By: Dcn. Mitzi Budde

On January 6, 2021, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church will celebrate twenty years of full communion. Full communion was established between the churches in the ecumenical agreement, Called to Common Mission, and inaugurated in 2001 at the Washington National Cathedral with a festival Epiphany Lutheran-Episcopal joint Eucharist. Called to Common Mission was the culmination of over thirty years of ecumenical dialogue leading to agreements on theology, Scripture, sacraments, and church polity.

What has this full communion agreement meant for our churches over these twenty years? We’ve worshipped together in joint celebrations and shared liturgies and developed a deep familiarity and appreciation for each other’s liturgies and confession of the faith. We’ve come to know the richness of our common foundation in the sacramental life of baptism and the Eucharist (even – or perhaps especially – in this season of COVID fasting from in-person worship and sacraments).

We have established full recognition of one another’s ordained ministries and the office of bishop. Episcopal priests are serving in ELCA congregations, and ELCA pastors are serving in Episcopal parishes. The permanent diaconate has found convergence and renewal in both churches.

Our bishops participate in each other’s installations/consecrations and confer with one another in local synods/dioceses. The Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri and the Central States Synod of the ELCA moved into shared offices in Kansas City, Missouri last year, the proximity creating new possibilities for partnership and collaboration. In the future, Episcopalians and ELCA Lutherans might build upon this model and establish diocesan/synodical partnerships with shared staff.

The Episcopal Church and the ELCA have established many joint ministry sites, as seen on the Lutheran-Episcopal Asset Map. Currently there are at least 73 Lutheran-Episcopal shared parishes across the country, such as Epiphany Lutheran-Episcopal in Valdez, Alaska which has been a joint congregation since 1978, pre-dating the full communion partnership by two decades. Our two churches are planting mission congregations together, such as Christ’s Beloved Community / Comunidad Amada De Cristo, an intercultural, bi-denominational, bilingual church start on the southside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We now have over 30 joint Lutheran-Episcopal campus ministries at colleges and universities and nearly 40 other forms of shared ministries, such as a summer camp and conference center, two social advocacy ministries, a school, and a border ministry.

Cruzando Fronteras was established in 2019 as a “new vision for border ministry” along the Arizona/Mexico border, sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona and the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA. Their mission includes prayer and relational action along the border, advocacy for migrants and detainees, promotion of immigration reform, and Latino/Hispanic congregational development.

In Washington, D.C., ELCA Lutherans and Episcopalians work collaboratively on advocacy issues on Capitol Hill. Our two churches are working side-by-side to advocate on issues such as racial justice, immigration rights, environmental justice, and the abolition of human trafficking. The two churches jointly hosted an online faith-based advocacy training course, “Advocacy Tools for Loving Your Neighbor” in July 2020, where Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, together with advocacy leaders, explored issues needing the church’s advocacy and methods for making our collective voices heard.

Annually, the four presiding bishops in full communion in the U.S. and Canada prepare a shared devotional series for the four churches. The theme changes every year. For 2020, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (TEC), Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton (ELCA), Bishop Susan C. Johnson (the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada), and Archbishop Linda Nicholls (the Anglican Church of Canada) prepared a series of devotional bulletin inserts for the Season of Creation. These inserts invite our members to live out their vocation as stewards of creation through Scripture, hymns, advocacy and action. For the four churches, this is also an opportunity to strengthen relationships with one another. Together, they have claimed the name “Churches Beyond Borders” as they leverage the strength of bilateral partnerships that have come to serve as full communion partnerships among the four churches.

Having close ecumenical relationships already established means that the structures are in place to work together when the unexpected happens. The ELCA and the Episcopal Church have worked jointly on disaster relief for years in many parts of the country. When COVID-19 hit our nation, the two churches worked together with other ecumenical partners to craft ecumenical COVID guidelines for reopening parishes. The statement, Resuming Care-Filled Worship and Sacramental Life during a Pandemic, was developed by the Ecumenical Consultation on Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacraments, which was an interdisciplinary group of theologians, scientists, physicians, pastors, bishops, and practitioners from United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal, Pan-Methodist, and Roman Catholic traditions, with the assistance of the Center for Disease Control.

