Thank you for your generous response to our appeal for $15,000 so that we will be able to sponsor one week of NEXUS for high schoolers at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. As of April 30, 2020, $8,081 has been given towards our goal of $15,000. We are 54% of the way there!

NEXUS is designed to give high school students a chance to engage in the study of the Bible and Lutheran theology, be involved in service, and discern whether God has gifted them and is calling them to full-time Christian ministry and/or leadership in the church. In the past three years, over one hundred high schoolers have gone through NEXUS. In addition, many college-aged mentors who have participated in the program have gone on to seminary and/or full-time church work.

The cost to host one week of NEXUS for twenty-four high school students, which includes college-age mentors, teachers, activities, room and board, and materials, is $30,000. Lutheran CORE has committed half of the amount for one week – $15,000. The funds from Lutheran CORE will be matched by Lilly Endowment to cover a full-week’s cost of $30,000. The funds from Lutheran CORE will be used for a week during the summer of 2021.

If you have not already done so, please consider giving a gift to Lutheran CORE – over and above your current giving – to help fund the commitment that we have made. Please be sure to designate NEXUS on the memo line of your check.

My wife and I decided to give the amount of the financial stimulus check that we will be receiving from the federal government to five different Christian charitable causes, including NEXUS. We would like to challenge and encourage you to do the same.

Something I find very encouraging are the plans for reopening our lives, including our churches. Typically those plans include three or four steps, a delineation of the conditions that would need to exist in order to go to the next step, a warning that it would be easy to have to go back to a previous step, and a concern for the elderly, those with prior conditions, and others who are among the most vulnerable. Typically, the steps basically go in this order – from severe social distancing protocols to moderate social distancing protocols to limited social distancing protocols.

Thinking through the well-known account in John 20 of Jesus’ appearing to His disciples on Easter Sunday evening, when Thomas was not with them, and then a week later, when Thomas was with them, I find the early disciples going through very similar steps.

STEP ONE

John starts out by telling us that on Easter Sunday evening “the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.” (verse 19) Like we have been, so the disciples were under strict self-quarantine. They were inside, not because of a virus, but because of their fear of the Jewish leaders who might do to them what they had done to Jesus. And the doors were not only shut, they were locked.

What did Jesus give to them to help them move from step one to step two? Six things, and Jesus wants to and can give the same six things to us.

First, His presence. Verse 19 says, “Jesus came and stood among them.” Nothing about their circumstances – neither their fears nor the walls nor the locked doors – were able to keep Him out. And nothing about our present circumstances – including all of our fears – need keep Him away.

Second, His peace. Twice – in verse 19 and then again in verse 21 – Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” Peace is also what we need. The peace that passes understanding. The peace that the world cannot give. The peace that only God can give.

Third, unmistakable evidence of His resurrection. Verse 20 – “He showed them His hands and His side.” We also need unmistakable evidence that Jesus is alive. We need the reliable, eyewitness accounts of those who were there. We need that sure and certain hope that comes from knowing that God has defeated our greatest enemies – sin, death, and the power of the devil – even the impact of the corona virus – through the resurrection.

Fourth, a purpose and a calling. Verse 21 – “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” I know that for me – as I seek to cope with these “stay at home” days – it has been so extremely helpful to have a purpose and a calling. It has been so helpful for me to be able to be involved in ministry that I value very much. To be able to teach a Bible study that is recorded and then posted on the websites and Facebook pages of two congregations. And to be able to do my work as executive director of Lutheran CORE.

Fifth, verse 22 – “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” We do not want or need either Jesus or us to have to wear a facial mask. We are not afraid of getting the corona virus from His breathing on us. Rather we need the Holy Spirit, whom we will receive through His breathing on us.

Sixth, authority. In verse 23 Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The one who just before His ascension said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18), has shared with us His authority. We do not need to go out timid, afraid, uncertain, and insecure. Rather we are going and we are speaking in the name of and with the authority of the one who has all authority.

STEP TWO

All of that must have helped the disciples move from Step One to Step Two, because verse 26 tells us that a week later the disciples were again in the house. This time Thomas was with them. And even though verse 26 tells us that the doors were shut, it does not say that they were locked. The disciples had moved from step one to step two.

Again Jesus comes and stands among them. Again He says, “Peace be with you.” The disciples, including Thomas, are now ready to move on to step three.

STEP THREE

Jesus invites Thomas to do what Thomas had said he would need to do in order to be able to believe that Jesus is alive – “see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side.” (verse 25) But it does not say that Thomas actually did what he had said he would need to do in order to believe. Rather in verse 28 Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Thomas became the first disciple to be recorded as actually calling Jesus God.

Thomas Was All In

I believe that Thomas (so called Doubting Thomas) has been given a bum rap. I believe that Thomas wanted to believe. With all his heart he wanted to believe. But death seemed final. The grave seemed irreversible. What the disciples were saying – “We have seen the Lord” (verse 25) – was just too good to be true. So, he could not believe.

But when he did come to believe, he went all the way. He was all in. He became the first disciple to be recorded as calling Jesus God. Other disciples had called Jesus many other things during the previous three years – Rabbi, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. But Thomas was the first disciple to call Jesus God.

