The press of ministry as well as my personal life have kept me busy enough in the recent past so that I have not added anything to this blog for a while. I do want to commend a new paper by Dr. David Yeago to your reading list. As usual, Dr. Yeago's theological insights are balanced by a genuine love for Christ as well as a pastoral sensitivity often absent in the ELCA's internal wrangling. Thank you once again, Dr. Yeago.
You can find Yeago's paper, "Facing Reality in the ELCA," at Lutherans Persisting. The link is to the right.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Peace of Christ
Lutherans and many other Christian traditions "share the peace" as a regular part of worship. "The peace of Christ be with you always," the pastor/priest says. And the congregation responds, "And also with you," or words to that effect.
It is a sweet ritual, this wishing of peace from one to the other. But it is more than a ritual. It is a blessing in ritual form, a prayer for the other to know God.
The peace of Christ is not just any peace. It is a wish for more than the absence of conflict. It is a wish for far more -- a wish for a peaceful life, a wish for wholeness, a wish for shalom. It is more than the prophet Micah's simple prescription for righteousness: "...to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8), though this is perhaps part of Christ's peace.
The peace of Christ is also the wish that the other know "the peace that passes understanding," the trust in the love of God and a deep gratitude for the salvaton that is His gift through Christ. At its heart, sharing the peace is nothing more nor less than the sharing of a desire for the other to find the joy and peace of faith in God's creating, redeeming, and sustaining love.
It is a sweet ritual, this wishing of peace from one to the other. But it is more than a ritual. It is a blessing in ritual form, a prayer for the other to know God.
The peace of Christ is not just any peace. It is a wish for more than the absence of conflict. It is a wish for far more -- a wish for a peaceful life, a wish for wholeness, a wish for shalom. It is more than the prophet Micah's simple prescription for righteousness: "...to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8), though this is perhaps part of Christ's peace.
The peace of Christ is also the wish that the other know "the peace that passes understanding," the trust in the love of God and a deep gratitude for the salvaton that is His gift through Christ. At its heart, sharing the peace is nothing more nor less than the sharing of a desire for the other to find the joy and peace of faith in God's creating, redeeming, and sustaining love.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The keynote speaker at the January 9 gathering of Orthodox Lutherans of South Carolina was Dr. James R. Crumley, Jr., former presiding bishop of the Lutheran Church in America. His remarks are available here.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Issues in the ELCA
I thought readers might be interested in reading a recent essay by Robert Benne found at http://www.lutherancore.org/papers/benne-beginnings.shtml . Benne's essay describes some chronic, systemic, theological and organizational issues in the ELCA as clearly as anything I've seen. While as a member of the "Loyal Opposition" I have no plans to leave the ELCA or to lead my congregation in that direction, I do commend the essay to you for your reflection.
Within our synod, there is a meeting of the Orthodox Lutherans of South Carolina scheduled for January 9. It may present an opportunity for South Carolina Lutherans to share their disenchantment with the ELCA on the issues that Benne discusses.
Pr. Garry
Parishmonk
Within our synod, there is a meeting of the Orthodox Lutherans of South Carolina scheduled for January 9. It may present an opportunity for South Carolina Lutherans to share their disenchantment with the ELCA on the issues that Benne discusses.
Pr. Garry
Parishmonk
Friday, January 1, 2010
Spirituality #5: Silence
It seems like the television is on at my house almost all the time. My wife has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a disorder of unknown origins which carries with it a variety of disabling symptoms: a terrible fatigue, debilitating muscle and joint pain, and severely disordered sleep, to name but a few. During the long hours of night, when she is unable to sleep and I am snoring, she will often have the television going for company. I live in a world of ongoing sound even during my own sleep, so that periods of silence in my life are almost always an experience of grace.
"Be still and know that I am God," the psalmist says (Psalm 46:10). My noisy life underscores the importance of silence as a context for prayer. Added to the busy-ness of a pastor's ministry, the distractions in my life usually overpower my own poor ability to attend to the presence of God. In short, I need silence in order to experience the "Cloud of Unknowing" that seems to be the most refreshing and sustaining sort of prayer for me. Silence is important for prayer, and is a precious and too-rare commodity in my life.
Every generalization has its exceptions, I suppose. For me, one notable exception to the connection between silence and prayer seems to be music of certain type. The "type" is not easy for me to put into words. Gregorian chant helps facilitate my times of prayer, while jazz usually does not. Songs from Taize' facilitate prayer for me, rap does not. Some "praise music" facilitates prayer for me -- the songs with contemplative words and melody -- while other, louder contemporary Christian songs do not.
