The following sermon was preached in chapel on Tuesday, August 25th by Courtney Wilder
Good morning!
Our text today, from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, is a stirring and dramatic section of his letter, full of advice to followers of Jesus about how to stand firm against evil. The whole armor of God: that is a magnificent image of protection and unity. He reassures his congregation, and then asks for their prayers as he goes about his work, boldly proclaiming the gospel.
I want to put this part of Paul’s letter in conversation with another of his letters, this one written to the Galatians. He writes in Chapter 3:26-28, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” I love this passage, and I think I quote it in about half of my sermons.
Earlier this month I attended a conference of Lutheran teaching theologians. We spent three days talking and thinking about Paul, and it was so useful and illuminating for me to get a chance to listen to and ask questions of the many New Testament scholars who were present. One of the nuances about Paul that I hadn’t fully appreciated until then is how hard he worked to eliminate divisions between people in the early Christian community. He argued that you don’t have to be born into Judaism to follow Christ. You don’t have to be a Gentile. You don’t have to keep kosher, or follow the ritual practices of Judaism. You don’t have to be circumcised. You don’t have to be rich, or educated, or free. We’re not all the same, but each of us is beloved by Christ.
If you’ve had very many classes with me, or if you’ve paid attention to the work of the recent ELCA churchwide assembly, you might see where I’m headed here. If not, stick with me for a minute.
If you were raised in the ELCA, and you’re deeply interested in church governance, or if you or your parents or pastor feel strongly about whether openly gay and lesbian people with partners ought to be ordained, you probably listened carefully and eagerly for news of the latest ELCA gathering. I know I did. If you weren’t raised in the ELCA, or don’t pay a whole lot of attention to this issue, or if you have been busy starting college this last week, you might not be up to date on this conversation.
It has been a controversial issue for years now, and has recently come to a head. Some folks feel strongly that if an ELCA pastor is gay or lesbian, he or she must agree to be celibate, just as unmarried straight pastors are required to be celibate. Some folks feel as though this denies gay and lesbian clergy the opportunity to have families, and refuses to recognize committed, monogamous relationships between people who typically aren’t allowed to marry. At the heart of this discussion, of course, is the larger question of how the ELCA sees gay and lesbian people – as less than their heterosexual brothers and sisters, as unrepentant sinners, as disobedient to God, or as full and equal members of the body of Christ.
This week, the ELCA has voted, as a church body, to ordain gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships. What does this mean for us, as a church? Let’s look back to our text for today for a moment. Paul tells the Ephesians, and through them he tells us, “Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.” He tells us to be strong in our struggle, to arm ourselves with the truth and to know that God will protect us.
This might not be a popular decision in some parts of the church. I am confident there will be schisms. I don’t take any joy in the anger or disappointment of those who opposed this change, and I am praying daily for peace and wholeness in our denomination. I am so glad that there are provisions in this recent decision for each person’s conscience to be respected and honored.
The refrain I have heard, and expect to hear in weeks to come, is this: But the Bible says it’s wrong to be gay! I appreciate people’s strong desire to read and follow the word of God; I don’t take that task lightly.
My response to this concern is twofold: one, whatever else the Bible says about homosexuality, and I’m not at all convinced we can always tell, the Bible does not say that faithful and committed lifelong relationships between people of the same sex are sinful. The Bible does not address this situation at all. It’s possible this wasn’t a social reality when the Bible was written; what we do see in the text are somewhat vague references to specific sexual acts, including abuses of other people, and not condemnations of relationships, or of what we as 21st Century folks call gay and lesbian people.
Two, and I mean this seriously even though it sounds flip: the Bible says a lot of things. In his letter to Philemon, the Apostle Paul argues in favor of slavery, which Christians in this country used for generations as justification for owning other human beings. Now we are rightly horrified by the idea of slavery, and by Christians who defended it with the Bible.
The letter of I Timothy, written by a follower of Paul, reads in Chapter 2: “… women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 10but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. 11Let a woman* learn in silence with full submission. 12I permit no woman* to teach or to have authority over a man;* she is to keep silent.” Although some denominations interpret this passage very strictly, most mainline Christian churches, even those that do not ordain women, do not think that women should be prohibited from speaking in church or from teaching. I presume that most of us in this room at this moment agree.
What does this mean for us? It means that the Holy Spirit is still working. Revelation is still happening. Our understanding of God’s will for us as Christian people is still growing and changing. We are asking new questions, about new situations, and God’s word is still relevant for us today. Today, we’re asking: what does marriage mean? What does love mean? How does God want us to treat other human beings, other Christians, other members of our church, our community, our school?
