe that Michael Brown was surrendering when he was shot.

While the case is now complete (pending action by the federal government's Department of Justice), the topic will not go away that easily.  The case has become a rallying cry for activists who want healthy responses and changes within society and a flashpoint for those who will use any excuse to instigate destructive practices such as vandalism and arson.  The violent acts now overshadow the constructive discussions which we could have after this event.

The question becomes: what do we do now?  What changes do we make in response to the shooting and the grand jury investigation?

I do not know.  The answers lie beyond a quick fix and a change in police training.  To fully address the issue in communities around the country, we need to study our society and look at ourselves with a good dose of honesty.  What will it take to heal the breach between law enforcement and communities that distrust law enforcement?  What elements of our culture do we need to change over the next several years, and how do we start the process?

I have witnessed a healthy relationship between a community and its local police force.  I sat in on a neighborhood association meeting.  A member of the local police force serves as a liaison between the association and the police force.  This officer briefed the association on how the police force was responding to and investigating incidents within the neighborhood, then listened to the concerns of the neighborhood association's members.  While this meeting included only a small portion of the local neighborhood, discussions such as these could begin to cut the tensions between communities and police departments.

Where can the Church be involved?  It can offer to host meetings like the one above.  The Church can also host, participate in, and guide discussions concerning our nation's economy, the racial divides within our culture, and other tough conversations which we as a society need to have.  These conversations will be difficult and contentious, but it is only through such (holy?) conversations that we will move beyond quick-fix ideas and into permanent changes that truly address the issues in our communities.

In this season of Advent, the Church can also pray, "Come, Lord Jesus."  Healing these divisions will be the work of the Lord.  I am confident that the Church will be called to participate in this healing in some form or fashion, but the Church will be called to carry out God's actions, not its own actions.  The Church will pray for the Lord's Kingdom to come and the Lord's will to be done while it discerns how the Lord may act through the Church to do these things.

We can choose to debate whether Darren Wilson should be charged with a crime.  A better choice would be to choose to discuss the larger issues within our society, our culture, and our communities.  We can choose to start the process of addressing these issues now or we can see how long until another incident ignites a heated debate.  May the Spirit call us into difficult yet necessary conversations and may the Lord's Kingdom break into our society.

Commemorating St. Andrew

Readers of this blog may have noticed that I am marking the lesser festivals and commemorations of the Church calendar year.  I started doing this as both a personal spiritual discipline and a learning experience.

Unfortunately, due to a busy week and an illness running through the family, I missed two commemorations this past week: Clement, Bishop of Rome (Nov. 23) and Isaac Watts, acclaimed hymn writer (Nov. 25).  However, I did manage to include a hymn written by Isaac Watts in this week's worship service (O God, Our Help in Ages Past, Hymn #320 in the Lutheran Book of Worship).

Today, the Church commemorates St. Andrew, the Apostle, the disciple of Jesus.  John 1:35-42 proclaims that Andrew was the first of the Twelve to be called into fellowship by Jesus.  Andrew responds by telling his brother, Peter, that he has found the Messiah, and rushes to bring Peter to meet Jesus.  Andrew develops a reputation for bringing people to meet Christ; Andrew brings the boy with the five loaves and the two fish to Jesus before Jesus feeds the 5,000 families (John 6:9); Andrew also brings before Jesus a group of Greeks who approached Philip and asked to meet Jesus (John 12:20-22).  While Peter, James, and John formed the "inner circle" among the disciples, Andrew would be the first disciple included when the circle expanded to include others.

After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Church tradition holds that Andrew preached and traveled within the areas of modern-day Turkey and Greece.  He was crucified by the order of the Roman Governor of Patrae in Achaia; according to tradition, Andrew was tied to an X-shaped cross rather than be nailed to a traditional T-shaped cross.  To this day, the term "St. Andrew Cross" refers to an X-shaped cross; the symbol can be found on several flags, including the flag of Scotland, which claims Andrew as its patron saint.  Russia and Greece also name Andrew as their patron saint.

You can find a fuller account of Andrew's life, career, and legacy here.

Commemorating St. Elizabeth of Hungary

On this snowy (in SE Indiana, at least) day, the Church remembers and commemorates St. Elizabeth of Hungary.  The daughter of Alexander II, King of Hungary, Elizabeth and the wife of Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia (in central Germany), Elizabeth did not give herself to a royal lifestyle of comfort.  During her marriage, she learned about the order of St. Francis of Assisi.  In response to what she learned, she lived as simply as possible while engaging in many efforts to help the poor in Thuringia.  After Louis IV died from an illness acquired on his way to join the latest Crusade, Elizabeth arranged for the care of her children, reacquired her dowry, and used that money to build a hospital at Marburg.  Here, she worked within the hospital to treat the sick and continued to give from her financial resources to the poor.  She died on November 17, 1231, at the young age of 24.

You can read more of her story here.

