Bishop David deFreeseBishop Dave deFreese
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

Jesus said to them: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)

The 10 o’clock news just about did me in last night. With machine gun precision, the newscaster’s rapid fire litany of tragedy spewed forth unrelentingly:

  • a 15-year-old boy standing at a bus stop killed by a drive-by shooting
  • a 21-year-old man who was run over by unwanted visitors at a party, senselessly died
  • a 54-year old real estate mogul was sentenced after his fifth D.U.I.
  • a seven-year-old girl was molested at the shopping mall … and on and on.

Reeling from the pain of our human condition, sadly curved in on ourselves and the collateral damage of such selfishness being obvious, my initial response was the Kyrie: “Lord, have mercy!” Pleading and knowing our need, that is not all that our prayers consist of … prayer leads us into action.

Strengthened by the astonishing Cross of Jesus, recognizing the power of our gracious God’s love, you and I are called to be the Church for a world in such agony. While our society is growing more fragmented, polarized by anger and arrogance, we seek to respond to the gospel … and to do gospel. We are sent to serve. We do mission! God’s Holy Spirit calls us out of our selves and our fear, to reflect the light of Christ in a darkened world by acts of compassion and empathy.

We love because God first loved us. And so Christ’s Body on earth, the Church, humbly impacts the hurts and the suffering with concrete efforts:
Before, during and after the devastating earthquake, we have been present with the people in Haiti … our ELCA has, as of this writing, already given $3.6 million in disaster response.

  • A Christ-centered counselor talks with a troubled family about how God hopes they can live their life together.
  • Food is distributed to those who are hungry and have nowhere else to turn.
  • A new church blossoms in a discouraged neighborhood in north Omaha that has the highest crime rate in Nebraska.
  • A phone crisis hotline counselor speaks words of kindness to a farmer who is at wits’ end and then connects him with resources that enables him to continue.
  • Prisoners incarcerated in our state prison are told of the transformational love of Jesus Christ.
  • A college-age camp counselor inspires an elementary school aged child to know that she is the daughter of the God of the universe.
  • Hope comes alive in a Lakota Native American who feels forgotten in society and is allowed to sense the Gospel Good News in his own life.
  • An assistant to the Bishop develops dialogue between leaders in a congregation who are at odds with one another … and not acting like the Body of Christ.
  • An overwhelmed college student has a campus pastor with whom to share their fears and anxieties as they ponder their future.
  • New immigrants who are working in meat-packing plants experience a church that reaches out to them with the love of Jesus.
  • A parish’s youth ministry is bolstered and made more relevant and exciting.
  • A missionary is sent to a far corner of this world to share the kind care of our God to people who have never known this God.
  • A child is fed, housed, and embraced at Oaks Indian Mission.
  • A Sudanese mother is trained in better parenting skills.
  • A church family is invited to truly focus on being a mission outpost for Jesus Christ.
  • A local mission center holds a training session for those who want to reach out with God’s love to the unchurched more effectively.

This list could go on and on. It barely scratches the surface of so much that is being done in the name of Jesus Christ through you and our Church.

Hope is faith waiting for tomorrow. The church lives in hope and allows her faith to be lived out in actions of kindness and care. We are sent to service. We do mission!

Blessings!

Bishop David deFreese

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