I am so proud to be part of a church that says, gay and lesbian people are full members of the church of Christ. They are not less than. Their partnerships are gifts from God, just as the partnerships of straight people are. You don’t have to be straight to be called by God to ordained ministry. This is a church that has spoken up for justice, that has proclaimed boldly, after the example set by the Apostle Paul, that all are welcome, all are equal, all are beloved by God. As my pastor said from her pulpit last Sunday, “Halleluiah.” This is the belt of truth that we are fastening about our waists; this is the church that we will proclaim boldly.
Paul’s words from the end of our text for today give us our next instructions. He writes, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,* 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.”
Amen.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A look back at my week in Minnesota at the ELCA Churchwide Convention
Jon Fredricks, Director of Annual Giving at Midland Lutheran College, offers the following reflection on the recent ELCA Churchwide Assembly and his participation in it.
About a year and a half ago, I was elected to serve as a voting member for the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. From our 65 ELCA Synods in the United States, 1045 people were called to do the same. As one of the 26 from our Nebraska Synod, I was both honored and humbled by this opportunity and the immense responsibility it carried.
The discussion and debate on the social statement on sexuality, and the ministry policies was obviously the most challenging of the week. As you probably know, the discussions and recommendations have been going for many many years, and became more specific when the task force for human sexuality was called together by the Bishop seven years ago.
My congregation in Omaha, St. Michael Lutheran Church, will take pause to reflect and discuss on how the changes impact the ELCA. I do not think for a moment that we will leave the ELCA, and those who feel strongly in their convictions against these new policies I hope and pray will do the same. Dividing our church, or leaving our church at this time, no matter how strongly one feels these decisions to be taking our church the wrong way--or how convinced we may be that these policies uphold sin as we know it to be, I feel is not the right choice.
Here's how I see it, after being engaged fully and faithfully leading up to the Churchwide Assembly, and after hearing the stories and convictions of all who were a part of our discussions last week:
There are so many and varied people in God's world. We are called love everyone, as God loves us. Scripture is the word of God, as interpreted by man. And scripture can guide us in making our decisions. But if you read scripture only in making these types of decisions, women would not be allowed to preach, and slavery would also still be allowed. We all need to be cautious when quoting scripture.
I cannot determine what is sin or sinful. I have my own ideas on this, but only God can be the true and final judge. I'll leave that up to God. I can continue to love my neighbor, and serve my church. You may have heard the term "bound conscience" tossed around a lot and used in helping to define how we can "agree to disagree" within our church on these matters before us. What this means is that we are all bound by our conscience to what we believe is right and true in the eyes of God. We can still be the church, together, even though we may disagree on some matters.
The changes made, I feel, offer positive change for those individuals and congregations who need and desire leadership and have a calling to serve gay/lesbian individuals who struggle with the societal taboo of homosexuality. It also offers little or no change for congregations or individuals who do not feel the changes are in their best interest. My guess is that it will have little or no effect on the congregation I grew up in, Immanuel Lutheran in Glenvil, a small congregation in south-central Nebraska. No church will be forced to call a pastor who they feel does not fit in line with their own congregations, or even include a pastor in their call process for review of the calling committee. Other churches and individuals within their congregations will be blessed by the changes to ministry policies regarding the ordination of gay and lesbians who are in committed, monogamous same gender relationships.
Bishop Hansen realizes the pain and challenges these changes will have on many within our church. Here are his words:
"Take time with your decision. Step back and understand the magnitude of the decision if you choose to leave, because we will be diminished by your absence." The Good News of Jesus Christ is "too good to squander with internal conflicts that will drain our energies when our capacity to bring the Good News to the world so that all might know Jesus."
I would offer that you and others among you who feel let down by your church to do the same.
The week included many other wonderful and spirited conversations and policy implementations, including the ecumenical partnership with the United Methodist Church. All in all, I feel affirmed in my faith and in my church after being a part of the Churchwide Assembly.
About a year and a half ago, I was elected to serve as a voting member for the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. From our 65 ELCA Synods in the United States, 1045 people were called to do the same. As one of the 26 from our Nebraska Synod, I was both honored and humbled by this opportunity and the immense responsibility it carried.
The discussion and debate on the social statement on sexuality, and the ministry policies was obviously the most challenging of the week. As you probably know, the discussions and recommendations have been going for many many years, and became more specific when the task force for human sexuality was called together by the Bishop seven years ago.