And Thomas did not relapse from Step Three back to Steps One or Two. Early Christian writings say that Thomas brought the Gospel to India. The Christian church in Pakistan and India traces itself back to the evangelistic work of Thomas.

The congregation I was pastor of in southern California before I retired included a large Pakistani community. They were all related by blood or by marriage. A relative of theirs at the time was presiding bishop of the United Church of Pakistan. In February 2011 I accepted his invitation to visit the Christians and churches in Pakistan and found them to be incredible examples for us of courage, commitment, and faithfulness to Christ even in the midst of a very hostile environment.

In John 11: 16, when Jesus told His disciples that He would be going to Bethany, where Lazarus had recently died, Thomas told his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” Thomas is a tremendous example for us not of doubt but of courage and strength of conviction. Christians today who trace their church back to Thomas are tremendous examples for us of courage and strength of conviction. May we face all the challenges of today with the same kind and level of courage and strength of conviction. May we, like Thomas, be all in.  

Dear Friends in the Risen Lord:

Every morning – when I turn on my computer – I wonder, “How much worse is the news going to be today than it was yesterday?”  How many more confirmed corona virus cases will there be?  How many more people will have died?  What kind of greater precautions will we need to take, and what kind of greater restrictions will be placed upon us?  How much more will the stock market plunge?

In the midst of all this, we need encouragement, a source of strength, and hope.  What greater source of encouragement, strength, and hope could we have – and could we be able to share – than the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead?  He is with us in our struggles, and He has defeated our greatest enemies – sin, death, and the power of the devil.

I would like to share with you four sources of strength and hope from the account of the Israelites’ crossing the Jordan River on their way to the Promised Land, as recorded in the early chapters of the book of Joshua. 

First, in Joshua 1: 2 the Lord said to Joshua, “My servant Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan.”  The Lord did not say, “Moses is dead; you might as well give up.”  Nor did He say, “Moses is dead; so why not go back to Egypt.”  “Moses is dead; it will never be the same again.” Or “Moses is dead; what hope do you have now?”  Rather the Lord said, “Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan.” 

We have heard it said over and over again.  We are living in unprecedented times.  We were not prepared for this, nor did we see it coming.  We do not know how long it will last or what life will be like after it is over.  We know it will be different, but we do not know how it will be different.  In many ways Moses is dead.  The realities, resources, and support systems that we had been counting on no longer exist.  And they disappeared so quickly.  But just as God said, “Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan,” so God is saying to us, “Life will be different, but it is not over.”  With God’s presence and power – with the hope of the resurrection – we will be able to get through this.  One year from now we will be able to look back and say, “God is good, and He saw us through.”  Moses may be dead, but we still need to and we still can cross the Jordan. 

Second, three times in the first nine verses of Joshua 1 God says, “Be strong and courageous.”  In verse 6, verse 7, and verse 9.  “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

It would be very easy today to be frightened and dismayed.  We have many, very valid reasons to be frightened and dismayed.  Just like the disciples of Jesus, on the evening of Good Friday, had many, very valid reasons to be frightened and dismayed. 

But the angel told the women who came early on Easter Sunday morning to the tomb, “Do not be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here.  He has been raised.  Come, see the place where He lay.  Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has been raised from the dead.”  (Matthew 28: 5-7)  So we, too, need to see the place where He lay.  We, too, need to see that the tomb is empty.  Then we, too, need to go quickly and tell people that He has been raised from the dead.  This year – during the upcoming Holy Week season – may God give you even more strength of conviction and mountain-moving faith, so that you will be able to believe with power and with boldness, “Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.”

Third, in Joshua 3: 2-4 we read that the leaders of Israel went through the camp and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place.  Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before.” 

What do we need the most as we go through a national and global crisis unlike any we have experienced before?  We need to know that God is with us and that He goes before us, “for (we) have not passed this way before.”  I remember a poster I had on my wall in my dorm room in college.  It showed a mushroom cloud from an atomic explosion.  It asked the question, “Is there a future?”  It gave an answer from God.  “Yes, I am already there.”

Paul describes Jesus as “the first born from the dead.”  Jesus has already gone through the experience of death ahead of us.  And He has broken the power of death over us.  Therefore, “nothing in all of creation” – and that includes the corona virus – “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8: 39)

Fourth, Joshua 3: 15-16 tell us that “when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still . . . while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off,” so the people were able to cross over on dry ground. 

There was a miraculous crossing of a body of water at the beginning of the time of leadership of Moses (the Red Sea), and there was a miraculous crossing of a body of water at the beginning of the time of leadership of Joshua (the Jordan River).  But there is a significant difference between the two.  In the case of Moses and the Red Sea, God sent a strong east wind that blew all night.  In the morning there was a dry path. The people did not need to step into the sea until they had a dry path.  In the case of Joshua and the Jordan River, somebody had to step into the water first before the flow of the river stopped and a dry path became available.

I know that I, for one, would like to have a dry path before I have to step in.  But that is not the way it always goes.  It sure would be good to know how this pandemic will end and how long it will last, but at this point we do not know.  But still we need to step in, take necessary precautions, help those who are most vulnerable, and see this time as an opportune time to show the kind of courage and compassion that Christ can give. 

