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UNIMAGINABLE, AMAZING GRACE

by Dennis D. Nelson

I had heard that the musical “Hamilton,” based upon the life of Alexander Hamilton, was good.  Until I went to see a movie version of it on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of its opening on Broadway, I did not know how good.  The staging was stunning, the singing was energetic, the lyrics are brilliant, and the man who played King George was an absolute hoot. 

For me the most powerful part of the play was the song, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” in the latter part of the Second Act.  Alexander and his wife Eliza have moved to a quiet part of town as they seek to rebuild their lives after the severe double trauma of the death of their son Philip and Alexander’s marital infidelity.  Phillip was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr as he tried to defend his father’s honor.

UNIMAGINABLE GRIEF

Parents who have lost a child through death say that that pain is the absolutely worst possible.

The Ensemble then join with Angelica in noting that the Hamiltons have moved up town – to the quiet part of town – as they “learn to live with the unimaginable.”

Hamilton, who had been very active in the founding and early days of our country, describes what life is like for him now in the quiet part of town as he seeks to come to terms with what he has done and the loss he and his wife have suffered. 

I think of people I have known who surround themselves with constant busyness and noise so they do not have to deal with the painful parts of their lives.  They would never want to live in the quiet part of town.

UNIMAGINABLE GUILT

UNIMAGINABLE GRACE

That is the turning point.  She takes his hand.  In spite of all her unimaginable grief and Alexander’s unimaginable guilt, she offers him unimaginable grace.  She takes his hand.  What made her able to do that?  What made her able to offer what the company then sings about?

“Forgiveness.  Can you imagine?

Forgiveness.  Can you imagine?”

Every time I hear that song my heart is rung out and I have a deeply moving spiritual experience.

This is not easy, cheap grace – as Dietrich Bonhoeffer described.  This is no, “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.  Now it should be all over, so why are you still upset, mad at me, and do not trust me?”  Rather this is an unimaginable forgiveness – an unimaginable grace – given by someone who has suffered unimaginable grief to someone who has fully accepted the seriousness and consequences and felt the pain of his unimaginable guilt.

Alexander knew his wife.  He knew whom he had married.  He knew that his only chance lay not in the depth of his confession and/or in the amount of his sorrow but in the depth of her love, expressed in unimaginable grace.

It also reminds me of the story of King David, who along with Bathsheba experienced unimaginable grief.  David bore an unimaginable guilt, but, as undeserving as he was, experienced God’s unimaginable mercy and grace.  David is a prime example of the truth of the statement that is attributed to Ravi Zecharias, American evangelical minister and Christian apologist who learned the full meaning of these words from his own life –

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

The Psalm for Ash Wednesday is Psalm 51.  In this Psalm David confesses his unimaginable guilt.  He knows that his only chance is to throw himself completely upon the mercy and grace of God.  The prophet Nathan, who had confronted him with his sin, tells him that – because of his confession – he will not die, but the child that will be born to Bathsheba will die and the sword will never depart from his house (2 Samuel 12: 10-14).

David is guilty of an unimaginable guilt.  He has taken the wife of another man (who happened to be not a stranger but a close comrade) and arranged for the death of that man.  David’s confession did not bring Uriah back to life.  The consequences of his sin remained, just as the consequences of our sin remain.  Uriah was still dead.  

David and Bathsheba are suffering an unimaginable grief.  Their first child died.  Son Amnon will rape his sister Tamar.  Son Absalom will kill his brother Amnon.  Son Absalom will be killed after leading a rebellion against the King and taking over the throne.  What the prophet Nathan said did come true.  The sword never departed from David’s house. 

But David also received unimaginable forgiveness, unimaginable mercy, and unimaginable grace.  From David and Bathsheba Solomon was born, whose descendants eventually included our Lord Jesus Christ.  Even when we humans are at our worst, God can still bring about His best. 

This Lenten season, as once again we bring all our sins and sorrows to the cross, may we again put our full trust in and receive the full blessings of God’s unimaginable, amazing grace. 

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PASTORAL CARE, POWER, AND THE PROPER WORK OF THE CHURCH

Many thanks to Paul Fleming for writing a theological analysis of the Consultation that Bishop Hagmeier of the ELCA’s South Dakota Synod had with the leaders and members of First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.  This consultation was held on September 21 prior to their first vote on whether to disaffiliate from the ELCA. 

Paul is a retired intelligence officer and confessional Lutheran layman who is currently working toward a Master’s degree in Lutheran Theology. His work reflects a deep concern for pastoral integrity, congregational life, and the centrality of the Gospel in the Church.

My analysis was written more from a governance perspective.  His is from a theological perspective.  A link to my analysis can be found HERE. 

The Bishop’s Consultation was held one week prior to the first vote on September 28.  For that vote 360 out of the 530 ballots (67.9%) voted to terminate the church’s affiliation with the ELCA and 170 ballots voted to stay with the ELCA.  A two-thirds vote on two separate occasions is required to disaffiliate.  The second vote was held on January 25.  There was a total of 661 votes, so 441 were needed to disaffiliate. The total votes were: Yes to disaffiliate: 434 (65.66%)

 – No to disaffiliate: 227.  So the vote failed.  Please join with me in prayer for the pastors, lay leaders, and congregation of First Lutheran Church.   

