Christmas Blessing

⁷Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!  Luke 2:10-14

For lo! The days are hast’ning on, by prophets seen of old, when with the ever-circling years shall come the time foretold, when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling, and all the world give back the song which now the angels sing.  ELW 282, st. 4

May the peace of Christmas be yours and may the peace of Christ spread anew throughout the world.  Amen.  --JC

Thank You

A few drops of rain were falling as I hastily made my way up the walk of Wethersfield School in Kewanee.  In contrast to the weather, I was cheerfully greeted by Russ, the former president of the congregation, as he approached from another direction.  The mood inside Moss Gymnasium was likewise upbeat and positive.  Energy filled the gym as many were busy making last minutes preparations for worship.

The last time I was with the people of Zion Lutheran Church was the day after the fire that had done major damage to their building.  That evening, with the congregation gathered in a circle on the church lawn, I promised the prayers of the synod in the face of uncertain days.

It was great to return and be with the people of Zion on Sunday, December 9.  The school gym was alive with worship—prayer, Scripture, preaching and song.  It reminded me of the energy of a mission congregation.  Santa Lucia even made her appearance on cue!

On behalf of our bishop and the synod, I was able to present a modest check to the congregation.  It is because of your generosity that this gift was possible.  Following the service, a number of people spoke to me.  The treasurer of the congregation thanked me for bringing the check.  I want to pass that thanks along to you.

I suppose I was a bit surprised when almost everyone else who spoke to me thanked me for just being there and for all of the prayers.  I want to thank you all for that too.  Your willingness to care about your sister congregations is what helps make this a fine synod.

I think it would be great if every congregation prayed for the other congregations in their conference on a rotating basis.  Many already do.  I also think it would be beneficial if each congregation would send visitors to other congregations just to say “hello.”

Comments?  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC

Prayers for Palestine and Israel

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of this season, I want to extend an invitation to you.  This coming Saturday, December 22 a group of us will gather at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 675 N. Mulford Road, Rockford at 9:00 a.m. for a simulcast of a live worship service from Bethlehem and Washington.

Christians from around the world are being invited to pray for the peace of Palestine and Israel.  Prayers, hymns and readings will alternate between the two locations.  Come a bit early to enjoy some hospitality provided by local supporters of Bright Stars of Bethlehem and to claim your seat for the 9:00 a.m. start.  Among the Lutherans participating in the service are the Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, the Right Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the Rev. Richard Graham, bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, ELCA.

I came to a much deeper and more accurate understanding of life in both Palestine and Israel when I traveled there a couple of years ago.  The situation there is complex.  The very least we can do is pray.  This is an opportunity for you to do just that.

For more information, please contact me directly or check the Bright Stars website at www.brightstarsbethlehem.org.  –JC

Come, Emmanuel

“You are not going to follow that bus!”  These were the emphatic words that my wife spoke to me some 23 years ago on our son’s first day of school.  I had thought that it would be a good idea.  There had been no practice run. The school bus would be transporting kindergartners through sixth graders.   I just wanted to make sure that he would get off the bus, enter the proper door of the school and make it to his kindergarten classroom.  He was so little, so innocent, so very precious.

One of the local funeral directors, a parishioner (and now an ELCA pastor), had a daughter who was starting kindergarten on the same day.  I told him about my overly protective plan to follow the school bus.  We had a good laugh when he told me that he actually had followed her bus!

Not long ago, my son discovered that I still have protective instincts.  He was in the passenger seat of the car when I had to make a quick stop.  As my seat belt locked up, my right hand reached across and flattened on his chest to hold him in place as if he were 10 years old.  I was a little embarrassed at my treating him like a child.

If I were sending a child back to school tomorrow, I think I would be tempted to start Christmas break early.  The horrific events of Friday in Newtown, Connecticut are still too fresh and our children seem so vulnerable.  I would have a hard time letting go of a hug and sending a child off to the bus stop.  Of course, common sense would eventually prevail and I would realize that I would have to let go sooner or later.  However, I would make no promises about not following the bus.

As much as we would like, we cannot protect our children or even ourselves from every danger.  We can and must work to make the world as safe a place as it can be.

With much, if not all, of this country, I grieve the loss of those precious children and their teachers and administrators in Newtown.  I hope that grieving parents are surrounded by caring people who know how to speak helpful words when words are necessary and know how to simply be present when silence is better.

In this season of Advent, we sing, “O come, O come Emmanuel.”  Emmanuel.  God with us.  It is wonderful and comforting to know that God truly is with us.  But, for a person who is in the depths of despair, it is a difficult, perhaps impossible, message to comprehend.  “God loves you,” are words that could ring hollow in the ears of someone in pain.  However, we can all bring Christ to another’s brokenness by simply being present with them.  We can be the presence of Christ in the emptiness.

