 The week after July 4th always carries a strange kind of energy.
The fireworks are over. The grill has cooled off. The flags are still hanging on porches and in front yards, but they don’t catch your eye the way they did a few days ago. The big celebration is past, and most of us are easing back into the usual rhythm of life. It’s the kind of moment that invites a little reflection. What exactly are we celebrating when we talk about freedom? What kind of freedom do we actually want?
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 Last week 26 kids and more than 30 teen and adult volunteers gathered each evening from 5:00-7:30 pm for “Operation Restoration-Mending God’s World." Each day centered around a theme, a way that we can mend God’s world; Feed, Heal, Forgive, Pray, and Rest.
 Over the last few months as my wife and I have faced some serious health concerns, people – lots of people – have assured us that they are praying for us. We deeply appreciate and treasure every prayer offered. I am not always sure what the content of the prayers might be. I assume they are prayers for healing, strength, and hope among other things. It really does not matter because the expressions of care and compassion are genuine and are gifts of grace. Even when someone says, “I’m praying for you,” without a clue as to what to say or out of the desperation of feeling helpless, the impulse to pray is itself a prayer. As Paul says, “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)
 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28
Summer has a strange way of speeding up just when we imagine it will slow down. We start the season dreaming of open calendars, lazy afternoons, and backyard evenings. But somehow, the pace picks up—filled with vacations, kids’ activities, family obligations, projects we’ve saved “for when there’s time.”  Some of you may be upset, even angered, by this little article. I am willfully and wantonly referring to a bill now before the US Congress. You may assume that this means a pastor is taking up politics, which is forbidden in the minds of many. Others may think I am being partisan for opposing something supported by one party more than the other. I reject both accusations.
 Of the 78 million Lutherans around the world, 31 million are in Africa. 8.6 million of the Lutherans in Africa are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), which is the second largest Lutheran Church on the planet (The largest is the Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus in Ethiopia). By contrast, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (of which we are a congregation) has about 2.8 million members. While congregations shrink and denominations struggle here, the African church is growing and becoming more vital.
 Our mission is to Share God’s Love. It is, on the one hand, simple. The final commandment Jesus gave to his followers was to love one another as he loved us. On the other hand, loving each other and loving all God’s children is an enormous and complicated task. That is why we carry out our mission in partnership with organizations and agencies who share our values and our commitment to love.
 A few weeks ago, I was invited to answer some questions from our middle school students. One of the very first was: “Where are dinosaurs in the creation story?” I paused—not because I was caught off guard, but because I wanted to take the question seriously. I looked at the earnest faces around the room, each one waiting for an answer that could connect prehistoric creatures with the story in Genesis.
 I made a mistake today. I read the news. In the never-ending stream of information (and misinformation, for who can tell?) I felt hope draining away from my soul. First a trickle, then a full-blown leak. The wealthiest among us are about to get a tax break which will apparently be paid for by cutting Medicaid to the neediest. White people from South Africa are being granted protection while people of color are sent to languish in foreign prisons. War is making its way around the world. It all leaves me feeling helpless and hopeless. What can be done to stop the advance of evil and unholy that destroys our humanity?
 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." — Galatians 2:19b-20
In a world that often feels fractured—where relationships strain, communities divide, and hearts ache—we long for healing. Healing in our relationships. Healing in our inner lives. Healing in our neighborhoods and beyond. But where does that healing begin? |
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