Can These Bones of the Fallen Church Live?

Bombarded with headlines lamenting the declining membership of mainline denominational churches and watching as the hairs on the heads of church goers become more white and bald, many people find themselves in despair over the state of their congregation. Remembering the past times when children abounded in Sunday School classrooms and committees never experienced a lack of people willing to step up and take on projects, people of faith wonder if their churches will become relics of the past.

In the story of valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14, the decaying bones of the whole house of Israel, the faith community of the past, lament, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely." (Ezekiel 37:11b) That same despairing cry now resounds from too many in the institutional church today. "Our funding streams are dried up, and our hope is lost; we do not have enough people to get by and no one comes to our events and worship services. O, woe is us!"

Not phased by the complaints of the dying and deceased, God asks the prophet Ezekiel, "Mortal, can these bones live?" Looking around at the endless pile of dry and sun-bleached bones under the blazing hot sun in the middle of a valley of death, Ezekiel hesitates a bit before replying, "O Lord God, you know."

From the looks of everything, there appears little hope. Despite all attempts to quickly remedy the presence of decline and death, nothing seems to be working. More members disappear from worship. Families take their children elsewhere. Funerals greatly outnumber all other events. Is there any chance for growth, or at least can the church last until my time comes to an end on this earth? Some of the people trying to carry the large load of responsibilities and expectations of other members of the church start to falter and wonder if the task is too great. Should the fight to prevent the inevitable from occurring come to a stop?

But then the Lord speaks. "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath into you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." Death is not the final outcome! God will not let God's people come to an end!

Do we not have a God who can raise the dead? Did God not take on human form as Christ Jesus, die the most agonizing and humiliating death, and then rise on the third day? Is our God not that strong to win the battle against death? By no means!

Instead of lamenting about all the things from the past that are no longer, let us prophesy to the church and boldly shout, "Let the church arise! Let the church breathe in the Spirit of the Lord, the breath of God that blows from the four winds." Let us deeply breathe in the Spirit so that we may rise and live fully. Just as God promised to restore the whole house of Israel, God promises to continue to work in and through the church.

Times are changing, but instead of dwelling on the past that is no more, let us look to the present and the future and see how we can continue to be God's hands and feet for the world. While we can stand upon the traditions and experiences of the past, we are called to new ventures not yet trodden or unknown. The shape of the institutional church may change, but instead of fighting shifts, let us embrace the opportunities that await us.

Our mission has never changed, for we have always been called to love God and love our neighbor through faith in action. Our calling will always remain the same. Let us open ourselves to moving in whatever way the Spirit guides us, even if it takes us outside of our comfort zone and our cherished memories of the past. God is making all things new. We have the choice to decide whether to wither away like dry bones or to be the sinews and flesh of the ever-evolving kingdom of God.

Faith Outside Institutional Walls and Laws

He answered them 'I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" Then they reviled him saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man [Jesus], we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 
- John 9:27-33

Having experienced life in the church as both an insider and an outsider, I found last Sunday's Gospel text a joyful reminder and encouragement that discipleship exists both inside and outside the walls of a church or any other institution of faith. Setting aside the debate on sinfulness and disabilities, the ninth chapter of John reminds us what it means to be true followers and believers of Christ Jesus.

Due to his blindness, the unidentified man spent his entire life having to beg for his daily bread. Caught up in theological dogma that labeled him unclean and sinful, this man could not partake in the riches of his family's faith tradition. While his parents immersed themselves in the life of the synagogue, the beggar had to rely on what others taught him about faith and the Scriptures. From his conversations before the Pharisees, he demonstrate a solid grasp on Jewish history and belief.

Growing frustrated by the continued questioning by the leaders of the synagogue, the man asks the Pharisees, "Do you also want to become his disciples?" You can almost hear the gasp in the room as the man born blind shares his amazing faith and love for Jesus.

The previous verses do not provide any indication that Jesus ever specifically identified himself to the man; however, it would not have taken too much to figure out who performed the miracle. While he could not have looked into Jesus' eyes to assess whether or not to trust Jesus when Jesus spoke with him, put mud mixed with saliva on his eyes and told his to go wash and be made clean, there was something that resonated deep within his soul that allowed him to believe and know that he was in the presence of God.

