My Conversation with Arnold Thomas

If you hop on over to the Podcast, you can listen to my conversation with Rev. Arnold Thomas. He’s the pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jericho, Vermont. We recorded the conversation in April 2020, and because of a variety of projects on my end, the release of this is just happening now.

The focus of the conversation is on how he created, and you might follow his model, a series of conversations on Racism in America. His approach is but one model among many that are being employed around our synod. Regardless of the approach you take, the main point here is my encouragement for you to find ways to engage on this important subject of Racism in America.

here’s the link to the podcast

Rev. Arnold Thomas

The Promise and Peril of America

For the European visitors, the American continent was a vast unexplored and mysterious land in the 1600s. Fleeing religious persecution, puritan pilgrims made their way to the shores of the Atlantic coast.  Part survivalist expedition, and part spiritual calling. These twin epic narratives, puritan and pioneer, loom large in the American psyche. As someone once pointed out, all great movements carry forward the dreams and neurosis of their founders.

The Puritan ethos has dominated the American spirit with its Calvinistic theology and obsession with moral purity. We see this in the concepts of "Manifest Destiny" and "American Exceptionalism."  Presidents as wide-ranging as John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Barrack Obama captured this in their use of Augustine's "Shining City on a Hill" metaphor.  Through the American psyche, the puritan thread would have us all believe that the USA is a divinely ordained expression of the Kingdom of God.

The pioneer ethos emerged later after early settlers realized this North American continent was no island or peninsula. The land seemed to go on forever. Even when Thomas Jefferson executed the most significant real estate transaction in history through the Louisiana Purchase, he did not know what he was getting. Lewis and Clark explored the land, thinking they would find a shortcut to the Pacific. The Homestead act allowed white people to move into the west and claim territory. For nearly 150 years, Americans were pioneers exploring this continent. The effect on the national psyche encouraged us all to see ourselves as conquerors of time and space.

The promise of these twin towers has been a spirit of adventure. Unlike other nations, US Americans tend to be more willing to explore, invent, and initiate. This partially explains the numerous inventions that have birthed here, whether Thomas Edison or Steve Jobs. The courage to explore as practiced by Amelia Earhart or Sally Ride. The initiative to birth a new form of governance in the form of representative democracy. US Americans are willing to take matters into their own hands, as the saying goes. A strength expressed in an apocryphal story from World War II was when Nazi prison camp guards thought that merely separating the enlisted men from the officers would prevent an escape plan from developing. Only later to discover that the enlisted men took the initiative and hatched their plans of escape. The idea that people could act of their own accord was foreign.

The peril of these twin towers of puritan and pioneer ethos manifest themselves in our human danger of hubris. Thinking ourselves better than others leaves us blind to see the sins of our past and present. Most notably, the dominant practice of slavery and the inheritance of racism, our male-centered orientation toward leadership, as well as hyper-individualism, which impacts both our politics and the environment. We run the risk of putting the whole experiment of democracy in peril. 

Because of our puritan and pioneer cultural mindset, Americans tend to be over-sensitive to both self-evaluation and external criticism. "Why do they hate us?" was a refrain following the event of September 11, 2001.  Until recently, most Americans could not fathom the cries of African Americans and their exclamation Black Lives Matters. Since the land of this country seemed ordained by God for us to use, why should we pay any attention to the calls from other nations to address Global Climate change? If we are the shining city on the hill, should not those other people appreciate everything we do for them? Look at the robust world economy architecture we built in the second half of the 20th century.

Not only are we reluctant to hear these critiques, but US Americans are also susceptible to suspicion. The move from skepticism to conspiracy theories seem more prevalent in our nation than others. After all, since we are the good ones, anything or anyone that argues against us must be out to get us. An invisible coronavirus can be turned into an agent of a conspiracy to undermine this exceptional American experiment. Not to be exclusively the domain of extremist of the right, one can recall a 1990's spouse of the democratic US President espousing the "vast right-wing conspiracy” out to undermine her husband.

The Promise and Peril of America

Perhaps we are now at the height of peril. All sides of the American democratic and cultural phenomenon are undergoing more challenging stresses than ever since the Civil War. 

- Our institutions of government on the federal level are at risk of one person domination; 

- our economic structure increasingly reveals its favoritism along with class and racial disparities, 

- our culture's abandonment of spiritual yearnings for consumeristic secular achievements and 

- our neglect for awareness of the natural processes of ecology risk, well, everything.

 The promise of US America can be found inside all of the risks outlined here. US Americans can invent and initiate. Therefore we have the opportunity to reclaim democracy from the interests that seek to undermine it. One recent example is the response to the killing of George Floyd. But it can also be witnessed in the dramatic increase in activism by people who have never participated in the body politic. By all accounts, the expectations of this November's elections are for exceedingly high voter participation. Are you registered to vote?

US Americans have opportunities to recalibrate the way our economy functions, despite our recent 50 year history of adopting policies that exacerbate income inequality. The Covid19 forced policymakers to enact legislation that would be unheard of before these times six months ago. Three examples include the $1200 direct distribution of funds to citizens,  the generous $600 plus unemployment benefits along with the availability of public dollars in the form of forgivable loans to small businesses, even churches. It took a global pandemic for capitalism to adopt some forms of socialism. (ok, that's an overstatement, but still, the activist government fiscal policy is a dramatic shift.) 

We have long been suffering a significant migration away from authentic expressions of spirituality toward its growing replacement, namely the placebo called consumer capitalism. When choosing a new automobile as the thing that will satisfy the yearnings of the soul, you know people have gone asunder. Though I am among the growing minority of people who describe themselves as both religious and spiritual, I am not one of those who believe the answer is a return to the Eisenhower era church attendance. But I am deeply concerned about the abandonment of religion, spirituality, depth psychology. While it seems Jesus has left the church building, I also believe the sacred can be encountered in other ways. (I’m sure I’ll get letters about that sentence) We would do well, and it’s happening to some extent, to revive the arts in our schools, libraries, and yes, even corporations. I believe that religion should be taught in our public schools, not for purposes of proselytizing but an enhancement. Young people would benefit from readings in the great religions and mythology of humanity. Recovery of the spiritual journey is growing among the over-50 crowd as the second half of life quest for significance looms large.  Can we cultivate the seeds for that in younger persons? 

I believe our connection to the earth is our greatest peril. The promise here is in a growing awareness of humanity's impact on this planet. Climate change and the coronavirus reveal the interconnectedness of all of life. Outside of the United States, public awareness and activism are significant and beginning to pressure both political and corporate systems to enact change. The US is lagging in this area, and we have little time to catch up. While reducing the use of plastic straws, growing your garden and driving a hybrid are essential steps not to be discounted. The massive change we need is away from fossil fuel dominance to alternate forms of energy, including renewable and, yes, safe forms of nuclear power. (We aren't going to get to the planets vast growing energy needs with windmills.)

The promise and peril of America are profound on this 244th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We move forward, understanding our risks and mistakes while embracing and acting on the opportunities before us. I think we'll learn a great deal about ourselves when we gather on July 4, 2026, for the 250thIndependence Day. Will it be a celebration of a transformation and turning toward the Promise of America?

Walking on Holy Ground with George Floyd

George Floyd Square, Powderhorn, Minneapolis, Minnesota One Month after his killing

One month ago, George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis Police Officer in front of the CuP Foods on 38th and Chicago Avenue in the Powderhorn section of Minneapolis. The video of the office kneeling on his back and neck went viral around the world and was the precipitating event of mass protests and riots calling for Racial Justice and Police Reform.

Earlier this week, Lisa and I walked to what is now called George Floyd Square. What we witnessed was a memorial, a tribute, a protest marker, a sculpture…what we walked on was holy sacred ground. The tragedy and outrage of this event unleashed so much, and people came here from miles around to honor the man.