I remember several years ago a woman who was very close to dying from cancer read the lessons on Easter Sunday.  Never before had those Scriptures passages spoken so strongly to me as they did that day as they were being read by someone who would soon be dying and who believed with all her heart that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

This Easter season may your faith in Jesus be even bolder, your hope in Jesus be even greater, and your love for Jesus be even stronger.

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
[email protected]
909-274-8591

P.S.

Our prayers are with all confessional Lutheran pastors as you find and develop ways to stay connected with your congregations, give your people hope, courage, and strength, and reach out to your communities during these most unusual times.  On our website you can find a list of some congregations that are livestreaming and/or posting recordings of their worship services.  A link to that list can be found here.  Please let me know if you would like to be added to that list.

This is a list of confessional and orthodox congregations who are livestreaming or recording their church services.

• If you would like your church to be added to the list, please email [email protected]

To view the letter CORE’s Executive Director, Dennis Nelson, has sent about this list, click the button below.

In addition to our partial pan-Lutheran list below, the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) has an amazing list of NALC church services: click button below.

Among the people whom CORE especially want to serve through this ministry are:

• Lay people whose congregations are not livestreaming their services
• Lay people who are members of congregations that are not confessional and orthodox

Last May I had the privilege of attending the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of my graduation from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. It was a splendid event. I was deeply moved by how much my class had become a real spiritual leadership powerhouse in the Christian community. I felt honored and privileged to have been a part of it. From college I went to Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. After graduating from Fuller, I served my internship under Luther Seminary in the congregation where I had been working as youth director during my final year at Fuller. After serving my internship, I was a graduate student at Luther for one year in order to fulfill ordination requirements of the former ALC (American Lutheran Church).

Raised in a Christian Home

While attending the celebration event at Wheaton I thought of how privileged I was to have grown up in the church and been raised in a Christian home (my father was a pastor), to have been a leader in our high school church youth group, to have gone to summer Bible camp, to have attended a Christian college and sung in a Christian college choir, and to have attended seminary. The program at Wheaton on Saturday evening included singing a number of favorite Christian hymns. One of them was “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” The person who was leading the singing introduced that selection by saying, “I’ll bet that song means far, far more to us now than it did fifty years ago.”

Of Great Concern to Lutheran CORE

All during my growing up years I experienced God’s faithfulness and His guiding me to become a pastor. And yet I realize that many of the Lutheran ministries that used to engage young people with a high view of the authority of the Bible and the challenge to consider a career in Christian ministry no longer exist or no longer function in that way. Because of that reality the following are among Lutheran CORE’s greatest concerns –

How can we help raise up a whole new generation of Lutheran pastors who will be Biblical and confessional in their theology and who will be committed to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples for Jesus Christ?

What can we do to reach young people for Jesus? How can we present the Gospel of Jesus to them in a clear, compelling, and engaging way? How can we help them feel and be connected to the church?

Opportunity to Act

Lutheran CORE is very grateful for the opportunity to do something about these concerns through sponsoring a week of NEXUS for high schoolers at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Originally funded by a substantial Lilly Endowment Grant, NEXUS is designed to give high school students a chance to engage in the study of the Bible and Lutheran theology, be involved in service, and discern whether God has gifted them and is calling them to full-time Christian ministry and/or leadership in the church. In the past three years, over one hundred high schoolers have gone through NEXUS. Grand View has found that after a week of NEXUS, students grow significantly in their understanding of Scripture, Lutheran theology, faith practices, and the doctrine of vocation. In addition, many college-aged mentors who have participated in the program have gone on to seminary and/or full-time church work.

There is no charge for high schoolers to attend NEXUS, and Grand View wants to keep it that way. The original grant from Lilly Endowment will have been spent by the end of this coming summer, so Grand View has approached Lutheran CORE and other ministries about sponsoring a week of NEXUS.

The cost to host one week of NEXUS for twenty-four high school students, which includes college-aged mentors, teachers, activities, room and board, and materials, is $30,000. Lutheran CORE has committed half of the amount for one week – $15,000. The funds from Lutheran CORE will be matched by Lilly Endowment to cover a full week’s cost of $30,000.

Because the original grant from Lilly Endowment will cover the costs for the two weeks of NEXUS during the summer of 2020, the funds from Lutheran CORE will be used for a week during the summer of 2021. However, we do not want to wait until next year to be involved. I plan to attend at least a significant part of the week of NEXUS this year that will be sponsored by the NALC (North American Lutheran Church) – July 12-17 – to further observe the program and to get to know, listen to, learn from, and share with the young people who are there about such things as these –

What are they thinking about, running into, and dealing with in their lives?
What are the questions that they are asking and facing?
What hopes do they have for the church and for their own lives?
What is stirring them?

Sharing in that interaction and experiencing a week of NEXUS will help us know how best to put a “Lutheran CORE imprint” upon a week of NEXUS in 2021.

Funding Our NEXUS Commitment

We are very grateful to all those who have already given – over and above their current giving to Lutheran CORE – to help fund the commitment that we have made to provide $15,000 for one week of high school NEXUS. To see how much has been contributed  for NEXUS 2021 so far, click here. We will continue to update you on our progress via social media and via CORE’s regular communications.

