Presiding bishop
’m spiritual, not religious.” How many times have we heard that, usual ly from
By Elizabeth A. Eaton
Spruce up our spiritual house I
Disciplines help us glorify God while serving in ways that are abundant, clear “
people who consider their unchurched status a mark of honor. When I heard this as a parish pastor, I became frus- trated, especially when folks waxed lyrical about a spiritual experience engendered from contemplating the beauty of a mountaintop. This was perplex- ing because I served in Ohio.
There are no mountains. I was tempted to dismiss it as lazi- ness. But now I think they are on to something. This coincides with what I am thinking after a year in
office. The four “emphases” or “strategic intents” or “things” I’ve identified—we are church, we are Lutheran, we are church together, we are church for the sake of the world—have reso- nance across the ELCA. It’s how I’m organizing my work. A clear sense that worship is at the heart of what we do
together and at the heart of our worship is the crucified and risen Christ—this is the essen- tial foundation for our life and work together. Being clear about our con- fessional Lutheran identity facilitates our witness to the gospel and makes possible authentic ecumenical, interreligious and secular engagement. Being church together is a manifestation of the unity we have through baptism into the body of Christ. It is a source of strength. It is scriptural. Being church for the sake of the world is the natural extension of being church, Lutheran and church together. We get to participate in God’s renewing and reconciling work in the world God so loves. I’m still developing these emphases, but the “we are
church” is claiming my immediate attention. We are church. We do many wonderful things as the
church. We feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked and visit the sick. Why do we do these things and how are we able to do them? As I have written before, we are not the American Cancer Society or a nongovernmental organization. Peter instructed us that “like living stones, let
66
www.thelutheran.org
yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priest- hood” (1 Peter 2:5). We are ekklesia—an assembly called out from the world and to God. There is nothing wrong with employing the best prac-
tices of the business world, but before the strategic plan- ning, goal-setting and program implementation we need to be about tending our individual and corporate spiritual life. As a church we need to engage in basic spiritual practices: prayer, silence, corporate worship, Scripture study, giving, service. These are ways God comes to us. These disciplines create a space in us, an openness, for God’s Spirit. They chip away at our willfulness. They make us aware of God’s pres- ence in our lives. These spiritual practices aren’t magic or a kumbaya fad.
Unfortunately, we have lost this part of our tradition. We have become religious, not spiritual.
They have been part of the Christian tradition for mil- lennia. They are part of the Lutheran tradition. Martin Luther’s morning and evening prayers are precious models of spiritual practice (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 1166). Unfortunately, we’ve lost this part of our tradition. We’ve become religious, not spiritual. There is strong evidence that tending the spiritual life is what millennials are long- ing for. I think the rest of us are too. However, the intention must
be there also. We are such active, useful people. We are “distracted by (our) many tasks” (Luke 10:40). We might mean to practice spiri-
tual disciplines, but there is real work to do. Attending to God is our real work. Set aside the time. Mark it on the cal- endar. Then show up. Show up with our whole selves. Give God our complete attention. Practicing these disciplines is not about productivity—it’s about being fully and expec- tantly present to God. Spiritual life is not multitasking. We might shy away from this whole business because it
seems so inward focused and self-absorbed. It’s not. It’s the spiritual equivalent of putting our oxygen mask on first before assisting others. Practicing these disciplines is so that we can glorify God and serve in ways that are abundant and clear. We have a rich tradition as Lutherans: theological rigor,
liturgical worship, musical excellence. Engaging in spiritual practices doesn’t supplant any of this. It’s part of our life as church. We can be spiritual and religious.
A monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her email address:
bishop@elca.org.
MICHAEL D. WATSON
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68