Pastor’s Corner

FROM THE PASTOR

 

God’s grace be with you.

I would be remiss in my duties as your pastor to ignore the recent and current turmoil in our United States of America with a new sitting President and a very active Cabinet.  There is consternation and fear and confusion among many, even great anger, over the rapidly moving reversal of many policies guiding our government and revelations of government spending.  Even some of our own Lutheran ministries are under scrutiny by the Department of Government Efficiency arousing strong reactions across the board.

Every law-abiding citizen of the United States has the Constitutional freedom to decide how to vote, protest, protect, and even remain silent from one presidency to the next.  And even though I might have my own certain Constitutionally protected political perspective, it is not my purpose or call as a pastor to make you commit to a certain political view as that would be an abuse of my pastoral authority.  For me, you are each a child of God with unique gifts, abilities, and world views that are vital for the work of the church in the life of our country and world.

My role as your pastor is to uphold the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ our Lord who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”  It is my responsibility to remind us all that Christ stood not only before the Roman Governor Pilate (representing the governments of this world), but that Jesus also stood in front of the religious leaders of his time who incited false accusations, encouraged the beating of Jesus, and essentially incited a riot calling for his crucifixion.  As Jesus our Lord stood as “truth itself” before Pilate, the haunting question raised from Pilate’s lips resounds from age to age: “What is truth?”  Certainly, the consternation and anger and fear, etc. in our recent years here in America is the result of our inability to adequately answer, or even come to some civil discussion or consensus on, this question…whether it be about who Jesus is, what news source is better than another, or which political party is more correct, etc.  The cross of Christ judges all of this and us as it stands above the fray of this world.

That being said, allow me to ask you two more questions as we try to allow Christ to speak truth into our world.  First, how would you answer this question: What is liberty?  Probably most people would answer that liberty is my ability and freedom to do whatever I want.  But then how would you answer this question:  What is anarchy?  Hmmm.  As a pastor for 35, almost 36 years, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people say, “Well, because Jesus died for my sins and he welcomes all people, then I can…”  You fill in the blank.  When it comes to Jesus, is any response, and how we act on it, “liberty” or “anarchy” standing before the Lord of life?  How do we determine one from the other as we live and speak as Christians in the world?

The Gospel teaches us that we are set free to be disciples acting freely in the life of the world on behalf of Jesus, because he died for our sins and has been raised from the dead with the hope of everlasting life.  “The truth will set you free.”  However, this does not mean “everything goes out the window” when it comes to accountability, morality, and faith-filled living, most particularly for God’s people.  Jesus is our plumb line for truth.  He is our plumb line for measuring our actions and morality.  He is our plumb line who judges whether we are living in “liberty” or in “anarchy.”  Jesus is the apolitical truth in opposition to the forces of this world which attack us on all sides at all times to pull us away from him, whether it is political, moral, or religious in nature.

So, how do we remain faithful to Christ?  We need to always remember that our liberty in Christ is rooted in love of God and love of neighbor…the two great commandments.  Thus, our liberty is not determined by our politics and the extreme mood swings our nation is currently experiencing.  Please read 1 Corinthians 13 on the great gift of love.  Paul nails it perfectly for a fractured church, and even for a fractured nation.  If love and forgiveness is at the heart of our Gospel…if Jesus is truly our/your Lord of life and truth…if we realize and take to heart that living in “liberty” is really rooted in the love of God and neighbor as described in 1 Corinthians 13…then there is stability and hope and a new understanding of truth necessary for us to weather through our nation’s current circumstances, whether it be political, moral, or religious.

Part of that truth is trusting the system of checks and balances set forth in the Constitution of the United States.  The Constitution of the United States is a brilliant outline for government to prevent absolute tyranny and to preserve our liberties, even if it doesn’t seem perfect at times.  Although there have been frustrations, concerns, anger, and insecurity throughout my life living as a United States citizen under the political and social swings throughout history, there have also been joys, security, and even appropriate prosperity.  Many people have shared with me over the years, and this is also my experience, that no matter who has been President, or which political party has been in control of Congress, my day-to-day life has never really been significantly affected, destroyed, or inhibited.  That does not mean there are not people who experience otherwise then or now…people for whom we must stand up for if they cannot…but generally, life goes on for a greater majority of people.

Is this because of living “liberty” or “anarchy” alone as secularly answered?  Is it demanding that one political or social view is better than another?  The answer is “NO!” to both questions.  The answer lies in the trust and belief that God is active in the life of the world to bring about a new creation, leading us to acts of mercy, justice and righteousness as God’s people who are free from the constraints of this world because Christ is Lord, and him alone.  It is trusting that God balances the scales of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as he transforms and guides specifically his people in the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus Christ our Lord.  His Word is our life.  His Word lays full claim on our lives.  His Word commands specific reactions and responses to the ever-changing forces of this world.  How we respond makes all the difference in the world, now and for the future. We must constantly ask ourselves if it is Christ who we proclaim in word and deed, and in Word and Sacrament as the church, when we wrestle with political, moral, and religious issues facing our nation.

Choose wisely this day whom you will serve…the political and other forces/idols of this world that try to lay claim on your heart and mind, or Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life and who informs, comments and judges on all things in life.  As for me and my house, we choose the Lord and giver of life, Jesus Christ, the true Son of God and Savior of the world…the ONLY ONE who brings true peace to our lives.  The path of carrying the cross and following Jesus into all truth is rarely easy, but it is always necessary.

In Christ’s love and peace,

Pastor Steiner