HOPE AND LIFE GIVING

I live in the Sonoran Desert about forty miles northeast of downtown Phoenix.  The Sonoran has been called the greenest desert in the world, because we normally have two rainy seasons.  There is a winter rainy season, as in many other deserts, but we also have a summer rainy season, which we call the monsoon season, when we have major thunderstorms which rival anything I ever experienced while living in the upper Midwest.

However, July and August of 2020 were the driest on record, and this past June (2021) was the driest on record.  In between we had very little in terms of winter rain.  The desert was dry, most of the plants looked dead, and the saguaros were all shriveled up.

But God in His goodness provided abundant rain during the month of July.  The desert is green again.  Plants along the road have sprouted flowers.  The saguaros look happy.  And shrubs that had looked dead have now sprouted new leaves.  It is amazing what water can do in the desert.  Water is very hope and life giving.

This past summer I have experienced two events that were very hope and life giving – a week of Nexus in July, and the NALC convocation in August.

NEXUS – “ALL THINGS NEW”

Nexus is a week of Bible study, theological reflection, fellowship, and vocational discernment for high schoolers.  It is organized by and held at Grand View University in Des Moines.  Many thanks to our friends and supporters, whose generosity made it possible for Lutheran CORE to be the sponsor of Nexus this year.  Twenty-two high schoolers and seven college-aged mentors grew in their faith and were challenged to hear and respond to God’s call on their lives. 

The theme for Nexus this year was “All Things New.”  The week centered around the question, “Can God redeem a really hard year?”  As the promotional material said, “We’ll dig into scripture to see the good news, how all things are being made new in Jesus, and how we get to be part of it!”

Morning devotions centered around the book of Ruth.  Ruth was a person who experienced all things being made new.  Leaving her homeland of Moab with her mother-in-law Naomi, she traveled to Bethlehem because Naomi had heard that “the Lord had considered his people and given them food.” (1:6)  How dangerous it must have been for those two widows to make that journey.  On the morning when I led devotions the focus was on Ruth 2.  Verse 3 in that chapter says, “As it happened, she (Ruth) came (to glean) to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.”  Ruth’s whole life changed, and she became an ancestor of David, and therefore, through Mary, an ancestor of Jesus, because she came to glean to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.  I shared with the students parts of the story of my life where God made all things new.  I told of how God directed the circumstances of my life to accomplish His purposes and to make things work together for good.  We can trust the One who led Ruth to come and glean in the part of the field belonging to Boaz.  I asked the students, “What in your life has been the equivalent of coming to glean in the field belonging to Boaz?”

The Old Testament lesson each morning was taught by Dr. Mark Mattes, while the New Testament lesson was taught by Dr. Ken Jones, both of whom are on the faculty of Grand View University.  Dr. Mattes taught from the book of Ezekiel.  Two of the points that he made that really stood out for me are the following –

• Ezekiel was a prophet.  Prophets say things that cause conflict.  In the same way leaders today will run into conflict.  Leaders need to develop skills to handle conflict.  They need to ask God to help them develop the fruit of the spirit of self-control so that they can respond well rather than react badly.

• The dry bones in the valley in Ezekiel 37 were probably from soldiers that had lost in battle.  Just like for those soldiers, we can feel defeated by the circumstances of life.  Like the house of Israel we can feel that “our hope is lost and we are cut off completely.” (verse 11)  Like those dry bones we need the renewing power of the Holy Spirit.  We need to hear God’s word of hope.  When our lives and life situations seem and feel hopeless, we need to remember that God is with us.  God is for us.  God can make all things new.    

One of the mornings Dr. Jones talked about Mark 15: 37-38, which says, “Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”  Dr. Jones shared how many people interpret those verses as saying that humans now have full access to God.  Another way to understand them is that they are saying that God will now refuse to be boxed in.  God is coming after us.  He will show up in ways that we do not expect.  Dr. Jones challenged us by asking us, “What are you going to see – that you did not expect to see – when God shows up?” 

NALC CONVOCATION – “GOD THE FATHER CREATES”

The NALC Theology Conference and Missions Convocation, held the week of August 3-6 in Corpus Christi, was centered around the theme “God the Father Creates.”  At a time when many church bodies are afraid and unwilling to use Biblical language of addressing God as Father because they feel that it smacks of male dominance and white supremacy, it was so refreshing – it was hope and life giving – to be with a group of Lutheran Christians who realize what a privilege it is to be able to call God Father.

Especially powerful for me was the presentation by Dr. Eric Riesen on the language in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven.”  Dr. Riesen is president of the North American Lutheran Seminary.  He quoted Albert Einstein, who said that the most important question is whether the universe is friendly or not.  Dr. Riesen said that it is amazing that the hidden God, who has been revealed in the cross, sent His Son so that we might receive adoption as His children.  He sends His Spirit into our hearts so that we can cry, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4: 6)  The God who transcends all human understanding is a God whom we can call Father.  Being able to call God Father is a primary gift of the Spirit.  When we are united with Christ, God is also our Father through adoption.  Thinking of it in those ways – in those Biblical ways – I do not see why anyone would be hesitant to and would not want to call God Father. 

There were many other highlights of the week for me, including the following –

• Just being able to be together in person again.  That is something that we all missed last year with the convocation’s being virtual in 2020.

• The concern and passion of the NALC to raise up a whole new generation of pastors.  Realizing how many NALC pastors will be retiring in the next ten years, I was encouraged to hear the goal of raising up three hundred new pastors, the challenge to every congregation to raise up a new pastor, the challenge to retired and soon-to-retire pastors to continue to serve a congregation, and the variety of ways that have been laid out to prepare future leaders for the church.

• The appreciation, affirmation, and support that I received from so many people who stopped by the Lutheran CORE table.  I have a huge sense of the importance of the work of Lutheran CORE, and I was encouraged by the large number of people who affirmed what we do.

• The presentation on the final morning by Melissa Ohden.  Melissa is a survivor of an attempted saline solution abortion.  Author of the book, You Carried Me, she powerfully told the story of how she learned to deal with the pain of knowing that her own family had tried to kill her, and then how she learned to forgive and seek to make contact with her biological family.  She also told convincingly of the negative impact that an abortion – or an attempted abortion – will have upon an extended family.  I have tremendous admiration for anyone who is able to tell their own life story in such an open, honest, and redemptive way.  I have great respect for anyone who is able to turn their pain into a passion and their passion into a ministry.

VIDEO BOOK REVIEW – “THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE CROSS”

Lutheran CORE continues to provide monthly video reviews of books of interest and importance.  Many thanks to Russell Lackey, pastor of Luther Memorial Church and campus pastor at Grand View University, for making this month’s video review.  His review is about the book, The Spirituality of the Cross, by Gene Veith.

In this book Veith deals with five major tenants of the Christian faith as understood by Lutherans – justification, the means of grace, the theology of the cross, vocation, and living in two kingdoms.  Veith explains them in a way that Russell Lackey describes as easy to understand and one that helps lay people talk about their faith with others.  Over the years Pastor Lackey has given copies of this book to council members, people in new member classes, and college students who grew up Lutheran but do not understand what it means to be a Lutheran.

This review, as well as nine others, have been posted on our YouTube channel.  Here is a link to that channel.

Lutheran CORE Voices – YouTube 

Many thanks to those who have made the reviews.  We continue to publish a new video book review during the first week of every month. 

When you look at a video review for the first time, please click on the Subscribe button.  As enough people do that, it will eventually help us to get a channel name that will include our organization’s name.  