As the formerly blind man continues to engage in dialogue with the Pharisees, he beautifully acknowledges that faith can take place within institutions of faith like synagogues, churches, mosques and temples but that God is also at work outside of the institutions. Faith is not limited to a particular group of people or a particular set of beliefs. Discipleship goes beyond following religious laws and understandings. Discipleship is a life oriented in faith, love and honor for a God that works wonders in the world.

This story of a blind man receiving his sight encourages us to open our own eyes to what God is doing both within and beyond our institutional walls. Those walls offer a place for people to gather to worship and learn about the Lord. Those walls provide a community space to shape and articulate its faith. But those walls do not define the true Church of our Lord Jesus, for the true Church has every door open with people freely coming and going.

As a lifelong believer since I was a young child, I find comfort and grounding in the foundation of faith taught to me within the church. However, some of my greatest moments of growth and discipleship arise when my eyes and ears are opened to God's presence outside the walls of my church, my synod, my denomination. Conversations with people of other religious traditions and even other Lutherans who have different understandings of Scripture allow me to explore what I believe what I do and to better articulate my faith in and understanding of God.

While our comprehension of God will never be complete while we are still here on this earth in our current state, discipleship encourages us to move freely among all of God's people and to look for Jesus showing up in the most unexpected places and moments. Instead of being caught up in strict interpretations and traditions, Jesus frees us to be who we are meant to be and invites us to let others be who they are let to be. We never know on our journey of discipleship when Jesus may open our eyes to help us grow in faith.

Death Through a Child's Eye

Following the death of a guy from my confirmation class, the church received a memorial donation in his memory earmarked for Sunday School. Wanting to illustrate the importance of thanking people for contributions, I told the Sunday School students about the money we had received. While initially hesitant to bring up the topic of death with a class that includes three year-olds through high school students, I decided to be open and honest with them about the death of Matt, who was only 38, way too young in my mind to have to commend into God's hands.. 

Surprisingly the topic did not freak out any of the students. Rather, the kids shared stories of different people close to them who had died, including siblings, uncles and grandparents. A couple of the kids remembered seeing me sit with Matt's mother for part of worship the previous weekend. When I asked the kids if they would be willing to make thank you cards to send to Matt's family for the memorial money, they all quickly scrambled over to the table to design their own cards.

Without any prompting on my part, the kids incorporated into their card creations both appreciation for the gift but also words of consolation for the mother. The youngest of the group, a kindergartner wanted help with writing on the front of his card. At the top of the front of the card he put his name and wrote "Dear Nikki." He started writing "sorry that your son" before running out of space on the front. However, he finished his thought on the inside of the card with a drawing of Matt buried in the ground, with several people standing nearby crying. 

He then devoted his attention to the back, where he grabbed a yellow crayon and drew a person in the sky. He turned to me to explain that just like Jesus had risen from the grave, Matt had risen from the grave and was now an angel. The yellow outline of Matt with wings displayed Matt's heavenly glow. I choked back tears as this youngster perfectly conveyed his understanding and belief in the resurrection and Jesus' promise of eternal life.

The kids' response and reaction to Matt's death greatly differed from that of the adults in the congregation. So many of the adults wanted to know how Matt died but at the same time felt incompetent when it came to sharing their condolences with the family. More than once I heard questions and comments about what was perceived as the unfairness of a child dying before his or her parents. Underneath, one could sense a subtle questioning of why God would allow this type of suffering.

For the kids, they instinctively wanted to acknowledge the pain Matt's family felt and offer words of support and love. However, instead of asking the questions of why or stumbling over what to say, they shared their trust in God's promise that death will never have the final say. The youngsters got that death is part of reality and something we cannot control. However, they saw past the supposed finality of death and could joyfully look to the resurrection. For them, Jesus' death and resurrection granted them hope and comfort that God's love will overcome everything and that someday we will all be able to join Jesus in heaven. The faith of my Sunday School students humbled me and brought me to both my knees and tears. 