We are here in Minneapolis to provide care and attention to Lisa’s 96-year-old father who has recently begun hospice care. That alone has pout both of us in a place of respect for the fragility of life. We are closer to lament and grief.

As we entered the intersection which is blocked off from all vehicular traffic, we were greeted by young organizers offering hand sanitizer and masks. A reminder of the other crisis we find ourselves, namely the pandemic. Ahead of us, we could see a sculpture of dark brown fist in the center of the square with people gathered around. Some were praying, some taking photos, most just walking in silence. We followed suit. The intersection looks like a labyrinth for walking a prayer circle.

I had the distinct sense of God’s presence, heartbroken on the one hand calling out for justice on the other. We walked through the many memorials, tributes, and calls for action. We were indeed walking on Holy Ground.

A Memorial for George Floyd

A Time of Lament

Everything Has Its Time, Lament is our Time

3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

We are in these times of weeping and mourning as the author of Ecclesiastes writes. So many have died of the Covid19 virus, and so many have died because of the color of their skin, most notably George Floyd. Who is not mourning and grieving the loss of someone or the many? Collectively as a nation, and as global citizens we are all living with loss.

Loss of loved ones, loss of what we once knew, loss of hope, loss of faith, loss of trust… The list goes on. Loss is everywhere.

And yet, it seems we have no place to go with our pain. Our churches, temples, mosques and synagogues are closed. We cannot gather except via Zoom for rite of mourning and remembrance. In a previous time their were elected officials who would lead us in rituals of lament and grief, be it Barrack Obama after Sandy Hook or Charleston, George W. Bush after 9-11 or Ronald Reagan after the Challenger explosion. But today, there is no national ritual to remember those we have lost.

That lack of grieving time and ritual is festering in our souls. It is making us agitated, irritable, depressed and yes, angry. When the human soul cannot find ways to articulate what it is experiencing it does not go away. It churns inside, seeking a way to find expression. Sooner or later it must find a way to be expressed. It will find a way to be expressed. This is why we have rituals of lament, funerals of remembrance and gatherings of loved ones.

Since we must find a way to be people who express our loss, and this is not happening on a large scale, we must find ways. Increasingly, I am seeing congregations holding rituals of lament and grief. This is good and needed. I encourage more and more. Perhaps even monthly it would be appropriate to gather people online for service of lament and grief. As the weather turns more favorable are there opportunities to gather outside in safe ways.

I am encouraging gatherings of lament. Read from the scriptures, invite testimonials, tell the stories of the ones you have lost. These can be the stories of people you knew personally or even persons more distant from you. We need a collective channeling of all the lament. The only way forward through these times is through the grief. We will not move forward until we face what we have lost, what divides us and then, only then will we begin to see our way.

Grieving and Comforting are expressions of Everyday Spirituality

What is the Bible For?

As an ELCA Lutheran, we believe that the Bible is a vessel and that through it God's Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world. 

This is the critical function of the scriptures. They are not meant to be used as tools of power and oppression or, opportunities for showmanship. 

ELCA Lutherans believe the Bible and God's spirit steers us toward care for all God's people so that all may be fed, all may have dignity and all may breathe freely. 

Thanks to a friend who helped remind me of this today.

Nine Minutes of Prayer June 1, 2020

To the People of the New England Synod

In the past week we have witnessed an expression of righteous indignation. During a global pandemic, a crisis in our democracy and a rapid economic decline, we experienced the horrific killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which followed the recent deaths of other African Americans, namely Ahmaud Arberry, Breonna Taylor and Dreasjon (Sean) Reed. In cities across this country, protests have broken out.  In many cases these protests are peaceful. In others they have turned violent.

I believe we are witnessing an expression of outrage, lament and grief. This past weekend I turned to the Psalms as a source to give my heart and mind expression of what I am feeling. I recorded an excerpt which you can view here. 

Last Friday, my colleagues in the Conference of Bishops and I released a statement (view here) recommitting ourselves to addressing racism and white supremacy. On Sunday, I listened to several sermons from Pastors in our Synod as they addressed the subject of Racism on Pentecost Sunday.

As a baptized child of God, I am called to love one another as God has loved me. One of the ways I express that love for one another is in speaking out against racism and white supremacy.  As St. Paul writes, “When one part of us is wounded we are all wounded.”   It is in that spirit I stand with those who are targets of racist ideologies and actions.

In our country today there is more rhetoric of hostility than I can recall in my lifetime. Candidly, it frightens me. If I were a person of color, it would terrify me. While the wanton destruction and harm of property and persons cannot be condoned, protesting of conditions of oppression, brutality and murder is appropriate.

As faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, who himself was brutally murdered, I am asking all of us to pause today, (Monday, June 1) at 5:00p.m. for 9 minutes of prayer. 

Join with others in this silence via telephone, Zoom or other platforms. Nine minutes is a long time to hold silence. Breathe in the silence, remember your breaths and commit in that time too use your breath to speak out and act in justice for all.  If you wish, you may also pray this prayer

A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit among the People of God
God of all power and love, we give thanks for your unfailing presence 
and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss. 
Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire. 
Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world: 
a people who pray, worship, learn, break bread, share life, heal neighbors, 
bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit. 
Wherever and however we gather, 
unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission, 
that we and the whole creation might be restored and renewed, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Oración por el Espíritu en tiempos de incertidumbre y desplazamiento
Dios de todo poder y amor, te damos gracias por tu constante presencia y por la esperanza que brindas en tiempos de incertidumbre y de pérdida. Envía tu Espíritu Santo a encender en nosotros tu fuego santo. Revívenos para vivir como cuerpo de Cristo en el mundo: un pueblo que ora, adora, parte el pan, comparte la vida, atiende a sus prójimos, es portador de buenas nuevas, busca la justicia, descansa y crece en el Espíritu. Dondequiera y de cualquier manera que nos reunamos, únenos en oración comunitaria y envíanos en una misión común: que nosotros y toda la creación podamos ser restaurados y renovados, mediante Jesucristo nuestro Señor. Amén.

Bishop James Hazelwood

New England Synod- ELCA 

Psalms of Lament & Outrage

Four Psalms and a Poem by Langston Hughes

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Holy Communion Study in the New England Synod

We in the New England Synod are in the midst of a time of study and reflection on the sacrament of Holy Communion. If you’ve been following this page and the E-Newsletters you are aware of this.

During this time I’ve asked all our congregations to refrain from any forms of celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion such as Virtual, Online, Internet Communion.

Just yesterday the last of our conferences completed their conversation, and on Thursday of this week I will be meeting with the Deans to discuss what they have learned. The next step will be for me to put forth some recommendations which I will ask the Synod Council to review on June 6. Those recommendations will be accompanied next week with both a letter and a video articulating and summarizing our learnings and my reasons for proceeding.

Why are we doing this?

Candidly, I have great concerns about practices around communion which once we begin will be challenging to unravel. That’s the first reason. The second is that we have a unique understanding of Holy Communion in the Lutheran Church that centers around the gathered assembly as an incarnation encounter with Jesus the Christ. Third, we need to proceed carefully because actions that we take have implications. What one does in Maine can now be seen in Rhode Island. If one church chooses to go forward without considering the impact on others, what does that say about our shared relations as colleagues, fellow churches. Fourth, we are an ecumenical and a global church. Actions that we take have implications with our Full Communion Partners as well as with our global companion synods around the world.

We are moving through this process. Let us be about a spirit of mutuality as we do so.

