of ONE being

This is from the band, "Lost and Found."  A bit of tribal humor, I guess.  I posted this on Facebook and my uncle thought it was too full of Lutheran pride, self-promoting.  To which I responded, Kris Kristofferson and Loni Anderson?  

Anyway, the most important Lutheran of all is you.  I can prove it.  First, God made you.  Then, in Holy Baptism God adopts you as one of His beloved children.  Jesus, the son, died for you as a sign of God’s love for you.  That same Jesus was raised from the dead as a sign of hope for our future life with God the Father.  We will not be orphans, but redeemed and blessed members of God’s royal family.  Jesus has made a place in heaven for you and promises that he will come to take you to be with him.  Jesus also promises that the Holy Spirit will come upon you and lead you into the truth, giving you courage and the ability to live a God-centered life in this world.  This Spirit will intervene on your behalf in time of trouble and will protect you in time of need.  This same Spirit will inspire and empower you to faithfulness in your daily life.  The Spirit, however, brings each of us into communion with Jesus Christ in and through the church—the company of believers on earth charged with the ministry of Christ and armed with the Word of God and prayer.  As church each of us fulfills our particular calling to be God’s ambassadors and servants in the world.   This is how our church works: As a congregation, Zion Akron collected toothbrushes.  I presented 60 of them to our conference dean and he brought them to the synod assembly.  This congregation is part of the North Lancaster conference, of which there are 18 congregations. Our conference contributed 300 toothbrushes to the synod assembly.  Our synod consists of 257 congregations.  We meet annually in assembly.  Each congregation contributed to their conference, which contributed to the synod.  We made over 800 health kits for Lutheran World relief.  Lutheran World relief is our global extension working in 19 countries: Bolivia, Burkina faso, Colombia, El Salvdor,Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Peru, Philippines,Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.  These personal care kits provide a toothbrush, soap, a comb, nail clippers, and a towel. 

The LWR website says,”When natural disaster strikes or political conflict flares, families often have little chance to gather their belongings before fleeing the danger. They arrive in a refugee camp or other place of safety scared, vulnerable and dirty from the travel. The simple items included in a Personal Care Kit allow them to wash away the dirt and sweat, with the fresh scent of soap and the softness of a towel as reminders of someone’s care and concern for them in their plight.” Simple relief for a person who is suffering.  Our congregation participates with the whole church in a unified effort to bring global relief.  We heard about Nebraska Outdoor ministry, which made over 20,000 personal care kits last year.  Lutherans working together, make a difference in our world.  That is often the theme of synod assembly.  Together everyone achieves more.  But unity in purpose is not always easy to accomplish or to realize.  Many of us never see the church at work on a global scale.  We only see the church at work locally, struggling to be faithful in these leaner times with less resources; people and financial.  But without the local congregation, there is no conference, no synod, no churchwide, no LWR. As Bono sang in the U2 song entitled "ONE", "We're one, but we're not the same; we've got to carry each other, carry each other." 

So in both our gospel and in Acts, we hear that Jesus is departing to the Father.  The Nicene creed says that Jesus is "of one being with the Father." They are one, in unity of heart and mind and purpose.  His departure is not viewed tragically, but as a necessity. He must go, so that the church might remain in mission. The absence or the ascension of Jesus marks a major transition in the salvation story that takes place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is not the end of the story.  But it is the way in which the first Christians began to understand and cope with Jesus’ absence from them.  They expected the risen messiah to remain forever.  He doesn’t, at least not in person.  But Jesus makes promises to His disciples and prays for their protection in the work they are about to undertake.  Because they will continue the ministry he established on earth as the sign of God’s coming rule and as anticipation of what is to come in the new creation.  Jesus commissions them to become witnesses, sharers of the story of God’s saving love made known in Jesus.  They are sent out to the ends of the earth to anticipate, wait expectantly for God to deliver the world.  We wait actively, as agents of global transformation, seeking the health, welfare, and peace of all people in every nation.  God’s people work together to tell the good news of Christ Jesus through loving service in the world. We are meant to be a hopeful and peaceful presence for the sake of our neighbors near and far.  We cannot and do not serve alone or in vain.  Every simple act of care, relief, and mercy shown another is in fact an act we perform to Jesus and as Christ.  The end of the benediction in worship on Friday night said these words, May you see the face of Jesus in everyone you meet, and may everyone you meet see the face of Jesus in you.  We are the very presence of Christ to others.  The knowledge of God made known to us through Jesus is being revealed to the world in and through you and me. What people come to see and believe about God is related to our witness in the world. But I may add, just as we do not often experience the global reach of the church, neither do most others.  People see the church and its people locally, personally.  In your face.  In our ordinary activities of everyday life, we are called to show others God’s grace and love.  In school and work, retirement and recreation, household work and community volunteering we embody and anticipate the renewal of the earth.  We will begin learning how we can be everyday disciples, living God-centered lives 7 days-a-week.  Next Sunday is Pentecost, the birthday of the church.  Come and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, being anew a daily walk with God.

As a sign that the church’s local ministry, yours and mine, are equally as meaningful and important as our global work, I was given the box of leftover toothbrushes at the end of synod assembly for Peter’s Porch.  I received back more than we gave.  Affirmation that we are doing God’s work of mercy right here.  Let us pray:   Lord, you promise to empower and protect us with your Holy Spirit, sending us as servant witnesses in your world. So now, inspire and equip each of us to live faithfully everyday honoring you in our every word and action. Make us compassionate servants to everyone we meet, that through us they might come to see and know your eternal love given to the world through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.