I only hope that I can share in their child-like faith. In the less than hour of time I had with them during Sunday School, they taught me how to face death. They discussed how they miss the people they loved who died, but how all those people are now angels with Jesus in heaven. The experience reminded me that we can learn much from our littlest ones and the importance of sharing faith with each other.

Welcoming the Stranger, the Refugee

Recently I shared on my congregation's Facebook page a snippet from the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) pastoral message in response to President Trump's travel ban targeting seven Muslim countries. In the pastoral message, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton expressed concern about the impact the ban would have on refugees fleeing their countries and coming to the United States. More focused on the pastoral and theological assessment, I underestimated the political intensity of the quote. Within a few hours a member of the congregation objected to the post.

At first the objection infuriated me as I tried to explain that the quote was based on Matthew 25:35, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." While I do not think the person understood the quote came from the Presiding Bishop, thus representing the ELCA's response to the ban, I realized that unlike many members of the national church body would have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Lutheran Church's (from the ELCA to its predecessor bodies) long history of caring for refugees.

A decade ago I worked at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services during my year with Lutheran Volunteer Corps. During the last third of the year I spent most of my time doing research on different Lutheran organizations' policy statements and history advocating for refugees and helping to resettle them in many states throughout the country. The information I gathered and shared served as the foundation for the ELCA's social message on immigration and refugees.

As I reflect upon my initial outrage, I wish I had taken the time to calmly craft a better response instead of engaging in argument and ultimately deleting the post from Facebook. As people of faith, we are called to be active and engaged members of society, to be politically involved and to strive for justice. In reading the different statements and messages by the ELCA on different social issues, I love how the statements offer a variety of perspectives and acknowledges that in our fallen world that life is messy and sometimes the laws are not as clear cut as we desire. The messages and statements illustrate our struggle to be faithful in a sinful world.

Do I think the quote from Bishop Eaton had political undertones? By all means! However, I did not view it as an attack against a particular political group/official or a refusal to acknowledge countries have a right to decide who to let cross their borders and who cannot enter. Rather, I viewed the entire pastoral message as a passionate call for us to care for the most vulnerable, to welcome the stranger. Our country's screening process in partnership with the United Nations entails checks by more than 14 federal agencies and often takes at least two years to complete.

Refugees by nature are fleeing their homeland because they can never return to their native country and live safely. When they have lost hope because all they once knew has been destroyed, we can offer a new life where they can flourish and be who God intended them to be. We have nothing to fear. In addition, Christians, as descendants of the Jewish people, come from the line of Abraham, who left his country and became a stranger in a foreign land at God's command. Having experienced what it means to be a stranger allows us to empathize with refugees coming to a new country to live among and with us. Our call to welcome refugees is political, but more importantly it is theological and based on God's unconditional love for all people.

To Whom Does the Glory Belong?

At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The LORD the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand." Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." And she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." - Judges 4:4-10a

While chapters 4 and 5 of Judges in the Old Testament lift up two women, Deborah and Jael, as women of faith and the downfall of King Jabin of Canaan and his army, a theme of glory and honor weaves through the text. Deborah, a well-respected judge and prophetess, commands Barak to gather an army of Israelites to do battle with the King of Canann who had oppressed the Israelites for many years. Well aware of his people's history of being freed from bondage by God after hearing the pleas of the people, Barak wavers a bit in his response. "If you go with me, I will go," he bargains with Deborah. Sensing his hesitation, Deborah agrees to head to war with him. However, the final part of her affirmative response gets at the heart of the story. "Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory."

Ouch! Her words had to have stung. Barak is going to lead ten thousand men into battle against an army with hundreds of iron chariots and overthrow the Canannites; yet, he will not be the one to whom everyone gives glory or credit for this amazing feat. He is going to be the one at the front of the charge, the one calling all the shots, the one who will subdue his people's oppressor. "The Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." What? The general of the Canannite army will elude Barak and be brought down by some woman? Regardless of all the thoughts running through his head, Barak gathers ten thousand men and heads off for battle.

