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News of St. John's Lutheran Church
From the Pastor...
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” (Declaration of Independence)
Dear friends in Christ, This country was founded on the understanding that government is to secure these unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This belief in these unalienable rights meant that the colonists sought independence from a government that misused and abused its power. Our founders set course on a new form of government, realizing they were unable to hold the King of England accountable. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is an event that inspires great patriotism and it invites reflection. As Christians, what is our role in civic life? How do we best live out our patriotism as people of faith in Jesus Christ, people who are created in the image of God and also sinners. In the summer of 2024, a group of us disciples at St. John’s sat down to study and review a proposed social statement on Faith and Civic Life. Last summer the ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved this new social statement entitled, “Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well- being of All.” You can download the document at elca.org (type the document name in the search bar). I offer here just a few lines for reflection on our nation’s founders’ goals and our activity as Christians and Americans. “We are to pray daily as Jesus taught, saying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:10-11). What does this mean? The Lutheran catechisms teach that daily bread means “everything included in the necessities and nourishment for our lives such as food, drink, … upright and faithful rulers, good government … good friends, faithful neighbors and the like.” “These words also teach us that the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—creates and seeks the well-being of creation, including human society. Christians believe that this God calls people of faith to take responsibility for the good of all through civic participation. ‘He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?’ (Micah 6:8).” (Article 1, page 10) “Our church affirms the Lutheran teaching that anyone who seeks the community’s well-being through civic participation is, knowingly or not, using the capacities God provides. There is no single or required way to live this out. The Christian faith celebrates the multitude of ways that God calls people into lives of service and community for the sake of the common good.” (Article 10, page 21) “Members of the public are expected to hold these civic servants and government officials accountable. Civic servants should do their jobs with integrity and fairness and in ways that serve the common good. Government institutions, programs, and policies must be held to high standards as a sign of their importance and impact. Courts must apply the law in accordance with precedent and with fairness, equality, and impartiality to preserve public trust. We should judge individual cases of failure carefully, avoiding generalizations that are unfair and that fail to help identify areas where improvement is genuinely needed. (Article 11, page 22) “Further, when the early Christians claimed that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9), they were making a claim with a political implication: Caesar is not Lord. Some Scripture passages, then, may be both theological and political statements (Acts 10:36, Philippians 2:11). They make a political claim in the sense that all government is accountable to God and that Christians should not give primary loyalty to any government. If Jesus is Ruler (Lord), then no nation, constitution, government, or official can have our primary loyalty. God’s commandments and the imperative to serve the neighbor have singular priority for Christians. God’s rulership is not to be associated with a particular person or worldly structure such as a government, nation, or political movement. As with Jesus, the call to love the neighbor and do justice pushes us into engagement with society rather than out of it. Only with appropriate attention to the political can we exercise neighbor love and serve neighbor justice to hold government accountable, oppose social oppression, seek various kinds of liberation, and work toward the common good. Political engagement in this sense is a means of channeling God’s love through civic participation. (Article 19, page 30) Yours in Christ, Pastor Elise |
Worship in July
Worship in July continues our examination of Villains in the Bible.
July 5: The Fallen Hero – 1 Samuel 17, 2 Samuel 11:1-27 July 12: The Crown – Matthew 2:1-18, Matthew 14:6-11 July 19: The Devil – Matthew 4:1-17 July 26: The Crowd – Exodus 32, John 19:4-16 Sneak Peak at AugustWe will begin a new worship series in August called
“Season of Creation.” Beginning August 2 our worship will focus on God’s role as Creator and Sustainer of all life. God’s Work. Our Hands. Shirts.
Have you missed out on getting a “God’s Work. Our Hands” shirt? St. John’s will be putting in an order in time for our service day in October. Use the bulletin order form or email [email protected] with your preferred size(s) (Youth small to Adult 5XL). The cost is $12 per shirt; please include a memo that you are paying for a shirt. For shirt sizing visit oldlutheran.com/collections/elca.
Sanctuary Cleaning Day -
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