A national Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating Committee is charged with helping the two churches implement the full communion agreement and integrate it into our denominational mission and ministries. The Coordinating Committee’s charter defines its work as a ministry of encouragement: encouraging trust, cooperation, and mission; encouraging new and ongoing cooperative ministry work; encouraging communication of common mission work; encouraging prayer in support of full communion; encouraging communication of the work of this committee; and encouraging processes of decision-making. The Coordinating Committee’s current co-chairs are ELCA Bishop Donald Kreiss and Episcopal Bishop Douglas Sparks. Currently, the Coordinating Committee is currently updating the guidelines for clergy exchanges. The coordinating committee will also explore possibilities for establishing diaconal exchangeability.

Prayer for the church of Jesus Christ in its various expressions and for the members and ministries of the churches is the core call of ecumenical relationships. ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry modelled this commitment of mutual prayer by inviting congregations and individuals to pray together through the COVID season, starting at Pentecost 2020.  A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit Among the People of God was crafted by a team of Lutheran and Episcopal prayer leaders in light of the pandemic. This is a call to pray for and with one another, seeking spiritual renewal in these challenging times and revival for the common mission we share.

A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit among the People of God
God of all power and love, we give thanks for your unfailing presence and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss.
Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire.
Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world:
a people who pray, worship, learn, break bread, share life, heal neighbors, bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit.
Wherever and however we gather,
unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission,
that we and the whole creation might be restored and renewed,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

As ELCA Lutherans and Episcopalians celebrate 20 years of this flourishing full communion ecumenical relationship, may the Spirit inspire and empower us for many new creative partnerships in mission and ministry together in the years to come!

Dcn. Mitzi Budde, D.Min, is Head Librarian and the Arthur Carl Lichtenberger Chair for Theological Research at Virginia Theological Seminary. She is an ELCA deacon and has served as an ELCA representative on the Lutheran Episcopal Coordinating Committee since 2008.

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world the disease is challenging individuals and societies in new and varied ways. Our social interactions, economic wellbeing, and community engagement have all been strained over the past six months. Churches are also experiencing challenges as they seek to adapt.

The National Council of Churches USA and the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University are presenting the second in a series of webinars highlighting some of these ecclesial challenges. The discussion will also examine how churches are striving to meet these challenges, as well as the opportunity to do this ministry together.

The webinar will be livestreamed and is free and open to the public, though participants will need to pre-register for the event here. The event will include some time for audience questions and will feature the following speakers:

• Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• Kathryn Lohre – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick, III – Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
• Rev. Monsignor J. Brian Bransfield – General Secretary of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops

We hope you’ll join us on September 30, 2020, 5 pm ET

Register today by following the link: REGISTER

Ignore, resist, or engage? Global responses to religious nationalism

The Lutheran World Federation, in partnership with the ELCA and the Indonesia Consortium for Religious Studies, will be hosting a webinar on September 22 to engage questions of responding to religious nationalism on a global scale.

The world has witnessed a rise in religious nationalism in recent years. Political leaders have incorporated it in their platforms in order to turn fear into votes. The use of religious symbols and language has become commonplace across the political landscape, from Delhi to D.C.

What role can we play as public theologians to respond? What is the responsibility of faith leaders in countering such rhetoric? How can we collaborate at local and national levels to support initiatives aimed at promoting more inclusive societies?

This webinar aims to support religious leaders and concerned citizens of all faiths and traditions to respond constructively to religious nationalism. The conversation will span the rise of nationalism associated with versions of Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Drawing on insights from India, Indonesia, and the United States of America, the webinar will lift up a variety of perspectives, fueling discussions and reflections of global relevance.

Speakers:

• Sathianathan Clarke, the Bishop Sundo Kim Chair in World Christianity and Professor of Theology, Culture, and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary. Author of Competing Fundamentalisms: Violent Extremism in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism 

• Dicky Sofjan, Core Doctoral Faculty in the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), the Principal Investigator for a nine-country program entitled “Religion, Public Policy and Social Transformation in Southeast Asia”

• Angela Denker, Lutheran Pastor, writer, speaker. Author of Red State Christians: Understanding the Voters Who Elected Donald Trump 

Moderator:

• Sivin Kit, Program Executive for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations, Lutheran World Federation.