My congregation in Omaha, St. Michael Lutheran Church, will take pause to reflect and discuss on how the changes impact the ELCA. I do not think for a moment that we will leave the ELCA, and those who feel strongly in their convictions against these new policies I hope and pray will do the same. Dividing our church, or leaving our church at this time, no matter how strongly one feels these decisions to be taking our church the wrong way--or how convinced we may be that these policies uphold sin as we know it to be, I feel is not the right choice.
Here's how I see it, after being engaged fully and faithfully leading up to the Churchwide Assembly, and after hearing the stories and convictions of all who were a part of our discussions last week:
There are so many and varied people in God's world. We are called love everyone, as God loves us. Scripture is the word of God, as interpreted by man. And scripture can guide us in making our decisions. But if you read scripture only in making these types of decisions, women would not be allowed to preach, and slavery would also still be allowed. We all need to be cautious when quoting scripture.
I cannot determine what is sin or sinful. I have my own ideas on this, but only God can be the true and final judge. I'll leave that up to God. I can continue to love my neighbor, and serve my church. You may have heard the term "bound conscience" tossed around a lot and used in helping to define how we can "agree to disagree" within our church on these matters before us. What this means is that we are all bound by our conscience to what we believe is right and true in the eyes of God. We can still be the church, together, even though we may disagree on some matters.
The changes made, I feel, offer positive change for those individuals and congregations who need and desire leadership and have a calling to serve gay/lesbian individuals who struggle with the societal taboo of homosexuality. It also offers little or no change for congregations or individuals who do not feel the changes are in their best interest. My guess is that it will have little or no effect on the congregation I grew up in, Immanuel Lutheran in Glenvil, a small congregation in south-central Nebraska. No church will be forced to call a pastor who they feel does not fit in line with their own congregations, or even include a pastor in their call process for review of the calling committee. Other churches and individuals within their congregations will be blessed by the changes to ministry policies regarding the ordination of gay and lesbians who are in committed, monogamous same gender relationships.
Bishop Hansen realizes the pain and challenges these changes will have on many within our church. Here are his words:
"Take time with your decision. Step back and understand the magnitude of the decision if you choose to leave, because we will be diminished by your absence." The Good News of Jesus Christ is "too good to squander with internal conflicts that will drain our energies when our capacity to bring the Good News to the world so that all might know Jesus."
I would offer that you and others among you who feel let down by your church to do the same.
The week included many other wonderful and spirited conversations and policy implementations, including the ecumenical partnership with the United Methodist Church. All in all, I feel affirmed in my faith and in my church after being a part of the Churchwide Assembly.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Convocation of ELCA Teaching Theologians
The second week in August, I attended the Convocation of Lutheran Teaching Theologians, held this year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. I didn’t know until I was there that this meeting is required, and funding for it is required, in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) bylaws. The people in attendance were for the most part college, university, and seminary professors, along with some folks who work at ELCA Churchwide Office outside of Chicago.
I knew perhaps a third of the fifty-some attendees – people I’d met at other conferences, or people I knew from graduate school or church. A number were people who had taken time to nurture me as a graduate student, whether academically or as members of my congregation; several turned out to have connections to Midland or to my alma mater, the University of Chicago. It was good to catch up with old friends and to make new friends from schools across the country. A wide range of scholarly interests were represented – people who study Old Testament, New Testament, ancient languages and cultures, systematic theology, ethics, homiletics, and worship. There was also a wide range of perspectives on various issues currently under discussion by the ELCA, including whether the church ought to ordain gay and lesbian pastors in relationships, and what the ELCA’s position on Israel ought to be.
Worship, held in one of St. Olaf’s worship spaces, was joyful and rich with music and liturgy. I have rarely heard a sermon that made me laugh so much (the opening lines of one season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer put into conversation with the institution of the Eucharist: now that’s a sermon!) or seen a whole conference of people head to worship as happily as they go to breakfast or out to socialize.
The conference itself was on the Apostle Paul, not my central area of study, and it was helpful for me to engage with other academics on issues I’d only begun to think through. For instance, Paul’s letters are occasional, meaning that they address specific occasions and specific people; sometimes Paul’s understanding of a particular issue or his theology seems to shift from letter to letter. What might this mean for us as modern Christians? Paul is vigorous in defending the right of every person to be Christian, regardless of gender or class or previous religious background; many participants argued that we ought as theologians and teachers and members of the Christian community to model ourselves after Paul in this respect. All are welcome; the membership of the body of Christ is diverse and varied. Other participants reminded the gathering that Paul also drew strong lines between the church and the Roman Empire and argued that we ought to opposed the immoral use of power, that we should recognize ourselves as citizens of a different kingdom altogether. The environmental applications of Paul’s theology came up often in terms of stewardship for the earth and care for others, especially the poor living in countries currently suffering from drought and political unrest.
