The Upload
Posted on May 16, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed week.
In early April, as most of us in the church were frantically preparing for Easter, 32 of the 65 synodical bishops in the ELCA descended on Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional leaders.
The reason for these meetings was for our bishops to advocate to our congressional leaders for such issues as comprehensive federal immigration reform, the Millennium Development Goals of aid on behalf of child and maternal health, an increase in the federal minimum wage as part of an overall strategy to address U.S. poverty, and justice and peace in Palestine and Israel through the Peace Not Walls campaign.
Recently, I read an article in which the author was chastising our bishops for going to Washington, D.C. and “getting involved in political issues.” The author of the article claimed that the church’s job is to “save souls,” not to get involved in politics. Now, in some ways, this claim is true. The church is not called to be political, but our bishops were not in Washington, D.C. for political means. They went to Washington, D.C. to speak out for justice. Contrary to this author’s views, the church is not in the business of “savings souls.” Only God can save our souls, and we can do nothing to change that. This was Luther’s “ah-ha” moment, when he read in the book of Romans that salvation is God’s free gift given to us in the death of Christ and cannot be earned or purchased (Romans 1:16-17). God has already saved our souls, and so our job is to help create a just world for all. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus accepted this as his mission. We can read this in Chapter 4:16-19. According to this story in Luke, it is the job of the church to bring good news to the poor, to help release those who are captive, and find ways to set the oppressed free. This isn’t about politics; it is about justice, God’s justice.
In his day, Martin Luther reasoned that God looks after the world in two distinct ways: By providing the church to proclaim the gospel and government to regulate basic social order, and Lutherans have been active in supporting the positive role of government ever since. Our Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, recently said, “We as Lutherans take very seriously God’s call to serve the widow, the orphan and the sojourner.”
As a pastor in the ELCA, I am proud that our leadership is active in speaking out for the real issues of our day. Poverty is a terrible thing, and yes, Jesus said we will always have the poor, but when he said that he did not mean we should not help the poor and all in need. As the Presiding Bishop of the largest Lutheran denomination in the World, Bishop Eaton continues to champion what she calls the “four emphases” for the ELCA: “We are church first (not a social service agency); we are Lutheran (we have a distinctive voice); we are church together (congregations, synods, churchwide office); we are church for the sake of the world.” “It’s not just about us,” she recently told the bishops. “We have not been redeemed just so we can sit at home and think wonderful, lovely thoughts about Jesus. From worship we are sent out into the world to introduce people to Jesus and to serve the world God so loves.” Hence, the trips to the Capitol.
I give thanks this day for our bishops. I pray that, as a congregation, we will continue to seek justice in everything we do.
Have a blessed week!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave