Fill… Spill… Thrill…

Bishop Dave deFreese
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

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Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ!

Scholars have counted 365 times that God says to His people in the Bible: “Do not be afraid.” I think that is a fascinating number, which is most appropriate for the living of our days and years.

I believe “Do not be afraid” is Christ’s Word to His very own Body. As we enter into a new time, decisions made at the recent Churchwide Assembly have caused many to fear … that the church has gone “soft on sin,” that the Bible is not being honored, or that moral teaching has been lost. There are others who believe that the church has recognized Jesus’ calling to live in love, that Christ’s desire for justice for His people has been advanced, and that the Bible’s teaching of commitment and covenant has been enacted. Many others find themselves somewhere between these two responses. Wherever you find yourself on this scale, I would invite you to see once again the wonder of Christ’s power to hold people together even when they disagree.

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Churchwide Assembly 2009 will be remembered for dealing with tough issues and stormy weather.

In all, there were 1,045 voting members registered at the Churchwide Assembly. The members tackled the difficult subject of human sexuality as they voted 676-338 to adopt a Social Statement on Human Sexuality. Later in the week, they voted to adopt four task force recommendations regarding ordination of individuals involved in same-gender, publicly accountable, monogamous relationships.

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Bishop Dave deFreese
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:1-8)

Having returned from the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, my heart is filled with gratitude! Thankful to be a part of an event that was saturated with purpose and hope. Thirty-seven thousand youth and adult sponsors attended the five-day event which focused on our Christ, on our response to His gracious love, and on service. Eleven hundred seventy-three youth and their sponsors, plus about 30 other volunteers and workers came from Nebraska. The days were full, from early morning worship and launching to work sites, to Superdome events and devotions at the end of the day. Crowds were everywhere and good spirits were expressed as people waited in lines and enjoyed conversations.

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