Praying that you also are experiencing God’s hope and life-giving power, grace, and blessings,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

THANKING GOD FOR SEEING US THROUGH

I experience great joy as pastors tell me of their congregations’ being able to resume in person worship services.  Many are again having delightful times of fellowship after worship.  Gatherings which last year were either cancelled or held online are this year able to be held in person.  One pastor reported that his position has been restored to full time.  Another pastor shared that worship attendance is back up close to what it had been pre-COVID.  And many pastors tell of how their congregations have been able to expand their outreach and ministry through technology, in a way in which they had never anticipated and which they want to continue.  We all thank God for seeing us through.

In many ways the past fifteen months have been very, very tough, but God has seen us through.  When I think of going through tough times, I think of the apostle Paul’s relationship with the church in Corinth.  Philippians and 2 Corinthians are probably his most personal epistles.  Philippians is a very joyful letter, as he is thanking them for their love and support.  2 Corinthians is a very painful letter, as he is dealing with the conflict and strife between him and them.  We all thank God for relationships and experiences that are like Paul’s relationship with and letter to the Philippians.  But we also have relationships and experiences that are like Paul’s relationship with and letters to the Corinthians.

The Second Readings for the Sundays of June and the first Sunday in July are taken from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.  As he was writing this letter he was experiencing great pain in his relationship with these people.  In the fourth chapter of this letter he gives us four things that can help us deal with the most painful of circumstances and the most troubling of times.

First, knowing that God has already taken care of the most critical; therefore we know that He can and will take care of everything else.

In verse 14 Paul wrote, “We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.”  Since the Father has already raised Jesus from the dead, we know that He will keep His promise and raise us from the dead.  And if He can and will raise us from the dead, then He also can and will take care of all the other things in life that trouble and overwhelm us. 

Second, knowing that there can be redemptive meaning and purpose in all that we do and have to endure.

In verse 15 Paul wrote, “Everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”  We find renewed courage and strength as we realize that what we are doing and enduring is for the sake of other people, can be channels through which God’s grace comes to others, can increase our attitude of thanksgiving, and can bring glory to God. 

Third, remembering that the pain is only temporary.

We have all heard it said, Tough times don’t last; tough people last.  The difference between the hero and the ordinary person is that the hero holds on ten minutes more.  In verses 16-17 Paul wrote, “We do not lose heart. . . . This slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.”  Those words remind me of what Paul wrote in Romans 8: 18 – “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.”  Both of my parents grew up during the Great Depression on family farms in central Minnesota.  I am embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize that in spite of all that they had to endure, they survived.  My parents and my grandparents were survivors.  If they survived what they had to go through, then certainly I can survive what I have to go through.

Fourth, remembering that the power and glory of God are revealed through our struggles.

In verse 7 Paul wrote, “We have this treasure (the Gospel) in clay jars (that’s us), so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”  As I realize that I have been able to make it, I realize that the power came from God.  And then in verses 8-10 Paul wrote, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.”  What we have to go through – and are able to go through – demonstrate the power of God and the life that can be ours through faith in Jesus Christ.

After I retired in June 2014, my wife and I moved from southern California to the Phoenix area in July 2014.  One thing we have done to help us make it through the hot summers is to go someplace cooler for a few days each month during the summer.  Fortunately, in Arizona, there are many places that are cooler because they are at a higher elevation.  We have learned that up to 105 degrees is not too bad, but when the temperature rises to 115 or even 117 degrees, the sun hurts.  We had been able to go to cooler places through the summer of 2019, but obviously were not able to in 2020.  We are looking forward to being able to resume doing that in 2021.  Plus I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the various in person meetings where I will be representing Lutheran CORE.  I missed that during 2020.  Again, I thank God for seeing us through. 

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VIDEO BOOK REVIEWS 

Lutheran CORE continues to provide monthly video reviews of books of interest and importance.  Many thanks to ELCA Pastor Kevin Haug for making this month’s video review.  His review is about the book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller.

Pastor Haug writes, “This book falls square into the field of apologetics and is helpful not only in dealing with agnostics and atheists, but with ‘progressive’ Christianity’s assault on the orthodox faith as well.  Keller provides concepts and arguments with reason and logic weaving together philosophy and theology to show that belief in the orthodox, Christian faith is…well, reasonable.  Well-written and easily digestible, Keller’s work gives solid argument to defend the faith from without and from within.”

This review, as well as seven others, have been posted on our YouTube channel.  A link to the channel can be found here.  Many thanks to those who have made the reviews. 

We continue to publish a new video book review during the first week of every month.  Many of the books that are being and will be reviewed are described in the List of Confessional Resources on the Seminarians page on our website.  That list can be found here.

When you look at a video review for the first time, please click on the Subscribe button.  As enough people do that, it will eventually help us to get a channel name that will include our organization’s name.  

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RESOURCES FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

Have you seen the newest addition to our website?  It is the Young Timothy page and is intended for high school youth and young adults.  A link to that page can be found here. 

One of the features of that page is an annotated list of book resources geared for youth and young adults.  A link to that list can be found here.  These books cover such topics as the reliability of the Bible, an explanation of the Christian faith as understood by Lutherans, the life of Martin Luther, and how to discern God’s call for your life.

The Young Timothy page also contains links to a video book review made by and articles for our newsletter, CORE Voice, that were written by members of our younger persons group. 

Please check out this new page and tell the high school youth and young adults whom you know about it.  And please let us know if they or you know of resources that should be added. 

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WHAT DOES LUTHERAN CORE DO?

We are continually encouraged as we hear from people who support, value, and appreciate our work.  We want to keep you informed of what we are doing to fulfill our mission of being a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.  Here is a link to the most recent version of this document. 

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REFLECTIONS FROM ONE SYNOD ASSEMBLY 

Last weekend I attended the online synod assembly for the ELCA synod in which I was rostered before I retired.  My two strongest impressions from the gathering are as follows.

First, the words that I heard most often were “diversity,” “inclusivity,” and “equity.”  That is what almost everybody talked about and what everybody seemed to make their top priorities.  After the assembly was over, I wished that I had kept track of the number of times that somebody mentioned Jesus.  I did not keep track of the number, but I am certain that Jesus was mentioned far less often than diversity, inclusivity, and equity.  I also definitely got the message that the diversity and inclusivity that they were talking about do not include people like me. 

In mid-May that synod held an online pre-assembly gathering.  Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was one of the presenters.  She told the group, “We talk about justice; we also need to talk about Jesus.  We need to name the Name.”  Please pray with me that what she said was meant, was heard, and will be heeded. 

Second, the discussion about the proposed budget was amazing.  It was mentioned that during the last nine years – from 2012 to 2021 – receipts from congregations to the synod have dropped from $1.4 million to $800,000.  Which amounts to more than a 40 percent decline in nine years.  And that does not include the drop during the years immediately following the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

The proposed spending plan for the 2022-2023 fiscal year included income of $899,000 (the major addition to the receipts from congregations was over $70,000 from the assets obtained from the sale of a former church property), but expenses of over $1.2 million.  The assembly rejected the budget, not because it was not balanced, but instead because it did not provide funding for all of the favored ministries.  The attitude of the assembly was, We need to sell more buildings from closed congregations, and we need to use more of the dollars already obtained from already selling buildings from closed congregations.

It is astounding to me that people want to fund their agendas, values, and priorities from the sale of properties built and paid for by people whose view of the Bible, theology, moral values, and view of the mission of the church they reject.  They show neither appreciation for the past nor any concern to do their part to make the future viable.  Rather they just want to have the financial resources today to fund their agendas, values, and priorities.

It was also mentioned during the assembly that twenty-five percent of the synod’s 107 congregations (twenty-seven congregations) do not have a regular pastor, and several more are challenged because of their size and/or financial instability.

If all that is not enough to tell the ELCA that something is very wrong, what would be enough? 

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Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

Lutheran CORE | PO Box 1741, Wausau, WI 54402-1741

“WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED?”

