Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. (Thessalonians 5:27)
Subject: Re: Devotion for July 15
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:51:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jim Clark-Moore <gijim007@sbcglobal.net>
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Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:51:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jim Clark-Moore <gijim007@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: Devotion for July 15
To: scvlp@googlegroups.com
In-Reply-To: <40961.51396.qm@web81007.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
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Amen!!
--- Peggy White <revpegsv@pacbell.net> wrote:

> What follows is my submission for today's devotion.=20
> I'm not sure it qualifies as a "devotion."  Perhaps
> some discussion on what we expect in a "devotion"
> would be helpful - at least for me.  And as I am
> still reflecting on the following subject, I welcome
> your reflection as well.
>   =20
>   Peggy White
>   =20
>   Jim and I attended the installation of Bishop Mark
> Holmerud on Saturday.  I think that what stood out
> for me most in this service was the emphasis on
> justice.  This was evident in the selection of the
> hymns, the texts, and the sermon.  For me this was
> refreshing.
>   =20
>   For most of the past twelve years since I was
> ordained, the focus of the ELCA, the Sierra Pacific
> Synod leadership, our congregations and I, myself,
> has been Evangelism.  As we have experienced
> denominational decline, we have desperately focused
> our energy on =93sharing the Gospel=94 and =93being
> witnesses.=94 (Although, I think our motivation has
> had more to do with institutional survival than on
> faithfulness).  We=92ve followed the lead of our
> Evangelical neighbors, adopting their language,
> practices and conscience.
>   =20
>   I think we needed this corrective, as historically
> we have expected people who are =93Lutherans like us=94
> to show up at our churches.  So we have been
> encouraging, teaching, pushing, and even nagging
> ourselves about being evangelical.=20
>   =20
>   I confess to you that I have grown weary of this
> emphasis.  But I have also been reflecting on it,
> and there is something about this emphasis with
> which I=92ve grown uncomfortable from a theological
> perspective.  My discomfort is part of what has
> motivated me to spend this summer in study.  For me
> the =93pendulum has swung too far=94 and I think another
> corrective is needed.
>   =20
>   While there certainly is a Biblical mandate to
> share the Gospel, there is also a Biblical mandate
> for justice.  And I think we have separated these in
> a way that they should not be separated.  The
> message of and about Jesus, is a message of and
> about God=92s love for the world.  While we have
> focused on inviting people to be Christian
> (particularly Lutheran Christians) and on building
> our Christian communities, we have ignored or
> forgotten to see our neighbors in need.  Or we have
> made serving our neighbors a tool for enlarging our
> churches.  We have allowed and even participated in
> ways of being in the world that build up our own
> comfort at the cost of others=92 lives.  And we
> haven=92t named these sins.
>   =20
>   As much as we are still uncomfortable with doing
> Evangelism, we have also become complacent about
> doing justice.  I remember a story some years ago,
> about a murder that took place, I think it was in
> New York.  A woman was killed on a public street.=20
> According to the story, many people heard her
> screams.  Some even witnessed her attack.  But none
> acted because they did not want to get involved.=20
> There was a public cry of outrage towards those who
> failed to act. How much injustice have we silently
> witnessed without speaking out because we did not
> wish to risk our involvement?  Why are we not
> outraged?
>   =20
>   We resist and struggle with the idea of being a
> public church, because we don=92t want to take a stand
> on certain issues.  Some of us are outraged when our
> church =93meddles=94 in the public arena.  But some
> issues cry out for someone to take a stand.  Can we
> ignore these things and pretend that we are being
> faithful witnesses of the Gospel?
>   =20
>   Of course, on some issues we simply disagree.  So
> our pattern has been to not discuss them with one
> another.  And when we do talk about these issues, we
> seek to buttress our own arguments without
> considering the validity of the other side.  We
> throw cultural and theological labels at each other,
> assuming that our thinking is the only =93right=94
> thinking. (I recently received an email headed, =93How
> to remember facts and win arguments against
> liberals.=94  Since I tend to lean towards the
> =93liberal=94 side, I am now looking for the class on
> =93How to remember facts and win arguments against
> conservatives.=94  -  No honest discussion is to be
> considered.) We fail to see our injustice towards
> one another in doing this.  And we have fled from
> addressing these issues by focusing on evangelism.
>   =20
>   How can we invite people to =93be Christian=94 if we
> do not take seriously God=92s love for the world =96 not
> just ourselves?  How can we =93be witnesses of the
> Gospel=94 without realizing that the content of our
> witness is communicated in the way we live our
> lives?  How can we claim =93Jesus is Lord=94 while
> ignoring our ways of living that cause harm to
> others?  And if we are unable or unwilling to talk
> about difficult issues with one another, how can we
> be open to the Holy Spirit in the Church?  If I am
> afraid of how you will regard me if I say, =93I think
> this, about . . .=94 whatever, how can we be in
> =93Communion=94 with one another?
>   =20
> I think we can be faithful, by bearing witness to
> the Gospel as we do justice.  I think we need to
> acknowledge and perhaps learn, how doing justice is
> also bearing witness.  And, we also need to learn
> what it is to =93do justice.=94  We need to figure out
> when and how to speak publicly and how to learn from
> one another, open to what the other has to offer.=20
> As much as we have talked about =93learning to share
> our faith,=94 we need to learn to talk about public
> issues that affect the well-being of others.=20
> Perhaps most, we need to stop hiding.  After all, we
> are God=92s people =96 meant to be =93light of the world;
> a city that cannot be hid=94 as others =93see our good
> works and give glory=94 to God. (Matt. 5:14 - 16).=20
>
>=20
>=20
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