By Pastor Norma Malfatti
The story of Cleopas and the other disciple walking on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 has been a passage resting with me for several months. If you don’t remember it, Cleopas and another, unnamed disciple left Jerusalem sometime after the women found the empty tomb. Dejected and a bit lost, they headed, presumably home to Emmaus.
Along the way they encounter a stranger who opens up the Scriptures to them and reminds them about the necessity of the Messiah’s death and the promise of the Messiah’s resurrection. That night when the stranger breaks bread with them, their eyes were opened and they recognize that the stranger was Jesus. And, instead of a “duh” with their proverbial forehead slap, they ask, “Were not our hearts burning while he was opening Scripture to us on the road?”
THESE LAST FEW MONTHS it has been a faith practice of mine to keep my eyes open for the ways Jesus has been walking with me, teaching me, and inviting me to tables where bread is broken. Ruben Duran, the senior advisor for new starts in the ELCA, often calls this awareness “being a detective of divinity.”
In my role as your Director for Evangelical Mission, Jesus makes my heart burn often as I spend time, not only with our new start and strategic ministries, but with all of our congregations. Here are a few snippets of where Jesus and the ministry of this synod has made my heart burn lately:
Zion Lutheran Church in Minneapolis is closing next month. (The congregation’s final service is November 6.) My heart burns witnessing the courage and boldness to follow wherever the Holy Spirit leads. Members spent months of discernment, visioning a variety of futures as they wondered what God had in store.
“Jesus makes my heart burn often as I spend time, not only with our new start and strategic ministries, but with all of our congregations.”
After listening deeply and openly, congregants heard Jesus calling them into a future that did not include Zion as a congregation. Instead of waiting until they had spent all of their finances down, they boldly chose to close now and use their resources to bless their neighborhood and the world. This decision included selling the church property to Simpson Housing, a Minneapolis nonprofit that has already begun the work of transforming the building into a homeless shelter, a much-needed place of refuge and safety in the Lyndale neighborhood for those experiencing homelessness.
Zion, “the little church with a big heart,” will be using the proceeds of the building sale to leave a legacy of their commitment to walk with neighbors so that all may experience beautiful, diverse, and just neighborhoods.
MY HEART ALSO BURNS when I hear the difference other congregations are making within their communities, too. I think of Bread of Life Deaf Lutheran Church (BOLD), also in Minneapolis. Over the summer in response to questions about what difference it made to have a Deaf congregation in this synod, the joy of its members was tangible as they spoke about their congregation and the importance of having a place where they can show up as their full, authentic selves.
While some communities offer ASL-interpreted worship services, which is a great gift, Bible studies and fellowship time often do not have an interpreter present. Without interpretation a Deaf or hard-of-hearing person often cannot fully participate in the life of the congregation or make meaningful connections with other Christians.
“My heart also burns when I hear the difference other congregations are making within their communities, too.”
Life at BOLD is created so that those who are hard of hearing, Deaf, and/or deaf/blind can fully participate in all aspects of ministry. Members seek to offer a space of welcome, safety, and belonging where all people can wrestle with what it looks like to be faithful to Jesus and have a space to break bread with others who use the same language. They are so committed to this that they also try to ensure there is an interpreter at all events so that someone can voice for those of us who aren’t fluent in ASL because the Good News of God is for all people.
These are just two of the dozens of stories I could share about how the Holy Spirit has caused my heart burn at the powerful ministry happening in our synod and beyond. Like Cleopas and the other disciple, we’re living in a season where there is a lot of uncertainty in what it looks like to be faithful and where any single congregation fits in the world. Also, like Cleopas and their friend, Jesus continues to show up in unexpected ways on the roads we find ourselves on making our hearts burn.
When has your heart burned lately? I’d love to hear about it.