If you have not already given, we urge you to join with those who have. You may donate online, or you may use the response form that you will find here. Please remember to designate NEXUS on the memo line on your check. We are very grateful for the faithful generosity of our friends, which will enable us to help support this fine ministry, in addition to all of the other ways in which we seek to be a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.

Dear Friends in Christ –

Among Lutheran CORE’s greatest concerns have been the
following –

How can we help raise up a whole new generation of
Lutheran pastors who will be Biblical and confessional in their theology and
who will be committed to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples for
Jesus Christ?

What can we do to reach young people for Jesus?  How can we present the Gospel of Jesus to
them in a clear, compelling, and engaging way? 
How can we help them feel and be connected to the church?

Because of these concerns, we are very grateful for
the opportunity to sponsor a week of NEXUS for high schoolers at Grand View
University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Originally funded by a substantial Lilly Endowment
Grant, NEXUS is designed to give high school students a chance to engage in the
study of the Bible and Lutheran theology, be involved in service, and discern
whether God has gifted them and is calling them to full-time Christian ministry
and/or leadership in the church.  In the
past three years, over one hundred high schoolers have gone through NEXUS.  Grand View has found that after a week of
NEXUS, students grow significantly in their understanding of Scripture,
Lutheran theology, faith practices, and the doctrine of vocation.  In addition, many college-aged mentors who
have participated in the program have gone on to seminary and/or full-time
church work. 

There is no charge for high schoolers to attend NEXUS,
and Grand View wants to keep it that way. 
The original grant from Lilly Endowment will have been spent by the end
of this coming summer, so Grand View has approached Lutheran CORE and other
ministries about sponsoring a week of NEXUS. 
The board of Lutheran CORE has long recognized that many of the Lutheran
ministries that used to engage young people with a high view of the authority
of the Bible and the challenge to consider a career in Christian ministry no
longer exist or no longer function in that way, so the board immediately
responded positively to the invitation and request.

The cost to host one week of NEXUS for twenty-four
high school students, which includes college-aged mentors, teachers,
activities, room and board, and materials, is $30,000.  Lutheran CORE has committed half of the
amount for one week – $15,000.  The funds
from Lutheran CORE will be matched by Lilly Endowment to cover a full week’s
cost of $30,000. 

Because the original grant from Lilly Endowment will
cover the costs for the two weeks of NEXUS during the summer of 2020, the funds
from Lutheran CORE will be used for a week during the summer of 2021.  However, we do not want to wait until next
year to be involved.  My plan is to
attend at least a significant part of the week of NEXUS this year that will be
sponsored by the NALC (North American Lutheran Church) – July 12-17 – to
further observe the program and to get to know, listen to, learn from, and
share with the young people who are there about such things as these –

What
are they thinking about, running into, and dealing with in their lives?

What
are the questions that they are asking and facing?

What
hopes do they have for the church and for their own lives?

What
is stirring them?

Sharing
in that interaction and experiencing a week of NEXUS will help us know how best
to put a “Lutheran CORE imprint” upon a week of NEXUS in 2021.

My
purpose for writing is to let you know about this additional ministry that we
are pursuing.  In his first letter to his
young friend Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote, “The Spirit expressly says that
in later times some will renounce the faith.” 
(1 Timothy 4: 1)  Part of our work
as Lutheran CORE is to alert people to ways in which the orthodox Christian
faith is being renounced by many – unfortunately even in the church.  We also want to be there for people and
congregations when they do become aware of this great tragedy.  In his second letter Paul wrote, “What you
have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will
be able to teach others as well.”  (2
Timothy 2: 2)  It is absolutely
imperative that the Christian faith be passed on from one generation to the
next.  We do not want to be the
generation that drops the ball.

Please consider giving a gift to Lutheran CORE – over and above your current giving – to help fund the commitment that we have made to provide $15,000 for one week of high school NEXUS.  You may donate online or use the response form that you will find below and/or you may designate NEXUS on the memo line on your check.  We are very grateful for the faithful generosity of our friends, which will enable us to help support this fine ministry, in addition to all of the other ways in which we seek to be a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.

Blessings
in Christ,

Dennis
D. Nelson

Executive
Director of Lutheran CORE

Visit
our website www.lutherancore.org

Follow
us on Twitter @LutheranCORE

Like
us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LutheranCORE

For easy access, the Response Form also appears below:

LUTHERAN
CORE

A
Voice and Network for Confessing Lutherans

NEXUS

A week for high schoolers

of study in the Scriptures and Lutheran theology, involvement in ministry,

and discernment of call to full-time Christian service  

Please find enclosed my gift (make check payable to
“Lutheran CORE” and designate “NEXUS” on the memo line)

Please use my gift to help fund one week of NEXUS for
high school students

__________ Amount

Name ______________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________

             
____________________________________________

Phone number _______________________________________

Email address ________________________________________

Prayer request
________________________________________

                       
________________________________________

                       
________________________________________

If you prefer, you can give online by going to the Give
page on our website – https://www.lutherancore.website/give/

2 Timothy 2: 2 – “What you have heard from me through
many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as
well.”

1
Timothy 4: 12 – “Let no one think less of you because you are young; rather set
the believers an example.”

“MUCH LAND STILL REMAINS TO BE CONQUERED” 

Joshua 13: 1 says, “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years.’”  I can imagine Joshua saying, “Thank you, Lord.  I really did not need to be reminded of that.”  Then the Lord added, “Much land still remains to be conquered.”

