A Time to be the Church

“As we journey home, may your presence be known: precious river, ever-flowing, now carry us home.” (ELW 453)

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:1-5)

My first call was served in a small rural parish in the beautiful hills of JoDaviess County. When there was a death in the congregation, the church bell was tolled to announce the news to the community. When the day of the funeral arrived, without fail, the people of St. John’s came to worship, tell stories, laugh and cry, and to share a meal. As a young pastor I came to expect that a congregation would show up for a funeral. When a member died, the church gathered.

In the past two weeks I have attended two funerals. One was for Pastor Al Zenker, former bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod. Al was serving as an assistant to the bishop of the Illinois District (ALC) when I started out, so I had known him a long time. I had the privilege of representing Bishop Wollersheim and our synod at his funeral. The second funeral was for a woman I barely knew. She was a member of the congregation for which my wife is organist. I attended this funeral to support my wife in her role and because I know the family.

At each of these funerals I looked around at the people who had gathered. There were lots of pastors gathered for Pastor Zenker’s funeral. Of course, family, friends, former parishioners and members of the parish were also there. At the other funeral, family, friends and many from the congregation were present. I am glad that I was there too.

I believe that we need to be reminded of God’s promises that we hear most clearly at funerals. We need to be together to support each other in the hard times. As the church, we need to boldly sing the hymns of our faith. We need to pray. We need to tell stories. We need to laugh and cry. We need to be the church.

I believe a congregation should place a high value on funeral worship. Does yours? Do you think it should?

Removing Hatred and Prejudice

As a child I dreaded only one part of the Sunday liturgy, the Prayer of the Church (Service Book and Hymnal, p. 6). It was a long, all-encompassing prayer that the pastor of Victory Lutheran Church prayed almost every week. He also used all of the petitions, divided only by our responses, “We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.” I was thinking “Good Lord, how much longer?” Forgive me; I was about nine years old.

When Lutheran Book of Worship was published, an updated version of the prayer was included in the prayer section (p.52). As a pastor I used it on a few occasions, though I must admit, not many. It was still a long prayer, but I had come to deeply appreciate its beauty.

Two petitions of that prayer are on my mind today. One is the prayer for our nation, the president, the governor and all who make our laws. The second, which followed immediately, is a petition asking God to remove from us all hatred and prejudice and “whatever may hinder the unity of spirit and concord.”

I think we need to dust off the Prayer of the Church. I was listening to the radio in the car this afternoon and heard a report of acts of racial hatred being committed against some who voted for Barack Obama. The report also said that there have been an unprecedented number of threats against our president-elect.

Sadly, some of the most racially prejudicial statements I have ever heard have been whispered in church.

It is time for the Church to renew its efforts to work for justice, use its public voice and confront racism. Our synod council engages in anti-racism training annually. Workshops are available for our congregations through our synod anti-racism team. There are resources available on the ELCA website (www.elca.org) and the synod’s website (www.nisynod.org).

At this moment in history, I think we have a great opportunity to engage in this important work. I also believe that it is all the more important in congregations with little or no racial, ethnic or cultural diversity. I invite you to pray and act. Now.

From the Mailbox

The letter arrived in today’s mail. It began, “This is a very difficult letter to write….” I knew what it was right away. I have written three such letters myself, one to each congregation I was leaving. But this time I was on the receiving end of the news. My pastor has resigned his call.

I believe my pastor when he says that it was a difficult message to deliver. I don’t think most parishioners can possibly understand just how difficult it really is. It is so hard to leave a congregation that you have served and loved. As a pastor I have been invited into people’s lives in such intimate ways, in times of the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow. My life as a pastor has been richly blessed and I hope that I have touched the lives of many in positive ways with the love of Christ. When I left my first parish I remember telling Bishop Ehme Osterbur that I was never leaving another congregation because I couldn’t stand the pain. There were just too many tears. I did, however, subject myself to the pain of leaving two additional congregations only because I was convinced that God was calling me to serve in other contexts.

Today I experienced the pain from a different point of view. I was the parishioner receiving the pastor’s message. I don’t think most pastors can possibly understand just how difficult it is for happy parishioners to hear the news of their imminent departure.

The kind and pastorally written letter conveys the pastor’s thanks for the love, prayers and support of his congregation. My pastor has received a call, which he understands to be God’s call, to serve in a new context. I know I must respect that call, just as I have asked parishioners to do for me.

As a colleague, I am very excited for my pastor’s new call. I am, in fact, pleased for the whole church. As a parishioner, there is something about this that just plain stinks. As a synod staff person, I must hear the advice that I have given to so many congregations. Stay calm. God is good. God is with us. The Holy Spirit will bring us a new pastor. We will be just fine.

I would love to know of your experiences of either writing or receiving resignation letters.

I Love a Parade

On Reformation Sunday afternoon, the Northern Illinois Synod gathered in worship at Zion Lutheran Church in Rockford. We celebrated the ordination of three new pastors. It was a great day! Approximately 380 people were in attendance including parishioners from across the synod. About 50 rostered leaders were also present, each and every one there in a gesture of support. Many vested and processed while others sat in the congregation. It was a colorful parade indeed! I even spotted a couple of pastors seated in the balcony with their respective confirmation classes. What a good way to teach youth something about the broader church of which they are a part.

Since the birth of our synod, a high value has been placed upon celebrating ordinations, commissionings and consecrations at the synod assembly or in another synod-wide worship service. This practice is not part of the tradition I come out of, but I have come to deeply appreciate it. It emphasizes that ordination is a rite of the church and that pastors, associates in ministry and diaconal ministers are called to service in the whole church.

Following each of our synod services I hear similar positive comments from those who have never witnessed an ordination, commissioning or consecration. In fact, some find the experience overwhelming with meaning. I am sure that most (all?) rostered leaders cannot help but remember our own vows. I find myself renewed in my call each time I hear the scripture passages read and the questions asked. Ordination sermons always speak to me.

I don’t have a good sense of how many other synods share this same value. I think we are in a small minority. If so, I that’s just fine with me.

Comments? Ordination/commissioning/consecration stories? What do you think?