May God be with you as you bear Christ to your neighbor.  --JC

Autumn Update

A friend in Minnesota recently sent an email asking, “Is everything ok down there, or are you just incredibly busy? There hasn't even been a blog post lately.”

I answered immediately to let her know that everything was fine.  I also promised that I would send an update soon, which I did the next day.  Finding a moment or two to work on the blog has been more difficult.  It has indeed been busy.

Final "Coffee" at First Lutheran Church, Rock Island

The bishop has just finished up his eight “Coffees with the Bishop.”  Bishop Wollersheim began each coffee with devotions.  With Karin Graddy’s help, he then showed the synod’s 25^th anniversary video.  This is the same video that was shown at this year’s Synod Assembly.  Each congregation received a copy and it has been well received.  It was a great look back at our history together and a fitting prelude for what comes next.  Following the video, Bishop Wollersheim answered any questions that attendees cared to ask.  Each conference asked different questions, though we did hear that there is a lot of concern over the future of the church.  Generally speaking, congregations are doing well, but declining numbers appear to be common.  Some of our congregations are fairly fragile financially.

This autumn we have also experienced four Discipleship Gatherings.  Pastor Kurt Nordby, our Director for Evangelical Mission, did a fine job talking about the importance of a mission plan to the life of a congregation.  Each congregation is being encouraged to take a look at their mission and articulate a plan.  I have found that there are congregations that do not have a good handle on why they are doing what they are doing.  With Pastor Nordby, our communication director Karin Graddy has developed a set of resources and placed it in a virtual toolbox.  Take a look.  You’ll find it at www.nisynod.org/toolbox.

Bishop Wollersheim has announced that the Synod Council will soon be working on a new mission plan for the synod.  He said that it is only fair that if congregations are being asked to work on a mission plan that the synod should as well.  We will be working with the Rev. Don McCoid of the Churchwide staff and he will join us at the January council meeting.

These are stressful days in the life of the church, but they are days filled with hope and promise, much like this season of Advent.

Comments are welcome.  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com.  --JC

Temporarily Homeless

We teach our children to sing, “The church is not a building.”  But a church building is home for a congregation.  Home is more than a building.  It is a place of considerable emotional significance.  It is heartbreaking when your home is damaged, destroyed, or otherwise violated.  At times, we are left with only our memories.

Zion Lutheran Church in Kewanee suffered a fire this past Sunday evening.  Smoke was noticed by a neighbor.  The fire department responded quickly.  Had just a few additional minutes passed, there would be nothing left.  The fire fighters were on the scene for five hours.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.  Both the fire marshal and Zion’s insurance carrier are investigating.  Early guesses lean toward something electrical in the attic.

The people of Zion gathered Monday evening for their first look inside the building.  They walked in the front door just as they have countless times.  This time it was passing under yellow caution tape and through a boarded up door.  The statue of Jesus was in its place above the entry, but now it was darkened with soot.

Folks gathered in front before entering

As Zion members entered the building, the smell of smoke forced some to cover their mouths and noses.  The nave was spared any fire damage, but the carpet underfoot is soggy, the pew cushions are now a darker shade, and the floor tiles are wet.  Water poured from the pastor’s guitar as he lifted it from its case.  The floor of the dining room below is covered with wet debris.  The contents of the offices are destroyed.  Historical Swedish language records are gone.  As people carefully watched their steps, the shock and heartbreak was evident on their faces.

Dining room

Following the walk through, Pastor David Schweppe led a discussion.  A place for worship next Sunday was determined and plans for Sunday school were made.  The pastor prayed giving thanks to God and asking for God’s guidance.  The congregation council met standing in a small circle in the beauty of a late summer evening.  Decisions were made regarding the office and phone.  Plans for outreach were affirmed.  Being “homeless” would not deter the evangelism plan.  Before the closing prayer, a car drove up and a man walked up but did not enter the circle.  He was the pastor of a local congregation offering the United Church of Christ building for weddings and funerals and whatever else Zion should need.

The next couple of months will be challenging for the people of Zion.  But, their spirit is good and their trust in God’s grace is strong.  I have promised the people of Zion that we, as a synod, will walk with them in the coming months as repairs are made and the building is cleaned.  I have promised that we will pray for their pastor and for them.

Looking toward the offices

Comments?  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC

ELCA Youth Gathering--Practice Discipleship

I was walking alone down a street in the French Quarter.  I was wearing our synod’s youth t-shirt and my youth gathering wristband , both of which identified me as being part of the massive gathering that had invaded New Orleans.  A woman walking in the opposite direction stopped me to say, “Thank you for being here.”  That’s it.  It was just a simple word of thanks.

