Never Forget?

Today is 9/11.   And as such we will be asked to relive the trauma of that day twelve years ago when the peaceful skies over New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania were shattered with explosions, collapsing towers and mountainous rubble.    Doubtless there will be observances from "sea to shining sea".  Speeches will be made, memorials held and through it all, we will be told to "never forget".

For some this day, the grief and pain of losing loved ones will be revived, cutting deeply and shattering hearts once again.  For these family and friends, today is a genuine day of remembrance and of not forgetting those whom they loved.  But for those others like me, who did not suffer the loss of friends or family; who saw the tragedy only on television and were never touched personally by it, to "never forget" only serves to cheapen the overwhelming grief felt by those who did lose a parent, child, sibling or spouse that day.

But even more than this, by insisting that our collective memory never forget, a threat is implied:  A threat of vengeance on those who would attack us or even worse on those we think might attack us.  For the past twelve years we have never forgotten.  And where has that gotten us?  Fears have been aroused, wars have been waged, torture has been justified and civil liberties have been eroded.  All because we could never forget.

In the midst of this societal memory characterized by fear and violence, what is needed now more than ever is a new voice speaking a new language: A language not color-coded in hues of retaliation but overflowing with grace upon grace; echoing the One we claim to follow who calls us unabashedly to comfort the afflicted, to pray for our enemies, to turn the other cheek, and to forgive endlessly.  If the church cannot lay claim to this voice - if all we can do is sit on the sidelines offering no alternative to a culture which continues to re-open its 9/11 wounds year after year, then we are not a resurrection people.  We are not the church.

For those who would tell me to never forget the events of 9/11, have no fear I won't.  But neither will I live enslaved to vengeance, fear and retribution.  I will remember.  I will remember that Jesus whom I confess as the Christ, the Messiah of God, is also the Prince of Peace.  Moreover, week after week as I gather with God's people in the place God has promised to be,  I will be reminded that through the waters of baptism I have been called and equipped to embody Christ in the world not just for a day, but for a lifetime!

Peace and blessings for the whole world:  No exceptions.
Pastor Doug

Abundance or Scarcity?

“O God beyond all praising, we worship you today and sing the love amazing that songs cannot repay; for we can only wonder at ev’ry gift you send, at blessings without number and mercies without end:  we lift our hearts before you and wait upon your word, we honor and adore you, our great and mighty Lord” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship #880).

These words set to the tune of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” begin to piece together a stunning tapestry of what our life in Christ is all about:  A life of immeasurable giftedness woven with the thread of unending gratitude.  Imagine for a moment the abundance implied by the claim that God’s blessings are without number and God’s mercies are without end.  Can we even imagine what that kind of abundance looks like?  Do we dare acknowledge that such abundance even exists?

If we believe for a moment that abundance is not some illusory pipe dream, but is in fact a reality of the “God beyond all praising” then how we respond to this God and to the world which this God loves matters.  If God truly gives in abundance, can our response be anything less?

Back in June, we gathered together at our Annual Meeting to reflect upon where God led us this past year, and to discern through a mission budget where God might take us in the coming year.  Though the numbers contained in the mission budget may not feel particularly flashy from year to year, what they represent is nothing less than our response to a “great and mighty Lord” whose abundant love for us knows no boundaries.

So what shall our response be to this God, who according to the hymn writer, cannot be praised enough?  In a world which finds itself all too often adrift in a sea of scarcity, is it possible that the God of abundant blessings is calling each of us to be an ark of abundant blessing?  If what the hymn writer confesses is true and God’s blessings cannot even begin to be counted, does scarcity even exist?

I believe the challenge for us in the coming year will be to overcome the perception of scarcity, both in our personal lives as well as our life together in this community of faith called Incarnate Word.  Whether we feel like it or not, there is much to be done here in this place and in the world to which we are called to serve.

“Then hear O Gracious Savior, accept the love we bring, that we who know your favor may serve you as our King; and whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill, we’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship #880).

Peace and Love in abundance,

Pastor Doug

Many years ago (more than I care to remember), I had the privilege of working as a staffer on Capitol Hill.  Though I was perhaps the lowest on the seniority totem pole at the time, I, along with all the other staffers had a television in my office, allowing me to keep up with the Senate proceedings as they were happening in the chamber. 

Whenever our Senator "had" the chamber floor, our office would become hushed.  For us nerdy policy "wonks", our guy, along with a few other U.S. Senators had rock star status.   If I had had a Bic lighter - yup I would have been swaying with it.

So imagine my amazement when during one such speech, I heard my words come from this rock star's mouth.  Hundreds of non-descript talking points I had written, and here was one of them being spoken on that hallowed Senate chamber floor.  Talk about feeling connected to something bigger than yourself. From my non-descript cubicle deep within the belly of the Hart Senate Office building, I was connected to one of the most influential legislative bodies in the world.

