Lower Susquehanna Synod Assembly

Here we are at the LSS Assembly at Messiah College. The first (and nominating) ballot  for election of a bishop was announced this morning.  Guess what?  Former Zion pastor, LaDonna Thomas, received a nomination!  We've completed the first ballot for elections of synod leadership (Synod Council, synod committees, boards of related institutions) including the election of Synod Treasurer.  Synod Vice President, Lucinda Bringman,  brought the report of the  Year of Re-Formation of the synod.  Now, to the budget.  Passed with no discussion!  Of course there have been cuts to budget lines and to the staff of the synod during this year.  As a congregation of the LSS and, therefore, of the ELCA, Zion has been dedicated to providing support to the greater church ministries through our benevolence.  

BISHOP’S EASTER MESSAGE, 2013

Dear Co-laborers with Christ,
As I write this message on Monday in Holy Week, snow is falling outside my study window. This year, the turn of the season seems characterized primarily by winter’s refusal to let go. Although the lower Susquehanna Valley has repeatedly dodged the most severe snowstorms this year, there is still the longing on the part of many for spring to come. Punxsutawney Phil’s empty promise of an early spring seems a betrayal now, and for all the ambiguous predictions of the wooly bears and the Farmer’s Almanac, we are reminded that the weather will do what it will do, and there’s no doing anything about it.

The need to control, or at least predict, the future seems to be a part of human nature. Exponential expansion of technology contributes to this view of human power, increasingly making us lords over our environment. And indeed, we have accomplished much for the sake of the common good. As the future broke over the last generation, our quality of life became better and better, in ways previously unimaginable. But for all our ingenuity, there are areas of life that seem beyond our control: the weather, to be sure, but also human cruelty and death. We kill one another at an alarming rate, with firearms, to be sure, but finally any way we can. And, if we survive one another, the curtain of mortality finally closes on our little lives. It is a reality we cannot control. We are all terminal cases.

We were reminded of this at the beginning of Lent when oily ashes were smeared on our foreheads and we heard the jarring words, remember you are dust; to dust you will return. And if that stark declaration was somehow lost over the forty days, the cruelty of crucifixion hammers it home. Good Friday closed with a darkness more impenetrable than Tenebrae. We not only kill one another, we will kill God, if we can. As Saturday dawned with the bleakness of a winter that will not let go, it seemed as though we had.
Hopelessness, helplessness brought women to a tomb then, to complete an unfinished ritual. In that futile helplessness, hope was born. The distant triumph song sung by the prophets now became a symphony of promises fulfilled. The paths of glory lead beyond the grave.

This too is entirely beyond our control. This is a future that we can predict, if we trust in God’s promises, but we cannot bring about. God acts to bring new and eternal life into our future by conquering death in a way beyond our ability to act in our own behalf. Because of God’s powerful act, we can imagine and the world in a different way, not a theatre for the drama of cruel sin, but the playing field of God’s grace. Our struggle for human justice can become the in-breaking light of the resurrection promise, for it is finally God’s will that oppressors be overthrown and tyrants cast down; that the poor be given hope and the hungry fed. Our gifts, prayers, concerns, politics, all become windows to the resurrection light. Because the future does belong to God, we can live lives more open to new possibilities of forgiveness and reconciliation. The wounds of a broken heart can be healed, estranged families reconciled. Bitterness and betrayal, guilt and self-loathing are laid at the door of the empty tomb.

When we lay aside our need for control, we can see our lives in the context of God’s grace and suddenly the world is filled with hope. Each new day is an opportunity for God’s will to be done. In the light of Easter, God repairs God’s creation and gives us a second chance. And the winter of our discontent is made glorious summer by the Son of God.

May God’s blessings of lustrous hope rest with you this Easter and always.
Faithfully, your bishop,
+B. Penrose Hoover

No More Worship Wars!

"O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!  For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!"  Psalm 95:6-7 (NRSV)

When I opened my email inbox one day this week, I found two messages relating to the ongoing concerns and dissatisfaction about worship styles (Traditional VS Contemporary) and contents (hymns, liturgical choices, etc.).  The following is a portion of a carefully composed response to one of these messages. 