I had heard similar stories, but had not experienced it myself.  It took me by surprise.  My son was speaking with the concierge of his hotel.  He too expressed his thanks for what our ELCA youth were doing for his city.  He told my son that since Hurricane Katrina he had seen many groups come and go.  He was impressed with the ELCA because “you practice what you preach.”  He no doubt was referring to the 400 service and learning projects being done across the city.  They were done in the name of justice, but they were also a great example of discipleship.

Practice Discipleship.  One day of the recent youth gathering was devoted to learning more about and practicing discipleship.  In recent years, the ELCA has emphasized seven faith practices associated with discipleship.  They are pray, study, worship, invite, encourage, serve and give.  After a morning of worship and study, our youth were sent out into the city to explore discipleship in a fun way.  I was not part of a group as they discussed “invite.”  I wish I had been because the youth discussed how they could be more inviting personally and in their congregations.  They may have ideas to share with you in their home congregations.

Don’t be surprised if your youth’s idea of invitation is a bit broader than your own.  At the youth gathering, I believe that the message they heard regarding radical inclusivity was the most well received of any.  If you would like to hear the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber’s message click here: http://youtu.be/kM9Y5S3UYi8.

Are there ways your congregation could have some fun in discovering how to be better disciples of Jesus?

Comments?  Go to the blog site or comment on Facebook.  --JC

ELCA Youth Gathering--Practice Justice

"What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God."

The magnitude of the disappointment surprised me.  A number of the youth of our synod were unable to participate in their planned Practice Justice service projects in New Orleans because of the torrential rain that we experienced on Friday.

Meghan, Minnette and Anna

I accompanied the youth and leader from Freedom (Oregon, IL).  Together, we participated in a Literacy Matters project, which meant we worked indoors.  We traveled with a bus load of others to a school in the city where a summer day camp was being held.  We read to the children, presented books to them as gifts, and helped them with art projects.  I also had the opportunity to speak to a teacher of the school, not involved with the day camp, who was setting up her classroom.  School there starts in just a couple of weeks.  She is the first Katrina with whom I have had an extended conversation.  It was a great day for us.

The day began with worship and some introductory information at the Superdome.  We got wet running through the pouring rain to the bus.  The weather was so bad and the streets so flooded that we were held on the bus for quite a while.  I think our bus was floating as we left downtown!  After we returned to the Superdome, we walked through ankle deep water to get back to the hotel.  We were lucky.  Some of the groups that were assigned to do outdoor projects never left the dome.

I knew that the service component of the youth gathering was important to the whole youth gathering experience, but I underestimated its importance to the youth.  On Saturday morning, I spoke to some who had missed the opportunity.  They were really sad because they had looked forward to being out in the community.  I was pleased to know that one disappointed group had already developed a plan for a service project at home.

Gathering volunteers wore distinctive orange shirts

Service to the community is a significant component of living out one’s faith and it is one that our youth expect.  Our Lutheran youth understand that loving like Jesus means service to our neighbor.  We serve in response to the Gospel.  We do not need to travel far to serve.  There are needs to be addressed next door, down the street and around the corner.

If we wish to make the church relevant to our youth, we must offer opportunities for service.  We need to work side by side with them.  Our youth can be an example to us and we can learn from them.

What opportunities already exist in your congregation?  What new opportunities might your congregation explore?  How will you allow youth to lead?

Share comments on the blog site or comment on Facebook.  --JC

2012 ELCA Youth Gathering

The organizers of the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering placed upon synodical bishops the expectation that they would attend this year’s gathering and take an active part in the life of this church’s young people.  It took little more than an invitation because most if not all bishops highly value youth ministry and faith formation.  In the end, a very impressive 63 of 65 bishops were in attendance to engage and participate.  Bishop Wollersheim’s sabbatical this summer conflicted with the Gathering, a fact which caused him some considerable distress.  He debated about what to do, but he was finally persuaded by his staff and family that his sabbatical had to be the higher priority.  It was several months ago that he asked if I would attend in his place.

The Northern Illinois Synod had approximately 51 congregations represented at the gathering.  I don’t know the exact number because some youth may have registered with another congregation.  In all, we had over 600 from our synod in New Orleans.  They traveled there by bus, train, van and air.  The largest group had 41 and the smallest was a group of two.

The bishops were specifically asked to assist in a Practice Peacemaking activity, to accompany a congregation in a Practice Justice service project, and to preach for their respective synod’s Practice Discipleship worship.  As the bishop’s stand-in, I was assigned to be a prayer partner, to accompany Freedom SAWC (Oregon, IL) for their day of service and to preach and preside for the Northern Illinois Synod’s worship.

