Fifty Days of Gratitude: Day 31

Thirty seven years ago today, in Columbus, OH, the Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed at its Constituting Convention. The ELCA came to be by way of the merger of three predecessor bodies. I’ve thought a lot today about this anniversary, in part because this has been the place of my vocation, serving in congregations, shared ministries, and at an ELCA seminary.

(I often say that I am at home in both the ELCA and the Episcopal Church and this is true, but thoughts about my Episcopal ties will have to wait for another day.)

Today, I’m remembering why the ELCA matters to me. What difference does it make that we have this Christian denomination that speaks with a distinctive Lutheran accent? I don’t want to go too far down this rabbit hole because that would mean I’d spend time laying out my whole constructive theology and no one wants to read that. But there are some specific gifts of this Church body that deserve a mention on this anniversary:

-The willingness of the ELCA to be open to growth and change. Oh, for sure, dear ones, we have a long way to go and much for which we should and will continue to repent. But we’ve also come a long way and, as far as I can tell, we are still headed in the right direction.

-As a denomination we say that God’s love is for ALL people and that ALL of those people, given a call and the completion of candidacy and seminary, can serve on the roster of this church.

-We currently have more female identifying synodical bishops than male identifying. Some of our bishops are in the LGTBQIA+ community and some are not. There is some diversity in race, but (like the denomination as a whole), not enough to reflect the whole kin-dom of God. Still, like the world, our bishops are an increasingly diverse group.

-We have committed to using expansive and inclusive language for God (who is not a man) and humanity. This matters. It matters in every word we speak and sing, that everyone can see themselves included in the communion of saints and made in the image of God.

-Every week we gather around a holy bath and table and re-member God’s wide love for us all. God is present in water and wine and bread and creation and babies and wise elders and those who have wandered afar and those who never left and those who doubt and dirt and tulips and leafing trees and crunchy leaves and snow. God is present in it all.

-With grace. Grace that means we do not earn our salvation or lose it or just misplace it for a minute. Grace that envelopes us and surrounds us and buoys us when our little boats are lost at sea.

I often tell people that denominations are like clothing. We all wear them, but we wear them differently. The ELCA is not perfect, but it is a place where we can confess our imperfections and believe that the One who has begun this work, will see it through to the end.

A photo from the Constituting Convention of the ELCA. Bishops from the three predecessor bodies pour water into the baptismal font.