From the Bishop

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

How long, O God, how long? When can I leave my house? When will there be enough COVID tests; enough n95 masks? When will this pandemic be over? How long, Oh God?

And, how can we make faithful decisions with so many unknowns? How can we find peace and serenity in such uncertainty?

Two days before the first Covid-19 case in Minnesota, our grandson Noah John Koslig was born. I’ve thought a lot about his namesake the past two weeks.

It’s hard to imagine all the questions Noah had. God calls him to prepare for a massive flood; to make an ark big enough to hold his family and two of every living creature.

“It’s hard to imagine all the questions Noah had.”

So Noah builds an ark, even while the sun shines brightly. Noah fills the ark with living creatures, and the sun’s still shining. And then, as God promised, the rains come – forty days’ worth. But, there’s a catch. Even after the rains stop, it takes 150 days for the waters to recede and the ark to touch land. How did Noah cope with such uncertainty?

NOAH WASN’T THE ONLY one called to follow God in a time of uncertainty. Scripture is filled with such stories of faith. The Israelites wandering in the wilderness without an end in sight. The Magi following a distant star to Bethlehem. The early church, with countless starts and stumbles, following the Spirit to the ends of the earth.

So what can we learn from our forebears in faith? Don’t expect to have the whole picture before you take a step. Don’t expect that one decision will be sufficient. Don’t expect to always make the right decision.

A word of caution. There are key decisions we must make in the face of pandemic. Even if it sometimes feels like building an ark while the sun shines, it’s essential that we do what the CDC and MN Department of Health say to do. Keep at least 6 feet away from others. Stay home if you’re sick. Wash your hands.

On the other hand, decisions about grocery delivery vs. grocery pick up; going to the dentistnow or alter; or cancelling your cabin reservation for August; these are not critical decisions. When you feel overwhelmed by the minor choices, choose instead to breathe.

“Don’t expect to have the whole picture before you take a step.”

Our kids and grandkids could sing us a more contemporary hymn about decisions in a time of sifting sand. From Frozen 2, in the face of great uncertainty and loss, Anna wonders what to do:

The life I knew is over, … I can’t find my direction.
Take a step, step again. It is all that I can to do. The next right thing.
I won’t look too far ahead. It’s too much for me to take.

We are in this together. (Thank God!) We’re probably in this for longer than we’d anticipated. And, our loving God is also with us — as close as the next breath.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

Church nerds often find many things to disagree about. But, I think most church health experts would agree on some basic truisms about “vital congregations.” Most would probably name the following:

1. Be clear about your mission. Why are you here? Why, specifically, is your congregation (not just any congregation) here?
2. Engage your neighborhood with respect, curiosity, and faith that God is already at work there.
3. Raise up leaders – identify, nurture, and support current and future servant leaders.
4. Plan and lead worship that invites participation and proclaims the gospel in Word and Sacrament.
5. Provide for life-long faith formation.

LAST WEEK I HEARD something I never thought to include in the list. I add it now:

6. Don’t apologize for how big you used to be.

Dr. Anthony Bateza, assistant professor of religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, gave us a wonderful analogy last week during his lecture “Loving Your Political Neighbor: Lessons from Luther for Today,” as part of the series “The Challenge of Leadership: Ministering in an Election Year.”

Imagine yourself being invited to a party in someone’s home. You are met at the door and welcomed to join the festivities. Before long, your host takes you aside and says, ‘You know, I’m really sorry there aren’t more people here. Two years ago, we had three times as many. Last year, twice as many. Now look. Each year, the crowds get smaller and smaller. I’m really sorry.’

How would you feel? I might think, “Well, I’m not sure I want to be at this party. Perhaps, I just grab my coat and leave.”

No matter what our worship attendance, the gift we have to give others is not “crowd size.” The gift is the Gospel of Jesus Christ – revealed in Word and Sacrament and through Beloved Community.

“No matter what our worship attendance, the gift we have to give others is not ‘crowd size.’”

Each week when we worship, we’re really hosting a party. It’s a gathering where God’s Spirit promises to be at work creating new life and hope.

When the weekly party begins, it’s time to focus on the community who’s shown up. And it’s time to trust that, with the very Spirit of God among us, there’s just the community needed to have a wonderful party.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

Throughout my life I’ve worked hard to avoid claiming that any particular political party is the closest reflection of God’s will. I believe that Christian people can live out their values in whatever party they choose; that the two-party system has given this country an important history of checks and balances.

