the Spirit gives life

How do we know what GOD is doing? How do we know what God is about in our place and time? How do we know when we are living in obedience to this GOD?
Most Christians would say that all three of these questions are answered by Holy Scripture. And thanks to the modern mind, interpretation of Holy Scripture is inconsistently applied. Literalism and truth must somehow dance together. What is truth, Pilate's question before Jesus, is essentially the question we must ask Scripture? If it is indeed Word of GOD, than we must ask God what God means to say when God says we God says in the Good book. Does God mean to tell us that creation was a six-day orderly, miracle of divine organization and design? Or does God mean to tell us more than that? For there is more in that creation poem of Genesis chapter ONe than a simple literal, historical reading renders.
Some might say that Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience together shape our understanding of God's work. It is often unclear whether we are interpreting Scripture or Scripture is interpreting us. In our search for clarity, do we not sometimes deny mystery and the unknown?
For example, my Father told a story at my wedding that I had not acknowledged as pertinent to the day. He said that on account of two Lutheran neighbors in Rockford, Illinois inviting my parents to worship, Cherie and I would not be together. My parents were Roman Catholic and nominally United methodist. They sought to become more faithful together. They found no home aong either of their respective traditions. The Istad's invited them to Our Saviour Lutheran in Rockford. They attended and became connected. I was baptized at the age of two. We retained a Lutheran identity, even after moving from Illinois to upstate New York. On account of a clergy family who joined our congregation in the late 80s I was introduced to Susquehanna University, a school I had never heard of before Kristen attended there. They convinced me to check it out.
I met Cherie at SU in 1994. Fifteen years later we have three boys, I am a Lutheran Pastor, and we serve together in Lancaster, PA. How did I get here? How did I come this far? From farming in Upstate New York to preaching in central Pennsylvania, how did I arrive here? Why me? Why Cherie? Why Lutheran? Why three boys? Why do I believe what I believe, knowing that others believe something quite different than I and have a convincing story to tell. If God is responsible for all of this, then God must be devoted at a very personal level. Or else all is random coincidence, environmental conditioning, and biology. I suspect that God is at work in, with and under those things. Genetics, environmental conditions, happenstance---perhaps God is present in all of these ways. God's ways are mysterious. "Its alright, its alright, alright, she moves in mysterious ways," sings Bono. Does he sing of the Holy Spirit?
Today I heard testimony, very clear testimony from scripture and from tradition, that both affirms and denies the blessing and calling into rostered leadership in this church (ELCA) of people in same-gender relationships. Should gay poeple living in confirmed monogamous relationships be allowed to seve as rostered leaders? Should their calling to the ministry of Word and Sacrament be endorsed and recognized by this church? Can we affirm the gifts and not the call of GOD? In denying the call, do we deny the gifts? What does Jesus show us about God's grace and its implication in the human community? In affirming the gifts and call, what will the witness of this church be in the world, both among fellow Christians, other faith traditions, and non-adherents or unbelievers? In the book "UNChristian" by David Kinnaman, research by the Barna group shows that the number one perception of Christians by nonChristian people under the age of 30 is that Christians are anti-homosexual (91% of those polled), and that they view this as inconsistent with what might be considered good news.
So here's where I am today. I am not sure exactly why I am a heterosexual man, living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with a house, a wife, and three kids whom I adore. I don't know why I have enough. I don't know why I have not died yet. I don't know why I know who I know and meet who I meet and think how I think. The complexities behind such matters are far to vast for me to articulate and understand. I also know that right now somehwere someone's being born, someone is dying, someone is falling asleep, someone is firing a weapon, someone is buying fast food, someone is walking a long way to get food for her family, someone is having sex, someone is crying, someone is playing golf, someone is writing a blog. If we are somehow open to the nowness of life as it is happening to others, then we will see beyond ourselves a world formed and re-forming, organic and changing, evolving and yet ever the same.
My dad saw some connections on my wedding day that I had not put together. Maybe its in relationships with others that we see more clearly. All I know is that I don't know. Will we (ELCA) be damed if we affirm policy recommendations 1 thru 4 in Minneapolis this week? Will the church split, fail, die, fall, incur God's wrath?
..."Yet I trust in your unfailing love, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation."---Psalm 13.
Life with Jesus means taking bold actions into unchartered territory with a limited but realistic knowledge of the risks and costs in so doing. It also means leaning on God's mercy and grace every step of the way. If you are not making choices that require Jesus, what kind of choices are you making? Easy ones? Comfortable ones?
If you do what you always did you'll get what you always got. I think the message of the cross is absurd because it means being right requirs that you know you are wrong. Surrender to the wind, to the flood, to the heat, to the fire, to the death approaching us all. IN there somewhere is life complete and whole.