Paul writes –

Inspired by and written in response to Pastor Dennis D. Nelson’s Lutheran CORE article,
“An Analysis of a Bishop’s Consultation.”

In recent years, many Lutheran congregations have experienced deep strain—not primarily from external persecution, but from internal processes intended to bring “clarity,” “truth,” or “renewal.” Pastor Dennis D. Nelson’s careful and documented article, An Analysis of a Bishop’s Consultation, names this reality with sobriety and pastoral concern. His work provides an important occasion to reflect more broadly on the nature of pastoral care, ecclesial authority, and the proper work of the Church according to the Lutheran confession.

The concern raised is not simply the size or composition of synodical consultations, resource teams, or institutional delegations. Rather, the deeper issue lies in the spiritual logic that governs these encounters. When gatherings described as pastoral immediately introduce loss-based leverage—threats involving funding, scholarships, institutional standing, or reputational harm—the Church risks substituting fear for faith. At that point, consciences are no longer being addressed solely by God’s Word, but are being pressed by consequences.

The Lutheran Confessions speak clearly here. The Church has been given a specific and limited mandate: to proclaim Christ crucified for sinners and to distribute His gifts through Word and Sacrament. Pastors are not authorized to manage outcomes, secure compliance, or curate narratives. They are called to bind and loose consciences only by the Word of God (Augsburg Confession XXVIII). When pressure or strategic silence enters the process, the pastoral office is quietly transformed into an instrument of control rather than care.

This tension becomes especially acute when former pastors are drawn into congregational conflicts. Even where policies permit such involvement, the pastoral office is not a political role that can be redeployed to influence internal governance disputes. Former shepherds retain spiritual authority in the eyes of the congregation. When they are positioned—intentionally or not—to shape outcomes, the appearance—and often the reality—of manipulation is difficult to avoid. For congregations already carrying heavy burdens, this compounds confusion and deepens wounds.

Lutheran theology insists that Christ alone governs His Church through His appointed means. The Church is not renewed by stronger management structures, clearer messaging, or enforced alignment. She is renewed when sinners are forgiven, consciences are comforted, and faith is created and sustained by the Gospel. Any process, however well intentioned, that displaces this center risks turning the Church inward upon herself.

This danger becomes particularly visible when institutional programs or compliance frameworks assume organizing authority over the Church’s life. When ideological accountability or mandated initiatives become functionally central, the Church subtly shifts from proclamation to performance. Good works, justice, and love of neighbor matter deeply—but they must remain the fruit of faith, not a new law that becomes the Church’s operating gospel. As Luther repeatedly warned, even well-intended law always accuses.

Unity in the Church cannot be coerced. Trust cannot be engineered. Renewal cannot be managed. These are gifts of the Holy Spirit, given through the Gospel. When leaders substitute institutional righteousness for sacramental life, they may achieve short-term compliance, but they inevitably lose credibility. Congregations recognize when truth is being managed rather than spoken plainly, and when pastoral language is used to serve non-pastoral ends.

None of this is written with joy in separation. Faithful Lutherans rightly grieve division. The recent vote outcome at First Lutheran, Sioux Falls, only underscores the pastoral weight of these matters and the continued need for prayerful, confessional clarity. Yet coercion must not be baptized as care, nor narrative control labeled “truth.” When leaders refuse to speak plainly or to respect congregational integrity, trust collapses, and consciences seek refuge elsewhere.

The way forward is neither reactionary nor despairing. It is confessional. The Church must return again and again to her true center: Christ crucified for sinners, given freely in Word and Sacrament. Where this center is preserved, even painful disagreement can be borne with patience and hope. Where it is displaced, no amount of institutional effort will suffice.

Faithful Lutherans are not called to win battles, but to confess Christ clearly, soberly, and without fear—entrusting the Church to her true Lord, who sustains His people not by pressure, but by grace.

In Christ,
Paul Flemming

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VIDEO MINISTRIES

HERE is a link to our YouTube channel, which contains 66 videos on books and topics of interest and importance. This month we would like to feature two videos.  First, to continue the themes of guilt, grief, and grace in the opening article in this letter, we have a video review by Daniel Ostercamp of Philip Yancey’s book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?”  And then Cathy Ammlung continues her series of helpful information for worship planners, particularly in churches where there is no regular called pastor.

WHAT’S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE?”

by Philip Yancey

A review by Daniel Ostercamp

Many thanks to LCMC pastor Daniel Ostercamp for his video review of Philip Yancey’s book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?”  HERE is a link to his review.  Daniel writes – 

Philip Yancey calls his readers to trust deeply in grace and to proclaim it as powerfully in their lives as in their words. Grace is the specifically Christian treasure that needs to be shared boldly with the people who judge themselves solely by their successes and failures within this broken world. 

First published in 1997, the book would eventually sell more than two million copies.  The more recent edition includes a preface with reflections about how our world thirsts for grace even more today.  We are not people of reward, retribution or karma, but receivers and givers of love and mercy. 