Joshua, it’s not all over.  There is still much important work for you to do.

I can imagine the Lord saying the same thing to all of us who are retired or who are approaching retirement.  “Much land still remains to be conquered.  It’s not all over.  There is still much important work for you to do.”   

I have heard it referred to as both the second chapter and the third chapter of life – that time in life (usually during retirement) when time is more abundant because the kids are grown and we do not have to work full-time in order to earn a living.

I retired a little over five and a half years ago.  For me a major question since then has been –

What does God want me to do with what He gave me the opportunity to learn and with the skills He gave me the opportunity to develop during my full-time working years now during this next chapter in life?

I think of Moses.  Moses did not begin his major life work until the age of eighty.  I am eight years short of the age of eighty.  Moses spent the first forty years of his life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter – pampered and spoiled and unable to control his temper.  There was no way that at the age of forty he would have been ready to lead several hundred thousand stiff-necked, stubborn, and complaining people through the wilderness.  It was only after another forty years of herding the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro in the desert that Moses knew how to survive in the desert and that Moses was ready to lead God’s people through the desert.  It was only at the age of eighty that he was ready. 

What has God been getting you ready for?  What does God have in mind for you?  God is the one who sent the plagues, parted the waters, and provided manna in the wilderness.  But Moses was the man whom God had prepared to lead His people.

What has God been preparing you for?  I know that for me the opportunities I have had in retirement to do supply preaching and teach adult Bible studies have been a blessing, and the opportunity to serve as executive director of Lutheran CORE is the perfect thing for me at this time in life. 

I asked three retired persons if they would write about what they are doing now in ministry to use their accumulated insight, wisdom, gifts, knowledge, skills, and experience in their current chapter of life.  They are Robert Benne, professor at the Institute of Lutheran Theology and former professor of religion and director of the Center for Religion and Society at Roanoke College; Carol Peters, retired LCMC pastor in Arizona and one of the CiT (Congregations in Transition) coaches; and Steve Shipman, former executive director of Lutheran CORE, currently serving as an interim pastor of an NALC congregation in Pennsylvania. 

Here is what they wrote:

Dr. Robert Benne wrote –

In 1999 I went to the Roanoke College President’s office to tell him I wanted to relinquish my endowed chair and my tenured position on the faculty.    I was only 62.  I was weary from doing too many things and I wanted a new chapter in my life.  Graciously, he told me to think about it for a week or so since it was a pretty drastic move.  I came back in two weeks to reaffirm my decision, with the proviso that I continue to run the Center for Religion and Society which I had founded in 1982, as well as teach a few electives as an adjunct senior lecturer.

I simply did not want to give up the activities I had done with some skill and satisfaction for nearly 35 years.  I relinquished the directorship of the Center in 2012.  A new online seminary — the Institute of Lutheran Theology — came calling so I returned to teaching Christian ethics at a seminary after having been a college teacher for 30 years.  At the same time I gave up teaching at Roanoke College.

I now teach one course in Christian ethics per term at the ILT.  Another great teaching opportunity came up as we moved in 2015 to a large and thriving NALC congregation, St. John Lutheran.  There I offer courses that draw from 30-60 adults.  Right now I am teaching a course on Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship to 50.

Meanwhile, I am busily doing another activity I love—writing.  Since 2010 I have written three books: Good and Bad Ways to Think about Religion and Politics; Keeping the Soul in Christian Higher Education: a History of Roanoke College, and my memoirs, Thanks be to God: Memoirs of a Practical Theologian.   I have also written a number of chapters in other books.

I recount all this to illustrate what I think is true for most people who have taken up a vocation that brings deep satisfaction and usefulness to church and society.  In my case, I have been a Christian teacher and writer for 55 years.  Those activities have brought intrinsic meaning and joy over the years, and I hope they have been useful to the church.  But the point is that we should not stop doing those sorts of vocational pursuits if we continue to find satisfaction in them and others (church and seminary in my case) find them valuable.

When I advise friends who are wondering what they should do in their retirement I recommend that they continue to exercise their talents and training in something continuous with what they did in their full-time employment.  For example, I advised an exhausted emergency room doctor to exercise his talents on a charity hospital ship — something he had always wanted to do — rather than devote his time to other sorts of voluntary activities.  I advised a retiring pastor to find some diminished role in another church so he could continue preaching, teaching, and offering pastoral care.  Perhaps this sounds like semi-retirement, but if so, I commend it.  One lives a more manageable life with more leisure, freedom, and ample naps.  And one continues one’s calling in a more customized way.

