Call for Change, In Response to the ELCA Women's Conference
Preface: This gets sermon-like...it's just how my heart responded.
In Response to the Women’s Theological Conference
January 24, 2009 & January 30, 2009
The Transformative Lutheran Theologies Conference on Womenist, Feminist, and Mujerista Lutheran Perspectives in Chicago last weekend was overwhelming. I had no idea what to expect, but it was definitely more than whatever I thought I was getting myself into. It was advocacy, justice, paradigmatic theology, process theology, network, intergenerational, multicultural, bold, queer, international, counter-system, hope for change. I learned how to live out my convictions, what it means to have faith OF the cross, who we are as a church, in flesh. Life comes from you, living in the flesh, responsibly, serving justice through love, listening, naming, partnering.
Nine women delivered theological papers at the conference, and we took breaks to have group discussion and question their theological perspectives. The conference was not just for women, there were several men. There were many young adults, lay people, church staff workers, pastors, and teachers. Out of the twenty bishops invited, only one came for the entirety of the conference. Bishop Hanson was there too to open the conference. We were not sure what to expect, but we loved what happened. We found inspiration in ways to change, ways to live out God’s vision. The well of opportunity for change is deep – it is our baptism that carries us.
There were many questions to ask, and hold ourselves accountable to. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda asked, What does it mean for the ELCA to be/become multi-cultural, to be gender-open and open to sexual orientations? It means change. We can write it down on paper, but it still hasn’t it happened. If we already achieved respectful change, amazing women like Alicia Vargas, a Latina Mujerista ordained pastor of the ELCA, would have been called into a pulpit 17 years ago. Leaders, lay people, church members - Have we initiated change in our committees and boards, in our community, and in ourselves? Are we waiting acquiescently for change to come to our door, for Jesus to return and tell us all straight? Do we fear the system and serve the system – or resist? I can understand what Cynthia Moe-Lobeda is upset about if the system, the American code, including the ELCA corporate identity, perpetuates a “collective sin,” which is just the truth - the fruit of our table is farmed with the bloody hands of tired workers without enough food to live. God is weeping.
This is what I heard:
Brothers and sisters and others in Christ,
Become brothers and sisters OF Christ, and follow the call to life. God’s vision is justice as Jesus Christ taught us to live actively through love. Even the deepest gratitude will not heal the brokenness in the world, nor ameliorate the situation (not even your own). We have abused the grace of God by living in a passive state of helplessness, indifference, oblivion. Yes, we should be, and are grateful that God has granted us to live comfortably. But gratitude has become abused to concealing our passivity.
We built the church on Christ, like a rock, yes, but we seem to have hearts as heavy as stone – passive and stubborn. God has flooded us with opportunities for calls to action, yet we sit still in our country parishes and suburban homes as the weeping waters flow over our head. There is a tide of change coming. The rock is only a safe home if the water level stays low – that day might come, when we can live our daily life knowing that the rest of the world is safe, fed, loved. The system we live in now tells us to keep living our daily life, to keep quiet within the system, and let others learn how to swim on their own.
It’s time to resist the norm, it’s important to resist the status quo of the privileged over the unfortunate. A prisoner in the Tower of London spent 17 prophetic years scratching “RESIST” into her stone cell wall. The tears of suffering, pain and waiting are now carving away at this rock, the church.
As stewards of God’s creation, we are responsible to do our best to protect all life. God’s vision of creation lives out in the ethics of Christ. Have we been holding ourselves accountable? Right now I’m asking only about the nuance manifestations of change…Can we call your spouse a partner without feeling uncomfortable using LGBT+ vernacular? Can we become comfortable living sustainable, within our means, conscientious of every consequence of consumption? Would we all consider calling a pastor of different gender or race, or both, or with a different sexual orientation into your pulpit? Do we have to be colorblind to worship in a diverse congregation, or can we accept and celebrate the differences in life? I hope these questions strike familiar notes, but like a double-edged sword, I’m afraid that we’ve heard these questions many times, but have to keep hearing them over and over again. How many times will we hear God ask us to go before we finally go?
The world is full of opportunities for change. To tell stories of hope and inspiration, share faith, advocate for social justice, volunteer, live self-sustainably, group with neighbors and partner with communities, go counter system, be obnoxious about it, it’s okay. If you’re feeling helpless and overwhelmed about how much help the world needs, remember, the end of the story is going to be good, it’s a promise and it’s yours. Own it.