Despite the sometimes vigorous opposition among members on various issues, and the awareness of the upcoming ELCA Synod Assembly where any number of difficult and serious topics will be raised, the gathered group maintained good humor and mutual respect. People discussed their victories and difficulties with teaching, acknowledged their own weaknesses, confessed to their own ignorance of the topic at hand when necessary, and shared books and ideas and resources with each other joyfully. It was a good conference, both for its content and for the collegiality. I was struck a number of times by the dedication of the assembled teachers and by the very existences of this gathering: this is a church which specifies in its founding documents that its teaching theologians must gather regularly to work and talk and share ideas and form partnerships. This is a church that cares deeply about its colleges and seminaries, its faculty, and its students. And these teaching theologians and church staff care about each other; participants discussed teaching strategies with each other, joyfully congratulated a new father and a newly married professor, soberly reflected on the financial situation of many of the church’s colleges, and encouraged each other to keep the faith.
These are difficult days for many of us, and as a denomination the ELCA is taking up discussion of important and serious issues. In the midst of financial anxiety and changing social norms, we are a strong church, and we are taking the long view. We love our young people, we support our scholars and our schools, and we pray for the church and for the world.
Courtney Wilder
I knew perhaps a third of the fifty-some attendees – people I’d met at other conferences, or people I knew from graduate school or church. A number were people who had taken time to nurture me as a graduate student, whether academically or as members of my congregation; several turned out to have connections to Midland or to my alma mater, the University of Chicago. It was good to catch up with old friends and to make new friends from schools across the country. A wide range of scholarly interests were represented – people who study Old Testament, New Testament, ancient languages and cultures, systematic theology, ethics, homiletics, and worship. There was also a wide range of perspectives on various issues currently under discussion by the ELCA, including whether the church ought to ordain gay and lesbian pastors in relationships, and what the ELCA’s position on Israel ought to be.
Worship, held in one of St. Olaf’s worship spaces, was joyful and rich with music and liturgy. I have rarely heard a sermon that made me laugh so much (the opening lines of one season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer put into conversation with the institution of the Eucharist: now that’s a sermon!) or seen a whole conference of people head to worship as happily as they go to breakfast or out to socialize.
The conference itself was on the Apostle Paul, not my central area of study, and it was helpful for me to engage with other academics on issues I’d only begun to think through. For instance, Paul’s letters are occasional, meaning that they address specific occasions and specific people; sometimes Paul’s understanding of a particular issue or his theology seems to shift from letter to letter. What might this mean for us as modern Christians? Paul is vigorous in defending the right of every person to be Christian, regardless of gender or class or previous religious background; many participants argued that we ought as theologians and teachers and members of the Christian community to model ourselves after Paul in this respect. All are welcome; the membership of the body of Christ is diverse and varied. Other participants reminded the gathering that Paul also drew strong lines between the church and the Roman Empire and argued that we ought to opposed the immoral use of power, that we should recognize ourselves as citizens of a different kingdom altogether. The environmental applications of Paul’s theology came up often in terms of stewardship for the earth and care for others, especially the poor living in countries currently suffering from drought and political unrest.
Despite the sometimes vigorous opposition among members on various issues, and the awareness of the upcoming ELCA Synod Assembly where any number of difficult and serious topics will be raised, the gathered group maintained good humor and mutual respect. People discussed their victories and difficulties with teaching, acknowledged their own weaknesses, confessed to their own ignorance of the topic at hand when necessary, and shared books and ideas and resources with each other joyfully. It was a good conference, both for its content and for the collegiality. I was struck a number of times by the dedication of the assembled teachers and by the very existences of this gathering: this is a church which specifies in its founding documents that its teaching theologians must gather regularly to work and talk and share ideas and form partnerships. This is a church that cares deeply about its colleges and seminaries, its faculty, and its students. And these teaching theologians and church staff care about each other; participants discussed teaching strategies with each other, joyfully congratulated a new father and a newly married professor, soberly reflected on the financial situation of many of the church’s colleges, and encouraged each other to keep the faith.
These are difficult days for many of us, and as a denomination the ELCA is taking up discussion of important and serious issues. In the midst of financial anxiety and changing social norms, we are a strong church, and we are taking the long view. We love our young people, we support our scholars and our schools, and we pray for the church and for the world.
Courtney Wilder
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