I am willing to admit that some folks need to stop what they are doing and do something very different, or do nothing at all for a time, but that would not work for me.  On the worrisome side, what will happen when I cannot teach or write?  At 82 that may come sooner than later. Then I will be tested whether I have been tempted to justify myself by my works.  I dearly hope that I will then discover the depth of the meaning of being justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

* * * * * * *

Pastor Carol Peters wrote –

After being retired for two years, I discovered what was for me a liberating testimony by J. Vernon McGee, a pastor in Los Angeles many years ago as well as a radio preacher.  I had been feeling guilty for not missing full-time ministry more than I did.  In his commentary on the Psalms, Pastor McGee wrote: “…the happiest time of my ministry began when I retired from the pastorate; the most spiritually profitable time of my life began at that moment…. Do you know why?  I have whittled my life down to the one thing I want to do—teach the Bible.”

Indeed, the now four years I have been retired have been very “spiritually profitable.”  I now have time to spend in sessions of intercessory prayer for individuals, for the spread of the Gospel, for nations, for persecuted believers, for the health of the Church, etc.  I prayed, of course, while I was a pastor, but I never had a lot of time to devote to the ministry of intercession.  There is also much more time each week to spend alone with Jesus.  And like Pastor McGee, I am enjoying teaching the Bible in various settings.  I have always loved teaching, only now I have more time to spend digging into the Scripture and developing various courses than my schedule allowed when I was overseeing numerous programs at the large church I served as associate pastor.

My situation as a retired pastor is rather unique in that I am still a worshipping member of the church I served as a pastor as is the now-retired senior pastor with whom I worked.  Our congregation left the ELCA some years ago, and with the new senior pastor’s approval – and I should mention that he served as an associate pastor with us for about ten years before becoming the senior pastor – we made the decision that after retiring, we would stay away for six months or so, allowing a “new normal” to develop, and then we would return.  We do keep an intentionally low profile but are pleased to assist in any way when requested by the current senior pastor.

And that has worked out beautifully in our situation!  I have maintained my friendships made over the years.  I have taught in our adult education program.  I was asked to continue writing devotional studies for the congregation for Lent which I had done for many years while a pastor.  Now I have much more time to research and develop those studies!  And then, of course, there is occasional preaching and presiding at memorial services – not frequent, but occasional.

Those activities, as well as occasional opportunities to serve other congregations by supply preaching or teaching a short-term class, have made for a happy time of ministry!  No longer the demanding schedule of the pastorate yet the continued service to the Lord and His Church.

* * * * * * *

Pastor Steve Shipman wrote –

Recently a person trying to do some work around my house who wanted me there when he did it, was trying to coordinate schedules with me.  Finally in frustration he turned to his wife and said, “That guy flunked retirement.”  I confess that I cannot argue with that claim.

Since I work half a day each week in a program designed to keep people who qualify for institutional care out of nursing homes, I realize how undeservedly blessed I am.  I used to tell people I “take care of a bunch of old people,” then one day I looked at the computer and discovered a third of the folks were younger than I was.  Several years have passed, and it may be closer to half.  Yet they are all dealing with serious health issues, mostly through no fault of their own, and need assistance with the activities of daily living.

This year I am both serving as District Governor for the Lions club in my three-county area and also as half-time interim pastor of an NALC congregation as it searches for a full-time pastor. That in addition to my chaplaincy.  I didn’t plan it that way, but I was committed to the Lions and was the most logical person to do the interim.  Yes, it has been a crazy year and I am looking forward to re-retiring when the congregation issues its call.  But I’m not aware my ordination had a termination date.  God didn’t call Moses until he was 80, and God retired him (in much better health than I am today according to Deuteronomy) at 120.  So who am I to complain?

We all know people who retired in good health and within a brief period became seriously ill. I’m not ready to sit in a lounge chair watching those dumb Hallmark movies with my wife.  She and I would like to do more traveling and I’d like to get back into biking on the many local rail trails. But in the end, I am being selfish if God gives me opportunities to serve people and I refuse His call.

Science has proven that being active and using one’s brain power can put off many of the medical issues associated with aging.  And since we old people are especially subject to depression, it is good to get involved in meaningful activities where we can see other people being blessed instead of whining about the inevitable changes in our own bodies or in the world around us.

And I have found that supply preaching and interim work carry a different dynamic than a long-term pastorate, as does my part-time chaplaincy.  I have never felt so appreciated in my life, and I have to admit that my ego enjoys the compliments I receive.  But I also know my track record, and there is a long list of people from parishes I served who would disagree, usually with valid reasons.  I would urge retiring pastors and church workers that, after a period of time sitting in the pews to unwind, you be open to any opportunities God gives you to use your gifts to help congregations in transition or in a chaplaincy setting.

I’m having more fun than I have had for years, and I also feel that I am in many ways doing more good than I may have done in my called ministries. Some of that is having learned from my mistakes, but most is due to the different context.  I’m hoping that the Almighty lets me slow down a bit, and I don’t want to keep at this as long as Moses, but I trust that God’s purpose is more important than what I think my desires might be.

* * * * * * *

If you were to write about what God is calling you to do at this point or time in your life, what would you say?

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
[email protected]
909-274-8591

Once
again the ELCA refuses to be honest, to have integrity, and to allow the way it
is doing things to be challenged.  Instead,
once again it just ignores those challenges as it demonstrates that it hopes
that those who disagree will eventually just give up and go away.

Towards
the end of last November the ELCA declared on its Facebook page, “Before 2009,
our denomination sinfully refused to ordain any of our openly LGBTQIA+
siblings.”  It also said, “We highly
recommend checking out some of ReconcilingWorks’ resources.”