It all starts with love, serve justice through love. That’s the easiest and essential step. Love! Love as Christ loved. Love means everyone, specifically for who they are. Love life by singing and dancing, telling stories of hope, of God, of love. Be boldly you! We can all do this, wherever we are in the system – in the center of privilege or on the margins of humanity. Try to hold others accountable to love, in small ways, daily, in big ways too. It’s hard, but you’ll have to accept being obnoxious. The Christian ethic IS counter-system, it’s not selfish, nor proud. With the more power and privilege you have, the more humility and responsibility you inherit. Are you in the center of power? Do you have the courage to be bold and de-center yourself, de-center the white norm, de-center the system? Try to be open to change. Change doesn’t mean “good for me,” but rather “good for the church,” or better yet, “good for the world.” Change takes time; it’s uncomfortable at first, but it becomes habit soon enough. We are creatures of habit, tending to retreat into our comfortable ways, but God gave us great hope - our faith is also a conviction, to help God’s vision see life.
This is not the time to be passive. The wave of change is here, and our church does not have to sink. We don't have time to sit and wait at the foot of the cross for Jesus to come and rescue us, or others, from the margins. We must stand up for what we believe in. take up the cross and bring out the justice of Jesus Christ.
Cast your stones away*
If it sounds harsh, I'm sorry, I really am. It is an overwhelming question and it makes me feel pretty small when I read that through over and over. I didn't have to go through the pain and suffering I know others do. I don't even feel like it's my place to serve for justice actively because I'd be awkwardly working from the center, in the margins...what a paradox! Marit Trelstad offered encouragement to live with as many paradoxes as possible before exploding. Is that one of the paradoxes she was thinking about? Will I really make a difference? It is so important to remember, especially as we begin Lent soon, that like the cross marked on our foreheads as the cross in our heart, we cannot see our own, only the cross on others'. Brought to life, we are brought into relationship with the rest of the world. God was there to receive us with love. It's our turn to love him as loving life. Love all of life...that seems easy enough.
What does collective change mean to you? personal change?
*Alan Storey, a Methodist pastor from South Africa read Daniel Erlander's Manna and Mercy, liked it a lot, and explains how Jesus asked us to throw our stones down, save the woman from justice of the law which said she should be killed. Jesus came to save us from our own justice, the laws we have created externally and reabsorbed internally as nature. Jesus reminds me to set the system aside and just live...just do it, go ahead and love, whatever that means.
In Response to the Women’s Theological Conference
January 24, 2009 & January 30, 2009
The Transformative Lutheran Theologies Conference on Womenist, Feminist, and Mujerista Lutheran Perspectives in Chicago last weekend was overwhelming. I had no idea what to expect, but it was definitely more than whatever I thought I was getting myself into. It was advocacy, justice, paradigmatic theology, process theology, network, intergenerational, multicultural, bold, queer, international, counter-system, hope for change. I learned how to live out my convictions, what it means to have faith OF the cross, who we are as a church, in flesh. Life comes from you, living in the flesh, responsibly, serving justice through love, listening, naming, partnering.
Nine women delivered theological papers at the conference, and we took breaks to have group discussion and question their theological perspectives. The conference was not just for women, there were several men. There were many young adults, lay people, church staff workers, pastors, and teachers. Out of the twenty bishops invited, only one came for the entirety of the conference. Bishop Hanson was there too to open the conference. We were not sure what to expect, but we loved what happened. We found inspiration in ways to change, ways to live out God’s vision. The well of opportunity for change is deep – it is our baptism that carries us.
There were many questions to ask, and hold ourselves accountable to. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda asked, What does it mean for the ELCA to be/become multi-cultural, to be gender-open and open to sexual orientations? It means change. We can write it down on paper, but it still hasn’t it happened. If we already achieved respectful change, amazing women like Alicia Vargas, a Latina Mujerista ordained pastor of the ELCA, would have been called into a pulpit 17 years ago. Leaders, lay people, church members - Have we initiated change in our committees and boards, in our community, and in ourselves? Are we waiting acquiescently for change to come to our door, for Jesus to return and tell us all straight? Do we fear the system and serve the system – or resist? I can understand what Cynthia Moe-Lobeda is upset about if the system, the American code, including the ELCA corporate identity, perpetuates a “collective sin,” which is just the truth - the fruit of our table is farmed with the bloody hands of tired workers without enough food to live. God is weeping.
This is what I heard:
Brothers and sisters and others in Christ,
Become brothers and sisters OF Christ, and follow the call to life. God’s vision is justice as Jesus Christ taught us to live actively through love. Even the deepest gratitude will not heal the brokenness in the world, nor ameliorate the situation (not even your own). We have abused the grace of God by living in a passive state of helplessness, indifference, oblivion. Yes, we should be, and are grateful that God has granted us to live comfortably. But gratitude has become abused to concealing our passivity.