Closing Remarks:

• Kathryn Lohre, Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations & Theological Discernment.

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday 22 September 2020
9:00 – 10:30 am CT, 10:00 -11:30 ET

Register today by following the link: REGISTER

By Kathryn Mary Lohre

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the lawyer asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” We, too, are prone to ask this of Jesus – perhaps not in so many words, but with the same intentions. Like the lawyer, we try to arbitrate who is worthy of mercy and love, of neighbor justice. i  Too often we are willing to consider only those who live in closest proximity to us, or whose beliefs are most proximate to ours, as our neighbors. If only we could choose!
In his treatment of the parable, Martin Luther defined our neighbor as “any human being, especially one who needs our help. ii  There is no loophole. Without exception, everyone is our neighbor. The boundless mercy and love of our Creator cannot be contained by the boundaries we create to divide ourselves. What is more is that our neighbors need us, and we need them.

Extending God’s mercy and love to all those in need is central to our Christian vocation, though it is certainly not the exclusive domain of the body of Christ. Our neighbors of other religions and worldviews, too, are dedicated to the well-being of creation and the alleviation of human suffering. Though other religious and spiritual convictions or philosophies may undergird our neighbors’ actions, we share a commitment to the common good. As people, we are bound in our suffering and in our service.

This is critically important in a time when the Oikoumene, the whole inhabited earth, is infected and affected by COVID-19, racism, and injustice. In times of all-consuming death and devastation, our healing practice must be all-inclusive, and our treatment plans must be all-encompassing. To guide and encourage us in these complicated theological and practical matters, we can look to the recently issued joint document of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), “Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: A Christian Call to Reflection and Action During COVID-19 and Beyond.”

Solidarity as the body of Christ and with our neighbors of other religions and worldviews is the most effective means for healing all that ails this wounded world. It is also the antidote to our despair. If we read the parable of the Good Samaritan closely, we come to understand that it is precisely through our God-given neighbors that we most readily receive the generosity of God’s mercy and love. Being a neighbor and receiving the neighborliness of others made in God’s image, not only heals our bodies, but buoys our faith and gives us hope. This spiritual refreshment is precisely what sustains us as we work with our neighbors to bind the wounds of the whole inhabited earth, God’s beloved neighborhood.

i. “Neighbor justice” is a term proposed in “Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action,” a social statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Neighbor justice is rooted in the biblical directive to “love your neighbor as yourself.” This term expresses the idea that faith is active in love and love necessarily calls for justice in relationships and in the structures of society. Neighbor justice is meeting neighbors’ needs across the globe and in our local communities.
ii. Martin Luther, “Letters to the Galatians, 1535,” Luther’s Works.

Kathryn Mary Lohre serves as Assistant to the Presiding Bishop and Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations & Theological Discernment for the ELCA

By Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos

The image became emblazoned in my memory. It was such a powerful visual representation of what it means to take seriously the divine command to love thy neighbor even across religious divides. A Coptic church in Egypt had been bombed resulting in the deaths of 23 Christians and injuring 93 others. The attack was believed to have been perpetrated by a self-proclaimed Muslim militant group. Tensions between Christians and Muslims were already high, the flames of discord were being fanned by extremist groups and by government officials alike. There were also widespread protests and riots against the increasingly authoritarian and antidemocratic government of Hosni Mubarak which exploded into what is now called the 25 January Revolution , leading to the eventual deposition of the ruling government.

