CW: mental illness The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. – Psalm 118:18-22 While I was on vacation last week, I sought out an opportunity to worship on Sunday in the local community. Being that I was in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, my choices were largely limited to Roman Catholic and Pentecostal congregations; since my Spanish is, at best, "rusty," I wasn’t excited about navigating a taxi to and from worship. Having decided to go to a Roman Catholic mass (I thought the liturgy would be eminently more accessible to my rusty Spanish), I sought out the front desk of the resort where we were staying – and I was all but delighted when they shared that the local priest, Father Juan Baptiste actually came to the resort and led an "ecumenical" mass in one of the resort's restaurants. Sunday at 2 p.m.; all were welcome.
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by Jeanette BankoEditor's note: Bishop Gohl is on vacation this week, so he has handed over the blog to our LYO Overall Leader Among Leaders, Jeanette Banko, a member of Grace, Easton. Jeanette preached at our Transformers middle school leadership retreat earlier this month, and is sharing her sermon on the blog today. You can also see a livestreamed video of Jeanette preaching on our Facebook page. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, My Strength, and my redeemer. Amen.
My name, for those of you who don’t know, is Jeanette Banko. I’ve been in the LYO since my freshman year of high school, and I’ve been attending youth retreats since sixth grade. I’m currently the Leader Among Leader Among Leaders for the LYO, and clearly, I’m a huge church nerd. by Bishop Bill GohlI am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me... - John 10:14 The last few weeks have been awash with death and life: Holy Week and Easter, a-never-quite-over-winter and never-fully-bloomed-spring, funerals and baptisms. A theme that has chased me during these weeks is that of Jesus our Good Shepherd; not the long, white, flowing robes kind of Good Shepherd replete with its historically inaccurate blond hair and blue eyes surrounded meticulously clean and well-kempt sheep; but a Good Shepherd, who bears the bruises, stains and scents of living with and among those in their care.
by Bishop Bill GohlA voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" – Isaiah 40:6 On Wednesday, April 4, The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and our many interfaith partners gathered in Washington, D.C. for what was billed as "a historic event" to launch the NCC's Truth and Racial Justice Initiative. Marking 50 years since the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, we were making a public witness challenging the pervasive racism that is keeping our country from realizing the iconic dream for which Dr. King would be martyred. It was a privilege to stand with those from across the ELCA who came to be a part of the event, the gaggle of ELCA bishops (20 of the 67 of us were present) who made a pilgrimage to D.C., and the diverse and large crowd of folks from our own Delaware-Maryland Synod who came to be counted among those who continue to long for Dr. King's dream. I was proud of our synod, I was grateful for our church and our renewed willingness to show up in solidarity for racial justice. We don't always (often?) get it right, but I think we're coming closer, increasingly listening to, accompanying and partnering with others who have significantly more longevity and credibility in this work.
That said, I think the church folks were a few days late to D.C. by Bishop Bill GohlBe strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; God will never leave you nor forsake you. - Deuteronomy 31:6 This last weekend, I had the privilege of accompanying some of our synod's students to Washington, D.C. for the March for Our Lives. Despite the massive politicization of the event, the basic call was for students, of students and by students asking for a fresh attempt to make schools safer and to alleviate gun violence. Their premise was that universal background checks, raising the legal age for purchasing guns to 21, and regulating access to military grade weapons would be important first steps towards their goals. The rally was filled with testimony, song - and scripture and prayer, too. Three of our students have agreed to share their testimony about that experience:
by Bishop Bill GohlThey said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. - Mark 16:8 Beloved, all:
In an age of bitter divisions in families and widening chasms among neighbors, sometimes we've come to see the wisdom of not saying anything, of keeping the peace. We know what it means to be afraid of saying anything that could compromise the fragile relationships that bind us together. by Bishop Bill GohlI attend a meeting of the Conference of Bishops twice each year. The work we do is important to the life of our church, but those who don't attend these meetings rarely know what was accomplished. In an effort to encourage greater awareness of the work of the Conference of Bishops, I'm sharing a summary with you here.
by Bishop Bill GohlAt the request of Pastor Sara Yotter, Joy Reigns (Edgewater), and LYO members and alumni, I authored the following Statement in Solidarity, with assistance from Bishop Tracie Bartholomew (New Jersey Synod), Bishop Michael Burk (Southeastern Iowa Synod) and Bishop Bob Humphrey (Virginia Synod) as a component of our churches commitment to accompany our children and youth who are inviting peers, families and allies to support them in the March for Our Lives. The Conference of Bishops adopted it as a statement from the Conference to this Church, and over 50 of our colleagues signed on in personal support and public witness. +bg Our children and youth are like a young Jeremiah prophesying to the people: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
by Bishop Bill GohlIf we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – I John 1:9 These words of Brian Wren's lilting hymn, When Love is Found, have been reverberating in my mind over the last days:
When love has flow'red in trust and care, build both each day that love may dare to reach beyond home's warmth and light, to serve and strive for truth and right. by Bishop Bill GohlGod said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh…" – Genesis 9:12-15a Peter Rollins, a contemporary theologian, tells this story: It's Sunday evening and the local pastor is at home reading. One of her parishioners knocks on the door. She opens the door. Sweating, panting; it’s obvious that he ran all the way to the parsonage. Tearfully, he says, "Listen there is a family that lives just down the road. The guy lost his job, she is looking after three kids, their mother stays with them. They don't have enough money for their rent. They've got no money at the moment. And they're going to get kicked out of the house. Even if they are one day late on their rent, they are just going to get kicked out on the street. It's the middle of winter. We've got to do something. Please, let's do something." So the pastor says, "Yes, we will go and we will collect some money – fast." Just in passing she says, "Oh and how do you know them?" And he says, "Oh, well, I'm their landlord."
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