I find myself daydreaming during worship, sometimes. Maybe you are surprised to hear your pastor say this, but there are some moments when I, like you, am not fully present in our Sunday morning moments. Most often, this happens to me at the end of the service when we’re saying our mission statement, “Because God first loved us, let us depart in peace to live, share and celebrate with all people, God’s love in Jesus Christ.” All too often, I’m making a mental list of who I need to connect with or thinking about what is next in the day. This summer, though, these words have brought me to tears on several occasions.
Now, more than ever, I’m convinced that we’re serious about these words. I watch you. Not only do I see how you interact with others at our mission hub, but I witness your hospitality and generosity, active in the many other places where you live, share, and celebrate. You are a vibrant and bold reflection of God’s love spilling into the world!
I was moved by some bold actions that our denomination made this week, too. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has been in session for its Churchwide Assembly and declared itself a ‘sanctuary church body’ on the same day that hundreds marched to the ICE building in Milwaukee. Here’s how Emily McFarlan Miller covered it for Religion News Source (RNS):
MILWAUKEE (RNS) — More than 500 years ago, a monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses outlining his grievances with the Roman Catholic Church to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. On Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 7), members of the mainline Protestant denomination bearing Luther’s name taped 9.5 theses — expressing their concern for immigrants and refugees — to the door of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Milwaukee.
The action was part of a prayer vigil for migrant children and their families during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this week at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center. It took place on the same day the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” signaling its support for immigrants.
Both came in response to President Trump’s policies at the United States border with Mexico and his pledge to deport millions. “It just keeps getting worse and worse in terms of unaccompanied children, separated families, detention centers that are just horrific, and so what we wanted to say as a church body, as the Lutheran church, we wanted to now act with our feet and take action,” said Evelyn Soto Straw, director of unit operations and programs for the ELCA’s Domestic Mission.
More than 570 voting members of the churchwide assembly signed up to participate in the prayer vigil at the ICE building. They were joined by staff from the ELCA and its AMMPARO (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) ministry, as well as members of the Greater Milwaukee Synod, the New Sanctuary Movement and Voces de la Frontera, a local grassroots organization.
The group marched nearly a mile from the Wisconsin Center to the ICE building, carrying signs with messages like “We put the protest back in Protestant” and chanting “This is what the love of God looks like.” There, Bishop Paul Erickson of the Greater Milwaukee Synod opened the vigil in prayer to “Jesus Christ, immigrant and savior.” “Marching is fun, words are great, but action makes a difference,” Erickson told the crowd gathered in the street. The Rev. Erin Clausen of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod said she joined the vigil as a pastor, a mother and a spouse. Christians are supposed to bring the good news to everyone — “especially to those who are hurting and fearful,” Clausen said. She thinks of the children separated from their families and of what she would want others to do if that were her child, and her heart breaks, she said…
On Wednesday afternoon, after the lunchtime vigil, it passed a resolution declaring the ELCA a “sanctuary church body.” That term was proposed by Christopher Vergara, a voting member from the Metro New York Synod. “We continue to do God’s work with our hands in language the world understands,” Vergara said.
So what does that mean for us and how God is calling us to love our neighbors? We have some work to do. Together, let’s talk, study, pray, and then step forward in faith, trusting that God leads us deeper into love.
I praise God for you,
Pastor Lowell
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For photos, the complete article, and additional links, please visit the Religion News Service site.