Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen
The Third Article
of the Apostle’s Creed reads:
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy
catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
What is this? or What does this mean?
In Luther’s Small Catechism he offers the
following explanation:
I
believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus
Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me
through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in
the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole
Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common,
true faith. Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives
all sins—mine and those of all believers. On the last day the Holy Spirit will
raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ
eternal life.
This is most certainly true.
Last week I was
privileged to be able to attend our Synod’s Assembly in Boise.
Bishop Kristin
opened the Assembly with a sermon in which she focused on the Assembly theme,
“We walk together.”
“We walk together.”
We live in a time
and in a world where there are all sorts of things that would divide us and
tear us apart.
But over and
against all of those things that would divide us is the work of the Holy Spirit
that unites us.
“We walk
together, or we do not walk at all.”
“We walk
together, or we do not walk at all.”
The Creeds of the
Christian Church teach us that to believe in the Holy Spirit, is to believe in
the “holy catholic church, the communion of saints, and the forgiveness of
sins.”
This declaration
of our faith means that we do not believe alone, we do not act alone, we do not
stand alone.
It is always side
by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ that “we live and move and have
our being.”
The faith we hold
is not our own.
Luther states “that by my own understanding or strength I
cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him.”
We are not here
because we are such good people.
We are not here
because we are in some ways morally superior to all others.
We are not here
because we are smarter or stronger that other people.
We are here
because of the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit
has called me through the Gospel.
The Holy Spirit
has enlightened me with his gifts.
The Holy Spirit
has made me holy.
The Holy Spirit
has kept me in the true faith.
And then comes
perhaps the most important words of all in Luther’s explanation:
“Just as”.
“Just as”.
“.
. . just as the Holy Spirit calls, gathers,
enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it
with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.”
We are here, in
this Church, because of the work of the Holy Spirit.
And so also, our
brothers and sisters in Christ are here, in this Church, because of the work of
the same Holy Spirit.
And this is the
thing, Bishop Kristin pointed out.
We do not get to
decide who belongs to the Church.
We do not get to
decide who our brothers and sisters in Christ are.
That decision is
far above our pay grade.
That decision is
the Holy Spirit’s, and the Holy Spirit’s alone.
We walk together
or we do not walk at all.
One of the beautiful
signs of our unity in Christ at the Assembly was the worship, where we were led
by a group called “Glocal”, who shared with us a broad range of music from
around the world.
Also, present
throughout the Assembly were our partners from the Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
It was a
wonderful reminder that this faith we share is not our own, but rather the work
of the Holy Spirit throughout the world.
We live in highly
divisive times, yet it is the Holy Spirit that unites us in the one true faith
and calls us to loving service for the sake of the world.
For me one of the
most moving parts of the whole assembly was a presentation offered by a
representative of the “Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services”.
I think what was
most moving about that is that in the face of one of the most divisive issues
in our time, the Spirit is working to bring healing and hope.
As you all know
there is a struggle in Latin America and as a result, at our southern border.
Wave after wave
of people have come to our border seeking asylum from the conflicts that have
endangered them in their homelands.
One of the most
controversial things that our Administration has done in response to this
influx of immigrants seeking refuge, is to separate the children from their
parents while they are held in detention centers at the border.
This has created
a problem for the Federal Government.
Thousands upon
thousands of children are in custody, and there was not in place a well thought
out plan about how to reunite the children with their parents when the time
came.
So you know what
the Administration has done?
They have turned
to us.
Specifically they
have called in Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services to help reunite these
families, help them through this time of transition, and assist them in getting
settled while they await the outcome of their legal proceedings.
They turned to us
because of our expertise.
I quote from
their website:
For
almost 80 years, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has been a champion
for migrants and refugees from around the globe. Our legacy of courageous and
compassionate service has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of
thousands of people who have sought safety and hope in America’s communities.
Our history reflects American Lutherans’ deep immigrant roots and passionate
commitment to welcoming newcomers, especially those who are most in need. In
partnership with community-based legal and social service providers nationwide,
LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in
America.
Informed by our Lutheran faith and decades
of experience with migrants and refugees, we have responded to people caught in
conflict and facing persecution. We have developed new service programs,
birthed new service organizations, and influenced public policy in the best
interests of those we serve.
Imagine for a moment, that you’re a child
separated from your family, in a completely new country, surrounded by people
who are speaking a language you can’t understand. At LIRS, we see the courage
and resilience of children who are faced with this situation every day — and we
work diligently to protect these children and reunite them with loved ones as
quickly as possible.
Through our network of trusted community
partners, LIRS provides assistance to the U.S. government to identify family
members in the country and ensure that children in our care are safely released
to loved ones who are well-equipped to care for them. After families have been
reunified, we provide extended support to particularly vulnerable families as
they adjust to life together and navigate the immigration system.
That’s one of the
things many people don’t know about the Lutheran Church.
Quietly, we have
served our neighbor by welcoming the stranger and giving them a hope for a new
tomorrow.
Refugees from the
world wars of the last century.
A massive
resettlement program during the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
And now,
assisting the Trump Administration to reunite and resettle the immigrants that
have come to us seeking refuge.
This is the work
of our Church.
Guided by the
Holy Spirit, and enlisted by our Federal Government, we seek to provide a
welcome to the stranger and hope to the hopeless.
And this we do in
the name of Christ and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We walk together,
or we do not walk at all.
Amen
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