Hoy te damos gracias, Dios, por el sentido de humor de mis compañeros de trabajo. Cuando escuché que necesito una bolsa de dormir cuando visitamos una congregación esta fin de semana, he preguntado en broma si fue un hotel de cuatro estrellas. Él respondió, “De mil estrellas,” y me envió este foto. ¿En qué me he metido? Amén.
Today we thank you, O God, for my colleagues’ senses of humor. When I heard I’d need a sleeping bag for this weekend’s congregation visit, I jokingly asked if it was a 4-star hotel. He responded, “No, a million stars,” and sent this photo. What have I gotten myself into? Amen.
I am a Confessional Lutheran.
Today, a Lutheran pastor colleague asked me, with some timidity, if I would have joined her at a Holy Week Eucharist put on by the Methodist Church. Originally, she had been asked to offer one of the readings, but at the last minute, was pulled into the celebration of Holy Communion. She “had fun,” but wasn’t so sure about the theology behind it—or at least, what I would think.
We teach and believe, along with our Lutheran forebears, that, “to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.”1 But we certainly know that there are many, many things regarding which we disagree with the Methodists. Clearly, the church does not have real, true unity between the two groups.
And yet we are also told that “both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered by evil men.”2 I’m not sure it would be fair to call our Methodist brothers and sisters “evil men.” But if sharing the Sacrament with even truly evil people—or even an evil presider—does not reduce its efficacy, certainly a Methodist wouldn’t ruin it either. Thinking this is an ancient heresy called Donatism.
Now, some would say that Holy Communion is a symbol of Christian unity, and since we are not united, we should not come to the table together. But notice the word “effectual” in the previous quote. The Sacrament of Holy communion is not just a symbol. It has effect. If it is involved in Christian unity, as has been suggested since time immemorial3, it cannot be only a sign of unity. It is instead a means by which God brings us into unity.
But should we do it? “Now the body of Christ can never be an unfruitful, vain thing, that effects or profits nothing.”4 When we join in Holy Communion with Methodists or others, we affirm that while there are many things still dividing us, we desire unity. This desire is rooted in that of St. Paul, “Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment,”5 and especially of Jesus, “Holy Father, keep them in your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.”6 If Christ himself has that desire, and we do anything to work toward it, surely he will delight in us.
Not, of course, that joining with non-Lutherans in Holy Communion is a work that we do in order to promote unity. But rather, it is what God does in and through us; in, with, and under the Sacrament, to bring us together according to his promise. Unless we believe that the sacraments have no actual effect, but are only signs and symbols, then it is not only acceptable to share Communion with others—it is imperative. And when we do so, when we are able to come to sufficient agreements with other types of believers so that we can join at table, we are celebrating the work, not of ourselves, but of the Holy Spirit active in our world, opposing violence and injustice, and bringing peace.
I confess, with five centuries of God’s people, a faith that is rooted not in policing rules or creating divisions, but in God’s grace and love. And although Fundamentalist Lutherans have tried to steal the word “confessional,” it is no less true. They are welcome to confess their piles of words, but I am a Confessional Lutheran. I confess the living Jesus Christ, and I cannot be stopped.
Quotes from the Lutheran Confessions are taken from the 1917 Triglott Concordia edition. Bible quotations are modernized from the American Standard Version. I’ve chosen these, mainly, because they are in the public domain.
Día de los Ramos — Lucas 19.29–40
Iglesia Luterana El Sinai, Rio Seco, El Alto
Si hubieran sabido qué tipo de mesías es Jesús…
Llegué hace dos meses en La Paz y ya me estoy enamorando de ella. Una de las cosas que me gusta más hacer aquí, aunque parezca una tontería, es montar en el teleférico. Desde arriba, incluso las peores partes de la ciudad parecen hermosas. Y la vista de las montañas, las colinas verdes y grises y marrones más cerca, y el esplendor de los casquetes de nieve alejado… Creo que nunca me acostumbraré a ello.
Continue readingPalm Sunday — Luke 19:29–40
El Sinai Lutheran Church, Rio Seco Neighborhood, El Alto, Bolivia
This sermon was originally delivered in Spanish—my first sermon in the language! If you want to read it in the original language, check out the language buttons at the top of the page.
