Dear church,
As I look back over the last 40 years of the ELCIC, I have been re-reading some of the texts of our church which speak to who we are and how we see ourselves: the ELCIC Mission and Vision, “In Mission for Others: A Theology of Mission,” “Reimagining our Church: Public Ministry in the ELCIC,” and Lutheran World Federation Assembly resources.
As I did so, I began to bring together quotes from these resources, crafting a litany to be used in worship, at council meetings, wherever and whenever the church gathers. Dear church, would you use the following as across this church we mark this Anniversary?
(All may make the sign of the cross as we begin.)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the seed of new life growing in us,
the love of God, binding us together,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
breathing new life, is with us here.
Living out God’s grace and unconditional love,
we are rooted in God’s steadfast promises.
We are grounded in the unchanging gift and promise of God
who creates, redeems and sanctifies,
and at the same time
we are transformed and freed by love.
Standing on the common ground of the gospel,
we together confess that the hope of the gospel is enough…
enough to inspire and guide,
enough to make us free to love and serve, for such a time as this.
We are a part of a living Christian tradition that is always reforming,
not merely enduring change,
but helping to shape an alternative narrative…
one rooted in grace,
committed to justice,
and inspired by hope for the sake of the world.
All baptized persons and all communities of the baptized
are called into a life of service in the world…
of speaking and living the gospel promise.
Our discipleship
is defined by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
The crucified Christ calls us into a life of discipleship
in which we are to be persons for others.
Our purpose is to be agents of radical transformation
by engaging with one another,
by listening to each other and to God,
and by learning and acting
so that God’s love and justice may be known.
We celebrate and rejoice
in the gifts which God has given us to carry out
God’s mission in the world today.
Journeying forward together,
we discern through prayer, study and conversation
what it is to live faithfully under the cross at this time and place,
seeing the world through the event of the cross.
Journeying forward together,
we are called to be a diverse, inclusive community
that celebrates all people and upholds life-giving relationships.
Journeying forward together,
we seek to offer the world a witness and ministry
which is missional, diaconal, and prophetic.
Journeying forward together,
we are invited to attend to new voices,
shape a more robust laity,
become more nimble,
encourage collaborative leadership,
and nurture intentional partnerships.
Journeying forward together,
we work in collaboration and joint action
with full communion, ecumenical, and interfaith partners
with humility and attentiveness to the cries of the world.
There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,
who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6).
As One Body through One Spirit together in One Hope, we pray:
We give you thanks, O God,
that through water and the Holy Spirit
you give us new birth,
you feed and shape us
through the holy meal,
you form within us new hearts,
you build up the one body,
you anoint us to be agents of justice
and reconciliation for the sake of the world.
Stir up in us now the gift of your Holy Spirit:
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord,
the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen.
God is. Love does.
In the footsteps of grace we follow.
Thanks be to God!
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