Are you a worrier?  Do you know someone who is a worrier?  Are you married to someone who is a worrier?  I know that for me most of the things I worry about never happen, and the bad things that do happen, usually are things that I never thought of to worry about.  But still, I keep worrying.  Whenever my wife says to me, “Now don’t panic but,” I always start to panic.

In the Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Easter from Luke 24 Jesus asked His disciples, after He appeared to them on Easter Sunday evening, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (verse 38)  Those are good questions for us as well.

Many people are worried about and are afraid of the future.  For many the pandemic has made their fears only worse.  The disciples also were afraid of the future.  Things were looking pretty bleak, and they were having to face some pretty tough enemies.  It would have been very easy for them to wonder, What will the future hold?  Will we even have a future?  So Jesus said, “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself.  Touch me and see.” (verse 39)  Jesus wanted His disciples to know that He was alive.  It was all real.  Death has been defeated.  God has won.  The Gospel is true. 

Second, many people are worried about and are afraid because of the past.  Once again, Jesus speaks to our greatest needs.  He said to His disciples, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in (My) name to all nations.” (verse 47)  As followers of Jesus we have a way for dealing with sin and guilt that will work in a way in which nothing else will work.  And it is God’s way.  Repentance and forgiveness of sins.  Are you worried about and afraid because of the past?  Believe in the Gospel.  Jesus has the answer.  Jesus is the answer.  His blood can blot out and cover over your past. 

Third, many people are worried and afraid because they feel powerless to deal with the present.  They feel overwhelmed with the here and now.  What did Jesus say to His disciples?  He told them, “Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (verse 49)  That’s what we need – power from on high.  And that’s what the disciples received on the day of Pentecost.  Human power is so limited when we compare it with the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  But even the worst of situations has no real power when compared with God’s power.  And God’s power is available to you. 

So, to get back to Jesus’ question, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”  Is it because of the future?  God has the future under His control.  Is it because of your past?  Your sins can be thrown into the deepest sea and because of Jesus need never be retrieved again.  Is it because of the present?  There is power available to all who call upon His name.

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PROPOSED REVISION OF “DEFINITIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR DISCIPLINE” –

A CHANCE FOR HONESTY

OR ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF DUPLICITY?

After more than a year of consulting and writing, the ELCA Committee on Appeals has completed a draft for the revision of “Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline.”  As required by the ELCA constitution, this document was reviewed by the Conference of Bishops in early March, and now will be considered for possible approval by the ELCA Church Council when it meets in mid-April.  The document may be found (here).  The report from the Committee on Appeals concerning its work may be found (here).  This document describes the grounds for which discipline may be imposed.   

One of the first things to note about this document is how little of it actually has to do with human sexuality.  In section B., which is entitled “Conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office” (under the larger section “Guidelines for Discipline of Rostered Ministers”), only one out of fifteen sub-sections (B.5.) deals with “Sexuality and public ministry.”

The Committee on Appeals has published a summary of the responses which they received to various surveys as they conducted their work.  A link to that summary can be found (here).  People who participated in the surveys should be happy to note that the document does address such issues as confidentiality, relationship to family, addiction and substance abuse, fiscal responsibility, harassment of persons, inappropriate behavior on social media, plagiarism, copyright infringement, and even an inappropriate relationship with a prior congregation.  The list of organizations that a rostered person could be disciplined for joining has been expanded to include those that are white supremacist, racist, sexist, and homophobic.  There are also sections on Guidelines for Discipline of Congregations and Members of Congregations.  Those who responded to the surveys should be happy to see that harassing or attacking a rostered minister is also included within the reasons for discipline. 

The next thing to note is how basically conservative the section on “Sexuality and public ministry” (B.5.) actually is.  This relative conservatism stands in sharp contrast with the actual current practices, emphases, and priorities of the ELCA.  Footnote 9 refers the reader to “A Social Statement on Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” and the social message, “Sexuality: Some Common Convictions.”   “Sexuality: Some Common Convictions” is a social message adopted by the ELCA Church Council in 1996.  “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” is a social statement approved by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.  After acknowledging a lack of consensus within the ELCA on how to regard committed same-sex relationships, and after describing four different views, including two more traditional views, held by people within the ELCA, the 2009 social statement says that the ELCA, “on the basis of ‘the bound conscience,’ will include these different understandings and practices within its life.” (page 19)  The ELCA website says that the social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” “now serves as the primary and comprehensive teaching and policy document of the ELCA.”  

Page two of “Definitions and Guidelines” is entitled “Grounding Context.”  The final sentence on that page states, “No language in this document may be construed to contradict or override a current authorized social teaching of this church.”  That sentence in and of itself is pretty amazing.  We have written much about how often the ELCA rejects any obligation to honor the commitments expressed in or to respect the boundaries defined by the 2009 human sexuality social statement.  But here in footnote 10 it says, “In 2009, this church expressly addressed the question of sexuality and public ministry in ‘A Social Statement on Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.’”  Later in this same footnote it states, “Provision B.5. is substantially based on this teaching of this church.  This provision does not change the aspirational teaching of this church, set forth in its social statements, that all members of this church should abstain from sexual intercourse before married.”

But before we become too optimistic, we should realize several things.

First, according to the report from the Committee on Appeals referenced above, the Conference of Bishops held two separate votes on the document.  The Conference first voted 57-8 to support the draft document except for section B.5.  Then the Conference voted 33-32 to support section B.5.  It would not take much to have a different outcome to the vote.  In fact, just the election of one new bishop in one synod would do it.  And we all remember that the issue of blessing and ordaining persons in same sex relationships was pushed and pushed and voted on over and over again until those who wanted a change in ELCA policy and practice got what they wanted.

Second, the use of the phrase “aspirational teaching of this church” in footnote 10 under B.5. is interesting.  “This provision does not change the aspirational teaching of this church, set forth in its social statements, that all members of this church should abstain from sexual intercourse until married.”  What in the world is the status of an “aspirational teaching of this church”?  It is not required, mandated, or even expected.  It is just an “aspirational teaching of this church.”  Talk about a weak and limp statement.  Is this intentional so that the most famous ELCA pastor can continue to brag about her sex outside of marriage?

Third, it is interesting that the section on “Definitions” does not define “promiscuity.”  It defines all the other behaviors listed in the second paragraph of B. 5., which are examples of “conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.”  It defines infidelity, adultery, and sexual abuse, but it does not define promiscuity.  As in the previous paragraph, one wonders if there is a reason.    

Fourth, my greatest concern is that the relative conservatism of this document will be just ignored in the actual practice of “this church.”  As stated above, the final sentence on the page entitled “Grounding Context” reads, “No language in this document may be construed to contradict or override a current authorized social teaching of this church.”  And there are three places where footnotes 9 and 10 for section B.5. refer to the 2009 social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.”  But do we have any reason to believe that the ELCA will now actually take any more seriously what that social statement actually says?

We have written often and much on this subject.  Examples of the ELCA’s ignoring if not actually violating the commitments and boundaries of that social statement include the ELCA’s claim to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of LGBTQIA+ persons’ being able to serve freely in the church, a transgender activist as keynote speaker at the 2018 ELCA youth gathering, another keynote speaker at that same gathering who led 31,000 young people in renouncing traditional views as a lie, providing a link on the ELCA website to resources from ReconcilingWorks but not also to resources advocating for traditional views, the choice of workshop leaders for the 2021 ELCA youth workers extravaganza, and the refusal of “Living Lutheran” to publish or post an article offering an alternative (traditional) view of the Netflix Queer Eye episode that featured a gay ELCA pastor and a gay ELCA bishop. 

The ink on the Conference of Bishops’ acting to approve and recommend this revised version of “Definitions and Guidelines” barely had time to dry before two ELCA synods acted to ignore and even violate the covenants, commitments, and boundaries of the 2009 human sexuality social statement.  I assume there have been more.  These are the ones I am aware of. 