Here I am in the church, twenty-five years later and just this past week felt the same giddiness of being connected to something significant beyond myself.  I'm talking about our Churchwide Assembly held in Pittsburgh last week.  While none of my words were spoken on the floor of that hallowed gathering, there was still a connection as I witnessed the larger expression of our church doing ministry in "real" time.

If you walked by my office at all last week, you heard the Churchwide Assembly playing on my computer.  You might have even heard me cheering and occasionally grumbling at my poor little computer: Hearkening back to the days on Capitol Hill when I could be heard uttering occasional cheers and jeers at what was happening on that screen.

Though there were many things to cheer about at this year's Assembly, let me tell you about just a couple of them.

I cheered when the Churchwide Assembly overwhelmingly passed the proposed social statement on Criminal Justice acknowledging that a system of justice cannot be "just" when it is overwhelmed on all levels and calling this church to hear the cries of those who find themselves trapped in that system:  From victim to offender and everyone in between.  Among other things, this statement forces us to ask the questions of why our incarceration levels are one of the highest in the world and why one race of people is overwhelmingly represented in those levels.  Not easy questions to ask, but faithful ones.

I cheered when the Churchwide Assembly elected our first female presiding bishop.  Don't get me wrong, Bishop Mark Hanson is one of the most faithful pastors and bishops I have ever known and I am deeply grateful for where he has shepherded this denomination over the past twelve years and I am profoundly proud to call myself an ordained pastor in this denomination because of him.

But the time is right for someone new to lead us with pastoral and prophetic vision.  The time may also be right for that sheperd to be a woman.  I'm not big into making gender distinctions, but let's face it:  The church is one of the last bastions of the "good ol' boy" system.  Though more than half of seminary graduates are women, and have been for almost two decades now, there are still fewer women than men serving our congregations.  What's up with that?  Sadly echoing the larger society, women still tend to serve smaller churches and are paid less than men for the same job.

Though women have broken through other good ol' boy systems such as the legal and medical professions, as Nadia Bolz-Weber points out there are no hospitals where women are not allowed to practice medicine and there are no courts of law where women are not allowed to practice law.  There are still churches however where women are not only denied the opportunity to serve as pastor, but many where women are forbidden from holding any position of leadership or from talking in the gathered assembly at all.

So will the election of the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton further drive a wedge between our denomination and other church bodies who place severe limits on women? Probably.  Will the election of Bishop Eaton alienate some within our own denomination unmasking our own tendencies toward gender discrimination?  Perhaps.  But was it the right thing to do?  The Holy Spirit gathered with, in, through and under the voting members of last week's Assembly seemed to think so.  And if it's good enough for God.....

"As many of you as were baptized in Christ have clothed yourself with Christ, there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"  ~ Galatians 3:27-8).

ELCA passes Criminal Justice Social Statement

Voting members of the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted “The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries” — a social statement on criminal justice — Aug. 16 with an 882 to 25 vote. The social statement was formally introduced to the 952 voting members Aug. 13.

The assembly made two amendments to the statement — the first was to substitue a paragraph that now begins: “Confession is one ‘mark of the church’”, and the second amendment was designed to provide an editorial comment.  

The call for a statement on criminal justice emerged from concern among ELCA members over the “massive levels of incarceration in the United States,” said Cynthia Osbourne, chair of the ELCA task force charged with leading this church in a study about criminal justice and the development of a proposed social statement. She introduced the social statement to the assembly earlier this week.

While commending positive aspects of the system, the statement conveys dissatisfaction with many areas about the criminal justice system that urgently need reform.

The statement affirms the fundamental principles of the U.S. criminal justice system, such as due process of law and the presumption of legal innocence, and it also recognizes serious deficiencies — overly harsh sentencing and persistent inequalities based on race and class. It calls ELCA members to ministry and compassion through some practices: hearing the cries of those affected, accompaniment, hospitality and advocacy. It asks members of this church to recommit themselves to visiting the prisoner; correct the flawed criminal justice system; participate in God’s work with hands and hearts and to hear the cries of people affected.

New Presiding Bishop

Today has been a whirlwind of a day.  When I awoke this morning and began my usual routine of taking the dogs out for their "constitutional" followed by a brisk five mile walk at the gym, I had no idea that by the end of the day Mark Hanson would not be re-elected as presiding bishop of our denomination.

Though I am thankful for the prayer and discernment that took place these past few days among 950 voting members at our Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh, and I believe that Elizabeth Eaton will serve God's people with faithfulness and passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that she is who the Holy Spirit is calling at this time to lead us, I cannot help but wonder what Mark is doing this evening, on the back side of not being re-elected.

