“I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.  Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction” 2 Corinthians 7:3-4).

One of the things that seems to have diminished in current generations is a truthful exhortation one to the other.  We are to speak to each other in truth and love.  Not condemnation, but exhortation; that is, encouraging each other whether what we perceive is positive or negative in the word of the Lord.  Do not be afraid to speak the truth, for if you can help, it is not condemnation.

Lord, teach me to speak truthfully in love.  Help me to not see another as an adversary, but as a brother or sister.  Help me to receive correction when needed and to be willing to give correction according to Your word as well.  No matter the affliction, whether upon me, them, or us, let me be one to see the loving way to live through all circumstances in fellowship.  You have called us to be one as You are One.

Lord Jesus, You perfectly loved and rebuked.  You lead and we are to follow.  Help me to learn the lessons that I may live more fully in this faith You have given me.  Guide me according to Your principles to see as much of the whole as I can.  Guide me to live Your precepts, carrying through with what You would have me do and become whom You are making me to be.  Amen.

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one” (2 Corinthians 7:1-2).

It is not just a matter of preparing your heart and walking with the Lord, but also walking in the fellowship the Lord gives You.  He is, and must be, the author and finisher of your faith.  Willingly have Him lead you in all of your ways, for He alone knows all that is needed to perfect you, as has always been the goal.  Follow the Lord now and always as He leads where you need to go.

Lord, help me to see that this is a relationship that will never end.  You have come that all who believe might have life and have it abundantly.  Guide me amidst the fellowship to which You have appointed me that I may be guided by what You know I need.  Grant me a heart that receives Your direction and willingly learns the lessons You will teach me that I may be what You intend.

Come, Holy Spirit, and minister to me and through me.  It is not just me, but also those around me whom You will influence and lead.  You know all that I need and You are a constant presence.  Guide me in Your goodness to see and hear as You guide me through this day and every day.  Teach me what faithfulness means that I may live faithfully in Your guidance and with Your direction.  Amen.

“I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.  “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.  “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

The invitation is clear.  Come and walk as a child of the Lord.  He will come to You and wants You to be with Him.  The Gospel makes this relationship possible through the mercy and grace of the Lord.  He desires to take You from where you were to where you need to be in order to walk with Him now and forever.  Come then, walk in the way of the Lord and live in Him.

Lord, I often think it is a matter of what I do or do not do.  Help me to live into this life for which You have died that I may live into a life of being a child of the Most High.  Guide me according to Your goodness that I may now and always abide in You and You in me.  Teach me the way to think that I may have thoughts that are good and fitting for this life that You have given me.

Lord Jesus, You have made possible eternal life.  You invite each one of us to come into You and walk as You have taught us.  Lead me, O Lord, that I may learn to always abide in You.  Open my heart that I would always welcome You into my life to guide me where I need to go.  Through all things, that Thy will be done, teach me to delight in walking with You every step of the way.  Amen.

“Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said” (2 Corinthians 6:15-16)

There is a distinct difference between those who walk in the way of the Lord and those who continue in rebellion.  Walk as one who is learning to love as the Lord loves.  Live as one who knows that the way of eternal life is with the Savior.  Be guided by the goodness of Christ and His mercy.  Know that in the Lord alone is the way of everlasting, good and full life.

Lord, help me to see with clarity the goodness You have made possible through grace.  Guide me according to Your goodness to see through the pitfalls of this age that I may focus upon Your goodness and mercy.  Teach me how to love as You love.  Guide me to live into this new life which You have given me by grace through Jesus, my Savior.  Keep my eyes always clear and focused on You.

Lord Jesus, You are the way, truth, and life.  Help me to walk humbly with You always.  Guide me in Your goodness that I may now and always abide in You as You abide in me.  Let me see the difference fellowship makes that I may dwell with others who are walking with You. Bring me to humbly love all whom I meet, but to be discerning with whom I fellowship.  Amen.