The Rocky Mountain Synod in their email newsletter dated March 31 promoted March 31 as the “Trans Day of Visibility.” A March 26 email from the Southwest California Synod announced Elle Dowd as the presenter for their April 14 spring multi-conference assembly.  Elle Dowd is a graduate of an ELCA seminary and an ELCA candidate for ordained ministry.  On her website she describes herself as a “bi-furious pastor-in-training who preaches, writes, and teaches about God’s desire to liberate us from the things we use to oppress each other.”  Those oppressors include cis-heterosexism and queerphobia.  The next sentence reads, “She believes . . . that a queer/femme interpretation of scripture is at the center of grace.” 

How could two bishops – even if they were among the thirty-two who voted against approving section B.5. of “Definitions and Guidelines” – so blatantly violate what had so recently been approved by the Conference of Bishops?

But if you think that is bad, it gets worse.  The email from the Rocky Mountain Synod was sent out on March 31 – the Wednesday of Holy Week.  Even though it was Holy Week, top billing in the email went to the Trans Day of Visibility.  The second item was a letter from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton about gun violence.  Holy Week came in a sad and disappointing third – with the Easter letter from Bishop Eaton.

Even worse is the choice of presenters for the Southwest California Synod’s spring multi-conference assembly.  The promotional material for Elle Dowd’s book, Baptized in Tear Gas, describes her as “an Assata Shakur-reading, courthouse-occupying abolitionist with an arrest record, hungry for the revolution.”  Assata Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), who was convicted in the first-degree murder of a state trooper during a shootout on the New Jersey turnpike in 1973.  Assata is wanted by the FBI, there is a two-million-dollar reward for her apprehension, and she has fled to Cuba.  I have written to the interim bishop (this synod was my synod before I retired), saying, “It is outrageous that the Southwest California Synod would lift up and choose as a presenter someone who would be promoting those kinds of values.”  As I expected, I have not received a reply.        

Fifth, section B. 2. under “Conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office” reads, “Rostered ministers must be honest and forthright in their dealings with others.  Dishonesty, deception, duplicity, or the manipulation of others for personal benefit or gain is conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.” 

With very few exceptions ELCA leaders consistently fail to respond to the communications I have sent about their not abiding by the commitments in the 2009 human sexuality social statement to honor also those with traditional views.  In addition, the ELCA does not remain within the boundaries of what was actually considered and approved in that social statement.  I cannot see that behavior as anything other than the ELCA’s not being honest and forthright in its dealings with people with traditional views.  The social statement and ministry policies that were approved by the 2009 churchwide assembly are far more traditional and conservative than what the ELCA is fully embracing today.  How are we to view the 2009 social statement and ministry policies as anything other than dishonesty, deception, duplicity, and the manipulation of those with traditional views for the eventual benefit and gain of those with highly revisionist views?  Did anyone really think that what was presented for action and approval in 2009 was “as far as it was going to go” rather than “presenting what we can get a Yes vote on at this time so that we can go further next time”?  If the ELCA expects its rostered ministers to be honest and forthright in their dealings with others, does not the ELCA also need to be honest and forthright in its dealings with those with traditional views?     

Sixth, the fifteen and final paragraph under “Conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office” (B.15.) is entitled “Adherence to covenantal relationships.”  It reads, “Rostered ministers who actively and affirmatively incite, initiate, or encourage a congregation to leave the ELCA are engaged in conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.”  That sentence references footnote 18, which reads, “Consistent with the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . . . Each pastor with a congregational call shall, within the congregation . . . encourage adherence to covenantal relationships with this church as expressed in the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” 

We have already discussed how the ELCA does not abide by and adhere to its covenantal relationships.  How could it imagine itself to have the integrity and moral authority to discipline rostered ministers whom it says are not abiding by and adhering to their covenantal relationships?  Also, since the process by which a congregation can vote to disaffiliate from the ELCA has been defined in the Model Constitution for Congregations of the ELCA (Section C6.05), how can the ELCA say that a rostered minister is not encouraging “adherence to covenantal relationships with this church” if that rostered minister is urging and leading a congregation in following the provisions provided and outlined in the Model Constitution for Congregations of “this church”? 

Writing all of this, I find solace and protection in the fifth definition on the “Definitions” page of the “Definitions and Guidelines” document.  There it says, “’Harass’ means to persistently annoy another or to create an unpleasant or hostile situation by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct.  Mere criticism or disagreement is not harassment.”  As always, what I have written is criticism and disagreement, not harassment.    

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

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There are three things I would like to talk about in this letter.  The first one is something I would highly recommend.  The other two are matters of great concern.

VIDEO BOOK REVIEWS AND ONLINE SEMINAR

I hope you have checked out the video book reviews, which have been posted on our You Tube channel.  Here is a link to the four that have already been posted.

Our intent is to post a new video review during the first week of every month.  Many thanks to the people – so far all Lutheran pastors – who are making the reviews.

The most recent one is a review of the book, Recovering the Way: How Ancient Discoveries Help Us Follow Jesus Today, by the author, LCMC pastor Bob Rognlien.  In addition to his other work, Bob leads Footsteps of Jesus and Footsteps of Paul pilgrimages.  In the fall of 2016 I had the privilege to join him on a two-week journey to Turkey and Greece to follow in the footsteps of the apostle.  With his extensive knowledge of the Bible, history, and archaeology, he makes the Scriptures come alive. 

I have had the privilege of traveling to Israel five times.  The first time was in 1980 when I was thirty-two years old and I went with a friend.  Two young males are able to experience a country in a way that no one else can.  We did extensive hitchhiking in the West Bank (something I would neither do nor recommend today).  Israel was in the process of giving the Sinai peninsula back to Egypt thirteen years after the Six Day War.  The overland route between Tel Aviv and Cairo was opened on June 1.  We took it on June 2.  Along the way we traveled through the Gaza Strip (again something I would neither do nor recommend today).  After re-visiting the land in 1982, in 1990 and 1993 I studied at the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem (now called Jerusalem University College).  In 1995 I took a group with a professional tour company. 

How much I wish I could go one more time.  If I were able to go one more time, I would sign up for one of Bob Rognlien’s Footsteps of Jesus pilgrimages.  But at the age of seventy-three I would no longer be able to keep up.  I would no longer be able to hike the trails and climb the steps at the various sites. 

The next best thing – in addition to reading Recovering the Way – would be to attend one of the weekend, in person seminars that Bob has been offering.  But even that is not currently available because of COVID. 

So Bob has converted his weekend seminar into an online format.  I participated last fall and found it to be outstanding.  Bob has scheduled another online Footsteps of Jesus Weekend Experience for Friday-Sunday, March 5-7.  I highly recommend it.  Bob writes –

“Come and join us on a virtual pilgrimage as we follow the life of Jesus and gain insights into what it means to follow him by exploring the history, archaeology, and culture of the places where he carried out his mission! We will gather online via Zoom and Bob will be using hundreds of photos, illustrations, and maps to illuminate the life of Jesus and what he means for our lives today. There will be lots of opportunities for Q&A and personal reflection as well. Register as soon as possible to take advantage of the Early Bird Discounts: https://fojwkndexp03-05-21.eventbrite.com.”

* * * * * * *

“I DID NOT HEAR ANYONE NEAR ME PRAYING THAT VERSION OF THE PRAYER”

I remember after the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, which provided for the possibility of the ordination of persons who are in (PALMS) publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same sex relationships.  There were several people who had already been ordained as Lutheran pastors, but outside of approved ELCA procedures.  The question was raised, How do these people now come onto the ELCA roster?

It was felt that they should not be ordained, since they had already been ordained – though not through established and approved ELCA procedures.  Instead there was a service of welcome.  Several ELCA bishops participated in that service, including the bishop of the synod in which I was rostered at the time.