It was great fun for me to share God’s Word and share Communion with our young people and their adult leaders.  A flooded ballroom at the Marriott forced us to move to a less ideal space one floor below, but we did just fine in the slightly cramped quarters.  The day before our synod worship, I was informed that a young woman had asked if it would be possible to be baptized.  Hakilah was baptized from water held in plastic ice cream cups I hastily purchased from the Walgreen’s across the street.  What incredible joy filled the room as I poured the water over her head! 

There are photos, videos, summaries, blogs and Facebook entries that tell the story of the Gathering.  I hope you will take a look at what’s out there.  Pay closest attention to materials provided by the youth.  If you had youth from your congregation attend the Gathering, ask them about the experience.  They will want to tell you.  Listen carefully and you will hear how the Holy Spirit moved them.  Allow these young people to teach you something about how to practice your faith.  They have spent the better part of a week practicing their faith in new and exciting ways.

If you, as a congregation member, participated in any fundraiser or helped youth from your congregation in any way to get to New Orleans, please receive the thanks of your youth and your synod.  An experience such as this is expensive in dollars but priceless in what it can do in a young life.

I am both physically and emotionally tired from this past week’s gathering in New Orleans.  My tiredness is nothing compared to that of the pastors and adult leaders who traveled with youth from their congregations.  Be sure to thank those who traveled from your congregation with your youth.  They are special folks.

Selfishly, I am so very glad that I was able to attend in Bishop Wollersheim’s place.  I am filled with gratitude for the experiences of the time we had together in New Orleans.

Comments?  Go to the blog site or comment on Facebook.  Find more Gathering info here.  --JC

citizens with the saints

The ELCA Youth Gathering will take place this week, Wednesday through Sunday.  In excess of 33,000 folks from across the ELCA will be in New Orleans for this event.  The vast majority, of course, are youth from our congregations.  Adding to their numbers are their adult leaders/chaperones, volunteers, and institutional representatives.  The theme for this year’s gathering is, “citizens with the saints.”  It is based upon this paraphrased passage from Ephesians:

Jesus is our peace. In his life and death on the cross, Jesus broke down the dividing walls so that we are no longer strangers and outsiders, but we are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God. The foundation of God’s house was built of apostles and prophets, and Jesus, the cornerstone, holds it all together.

The gathering website states that the “theme also blends the rich faith history, diverse cultures and arts of New Orleans with the communion of saints that is present whenever and wherever God’s people gather!”

I first accompanied a group to a national event in 1979 when The American Lutheran Church’s youth event was held in Kansas City.  I watched as our youth participated in the mass gatherings and were challenged by such speakers as the Rev. Jesse Jackson.   I shared the awe of our youth, who had never previously realized that there were thousands upon thousands of young Lutherans from across the country, some just like them and some very different from them. I witnessed lives being changed by Christ.

Youth ministry is a lot different today than it was 33 years.  But, in all these intervening years, I have believed and still believe that there is nothing better or more important that a congregation can do than to encourage its youth to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering.  Lives are changed.

These days, not only are the lives of our youth being changed, but the lives of those whom they serve are changed.  Can you imagine the impact on New Orleans as our youth are sent out for a day of service in the community?

A common concern regarding the youth gathering is the expense to participants and congregations.  I know it takes a lot, and I do mean a lot, of fundraising, congregational gifts and sacrifice on the part of families.  But, for what the youth receive in terms of transportation, accommodations, resources, facilities in the host city, not to mention the opportunities for which we cannot place a value such as faith building and service to the community, the experience is, in my opinion, worth every penny.

There are 600 youth and adults attending from the Northern Illinois Synod.  I will be among them.  Would you please remember all of us in your prayers this week?  If you have youth attending from your congregation, please pray for them by name.  They will be encountering Christ in new ways and they will come home to you changed.

Comments?  Please go to the blog website or comment on Facebook.  --JC

A Story from my Youth

During Christmas break at the end 1971, our church high school youth group attended a Lutheran Youth Congress at a hotel located just outside of Washington, D.C.  The weather was unusually warm that winter.  One of the enticements to attend was the promise of a rink for ice skating, but all we got was a slushy mess.  The temperature during those two days topped 70 degrees.

My brother and I were both in high school at the time.  He was a 14 year old freshman and I was a 16 year old junior.  We did our best to avoid each other, so he went his way and I went mine, but we both remember the event, or parts of it, very well.