There were no scandals, no "black marks" on his ministry.  Mark Hanson was a faithful bishop with the heart of a pastor whose love and patience gently guided our denomination through turbulent yet courageous waters of breaking down the barriers of race, gender, socio-economic class and sexual orientation.

When following the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, hundreds of ELCA congregations left our denomination, Mark's voice could be heard reaching out to those who were leaving, assuring them that there is a place at the table for all of us and that our unity at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ far surpasses the issues of human sexuality that divide us.   Mark Hanson's passion to include all at the table of God's grace has profoundly inspired my love for this church and for the people whose lives this church touches each and every day.

I am deeply thankful that twelve years ago, Mark answered God's call to step out in front and lead this denomination called the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Twelve years ago when Mark was called to the office of presiding Bishop, my ministry was in a very different place than it is today.  My faith was  teetering.  I was directionless.  I was having a hard time seeing Jesus in the church.  Was I just a weekly dispenser of safe Jesus jargon?  Was I just an entertainer having to worry about losing people's attention if my sermons ran too long?  Was the church even relevant in the world anymore?

Then along came Mark Hanson, whose passion for justice and mercy in the world, opened my eyes to a different view of the church:  A public church.  In the style of the prophet Amos, Mark stood with other church leaders forming a "circle of protection" around the poor and the hungry, when those we elected to public office were trampling the needy and exploiting the poor.  Mark courageously reminded those in power that the God he served was the God whose son was born in poverty and who lived for a while as an illegal alien.

Over these past 12 years, I have seen the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America come alive even as we have grown smaller in number.  Though growth in the ELCA has not been wide, it has run deep.  Jesus didn't say go out and make numbers.  He said go out and make disciples.  Followers of the One whose love knows no boundaries.

Thank you Bishop Hanson for embodying that reality.  You have led this church to a good place.  On November 1, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will pick up where you have left off, leading us in the same direction but in new ways of loving God and loving our neighbor.

Thanks be to God!

Pastor Doug's Lenten Reflection

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this letter at the beginning of our Lenten journey, my heart is filled with tremendous sadness and even some anger:  Not for anything I have experienced personally, but for what has happened to the Church which I have loved with all my heart for my entire life.  For in the course of the past few weeks I have seen those who would call themselves leaders of the Church behave in ways that not only give the church a “black eye” in the eyes of the world, but take Jesus’ prayer for unity and throw it out the window.

The first blow to Christ’s Church came when a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor was forced by his ecclesiastical superiors to issue an apology to the entire Missouri Synod Church for participating in an ecumenical prayer service following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.  Despite the fact that a six-year old child from his congregation was one of the shooting victims, this young pastor was reprimanded and threatened with expulsion from the Church for his role in a prayer service that included religious leaders from other faith traditions as well as the president of the United States.  His only crime?  He read from the Book of Revelation and spoke a benediction in the presence of non-Missouri Synod Lutherans.

I cannot even begin to imagine the pain I would feel if my own child had been brutally murdered, only to have bureaucratic leaders from my church chastise and bully my pastor for trying to offer the love and the hope of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the resurrection and the life.  Apologize for offering my family hope in the resurrection of Jesus?  Really?

What must those outside of the Church think when they hear such a despicable story coming from those who supposedly represent Christ and him crucified to the world?  At best, they think that particular church body is out of touch.  At worst, they come to believe that all Lutherans and all Christians are close-minded bigots.

Let me say this loud and clear:  I am proud of our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and for its embodiment of the radical love, grace and inclusivity modeled by Jesus when he invited those without sin to cast the first stone, or when he instructed us to remove the logs from our own eyes before we insist on having the specks removed from those of our neighbors.  I am proud to be a pastor in a church that says all have a place at the table.  I am proud to be raising two children in a church which confesses that love of God and love of neighbor are all that matter.

But this being said, as I write this letter to you, I have just learned that our church’s enfleshment of Micah’s call to justice and Jesus’ radical call to love has come at yet another price to the unity for which our Lord prayed so long ago.  Just today the Lutheran Church in Ethiopia (The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus) severed all of its ties with our denomination for the actions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in which the ELCA courageously affirmed the blessings of same sex unions and the ordination of gay and lesbian pastors, while at the same time affirming that human sexuality is a gift from God.  No longer will the Ethiopian Lutheran Church allow any of its members to receive Holy Communion or any form of pastoral care from the ELCA.  Nor will it allow any ELCA member, pastor or bishop to receive Communion under any circumstances whatsoever from any of its communion tables.