Sincerely

Bishop James Hazelwood

Five Considerations for Re-Opening your Church

Here’s my video on what you have to think about, as well as the explanation behind my May 19th Letter encouraging our congregations to wait til July 1. (That letter is below)

Later Addition: Despite what the President said today, I stand by my letter of May 19.

Re-Opening and Communion Part 2

May 19, 2020

Dear People of the New England Synod,

As I have said from the very beginning of this pandemic, I have confidence and trust in your leadership. You continue to make wise, thoughtful and faithful decisions, and I appreciate the maturity with which you are handling extremely challenging forces.

Re-Opening

Our New England States have initiated various phases of so-called “re-opening”. In a few states, governors have provided guidance which pertain to Houses of Worship. The guidance may have given the impression or may been interpreted as license to “open as usual”. That is not the case! 

In light of that, I want to offer here a path forward for the New England Synod:

1.     If you have not seen the ELCA Guidance Regarding In-Person Worship, here is the link (click here).   It’s quite helpful, and I encourage you to use it as a foundational document in decision making.

2.     I encourage you, if you have not already, to begin thinking about a phased re-opening of your ministry. I wrote about that to you previously. (Click here)

3.     I believe there is wisdom in proceeding slowly, watching and learning from others as they manage their own re-opening.

4.     I strongly recommend that all of our congregations not hold any form of in-person indoor worship until at least July 1.

In the coming weeks, I will provide additional guidance about moving forward. The timeline at the bottom of this letter will provide you assistance in your own planning.  In the meantime, I suggest you engage your congregation council in discussions around the following:

·      If you have not already established shepherd or care groups, I would encourage you to put that in place. I interviewed Pastor John Polk about this for a podcast. (Listen here) John’s paper describing this can be found here.

·      Now is a good time to contact your insurance carrier. Consult with them as to their recommendations regarding re-opening. It’s also good to ensure your premiums have been paid and your account is up to date.

·      If your congregation has outside organizations that use your facility. This is a good time to review contracts and up to date proof-of-insurance documents are in order. You may wish to inform them of the above July 1 date as well.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 20), I will release a video where I discuss in more depth my thinking around re-opening.  That video will be sent to your email address and posted on our various Social Media platforms.

Holy Communion

As you may recall, I have also encouraged a synod-wide conversation around Holy Communion. What follows is a timeline for those conversations as a general timeline for re-opening plans.

Currently – Everyone is invited to view and read a variety of resources on this topic (Click Here).

Week of May 25- I will be releasing a video on the topic of Holy Communion. This will be a resource that congregations can use for educational purposes. You will receive a link to that video.

May 28th – By this time I expect all of our Conferences will have had meetings with the Pastors and Deacons to discuss five questions related to this topic. On May 28, my staff and I will be meeting with the Deans to listen to feedback. You can view the discussion questions by clicking here.

June 6th – Meeting of the New England Synod Council on this date. Among several items of business will be a discussion of a draft of recommendations on Communion practices along with a review of recommendations for re-opening plans

June 10th – I will be sending out my letter of recommendations regarding the next steps in planning for re-opening as well as guidance around Holy Communion.

I hope this outline provides you with a clear path forward. Please know that we are not in normal times. Therefore, we need to anticipate the need to adjust our plans. Flexibility is no longer an option in the church, it is a requirement. 

With that in mind, let me be clear about the July 1 date..........

I have indicated not reopening until at least July 1. Please do not interpret this as a date when you will re-open. There is much we do not know about this virus still, and there are many considerations before that is an option. 

I appreciate your dedication to your work, your congregations, the well-being of all your members and the ongoing proclamation of the Gospel.

 Sincerely In Christ,

 Bishop James Hazelwood 

Resources for our Worship in a Pandemic Conversations

This page contains links to various resources for the conversations in the New England Synod regarding the future of Worship in our Synod congregations. I’ve tried to offer some of the more thoughtful pieces that reflect a range of views.

Re-Opening Considerations

Considerations for Returning to In Person Worship provided by the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop

Video Resources

My Conversation with Bishop Guy Erwin on The Reformation, Sacraments & the Pandemic

Holy Communion in a Time of Isolation by Clay Schmidt and Melinda Quick

Online Communion by Clay Schmidt and Rick Bliese

Articles

Bishop Craig Satterlee Reflections on Communion for his Synod

Professor Dirk Lange Digital Worship & Sacramental Life in a Pandemic

Professor Deanna Thompson Christ is Really Present Virtually

Gordon Lathrop & Timothy Wengert Holy Communion under Quarantine

It's not the Same Church we had in January

To the People of the New England Synod,

Way back in January we had church life. That model of church life consisted of a building with a paid staff, in-person gatherings, people shaking hands, sharing food, singing, hugging, and programs for various age groups. Some of us have only known that model of church life, and we’ve been lamenting as we’ve witnessed the struggle to maintain it. I now call that model of church life the January Church, because it was last in January when we experienced it fully.

Much has changed since then, and every day brings more transition.

The purpose of this letter is to set the stage for what’s next in two areas, Reopening and Worship.

This letter is longer than usual. Be forewarned.

Reopening

It is clear that re-opening is going to be a slow and gradual process involving some careful planning. This will require congregations to be flexible and adaptive because change will be the consistent theme going forward. In some ways, I believe reopening will be more challenging than the decision to close. 

Considerations for planning your re-opening

1.     Recognize that re-opening is not going back to normal. The church we all remember, what I call the January Church, is something we will not be returning to any time soon. If you view re-opening as an attempt to get back to the model of church, as usual, I believe you will be continually frustrated. We must understand the need for grace and patience with one another as we all attempt to discover Christ in new ways.

2.     Follow the guidance of your state’s governor and health officials. New England Synod congregations are located in seven different states. While some states are acting in coordination with one another, this will not be the case throughout our region. In addition, I would not anticipate a great deal of specificity in the guidance for houses of worship. There are multiple reasons for that, including concerns about first amendment matters. While there may not be specific recommendations regarding houses of worship, look carefully at plans for schools (elementary through high school), since they are most similar to churches in their dynamics, for instance, people traveling from regional proximity, sitting in rows, gathering for food, interacting socially, etc. My advice is to watch the guidance for schools and translate that application to church life.

3.     Recognize that a phased re-opening is probably your best scenario. As an example, Rhode Island has a current limit of 5 persons gathering and anticipates a process that will increase to 10, then to 15, then to 50. How will your congregation adapt to this type of model? I think a phased re-opening might look like this:

Phase 1 – When your state indicates a likely date for relaxing the quarantine, ask yourselves, “What’s most in need of attention?” One way to answer this question is to consider the most vulnerable and those who are grieving. Maybe it’s best to look at some social ministry that has been curtailed, such as a food pantry, before considering worship. In addition, if your congregation has had multiple deaths, perhaps attending to grief via memorial services is an appropriate first priority. The larger point is, don’t try to do everything all at once.

Phase 2 – As the next level of quarantine is relaxed in your state, begin conversations about how your congregation might be able to come together in smaller configurations. Not everyone will want to nor should they want to gather publicly, but some people are eager to have some in-person contact. One congregation might consider a gathering of its shepherding groups where six or so people meet. If you have the capability, perhaps that first meeting could be outside. In other words, think of Phase 2 as an intermediary step, think small. Also, think of those not able or desirous of an in-person gathering, how will you continue to attend to them?

Phase 3 – If your state officials relax restrictions to larger group gatherings, ask yourself how this might be done. A favorite question of mine these days is: What’s doable? Following the Rhode Island guidance, this means groups of 50 could gather together. If you have a smaller congregation this might work. But if you are in a larger congregation, does that mean you need to have multiple worship services or staggered attendance plans? In this phase, you’ll also need to consider ways you will attend to the expectations of sanitizing your building. Additionally, are you continuing an online presence as well? How will you do this simultaneously? One church is considering plans for an in-person gathering on Sundays, but then an online gathering on Wednesdays. Are you now asking your pastor, administrator, musicians, and others to do twice as much work? Have you considered partnering with another church to share these responsibilities and more evenly distribute the workload?