I
have several problems with these statements.

Sinful or Favoritism?

First, the ELCA is calling sinful the traditional position on sexual ethics, even though the traditional view was declared by the 2009 social statement to be one of four acceptable “conscience-bound” positions that would have a place in the ELCA.  I had the same problem in 2018 when ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, speaking at the youth gathering, led thirty thousand young people in renouncing the traditional view as a lie and the ELCA did nothing to distance itself from her as well as from her statements and actions.

If
the ELCA feels that it is free to take any one of the four positions that were
approved in 2009 and state publicly that that is the only acceptable view and
that holding to and advocating for any of the other three positions is a sin, then
it can also be said that the ELCA still teaches that homosexual behavior is a
sin (since that also is one of the four acceptable views) and that the ELCA
still believes that ordaining openly LGBTQIA+ persons is a sin. 

How can the ELCA, who claims to be a champion for justice and fairness, continue to make public statements and continue to take actions that favor any one of the four “ministry perspectives” over the others?  This kind of blatant favoritism is also shown in the Facebook page’s strong recommendation of ReconcilingWorks resources and not also giving equal endorsement to resources that advocate for the traditional view. 

Boundaries

Second,
what the ELCA has declared on its Facebook page goes far beyond the boundaries
of what was actually approved in 2009. 
The 2009 social statement and changes in ministry policies said nothing
about bisexual, transgender, or any of the other letters of the LGBTQIA+
formula.  The decisions in 2009 addressed
only same sex attracted people who are living in publicly accountable,
lifelong, monogamous, same gender relationships.

Demeaning

Third, what the ELCA has declared on its Facebook page denigrates the ministry of same sex attracted people who were serving in the ELCA prior to 2009 while living faithfully according to traditional, Biblical sexual ethics.  To claim that the ELCA did not ordain same sex attracted people prior to 2009 is simply false, to say nothing about its being stunningly demeaning to those faithful servants of God.

Two
times I telephoned the person whom the ELCA contact center said is in charge of
its Facebook page.  Two times I left a
voice mail message, asking that person to call me back so that I could inquire
as to how these statements fit in with what was actually approved in 2009.  But neither time did this person call me
back.  I did not want to be accused of
harassing this person, so I did not call a third time, but I do think that that
is an interesting way to not be held accountable for the accuracy and fairness
of what is posted on the ELCA Facebook page. 
Just do not call the person back. 
Then you do not have to deal with what they have to say.

Many times I have
been asked by people whether I think that what Lutheran CORE is doing will
actually get the ELCA to change.  I
always respond, “No, I do not.  It would
take an intervention by God to accomplish that. 
Rather my goal is three-fold – to try to make the ELCA uncomfortable about
what they are doing, to alert people to what is happening, and then to be there
for people when they become aware.”

I
was thoroughly blessed through reading the recently published memoirs of Dr.
Robert Benne.  Many thanks to Dr. Benne
for writing them and to the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau for publishing
them.  Reading Dr. Benne’s memoirs
reminded me of when I saw the 1989 movie, “Born on the Fourth of July.”  While watching that movie, and while reading
Dr. Benne’s memoirs, I felt like I was reliving several of the years of my own
life. 

I
was born ten years after Dr. Benne, but like him I grew up in a culture that
supported and encouraged the Christian faith. 
He grew up in a small town in Nebraska. 
I was born in Minneapolis and spent some of the formative years of my
life in a small town in Iowa.  At that time
the world was trustworthy and safe, America was great and good, and right and
wrong were clearly defined (page 77). 
Bob Benne met his first black persons in college.  I had my first Asian friend in seminary. 

I
experienced and was dramatically changed by the same social and cultural
dynamics that strongly affected him, though at an age of ten years
younger.  We were both influenced by the
liberal idealism of the early 60’s.  Like
him, I came to view the church mainly as an instrument of social transformation
(page 83).  I identified with his
self-description, “I tried to swim with the radical tide” (page 88).  I was amused by his comment, “I became a
‘social justice warrior’ before the term had been coined” (page 106).  He mentioned that while teaching at the
Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago he worked with the Ecumenical Institute,
an organization that offered introductory courses to the Christian faith,
workshops on anti-racism, and training in community transformation.  I remember while attending college near
Chicago hearing a presentation by one of the staff members of the
institute.  I was stirred by what he said
and was determined that that is what I wanted to do after graduating from
seminary.

I
could identify with Dr. Benne’s then sharing the story of how he came to
realize the spiritual bankruptcy of that view of the mission and message of the
church.  He described himself as a
“wanna-be radical” who got “mugged by reality” (page 90).  He came to see how, by viewing the church
primarily as a vehicle of social transformation, he had reduced its
transcendent message to merely human efforts (page 89). 

I
greatly appreciate the way in which Dr. Benne shares so personally, openly, and
honestly the story of his own spiritual and ministry journey.  He feels deeply and articulates boldly and
clearly the seriousness of the departure of much of American Lutheranism from
the historic Christian faith.  He feels
the pain, and he can articulate the issues. 