An overarching goal for my ministry is to lead Zion towards becoming and remaining a healthy congregation.  The "worship war" that seems to have embroiled this congregation for many years is truly unhealthy and not conducive to future growth and mission.  Isn't it time we pursue peace by acknowledging our unity in the midst of our diversity as a congregation?  Our Lutheran understanding of the Gospel is clear:  We are justified (saved) by grace through faith in Jesus Christ- apart from works of the law. (See Romans 3)   This Word of grace is what unities us.  Our worship- whatever form it takes--is a faith-full response to this word and the call to be witnesses to the Gospel.

 As both Dennis and I have said in our team meetings, we take a lot of time and care in choosing appropriate hymns/songs for worship at Zion.  Both of us strive  to enhance and support the scriptural focus of the day through the words of the music and other portions of the worship services.  To be sure, there are some hymns/songs we like better than others, but our personal preferences are secondary to the Word for the day. We are, also, both committed to providing meaningful, "relevant", and spiritually-empoweriing worship experiences for Zion- whether they be in traditional or contemporary format.  We have been willing to add time to our schedules for additional meetings  in order to listen and respond to the concerns, desires, and suggestions of those who attend each of the Sunday worship services.

For Lutherans, God's living word, found in the Holy Scriptures and made known through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is central to everything we do in worship, whether the style is "traditional" or "contemporary".  The scriptural foundation or bible passages to be focused upon (appointed lectionary, narrative lectionary or special theme) should form the basis of whatever we do in our worship- the music, the message, the prayers, etc.  We draw our understanding of God and what God desires of us from God's Word made known to us in Jesus Christ, and one aspect of our response is our worship.  Thus, the choice of praise songs, hymns, responsive prayers are in response to the scriptural message.  Not the other way around. 

It's true that in many contemporary worship settings (i.e., evangelical or nondenominational churches), the music IS the message for the day.  Like in Lutheran worship, the words of the songs and responses are chosen to fit the stated theme for the worship experience.  What is different in these settings is that usually this theme is decided first and then the scriptural underpinnings are chosen to fit the theme.   The positive side of this way of building a worship service is that the designers have the freedom to choose whatever theme or message they think is relevant to the needs of community and then find the scriptures to support this message/theme.  The negative side of this is that the foundation of worship is based first on what the leadership wants to say or thinks is important to get across to the listeners and not on interpretation of what God has to say through the scriptures.  

As you know, there are many scripture passages that can be taken out of context to support  viewpoints that are considered un-Christian today, (i.e., slavery, genocide) or that support the various sides of political and social debates. This process of biblical interpretation is known as  eisegesis, or: "an interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like,rather than the meaning of the text." (Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013. )

As a Lutheran pastor, I find it much more difficult and challenging to start with the scripture appointed or chosen for the day and prayerfully determine through exegesis ("critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible" Dictionary.com Unabridged  Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013. ) what message God has for us today.  Do my personal opinions and biases influence what I say?  Of course they do because I am merely a sinful, selfish human being.  However, I try very hard to set aside my own "stuff" and focus on what I hear God saying trusting in the Lord's forgiveness when I fail. 

I do appreciate the concern that we are clear about our purpose and goal for worship.  I do hear and understand the desire for us to be honest about our commitment to how we reach out through the styles of worship or liturgy we choose to use.  I am thrilled with what both the Traditional and  the Contemporary task forces are doing to enhance our worship life at Zion.  I'm excited about the plans that are being made for the 10:30 service on Easter Sunday.

I am saddened, however, that we continue to spend so much of our ministry time and energy arguing and complaining about "styles" of worship and music and so little focus on the One whom we worship, the attitudes that we bring to our worship  and the witness that we are called to bring about this One, Jesus Christ, to those who are more interested in hearing a message to help them to get through the next day than they are about the type of songs we sing on Sunday mornings.  

Please, let's be less adversarial and strive to lift up the unity we share in the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.  As Paul wrote, we are all one in the body of Christ.  As we move into the season of Lent, let us all pray for forgiveness for our lack of tolerance and understanding for each other.  Let us ask that God help us to focus on the purpose of our worship and not on our personal preferences for music and styles. Let us pray that our worship services, although different in style, can become a unified expression of our gratitude for what God has given us as individuals and as a community of faith instead of a means of dividing us. 

To Christ alone be the glory!

Pastor JMe

Jesus' Birthday Wish List

I really appreciated Kevin Alton's article on "Ministry Matters."  Perhaps it will be a thought-provoker for you.  Click on the link to read it.