My childhood family was a wonderful combination of Republicans and Democrats. Our conversations were lively; but shaped by respect and curiosity.

“My family’s conversations were lively; but shaped by respect and curiosity.”

I remember a talk Dad and I shared. We couldn’t agree on the best policy on a particular problem facing our country. We ended up just naming the values we did agree on – honesty, hard work, fairness, generosity, among others. And, we humbly recognized that there may not be just one strategy – one political party – that could achieve our values most effectively.

SHAPED BY MY FAMILY’S story, I was deeply saddened this week. There’s no question that President Donald Trump, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Mitt Romney disagree politically. Our country is made better by honest political disagreement and discernment.

But, this week, something else happened; something beyond political disagreement. In December, Pelosi told a reporter that she prays for the president “all the time.” On Wednesday, Romney said his vote for impeachment came “from the conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me.”

Then, on Thursday, President Trump said: “I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong nor do I like people who say, ‘I pray for you,’ when they know that’s not so.”

The back and forth between these leaders feels like a slippery slope, more dangerous than a case of partisan bickering.

“The back and forth between these leaders over prayer and conscience feels like a slippery slope; more dangerous than a case of partisan bickering.”

As people of faith, we believe that no one can know the private prayers of another. No one has the power to denounce the conscience of another. We can critique actions; we can disagree with positions. But, we do not have power to know that which is only known by God. Not even a president has such power. For a political leader to claim authority to judge another’s faith or conscience is troubling indeed.

Maybe I’m making more of this than I should. If you’re reading this post and would like to make that case, I’d love to hear from you (for a conversation shaped by respect and curiosity).

In the meantime, we can all pray – for our country, its leaders, and all who strive for the common good.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

I was privileged to meet Drew Hart, religion professor at Messiah College, when I sat next to him at dinner last Tuesday before his lecture at Luther Seminary. Impressed with his grace and approachability, I wasn’t exactly expecting the challenge his lecture would bring.

Oh, his words came with that same grace and humility; no fire and brimstone.

Still, I was challenged to think in a way I’d never done before. And I was grateful for this experience on the cusp of celebrations of Martin Luther King, Jr., a prophet who challenged a whole nation/world to think in a new way.

Both King and Hart call the Christian church to address racism in response to God’s call to love the neighbor. We work to dismantle racism because of the tragic evil and suffering racism has caused neighbors today and throughout history.

BUT HART DOESN’T stop there. The Christian church needs to address racism because God calls us to have no other gods. It’s not just the command to love our neighbor that calls us to dismantle racism, it’s also the command to love God above all else.

And, at least since the doctrine of discovery was signed by Pope Alexander VI in 1493, Christianity has been intertwined with racist anthropologies. More specifically, Christian theology has been entangled with a worldview that puts white people at the top of a false, humanly constructed racial hierarchy.

“How has our understanding of God been shaped by a history steeped in white supremacy?”

The Papal Bull stated that any land not inhabited by Christians was available to be “discovered,” claimed, and exploited by Christian rulers and “that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself.”

Similar church documents justified slavery. Martin Marty recalls a fellow historian noting that the white southern Protestant clergy prior to the Civil War “came across as moral, devout, pastoral, learned, caring, informed, and generous preachers. And also to a person they defended human slavery, claiming that it was a response to divine mandates and divine will, biblically authorized.”

EPISCOPAL BISHOP AND South African activist Desmond Tutu called apartheid a heresy. Because all people are created in God’s image, all have intrinsic value. However, in apartheid, “[r]ace is the principle which determines your value,” Tutu said. The policy of apartheid is “totally un-Christian, evil, and a heresy.”

How has our understanding of God been shaped by such history? What is our responsibility to look deeply and honestly at Christian churches in this country and dismantle all that has worked to collapse Christian faith with white supremacy?

“It’s not just the command to love our neighbor that calls us to dismantle racism, it’s also the command to love God above all else.”

Yes, love of neighbor calls us to dismantle racism. And, so does love of God. May we have the courage to question when our other gods – like white supremacy – obstruct our understanding of the God revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

How did Joseph do it? Where did he find the courage?

We focus a lot on the courage of Mary, but what about Joseph? Engaged, but not living with Mary, he discovers that she’s pregnant. And the child isn’t his.

