Sat
Aug 22
2009
Bishop Dave deFreese
Nebraska Synod, ELCA
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.
To be raw in my honesty, this struggle to understand homosexuality has been exhausting and heart wrenching for me. I have listened to both sides of this argument with honesty and depth. I believe people who land at any place in this debate are genuine in their commitment to Christ, their desire to follow Biblical teachings, and their hope for deep moral fiber for our society. I have not gained clarity as to God’s will. I have been offended by the self-righteousness of some, the anger of others, and the shallowness of many who have not seen the depth of this difficult challenge.
Time and time again, I have returned to the scriptures to understand anew what God’s calling is. One passage has continued to feed me, and that is Jesus’ meeting the woman at the well as described in John 4:1-42. I marvel at Jesus’ ability to overcome the taboos of society in order to recognize the human being that others have cast out. I am renewed in my understanding of His tenderness in caring for her and also His calling her to be a follower of Him. He graces her without judgment and that transforms her life.
Regardless of the decision of the Assembly, I believe with my whole heart that God is still God, that Christ is still Lord, and that our Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has been called by the Holy Spirit through the gospel to serve in a world of need.
The Biblical narrative is insightful for our response. Very early in the church, Peter and Paul clashed on the issue of what Jewish practices a person must adopt in order to be a Christian. They both had Scripture and tradition behind them. Eventually, they agreed to disagree, and to be respectful of each other, deferring to the other’s conscience as much as possible and not demanding one’s own “rights.”
In recent history, we forgot that virtue. Many church bodies solved disputes by leaving each other and forming smaller and smaller churches in which agreement was the goal. Can we rediscover the example of Peter and Paul and recognize that disunity may be a greater sin than whatever we disagree about?
What is our choice? To be a church in which everyone agrees? Such a church would forever be shrinking and the Cross and forgiveness would seem unessential. Or, rather, can we be a church that God teaches to serve together even when we do not always agree.
I am uncertain of the rightness of this current decision. But I trust that God’s Holy Spirit will correct where we are wrong, encourage where we are right, and act if we are somewhere in between. I do believe wholeheartedly that the Church in this time must witness to the world that God calls us to live with those who are different than us in love and compassion. This decision frees local congregations to not call homosexuals in committed relationships as pastors, but also allows some congregations that would find that helpful for mission to do so.
In this hurting world that is filled with so much darkness and damage, you and I have been blessed to be called to be witnesses to Christ Jesus our Lord. It may be that the most important witness is not what we decide, but rather how we treat each other in the days ahead. Will we listen to each other; will we attend to our differences? Will we decide to walk together into God’s future and to serve God’s mission together? Jesus continues to call us His and for us to follow. We have discovered that our unity in the gospel of Jesus Christ does not require uniformity, but allows us to live together faithfully. I pray that is our response. Be not afraid!
May God strengthen all of us, even in the diversity of our understandings and interpretation of God’s Word. May God allow us to be His Body for the good of the world.
Blessings!
David deFreese
Bishop
Thank you, Bishop deFreese, for a thoughtful, heart-filled response to the decisions made by those gathered at the ELCA Assembly.
As you always do, you remind us to SERVE together faithfully, and despite disagreement, to continue to be united to witness to Christ’s love.
God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.
Thanks.
Tell the story … and rejoice!
Linda Janssen Gjere
Thank you for a thoughtful and pastoral response to the decisions made at CWA 2009.
I pray and trust that we in our ministry settings, in our Nebraska Synod and the our ELCA can learn to live together.
Truly, I yearn to refocus on what God wants us to do: Gather around Word and Sacraments, go out and make disciples, preach, teach, and and serve with those in need in Christ’s name.
May God bless us and carry us into the future!
Thank you again for your words and ministry with us!
Peter Jark-Swain
Thanks, David, for a thoughtful response to the assembly’s decisions. In an age when we are prone to shoot from the hip with our opinions and judgments, I appreciate the invitation to step back and take a deep breath–a deep breath of the Holy Spirit. I will be sharing your response with our congregation.
Response to Bishop’s message…Amen & thank you!
Thank you, Bishop Dave and Synod Staff, for making this message available before this weekend’s gatherings for worship!
The ELCA is no longer a church that is based on the Bible, rather it is a church based on social statements.
Today, I am ashamed to be a Lutheran.
“But I trust that God’s Holy Spirit will correct where we are wrong, encourage where we are right, and act if we are somewhere in between. I do believe wholeheartedly that the Church in this time must witness to the world that God calls us to live with those who are different than us in love and compassion.” This too is my prayer and a wonderful response to share with the young adults engaged in our campus ministries. Amazed by grace, Julia
Bishop David,
Thank you so much for a thoughtful, beautiful response. I’ve been looking for just these words all day.
Grace and Peace.
Thank you, Bishop deFreese, for your forthright response. I appreciate your bid to “not be afraid” as we continue to shepherd the flocks that have been entrusted to us through our calls. Bless you and rest well, Wenda
Thank you, Bishop David, for your help to us all in keeping our heads in difficult times. It is hard to determine just what the resolutions actually add up to. In 2005, the attempt to change the policy took the form of an ammendment to the Bylaws, including “Difinitions and Guidelines for Discipline,” which was the right way to do things. I hope that the Churchwide Assembly has not set in motion a policy of formally ignoring the Bylaws in question, in the absence of the consensus needed to actually amend them.
This would be quite poisonous. It would seriously erode the trust of our people in the Church’s governing structures. I fear, however, that this is what has been done.
Thank you Bishop for your words of counsel and comfort. I thank you especially for the affirmation that there are faithful people within the entire spectrum of feelings, thoughts and convictions on this action. I feel that you addressed this issue with great pastoral care and compassion. Thank you for your leadership and guidance for all of us in the midst of this change.
Bishop deFreese,
Thank you so much for your thoughts and reminder of how we, as followers of Christ, must continue to live as a unified body with many different thoughts and gifts. I was given a sense of peace as I read this, and I know that God continues to work amidst our struggles and disagreements.
Thank you and God Bless!
Darcie
As I was pondering this situation I could not help but reflect on where we have come from. If people think that this is shocking then how much more was Luther’s stance back in the 1500’s. He was questioning things that were at the foundation of the church’s power over the people. Now we are bickering again but over one issue, how to treat people who do not represent the majority. In that regard I think the Bible is clear. Compassion, kindness, and our extra cloak.
“The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” I have this saying on a plaque that I was given back in high school. For years I never gave it much thought, but in the last two years it has been a constant reminder that God is always near. Kent Ira Groth points out that it is in the pain point that we are given the opportunity to choose God or to hold onto our negative feelings. I for one choose to seek God because he always heals that gaping hole that we let our emotions make.
“Be still and know that I am God” Ps 46:10
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Amen.
In peace,
Janai Robinson
Thank you, Bishop and the other respondents for a thoughtful dialogue.
The strongest message of scripture is the command to love one another. When we seek to “exclude” - that is not love. This dialogue in the ELCA is evidence that the Holy Spirit continues to guide us in the direction of Oneness with all of our brothers and sisters.
When we can learn to accept the other members of “our” Christian church in nonjudgemental love (leaving judgement to the ONE who can truly exercise it) - we take a small step, walking as Jesus asked us to walk.