In the midst of all that, faithful and pious Muslims and Christians from Egypt offered a glimpse to the rest of the world of what it means to take seriously the divine command to love thy neighbor. The image traveled around the world: a group of Muslims prostrating in prayer at Tahrir square while a group of Christians formed a ring around them, holding hands to protect them, and looking outwardly to give them privacy. Likewise, Muslims would mount guard around Christian churches ensuring their protection while they prayed inside. Similar gestures of inter-religious mutual care and respect abound even if they are not always as dramatic or are not frequently covered by the media. Certainly Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt and around the world are complicated and there are serious issues of justice that need to be addressed for there to be genuine peace, but those instances of mutual solidarity even if ephemeral, can stand as a reminder of what could be possible. That is what makes the image so powerful.

That image, emblazoned in my memory, came back to me as I pondered Martin Luther’s 1520 treatise, The Freedom of a Christian. 1  The treatise is a brilliant and profound presentation of the fundamentals of the Christian faith from Luther’s perspective in the early years of the Reformation movement. This year (2020) marks the 500th Anniversary of its publication. For that reason, the ELCA is been encouraged by our presiding bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, to study the treatise and engage it. Resources such as a study guide, case studies and a PDF of the treatise, are available at https://www.elca500.org/ for anyone interested in studying it or making a contribution to the project.

Towards the end of the treatise, recapping the main point of the treatise, Luther writes about the centrality of love of neighbor to the Christian faith. He says:

Therefore, we conclude that Christian individuals do not live in themselves but in Christ and their neighbor, or else they are not Christian. They live in Christ through faith and in the neighbor through love. Through faith they are caught up beyond themselves into God; likewise through love they fall down beneath themselves into the neighbor—remaining nevertheless always in God and God’s love (Freedom of a Christian, 32) . 2

Love of neighbor is not abstract or generic; it is concrete and specific. We learn how to love from Christ. The Freedom of a Christian emphasizes that the love Christ has for all humanity is pure grace; it is not something that we can earn whether by our piety, our good works, or even by our religious beliefs. Out of pure love God in Christ reaches out to us as we are and takes upon the divine self all that we are, including our sin, our infirmities, our mortality, and whatever debt our deeds might have accrued. In turn, we are offered Christ’s holiness, righteousness, eternal life, and all that belongs to Christ. Luther calls this the happy exchange.

When our hearts are opened wide to the grace of God then our insecurities, fears, and prejudices begin to lose their grip on us. And by faith we become capable of love. We begin to see others as Christ has seen us. We become like little Christs for each other and another happy exchange takes place, this time between our neighbors and us. Luther explains it this way:

Just as my faith and righteousness ought to be placed before God to cover and intercede for the neighbor’s sins, which I take upon myself, so also I labor under and am subject to them as if they were my very own. For this is what Christ did for us. For this is true love and the genuine rule of the Christian life. Now where there is true and genuine faith, there is true and genuine love. Hence, the Apostle in 1 Cor. 13[:5] attributes to love that “it does not seek its own.” (Freedom of a Christian, 32).

What does this mean? (Generations of Lutherans grew up having to memorize Luther’s Small Catechism which featured the question: “what does this mean,” after each line of the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Catechism). So, what does this mean? What does it mean to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” in today’s world, where many writhe with the pains and frustrations of injustices such as Racism, White Supremacy, fear and hatred of migrants, misogyny, environmental catastrophes, and so much more?

From the image of Egyptian Muslims and Christians protecting each other’s sacred right to pray, and from Luther’s understanding of freedom as joyful service to the neighbor, I have learned the importance of opening up and protecting space for those who are different than me to be as they are. It means that I must learn to approach the otherness of my neighbor not as a problem but in the same way that God has approached my otherness through Christ.

Whether we are dealing with religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, ethnic origin, political persuasion, or anything else, I must let grace, faith and love guide my vision, not fear, prejudice, or a sense of benevolent superiority that wishes to fix in my neighbor what I perceive to be mistaken or broken with them. It means, first of all, doing what the faithful Muslims and Christians from the picture did almost ten years ago, mutually securing vital spaces for the other to be able to be fully who they are, just as God has done for all of us in Christ. In the overlapping spaces in between those vital spaces of sacred otherness we meet each other and learn what it means to love each other and to be surprised by the loving kindness of God that comes to us embodied even in the otherness of the neighbor.