If they had known what kind of messiah Jesus is…
I have been in La Paz now for two months, and I’m really falling in love with it. One of my favorite things to do here, silly as it might sound, is ride the teleférico, the mass-transit gondola. From the heights, even the worst parts of the city appear beautiful. And the view of the mountains, the green and grey and brown hills in the foreground, and the splendor of the snow caps in the background… I don’t think I will ever get used to it.
Continue readingHoy te damos gracias, Dios, por el don de crema bloqueadora solar. Por supuesto que sí, está la media del verano en un latitud trópico aquí. El sol sí puede quemarme los brazos incluso cuando está fría en las montañas. Tal vez aprenderé algún día. Amén.
Today we thank you, O God, for the gift of sunscreen. After all, it’s the middle of summer in a tropical latitude here. Just because it’s chilly in the mountains, doesn’t mean I won’t get a sunburn. Maybe someday I’ll learn. Amen.
Ahora que me mudé a Bolivia desde hace unos diez días, ¡aquí hay una hermosa noticia sobre mi salud intestinal que nunca pediste!
Sí, me estoy asegurando MUY bien de que nunca estoy a más de veinte pasos de un baño.
No, no fue la ensalada que comí el otro día. El matemático está claro. Conté los días, y la ensalada era demasiados días tempranos. Gracias a Dios, porque era INCREÍBLE y la quiero de nuevo. Ahora mismo. Y por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.
Sí, es mi culpa. Me he hecho esto a mí mismo, y no se me debería permitir acercarme a una cocina de nuevo.
Sí, esas hamburguesas de pollo ERAN raras. Quiero decir, había otras cosas que podrían ser, pero esa es mi mejor suposición por ahora. Me aseguraré de enjuagar mi arroz en el futuro, sin embargo, también.
No, no tengo fiebre, ni escalofríos, ni sangre, ni ninguno de los otros encantadores síntomas de un caso grave de… bueno, la información que me dio el médico del viaje decía que debería desaparecer por sí solo en los próximos días como máximo. Tal vez hoy mismo. ¡Alabaré!
No, no era un síntoma cuando me desperté gritando y asusté al gato en medio de un mal sueño seriamente extraño. Creo. ¿Conoces esa escena horrible de Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn? Bueno, imagina eso, pero… Vale, no importa, lo siento, eso fue más horrible que hablar de caca.
Oh, Dios, el olor, sin embargo. No puedo volver a mostrar mi cara en público. LO SABRÁN.
De todos modos, es desagradable, pero no vale la pena preocuparse. Esta vez.
Sí, el médico de viaje me ha recetado antibióticos por si merece la pena preocuparse. Los tengo ya.
Sí, tendré más cuidado en el futuro. Pensaba que lo estaba haciendo bastante bien, hirviendo toda el agua y demás. ¡Habilidades transferibles de mi tiempo en Malasia! Premio por el sudeste asiático.
Sí, también estoy hirviendo el agua del gato. Ese es un olor con el que NO quiero lidiar.
No, no tuve que preocuparme por los productos frescos en Asia. ¡Esta es una de las cosas nuevas y emocionantes de Sudamérica que puedo aprender!
Sí, estoy reponiendo mis electrolitos o lo que sea. Gracias, Kathy Mills, por enseñarme cómo hacerlo. Mmmm, agua salada y azucarada. Hervida, por supuesto.
En conclusión,
Imágenes de Axios.com; Sofiaalpaso.com; Paramount, obviamente; y Zillow.com
Now that I’ve moved to Bolivia and been here for about ten days, here is some lovely information about my intestinal health that you never asked for!
In conclusion,
Images from Axios.com; Sofiaalpaso.com; Paramount, obviuosly; and Zillow.com
The first legislative bill I’ve ever read was today’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. It was introduced by Rep. Jim McGovern from my past home state of Massachusetts, and Rep. Marco Rubio of Florida helped to rewrite it so it could pass through the House. This bill treats foreign economic policy with the People’s Republic of China, and I would think this would make it a highly contentious piece of legislation. But while I have no doubt there was some contention behind the scenes, all 435 representatives in my nation’s Lower House, regardless of their political party, voted in favor of it. In such a polarized time, it is surprising to me to see this kind of unanimous decision. It is now expected to pass the Senate, and President Biden’s administration has indicated his promise to sign it.
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