Whether you use this concept or another, I urge you to recognize that this will be a gradual re-opening. You should also plan for the inevitable “two-steps forward, one-step-back” scenario. Several health officials have indicated we may have times when the virus spreads quickly and we may need to restrict our activities again. How will you plan for this possible return to Phase 1?

The reality is: this is hard. We are trying to balance a concern for health and safety with a desire to connect again. Take it slow; go one step at a time and recognize not everyone is ready to make the same step at the same time, so allow for flexibility.

Resources

There have been many resources published elsewhere that may help in your planning for re-opening, and I’ve listed some below. This is not an exhaustive list, but some comprehensive ones.

A Plan for Returning to Church by the Wisconsin Council of Churches – This resource also makes use of a phased approach, as well as raising important considerations around actual worship practices. Again, remember to always be aware of your own state’s health officials’ recommendations.

Coming Back Together by the Three ELCA Synods in Texas – The three ELCA synods in Texas and Louisiana have produced this guide. Since that part of the country has chosen to re-open sooner than New England, we can look to their experience. I’ll be in touch with my colleagues there to learn from them as they go through this process. 

Opening Up Again – This is a document produced by the Federal Government that contains helpful information. It also uses the phased opening approach. This document contains important reminders about health and safety protocols.

Throughout this time of the pandemic, I ask your patience with one another. Do not rush decisions. Be mindful of decisions that you make for all your constituents, as well as for longer-term implications

Worship for the Long Haul

I have been impressed with how rapidly you have adapted to the new reality of worship and congregational life in these times. The widespread use of online worship, Bible Studies, fellowship hours, and meetings using a variety of technologies is admirable. We are all still beginners in this work, learning as we go. Like toddlers learning to walk, we spend a fair amount of time falling down. But that’s how we learn. That’s ok.

As I’ve learned more and more about this disease and the likely trajectories of its impact on society, I’m realizing the need to begin making plans for the long haul. The commonly articulated time frame of 12-18 months before we achieve some semblance of broad public safety via a vaccine, credible treatments, and levels of herd immunity is a sobering timeline. Some have noted that timeline might be a best-case scenario. In light of this, I think we need to look at questions around the future both near term and long term of the church. For now, let’s discuss our worship life together. 

There is clearly a need for us to think and plan for ongoing changes in worship life, chiefly around questions of online worship and some practices which have always been in-person such as Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Ordination, weddings, and funerals. How do we navigate the terrain of a three-legged stool of theological understandings, pastoral needs, and technological innovation? While some have chosen a quick-fix approach, I’ve not wanted to go that route for multiple reasons, which I have previously described. I’m grateful to the pastors, deacons, and congregations of this synod for their patience in honoring my request that we refrain from an impulsive decision to engage in various practices around Holy Communion.

However, I do think the time has come for us to dive more deeply into this subject. I am choosing a harder path in the hopes that the outcome will yield a more thoughtful decision. That path is to engage as widely as possible in a series of discussions on our practices of worship in these times. 

We will begin with a series of discussions at the conference level with pastors and deacons. Then, we will introduce an opportunity for congregations to engage in similar discussions. There will be resources made available in both written, audio and video formats. These will be small digestible pieces that address the topic at hand. The full details of this approach are in development and will be available next week.

My goal in all this is two-fold: 1. to deepen our understanding of the sacraments, and 2. to help provide for informed decisions as we move into a new way of being church.

I could choose to simply write you all a letter, tell you what I think, and be done with it. That seems easier and briefer but does not honor your gifts, intelligence and faithfulness. I’m choosing the harder way, but I believe the end result will be more broadly embraced. I will have more information and details next week, and you’ll actually have tools to put in people’s hands next Wednesday.

Finally, a brief word on the “big picture.” I think we are in a time of transition. I don’t fully understand it, but I sense that these are times of significant cultural and spiritual transformation. If you are interested in exploring this with me, I’m having a series of Wednesday evening Zoom discussions starting next week. More information on that is here.

Once again, thank you for all you are doing. I’m witnessing so many examples of congregations, 

places of ministry, and individuals rising to the challenges. We are demonstrating to those around us that Christ is alive in the people of our synod. My confidence in the present and the future of this church continues to rise as each day I hear about Lutherans being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Sincerely in Christ,

Bishop Jim Hazelwood

A Way of Transformation

Three consecutive evenings exploring the deeper cultural and spiritual themes of our time.

I believe we are caught in the middle of a great turnaround.  Accepting this theme helps us make sense of the tumultuous events and feeling all around us. When we are in the middle of what can seem like the very end of everything, the religions, stories, and psychologies of history reveal that things are also beginning again.

On each of these evenings, we will be both practical and profound. The idea is to discover the big picture of these changing times and learn practical skills to help us live day to day.

Wednesdays, May 6, 13 & 20

7:00 p.m. via Zoom

Limited number of participants.  

Please email Martha at mwhyte@nesynod.org to receive to access this program.

May 6, 2020

Part One: Ideas for Living through a Pandemic: How to Make these Days Spiritual

Let’s look at some practical ways we might discover a new kind of spirituality while we are in quarantine.  It’s easy to be either overwhelmed, distracted or frustrated during our current stay-at-home times. How can we discover that in spite or maybe because of this shelter we are more spiritual than we realize?

 Optional Advance Reading:  

Everyday Spirituality by James Hazelwood. Chapters 13, 14 & 19 Cook, Garden, Walk

May 13, 2020

Part Two: Life is Not Fair: The Book of Job and Everyday Spirituality

Radical Resiliency is the phrase I’m embracing as we all endure and embrace this time of transformation. The ancient book of Job explores questions around human suffering and divine presence. Understanding the time we are in as a time of lament can help us manage life, ourselves and our relationships during these days. 

Optional Advance Reading

Everyday Spirituality by James Hazelwood Chapters 12 & 24 Question, Disagree

The Book of Job Chapters 1, 2 & 3

An Irreverent Summary of Job (click here)

May 20, 2020

Part Three: Apocalypse Now? Is this the End or the Beginning?

The Book of Revelation might just have some clues for what we are experiencing, but not in the ways you might think. We will look at the ancient Greek word Apocalypsis, and seek to understand both sides of the coin ending/beginning. What can this strange book of the Bible teach us? Understanding the significance of the cultural shift, we ask, so what?  What can we do?

Optional Advance Reading

Everyday Spirituality by James Hazelwood Chapters 26 &27 Grieve, Wonder

The Book of Revelation Chapters 1, 21 & 22

Each evening includes a presentation of about 20-30 minutes, followed by a Discussion and Q & A time.  Can’t make the live session? We will record each session and make them available for listening and/or viewing later.

Need a copy of the book Everyday Spirituality? We have extra copies and you can order them through our office. Books are $18 and we’ll include a deck of the Conversation cards and cover the shipping costs.  All proceeds go to the New England Synod Jubilee 2020 Fund. Contact Martha Whyte at mwhyte@nesynod.org

2020 is the New 1517

2020 is the New 1517: The Coronavirus will Change the Church 

A Crisis on this Scale can reorder society and its religious institutions.

Initiated by James Hazelwood, Bishop, New England Synod ELCA Lutheran

[This is an open-source document. It needs you. It needs whole lotta voices editing, changing, adding, flushing it out. Because this new reformation is not about a single person’s perspective. It’s about a community of people learning together to discover something new that God is doing. Therefore you can download an MS WOrd docx file here]

In between Zoom video meetings and an increase in chocolate chip cookies I’ve begun to wonder about the future of our work together in these days and the days ahead.

