Presiding bishop I
By Mark S. Hanson
Praise God for past, future Work remains, but expectations growing for ELCA
am filled wi t h gratitude to God for the great joy and privilege of serving
Across the church I witness congregations imagining new possibilities for mission as they join with others in prayerful, attentive listening to God’s promises, the gifts of the Spirit and the voices of their communities.
as your presiding bishop these past 12 years. With Paul I pray: “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philip- pians 1:3-5). I always will be grateful that repeatedly I have heard, “Bishop, we are praying for you and for our church.” The assurance that we meet in prayer for one another before God’s throne of grace gives immea- surable strength. For your faithful witnessing of God’s love in Christ Jesus I say, “Thanks be to God.” Whenever I speak on the state of the ELCA, I ask those gathered to share where they were Thursday eve- ning, where they will be on Monday morning, and the congregation where they worship. The answer to “What
st a t e o f
is the t h e
ELCA?” is in how 4 million baptized mem- bers embody God’s baptismal call in daily life. My heart fills with gratitude for congrega- tions and lead- ers who serve the gospel.
50 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Challenges in recent years can occasion discouragement and turning inward, or they can unleash renewed mission. Across the church I witness congregations imagining new possibilities for mission as they join with others in prayerful, attentive listening to God’s promises, the gifts of the Spirit and the voices of their communities. Our life together comes from the triune God who calls, gathers, enlightens
and sends us through the good news of Jesus Christ. I pray that each of us will grow in gospel fluency as we approach the Reformation’s 500th anniversary in 2017. Gospel fluency means serving as ambassadors of God’s reconcilia- tion: “You are a new creation in Christ; this is God’s doing not ours.” Let us let go of being competitors in a consumer-driven religious marketplace and embrace the opportunity to be who we are in Christ: ambassadors bearing the good news that God is not in the sin-accounting business. Jesus’ dying and rising is entirely about God and God’s merciful love for the world. To bear this witness is to be who we are as evangelical Lutherans. As Paul wrote: “We do not proclaim ourselves, we proclaim Jesus Christ ...” (2 Corinthians 4:5). I am so grateful for the global and ecumenical relationships where we
define ourselves by our relatedness. When too often some see differences as cause for division, we have the opportunity to show that when our unity is God’s gift in Christ through faith, then our differences can enrich us and divi- sions call us to reconciliation. Yes, work remains. I see an ELCA with growing expectations. In an increasingly and richly pluralistic context, the Spirit is at work through the gospel, moving us beyond mere commitment to a more diverse church, a church that honestly asks why we remain so predominantly white, a church where we are laying down our lives of privilege and being raised up as a Pentecost church. I commend the book of Acts to you. Today the same Spirit is bringing people to faith, planting the church, liberating us for service and generous stewardship, and emboldening us to work for justice, peace and the care of God’s creation. I will give unceasing thanks to God for those with whom I have been privi-
leged to serve: my fellow officers, the Church Council and Conference of Bishops, leaders of ELCA agencies and institutions, pastors and rostered lay leaders, and synod officers. This call has been joyful beyond words because of my colleagues in the churchwide organization. They are amazingly gifted, with a passion for the gospel, a love for the church, and a commitment to being engaged in God’s mission for the life of the world. Without the love, support and companionship of my wife Ione, I would not have flourished in this call. Our family’s encouragement was a source of joy. We look to the future under Presiding Bishop-elect Elizabeth A. Eaton’s leadership with confident hope. For our hope is in Christ Jesus, and the future is God’s gift to us. Let us receive it with a living, daring, confidence in God’s grace. Thanks be to God.
A monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. His email address:
bishop@elca.org.
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