Reflection
By Susan M. Lang
SHUTTERSTOCK
The Reformation rocks on M
iller, a toddler, typically sits two pews in front of me in church. While she frequently plays with a doll or toy during worship, I’m always amazed at how she leaps
into the mix when we share the peace. Mom or Dad will lift her up and support her on the pew while she reaches out to everyone around her to shake their hands, enthusiastically calling out, “Peas, peas!” Often she ventures into the aisle to pew hop and shake hands with whomever she can reach. Times sure have changed from the early 1970s when shar-
ing the peace was instituted and some congregations found it uncomfortable to incorporate it into their worship. Now it’s embraced by even toddlers. Miller’s enthusiastic sharing of the peace is a reminder for
me of all the many reformations I’ve seen in the church over my 50-plus years. Girls were finally permitted to be ushers and acolytes in
my home congregation in the 1970s, no doubt because that’s when the ELCA’s predecessor bodies began to ordain women. The Lutheran Book of Worship, which introduced the pass- ing of the peace for many, also changed the way liturgy was
done. Lay leaders were incorporated into worship as lectors and assisting ministers, making the liturgy truly the “work of the people.” The hymnal was also a stepping stone to the for- mation of the ELCA. Then there’s the more recent decision to recognize and fully accept the service and leadership of part- nered gay pastors and lay rostered leaders in the church. The Reformation rocks on and we are part of it. On Ref-
ormation Day we aren’t just celebrating the past but the fact that God is at work renewing the church throughout all history—past, present and future. Our God is a reform- ing god. We need merely to reach out our hands and welcome God’s gifts of renewal and regeneration. They are gifts of the Spir i t ever present among us.
Author bio: Lang is an ELCA pastor who serves ecumenically as a leadership retreat facilitator and church consultant in Perkasie,Pa. (
www.revwriter.com).
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