Even before the Coronavirus, along with the accompanying Anxiety Virus, dismantled our not so orderly daily living and church activities, the ELCA was already entering into a time of restructuring. This is not unique to our tribe. It’s been true of almost every religious institution in America for decades. Mainline Protestants, Southern Baptists, Jewish and Muslim Communities have all been in a tailspin. 

But now the crisis of Corona19 is forcing us all to face a dramatic and harsh rearranging of life as we know it. The most vulnerable are hardest hit, while the rest of us struggle to adjust to new rhythms. The only ones least impacted seem to be teenage boys who continue with a 24/7 video gaming habit, interrupted by brief departures for soda, chips and a bathroom. They’ll be fine as long as the internet holds up, and indoor plumbing remains an option. The first being more essential. But I digress. 

What follows are some ideas. They are not based on research or empirical evidence. It’s simple conjecture. If I’m right on any front, I’ll claim the title of majestic guru.  If I’m wrong, well, it won’t be the first time.

But first, before we go to what will Change, let’s ask what won’t

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is frequently asked “What will change in the next 10 years?” He responds with something akin to, “Let’s also ask What will not change?”  That’s a good question to ask in these times. What won’t change? 

I think of these vital human-centered qualities

·      Humans will always be storytellers

·      Humans still need connectedness and compassion 

·      Humans are meaning-seeking creatures

·      Humans will make bad decisions

·      Humans are problem solvers

Then I think of these sacred centered qualities

·      God’s Grace remains a constant

·      The Holy remains a prevailing gift to all humanity

·      The Incarnation of God in Christ is defining

How we understand and engage these unchanging aspects of life may be our most significant work, which is why I believe #5 below is most intriguing. Let’s keep these unchanging truths close at hand while we ruminate on the future of what might change

Here are Five Changes

1.     Technology will become more widely embraced, while the tech divide will leave some behind.

There are pros and cons here.  On the plus side, I’m seeing a swift move by previously reluctant parishioners toward Zoom Bible Studies, Church Council meetings and even worship. This could facilitate opportunities to increase involvement in numerous activities. There are opportunities for outreach that have been waiting for an application. Covid19 forces many people to adapt. I do think there is an open question of how community and interactivity needs are addressed. Figuring this piece out will be key going forward. 

On the downside, one wonders if people will become lazy in their application and participation. Could in-person attendance decline in preference for staying home in our jammies? How will all the plethora of online streamed worship services impact church shopping, attendance and giving? Will we be entertained or offended by bloopers?

As a general rule simpler, shorter and succinct proves to be the key in online communications. Our attention spans are dramatically reduced. This means worship, study groups, and meetings will follow suit. Your 75-minute-long liturgy may start with 100 viewers, but you’ll dwindle down to a precious few by the end. This could force all of us to hone our messages and ‘get to the point’ in meetings.  On the flip side, coffee or cocktail hours might enjoy a renewed extension.

2.     The Role and Purpose of the Pastor will change or diminish

For most of the 20th century, we built the church around the professional minister. He or she was trained with a college or seminary degree thus credentialing them as the intellectual specialist. The blessing of this was the value of the educated clergy. The downside included a level of intellectual superiority.  But chiefly we trained the church to center around the Pastor, and all we asked of the laity was regular attendance and consistent financial support.

The Coronavirus ends this model, which has been in decline for some time. The new model, which is actually a reclaiming of the old model, sees the ministry leader (do they need to be ordained?) as a mid-wife for ministry. 

In the early weeks of the CV19, Boston area Pastor John Polk divided his congregation into small groups of three to four households.  Each group is headed by a shepherd who checks in with people on a weekly basis. Pastor Stephanie Pope did something similar and reported the delight of a father over-hearing his high school-age daughter, a group leader, making phone calls checking in on people. The experienced warmed his heart to witness the Christian compassion expressed by this 18-year-old. Pastor Lauren Holm guided a member of her congregation on the details of how to give a blessing to other family members.  Each of these Pastors has quickly made the shift from a provider of services to mid-wife. They are now assisting others in providing ministry.

This shift has been needed for some time. We would be well served as a church to run with this new direction rather than resist it. But it calls into question some assumptions about the ordained. We will need to train them to be mid-wives. In other words, their role is to help others give birth to new ways of being church. The spotlight shifts from Pastor to lay leader. 

Implicit in this shift may call into question our financial model. Most of the congregations in our synod have significant budget preferences toward the paid professionals.  

3.     Many Congregations will Close, some don’t have to

Any person looking at the landscape of US American Christianity for the past decade has witnessed the coming wave of church closings. This virus and the accompanying economic tsunami will make the slow pattern of decline a cascading waterfall.  Hey, it’s a mixed metaphor but at least it’s still water.

In the month since CV19 became more than a news story in China, I’ve already heard from congregations who used to say, “we’ve got 2-4 years” now saying, “I think we’ve got six months left.” More of our fragile churches will close more rapidly.

The rolling impact of church closings, rising unemployment, stock market declines will impact healthier churches as well. This leads to declines in the funding model that supports denominational systems. Both middle judicatories like synods as well as national systems will experience dramatic reductions in funding. This will force a needed refocusing of priorities. I know for us in the New England Synod, while our budget consists of little fat, we will have to make tough choices about what work we will and will not be able to do. I suspect this will be true on a national level as well.

But does this have to be all bad?  Congregations/Synods/Denominations that are willing to adapt to these fluid times could continue, especially if they adopt new leadership structures. Pastors may have to shift from full time to part-time, and one wonders if this might be true for bishops as well.  If this happens, lay leaders will need to pick up more of the ministry and operational functions of their congregations. We all may have to decide that the church does X, but not Y. Discovering your WHY becomes more important than ever. Discovering the ability to say NO, a crushing challenge for church folk, will no longer be an option – it must be done.

4.     An Opportunity to Reorient the Focus of Ministry

What is our WHY? Our purpose, the one thing we offer to our local community that is unique and no one else can do it?

In the new post-CV19 church there will not be an option for being all things to all people. For nearly two decades I’ve been preaching this message. Those congregations that acted on this early are stronger now. A previous iteration of this message was: “If your church closed this week, would anyone in your community notice?”  I’m not talking about mission or vision statements; I’m talking about what people say about your church. 

·      That’s the church that builds wheelchair ramps. 

·      That’s the church that has an elderly care network. 

·      That’s the church centered on spiritual practices.

·      That’s the church with a recovery ministry. 

Whatever it is PICK ONE.  Yes, one.  Do it better than anyone else in your community. You’ll have a future and clarity of purpose.  You’ll also be able to say ‘No’ to all of the distractions, suggestions, worthwhile ideas that you just can’t do if you are doing your ONE THING well.

Ministries that spend their time, energy and resources on being all things or nothing to people will be gone, likely in 2 years, some less. There’s a future for focused purpose ministry.

5.     Now is the time to imagine a new Ancient/Future Spirituality

This Plague has dethroned us from our Egypt Pharaoh Ego arrogance that we are in charge. I’m not saying God sent this Plague to do us harm or punish us for some moral faux pas. Rather, I’m suggesting that this modern Plague, a product of biology, has scattered the illusion that human beings are in control and masters of our own destiny.  Our illusion of primacy, control and independence has been shattered. This includes our theology/spirituality/belief systems.

Will we be ready for a new theology, a new spirituality that fully embraces all of nature? It is clear to me that any religious thinking about life on planet earth now needs to pay attention to the natural world. This creation is speaking to us through both this virus as well as the climate crisis. They are related, even integrated.