Whoa, … Joseph was an upright Jew. And so was Mary. As an upright Jew, he had some options: a public divorce, even a public stoning. But Joseph chose a more compassionate way, deciding to divorce Mary in private.

“Joseph trusted the angel from God.”

But, even that choice wasn’t enough. An angel intervened. “The child Mary carries is the work of the Holy Spirit. No man had anything to do with it. Make a home with Mary, and adopt this child as your own by giving him a name – Jesus.”

Joseph trusted the angel from God. In his shoes, I would’ve hoped for some reassuring sign from God for my choice. But, no, the circumstances just seem to worsen. He must travel to Bethlehem, watch his wife give birth in a stable, flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s killing, and live there as a refugee. I imagine there were moments when he wondered if that angel’s voice was even real.

IN OUR CULTURE WED to the values of progress and growth, it’s hard not to think that faithful choices will lead to a better life. But not for Joseph.

He reminds me of a dear friend. Forty years ago he began his training as a doctor. He wanted to make a difference, to serve the common good. His specialty was infectious disease. Actually, he admits choosing the specialty, in part, because most diseases could be cured – as opposed to oncology at that time.

Well, he became a doctor just as AIDS was discovered. And, you guessed it, infectious disease is the specialty that treats patients with AIDS. Many of his patients died. My friend became one of the most respected and beloved physicians among people with AIDS.

“Discipleship is not a spectator sport.”

Following God’s leading will not mean standing on the sidelines. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We’re not asked to tip-toe around the edge of the pool, afraid of the water. We jump in – following Christ, serving our neighbor – not sure how the waters will feel, not sure how we’ll navigate them. Discipleship means jumping in – for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of love and justice.

For God didn’t stay on the sidelines. God entered into our world, even into bleakness of sin and evil. In the middle of the night, God became vulnerable, a tiny baby. And, in the Word made flesh, we recognize the very presence of God – in our midst, at our sides. It’s no coincidence that Matthew begins and ends with this promise:  “Emmanuel, God with us” and “lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Like Joseph, we rest our lives on that promise. As we enter 2020, filled with uncertainty about the journeys before us – personally, nationally, globally – we walk like Joseph trusting that God is with us. And we leave the sidelines to enter deeply into God’s beloved world, for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of love and justice.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

During my last year of seminary, I had an 8:00 a.m. class on the Gospel of John. I was also three months pregnant – a bad combination for wakefulness. I’ve kept my notes from that class. For a few pages, they’re clear and coherent. But, after a while they start to make little sense – kind of dreamlike stream of consciousness. Then the writing just stops as the ink drops off the page. Clearly, I’ve fallen asleep.

“What does Jesus mean when he tells the disciples to stay awake?”

What does Jesus mean when he tells the disciples to stay awake? It’s not about attentively trying to calculate a timetable for Jesus’ return. Jesus doesn’t even know this.

But Jesus provides some hints in the next chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. He tells four stories, all about attentiveness. Tenants are left to steward the landowner’s property. Some do well; others don’t. Bridesmaids attend a wedding – five prepare, five don’t. When the party finally begins, five missed the whole thing because they had to go buy more oil.

THE FINAL STORY IS the most vivid of all. Now, the one who returns isn’t the master in some parable, it’s the Son of Man, with all the nations gathered before him. And, if you wonder who’s stayed awake, who’s been alert in the time before the Lord’s returned, you get this answer: “You were awake if you fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, visited the prisoner.” And, what is more, when you were awake and doing those things, you were not only doing them for the person suffering, you were doing them for Jesus himself.

“Being awake doesn’t mean trying to figure out when Jesus will return.”

Stay awake. Keep alert. Be alive and responsive to the needs of this world, this broken but God-so-loved world.

Being awake doesn’t mean trying to figure out when Jesus will return. Being awake means loving the neighbor. It means stewarding the gifts God has given us. It means using our talents and lighting our lamps and doing our jobs so that God’s love is made known in thousands of ways – large and small. And how much more exciting is that than watching the skies and looking for signs?

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

A couple in Chicago recently told me about their practice when visiting dear friends who are Jewish. “When we’re in their home, we’re invited into the prayers of their faith. When they visit our home, we invite them into the prayers of our Christian faith. We’ve found it to be both respectful and authentic.”

