Three Pastors and a Waitress

A story that made it into my Christmas eve homily occurred just a day before. I was at Bob Evans with two other pastor friends wondering how we can say something in our sermons about a story that many people know well. Then I saw a waitress that I have gotten to know throughout the past year. She was not waiting on our table, but came over to say hi. I asked her, "is this your first Christmas as a Christian?" With her face lit up like a Christmas tree her reply was "yes!" She went on to share how many people have told her that they just want to survive the holiday and with her heart breaking she would say to them, "don't you get how wonderful this all is!?!?!?" That was the message to Christians who are so familiar with the story, allow ourselves to hear this for the first time. She invited us pastors (shepherds) to hear this "good news of great joy for all the people". "The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all!" May we be filled with the joy of the shepherds in Luke's Christmas story, for after they see and hear this Good News they go out and share it! Not much has changed in the 21st century. Three shepherds (pastors) pondered how they would (spiritually) take care of their flocks on Christmas. God still sends us messengers (angels) to bring us "good news of great joy for all the people." This waitress doesn't hesitate to share what she sees God doing in her life, why should any of us?

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Voices from the Past: Walter Bouman and Evangelism 101

Recently I was given a little reading assignment entitled Yes and No in a Taxicab by Walter Bouman.  It is a dialogue (verbatim) between Pastor Bouman and a Taxicab driver.  I would encourage any Christian to read this dialogue because it truly serves as a guide to an Evangelism 101.

On the way, to the airport and wearing a clergy collar the cab driver engages Bouman in a conversation about religion.  The cab driver is not a stranger to church but at this point in his life does not engage in or practice any form of organized religion.  In fact, the cab driver reduces all religions to being good, just as long as a person practices them.  Bouman begins to shoot down this argument pointing to Hitler and Nazism as dangerous religion.

Bouman does not catechize in the traditional way in which we would understand and expect from a pastor.  Bouman simply inquires from the cab driver what in his life does he say "Yes" to, what is it that justifies his existence.  Inevitably this line of questioning points to the fact that anything in this world that has our "Yes" loyalty and devotion other than the one true living God will lead to despair.

This conversation seemed to have taken place during the Vietnam war because the cab driver discusses the possibility of his son being drafted.  Bouman's insight, however, still applies in a Post-Modern context.  Bouman does not abandon the traditions and teachings of the Church as he bears witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ to this cab driver.  In fact, Bouman is echoing what Martin Luther argues in the Large Catechism "That now, I say upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god."

Responding to the cab drivers insight on the short comings of the Church faithfully living out this Good News of Jesus Christ Bouman said, "when the church cares about itself and worries about whether people care about it, then that's a sure sign that the Gospel is being missed  somewhere.  The Gospel sets people free from wondering who cares about them, sets them free for caring."

In our current context, there are still many false gods in the Church and in the world.  Mainline churches who are concerned with institutional survival need to hear these wise words of witness from Walter Bouman.

As a millennial, trying to share who Jesus Christ is to others in my generation I often do not know where to begin.  When trying to convey to a parishioner who is a baby boomer how the Good News they hear every week has freed them to care for others I do not know where to begin.  Walter Bouman and Martin Luther both give us a starting point on where our conversations may begin.  We can discuss and inquire about the god(s) in their lives and through dialogue and discussion we can share the story of Jesus Christ.

From the dialogue, we do not know what happens to the cab driver.  Did he start going back to church?  Did the god in his life become Jesus Christ?  Did he continue to practice his private religion?

That is not essential.  If we use Walter Bouman's witness, as a guide to fast and empirical results in evangelism then we miss the point.  On this day, when Walter Bouman was in a cab heading to the airport he shared the Good News and planted a seed.  It is the planting and watering of seeds that those who belong to the Church are called to do in caring for others.