We built the church on Christ, like a rock, yes, but we seem to have hearts as heavy as stone – passive and stubborn. God has flooded us with opportunities for calls to action, yet we sit still in our country parishes and suburban homes as the weeping waters flow over our head. There is a tide of change coming. The rock is only a safe home if the water level stays low – that day might come, when we can live our daily life knowing that the rest of the world is safe, fed, loved. The system we live in now tells us to keep living our daily life, to keep quiet within the system, and let others learn how to swim on their own.
It’s time to resist the norm, it’s important to resist the status quo of the privileged over the unfortunate. A prisoner in the Tower of London spent 17 prophetic years scratching “RESIST” into her stone cell wall. The tears of suffering, pain and waiting are now carving away at this rock, the church.
As stewards of God’s creation, we are responsible to do our best to protect all life. God’s vision of creation lives out in the ethics of Christ. Have we been holding ourselves accountable? Right now I’m asking only about the nuance manifestations of change…Can we call your spouse a partner without feeling uncomfortable using LGBT+ vernacular? Can we become comfortable living sustainable, within our means, conscientious of every consequence of consumption? Would we all consider calling a pastor of different gender or race, or both, or with a different sexual orientation into your pulpit? Do we have to be colorblind to worship in a diverse congregation, or can we accept and celebrate the differences in life? I hope these questions strike familiar notes, but like a double-edged sword, I’m afraid that we’ve heard these questions many times, but have to keep hearing them over and over again. How many times will we hear God ask us to go before we finally go?
The world is full of opportunities for change. To tell stories of hope and inspiration, share faith, advocate for social justice, volunteer, live self-sustainably, group with neighbors and partner with communities, go counter system, be obnoxious about it, it’s okay. If you’re feeling helpless and overwhelmed about how much help the world needs, remember, the end of the story is going to be good, it’s a promise and it’s yours. Own it.
It all starts with love, serve justice through love. That’s the easiest and essential step. Love! Love as Christ loved. Love means everyone, specifically for who they are. Love life by singing and dancing, telling stories of hope, of God, of love. Be boldly you! We can all do this, wherever we are in the system – in the center of privilege or on the margins of humanity. Try to hold others accountable to love, in small ways, daily, in big ways too. It’s hard, but you’ll have to accept being obnoxious. The Christian ethic IS counter-system, it’s not selfish, nor proud. With the more power and privilege you have, the more humility and responsibility you inherit. Are you in the center of power? Do you have the courage to be bold and de-center yourself, de-center the white norm, de-center the system? Try to be open to change. Change doesn’t mean “good for me,” but rather “good for the church,” or better yet, “good for the world.” Change takes time; it’s uncomfortable at first, but it becomes habit soon enough. We are creatures of habit, tending to retreat into our comfortable ways, but God gave us great hope - our faith is also a conviction, to help God’s vision see life.
This is not the time to be passive. The wave of change is here, and our church does not have to sink. We don't have time to sit and wait at the foot of the cross for Jesus to come and rescue us, or others, from the margins. We must stand up for what we believe in. take up the cross and bring out the justice of Jesus Christ.
Cast your stones away*
If it sounds harsh, I'm sorry, I really am. It is an overwhelming question and it makes me feel pretty small when I read that through over and over. I didn't have to go through the pain and suffering I know others do. I don't even feel like it's my place to serve for justice actively because I'd be awkwardly working from the center, in the margins...what a paradox! Marit Trelstad offered encouragement to live with as many paradoxes as possible before exploding. Is that one of the paradoxes she was thinking about? Will I really make a difference? It is so important to remember, especially as we begin Lent soon, that like the cross marked on our foreheads as the cross in our heart, we cannot see our own, only the cross on others'. Brought to life, we are brought into relationship with the rest of the world. God was there to receive us with love. It's our turn to love him as loving life. Love all of life...that seems easy enough.
What does collective change mean to you? personal change?
*Alan Storey, a Methodist pastor from South Africa read Daniel Erlander's Manna and Mercy, liked it a lot, and explains how Jesus asked us to throw our stones down, save the woman from justice of the law which said she should be killed. Jesus came to save us from our own justice, the laws we have created externally and reabsorbed internally as nature. Jesus reminds me to set the system aside and just live...just do it, go ahead and love, whatever that means.
2 Comments
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Comment by Mariel Vinge on January 30, 2009 at 3:47am - *Alan Storey, a Methodist pastor from South Africa read Daniel Erlander's Manna and Mercy, liked it a lot, and explains how Jesus asked us to throw our stones down, save the woman from justice of the law which said she should be killed. Jesus came to save us from our own justice, the laws we have created externally and reabsorbed internally as nature. Jesus reminds me to set the system aside and just live...just do it, go ahead and love, whatever than means.
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Comment by Nate Porter on June 29, 2009 at 2:13pm
- Thank you for that reflection. I wish I was there or had even known about it. I have great respect for those theologians for bringing the hard questions about how we really live faith to bear and to you for your courageous response.
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