In
the final pages of his memoirs he describes the events of the last twenty
years, including the formation of LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for
Christ), Lutheran CORE, and the NALC (North American Lutheran Church).  He states wisely and accurately, “Though
church schisms are undoubtedly serious matters that should be undertaken with
trepidation, it has seemed clear to me that the schismatic party was actually
the ELCA.  It simply collapsed before the
‘progressive’ American culture, as did other mainline Protestant denominations.
. . . The ELCA bishops, whose first duty was to defend the orthodox truth,
failed miserably” (page 167).

I am very grateful to Dr. Benne for writing these memoirs and am very thankful for the opportunity to read them.  I also want to thank Dr. Benne for the role he has played in the formation and life of Lutheran CORE and the ministry that he continues to have. 

Dr. Robert Benne currently teaches Christian Ethics at the online Institute for Lutheran Theology. He was Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion and Chair of the Religion and Philosophy Department at Roanoke College in Virginia for eighteen years before he left full-time teaching in 2000.  He founded the Roanoke College Center for Religion and Society in 1982 and directed it until 2012.  He continues at Roanoke College as a research associate in its religion and philosophy department.  A link to the ALPB (American Lutheran Publicity Bureau) website where you can order a copy of his memoirs can be found here.

Joseph
must have been a wonderful man.  I would
like to have known Joseph and to have had him as a friend.  Matthew 1: 18-25 – the Gospel reading for
December 22, the fourth Sunday in Advent this year – has this to say about
Joseph.  “Joseph, being a righteous man
and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her
quietly.” (verse 19)

But
then, after the angel appeared to him, it says, “When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” (verse 24)

If
Joseph were with us today to tell his story, I could imagine his saying
something like this –

“I
am a righteous man.  I try to live
according to the Holy Scriptures.  I had
a reputation to maintain in our community. 
As soon as people found out that Mary was pregnant, they would assume
that I was the father.  My reputation
would be ruined.  I was furious.  I was going to make it public.  I was going to go before the elders at the
town gate and sever this relationship, after explaining to them that I was not responsible.

“But
as I thought about it I realized that I could not do that, because I loved
Mary.  Even though she had broken my
heart and had shattered my trust, and I knew I could not marry her, still I did
not want to expose her to public shame. 
So I decided that I would just call the whole thing off quietly and make
up some sort of a story.”

After
the angel appeared to him, I can imagine his saying something like this –

“I
was elated.  I had received a message
from heaven.  I knew for sure that Mary
had told me the truth.  I was filled with
joy.  I apologized to Mary for doubting
her.”

Regarding
the circumstances of the birth of Jesus, I can imagine his saying something
like this –

“I
lit a fire to keep us warm.  When the
baby came, I did the best I could to be a midwife.  But remember, I am a carpenter.  I severed the cord, cleaned the child as best
I could, and then wrapped him in strips of cloth.  I laid him in a manger, because that was the
only place where I could put him where he would be off of the filth of the
floor.

“I
had all kinds of questions, like: If Mary is supposed to be highly favored of
God (as the angel had told her), and if this is something that God had been
planning on doing for a long time, then how do you explain the cave?  How do you explain the dirt and the
cattle?  How do you explain the
loneliness?  For no one came to celebrate
the birth of our son except some lowly shepherds.  They came smelling like sheep.  They said they had heard an angel choir.  They came looking for our baby boy.  Except for them, we were totally alone.” 

Looking
back on the whole Christmas experience, I can imagine Joseph saying something
like this –

“When
I was young, I figured that if even once in my life I were to see an angel, I
would never doubt.  I would always
believe.  Well, I saw an angel.  But still there have been times when I have
doubted.

“Maybe
you have a strong faith like Mary’s.  If you
do, then you are a special person, chosen by God.  But maybe you are more like me – a more
practical person.  You like things you
can touch, feel, and measure.  You find
it hard to believe.

“After
I met the angel, there were times I thought I would never doubt again.  But there were also times when the whole
thing did not make sense to me.  It all
seemed like such a strange way to save the world. 

“Well,
God used me.  I, Joseph, put my thumbprint
on Jesus.  I taught him how to be a
carpenter.  And he was such a good
carpenter.  He could make oxen yoke that
were so easy.  They would fit just
perfectly.  In fact, the folks in our
village called him ‘the carpenter.’  I
felt so proud whenever I heard him being called that, because I was the one who
had taught him how to be a carpenter.  I
put my thumbprint on him.

“But
then he also put his thumbprint on me, for he is the Savior of the world.  It was not easy.  But still – every time whenever I thought
that I knew what God wanted me to do – I would do it.  I had faith enough to do it.

“When
God sent his Son to earth, he put him in my care.  A carpenter, who sometimes believed his
doubts and sometimes doubted his beliefs. 
But who tried with all his heart to remain faithful throughout.”

Joseph
is not the main character of the story. 
But the Gospel reading for December 22, the fourth Sunday in Advent this
year, is primarily about Joseph.  As we once
again celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us also remember Joseph.  When God wanted someone to take care of his
Son, he chose Joseph.  May we strive to
be like Joseph, who was both righteous and compassionate.  Who believed, obeyed, and did the best that
he could.  

Wishing you a blessed Advent and a joyous Christmas,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
[email protected]