As part of the service – at the time when we would normally pray the Lord’s Prayer – there were seven different prayers offered (you could take your pick!), including a prayer to the goddess Sophia.  This prayer was provided by Ebenezer HerChurch, a radically feminist ELCA congregation in San Francisco.

I had read that the ELCA Conference of Bishops had had a discussion of the service as part of their next meeting.  At a subsequent gathering at which my bishop was present, I asked him about the discussion.  I asked him how did the bishops feel and what did the bishops have to say about the service – including the prayer to the goddess Sophia.  His response was the same minimize-the-whole-thing kind of response that I have received countless times from ELCA bishops ever since.  He said, “I did not hear anyone near me praying that version of the prayer.” 

I would like to thank the friend of Lutheran CORE who has written a side-by-side, phrase-by-phrase comparison of every phrase in the Lord’s Prayer as used by Ebenezer HerChurch with the version of the Lord’s Prayer as translated by the English Language Liturgical Consultation.  Here is a link to that comparison.

Here is a link to the website of Ebenezer HerChurch, a congregation in the Bay Area that is in good standing with the Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA.

Reading that comparison, learning more about that congregation, and seeing what the ELCA will allow, how could you possibly say something like the following?  “It is OK because it does not affect me.”  “It is OK because I did not hear anyone near me praying that version of the prayer.”

* * * * * * *

A NEW LOW  

In the July 2018 issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, we told you about the agenda that the ELCA was relentlessly pushing at the triennial youth gathering.  One of the keynote speakers was a transgender activist and her pre-adolescent transgender child.  Another one was a highly celebrated ELCA pastor, who led 31,000 young people in a chant rejecting traditional views of human sexuality as a lie. 

What kind of workshops on human sexuality do you think were provided for the adults who work with our young people at the annual ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza, which was held online and at host sites earlier this month?   

I need to warn you, some of this material is very explicit and deeply offensive. 

Here are videos that were used to promote three workshops on sexuality that were offered at the ELCA Extravaganza.

Sexuality and Faith Conversations

Affirming Logistics: Showing God’s Care for LGBTQ Youth in the Practical Details of Ministry

Internal Welcome and External Witness: LGBTQ Youth Ministry and Public Advocacy

If you want or need further evidence of the kind of perspective that the ELCA is pushing and promoting to those who work with youth, here are links to two sections of the website of the presenter at the first workshop.

Section 1

Section 2

What can we say?  All three presenters are LGBTQ+ affirming.  All three presenters leave the LGBTQ+ affirming position as the only option for faithful advocacy, caring about and for LGBTQ+ youth, and providing “safe space” for them.  There is no support at all for a traditional position and/or for youth workers who hold and want to teach a traditional position.  There is not even a mention of an alternative that would affirm the value of LGBTQ+ persons while also helping and equipping them to live faithfully. There is no concern at all to provide support and a “safe space” for youth workers and youth who hold to traditional views.

The ELCA has reached a new low.  Once again, how can the ELCA claim to be inclusive?  How can the ELCA claim to want diversity?  How can the ELCA claim to have any moral integrity when it so blatantly violates the commitments that were made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to also honor and give a place to traditional views and those who hold them? 

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

UNWANTED JOURNEYS

I can imagine Mary, about to give birth, between contractions, forcing back the tears and saying, “It was not supposed to be this way!  I was not supposed to have to give birth in a barn.”

We sing, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright . . . Sleep in heavenly peace.”

And yet it was not a silent night, it was not all calm and bright, and it was not all heavenly peace.  Rather it was disappointing and depressing and hard.  We all know that life can be disappointing and depressing and hard.  This past year – for everyone – life has been disappointing and depressing and hard.

Our Savior’s birth came through and during a situation that must have been disappointing and depressing and hard.  He was born not in a hospital, not in an inn, and not even in the guest room of Joseph’s family’s house.  Rather He was born in a cave where animals were kept.  A feeding trough was His first bed. 

But in the middle of all the disappointments and hardships that Mary and Joseph had to endure, in the middle of all the ways in which it was not happening as Mary and Joseph had hoped, God was at work to redeem the world.  What do we see here?  God is able to use every circumstance of life – even the oppressive decree of a pagan emperor – to serve His saving purposes.

The trip to Bethlehem was not a journey that Mary had wanted to take.  The circumstances of Jesus’ birth were not the way she had imagined it and had wanted it to be.  But this was not the last unwanted journey that Mary was going to have to take.  Shortly after Jesus’ birth, Herod tried to kill the child.  So she and Joseph had to take baby Jesus and go on another unwanted journey.  They had to flee to Egypt and live there as refugees.  Thirty-three years later she had to take another unwanted journey down the Via Dolorsa as she followed her Son to Calvary. 

We all have to take unwanted journeys.  The entirety of this past year for all of us has been an unwanted journey.  One person told me that he plans to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve not to welcome the new year, but to make sure that the old year comes to an end. 

For many the journey has been made even worse because of sickness and even death within the family.  Many have suffered unemployment and/or other financial crises.  Some are struggling with major mental health issues.  Yes, life has its moments of major disappointment, overwhelming sorrow, and intense pain.  We wonder whether, how, and when it will end.

We today are able to see what Mary was not yet able to see as her contractions kept getting closer and closer together.  She could not hear the angels.  She could not yet see the shepherds, who would come running to the cave.  She did not yet know that Magi would arrive with gifts to honor the new-born King. 

And so, during this Advent and Christmas season, I urge you to believe that – just as He did for Mary – so God can take all of your adversities, disappointments, heartaches, and pain – all of your unwanted journeys, including the unwanted journey of 2020 – and use them for His purposes. 

Romans 8: 28 is just as true as ever during this year of COVID.  All things still do work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purposes.  As Mary and Joseph were on their unwanted journey, as Mary must have been thinking, “It was not supposed to be this way!” they were about to learn that God’s greatest work often comes out of and during the journeys we do not want to take.  God has a way of bringing hope out of despair, good out of bad, and great joy out of disappointment, suffering, sorrow, and pain.  That is what Mary and Joseph came to see again and again.  And that is what we can come to see as well.

And so – during this Advent and Christmas season – I urge you to look back over your life, especially back over this year of COVID.  Can you see how God has been with you, watching over you, and blessing you even when you have been on one of those journeys you did not want to take? 

Trusting God to be with us even on all of our unwanted and unexpected journeys,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com 

LCMC GATHERING – A MATTHEW 17 MOMENT

The LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ) gathering was held on October 5.  It was inspiring as always.  Because of COVID, they had to limit the number of voting delegates, and there were no vendors, so I did not have my typical opportunity to reconnect with people and make new friends.  But I found watching the event online to be very uplifting and renewing.

I want to thank Mark Vander Tuig for his ten years of ministry and leadership as Service Coordinator.  He brought energy, passion, and commitment to the position.  I also want to assure Mike Bradley, a fellow Arizonan and new Service Coordinator, of my prayers. 

What I would like to do is to share with you the main points that Gemechis Buba made in his keynote address.  Dr. Buba is Assistant to the Bishop for Missions for the NALC (North American Lutheran Church).  His presentation was awesome, as always. 

He focused on the account of the transfiguration in Matthew 17.  He spoke of this chapter as a transition chapter.  From this chapter on, everything is changing in the life of Jesus.  In the same way, with COVID, everything is changing in the life of the church.  We are in a Matthew 17 moment.

In the previous chapter – in Matthew 16: 18 – Jesus says, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  Here Jesus mentions the church for the very first time, but in the account of the transfiguration we see the ten deadly mistakes of the church.  These mistakes include the following.