Commemorating St. Martin of Tours and Soren Kierkegaard

Today, the Church remembers both St. Martin, Bishop of Tours and Soren Kierkegaard.  Their lives, stories, and societies are very different.  We remember them together because both died on the date of November 11.

St. Martin was born in the year 315 AD.  The most popular story regarding St. Martin occurred during his brief military career.  As a member of the ceremonial cavalry unit which protected the Roman Emperor, Martin wore a white cloak which was lined with wool.  One winter day while wearing his uniform, Martin came across a homeless beggar; the beggar was so poor that he was nearly naked during the winter months.  Martin's reaction was one of compassion: he took off his cloak, used his sword to cut the cloak into two halves, and gave one half of the cloak to the beggar.  Later, Martin had a dream in which Jesus, who was wearing the cloak which Martin had given to the beggar, told several angels what Martin had done.  Years later, Martin would be elected as bishop by the people of Tours because they valued him as a model of holiness.  St. Martin is also known for refusing to continue in the Roman military after his baptism, playing a role in a man's miraculous healing, and for intervening on behalf of heretics against whom other bishops were using the civil authorities to prosecute and execute.  Read this summary for a fuller telling of St. Martin's life.

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish Lutheran philosopher and theologian.  Kierkegaard is credited as the founder of existentialism, although "later existentialists had significantly different agendas than his."  He is also known as a fierce opponent of "cheap grace" and Christendom because he believed that an easy Christian life without pain, suffering, cost, or risk was not truly a Christian life at all.  Kierkegaard is also credited for writing beautiful prayers, poems, and hymns.  You can read more about Kierkegaard in this article from "Christianity Today."

Remembering Three Lutheran Missionaries

Today, November 7th, is the day the Lutheran Church commemorates three missionaries.  Although only one of these missionaries died on November 7th, the Church chooses to commemorate the three of them on the same day because they were called and sent to Southeast Asia.

Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg was a German Lutheran who was sent as the first Protestant missionary to India.  Before his death in 1719, he was able to translate the entire New Testament and several books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Ruth) into Tamil, the local language.  He also established two congregations and a seminary to train their leaders.

John C. F. Heyer was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States as a teenager.  After studying theology in both America and Germany, he became a lay preacher in 1817 before his ordination in 1820.  After his wife of twenty years died in 1839, he discerned a calling as a missionary to India, where he served the same community as Ziegenbalg once served.  Heyer spent 15 years as a missionary in India before returning to the United States and settling in Minnesota, where he organized several congregations.

Ludwig Nommensen was born in a territory which often transitioned between Danish and Norwegian rulers.  He discerned his calling as a missionary and was sent as the first Christian missionary to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.  Nommensen spent his career in Sumatra with the Batak people, with whom he translated the Bible into Batak and guided the development of a native Batak church.  The Batak church is now one of the companion synod partners of the Indiana - Kentucky Mission Territory.

We give thanks to the Lord for these three missionaries and for all who answer the Holy Spirit's call to serve the Lord in a foreign land.

All Saints Day

While we will fully observe the day tomorrow in worship, today is All Saints Day.  On this day, the Church remembers all of the Saints from generations past, present, and future.  While many saints have their own day (for example, St. Andrew on November 30th), this day gives recognition to every saint.  While history will not remember the vast majority of saints, every saint means something to Christ and leaves an impression on someone.  Therefore, we observe this day to remember the stories of those who left an impression on us.

One of the ways of marking this day is to recall the saints of the congregation who have died within the past year.  The congregation I serve will remember four members and three friends of the congregation who died since November 1, 2013.  At tomorrow's worship service, we will light a candle for each person as a visual reminder of their passing from life in Christ to death in Christ.

We also remember God's actions to adopt us as God's children and extend to us the promise of resurrection.  These things are encapsulated in this verse:

"Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is." (1 John 3:2 NRSV)

Whom do you remember?  How will you remember them?

Happy Reformation Day

October 31 is an important date on the calendar of the Lutheran Church.  This is the anniversary of the day on which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the front door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  This document was the beginning of Luther's protests against several practices of the 16th Century Roman Catholic Church, including the selling of indulgences, the withholding of communion wine from laypeople, the use of the Latin language in worship, and the emphasis on good works.  The Roman Catholic Church responded to Luther's invitation to debate and discussion by ridiculing him, then excommunicating him.  However, the invention of the printing press aided the spread of Luther's ideas even as the Roman Catholic Church attempted to destroy Luther's documents.  Luther's writings and ideas sparked several different reform movements that drifted away from both the Roman Catholic Church and one another, leading to the various denominations we see within the Church today.

Because we are part of a tradition that claims the Church is "always reforming," October 31 is also a date to consider where the Church still needs reforming.  I ask you, what reforms do the Church need to implement?  What should the Church keep?  What should the Church add?  What should the Church release as a practice which used to serve the Church well but is no longer a good idea?

If you have answers to these questions, I invite you to leave your answers below and participate in a sharing of ideas.  I will respond to all suggestions.