Ecumenism= Evangelism AND Mission

I have been reading a book titled "The New Church Debate: Issues Facing American Lutheranism".  This book, written in 1983 contains a series of essays that spoke to ecclesial, theological, structural and sociological issues that impacted the formation of a united Lutheran church body in the United States.  This united church body is now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

I came across an essay in this book that was written by the late William H. Lazareth entitled, "Evangelical Catholicity:  Lutheran Identity in an Ecumenical Age."  As American Lutherans were taking bold steps towards unity with one another in the United States, voices like Lazareth were speaking of a Lutheran identity that was Ecumenical.

Lazareth first writes about Christian identity and the significance of unity in an Escahtological Age.

"For Some of the most ardent Christians of our day, any concern for the visible unity of the church appears archaic.  They believe that there are far more urgent tasks to which the churches are called to be involved in.  Ironically, this impatience can arise from two quite different - and often incompatible - kinds of convictions" (p.16)

Lazareth then describes the differences between the conservative right and the liberal left and their ambivalence towards the visible unity of the Church.   For the conservative right, sharing the gospel is the first and foremost priority.  This group seeks to avoid as many stumbling blocks as possible when it comes to effective evangelism in the world.  As a result, they become suspicious of large institutions and structures believing that "organizational church unity...may actually be a hindrance" to their missionary goals.

As for the liberal left, the primary concern is  social justice.  Lazareth describes them as a group that could take or leave visible Church unity.  The liberal left strives and works for true equality, and justice in a broken world.  They seek to break down the dividing walls of race, class and poverty.  "If church unity makes for more effective social action, it is to be welcomed...what really matters, according to this second view, is our effective involvement in the burning societal issues of humankind" (p.16).

Fast forward to 2010 and we still find these struggles throughout the church today.  Perhaps the divide of Christians being "Evangelical" or "Social Justice oriented" is wider today, due to a polarized political landscape.  The reality in the United States is that we are living in a post-modern culture, and this country is once again a mission field.  Unfortunately many Christians identify themselves as either being with the conservative right or the liberal left.  Lazareth locates Lutheran identity and the ecumenical future as neither "conservative" OR "liberal". 

Lazareth points to the World Council of Churches Central Committee document from 1982 entitled, "Mission and Evangelism - an Ecumenical Affirmation."  Twenty Eight years ago both Lazareth and the World Council of Churches affirm that Evangelism and Mission come with being disciples of Jesus Christ.  It is Evangelism AND Mission, not Evangelism OR Mission.  One excerpt Lazareth shares from the WCC document states:

"...A proclamation that does not hold forth the promises of the justice of the kingdom to the poor of the earth is a caricature of the Gospel; but Christian participation in the struggles for justice which does not point towards the promises of the kingdom also makes a caricature of a Christian understanding of justice" (p.22)

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be Evangelical, pointing to the kingdom of God that is here and is to come.  If we embody both Evangelism and Mission, it is only natural then to be Ecumenical, the mission of the church is stronger when Christians receive the unity Christ has given his Church.

Lazareth writes about the 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 1980.  This world celebration caused Lutherans throughout the world to think about this confession of faith in an ecumenical context.  Lazareth points out that, at this time, Lutherans are in serious theological dialogues with other Christians communities.  Lazareth writes, "...Lutheran Christians, despite their ecclesiastical identification as Protestants, nevertheless define their ecclesiological identity as 'evangelical catholics'; that is, as a confessing and confessional communion within the church catholic" (p.26).

These are just snippets of a fantastic and insightful essay about Lutheran identity in an ecumenical age.  I wonder if Lazareth could have predicted the progress and milestones of the ecumenical movement when this essay was written in 1983?  In 2010, the ELCA is over 20 years old and is now in full communion with six mainline denominations.  Lazareth would probably argue that this has been possible because of our Evangelical Catholic identity.  Lutheran Christians do not believe that the "Lutheran Church" is the one true church but part of the one holy catholic church.  Understanding ourselves to be both Evangelical and Catholic, when we share the good news we point to God's kingdom of justice, and when engaged in social outreach we bear witness to Jesus Christ the bread of life.  We do not have to choose between evangelism, mission and ecumenism because each supports the other in pointing to the Cross of Christ in a broken world.