Unexpected Faith

Luke 7:1-10

This past Wednesday evening, I was moved by the discussion that took place in the most recent ELCA webcast called A Place for All  (http://livestream.com/elca).  The four panelists discussed how we might go about building more inclusive, truly welcoming congregations and ministries within the ELCA.  This is extremely important because, in a recent poll, the ELCA came in second from the bottom in denominational diversity.  That’s embarrassing.  Shameful, even.  Our congregations and ministries often do not reflect the diversity of the neighbors who live and work around us.  The webcast offered practical ideas and suggestions for connecting with our neighbors more effectively.  If you didn’t see the webcast, I highly recommend it!! 

One of the core premises of the webcast (and of my own theology) is that God is already at work in the neighborhoods around our churches and in the lives of our neighbors…  even those who are not a part of a church.  They key to reaching out to our neighbors is not, NOT to assume that God is absent from their lives.  They key is to expect to meet God in and through them.  The key is to find ways  to grow together in our mutual understanding and experience of who God is and who we are as God’s children.   In the webcast, Pastor Matt Stuhlmuller, of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Chicago, offered an acronym for how to do this: 

B – Building bridges and relationships.

L -  Listening to our neighbor’s joys and concerns.

E -  Eating with our neighbors – food and fellowship bring people together.

S -  Serving – Responding to the needs identified by the neighbors (not us).

S – Sharing – mutually offering and receiving the gifts we each bring.

In this week’s Gospel,  a Centurion – a solider of the oppressive Roman Army – is lifted up by Luke as an example of faith and faithfulness.  He is an outsider.   And yet, he is both generous (he built the community’s synagogue) and recognizes and respects Jesus’ power and authority.   Who are the Centurions living in the neighborhoods around our communities of faith?  Perhaps it would do us well to leave our church buildings and get to know them.  Who knows?  We may learn some powerful lessons about faith and faithfulness from them.  How, I wonder, have your congregations and ministries learned something about God from your neighbors?  Please reply!

Peace,

Bishop Mike.

Hope Does Not Disappoint

Romans 5:6

I have been accused of being an optimist.  Many times.  Guilty.  I do tend to be a hopeful person.  I strive to see the best in people, situations, challenges, plans, and possibilities.  I expect good things to happen.  Often, they do.  Though, not always.  I am realistic enough to understand that things don’t always work out the way I think they should.  Cynicism does creep into my soul from time to time.  There are bleak days that leave me feeling uncertain and skeptical about the future.    But, for the most part, I remain an optimist.

I have spent the last month on “hiatus” from writing these weekly columns.  Mostly, I have been swamped with other things and haven’t had time to write.  But, they have been good things!  (There’s the optimist in me).   Our Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod Assembly was an amazing experience.  We had an ELCA “Glocal” group that led us in music and worship and taught us about engaging with people across cultures.   The spirit of the Assembly was good, and it was wonderful to be together with people I have come to cherish in my five years as bishop.  I spent the following week visiting congregations with Bishop Jacob Mameo from the Morogoro Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania - our companion diocese - who joined us for the Assembly.   As we drove around the Synod, we had a lot of windshield time to get to know one another better and discuss how to grow our churches’ relationship.  Finally, this past weekend I was at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS at their Commencement events.  I was honored to be invited to preach at their Baccalaureate.  It was moving to look into the hopeful faces of the young men and women who were graduating and talk with them about the power of the Holy Spirit to build bridges between diverse peoples.  It was a very uplifting weekend!

There are plenty of struggles in the world and in the church that could leave one cynical, skeptical and pessimistic.  But Paul is right:  because of our trust in God, and because God’s love in Christ has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, hope does not disappoint us.  As we journey through days of struggle and even suffering, there are always signs of hope and promise to be seen, if we look for them.  I can tell you, I’ve seen plenty of those signs these past few weeks!  I wonder, where do you see hope breaking through the cracks and crevices of your life?

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Always interested in hearing from you!  Previous On the Way columns can be found at bishopmike.blogspot.com.  Thanks for reading.