Mark Hanson, our presiding bishop, has issued a statement about this in which he says the actions of the Ethiopian Lutheran Church are “deeply troubling”.  At the same time, he and other leaders of our denomination have been intentional about leaving the doors of dialogue and reconciliation open to all who feel that they must disavow our church credentials.  “We are not of one mind” writes Bishop Hanson, “but we are one in Christ, in faith and in baptism”.

These are the words of faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ that I must play over and over again in my heart.  “We are not of one mind, but we are one in Christ.”

These are the words I am going to ponder in my heart in this Lenten season of introspection and renewal.  And I invite you to do the same.  Over the course of the next 40 days as I hear the narrative of Jesus journeying toward a cross at Golgotha where he will suffer and be rejected, I am going to look into my own heart in an earnest attempt to unearth my own prejudices and unjust ways.  I am going to seek out and name my own collusion with the powers of division and injustice.   And hopefully after I have discovered the ways in which I have sought to divide the body of Christ, I will lay those ways down at the foot of the cross upon which Jesus died: The cross upon which he died, not only for me, but for my sisters and brothers of the Missouri Synod Church and the Lutheran Church in Ethiopia.  Then perhaps I will find the healing of which I stand in such desperate need.

Peace and Love in the healing arms of Christ,

Pastor Doug

Excellence and Justice

Excellence at an impasse

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:01 PM PST

Sarah Dreier

By Sarah Dreier, Legislative Representative of International Policy for the ELCA and The Episcopal Church 

The discipline of yoga has taught me to realize that I am whole in God, regardless of what goes on around me — that no experiences I encounter in my worldly life will adulterate that godly wholeness. Drawing on this notion of spiritual wholeness, I have developed and redefined what it means to be excellent in my work as the legislative representative of international policy for the ELCA and the Episcopal Church, even as I tackle worldly injustices that seem utterly impassable.

Every day, I work with Congress and the Administration to challenge them to address and abate global injustices, including hunger, malnutrition, lack of development, violence and other human rights violations. I advocate for U.S. policies that will help eradicate extreme poverty, increase child and maternal nutrition, combat HIV and AIDS, address the atrocities of human trafficking, and hold multinational corporations accountable to the taxes they are so adept at evading. I urge Congress to pass an annual federal budget that is consistent with our church’s commitments to address poverty and support those who are most vulnerable in the United States and around the world.

And I am not alone. I work with a network of professionals in Washington, D.C., and New York — and with engaged Lutherans and Episcopalians all over the country — who are committed to speaking reason to partisanship, justice to power, generosity to profane greed; to confronting poverty, racism, sexism, violence, climate change and all other forces that subjugate rather than emancipate God’s people.

Even working together, these enormous objectives seem insurmountable, impassable.

But this should not intimidate us to respond to worldly impasses by surrendering or lowering our standards of success. Instead, through, with and for God, we may be driven by a different kind of excellence — a spiritual excellence that enables us to overcome even the most challenging worldly impasses.

What does it mean to be excellent servants of God as we face and try to overcome these worldly impasses? Surely, we must not misinterpret Jesus’ warning that the poor will always be among us (John 12:8) as permission to surrender to these impasses of injustice. We are instead commanded to open our hands to the poor and needy in our land (Deuteronomy 15:11).

Two principles have guided my own understanding of excellence, within these worldly constraints:

First, take a leap of faith, and trust that God is working through us to overcome the impassable.

Last week, I heard a representative from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ruminate on the global fight against AIDS in the last few decades — how unbeatable the pandemic seemed at so many critical junctures, and yet the unthinkable progress that our world has seen in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Today, scientists and politicians agree that if countries and international actors maintain a strong commitment to treating and preventing HIV and AIDS, the end of the pandemic is within our reach. Talk about surmounting impasses!

This is just one example, and we have seen, time and again — around the world — that through God, nothing is insurmountable.

Second, redefine excellence, oriented not only toward large accomplishments or measurable changes, but focused instead on the “least of these” — the poor, vulnerable, excluded and weary among us.

When we redefine our own excellence in terms of our service to “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) — the poor and weary among us — we begin to recognize the unseen vulnerable whose lives are better because we engage them and work with them to lighten their burden (even when we do not overcome the big-picture obstacles), or the contributions that our diverse body of Christ are making to a public dialogue and an evolving public ethic.

We in the church are counter-cultural, tasked to uplift an ethic that prioritizes and exults the “least of these” in a Wall Street, partisan, radically individualistic world. When we remember that we are made in the image of God, this spiritual wholeness frees us from being restricted to worldly impasses. We are freed to reorient our notion of ethics toward those whom society has cast aside. And this leap of faith and redefining of excellence — I believe this is what makes us truly excellent in the eyes of God.