“Now in a like exchange – I speak as to children – open wide to us also.   Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:13-14)

The principle here is not one of excluding others, but one of recognizing that when you socialize with groups you will become like those groups.  We are constantly influenced by all kinds of things.  The important thing is to be aware of the influences and then to protect yourself so that you are influenced by the Lord, His Word and those who are in Him and will be an encouragement.

Lord, help me to learn those places where I need to strike a balance.  Guide me according to Your goodness that I would live into the life to which You have called me.  Help me always to see that only in You is there both liberty and life.  Walking with You is not giving up, but gaining.  Help me to love those who are yours and to willingly join with them as an active part of my life.

Lord Jesus, You gathered around You a fellowship who were Your community.  By Your example, I realize first that it is made up of all kinds of people, and then, that there was one in Your midst who betrayed You.  But, above all that, You had around You those who were called to You.  Let me be a part of Your fellowship wherever and whenever that takes place by Your calling.  Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 14^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 6, 2020

Let us approach the throne of grace on behalf of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence is kept.

O dear Lord, why do we always get these hard readings on a holiday weekend? We want to take a break from talk of sin and reconciliation, discipline and hard conversations. Please help us to thank you for the guidance and promise your Son gives us, even in such awkward encounters. And fill us with your Spirit, so we are equipped to put into practice what Jesus has given us for such times.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Make your Church courageous in warning people of their sinfulness, and humble in confessing its own sin. Help it to graciously offer forgiveness to any who turn to you. Give it the lovely righteousness of your Son, and make it his dwelling-place, and an outpost of your Kingdom.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Hear the prayers of your faithful people who suffer persecution, torture and even death because of Christ. Do not let the waters of hatred overwhelm them; and grant them grace to persevere in faithfulness.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bless this congregation with humility, gentleness, and wisdom. Help us to speak even hard truth with such love, that others seek the forgiveness, mercy, reconciliation and life that comes from Christ.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Lord, there are families, congregations, and communities in which people have hurt one another badly. They struggle with betrayal; anger; and hatred. They need encouragement to confess and repent when they have done wrong. They need courage to forgive when they have been wronged. They need help to relearn trust and concord. Refresh them with your Spirit; nourish them with your Word; and bestow on them such grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that they may accomplish those things that are needful, to your glory and for the sake of their fellowship.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

You have given great honor to those entrusted with worldly power and authority. Give them also the wisdom to know that they must give an account of their stewardship to you, the King and Lord of all nations. And give them the desire and the strength to accomplish your will for the good of all people entrusted to their care. Teach us how to settle differences peacefully; and to act honorably, speak respectfully, and live justly.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Sin can distort Paul’s words about how those who bear the sword carry out your wrath against wrongdoers. Guide, strengthen and bless those in the military and law enforcement, to be worthy instruments of your will. Help them to bring safety, freedom, and justice to those who suffer at the hands of evildoers. Heal their bodies, minds, and spirits when they are victims of evil. By their labors, lay the groundwork for peace to grow and flourish.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

There are so many people whose lives are shadowed by suffering! We lift their names before you, especially {List}. Grant them health, hope, guidance, and the joy of your presence in their lives. Fill all who care for them with compassion; and bestow your salvation upon them all.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your “little ones” who, though they have died to this world, live eternally in your embrace. Give us the grace to live as your little ones, too.  Help us to trust and obey you. Help us to aid, warn, and forgive each other. Give us your mercy, and for Jesus’ sake, lead us into your Kingdom. Grant us the joy of seeing your face and of worshipping you in the company of all you have redeemed.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Conform our prayers to the heart of Jesus, hear them through the interceding of your Holy Spirit, and grant them in accordance with your gracious will. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 13^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 30, 2020

Let us pray for the church, the world, and all people according to their need.