Our Fall Ministerium this Thursday invites the synod’s rostered leaders to reflect more deeply on such inter-religious relationships. Hosted this year by the Saint Paul Area Synod, our Ministerium will be led by Bishop Lull who chaired the Task Force that wrote the ELCA’s “Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment.” Her vital role in that endeavor was not only a great honor – but it also made it much more likely we’d get to hear Dr. Rahuldeep Gill, our featured speaker and fellow Task Force member with Bishop Lull.

BEYOND THE ELCA, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is committed to interreligious dialogue. Guided by the question of how religious communities live together in “a shared public space,” LWF engages in theological dialogue – but also is committed to “equal rights for all” and “collaboration with interreligious partners in humanitarian work.” Such efforts for mutual understanding and shared humanitarian efforts “constitute a strong public witness” in a world marked by division and strife.

Going to dinner at your friends’ home is not a “shared public space.” In fact, I think private spaces present some of the hardest challenges to our inter-religious commitments:

• What does evangelism look like? What witness do I give to friends, relatives, colleagues of other religions?
• How does one plan an authentic and respectful Christian-Hindu wedding?
• How does one raise children in a Muslim-Christian household?

“An integral part of [our] calling is to be witnesses to Christ – to evangelize. … This sharing occurs in many ways, in word and in deed – always respecting the dignity of the other and always offered in love.”

The ELCA’s Declaration speaks to the question of evangelism: “An integral part of [our] calling is to be witnesses to Christ (Acts 1:8) – to evangelize. … This sharing occurs in many ways, in word and in deed – always respecting the dignity of the other and always offered in love. … We [share] in ways that honor our convictions that every human is made in the image of God and that all of creation is good.”

Questions about evangelism and hospitality and interfaith families are important and significant, ever-present for some families. Our synod’s rostered leaders will be touching the surface of these concerns at Thursday’s Ministerium. I hope that these same questions also arise within our congregations; the conversation will be rich and help us all faithfully live out our Christian vocation in the world in this age.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

As a kid I would never have imagined that Lutheran Church would play such a key role in the ecumenical movement. We weren’t especially ecumenical in Shelby, Montana. And yet, before I entered fourth grade, Lutherans were beginning to lead.

I’ve always imagined that the more mainline churches would take the lead: Congregationalists, Presbyterians, or Methodists. But, perhaps our liturgical and sacramental understandings made Lutherans distinctively equipped to encourage ecumenism from the “middle of the road.”

Whatever the reason, Lutherans have developed full communion agreements with six denominations: Episcopal, Moravian, Presbyterian, Reformed, United Methodist, and United Church of Christ.

“I was surprised at the leadership role of Lutherans in the ecumenical movement.”

What is more, Lutheran-Catholic dialogues began in 1967, only two years after the Second Vatican Council concluded. The dialogues have continued until this day – authoring 11 different reports about the basic issues that separate and unite the two churches.

Only 12 years after Vatican II, Minnesota’s Lutheran and Catholic bishops began meeting together at an annual retreat, convened by ALC District President David Preus, LCA Bishop Herbert Chilstrom, and Archbishop John Roach.

I JUST RETURNED FROM the 42^nd such retreat. Luther Seminary Professor Dirk Lange led participants in a review of the impact of 52 years of dialogues. Again, I was surprised at the leadership role of Lutherans in the ecumenical movement.

Last March, on the 20^th anniversary of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), delegates from all five communions who have affirmed JDDJ met and issued the Notre Dame Consultation Statement. (The World Methodist Council affirmed JDDJ in 2006; the Anglican Communion in 2016; and the World Communion of Reformed Churches in 2017).

At our last conference of bishops meeting, we heard hopeful updates about ongoing ELCA dialogues with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

“Perhaps our liturgical and sacramental understandings made Lutherans distinctively equipped to encourage ecumenism from the ‘middle of the road.’”

It’s pretty amazing to see what ecumenical fruits have been born by the leadership of Lutherans. Oh, a sticking point for me in the Lutheran-Catholic dialogs – as you could easily predict – is the issue of women’s ordination.

But, recently, I was given a new glimpse of hope. A Catholic priest said to me: “Jesus said, ‘You will know them by their fruits.’ We are seeing the fruits of the Spirit in the churches around us through the leadership of women as bishops and pastors. Who knows what that might mean for our future?”