Wanting to maintain the status quo.  In verse 4 – after Jesus was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared – Peter said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”  How often does God have something better in mind for us, but we want to keep things the same?  We say, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”

An excessive emphasis on buildings.  Again in verse 4, Peter said, “If you wish, I will make three dwellings here.”  It is interesting that Jesus did not respond to Peter’s offer.  With the pandemic, many churches are closed, but much ministry is going on and there is a multitude of gatherings in homes.  The glory and power of God are not contained within four walls. 

Speaking rather than listening.  Verse 5 says, “While he (Peter) was still speaking.”  Peter was still speaking when he should have been listening.  Peter was still speaking when the moment of transfiguration was happening.  Even during COVID, God is doing some incredible things, but sometimes we are speaking when we should be paying attention. 

Detaching ourselves from the overwhelming experience of the presence of God.  In verses 6 and 7 the disciples “fell to the ground and were overcome by fear, but Jesus came and touched them.”  When and how do we detach ourselves from the overwhelming touch of God?

Not focusing on Jesus.  Verse 8 says, “When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.”  Are we distracted, or are we Christ-centered and Christ-focused?

Focusing on the mountain top experience while neglecting the needs of people in the valley.  Verse 9 says, “As they were coming down the mountain.”  Peter had said, “It is good for us to be here.”  But Jesus said, “No, we need to go down into the valley.”  Too often we make the Sunday morning gathering, rather than our mission in the world, the most important thing.

Replacing the theology of the cross with the theology of glory.  In verse 9 Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”  Jesus now transitions from their most remarkable mountain top experience (glory) to talking about his suffering and death (the cross).  But how often would we rather remain with the glory?

Not walking and living in the hope of victory.  The church is the only institution that knows how the story ends.  Which is why our message is so important and so relevant.  Jesus had said, “Do not tell anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”  We must speak the whole Gospel message because Jesus has been raised from the dead.

Not knowing, and not being able to respond to, the needs of the world.  In verses 14-15 a man came to Jesus, pleading, “Lord, have mercy on my son.”  The disciples had not been able to help him.  They had not been able to cast out the demon because of their lack of faith.  There is much suffering – much demonization in the world.  But often we are not able to help because of our lack of faith and our lack of knowledge of the Word of God.

Not preaching the Gospel with simplicity and clarity.  Verses 22-23 tell us, “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.’  And they were greatly distressed.”  Here we see the three major parts of the Gospel message: the identity of Jesus as the Son of Man, the cross (“he will be betrayed and killed”), and the resurrection (“on the third day he will be raised”).  We need to preach the Gospel message with clarity, simplicity, power, and joy.  And not – like the disciples – because of COVID – be “greatly distressed.” 

* * * * * *

ELCA REMOVES ALL DOUBTS

If anyone still thinks that the ELCA is at all interested in even listening to – let alone considering – traditional views.  If anyone still believes that the ELCA has any intent to honor the commitments made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to also respect traditional views, they need to realize that the ELCA has removed all doubts.  It has no intention to do anything but totally dismiss and ignore those who disagree with the direction in which the ELCA has chosen to go.

In the June 2020 Letter from the Director I told about an article that I had written concerning Episode 1 of Season 5 of the Netflix series Queer Eye.  This episode featured an ELCA pastor by the name of Noah Hepler, who received help in accepting his sexual identity from a team of LGBTQIA+ persons, known as the Fab 5.  A link to my June 2020 Letter from the Director can be found here.  A link to my full article can be found here.

Subsequently I learned that Mr. John Potter, ELCA Content Editor, had written an article entitled, “How Noah Hepler found ‘reawakening’ in Queer Eye.”  His article was posted on the Living Lutheran website on June 22.  A link to his article can be found here.  I went to the website and saw where it was written, “We are a church that values and encourages diverse voices and lively dialogue in our faith and life.  Living Lutheran is an opportunity for church members to express individual perspectives, and does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”  Because of their statement that they value and encourage “diverse voices and lively dialogue” and want to give church members “an opportunity . . . to express individual perspectives,” I thought that they might be willing to also post a more traditional perspective on the same episode.  Therefore, I called and left a voice mail message for Mr. Potter.

In a very timely way I received an email from Mr. Potter, in which he wrote, “Thank you for reaching out.  We would be interested in reviewing a draft of your piece.”  He also mentioned that they generally ask that articles be under six hundred words in length.

I worked very hard to reduce my article to the required length.  The next day I sent him my shortened article, a copy of which can be found here.  He wrote back, “Thank you! . . . . We will review and be in touch shortly.”  Two and a half weeks later I heard back.  He said, “I apologize; I’ve learned that we have a policy of not publishing unsolicited review submissions we haven’t commissioned.  Sorry for not having initially replied with that position.”

A link to my response to him can be found here.  As I knew would happen, and as has consistently happened whenever I have challenged the ELCA to abide by, honor, and live up to its own promises and commitments, I have heard nothing.

In my letter to Mr. Potter I made several statements and asked several questions, none of which were responded to and/or answered.

First, in response to his statement, “We have a policy of not publishing unsolicited review submissions we haven’t commissioned,” I said that I felt that my article was “solicited” because when I asked him about it he told me to send it to him.  I also asked about his use of the word “commissioned.”  I said that I certainly was not asking for any payment for my article.  I merely thought that Living Lutheran should be willing to publish another view of the Queer Eye episode.

Second, I shared that his reference to Living Lutheran policy raised four questions in my mind –

If so, could I have a copy? 
When was this policy developed? 
Is it consistently followed?

Third, I reminded him of the fact that the 2009 human sexuality social statement described four positions, each of which would have a place within the ELCA.  All four of those positions are more “conservative and traditional” than the full LGBTQIA+ agenda, which the ELCA now embraces.

I mentioned that at the bottom of his article, “How Noah Hepler found ‘reawakening’ in Queer Eye,” there are postings for a number of other articles, each promoting the LGBTQIA+ agenda and lifestyle.  I clicked on several of the links and found that each of those articles also ended with postings for a number of other articles, each promoting the LGBTQIA+ agenda and lifestyle.  So I asked him the following questions –

Were each one of these articles solicited and commissioned?

Has the Living Lutheran also posted a comparable number of – or even any – articles promoting traditional views? 

If not, why not, since the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly stated that there would be a place for all four views which were described in the human sexuality social statement?

Fourth, I reminded him of how one of the RESOLVED sections in the 2009 ministry policies states, “RESOLVED, that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American make provision in its policies to recognize the conviction of members who believe that this church should not call or roster people in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same gender relationship.” 

In light of that RESOLVED, I asked – 

What has Living Lutheran done – if anything – since 2009 to “recognize the conviction” and honor and support the position of those who hold to traditional views?

Fifth, I reminded him of the words which Living Lutheran uses to describe its own work –

“We are a church that values and encourages diverse voices and lively dialogue in our faith and life.  Living Lutheran is an opportunity for church members to express individual perspectives, and does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”

In light of those words I asked –

How can Living Lutheran claim to be valuing and encouraging “diverse voices and lively dialogue” and claim to be giving church members an opportunity to express individual perspectives if it will only publish material which is solicited and commissioned?

How can Living Lutheran claim to be valuing and encouraging “diverse voices and lively dialogue” if it only publishes articles which promote and advance the full LGBTQIA+ agenda and lifestyle and it does not give any space and time (let alone equal space and time) to any of the four positions which were described in the 2009 human sexuality social statement, including the two more traditional views?

I concluded my letter by asking him if he could help me understand how Living Lutheran fulfills its mission in a way which is consistent with its own stated purpose and in line with the social statement and ministry policies approved by the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

I have not received a response.  I did not expect to receive a response because ignoring, marginalizing, and dismissing is the way that the ELCA consistently deals with any view other than the preferred, official view.  The ELCA consistently ignores, marginalizes, and dismisses anyone who seeks to challenge the ELCA to act in a more honorable and honest way.  The ELCA has removed all doubts.  It has absolutely no interest in any viewpoints, values, and perspectives other than its own.