First, I remember trying very hard to catch the attention of a certain girl in our group.  We were already friends and saw each other at church multiple times during the course of a week.  The problem was that it was always in the context of worship or youth group.  This event provided the opportunity for me to make my move.  What would it be?  How might I impress her?  I didn’t have a plan.

I also remember that the keynote speaker for the event was Nicky Cruz, who had been the subject of David Wilkerson’s 1962 book, The Cross and the Switchblade.  The story had been released as a movie with the same title in 1970, so it was fresh in our minds.  Pat Boone played the role of evangelist Wilkerson and Erik Estrada played Cruz.

Nicky Cruz told us his compelling story.  He had been a gang member in New York City.  His life was on a violent path.  He met up with Wilkerson, whose preaching of an unconditionally loving Jesus transformed Cruz’s life.

He told his story to a ballroom full of Lutheran teens who sat in silence with rapt attention.  His words were meant to tug at every emotional string of a hormonal teenager’s fabric.  Girls were in tears.  Boys appeared stoic while sniffing their noses.  I was sitting right next to the girl I hoped would be my first real girlfriend.  I passed her a Kleenex.  That was surely worth a point in my favor.

Then, before I could even see it coming, there was an awkward moment that presented a golden opportunity.  The altar call.

I couldn’t believe it.  An altar call for hundreds of us Lutheran kids.  I looked down the row of seats for my brother.  His horrified look matched my own.   Where was our pastor?  What were we supposed to do?  We had been well schooled in our Lutheran upbringing to know that no decision on our part was necessary.  The decision had been made by Christ when we were claimed as children of God in baptism.

I had a non-Lutheran high school friend who was fond of reminding me, as often as he could as a part of his Christian calling, that I would spend eternity in hell because I had never been saved.  I had never accepted Jesus.  He just didn’t buy that Jesus had already accepted me.

A few years later, the author of some devotional material provided a response that would have come in handy.  She said when someone asked her if she had accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior, she would respond by asking that person if she had accepted her mother.  Her point was that you cannot accept your mother.  She is simply your mother.  The same is true of Jesus.  Jesus is Lord and Savior.  Accept it or not.

Nicky Cruz called upon all of us who wanted to give our lives to Jesus to stand.  We were to take our time so we made a good decision.  Emotionally wrought young people across the room began to stand.  I didn’t.  Jesus and I were already in a good relationship.  But then, she stood.  She, whose affection and attention I sought, stood up.  What was I to do?  If I didn’t stand, she would think less of me no matter how I tried to explain.  If I did stand, well, in the end, what difference would it really make?  In a sense, I had recommitted myself to Christ at my confirmation.  I knew we renewed our relationship with Jesus every morning.  What would it hurt?  It was my golden opportunity to impress her and impress her mightily.  I stood.  We were asked to repeat a prayer that I don’t remember.  A great mumbling murmur swept the room.

My relationship with Jesus has continued now for a long time.  It began the day I was baptized and it continues to grow.  It is a personal faith lived out in the community of believers.  As for that youth event now so long ago, I sum it up this way.  I gave my life to Jesus, but I didn’t get the girl.

25th Anniversary

We are now just a couple of days away from the 25^th annual assembly of the Northern Illinois Synod!  In the past, I have likened the assembly to a family reunion.  This year it has felt like we have been planning a party.

Augustana College is our host.

I am looking forward to hearing from Lowell Almen, former secretary of the churchwide organization. He carries an unbelievable knowledge of the ELCA and its predecessor bodies.  We will be honored by the presence and preaching of our former presiding bishop, Herb Chilstrom.  We will be greeting and thanking former synod officers and former synod staff members.  I have a great appreciation for all of them.

In his report, Bishop Wollersheim will be sharing a video that will review the history of the synod.  We will be reminded of how far we’ve come and get a sense of where we’re headed.  We have an amazing story to tell.  It will be fun to see the story in images chosen from over 4,000 in the synod’s collection.  Each congregation will receive its own copy of the video and it will be available later online.

We will have two wonderful worship opportunities.  On Friday evening, four new pastors will be ordained.  On Saturday afternoon (at 1:30 p.m.) we will celebrate our anniversary.  Though we will not have a full memorial service, we will be remembering one synod pastor who died in the past year and members of our congregations who have died in prayer.

Members of Trinity, Moline helped pack bags

Of course, we will also be taking care of business such as adopting a budget and holding elections.  The agenda is very full!  A certain highlight will be the reception of a new congregation, Lord of Love, Galena.  If you’ve never been at an assembly when a new congregation is introduced, you are in for an inspiring moment.