As Deborah prophesies, the Israelites destroy the king of Canaan and his entire army. The men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun give their all, trusting in the promises given to them by Deborah after she heard the word of the Lord. In the midst of this brutal confrontation, Sisera escapes. Seeking refuge with a family that had isolated themselves from the rest of their people, Sisera is convinced that because of his power and renown, he will be kept safe until his soldiers can take him back home. Playing on his ego, Jael pampers him with attention, food and drink until he falls sound asleep. Not needing any reassurance from anyone else, she knows what she needs to do to be faithful to God. She drives a tent peg into Sisera's skull, killing him while he slept.

Unlike Barak, Sisera or even Sisera's mother who hopes her son will shower her with gifts he stole after winning, Jael honors the LORD and does not ask or expect any type of reward or acknowledgment. She considers what is the best thing for her people, what is just for all parties involved in the conflict between the various nations and tribes. When Barak arrives at her tent, she shows him the lifeless body of Sisera. She doesn't ask to be congratulated or for some payment for her deed. Rather, she in essence tells Barak the fight for freedom is done, victory is ours, now let's move on and not become the oppressors.

For Jael, and also for Deborah, their reward is knowing that they have done God's will. The one to be praised and glorified is the LORD, who heard the pleas of the people and answered their prayers. The women understand that they are mere instruments of God's saving work in the world. Their stories may live on, as they do in the Bible, but they are only a small snippet of God's redeeming activities. TAll glory belongs to God who does not desire for anyone to suffer. Instead God desires to be in communion with creation, which includes us human beings. When we stay focused on ourselves, we become oppressors and lose sight of what is truly important. When we glorify ourselves, we forget that God created us to be part of a community where every relationship flourishes in love.

With Whom I Am Well Pleased

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:13-17

While I have many questions about how John the Baptism and his cousin Jesus felt and understood about the day John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, the final verse grabs my attention today. "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." The text does not tell us who heard the voice, whether it was the entire crowd clamoring to be baptized by the man wearing camel hair, John and Jesus or just Jesus. While God publicly announces Jesus to be the Son of God, the one that God loves beyond measure, the second half of the proclamation reveals something more powerful.

God states that God is well pleased with Jesus, end of statement. This short declaration comes with no additional comments, no justifications for God's opinion. "...I am well pleased." Period. End of statement. God's delight and pleasure comes not from things Jesus has done or accomplished, not because Jesus convinced his slightly older cousin (by only a few months) to baptism him, and not for things that Jesus will later do in his lifetime. Rather, God bold claims that God is well pleased with Jesus, just as he is.

The same message that God announced that day holds true today when God looks at each and every one of us. "I am well pleased with you. I love you beyond your imagination. You are perfect in my sight, just the way you are." Wow. We are talking about complete acceptance, unconditional love that will not let anything change God's mind. Think about that warm embrace and fidelity for a minute.

Instead of looking at our faults and failings, how many times we fall down or anything else that would put us in a negative light, God sees the beauty within us. We belong to the One who created and formed us before we were even conceived in our mother's womb, even before our ancestors existed. God's eyes brim with delight in looking at the perfect creation we are and will be.

Does it break God's heart when we walk away from God, the one who wants to be in full communion with us? Yes. Does it break God's heart when we show disrespect and harm God's creation through our thoughts and actions. Yes. Does it break God's heart when we place ourselves at the center of everything instead of seeing ourselves as part of a larger community and creation. But whenever we do these things, does it prevent God from loving us? No, by no means!

In giving us the freedom to make our own decisions and decide what is most important to us, God realizes that we may and likely will make choices not in sync with God's desires for us. However, in creating us, in shaping us in God's own image, our Maker promises to always love us, to always be ready to welcome us back when we stray from what God desires for us. Nothing we can ever do can stop God from remembering the delight in creating us, remembering every detail about us, from our eye color to the freckles on our face, from the beauty of our different skin tones to the precious sound of our laughter. Even when God's wrath against us reaches its height, God promises not to destroy all of creation, but to redeem and love it, helping build the path back to communion with one another.

As we feel the water pour over us in our baptism, we remember that in God we are made clean and pure, like newborn children who long to be held by the parents and kept safe. All of our guilt, our mistakes that we will make in our lives are washed away. While we might not see the Spirit of God descend on us as a dove like Jesus did, we can be assured that God seals us with the Holy Spirit and proclaims that we are God's Beloved, with whom God is and will be forever pleased.