May 27, 2020
Last week you received a message from Jon Milleville, Grace’s council president, regarding our plans to prepare for returning to in-person community worship. I also wanted to give you a bit of the theological reasoning that goes along with the practical and social aspects of our decision on this question.
If you’ve been exploring Grace’s website you may have seen the following quote from Luther regarding “Whether one may flee from a Deadly Plague”:
“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me, and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.”
Luther’s answer is grounded in his foundational understanding that in Christ we are freed from sin and death, so we need have no fear. But Luther was always clear that we cannot talk about what we are freed from without also talking about what we are freed for—and that is, to love and serve our neighbor. Always.
That understanding continues to be foundational for us in the ELCA. It reflects the teachings of Jesus (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) and the writings of Paul in 1 Corinthians, where he admonishes believers to focus on taking care of others more than on expressing their freedom in Christ. (“’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are beneficial.”— 6:12; “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” – 8:9).
In recent comments to CNN regarding when we will return to community worship, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton said, "I've heard even from some in my own denomination that [the question of returning to corporate worship is] faith versus fear, and that's just a false dichotomy. Protecting others is a faithful response. God has given us the gift of science and I'm urging my congregations, my pastors and deacons to be guided by CDC guidelines. We've issued guidelines for gradually coming back to in-person worship and to pay attention to state and local governors and mayors."
Bishop Eaton, Metro Chicago Bishop Yehiel Curry, and many other faith leaders have pointed out what we already know (but need to be reminded of): the Church has never been closed. Our buildings may have been closed, and community worship temporarily suspended, but the Church is still being the Church—proclaiming the Gospel, praying for the world, serving the neighbor, and honoring Jesus Christ.
Our decision to return to community worship needs to be based in our confidence that the Holy Spirit is still active among us, and is calling us to action that honors God by best serving the well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors. Our commitment to inclusivity means that we will not gather if that would require forbidding certain people from attending purely on the basis of age or gender. If one segment of our community must, as a whole, mourn the loss of community worship, then we will all mourn it together.
This period where we have been forced to worship in our homes instead of in our church building has been difficult for all of us. But the People of God have always been called to do difficult things for the sake of showing God’s love to our neighbors. We can, and will, continue to love God by willingly bearing any sacrifice that protects the well-being of our neighbor. And when it is in the best interests of our community’s wholeness to return to community worship, we will rejoice together in that gift.
Last week you received a message from Jon Milleville, Grace’s council president, regarding our plans to prepare for returning to in-person community worship. I also wanted to give you a bit of the theological reasoning that goes along with the practical and social aspects of our decision on this question.
If you’ve been exploring Grace’s website you may have seen the following quote from Luther regarding “Whether one may flee from a Deadly Plague”:
“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me, and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.”
Luther’s answer is grounded in his foundational understanding that in Christ we are freed from sin and death, so we need have no fear. But Luther was always clear that we cannot talk about what we are freed from without also talking about what we are freed for—and that is, to love and serve our neighbor. Always.
That understanding continues to be foundational for us in the ELCA. It reflects the teachings of Jesus (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) and the writings of Paul in 1 Corinthians, where he admonishes believers to focus on taking care of others more than on expressing their freedom in Christ. (“’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are beneficial.”— 6:12; “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” – 8:9).
In recent comments to CNN regarding when we will return to community worship, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton said, "I've heard even from some in my own denomination that [the question of returning to corporate worship is] faith versus fear, and that's just a false dichotomy. Protecting others is a faithful response. God has given us the gift of science and I'm urging my congregations, my pastors and deacons to be guided by CDC guidelines. We've issued guidelines for gradually coming back to in-person worship and to pay attention to state and local governors and mayors."
Bishop Eaton, Metro Chicago Bishop Yehiel Curry, and many other faith leaders have pointed out what we already know (but need to be reminded of): the Church has never been closed. Our buildings may have been closed, and community worship temporarily suspended, but the Church is still being the Church—proclaiming the Gospel, praying for the world, serving the neighbor, and honoring Jesus Christ.
Our decision to return to community worship needs to be based in our confidence that the Holy Spirit is still active among us, and is calling us to action that honors God by best serving the well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors. Our commitment to inclusivity means that we will not gather if that would require forbidding certain people from attending purely on the basis of age or gender. If one segment of our community must, as a whole, mourn the loss of community worship, then we will all mourn it together.
This period where we have been forced to worship in our homes instead of in our church building has been difficult for all of us. But the People of God have always been called to do difficult things for the sake of showing God’s love to our neighbors. We can, and will, continue to love God by willingly bearing any sacrifice that protects the well-being of our neighbor. And when it is in the best interests of our community’s wholeness to return to community worship, we will rejoice together in that gift.