When we leave Rock Island on Saturday afternoon, we will have taken a look back over 25 years.   But, more importantly, we will be sent into the future recommitted to the mission of Christ and the work of the church.  Looking back once in a while is a good exercise.   It tells us something about who we are.  Looking forward is exciting.  What is God calling us to do and be in the next 25 years?

Comments?  Go to the blog website or comment on Facebook.  --JC

Photography Club

My grandfather was an avid amateur photographer.  Slide shows were a regular post-dinner pastime for our family when we were at my grandparents’ home.  Grandpa would set up the screen and projector in their small living room and we would listen to the stories he attached to each photo.  He took thousands of photos through his life and he kept every single one.  He had pictures from every trip he and my grandma took.   He chronicled the lives of my brother and me.  He loved the technology as it improved.  I remember metal framed slides that were loaded one at a time into the projector.  The frames eventually changed to cardboard and he had an early carousel projector made by Kodak.

I come by my interest honestly.  I do not remember a time when I did not have a camera of my own.  As a kid, I enjoyed taking the pictures, saving my money to have the film developed at our Rexall Drug Store, and making albums that told my own stories.  I thought drop-in film cartridges and flash cubes were amazing advances! 

The last time I was a member of a photography club was during my junior year of high school.  Back then we learned the basics of dark room use and photo developing—skills which are not in heavy demand today!  By now, I’ve had three digital cameras, none of high quality, but good enough to have some fun.

A few weeks ago Pastor Jeff Schlesinger (St. Matthew, Princeton) has a passion for connecting faith and photography.  He convened a group of five of us from our synod to consider forming a new photography club.  This past Sunday evening, the first official meeting of the Northern Illinois Synod Photography Club met at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center.  About a dozen of us from as far away as Lockport and Galva gathered.

At the meeting we adopted a purpose statement.  “The Northern Illinois Synod Photography Club is a group of the baptized who love photography and gather to make their photography a part of their faith journey through mutual sharing, learning, and photographing.”

How many club meetings begin with devotions?  How often are you invited to see God through the lens of a camera?  I had a great time at the meeting.  I am in awe of the talents of some and their willingness to help those who are less skilled, like me.  I met some new folks and we are all anxious to welcome more.

John the Baptist at LOMC

For part of the meeting we went outside and took some pictures.  Here’s my effort.

Do you love photography?  Would you enjoy spending time with brothers and sisters from our synod?  You’re invited!  No skill level is required.  Our next meeting will be at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, July 15 at LOMC.  I volunteered to bring treats!

Comments?  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC 

Remembering

It was a Saturday early last month.   It occurred to me that it was my grandmother’s birthday.  Although her memorial service was held the day before my ordination (29 years ago), I have always recalled her birthday.  I called my brother and I asked him if he knew what day it was.  After a couple of incorrect guesses, I told him the significance of the day.  “Grandma was born 110 years ago today.”  “I had forgotten,” he said.

It was not surprising that he didn’t remember.  It seems that every family has one member that knows the family history and has memorized all of the important dates.  My brother is not the keeper of dates in our family.

Grandma’s birthday did make me stop and think a bit.  In truth, it made me think a lot.  Could it be that I was the only one who had remembered her birthday?  Who else would know?  There are precious few people who would remember her at all.  Of course, my brother and I still have lots of stories to make us laugh and many loving memories.

We were especially close to Grandma because she lived with us throughout our childhood until we were grown and gone from home.  She was just about the only babysitter we ever had.  Even so, we cannot tell you many stories of her life in “the old country.”  We cannot tell you of her life with our grandfather.  We just don’t know those stories.

The number of stories diminishes with each succeeding generation.  I shared this picture with my son and he recognized it as a picture of me taken on my baptismal day, but he didn’t know which of my grandmothers was holding me.  Part of this story may already be lost.

Last Sunday in worship, I preached on the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, which is found in Acts.  Following the service, a visitor complimented me on my sermon and said, “I’ve never heard that story before.”  Fortunately, we as a Christian family have a written history, so we are not in danger of losing the stories, no matter how many generations pass.  But, the stories of our own lives of faith are not recorded.  We need to tell those stories ourselves.

As a Christian community, we have family stories to tell.  We tell them so that our children and our children’s children will know the love of God and how that love compels us to live.

We are called to remember each time we are invited to the Lord’s table.  “Do this for the remembrance of me.”  Lord, let us never forget.

Comments?  Go to the blog website or comment on Facebook.  --JC

SAWC Update

The other day I was asked about how our Synodically Authorized Worshiping Communities (SAWCs) are doing.  I am happy to report that they are doing well!  Pastor Kurt Nordby, our Director of Evangelical Mission, has been working closely with each SAWC and believes their potential for continued growth and community impact is great.