I believe every church and every church leader now needs to wrestle with the threefold crisis of our time. The crisis of the climate, the crisis of the pandemic and the crisis of meaning. These three interrelated crises need an engagement that brings together our best thinking and living.  I’m rereading and rethinking my views on two books in the Bible – Job and Revelation. They are somehow related both deal with questions of ultimate meaning on both an individual and a collective level. I’m reading them through a Creation Care Depth Psychology Lens. Honestly, I don’t know that that means at this point in time, but on an intuitive level I’m suspecting something that relates to a transformation of life.

 The calendar may say 2020, but it’s 1517 again.  What I mean by that is the events of 500 years ago were both reformation and a renaissance of culture and worldview. We are in a similar time. We can’t just think our way into the future, we must be willing to live into an adventure. That requires risk, which is another word for faith.

Bishop James Hazelwood. Holy Saturday April 11 2020 

Other articles worth reading

How Church Leaders Need to Function

https://journal.praxislabs.org/leading-beyond-the-blizzard-why-every-organization-is-now-a-startup-b7f32fb278ff

Domestic Implications with 34 different Perspectives. 

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-economy-life-society-analysis-covid-135579

International and Foreign Policy Perspectives

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/20/world-order-after-coroanvirus-pandemic/

Another Perspective on implications for the Church

https://convergenceus.org/2020/04/02/ten-ways-the-church-will-be-changed-by-covid-19/?inf_contact_key=4ec20b0f3f206b8f4f9762d8c24d8f84f651f238aa2edbb9c8b7cff03e0b16a0

What Reopening might look like in US. The Executive Summary is worth a read.

American Enterprise Institute

https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/National-Coronavirus-Response-a-Road-Map-to-Recovering-2.pdf

Rhode Island Faith Leaders Message of Perseverance.

We are facing a moment unlike any we have faced in modern times. In response people across Rhode Island have shown courage, strength and compassion to each other and to our neighbors. We are still in the midst of this crisis, and sadly the end is not yet in sight. Yet because of the decisions being made by state leaders, along with the heroism of medical professionals, emergency response teams and workers in critical industries, we see a real and certain hope that our state will emerge stronger and more committed to the collective wellbeing of all Rhode Islanders.

Many have already done so much for those in need. Thank you to everyone. 

Some of you have put your lives in danger to care for us. Please know that we are grateful beyond our ability to express. 

Others of you are taking your roles as active, at-home supporters as well.  It is not easy for some of us to be still, but here you are doing so for the safety of us all.  Your contribution of solidarity, at home IS making a difference.

We ask all Rhode Islanders to join with those who are vulnerable, those who are ill and those who are grieving. May our compassion be our greatest common witness. As we navigate our way through this crisis it is our focus on the common good that will be our most noted proclamation.  Our actions will save our neighbor’s and our loved one’s lives. They will save the lives of the poor and the marginalized among us.

This month our faith communities celebrate our Holy Days in unanticipated ways. We hear again the memory of those who have gone before us and survived the challenges of their day. Our conviction is that Divine Providence does act in history, there will be a renewal, a restoration, and life will ultimately triumph over chaos and death.

Rev. James Hazelwood
Bishop, New England Synod, ELCA Lutheran

Mufti Ikram ul Haq
Imam of Masjid Al-Islam,North Smithfield RI

The Right Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely
Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island

Rabbi Sarah E. Mack
President, Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island

Rev. Chontell Nelson Washington
Interim Executive Minister, Rhode Island State Council of Churches

Rev. Dr. Tom Wiles
Executive Minister, The American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island

Can our church benefit from the CARES ACT?

Can our church or ministry center benefit from the CARES ACT?

Our church and synodical leaders with expertise have reviewed the $2 Trillion Federal law approved by Congress last Friday known as the CARES Act. What follows are some helpful summaries which may benefit you and your ministry site.

Summary Document of the CARES Act prepared by the ELCA. (Click here)

This document includes information as it relates to such topics as 

·      Unemployment Benefits

·      Student Loan Relief

·      Retirement Plan Changes

·      Stabilization Loans

Because Unemployment Insurance is managed by your State government, we encourage you to contact your state office that manages Unemployment. 

Stabilization Loans and Payroll Protection for Churches

It may be possible for your congregation to secure a loan to help cover costs related to payroll, utilities, mortgage payments. Please read this document for how one of our congregations approached this matter. It’s clearly best for congregations to speak to their local bank where they already do business.  (Click here)

Health Insurance & Retirement Benefits

If your congregation or you personally, have questions regarding the Portico Benefits Services, we strongly encourage you to be in touch with Portico. There are several provisions in the new CARES Act which should be considered when making financial decisions. Congregations are encouraged to continue making their payments to Portico to ensure the stability of this shared risk Health Plan. (Click Here)

Mission Investment Fund

The Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA has resources including persons to assist, as well as loans to congregations and or individuals.  (Click Here). 

The ELCA also has a general website on Covid19 resources. (Click here)

If you or your congregation need assistance with any of these matters, including legal or financial advice, please contact Bishop Hazelwood at bishop@nesynod.org He will then connect you with the appropriate resource person.

[Follow-Up April 6 - The SBA (Small Business Association) issued a ruling over the weekend clarifying that indeed Faith-Based Organizations are eligible. Click Here for details]

In addition, click here for a brief summary of all this information. provided by the ELCA Office of the Secretary

Sincerely

Bishop James Hazelwood

Plans for Sunday April 19

I’m working on a project for Sunday April 19. But I need your assistance.

1. I’ll be preparing a video worship with a sermon for use in all congregations. This will include some music, a message, scripture, prayers. Brief but sufficient.

2. The intro to the sermon will include a montage or photo slideshow. Here’s where I need your help. Send me a photo of you, your family, your pets, whatever. I’ll assemble them into a multimedia sound and sight prelude to the sermon. We can’t all be together, but we can all see each other for a glimpse. Send a photo to bishop@nesynod.org by April 13.

3. For congregations that want to simply insert the message into your existing worship, I’ll get you a video, audio and text file by Tuesday, April 14.

4. For those of you who want to watch the whole thing on your own, plan for 9:00 a.m. on Sunday April 19th. More info in this space.

Letter to the New England Synod # 3

Let me begin this letter by telling you how pleased I am with our New England Synod in these challenging times:

• Our congregations, leaders and ministry centers have risen to the challenge. Pastors and Deacons are working extremely diligently alongside worship teams to bring online worship to our congregations.

• Food ministries, hospitality centers and care for the homeless and vulnerable are continuing across the territory of the synod.

• Laypersons are stepping forward to serve as shepherding chaplains to small groups in their congregations.

These might be difficult times, but we, in the New England Synod, are stepping up to the challenge!  Thank you!

Synod Assembly

The Synod Council met this past Saturday via Zoom and made some important decisions. One of those decisions was to not hold Synod Assembly this year (2020) and instead move our three-day Assembly to 2021.   In accordance with the Synod Constitution, the Synod Council will attend to all business until that time.  Any business that cannot be addressed by the Synod Council will be moved forward to the 2021 Synod Assembly.

This decision was made based on a recommendation from the ELCA, in consultation with the ELCA Office of the Secretary along with legal counsel, and is within the parameters of our constitution. Aside from this guidance, the Synod Council also deemed it unwise to bring 450+ people (many of whom are over the age of 65) into one room for three days anytime in the near future.

If you have already registered and paid for assembly, your fees will be refunded. However, please note that this will take some time as we will have to process these refunds in the form of written checks. Please be patient - you do not need to request a refund; it will be issued automatically.  If, however, you made hotel reservations, you need to cancel those directly with the hotel.

CARES Act

Many of you are wondering how the recently passed legislation, known as the CARES Act, applies to our congregations. This is a complex piece of legislation that our synod attorney and treasurer are reviewing. Later this week we should have additional information to share. In the meantime, this link provides a summary of some aspects of the bill.

In-person Worship

As nearly all our New England states are in various stages of “Stay-at-Home" executive orders, and the number of those diagnosed with COVID-19 continues to rise, I want to underscore our responsibility as Christians to be role models. We are called to attend to the needs of others - it’s not just about us. This includes our desire to have in-person worship.

I encourage you to listen to the orders of your state governors as well as health care professionals. Tied into this, there is some debate regarding how we are to understand ourselves in relation to “essential” vs. “non-essential” organizations. We should consider ourselves non-essential when it relates to worship gatherings. (Please note, I’m speaking in this instance practically, not theologically.)

Among New England Synod congregations, there are now several members who have tested positive for the virus. It’s time for us to be cautious. This is a long way of saying, please refrain from in-person worship for the foreseeable future.

Some of you have asked about practices of worship as well as Holy Communion.  I’ve written about this in two recent articles. You can see them hereand here. Please refrain from various online strategies regarding Holy Communion.

Holy Week Worship Resources

We will not be worshiping in-person during Holy Week, but it doesn’t have to mean that we will not be worshiping at all.  As one person remarked, “This year Holy Week may be more like the original one than in most recent years”:

• Recall the Hebrew slaves sequestered on the night of the first Passover marking their doors, staying inside for fear of a cloud of death moving about the land of Egypt.

• Recall the abandonment on the cross, and Jesus’ words, “Why have you forsaken me”?

• Recall the early morning journey to the tomb, Jesus resurrected and as disciples move closer to him, he says, “Do not touch me?”

Our Synod Worship and Spiritual Life Team has prepared some resources that may be of help for Holy Week as well as other aspects of congregational life in these times. They can be found on our synod website:    https://www.nelutherans.org/covid-19-resources

Bishop’s Easter Season Message

Lastly, I’ll be recording a sermon which can be used for your worship services on the weekend of April 18 & 19 (2nd Sunday of Easter).  I’ll provide a text, audio and video version. You’ll have options to use the format that works best for you.

 I have delayed providing a sermon for some time now as I’ve wanted our congregations to "grow their glue." I want congregations to be connected locally as much as possible and wish that to continue through Holy Week and Easter Day.  However, it strikes me that:

• Many of our preachers could benefit from a weekend off.

• By that time we will have been into this stay-at-home mode for at least a month.

• The Sunday of Doubting Thomas seems a good time to speak a word of hope.

I’ll make sure you get the necessary worship items by Tuesday, April 14th.

Thank you for your thoughtful attention to what matters most. 

Sincerely in Christ,

Bishop James Hazelwood

Hastiness & Lament: Why do I object to Virtual Communion?

On and off for the last week, I've thought about my objection to so-called virtual Communion. (For those of you not oriented toward the inside baseball aspects of mainline Protestant Christianity, you are free to stop reading here. This debate is our version of discussing the merits of different fonts on a PowerPoint presentation for the Sales world) But, just like Neil Young sang, "Though my problems are meaningless, that don't make them go away." 

Drone Delivery of Communion: Coming Soon to an Outlet Near You?

So-called virtual Communion and its accompanying cousins of Drive-Thru Communion or the more costly Drone Delivery of Communion are alternative ways for the Sacrament of Holy Communion to continue to be practiced during these days of sequestered Christian worship. The primary justification is that it's legit for a Pastor to stand in the sanctuary or their kitchen table, consecrate bread and wine and then invite viewers sitting in their place of residence to partake of bread and wine.

There's a bit of a theological debate going on as to whether or not this is, for lack of a better word, "Okay."  I'll confess to a limited reading of the online chatter, nor have I read the histrionics by some self-proclaimed blogosphere theologians. It’s not worth the time. I have also not read much of the theologically sophisticated writings making the case against the practice. The exceptions being a short piece by Tim Wengert & Gordan Lathrop, and the excellent article by Dirk Lange. 

Viewers watching Holy Communion

"Okay, Hazelwood, so you've not read much. That means you have no qualifications to speak on this matter." 

Fair enough. But, I will, because…well, it's the age of the internet, and honestly, the chocolate chip cookie supply has just been exhausted. What else am I going to do?

My two main objections to this rush to legitimize virtual Communion are Hastiness and Lament.

Lament. Despite a rich tradition in the Hebrew Bible, lament gets short shrift in US American Christianity, heck in the general culture at large. US Americans don't do lament very well. We don't do grief very well.  We are quick to move on and are always seeking to move to solutions, answers, and an optimistic outcome. There is a reason for lightly attended Good Friday worship here.  Contrast that with Latin American Christianity, where it's the most important day of the Christian year, and many people skip Easter altogether. Walter Brueggeman has pointed out the lack of Lament Psalms in the Revised Common Lectionary (A schedule of scripture readings for Sunday worship) 

US Americans are lament avoidant. That condition has not made it into the latest DSM 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), but a strong case has merit.

How does this relate to the topic of Virtual Communion? As I see it, the rush to legitimize the practice is, at its essence, an attempt to avoid or dismiss the grief we are experiencing around not being able to gather in person for worship. In-person worship is the one practice we Christians have that makes us unique. Whether it's the simple gathering of people one hasn't seen in a week, or the joining together for singing, reading of scripture, listening to story and Word through to the meal and subsequent sending. In this time of CV19, we are not able to do that, and we are grieving that loss. (Along with the loss of a whole host of other activities, and even our general way of living) 

The rush to an online version of Communion is an avoidant tactic.

We are avoiding the deeper issues of loss, loneliness, isolation, work loss, routine loss, and just the general realization that we US Americans aren't as powerful as we thought we were. A tiny bug can bring our whole way of life, our economy, and even our lives to a halt. My sense of power and authority, especially if I'm a person of some means, education, and skin color, has been brought low. Instead of acknowledging that that is what is the deeper issue, we want to seek a quick fix solution, and virtual Communion is the cause du jour.  

Our congregations, our people, need an incarnational touch in these times. Some want to argue in favor of online Virtual Communion. I'm making the case that a telephone call from a person in the congregation asking, "How are you doing?" is medicine more appropriate to the need.  There is a lot of grace communicated in our congregations organizing care teams, and people are responding.

Hastiness. One might think that I am about to go down the path of criticizing those advocates of virtual Communion for their hasty theological thinking. That's not my plan. That debate is already happening. The lightsabers on all sides readied, and the dark and light side of the force is with each – I just can't figure out who is who, but I'm sure as Bob Dylan once reminded us, God is on our Side. I'm inclined to suggest a Lutheran both/and paradox might be more appropriate, but I've got other things to do. Oh, wait, I just did recommend.  Anyway…

My hastiness argument is an extension of the lament. Hear me out, or if you are bored already, move onto a new episode of the Netflix series "Ozark." I think we move to quick-fix solutions when we do not want to do the hard thing. We choose the easy way when we have an opportunity to embrace this time of fast as a discipline that could reveal ancient/future ways of being the church in isolation.  On some intuitive level, I suspected this to be true. But, then last Thursday I was confronted with the reality.

During our Synod Worship & Spiritual Life Team meeting, I listened as person after person described the many and various ways they were planning for Holy Week. Congregations were partnering for joint online Easter vigils, creative tactile home Holy Week kits; fun uses of water for Baptism remembrances, interactive engagements online, more substantive coffee hour conversations. A treasure trove of ideas, creativity and imagination are being realized. Some of these may have come about anyway, but I’m convinced that by embracing a temporary fast from Communion, our God-given imaginings expanded.

 Richard Foster at Renovare has reminded us that each of the main streams of Christianity brings both light and shadow into the body. Fasting is one of those streams, mainly from the Roman Catholic tradition, yet misunderstood by the rest of us. Traditionally, the blessing of fasting is that it makes us appreciate what we are missing. But it also stirs in us a more profound desire for what we long for and churns the imagination for other ways, other paths, and other expressions of what we are missing.

 By temporarily pausing from Holy Communion, could it be those other expressions of the body garner energy, thus making our worship life richer?

I've politely asked our New England Synod congregations to view this time as a chance to go deeper. Nearly all have responded by refraining from online Communion. My approach has not been heavy-handed because that doesn't get us anywhere either. What I'm attempting to do, in my inept way, is to ask us all to engage in a more thoughtful approach to our decision making. Is there a time to talk about how we might acknowledge the new world that is coming? We should, and we will. But, while we are in this brief time of protecting our loved ones, securing our health care system, and learning to live without one form of worship; let's use this as an opportunity to learn from lament and be creative in our engagement in worship, discipleship, and congregational life. 

(Edited - 4:15 p.m. EDT 3/29/20 - A thoughtful reader helped me see the wisdom of using a better word. Hastiness more accurately reflects my intent, rather than the original title Laziness)

The First Day of Spring 2020

Around the year 4500 BCE, ancient people in the Middle East discovered that the plant growing on the edges of waterways had multiple uses. Among them were clothes, shelter, food, baskets…and later on, paper.  The papyrus plants gave birth to writing many years later. We benefited from the move from oral tradition to written tradition as stories, poems, songs, got put onto scrolls........ in what later became the Bible.

What people frequently wrote about were their observations of a world in chaos and the yearning for order. From Homer's The Odyssey to Jeremiah and Luke, ancient people wrote about a world around them rattling with conflicts and uncertainties. Collective anxiety and depression were present in the writings dating back to, well, the beginning of writing…dare I say, the beginning of human consciousness.

What we are experiencing today, therefore, is on one level, not new.  In a globally interconnected world, however, everything is amplified. Cable News, Facebook, Texting, and E-mail allow us to share our collective anxiety and possibly to intensify it.  The purpose of this letter is to offer an antidote........not to the Coronavirus itself, but a remedy for the escalation of collective anxiety.

Ancient writings from around the world, including the oldest narratives of the Hebrew Bible, make clear that the loss of shared values and meaning in culture cause people to suffer both psychologically and spiritually. True today, as back then, is the realization that a growing sense of despair and deep uncertainty about the future of the world is a dominant theme of life.  

That’s my starting point:

·      Life is Difficult. 

·      Life has Suffering. 

·      Life is Not Fair.

Our way forward begins with an honest acknowledgment of that reality. The real reason the cross is the central symbol of the Christian faith is the honest reminder that suffering is the wound we all carry as humans.  We are meaning-seeking people keenly aware that loss, grief, fear, and the termination of life, surround us. Facing this reality is Step One in our Twelve Step Program of Life. We begin here because it is true.

Our knee jerk reaction to this truth is to attempt to exercise some semblance of control over the unfolding events that remind us of our frailty. How else can one explain the excessive purchases of toilet paper? People are attempting to control one small aspect of life in a world run amuck. Truth be told, our attempts at control, while they may bring us temporary relief, do not address the underlying angst of these days.

“But, Bishop, tell me what does? What brings relief?”

Ah, the desire for the quick fix....... the easy answer.......... the magic pill.

We live in the age of the quick fix as one Rabbi reminded us years ago. There must be an answer. As if on some secret gnostic quest for the hidden truth, we are all looking for the one thing that will bring relief to this angst and pain we are experiencing.  I'll come back to this, but first, I offer an observation about Holy Communion.

In the last week, the anxiety drive within our tradition (Lutheran movement of Christianity) is centering around Holy Communion. Suddenly, all across the country, ELCA Lutheran clergy in particular (but also a few lay people) are clamoring for a quick fix to our dilemma around the Sacrament of Holy Communion. There is a sense in these online diatribes that there must be an immediate solution. 

While thoughtful conversations around communion and emerging new understandings of community are legitimate topics for reading, writing and reflection, let's do that together, but not as a quick fix. Instead, I'm most intrigued by the way this topic has sucked up all the oxygen in the room.  Instead of congregations focusing their energy on building intentional communities of connectedness (see below for more), there is a headlong dive into "we need to get communion out to people NOW." 

And yet, do we not also believe that the "Word" is a Means of Grace as well?

In New England, I have been discouraging our churches from practicing any of the proposed ideas around Holy Communion.  These include, but are not limited to:  Drive-Thru Communion, Virtual Communion, and Amazon Drone Delivery of Communion.  While I understand the drive, I'm also keenly aware that in the church, we tend to bless a practice too quickly.   Questions arise for me: 

·      After this is all done, will we normalize a regular online communion practice, later adding virtual baptisms? 

·      Will clergy of the near future opt-out of in-person communion visits because, well, it's more convenient via Zoom?

·      And what of those, mostly older, who do not have internet access or comfort with digital tools?

Instead, I've been encouraging two acts that will serve us better in this immediate and temporary situation. These two areas of focus are not quick-fix solutions, but they may address the underlying anxiety our people are experiencing in these times, namely a loss of community and a loss of meaning.

Humanity is community. We are nothing, if we do not have each other. Knowing and believing this as a core value, some of our pastors have quickly moved toward shepherding or small group models. This Ancient/Future Church practice has all of the congregation divided into 3-4 households with one leader charged with contacting them twice a week. The leader stays in touch as they embody the Holy Spirit's glue in our temporarily disconnected body. As needs arise, that leader reports back to the Pastor. 

This is not new. Jethro advised Moses in this way some 3,000 years ago. But in our time, a time of extreme loneliness (even before Covid19 sent us all to our rooms), people are yearning for community.  

·      Could these groups schedule periodic Zoom chats or conference calls? 

·      Could lay people pray for one another? 

·      Could lay people attend to the fundamental core values of our faith? 

The early church was known not for its elaborate rationalizing of peculiar communion practices, but rather for its care for the widow, the orphan, and the dispossessed. Congregations focusing their energy on establishing this kind of care community would be living and dynamic sacraments. Is this not what Martin Luther highlighted in the confessions "mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren" as a kind of Means of Grace or sacramental participation in the life of God?

Humans are meaning-seeking creatures. Lutherans value Word and Sacrament, but in recent years and recent days, they have fallen prey to that ancient foil of dualism.  In this case, we have divided Word from Sacrament as if they are two separate Means of Grace. I've seen scribblings in various Facebook posts as people reactively clamor to get the wafers delivered by any means necessary. What about the Word? Is not the Word also a form of Grace? Do we not still hold to the hope of a kick-ass Law/Gospel sermon?  Could that not be delivered in writing, on YouTube, or even in a Pastoral visit with a member via Facetime? Meaning-seeking creatures are hungry for words, stories, and vignettes that remind them of the central antidote to despair, namely hope.

In these days of despair, as in the days of past despair, we find ways to move toward hope. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. She is a hope-driven being. Friends, this has been the way humans have made it through 10,000 years of civilization. Reading about some of the less than competent Kings of the Old Testament is a potent reminder that things have gone wrong in the past, and yet, hope prevailed.

Jesus the Christ presents the ultimate hope........ not because of some magic salvific formula that includes testimonials of devotion, but because he is the center of life. The Hope of the Cross and Resurrection, is that life has lasting and robust hope.

We are in 'temporary' times. Let's gain some perspective here.  This, too, shall pass. We have been here before, albeit not quite in this way. We are not at the end. I am wondering if it might be the beginning of something quite hopeful.  I'll write about that in my next letter.