If it is already this difficult to get the ELCA to respect what they committed themselves to in 2009, when there might still be a few church leaders left who were a part of the 2009 decisions, just think of how much more difficult it is going to be when there will be no one left who was present at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.  It reminds me of the verse near the beginning of Exodus, which says that “a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1: 8).

Seeking to be found faithful,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com 

A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER

This has been a summer like no other.  Who would have ever imagined – at the beginning of the year – that we would be in the midst of a global health crisis?  One person said, “Five years ago, if we all had been asked what we thought we would be doing in 2020, we all would have been wrong.” 

Most of my work as executive director of Lutheran CORE is by telephone or computer, so most of it continues without major change or interruption.  But there is one area where there has been major change.  The various convocations and gatherings that I had been planning on attending during the second half of the year have all had to become online.   

I would like to tell you about two such events that I had been planning on attending in person the past couple months, that instead became online.  The first was a week of NEXUS in mid-July at Grand View University (ELCA) in Des Moines, Iowa.  The second was the NALC convocation in early August.

NEXUS

NEXUS is a program which gives high school youth the opportunity to study the Bible and theology, engage in ministry, develop new friends, and consider a church-related vocation.  This is the fourth summer that Grand View has offered two weeks of NEXUS.  Lutheran CORE will be sponsoring one of the weeks next year, so my intent had been to attend a major part of the NALC-sponsored week in July.  Because NEXUS became an online rather than an in person program, I participated in the sessions on one of the days.  It was a good day.

What I experienced was something totally worthy of our support.  Kate Faas, director of NEXUS, has awesome organizational, coordinating, and technical skills.  During the opening worship service Russell Lackey, campus pastor, gave an inspiring message based on Revelation 2, in which he challenged us to stay in the race.  Mark Mattes, chair of the department of religion and philosophy, gave a presentation from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah.  I was struck by the great similarities between Jeremiah’s day and our day.  The stark contrast between the message of Jeremiah regarding the need to take seriously the power of the Babylonian empire and those who minimized the concern reminded me of the differing attitudes that people today have towards COVID-19.  I felt warmly welcomed by the college-aged mentors and the high schoolers during the hangout time in the evening. 

What I would like to spend more time telling you about was the presentation from the New Testament by Ken Jones, professor in the religion and philosophy department.  The comparisons he drew between the musical “Hamilton” and Paul’s letter to the Galatians were brilliant.  His Bible study was one of the best I have ever heard.  

Dr. Jones described “Hamilton” as “the best theater experience in my entire life.”  He talked about the song, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” where everything in the story changes.  Prior to that time Hamilton’s son Philip had been killed while defending his father in a duel.  He and his wife Eliza have become estranged because of his being unfaithful.  The song, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” talks about three “unimaginables” – the unimaginable consequences of Hamilton’s sin (the death of his son and the breakdown of their marriage), his wife’s unimaginable gift of forgiveness, and the unimaginable grace of now being able to live into a new future.  Hamilton’s adultery and his son’s death had changed the trajectory of their lives in a negative way as it led to a complete collapse of their marriage.  But during the song Eliza reaches out and takes his hand.  Everything changes.  The trajectory is no longer based upon Hamilton’s past sin.  Instead it has hope for the future because of his wife’s gift of forgiveness.  Instead of being determined by the past, their relationship would now be able to build and anticipate a new future. 

Dr. Jones then compared the message of the musical to the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where the apostle contrasts living by the flesh and living by the Spirit.  As Eliza did for Hamilton, so Jesus gives freedom by extending mercy to sinners.  We were all living in unimaginable sin.  Jesus reached out to us with His unimaginable love.  In an unimaginable act of mercy and grace He took on our flesh and died for our sins.  In the song Hamilton says, “I’m not afraid.  I know whom I married.”  In spite of all the circumstances of our lives, in our nation, and in our world, we need not be afraid, because we can know Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  In the words of the song, Hamilton received from Eliza, and we can receive from Jesus, “a grace too powerful to name.”  The number of times that the college-aged mentors and the high schoolers talked about the musical “Hamilton” during the hangout time that evening told me how much Dr. Jones’ presentation had made a real impact on them.       

Grand View University is making a vitally important contribution to the Church through NEXUS.  I am very glad that Lutheran CORE has the opportunity to support this ministry through sponsoring a week of NEXUS during the summer of 2021.

I am very grateful for all who have already contributed towards our meeting our commitment of $15,000.  This amount covers half of the cost of providing one week of NEXUS for twenty-four high school students, including the cost of college-aged mentors, teachers, activities, room and board, and materials.  The funds from Lutheran CORE will be matched by Lilly Endowment to cover a full week’s cost of $30,000.

At this point we have received over $8,000 in contributions towards our commitment of $15,000.  Thank you to those who have already given.  Please consider making an additional contribution to Lutheran CORE to help us fulfill this commitment.  Be sure to indicate NEXUS on the memo line on your check. 

NALC CONVOCATION

Congratulations to the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) as they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their formation as a denomination.  Since the day when they were first constituted, on August 27, 2010, when seventeen congregations signed up, they have grown to over 440 congregations and over 150, 000 members.  As Bishop Dan Selbo said, “We are not able to be together in person, but we are united in Jesus.” 

Bishop Selbo’s opening devotions and Gemechis Buba’s keynote address were both based upon one of my favorite passages of Scripture – Ephesians 3: 14-21.  Paul concludes this passage by saying in verses 20 and 21, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” 

Addressing the fact that Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter and referring to the global pandemic that has surprised us all, Bishop Selbo made the very interesting and pertinent comment that the shutdown and other circumstances related to the pandemic are “the closest I have come to being in prison, and yet they do not even come close.”  He then talked about the hope that sustained Paul in prison as he said, “That is the only real hope that we will ever have.”  Following up on Paul’s statement in verse 14, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” Bishop Selbo asked us, “Are we spending the time we need to in prayer, or do we think we can do it alone and on our own?”

The following morning Dr. Buba picked up on some more of the emphases of this passage.  I am always hugely inspired and encouraged whenever I hear Dr. Buba. 

Dr. Buba referenced Paul’s language in verse 21 – “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.”  First he said, “All our focus must be on Jesus.”  Then he asked how we could be speaking of the decline of the church and the passing of the Christian era when the Bible uses the words, “to all generations, forever and ever.”  He reminded us of how we speak of measurable goals, measurable actions, but the Bible speaks of immeasurability.  The Bible tells of the one “who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”  We must not put a limit on the grace of God.  If God is involved, the results will be immeasurable.

Reflecting on the fact that in verse 14 Paul said, “I bow my knees before the Father,” and in both verses 16 and 18 he said, “I pray that,” Dr. Buba commented that our problems come when we do not pray, when we ask for the wrong things, when we pray for less than God can do, and when our prayers lack intentionality.  In contrast to an image of a church that is shrinking, slowing down, and becoming less, Paul’s reference to “the power (that is) at work within us” means that the church is the most powerful institution on earth.   We must never ask for less.  We must never imagine small.  We need a God-sized prayer life and a God-sized vision. 

During the convocation Bishop Selbo laid out a ministry vision for the next several years of the NALC.  His vision for such things as new mission starts and the number of seminary graduates reflected a faith like that of the apostle.  I like the comment that Dr. Eric Riesen, president of the North American Lutheran Seminary, made to Bishop Selbo.  “You are articulating a vision for a Lutheran church that I have always wanted to be a part of.”   

LETTER TO BISHOP EATON

I had promised that I would share whether I had heard from Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, in response to the letter which I sent to her on July 20.  Over three weeks later I have not heard anything from her or any of her staff.  That is an interesting way to handle challenges to the ELCA’s integrity – to just ignore it.