When I first wrote about our SAWCs (July 2010), we had four active worshiping communities.  Much has happened in their lives since then.

Together in Christ, Johnsburg had a short life and merged back into Joyful Harvest when it returned to the ELCA.  Its servant leader, Doug Liston, has served Joyful Harvest during his internship and while completing his seminary studies at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  We anticipate celebrating his ordination at this year’s synod assembly.

Lord of Love, Galena outgrew its original space and now meets at the Ramada Inn.  Dennis Hill serves as its servant leader.  Hill, a former Baptist pastor, will also likely be ordained at this year’s synod assembly.  He is quick to remind everyone, “At Lord of Love, when we say, ‘All are welcome,’ we mean it.”  Lord of Love will be received as a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at the synod assembly in June.  This will no doubt be a highlight of this 25^th anniversary assembly.

Open Arms' young musicians lead worship

Freedom, Oregon continues to meet at Lutheran Outdoors Ministries Center.  Worship has moved from Freedom Tree Village to the dining hall for the additional space that is needed.  Pastor Frank Lay continues to serve Freedom.

Servant Leader Elizabeth Martin

Open Arms, Rockton has a new space to call home.  It is a storefront in the business district, providing worship, fellowship, meeting and office space.  This replaces a school for Sunday worship and private homes for everything else.  Open Arms’ servant leader is Elizabeth Martin.  Elizabeth is an associate in ministry and is currently studying in the M.Div. program at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Each of our SAWCs is serving as the ELCA presence in their respective communities and bringing the good news of our resurrected Lord.  Other synods have looked to the Northern Illinois Synod for advice on how to utilize the SAWC concept since we have used it in a way for which it was not originally conceived.  Our SAWCs were first places of healing and solace and are now communities of faith, outreach and service.

Comments?  Go to the blog website or comment on Facebook.   –JC

Links:  Joyful Harvest Lutheran Church; Lord of Love, Open Arms.

Love One Another

The synod’s finance committee recently met to work on the 2013 budget, which must be presented to the Synod Assembly in June.  Bishop Wollersheim led devotions to open the meeting and included a prayer of Bishop Oscar Romero.  At the time of his death, Romero was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Salvador.  We were meeting on the 32^nd anniversary of Romero’s death, March 24, which made Bishop Wollersheim’s thoughts and Romero’s prayer all the more significant.

Romero was murdered at the altar while celebrating the Eucharist in 1980.  He had been fighting for the freedom of the Church in El Salvador and the rights of the poor.  I was in seminary at the time and recall him becoming the topic of conversation.  Liberation theology was a hot topic too.

In my early years of parish ministry, Oscar Romero was quoted often in sermons.  But, until our recent finance committee meeting, it had been quite a while since I had given him much serious thought.  I came home and did a little reading and added “Romero” to our DVD queue.

It was so interesting to watch “Romero” during this Holy Week.  This week we hear Jesus command us to love one another.  We participate in foot washing that symbolizes servanthood.  We hear Jesus’ dying words. We pray for the church throughout the world, Christians in other churches, the Jewish people, those who don’t share our faith, and those who do not believe in God.  We reverence the cross.  The film depicted the life of a servant of God, an imperfect human being, who was assassinated for loving others.

Consider Romero’s words:  We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for peaceful work.  (From The Violence of Love by Oscar Romero, which I found as a free download.)

In this week, when we focus our attention on Jesus and the incomprehensible sacrifice he made for us, it is good to be reminded of the sacrifice others, such as Oscar Romero, have made in Jesus’ name.  May God use us to change the world in the name of our Savior.

On behalf of Bishop Gary Wollersheim and your synod staff, I wish you a blessed Easter.

Comments are always welcome either on the blog website (http://niselca.blogspot.com) or on Facebook.  --JC

A Missed Opportunity?

A robocall from the police department was meant to inform us of something we already knew.  There had been an increased number of home burglaries in our neighborhood.  Just a few days prior to the call, my wife had been awakened early in the morning by a police officer at our door.  She was asked if we had seen or heard anything suspicious since the last evening.  Our next door neighbor’s house had been broken into and some items of value had been taken.

Everyone in our general area was subsequently invited to a neighborhood watch meeting.  The meeting was conducted by three police officers. They laid out the facts and encouraged neighbors to watch out for each other.  They also distributed information on how to organize a neighborhood watch group.

I noted with some interest that most of those who attended were older than I.  There are a lot of condos in the area which appear to be owned by seniors.  In the pre-meeting chit-chat, I overheard some words of fear but there were more expressions of anger and disgust.