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1.  For a study guide, case studies, and the actual text of Luther’s treatise see https://www.elca500.org/
2.  Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian, The Annotated Luther Edition, Timothy J. Wengert, editor (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2016). 1517 Media has generously made this version available free of charge for ELCA members and congregations until December 2020.

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i. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_revolution_of_2011
ii. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-12407793
iii. For other examples of inter-religious encounters and collaborations see, Carol SChersten LaHurd, editor, Darrell Jodock and Kathryn Mary Lohre, consulting editors, Engaging Others Knowing Ourselves: A Lutheran Calling in a Multi-Religious World (Minneapolis: Lutheran University Press, 2016).

The Rev. Dr Carmelo Santos is Director of Theological Diversity and Ecumenical & Interreligious Engagement in the Office of the Presiding Bishop, ELCA.

He can be reached at Carmelo.Santos@elca.org

[Jesus] answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:27 (NRSV)

By Rev. Paul Gehrs

I write to you from Treaty 1 Territory: the land of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. I acknowledge that from time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have lived as stewards and defenders of this land; this work is ongoing. I am grateful every time Indigenous leaders welcome me to a place; usually this comes with encouragement for all on our spiritual journeys. The consistent message I hear from Indigenous leaders is that place is important, that every place has a history; and that the People and Nations who live in a place have a holistic and spiritual connection to the land.

Acknowledging traditional Indigenous territory is respectful and helps to start a gathering in a good way. For me, acknowledging territory is a liturgical and worshipful action. It grounds me in my current context: this time, this place, the need for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous Peoples, the need to address racism in all its forms, the need for healthy relationships with the Earth. It opens me to God’s call.

On September 27, 2019, I attended a local (Winnipeg) expression of the global strike for climate action. Primarily organized by young people, the event highlighted the urgency of the climate crisis and the urgent need for action. Thousands of people attended, including my daughter Emma, a teacher, who attended with her grade 10 students. Like many demonstrations, there was a march, speeches, music, photos posted to social media, and informal conversation.

The challenges of addressing climate justice can be overwhelming. We need to change practices and for various reasons, at different times, we are reluctant to adapt. There are those who benefit from the existing systems and actively resist change. The voices from the climate strike speaking of urgency continue to echo within me and to move me forward.

For me, the 2019 climate strike day began with an interfaith worship service. It was good to hear reflections from various faith groups. Intentional silence and prayer were moving. We need multiple faith traditions and spiritual practices to work together for climate justice.

In the midst of worship, I realised that part of what was giving meaning to this particular march was the presence of my daughter and her students. I certainly want to honour the presence of everyone who showed up; we need you all. Nevertheless, it was important for me to recognize that the presence of someone I care about and respect was helping me to be present at the climate strike in a deeper way.

I believe we need act for climate justice with our whole being. We need the resources of heart, soul, strength, mind, family and neighbours to continue the journey. Worship and prayer are practices that help me to be energized, grounded, creative and loving.

The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation. It runs from September 1 to October 4. Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed September 1 as a day of prayer for creation (World Day of Prayer for Creation, or Creation Day) for the Orthodox in 1989. Other Christian European churches embraced it in 2001 and Pope Francis for the Roman Catholic Church in 2015. Many traditions celebrate St. Francis of Assisi on October 4.  1

This year for Season of Creation, the presiding bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Episcopal Church (TEC), the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) have prepared a series of devotions to guide us in our journey through this season together.

These four churches share a sense of call to follow Jesus together in this part of the world where we live, serve, worship, witness and work for justice. Sometimes we call this Full Communion. Sometimes it feels like desperately trying to be the church in some small way. In prayer and conversation, we have a growing sense that ELCA, TEC, ACC and ELCIC need each other on the journey of discipleship.

These devotions are an invitation to enter more deeply into the Season of Creation and more hopefully into the journey of faithful discipleship. Thanks to Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Archbishop Linda Nicholls and National Bishop Susan Johnson for lifting up the Scriptures and encouraging us on our way.

1 www.seasonofcreation.org/about/

The Rev. Paul Gehrs serves as the Assistant to the Bishop, Justice and Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).