Pastor Dan - October 2018

 On September 8, 2018, the Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer was installed as the sixth bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is the first female bishop of Region 2 of the ELCA. Region 2 comprises California, Hawaii, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and a portion of Texas. And, as being the first female, the speakers and the theme of the service carried with it a sense of the Lord is doing something new in our synod and region.

Newness. What a great subject to consider as we enter into the month of October. Near the end of this month, we celebrate the Reformation. Reformation Sunday is October 28th and I remind you that one of the Lutheran traditions is to wear red on that Sunday. Indeed, the Reformation infused the Church with a sense of newness which was necessary for the church to experience. For many in the Western Church, fear seemed to dominate the lives of the masses and grace seemed to come at a cost.

The speaking of newness a the installation of the bishop is not something new. Many within the Church have heard many lips speak the necessity of an infusion of newness within the Christian Body, especially in particular nations and continents. We are ever mindful in the month of October and the Reformation that newness does not come without consequence. Martin Luther had a price on his head and was wanted dead or alive, preferably dead. The newness Luther proposed wasn’t so much new as it was essential: justified by grace through faith. This wasn’t and isn’t new. It is truth.

I tend to agree with many voices which call for newness. I also pray that some things never change. I pray in all the calls and attempts to bring an infusion of newness, the cross of Christ remains not just the center of our congregations, but more importantly remains center in our lives, in our living and in our discipleship. To be centered in the cross is to be centered in the life-giving sacrificial love of the Almighty. To be centered in the cross is to be willing to care and show true hospitality to our neighbor with a desire to build them up rather than tear them down. To be centered in the cross is to be willing to speak a word of forgiveness. To be centered in the cross is to be willing to deny ourselves and follow the Lord.

In all honesty, there are times I seek glory rather than cross and too often it is more about my well-being than the neighbor sitting next to me. I can all too easily relate to St. Paul when he states in 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost.” (NRSV) This holds true for all disciples in our Risen Lord. This is our cross to bear. This is not to stir fear, but to recognize that at the same time, we bear this cross knowing the mercy and grace of God will prevail. There is nothing in his world which can keep the love of God in Christ Jesus, revealed in the cross, from holding us and continually shaping the hearts, the minds and the souls of faith disciples and faithful congregations. This is most certainly true. Thanks be to God.

In Christ’s love and service,

Pastor Dan