I'm not sure what the point is to these ramblings. Except perhaps to wonder if most Christians in our noisy world of 2010 might not be starved for silence as well, or at least hungry for deeper communion with God. Listen to your own life. If there's anything in this that resonates with you, you'll undoubtedly know.
"Be still and know that I am God," the psalmist says (Psalm 46:10). My noisy life underscores the importance of silence as a context for prayer. Added to the busy-ness of a pastor's ministry, the distractions in my life usually overpower my own poor ability to attend to the presence of God. In short, I need silence in order to experience the "Cloud of Unknowing" that seems to be the most refreshing and sustaining sort of prayer for me. Silence is important for prayer, and is a precious and too-rare commodity in my life.
Every generalization has its exceptions, I suppose. For me, one notable exception to the connection between silence and prayer seems to be music of certain type. The "type" is not easy for me to put into words. Gregorian chant helps facilitate my times of prayer, while jazz usually does not. Songs from Taize' facilitate prayer for me, rap does not. Some "praise music" facilitates prayer for me -- the songs with contemplative words and melody -- while other, louder contemporary Christian songs do not.
I'm not sure what the point is to these ramblings. Except perhaps to wonder if most Christians in our noisy world of 2010 might not be starved for silence as well, or at least hungry for deeper communion with God. Listen to your own life. If there's anything in this that resonates with you, you'll undoubtedly know.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
"Progress"?
This posting is offered as my own summary, inaccurate perceptions included, of the current status of the ELCA following the decision of our Churchwide Assembly to open ordination to our gay, lesbian, and transgendered brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our status at the close of 2009 includes the following observations:
1. Many ELCA members rejoice at the reduction of discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgendered people by allowing them to be "rostered" in the ELCA. Many ELCA members grieve for the manner in which our Churchwide Assembly has made this decision outside the boundaries of scripture.
2. While I understand the concern about social justice for gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons within the ELCA (as for any minority group), this frankly does not seem to me to be the central issue. As many have already said, it is the issue of how scripture is read and interpreted that is the core issue here, rather than an issue of sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is simply a case in point.
3. The splits generated within the body of the ELCA by #1 and #2 above are becoming clearer, as the polarities within the membership begin to widen and crystalize. This polarization is evident
a. at an individual level, as some leave the ELCA for other denominations,
b. at a congregational level, as some congregations either leave or add an additional
affiliation with a church body such as Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ , LCMS,
the new church body being formed by Lutheran CORE, etc.
c. at a synodical level, as with the Northeast Iowa Synod and perhaps the South Carolina
Synod.
4. As ELCA staff conduct the business of converting Churchwide Assembly policy into rules and regulations for implementation, it seems to me to be virtually inevitable that the fracture lines will deepen and that schism is on the horizon. Consider: as Dr. Michael Root points out on www.lutheranspersisting.com, the study on which the decision was made argued for flexibility and tolerance (i.e., "bound conscience"), but the pre-existing ELCA Constitution requires that synod constitutions must comply with the ELCA Constitution. The concept of "bound conscience" is incompatible with the ELCA's own constitutional provisions.
5. Fewer people on either side of the issue are listening to what the other has to say.
If the present course is continued (and I see nothing that would suggest 2010 will be different), I expect to see the following:
a. further loss of members and financial support for ELCA ministries,
b. continued deterioration of ecumenical relationships with denominations that have
stayed within the boundaries of scripture and tradition, and
c. the gradual appearance of information in Augsburg-Fortress educational materials for
adults, youth, and children which is inconsistent with scripture and the tradition of the
Church, leading to further loss of traditionalist members, further loss of financial
support.
I grieve for the pain I see in some of my ELCA friends and colleagues. I grieve that, despite our leadership's call for "continued conversation" on this issue, the conversation between traditionalists and revisionists seems essentially to be over. I grieve for the loss of diversity within the ELCA, fully expecting that, in time, the ELCA will reach a state of equilibrium, with a smaller traditional voice and fewer members (including the loss of some who don't really care about the issues but simply don't want to be members of a denomination in continuous conflict). If this happens, the ELCA will be more homogenous but far less rich.
As we face the coming new year, I can't help but wonder: has the "progress" made justified the cost?
Our status at the close of 2009 includes the following observations:
1. Many ELCA members rejoice at the reduction of discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgendered people by allowing them to be "rostered" in the ELCA. Many ELCA members grieve for the manner in which our Churchwide Assembly has made this decision outside the boundaries of scripture.
2. While I understand the concern about social justice for gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons within the ELCA (as for any minority group), this frankly does not seem to me to be the central issue. As many have already said, it is the issue of how scripture is read and interpreted that is the core issue here, rather than an issue of sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is simply a case in point.
3. The splits generated within the body of the ELCA by #1 and #2 above are becoming clearer, as the polarities within the membership begin to widen and crystalize. This polarization is evident
a. at an individual level, as some leave the ELCA for other denominations,
b. at a congregational level, as some congregations either leave or add an additional
affiliation with a church body such as Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ , LCMS,
the new church body being formed by Lutheran CORE, etc.
c. at a synodical level, as with the Northeast Iowa Synod and perhaps the South Carolina
Synod.
4. As ELCA staff conduct the business of converting Churchwide Assembly policy into rules and regulations for implementation, it seems to me to be virtually inevitable that the fracture lines will deepen and that schism is on the horizon. Consider: as Dr. Michael Root points out on www.lutheranspersisting.com, the study on which the decision was made argued for flexibility and tolerance (i.e., "bound conscience"), but the pre-existing ELCA Constitution requires that synod constitutions must comply with the ELCA Constitution. The concept of "bound conscience" is incompatible with the ELCA's own constitutional provisions.
5. Fewer people on either side of the issue are listening to what the other has to say.
If the present course is continued (and I see nothing that would suggest 2010 will be different), I expect to see the following:
a. further loss of members and financial support for ELCA ministries,
b. continued deterioration of ecumenical relationships with denominations that have
stayed within the boundaries of scripture and tradition, and
c. the gradual appearance of information in Augsburg-Fortress educational materials for
adults, youth, and children which is inconsistent with scripture and the tradition of the
Church, leading to further loss of traditionalist members, further loss of financial
support.
I grieve for the pain I see in some of my ELCA friends and colleagues. I grieve that, despite our leadership's call for "continued conversation" on this issue, the conversation between traditionalists and revisionists seems essentially to be over. I grieve for the loss of diversity within the ELCA, fully expecting that, in time, the ELCA will reach a state of equilibrium, with a smaller traditional voice and fewer members (including the loss of some who don't really care about the issues but simply don't want to be members of a denomination in continuous conflict). If this happens, the ELCA will be more homogenous but far less rich.
As we face the coming new year, I can't help but wonder: has the "progress" made justified the cost?
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Christmas Angel
As my daughter Jennifer and I worked this past week to pack up the remaining stuff in our old house, we took quite a few trips to the local "green box" location to get rid of many overflowing bags of trash. During one of those trips, a small gray-haired woman walked up to us and asked, "Hi. What are you throwing away?" Except for the fact that the woman was driving a recent model car, I might have thought she was a bit eccentric if not outright daft -- who in their right mind asks about the contents of a stranger's trash bags? Granted that the contents of the trash bags were junk from around our house and not rotting fruit and chicken bones. But still the encounter seemed strangely surreal.
It turned out that this woman collects discarded but usable items and gives them to people who are poorer than herself. Within two minutes, we were fast friends. Blushing a bit at the way we were casually disposing of things I thought of as "junk," we opened our trash bags to her as well as our hearts.
After she had collected a few things she thought others might use, we invited her to the house and managed to find a number of other "junk" items for her to give away, including some that we otherwise would have kept.
It was a deeply humbling encounter, especially with Christmas on the near horizon. I told the woman that she was an angel, and meant it -- tired and slightly grumpy as I was from days of packing and cleaning -- reminding me of God's free and unbridled giving of Himself. The memory still powerfully reminds me still of the humble circumstances of God coming incarnate into the world -- His birth 2000 years ago announced to unwashed shepherds outside a small, rural town. God Himself born in a smelly stable and laid in a feed trough. Christ born again in my heart in a trash dump.
May Christ be born in you, too.
It turned out that this woman collects discarded but usable items and gives them to people who are poorer than herself. Within two minutes, we were fast friends. Blushing a bit at the way we were casually disposing of things I thought of as "junk," we opened our trash bags to her as well as our hearts.
After she had collected a few things she thought others might use, we invited her to the house and managed to find a number of other "junk" items for her to give away, including some that we otherwise would have kept.
It was a deeply humbling encounter, especially with Christmas on the near horizon. I told the woman that she was an angel, and meant it -- tired and slightly grumpy as I was from days of packing and cleaning -- reminding me of God's free and unbridled giving of Himself. The memory still powerfully reminds me still of the humble circumstances of God coming incarnate into the world -- His birth 2000 years ago announced to unwashed shepherds outside a small, rural town. God Himself born in a smelly stable and laid in a feed trough. Christ born again in my heart in a trash dump.
May Christ be born in you, too.
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