A brief silence is kept.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Peter! Last week we thanked you for his witness. Today we thank you – not that he stumbled, but that even as Jesus rebuked Peter, he still loved and forgave him. Lord, we know you will rebuke us, sometimes sharply, when we are a stumbling block and unwitting agent of Satan. Give us grace to repent and humbly take up our cross again, following Jesus alone.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Grant that your Church never be a hindrance to your Son nor a stumbling-block to those whom he came to save. Center its life and proclamation in the Cross of Jesus. Cause it to follow wherever Jesus leads, even unto death. By its witness and example, draw many hearts to repentant faith in Christ, and to the desire to overcome the world’s evil with his good.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for our sisters and brothers in Christ whose cross-bearing is no figure of speech but the reality of their lives. Let them not be overcome by evil; and keep them steadfast in their faith. Give us the desire and the opportunity to speak in their defense, pray on their behalf, and provide for their needs.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Help this congregation to live out the words of Saint Paul: Let our love be genuine. Make us abhor evil but hold fast to the good. Teach us to love and honor each other. Let us serve you fervently. Make us joyous in hope, patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer. Give us grace to be generous and hospitable, and to bless even our persecutors. Help us to rejoice with the joyful and to weep with the mourners. Teach us to live in harmony, and to not be wise in our own sight. Give us grace to repay no one evil for evil; to do what is honorable; and, so far as it depends on us, to live peaceably with all. And grant that we are not overcome by evil, but that in Christ, we overcome evil with good.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Keep in your dearest care all victims of violence and injustice, especially when evil has been done to them in the name of religion. Stir up all your true servants to give them aid, comfort and shelter; for you are glorified by deeds of goodness, mercy, hospitality, and peace, not by acts of cruelty, violence or hatred. And fulfill your promise to deliver them from the hands of the wicked.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Give integrity, wisdom, and humility to those entrusted with power and the authority over communities, corporations, and nations. Help them to do what is honorable, just, and generous. Help everyone to find honorable employment, and the means to support themselves and their loved ones. And help our society to provide just and timely assistance when people cannot work.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Strengthen and help the many entrepreneurs, employees, and businesses facing massive challenges to stay open, let alone flourish. So much rides on the goods and services, the wages and products, the stake in the wellbeing of communities, that they provide! Help us to value their contribution to our common welfare, and seek ways to help them to prosper justly and creatively, for the good of all.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Deal mercifully with all whose lives are shadowed by suffering, sorrow, or any kind of adversity. Especially we pray for: {List}. Have pity on them and redeem them; turn their sorrow into gladness, and their pain into shouts of thanksgiving. Give them gentle, wise, and compassionate caregivers, and reunite them with all who love them.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Father, receive our beloved dead into your never-failing embrace. Help us to love each other with true affection; to live peaceably and honorably; and above all, to cling to Jesus and his Cross. Lead us into your promised Kingdom which you have prepared for all whom you have delivered from the power of sin and death. And there let us bless you and live together in your peace forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Hear our prayer, O Father, and grant all that glorifies you and builds up your people. This we ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

“Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide.  You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections” (2 Corinthians 6:11-12).

No one is able to “make” another do anything.  Yes, we can be coerced by force, but we have been given a free will which we exercise often.  We are free to do as we please.  We are also free to learn how to love as the Lord loves.  Is this not then the challenge to all who believe?  Are we not called to become as Christ?  Your own affections will restrain you.  Are they for this world or for the Lord?

Lord, teach me how fleeting this world is.  Guide me to see that in this world there is heartache and disappointment.  Lead me in the way of everlasting life that I may walk in the way of truth.  Help me keep my eye upon the prize that I may learn from You how life was created to be lived.  Let me not be constrained by my worldly affections, but by You, the author and finisher of my faith.

Lord Jesus, have You not taught us to love as You have loved us?  Have you not said that we are to love the LORD and our neighbor?  Lead me in this way, Lord, that I would now and always be guided by the law of love and not by the affections of my heart which will lead me astray.  Teach me the way to abide in You and guide me to seek how to have You always abide in me.  Amen.

