It always struck me as an interesting coincidence that Time after Epiphany overlaps with at least the beginning of the state legislative sessions. In the first few weeks of the session (both Washington and Idaho’s sessions begin Jan. 8 this year), citizens get manifestations of the legislative bodies, through bills, speeches, meetings, and local reporting. We talk often in the church about how Jesus made sure people on the margins were brought into the main story; these individuals often take primary space in the pages of the four gospels. As people following Jesus, our eyes and ears should be attuned to what space the marginalized today have in legislative bills and at their hearings.
O Saints of Advent, Lead Us
a message from Liv Larson Andrews, DEM
Nights in the northern hemisphere continue to deepen, dark and cold. The winter Solstice draws near. Soon, we will light candles as we sing Silent Night at the Feast of the Nativity. All creation cries, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Three saints accompany us with their own cries in these weeks of Advent. Well, of course, countless saints accompany us all the time – we are each saint and sinner at once! But in the month of December our calendar remembers two bishops and a martyr who I think can help lead us as we move through the long nights of 2023 and into the coming dawn of 2024: Nicholas, Ambrose, and Lucy.
Nicholas served as Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. Although lore around him grew and changed over the generations, contorting his story into the mythic St. Nick/Santa figure, he was known for generosity and caring for the poor. Anonymous, even sneaky, gift-giving has become his hallmark. Our stockings hung by the chimney with care have origins in tales of Nicholas freeing people from debt and oppression through surprise gifts.
Elected bishop of Milan after settling violence between Arians and Catholics, Ambrose taught, preached, and wrote hymns while championing both peace and the pursuit of orthodoxy. He famously mentored Augustine. We often sing his words in Advent through the hymn “Savior of the Nations, Come.”
Then there’s Lucy. If you have ever interacted with Scandinavian Lutherans, you likely know of her. Nameless, as “Lucy” is not her name but rather her title, “light-bearer,” she is beloved in Scandinavia and all places that experience long winter nights. She is also a model of resistance. Her crown of thorns sat on her head, lighting her way, so that her hands could carry food and resources to Christians hiding in the catacombs from imperial soldiers.
Many stories about these saintly figures have a measure of wonder and fantasy about them. For example, it is said that a soldier plucked Lucy’s eyes out when she refuses to stop feeding people. Then he handed her her own eyes on a plate. She simply popped them back in the sockets and went on with her ministry!
As we look out upon folks in our communities struggling with homelessness and poverty, or when we stumble to find the right words to share our story, or even when the powers that be threaten to dismember us and steal our vision, Christ comes. Christ is incarnate even now, in our midst, calling us to live lives of boldness and bravery.
Alongside these commemorations of saints in December, there is another feast in the season of Advent that gives us hope. Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12 in Mexico and everywhere Christians of Mexican heritage gather. Her appearance to Juan Diego, speaking to him in his own language, and her gift of the hillside of roses in winter are reminders that God draws near to those who are suffering and those who need help. We remember how we are part of God’s family, recalling the way Mary affirmed that she was a mother to Juan Diego.
2024 promises to be a year of division and drama. Voices will call for violence. Fences may be raised, then heightened. What do these stories and visions have to teach us about living in such times?
Nicholas, open our hands and hearts. Teach us about God’s surprising generosity.
Ambrose, open our mouths with stories and poems to sing the Spirit’s radical love.
Lucy, open our eyes to the dawning light, both within and without.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, bloom with your joyful assurance that God is among us and healing us, and call us your chosen family.
And when the powers threaten to tear us apart, O Christ, broken for our sake, feed us with your own broken body. Come be born in every catacomb, back alley, prison cell, desert hillside, and graveyard. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
HIghlights of Companion Synod Trip to Tanzania
Oct. 23-Nov. 11, five of us traveled to our companion synod in southern Tanzania, the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese. I am eternally grateful to Deacon Heidi and Dan Cryer (Lord of Life Lutheran, Kennewick) and Pastor Ethan and Carla Bergman (Grace Episcopal, Ellensburg) for being amazing travel companions. I tried to document the trip well in real time on my blog (megganmanlove.com), but I will share a few reflections here as well.
November Message from Pastor Phil
Oftentimes, darkness is seen in a negative connotation. This is true in Scripture as well. That said, there are also instances when darkness is seen in a more positive light (pun intended). There are occasions in the Bible that night and darkness are times of revelation, of divine presence, and of promise.
At this fall’s Bishop’s Convocation we had the opportunity to sing “Bless This Night” together.
Video of The Installation of Rev. Dr. Meggan Hannah Manlove
Source of Joy
The overarching theme of Philippians is the joy we have in Jesus Christ. There is so much that is still broken in our communities and cosmos and sometimes both the small conflicts and large injustices can overwhelm. I cannot continue the work of witnessing to the love of Jesus Christ with words and actions without reminders that the good news is for me too, and that the joy Paul writes of is ours.
Transterra Collective
Many mainline denominational churches are seeking faithful innovation amidst our changing ecclesial landscape. For example, 75% of churches in the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest have fewer than 100 members and are continuing to shrink. Inspired by the ecclesial imagination of other innovative congregations, some of these churches are seeking renewal and transformation by creating housing with their land to meet the needs of the community.
Excellence in Leadership
Excellence in Leadership is a ministry born out of the need for courageous and resilient people in the church, in organizations, and in the world. We are currently living in a time that asks specifically for leaders who have the capacity to think about the future in new ways and we believe that effective leadership begins with the individual and is honed in community.
Reconciled at The Table
As a church we have forgiveness to offer, and as we are becoming more and more aware, we have repentance to offer, to many who we’ve harmed. Likewise, as individuals and in our congregations the same is true. Even though it may not be easy, and even if you don’t quite feel like it yet, don’t procrastinate in this labor.
Who Is Jesus?
I spent the first two weeks of June leading summer staff training sessions for Luther Heights Bible Camp in the Sawtooth Mountains and Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp south of Glacier National Park in Montana. I led sessions on Lutheranism 101 and then took the counselors on deep dives through the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Bible Studies.
The text for Day 2 Who is Jesus? Is John 15:1-17 (the vine and branches passage). Because we were at the beginning of staff training at both camps, biblical passages about community were also used for worship and devotions.
These passages included 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (the body of Christ). I found it wonderful to juxtapose these two passages with the summer staffs, but I also find it helpful as I begin my call as bishop of our synod. In the passage from John, Jesus uses a metaphor that highlights interrelationships and is nonhierarchical. Perhaps most significant, the branches are also anonymous; nothing distinguishes one branch from the other. The only measure of one’s place in community is to love Jesus. Period. Contrast that with the Apostle Paul’s metaphor of the body in his letter to the church in Corinth. Instead of anonymity, Paul has an abundance of specificity. What both passages share is an emphasis on interdependence, with God in Jesus and with one another.