Yes, for many reasons, I give thanks for the Spirit’s fruits born through the ministries of all our synod’s rostered leaders. Today, I give thanks for one more.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

It didn’t take long before tears came to his eyes. We were sitting at the pre-game lunch last Saturday before Homecoming at Concordia College in Moorhead. My table mate had come to watch his son play football.

I told him about my work as a bishop in the region that includes North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. The bishops had been discussing ways our church could support farmers – challenged by tariffs, low commodity prices, and weather too wet for harvesting. (While eating our lunch, we could see student workers heave shovelfuls of snow to clear the bleachers).

“Just keep checking in with me.”

That’s when the tears came. “We will lose some family farms for sure this year; farms in the family for four generations. It’s horrible to be a fifth generation farmer – and to lose the land on your watch. There’s so many things a farmer can’t control. Even working your hardest and smartest isn’t enough.”

After a moment or two, he continued, “I guess I’d like the church to offer counseling and mental health support. Farmers don’t express their feelings too much – and that can get us in trouble. One of the hardest things to do is to ask for help.”

MANY OF US HAVE experienced times when we’d done all we could – everything just right – but the outcome wasn’t what we’d hoped. Many of us have experienced deep loss, but couldn’t bring ourselves to ask for help.

Recently, I was with someone in such a situation. She told me about her friends who, in her time of loss, continued to ask her: “How can we help?” Never sure what specific help she needed at the time, she replied, “Just keep checking in with me.” I love that answer. I wish I’d thought of it for the seasons of loss in my life.

“It’s horrible to be a fifth generation farmer – and to lose the land on your watch.”

“Just keep checking in with me.” The farm crisis may also compel you to advocate for policy change or the reorganization of seed production monopolies.

During the 1990s farm crisis, the Northwestern Minnesota Synod had trained counselors available within 20 minutes of any farm in the synod. And they were used. Next Tuesday, a group of Lutherans leaders will gather at the Lutheran Social Service office in Fargo next week to brainstorm ways to support farm and ranch families. I hope to join via Zoom and will share what I learn.

In the meantime, I encourage all of us to “check in” with the farmers we know.

By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

From the beginning of my Reformation, I have asked God to send me neither dreams, nor visions, nor angels, but to give me the right understanding of God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures; for as long as I have God’s Word, I know that I am walking in God’s way. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Genesis, Vol II)

The Scriptures … are inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world. (ELCA Constitution)

Does your daily life include the devotional reading of scripture? Are you part of a regular Bible study?

I can still see the closet in my childhood home where my parents kept the massive notebooks needed to participate in the Bethel Bible Series. I’ve served congregations where Crossways and Search Bible studies were regularly offered.

“Though worshipers appreciate the Bible, few hold it in quite the same esteem as our forebears.”

In 2008, the ELCA launched the Book of Faith Initiative, a five-year collaborative effort to “raise to a new level this church’s individual and collective engagement with the Bible, yielding greater biblical fluency and a more profound appreciation of Lutheran principles and approaches for the use of Scripture.”

The five-year initiative ended in 2013. Does anyone think we accomplished our goal? Do we have greater biblical fluency? Is there a greater appreciation of Lutheran hermeneutics?

LAST WEEK, Pastors Tania Haber, Babette Chatman, Martha Schwehn Bardwell, and I met with Dr. Michael Chan to prepare for the Bishop’s Theological Conference (BTC), which coincidentally is titled “Does Scripture Matter? Engaging the Bible in the 21^st Century.”  We talked about the realities in our churches:

• Though Bible studies are offered and found meaningful, the number of people participating is sometimes less than hoped for.
• Though worshipers appreciate the Bible, few hold it in quite the same esteem as our forebears.
• Even with a steady diet of Biblical preaching, we believe faith is also nourished through deeper, communal discussion and engagement with this “rough manger” that holds the Word made flesh.

Are these things also true in your congregation? We are delighted with the number of registrants for BTC; we’d also love to hear insights from those who won’t be there.

• Why does Scripture matter? For you? For your congregation?
• What are effective ways you’ve led your congregation to engage scripture – both in individual devotional reading and in communal study?

You’re welcome to comment on the synod’s Facebook page posting of this blog (scroll down until you find the posting) or email John Mai at j.mai@mpls-synod.org and type “Scripture matters” in the subject line. And, I promise to share the insights gleaned from the BTC in one of my future blogs.