Remembering

We need to begin by remembering who we are. 

At midweek gatherings in Lent, Pastor Stuart Dornfeld is leading Peace in Green Bay through conversations about what it means to be Lutheran Christians who are part of the ELCA. Using Reclaiming the “L” Word  by Kelly A. Fryer as a guide, Pastor Stuart and the people of Peace are exploring essential aspects of ELCA Lutheran identity:

Jesus is Lord.
We All Have Something to Offer.
God Always Comes Down.
Silence Is Not An Option. The World Needs What We Have.
Love Changes People.
Everybody is Welcome.

At a gathering this week of retired rostered leaders and spouses, Pastor Stuart shared one of the small group conversation guides from this Lenten series, and invited us to engage in thinking, sharing, and learning about our Lutheran identity with each other. 

God’s love always comes down.

In Reclaiming the “L” Word, Fryer writes:  “We need to begin by remembering who we are.”

She continues: “This [remembering] will happen as we turn to Scripture and to our theological tradition. This will happen as we turn to one another in meaningful and lively conversation, This will happen as we turn to God in prayer. And it will happen only as each one of us takes responsibility for doing these things.”

Fryer asks us (all of us) these questions: “Are we people who are so confident in God’s love and grace that we are able to try new things and welcome new people and embrace new ideas and dream new dreams? Are we clear enough about what we’re being called to do and to be that we are willing to set off on whatever new adventure God calls us to? Are we full of enough hope that we can dare to fail, to risk messing everything up, to take the chance that we are wrong? Are we free to love, to serve, to share, to sing, to laugh, to lead, to give ourselves away? Are we willing to let ourselves be turned upside-down and inside-out by a God who wants for us, for our congregations, and for our world more than anything we could even ask or imagine? How is your life being changed by God’s power and presence and call? How is God changing your congregation?”

Read: 

2 Timothy 1:1-14. God has not given a spirit of fear. 

Listen: 

Let Your Love Shine (God has not given a spirit of fear) by Mark Miller

Ask:

• Pastor Stuart asked us to reflect on these questions: What does it mean to you to be Lutheran? What are some phrases, concepts or experiences that have helped you to understand what Lutheran means? Pastor Stuart encouraged us to take time before answering–moving beyond our first responses to ideas that might come with more time to think. To give yourself that time and space to think with this question, observe a time of stillness and silence before doing anything to respond; set a timer and make a list of responses, challenging yourself to move beyond your first answers; draw your responses instead of writing or speaking words to connect different parts of your brain. 

• Choose one of the questions Fryer poses in the final paragraph quoted above and write it down or put it somewhere you’ll see it throughout the day. What drew you to that question, and how do you hear God’s call in it?

Pray:

Gracious and loving God: ground us in our baptisms and in your grace as we seek to remember who (and whose) we are. Give us the confidence and courage to be open to change: to hear your call, to follow where your Spirit leads. Bless us during this season of Lent with opportunities to engage with scripture and theology, in meaningful and lively conversation, in worship and prayer. Surprise us with your joy, and with that liberating grace that must be shared, because it is too good to keep hidden away. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.