Ministry Matters™ | Articles | Jesus' Birthday Wish List

An article that I wish I had written

http://draughtingtheology.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/why-im-grieving-election-day/

It's Okay to be Different

The devotional below was included in a blog article of "In the Meantime" by David Lose.  I receive Dr. Lose's weekly blog posts by email.  As one who has always struggled with the consequences of being "different,"  this was a wonderful reminder that being different is okay.  Thought I'd share this ray of light with you.

Philippians 2:14-16

Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:13 AM PDT

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
It’s okay to be different.
That’s a message we’ve tried to share with our kids. It’s okay to be different when you believe different is the right thing to be. That’s not always an easy thing to hold on to when your peers are doing something you don’t really want to do. The pressure to fit in, to be accepted, can be so strong.
And this isn’t just my kids, or yours, or restricted to adolescence at all. It’s a struggle for adults – for us – too. Which is why Paul writes the Philippians and encourages them to be different. Don’t murmur; don’t argue; get along; care for each other; hold on to each other. Be different.
We call this kind of encouragement “exhortation,” and by that we usually mean urging someone to do what is right. But it’s more than just a morality thing; it’s also an identity thing.
Keep in mind what Paul has just been talking about. He’s urged the Philippians to adopt the mindset, attitude, and stance of Jesus, the one who gave up all for the sake of love, love for us. More than that, Paul’s urged them to accept God’s invitation be loved, renewed, and transformed. And now he’s encouraging them to remember who they are – not children of the world, with no hope but to run after acceptance by fitting in, by doing whatever everyone else is doing simply because everyone else is doing it.
Rather, they are children of God. And so he invites them to be different because they are different – adopted and blessed by God and intended to shine like stars by their willingness to share love when the world says hold back, to work for peace when the world urges war, and to seek reconciliation when the world wants to divide everyone into sides.
Be different because you are different. Be different because you are God’s beloved children. Be different to make me, Paul, proud. Be different because you might inspire others to be different too. Be different, finally, because you can.
The funny thing is, of course, that when my kids, or you and me, or the Philippians dare to be different, we discover that different is often just what the world needs.
Prayer: Dear God, remind us of who we are – your beloved and oh so different children, created in your image and destined to shine like stars as we share your love for the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Clergy Appreciation Month Thank You

“We believe that the concept of clergy appreciation started with the Apostle Paul as he was establishing the first Christian churches. In 1 Timothy, he wrote, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching" (1 Tim. 5:17). And, in 1 Thessalonians, he said, "Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work" (1 Thess. 5:12-13).”

(from http://www.thrivingpastor.org/cam/a000001811.cfm)

Thank you for making the month of October very special! I certainly feel appreciated as your pastor.  The delicious red velvet cake on Oct. 7, the lovely peace lily plant by the altar in the middle of the month, and the box full of cards, notes, drawings and gift cards on Oct. 28 were all very kind and thoughtful surprises.  I was humbled by these gestures from this wonderful congregation knowing that there are many pastors whose congregations do little or nothing to show appreciation for their ministry.  I feel very blessed to be pastor of Zion.

Being the inquisitive person I am, I thought I’d find out just where the idea of “Clergy Appreciation Month” came from.  The quote above is from the Thriving Pastor website was included in an article about the designation of October as a month to show appreciation for the work of ordained parish pastors and ministry staff.  I learned that, beginning in 1994, Focus on The Family ministries was involved in organizing and promoting what is now known as “Clergy Appreciation Month.”  The website even includes a 14-page manual to assist congregations in planning clergy and ministry staff appreciation events.   Of course, the article emphasizes the scriptural foundation of showing appreciation for ministry leaders throughout the year.

Members of Zion congregation have certainly modeled what Paul wrote- not only during the past month but also throughout the months I have been serving here.  Even when there have been differences of opinion or vision for the congregation between members and myself, there has been a sense of respect for each other and for the partnership we share in Christ’s ministry.  Oh, there have been challenging times, of course, but in the midst of these times, there also have been words, notes and actions of care and appreciation.  Many cards and notes I have received are kept in my “smile file” in case I need a quick “pick up” when ministry challenges overwhelm me. 

To repeat what I said to the worshiping community on Sunday, Oct. 28: “I appreciate you!”   Zion is an exciting and wonderful congregation to serve as pastor.  We have a lot of work to do together, with God’s help, in order to grow our ministries to meet the needs of our community.  I am convinced that the Spirit is leading us to be “the church that feeds the community” through worship, faith formation, and service in Jesus’ name.   I feel honored to have been called to share in Christ’s ministry with you!