In my letter I asked Bishop Eaton how the ELCA could be celebrating the tenth anniversary of LGBTQIA+ persons’ being able to serve freely in the church when that is not what was voted on at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.  That assembly did not consider B, T, Q, I, A, or + persons.  Instead it only provided for the possibility of the ordination of a certain group of L and G persons – those that are in (PALMS) publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous, same sex sexual relationships.  In my letter I asked her how, going forward, any one on any side of any issue would trust any action taken by any Churchwide Assembly if the ELCA does not honor the commitments and remain within the boundaries, but instead essentially rewrites the resolutions that were voted on and approved in 2009. 

A copy of my letter to Bishop Eaton can be found here.  If you receive communications from Lutheran CORE via the U. S. post office mail, a copy of my letter has been enclosed. 

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

Finally, I would like to recommend to you the weekly prayers of the church, which can be found on the Worship page on our website.  Many thanks to Cathy Ammlung, NALC pastor and secretary of the board of Lutheran CORE, for writing these weekly prayers.  I had the privilege to preach on August 16 on the text from Matthew 15 on Jesus and the Canaanite woman.  I found her prayers to not only relate to the issues of our day, but also to the unique emphases of that particular Scripture passage.

Many thanks to Cathy for writing these prayers.  I highly recommend them to you.

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com 
909-274-8591  

“GOD IS THE RULER YET”

One of my favorite hymns for Fathers’ Day is “This Is My Father’s World.”  One of the verses goes like this:

Oh, let me not forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world.
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.
God reigns!  Let the earth be glad!

We live in a time when the wrong seems so strong.  Between the pandemic, the blow to our nation’s and the global economy, and racial strife, we wonder how much more our country and our world can take.  I was very disturbed to read a comment made by a CIA intelligence officer.  According to him, what he sees happening are the kinds of dynamics that occur in nations that are about to collapse.  How will it end?  What will be next?  How will it play out?  How long will it take?

I completely missed – because of my focus on the pandemic – May 8 as the seventy-fifth anniversary of V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day.  That is the day when the Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945, thus marking the end of World War II in Europe.

I do not want to similarly miss the seventy-fifth anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day.  That term has been applied to the day when Japan’s surrender was initially announced – August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945, in the United States.  It has also been applied to September 2, 1945, when the surrender document was signed, thus officially ending World War II.

We know how the war ended – both in Europe and in the Pacific.  But can you imagine being a part of the massive effort to win the war, when you did not know how it would end? 

We recently observed the seventy-sixth anniversary of D-Day.  From our vantage point, we know how it turned out.  We know that the effort was a success.  It was a massive invasion that cost many lives, but it gave the Allies a foothold on the European continent.  It turned the tide of the war.  But can you imagine being a part of the invasion, not knowing if it would succeed?

We do not know how the pandemic, the economy, and racial strife will all play out.  We do not know how long it will take, how many will suffer, or how much damage will be done.  But we do know this.  That this is our Father’s world.  And “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”  “The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.  God reigns!  Let the earth be glad!”

I would now like to turn our attention to four passages in the Old Testament that tell us what we as God’s people need to be doing at a time like this.

First, 2 Kings 19: 14

King Hezekiah of Judah received a threatening letter from the Assyrians, basically telling him that just as no other nation had survived the Assyrian assault, so Jerusalem would not survive either.  How did Hezekiah respond?  2 Kings 19: 14 says that Hezekiah took the letter with him, went to the house of the Lord, and spread the letter out before the Lord, and basically said, “God, this is beyond us.  We do not know what to do.  Our eyes are on you.”  We also need to take our whole situation and spread it out before the Lord.  Like Hezekiah, so we, too, need to say to the Lord, “This is beyond us.  The issues are so complex.  The problems are so deep and so deep-seated.  The wrong goes back for so long.  We do not know what to do.  Our eyes are on you.”

Second, Amos 5: 24 – “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”

I live in Arizona – out in the desert on the northeast side of Phoenix.  We are just at the beginning of the Monsoon Season – that time of year when we can experience some powerful thunderstorms.  We live about thirteen miles from where we go to church.  Between our house and the church there is only one traffic light, but there are about twenty places where the road dips down, following the contour of the land.  If we had one of those major thunderstorms on a Sunday morning, there is no way we could get to church.  There are too many places where our car would either stall in the water or even get swept off the road.

Justice rolling down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream is an image that speaks powerfully to me.  As a nation we need to look seriously at where people have been denied justice.  The quest for justice needs to be as powerful as the runoff from a mighty desert thunderstorm.

Third, Micah 6: 8 – “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

The prophet Micah is not saying, “It sure would be nice if you would.”  Instead he is saying, “This is what the Lord requires of you.”  “Requires of you – to do justice.”  Not just to be in favor of justice, but to do justice.  To work to make justice happen.  To identify with and to advocate for those who have been denied justice.  To love mercy.  For me – during these times – loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by the pandemic – those whose health is most vulnerable, those who are facing great personal risk as they bravely and faithfully provide care for others, those who are isolated in nursing homes and other care facilities and their families who are unable to visit them.  Loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by the economic shut down – the poor, the long-term unemployed, those who were living from paycheck to paycheck and now have no income.  Loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by racial strife –  victims of prejudice, good police officers who now feel vulnerable because of lack of support from public officials, business owners who had already suffered major economic setback, and now have had their place of business looted and/or destroyed.

The fourth verse says more about what it means to “walk humbly with your God.”

2 Chronicles 7: 14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.”

Lord Jesus, heal our land.

* * * * * * *

AN ALARMING MISUSE OF SCRIPTURE

The second thing I would like to talk about is Episode 1 of Season 5 of the Netflix series Queer Eye, which was recently released.  Queer Eye is a series which features a team of five LGBTQ+ persons, who are known as the Fab 5, who work with someone and give that person a makeover in some area of life.  Episode 1 features a number of ELCA pastors, including the Rev. Noah Hepler, who needed help in accepting his sexual identity; the Rev. Megan Rohr, the ELCA’s first transgender pastor; and Bishop Guy Erwin, the ELCA’s first gay bishop.  This episode lifts up the LGBTQ+ lifestyle as well as what has come to be called “Queer Christianity.”  Because of the fact that potentially this episode could be seen by millions of people around the world, it is important that people know what is being promoted and how they can respond to friends and family members who see the episode and might be persuaded to accept its LGBTQ+ ideas.  A link to the trailer for season 5, including episode 1, can be found here.

One of the things that should be most alarming to Christians who take seriously the authority of the Bible as the Word of God is the way that this movement, called “Queer Christianity,” views, misuses, and misinterprets Scripture.  Hermeneutics has to do with how we interpret the Bible.  It is alarming how those who follow the principles of “queer hermeneutics,” as illustrated in this episode of Queer Eye, interpret the Bible. 

I urge you to read my full article so that you will see how advocates for “Queer Christianity” do not listen to and follow the clear and obvious meaning of Scripture.  Instead they use Scripture in order to get Scripture to support their LGBTQ+ perspective.  And I urge you not only to read my full article, but to share it with others.  This is not just a matter of different views of human sexuality.  Rather what is at stake is the authority of the Bible as the Word of God and the foundational principles of the Christian faith.  Click here for a link to the full article.  

LIST OF CONFESSIONAL RESOURCES

Finally, for your summer reading, I would like to refer you to the List of Confessional Resources which Lutheran CORE has prepared.  Many thanks to all the pastors who have contributed to this list of books, videos, commentaries, ministries, and movements.  Click here for a link to this annotated bibliography of confessional resources.

If you have a resource that you would like to see added, please let us know.  May you be blessed by and during your summer reading.

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
909-274-8591 

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
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
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.

“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.

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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
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
909-274-8591