There were two occasions during the meeting which drew applause.  The second was at the conclusion of the meeting when the assembled group offered their gratitude with polite applause.  The first occurred in response to the answer to a question by an older gentleman.  “Is it OK to shoot someone if he breaks into my house?”  The officer said, “You have the right to protect yourself.”  The audience response was rousing and animated.

I have struggled to find a word to describe my personal reaction.  More than anything I think I was just instantly and overwhelmingly sad.  Cheering the opportunity to shoot someone just does not seem right to me.  My sadness was compounded by the fact that it had already been several days since Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman had become household names.

The following Sunday I went to church.  I bristle when people accuse the church of being irrelevant.  But, on this Sunday morning, for the first time, I, as one who has been a church “insider” for most of his life, left worship feeling that the church, or more specifically this particular congregation, was irrelevant to the mission given to us by Jesus Christ.

Please try to understand me.  Yes, I had the opportunity to worship and offer praise.  Yes, I had received the body and blood of Christ.  What I missed was a sermon that somehow touched the realities of my life.  What I missed were prayers of the people that went beyond the congregation.  We prayed for the sick of the congregation, but we did not pray for our neighbors.  We did not pray for those whose lives have been ruined by violence.  We did not pray for those who live in fear.  We did not pray for those who have no way out of poverty.  We did not pray for communities that suffer the divisions of racial strife and injustice.  We did not pray for my neighbors who cheer the thought of creating their own justice with a gun.

Perhaps it was just a missed opportunity.  My fear is that my experience reflects a congregation without a mission.  Not once was the assembly asked or challenged to go out and do something.  There was no invitation to engage in meaningful ministry.

I will admit that my reactions were predictable.  I abhor violence.  I grew up in a city that was nearly destroyed by its racial division.  I live in a city plagued by poverty and lack of opportunity.  I love the church and think that we would actually have to work at making it irrelevant.  (How could our proclamation of Christ ever be irrelevant?)  However, we need to do better.  We need to be better.  I believe that we are to be about the business of peace and unity.  I believe that congregations are called to make a positive impact in their neighborhoods and in the world.  I believe that to ignore the issues that confront us and our neighbor is to ignore what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

I am sad, but I am not hopeless.

“For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” Ephesians 2:14.

Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC

Street Preachers

If there are any street preachers in downtown Rockford, I haven’t seen or heard them.  On a recent vacation trip to San Antonio, Texas, however, street preachers were in good supply.

I heard some yelling from the street below our hotel window.  Across the street, six floors below, there was a preacher shouting his message to the crowd gathered at the bus stop.  He was well dressed, matching the afternoon business crowd.  Interestingly enough, he returned late that night dressed in sweats.  He would get right up into a person’s face, but only reduced the decibel level if the person in front of him engaged in conversation.

A second preacher was stationed on a bridge over the San Antonio River, but he seemed a bit less committed to the task.  He would stop shouting, sit down and take in the scenery when no one else was around.

I found a third street preacher to be the most intriguing.  He was in the same place day after day on the plaza in front of the Alamo.  Using a short wall for his pulpit, he preached to the crowds that neither stopped nor listened.  In front of him he had an assortment of tracts.  I saw no one either take one or engage him in conversation.  Occasionally he would stop long enough to take a swig of water from a plastic bottle.

I do not doubt the sincerity of this man.  He preached as one who believed what he was saying.  Jesus had rescued him from a misguided past.  His passion was for others to know the fear of God, be rescued from the devil and the fires of hell, and know the joy of salvation.

I am guessing that this man is motivated to go out to that plaza every day because he believes that God has called him to do so.  I don’t think he will ever be discouraged by the fact that no one is listening to him because he is doing what God has asked him to do.

If only his energy and passion could be directed into a more effective means of communication.  I found him to be annoying.  My moments of rest along that wall would have been more restful had he not been shouting in my ears.  The Word of God drove me away from that spot.  I cannot imagine that his message is doing much good for the kingdom of God.

It does make me wonder if I have ever preached a sermon that someone would have walked away from if it were more socially acceptable.  Have I preached any sermons that did not in some small way build up the body of Christ?  Has my mode or style of communication ever been totally ineffective?

Effective preaching has never been more difficult in the life of the church.  I cannot think of any other time in our daily routine when we are expected to passively sit and listen to what one person has to say.  Life is interactive everywhere.  Preaching styles may be changing. I am not sure of how we will be communicating the Gospel in another generation.  But, for now, I am encouraging pastors to take great care in their preaching.  Give the task enough time and effort to do it just as well as you can on a consistent basis.  I am also encouraging parishioners to give pastors constructive feedback on sermons.  The body of Christ will be stronger for it.

Comments are welcome.  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC