THE LUTHERAN November 2018

N A TIO N A L M A G A ZIN E O F THE L U THE R A N C HU RC H O F A U STRA LIA

NOVEMBER 2018

VOL 52 N10

Print Post Approved PP100003514

faith freedom

future

LUTHERAN

OF AUSTRALIA

EDITORIAL Editor Lisa McIntosh p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au

Photo: Lisa McIntosh

CHURCH

‘Marty’ – as this metre-tall replica of the statue of Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany, is known – was again the most popular figure of ‘Synod season’ on the LCA Facebook page. Photographed before making the road trip to Sydney, Marty prepared for the triennial LCA/NZ meeting by reading the September issue of The Lutheran, which was full of reports from the church’s departments, agencies and support bodies.

Executive Editor Linda Macqueen p 08 8339 5178 e linda.macqueen@lca.org.au

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faith freedom

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future

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Our General Synod logo was inspired by the journey of the Israelites, recorded in the book of Exodus. With every step of faith they took towards freedom and future – through good times and bad – they were held safely in the hands of God. As are we.

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LUTHERAN

Photographers

OF AUSTRALIA

All photos in this edition were taken by volunteer Convention photographers Andrea Winter and Anthony Bothe, unless otherwise indicated.

CHURCH The Lutheran informs the members of the LCA about the church’s teaching, life, mission and people, helping them to grow in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.

The Lutheran also provides a forum for a range of opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the policies of the Lutheran Church of Australia.

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Writers Unless otherwise indicated, all stories in this edition were written by LCA Communications Manager Linda Macqueen, The Lutheran Editor Lisa McIntosh and former editor of The Lutheran Rosie Schefe (volunteer at Convention).

NOVEMBER

seeks

‘GO D TO D R AW US BACK TO H I M S ELF, SAYI N G …

W H O YO U A R E A N D W H OS E YO U A R E I N CH R IST! ” ’

“Remember

6 ‘ I F YO U AS K M E W HY I H AV E

confidence

I N TH E CH U RCH , AND IN ITS FUTU R E, TH IS IS W HY. IT ’S N OT O U RS , IT ’S GO D’S .’

hope

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‘ W E A LSO

believe

T H AT GO D H AS US TH E M I N ISTRY O F R ECO N CI LI ATI O N .’

given

14 ‘ I A LWAYS WA LK AWAY S PI R ITUA LLY

totally

enriched

FRO M TH E WO RS H I P A N D FELLOWS H I P.’

25 Our cover: Holding

Worship/Prayer Held safely In Memoriam

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Synod reflects on National Apology

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‘A place to stop, reflect, confess and forgive’

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Business Sessions This church is God’s (Bishop’s report)

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Synod says ‘no’ to ordination of women

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LCA first to Reconciliation Action Plan

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New members for LCA Board

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Governance changes formalised

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Synod emphasises care of children

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Churchwide support builds connections

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Convention Life Same body: different parts

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International guests reflect diverse partnerships

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Our reflections on General Synod

24

Women dig deep for mission

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Regulars Directory

28

Your voice

29

Notices

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his daughter, Pastor Mark Gierus looks to the cross during worship at the LCA’s General Convention of Synod last month. Photo: Anthony Bothe

H ELD

safely General Convention worship texts and themes followed the journey of the Israelites, as recorded in the book of Exodus.

With every step of faith they took away from slavery in Egypt towards freedom and future – through good times and bad – they were held safely in the hands of God. As are we.

… by God’s living word The sermons of each day’s worship at Synod were based on a text from Exodus and preached by one of our bishops. You can read transcripts of the daily sermons on the Worship page of the Synod website www.convention2018.lca.org.au Preaching on Exodus 3:8a at the opening service of General Convention, LCA Bishop John Henderson encouraged those gathered to ‘be ready to listen for God, and maybe to be surprised’. ‘God comes down to rescue his people. We know that’s true because we have salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

What remains for us to do now is to listen for his word, to live the faith, and to follow in his ways’, he said. The opening and closing services were live-streamed. You can watch them at https://livestream.com/luthworship

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… we journey together in

faith

South Australia–Northern Territory District Bishop David Altus preached on Exodus 13:17–22 – in which God leads the Israelites around the desert – as a metaphor for our own faith journey as church. Bishop Altus said: ‘It’s not about who we are and where we are going at all. It’s about who God is and where God is going. So we go into the unknown today with the God we do know: who has freed us and brought and kept us together in the past; who is always with us and one step ahead of us at the same time; who is unstoppable and who calls us to get in behind him and where he is going!’

… fed by prayer and his supper Every day began with a holy communion service for those gathered as Synod. The Lord’s supper was served from an altar crafted in the dimensions of the altar in the tabernacle which journeyed with the Israelites. Prayer was integral, too, not just in worship, but also throughout the business sessions of General Convention. In his sermon, based on Exodus 12:13 about the Passover Lamb, Queensland District Bishop Paul Smith urged the congregation to pray the ‘Lamb of God’ prayer ‘not just on Sunday but especially throughout Synod, to pray it every day – and throughout the day’. He said this prayer ‘is not just about me – we don’t say, “Lamb of God have mercy on me” – it is “Have mercy on us”.

This is a prayer that we pray for the church and the world – for each sister and brother beside you and around you.’

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… washed clean by water Entering the worship space, delegates, visitors, volunteers and staff walked between desert ‘rocks’ and rippling deep-blue velvet walls of ‘water’ – as a reminder of the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea – and could then dip their fingers in the water of the font as a reminder of the gifts of eternal life and faith received through baptism. In his sermon on the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), New Zealand District Bishop Mark Whitfield told Synod that ‘we are water people’.

‘Whether we were part of that earliest of European exodus migrations to our nations in the 1800s … or whether we’re relatively recent arrivals … we’ve crossed water to be here’, he said, sprinkling water from a fern frond and encouraging delegates to daily ‘remember and be embraced by the grace and promise of our baptism’.

‘We are water people … and we came over and through that water filled with faith … filled with a sense of freedom and new opportunity … filled with a sense of future.’

… in freedom won on the cross As a reminder of the amazing undeserved love of God for his people, the cross was central to, and the focus of, every worship service at Synod. Preaching on Exodus 19:1–6, Victoria–Tasmania District Bishop Lester Priebbenow spoke of God’s great rescue of a disobedient Israel, reflected in Jesus' death for us on the cross: ‘God seeks to draw us back to himself, saying, “Remember what I’ve done for you in Christ! Remember who you are and whose you are in Christ!

Receive my gifts of repentance and faith in my forgiving love, so that you may have my freedom and a future as my treasured possession forever”.’

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… to praise and honour God Once again delegates and visitors said worship was a highlight of Convention. Music styles and liturgies varied from day to day. Bands, a cantor, organists including Bishop Mark Whitfield, and the choir from Sydney’s Gereja Kristen Indonesia di Australia of Concordia Lutheran Church, were among those adding diversity and richness to the songs and hymns featured in the services.

… who leads us to future glory Preaching on Exodus 29:45 in the closing service at Synod, Bishop John Henderson said that ‘there is still uncharted territory to cross’ for us as we journey towards God’s promised land. ‘God gives us the overall direction, but not necessarily a map of all the details. We have God’s Word as our guide’, he said. ‘By faith we will be able to do what we need to do … As we take the next steps, let’s be patient with God and kind to one another. Let’s put into practice the grace and forgiveness we ourselves receive daily. We are here for a purpose. Together, let’s discover that purpose …

Along the way, and until we reach that goal, God will keep his promises to us – be certain of that.’

SYN O D O FFER I N G D I R ECTED TO D R O U G H T R E L I E F The offering from the LCA’s General Convention of Synod totalled $11,408.30. Initially the offering was to be directed to the Local Mission ‘You’re Welcome!’ video project.

However, given the gravity of the drought affecting large parts of Australia, it was decided to direct the offering to the support of struggling farming communities. The LCA Disaster & Welfare Fund is receiving the offering, and donations will be distributed in accordance with the fund’s existing procedures and regulations.

Congregations may still contribute to the offering via the LLL online at https://donation.lca.org.au/ project?id=P21006 Alternatively, they may deposit in this account: LCA Synod Ac; BSB 704942; Account 100698743

This church is God’s

EXTR ACTS FRO M TH E R EPO RT O F LC A B IS H O P J O H N H EN D ERSO N

THE CHURCH T h e LC A Tod a y The church isn’t a perfect society, shielded from the world around it. Jesus Christ did not set himself apart.

He was God who lived among us and who died for us as real flesh and blood. Faith in God requires us to serve the world in love. Faith involves dangerous work.

The greatest danger, however, comes from within. We fall prey to the same temptation as the world – to replace God with ourselves. In the Large Catechism Martin Luther explains: ‘That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God.’ The church must take care not to cling to its power. That is partly what made the Reformation so potent in the 16th century.

More recently, in our century abuse scandals have rocked churches across the world. We are committed, under God, to do our best to prevent all forms of abuse. We will practise higher levels of accountability in all our operations. Although these new requirements can appear to be onerous, we need them if we are to continue in mission and ministry.

An emerging phenomenon seems to be that as we become more connected by technology, we can become more isolated. Sometimes, in the isolation

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of electronic communication, we even talk down our own church, forgetting the explanation to the 8th commandment, ‘We should fear and love God, and so we should not tell lies about our neighbour, nor betray, slander, or defame him, but should apologise for him, speak well of him, and interpret charitably all that he does’.

Through baptismal grace we are all being reborn every day. Faith is a power, an ability, which is not of this world. If you ask me why I have confidence in the church, and hope in its future, this is why. It’s not ours, it’s God’s, and that means it’s something else entirely.

We express it best in worship. God expresses it best when he gives us his Son – in the word, in baptism, in holy communion, and in myriad ways that maybe you know in your heart.

T h e o rd i n a tio n o f wo m e n a n d m e n So much has been and is still being said on this matter.

A key underlying issue has long been how we read and interpret Scripture – hermeneutics. That’s despite our very strong statement that we accept, ‘without reservation, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments, as a whole and in all their parts, as the divinely inspired, written and inerrant Word of God, and

as the only infallible source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life’ (LCA Constitution). The Bible is a life-giving book, and we don’t read it in a vacuum. The Bible speaks into a real world situation. If we turn it into a textbook then we stop listening for the living, breathing Word of God and the whole practice of faith quickly becomes a legalistic framework of rules and regulations.

Scripture is the living God speaking his living Word to creatures and a world whom he loves, a word of love. It is not just what we decide that matters to me, but how and why we decide it (See pages 12 and 13).

Re c r u it m e nt, s u p p l y a n d d e p l oy m e nt o f p a sto r s

AU ST R A LI A N LU T H ER A N CO LLEG E ALC continues to be the largest project undertaken by the LCA. It reflects the high priority our church has on training and equipping church workers in Lutheran theology and spirituality. ALC is operating in a more difficult and competitive environment than ever. It is learning to be agile and responsive in delivering educational outcomes. It is creating opportunities online and regionally for both higher education and vocational theological education. ALC is going out to the people.

In 2017 the ALC annual appeal received one of the best responses ever. I take that as a sign that the people of the church continue to support their learning institution despite our challenging environment. Please continue to pray for and support the Principal, the staff, the Board, and most especially the students.

We have a shortage of pastors (21) relative to parishes with the ability to call. At the present rate of attrition and replacement, that could climb to 89 by 2023 and 129 by 2029. If these forecasts are accurate, we need on average 12 new pastors per year just to supply I F YO U AS K M E our parishes. The current average is four and falling and the median age of W HY I H AV E During the synodical term, the LCA pastors is 56. What is the Holy Spirit has maintained cordial relations with its telling us? The College of Bishops international cousins. LCA International has been considering this, as have I N TH E CH U RCH , Mission has been at the forefront of many the leadership of Australian Lutheran AND of these relationships, particularly in Asia.

College (ALC) and the General Church The LCA has formally expressed churchCouncil (GCC). Jesus told us to ask I N ITS FUTU R E, to-church relationships with Papua New the Lord of the harvest to send out TH IS IS W HY. Guinea and the Lutheran Church–Canada. labourers (Matthew 9:37–38). Is this the lesson we are to learn? It will IT ’S N OT O U RS , Lu t h e ra n Wo r l d Fe d e ra tio n a n d help if we cultivate generosity of spirit I nte r n a tio n a l Lu t h e ra n Co u n ci l IT ’S GO D’S . towards the supply and utilisation of our pastors; think flexibly, creatively The LCA is an Associate Member of both and collaboratively; encourage the LWF and the ILC. While we participate lay people to maximise their service; prepare our in events and pay a membership fee, we are unable congregations to embrace a future that will be different to hold office or vote at meetings. [It is proposed] that from the past; and are positive and hopeful about the the LCA seek full membership in the LWF and the ILC. ministry of the gospel.

General Pastors Conference recommends that the LCA commission a study of the implications (See page 22).

I N T E R N AT I O N A L CO N N ECTI O N S

confidence hope

I N D I G EN O U S LU T H ER A N S

In the late 1990s, Dr Lance Steicke, the LCA’s President, conducted a rite of reconciliation with Indigenous participants at a Synod. The church produced some excellent materials, including a report ‘We’re all people’ and a video ‘Out of the shadows’. We didn’t follow through on this initiative as we might have. We continue to have a noticeable lack of Indigenous leadership.

LCA Synods, councils and committees proceed largely without Indigenous participation. To be a truly local church, and not just a European transplant, we must include, and allow ourselves to be changed by, Indigenous voices. Recently there have been several commendable efforts to validate Indigenous representation at Synods. We have begun work on developing a Reconciliation Action Plan. It’s slow work but extremely rewarding and worthwhile, and I hope you will give it support. (See pages 14, 19).

E C U M E N I C A L R E L AT I O N S The LCA has been a member of the NCCA (National Council of Churches in Australia) since 1998. In that time we have provided two Presidents (Dr Lance Steicke and Dr Michael Semmler) and one General Secretary (Pastor John Henderson). We have continued to provide personnel to serve on commissions and task groups as required: Faith and Unity Commission – Pastor Andrew Brook; Safe Churches Program – Tim Ross (LCA PS Manager); Act for Peace (NCCA’s Aid and Development arm) – ALWS Executive Director Jamieson Davies; Eco-mission project – Dr Andrew Ruddell. I have been a Director of NCCA Ltd since 2016, when the NCCA adopted a new structure of a board, quarterly Assemblies, and a triennial Forum. It is still determining the success of this new structure in engaging the churches and achieving the Council’s objects.

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