Invite a Corporation to Church? Why not!

Yesterday, I came across this blog post in which the author expresses his displeasure over recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings which declare that corporations can be treated as people, including the constitutional rights granted to all people.  The author takes this conclusion of treating corporations as people and (sarcastically) invites Christians to go to corporations and invite the corporations to attend worship services at our churches.  The author voices his protest to the rulings by pointing out that corporations such as British Petroleum (BP), McDonald's, and Capital One will not show up because they are not people.

However, corporations are made up of people.  And if we take up this author's challenge to mainline protestants, it would be the largest evangelism effort that this country has ever seen!

I get that this author is trying to make a point.  No, Bank of America is not going to show up at your congregation.  However, the tellers at your local bank branch might come if you invite them.  The Walton family will not show up just because you wrote a letter to corporate headquarters, but the sales associate at the Walmart or IGA register may appreciate a warm conversation from a customer instead of another set of complaints and accusations.

So, yes, let's invite the people who work in corporations to worship with us on October 19th, or October 26th, or November 2nd.  Let's treat them as Sally and Mitch rather than throw scorn at their dress-code-compliant company shirt.  For the rest of this month, and in the future, let's interact with company people as people rather than as one piece of the company.

Lutherans Responding to Ebola

Over the last month or so, you have likely heard that the Ebola virus is causing havoc in certain parts of Africa including Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.  The American media becomes most interested in the outbreak when American volunteers become infected with the virus.  Once these Americans either recover from the disease or fall victim to the disease, the American media turns its attention elsewhere.

However, the virus marches on.  While precautions can be taken to prevent the transmission of the disease, many do not have the necessary training or safety equipment to use these precautions effectively.  Worse, some communities have assumed a corporate attitude of denial, entered a medical facility meant to isolate the sick, stolen beds and medical equipment used to treat Ebola patients (a sure-fire way to spread the virus), and insisted that the patients are suffering from malaria.  The lack of equipment, training, facilities, and understanding all come together to prevent the containment of the Ebola virus.

Lutheran Disaster Response is stepping into the breach and helping to contain the Ebola virus.  They have put out a plea for financial donations which they can use to answer the call from our partners and companion churches who have "requested our help in responding to the outbreak with food distributions, shipment of personal protective equipment, training health workers, outreach through education about prevention, and construction of an isolation unit at Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing in Liberia.  Your gift designated for the Ebola Outbreak Response will be used in full (100 percent) to assist those who are suffering and living with the threat of this virus."

I invite you to click here to open the ELCA's designated donation page and donate what you can to Lutheran Disaster Response's efforts to contain the Ebola virus.

The Promise of Resurrection in a Funeral Liturgy

First, I apologize for not writing a new post in recent weeks.  Since the last post, I have moved from one state to another, became ordained as a pastor within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and started as the called pastor of a congregation here in Ripley County.  This has kept me very busy and prevented me from returning to this blog.  I am still trying to establish my week-to-week routine, so blogging may be light until I can establish that routine.

I have already presided over a funeral in my new calling.  I also have a committal service in the near future (note to my congregation: no, you did not miss the news of another death in the congregation this week).  Because of this, I have spent time preparing to lead people as they prayed the prayers of the funeral liturgy within the Lutheran Book of Worship (or LBW).  I was struck again by how often these prayers point to the Lord's promise of a physical resurrection at the end of the age.  I invite you to pray these prayers and remember the Lord's promise of resurrection.

"When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death.  We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."  (Page 206, a paraphrase of Romans 6:3-5) 

"Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life and that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection."  (Page 209) 

"Help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting."  (Page 210, a paraphrase of a portion of the third article of the Apostles Creed) 

"Almighty God, by the death and burial of Jesus, your anointed, you have destroyed death and sanctified the graves of all your saints.  Keep our brother/sister, whose body we now lay to rest, in the company of all your saints and, at the last, raise him/her up to share with all your faithful people the endless joy and peace won through the glorious resurrection of Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."  (Page 212, italics in the original) 

"Since almighty God has called our brother/sister, (name), from this life to himself, we commit his/her body to the earth from which it was made/the deep/the elements/its resting place.  Christ was the first to rise from the dead, and we know that he will raise up our mortal bodies to be like his in glory.  We commend our brother/sister to the Lord: May the Lord receive him/her into his peace and raise him/her up on the last day." (Page 213, italics in the original)

Sometimes, our belief in the resurrection of the body is the weakest strand of our faith that we profess using either the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed.  But St. Paul claimed that the Corinthians got many other beliefs and practices wrong because they did not get this theological plank correct (see 1 Corinthians 15).  Perhaps we also get other beliefs and practices wrong because we do not always grasp this promise and truly understand it.  Or, perhaps we believe it, but we do not know how to best talk about it.

Do you find it difficult to understand and trust the Lord's promise of the resurrection of the body?  If so, what are your stumbling blocks?  If not, what reassures you that the promise is true?