“As unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:9-10).

This is more than just an attitude; it is the reality of being a part of the Lord’s kingdom in a fallen world.  What good does it do to gain the world and lose your soul?  What momentary costs in this age can compare to the benefit of gaining your soul and eternity?  Do not these two things spell a very different way of looking at things?  Come then and see things as they truly are and walk in the way of the Lord.

Lord, open my eyes to see that in You is all hope and an eternal future.  Guide me according to Your goodness to see that in You is all hope and a future.  Lead me in the way of life that I may now and always be guided by You and Your goodness.  Help me not focus upon what I do not have, or what I suffer in this age, but upon what is mine in You now and forever and can never be taken away.

Lord Jesus, You walked humbly in this world and did not seek what this world seeks.  You came as an everyman and lived with no worldly possessions.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way that is eternal that I would focus upon all that is good according to Your word.  Help me to be content in all circumstances.  Lift up my spirit to see that I already have all things necessary when I am in You.  Amen.

July 17, 2020

Dear Bishop Eaton:

As I was reviewing the section on the homepage of the ELCA website entitled, “Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community,” I was surprised to find a link to the 2009 social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” because of the multitude of ways in which the ELCA violates the commitments, does not maintain the boundaries, and essentially has rewritten the documents that were approved by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.   

The ministry policies, adopted in 2009, only had to do with people in (PALMS) “publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.”  That phrase was used repeatedly.  The policies did not have to do with B, T, Q, I, A, or +.  They only had to do with a certain group of L and G – those who are in “publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.”  And yet what does the ELCA claim to be celebrating?  The tenth anniversary of LGBTQIA+ persons’ “being able to serve freely in the church.”  This is language that you yourself have used.  In a letter dated June 29, 2020 you wrote, “And it wasn’t until 2009 that barriers to ordination were removed for LGBTQIA+ individuals in committed relationships.”

The 2009 human sexuality social statement described four positions, each of which would have a place within the church.  All four of those positions are more conservative and traditional than the full LGBTQIA+ agenda which the ELCA has now totally embraced and claims to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of. 

One of the RESOLVED sections in the 2009 ministry policies states, “RESOLVED, that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America make provision in its policies to recognize the conviction of members who believe that this church should not call or roster people in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same gender relationship.”  What has the ELCA done to “recognize the conviction” of members who hold to traditional views?  In 2018 at the youth gathering, the assembly was addressed by a transgender activist (which was outside of what had been approved by the church) and another keynote speaker led the young people in renouncing traditional views as a lie.  The home page of the ELCA website now contains a link to ReconcilingWorks and its resources.  No support is ever given to traditional views in the selection of speakers for youth gatherings or in links to resources on the home page of the website.  And no concern or support has ever been expressed by you for those who fear that they might be adversely affected by Supreme Court decisions regarding same sex marriage and/or LGBTQIA+ rights.

The only possible positive point is that the information accessible through links on the homepage of the ELCA website does describe ReconcilingWorks as an “Independent Lutheran Organization” – rather than as a department of the ELCA.  But it is obvious that ReconcilingWorks is the preferred, recognized, and approved organization, and when it comes to matters of human sexuality, the only organization that counts. 

How can the ELCA be trusted?  How can the ELCA be seen as having moral integrity and authority when it neither honors the commitments nor respects the boundaries from the 2009 human sexuality social statement and ministry policies.  What would happen if any branch of the government were to take a law passed eleven years ago – or anyone were to take a business contract signed eleven years ago – and then claim that it said something different from what it actually said?

Going forward, why would anyone on any side of any issue trust that any decision made by any Churchwide Assembly would be honored?  

Thank you for hearing my concerns.  I deeply hope and pray that the ELCA will begin to keep its commitments in this area and begin to act in a more honorable and honest way so that it can be trusted and so that the trust which you described as so important when you were first elected can be rebuilt and regained. 

Thank you for your leadership of the church.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com