Gospel Writ Large

I am unabashed in my affection for Nadia Bolz-Weber...but not because she's edgy, or tattooed, or "emergent", or even because she's unapologetically Lutheran.  I love Nadia because she is the pastor of the only church home my sister, Krista, has known since moving to Denver in 2003.  Pastor's kids can have a difficult time finding a place in the church; especially 500 miles from their hometown.  Krista's spiritual journey collided with Nadia a few years ago, and it has been fun to be connected to her strange faith community from afar.  In that time, Nadia and I have become friends - again, not because of our Lutheran connections, but because we both love Krista.

I was excited when I found out that Nadia was preaching at the ELM Rite of Reception service last weekend in San Francisco.  I knew that she, more than anyone, wouldn't make the sermon about anything other than the proclamation of the gospel.  It would have been easy, mind you, for a preacher to claim the kingdom of God is at hand by admonishing the "conservative, Bible-beating, gay-hating modernists" and claim victory over the "evil church system" that oppressed these seven openly gay pastors for so many years.

Instead, Nadia, citing the Parable of the Workers / Landowner, talked about the kingdom of God in these terms:

The kingdom of God is like a glorious mess of a kingdom where Paris Hilton and Hilton Perez and Fred Phelps and Fredrick Beuchner and ELM pastors and CORE Lutherans all receive the same mercy we never saw coming because we were too busy worrying about what everyone else is doing.

And again:

...the kingdom of God, is founded not on the quality of the people in it but on the unrestrained and lavish mercy of the God who came and got us.

And finally:

...what makes it the kingdom of God is not the worthiness or piety or social justice-yness or hard work of the laborers…it’s the fact that the trampy landowner couldn’t manage to keep out of the market place. He goes back and back and back interrupting lives…coming to get his people.

You can watch the sermon video and read the transcript here.


Tucked away in the comments section, but no less beautiful than the sermon itself, is a reflection from a prominent member of Lutheran CORE:

While I disagree with the CWA votes, while I disagree with the new policies, while I disagree with what happened in the service yesterday, (taking a deep breath), there is much in this sermon that I know is the Gospel writ large. Pastor Megan, peace be with you and with your ministry, now recognized in this church body that we both labor in and love. From South Dakota and Lutheran CORE, 

Your sister in Christ,

Erma Wolf 

Wouldn't it be great if we could stop all of the inflammatory, partisan bullshit and start treating others like brothers and sisters in Christ?  Wouldn't it be nice if our leaders and preachers wouldn't use the privilege of their status to tear others down, cast judgment, and exalt their own piety?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find a way to live in the tension of our religious and philosophical disagreements without fearing the wrath of a God that we have made in our own image?

I think Nadia's sermon and Erma's response could spark a change in the way we approach differences.  I'm grateful for their witness and continue pray for the renewal of the church.

Confused

My name is Erik, and I'm a Church Nerd.


My addiction?

Finding out what happens at ELCA synod assemblies.

Facebook status updates, Twitter hashtags, and blogs only make it easier for me to troll around and find out what's going on around the denomination...which, of course, feeds the need for more official (and, more importantly, UNofficial) information of what's going on.

It seems that every assembly is having lengthy discussions about the sexuality resolutions that are being voted on at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly in August. Synods aren't just taking about the resolutions...they're discussing 50% + 1 vs. 2/3 majority...they're voting on whether or not to affirm the resolutions...they're going into "committee of the whole" discussions that lead to additional resolutions and more voting. Suffice it to say, thus far, synod assemblies have once again been defined by sexuality debates.

I just have one question: WHY?

To my knowledge, there is no authority in what the synods are voting on at this point. Even if all 65 synods voted in favor of or against the resolutions, it wouldn't really matter. At this stage of the game, the only votes of significance are those cast at the Churchwide Assembly. Synod delegates to the Assembly are not required to vote on behalf of their synodical constituancy...so what's the point of voting as a synod if the delegates are going to vote their conscience in August?

Synod assemblies are intended to be a celebration of the past year's ministry and a look ahead to the coming year. It's a time to worship, pray, discuss, and join in fellowship. It's a time to bring people together to talk about mutual ministry and share successes and failures within congregations. Therefore, why make another year of synodical work boil down to an argument about whether or not openly gay pastors can serve churches, or if the church should be allowed to bless the unions of same-sex couples? Haven't we been down this road a time or two?

Perhaps I'm just tired of so much time, money, energy, and PR being poured into this conversation. Maybe I just think we need to focus more resources on feeding hungry people, working for immigration reform, giving better support to rostered and non-rostered leaders, and figuring out why our church has been shrinking for most of my lifetime. Sexuality (and, by extension, the church's view thereof) is important...but shouldn't dominate.

And yet, for another year, the 65 synods of our beloved ELCA will be mired in a debate that cannot be won...about a topic that most people cannot understand...in a church body that has given the decision-making authority to a group of 1,000 people that won't gather for another 2 months.