The challenge of receiving the new beginning of grace in the midst of the difficult reality of our own sin is always central to our lives as Christians.  We walk in the knowledge of our own failures and how they have hurt our loved ones.  

As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to pray humbly for those who have fallen short and to share the forgiveness of the cross.  In deep sorrow, Philip Yancey shared in January that he needed to confess the betrayal of his vows of faithfulness to his wife of more than fifty years, Janet.  As a reviewer of his work, I offer my prayers as well, asking that they and their family would know helpful guidance and wise ministry.

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TOOLKIT FOR WORSHIP PLANNING – PART THREE

by Cathy Ammlung

Many thanks to NALC pastor Cathy Ammlung for this third in a series of videos intended to provide congregations – especially those with temporary and/or longer-term pastoral vacancies – with some tools for worship planning.  A link to her video can be found HERE.  A link to the full manuscript of her presentation can be found HERE.   

In this video, Cathy covers the lectionary: What is it?  Where is it?  Why is it?  Why are there more than one?  How do you use the lectionary in worship planning?  What are some pitfalls, and what are the most important things to know about lectionaries as a worship planning tool?

In her first video in this series (LINK) Cathy discussed the whole issue of why worship planning is important.  In her second video (LINK) Cathy talked about the church year, including festivals.

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May the Lord draw you closer to Himself and the Cross as you begin your Lenten journey.

In Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

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DISRESPECTING THE INTEGRITY OF A CONGREGATION AND MISREPRESENTING THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION FOR A RENEWED LUTHERAN CHURCH

First Lutheran Church of Sioux Falls, South Dakota held their first vote to disaffiliate from the ELCA on September 28, 2025.  They will hold their second vote on January 25, 2026.  The results of the first vote exceeded the two-thirds that is constitutionally required for disaffiliation.

Prior to the first vote – on September 21, 2025 – Bishop Hagmaier of the South Dakota Synod came for the required consultation.  But she did not come alone.  She brought along a high-powered “Resource Team” of about twenty persons, some of whom are current or former members of First Lutheran.  The team included a representative from Luther Seminary, the president and senior campus pastor of Augustana University (an ELCA university in Sioux Falls), a Luther scholar, three previous bishops of the South Dakota Synod,  three previous pastors of First Lutheran, the bishop of another synod (who is also a member of the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church), the vice president of the synod council, the synodical director for evangelical mission, the synodical director for candidacy and mobility, the dean of the local conference, the leader of the ELCA women’s organization for the local conference, and leaders and representatives from Lutheran Social Services, ELCA World Hunger, and Lutheran Planned Generosity.  That is a lot of people, some of whom traveled from considerable distance, especially Bishop Riegel from the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod. 

The format was that four of these resource people would speak, then there would be a time when people could ask questions of the bishop.  Then the various resource people were available for groups and/or individuals.  The reason given was so that people who did not have the courage to ask a question publicly could still have their question(s) answered.

Bishop Hagmaier obviously does not want to lose this congregation.  She put a lot into gathering this resource team.  I have not heard of any other synodical bishop who took the approach of so trying to overwhelm a congregation in a Bishop’s Consultation.

What I found most alarming about the Consultation were two things –

1. The way in which Bishop Hagmaier did not respect the integrity of the congregation.
2. The way in which Bishop Riegel of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, who was also a member of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, misrepresented the work of the Commission.

Here is a link to a YouTube recording of the Consultation – Bishop Consultation // September 21, 2025.  This link can be found on the congregation’s website under “About FLC-Church Governance Task Force.”  Therefore, it is publicly available.  Anyone who wishes to can watch the seventy-minute consultation and find out for themselves whether what I am saying is true.  Here also is a link to the power point presentation from the Governance Task Force –   Presentation TO CONGREGATION – Master Version.  The Task Force has done excellent work summarizing the issues and expressing their concerns.  Their presentation reflects actions taken by the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

FEAR OR RUMORS VS. CLARITY AND TRUTH

Bishop Hagmaier began her part of the presentation by saying that the gathering would not be about fear or rumors but about clarity and truth.  And yet the president of Augustana University in her remarks told about generous scholarships that would no longer be available to young people from First Lutheran if the congregation were to leave the ELCA.  Also the leader of the conference women’s organization shared how the Women of the ELCA (WELCA) is constituted separately from any congregation.  Funds in a congregation’s WELCA treasury belong to WELCA, not to that congregation.  Therefore, if a congregation were to leave the ELCA, the funds would remain with WELCA, not with the women of that congregation.  One person – during the question-and-answer period – challenged the opening statement that the presentations would not be about fear or rumors given that those kinds of statements were made.  Also, when we come to the section where we tell about how the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church was misrepresented, it should be obvious that that part of the presentation was certainly not about clarity and truth.

DISRESPECTING THE INTEGRITY OF A CONGREGATION

I found it shocking that Bishop Hagmaier invited three former pastors of the congregation to be part of the Resource Team (though admittedly none of them were among the initial four presenters).  The ELCA has made it very clear that pastors who no longer serve a congregation are not to be involved in the life of that congregation and doing so would be reason for discipline. 

During the question-and-answer period one of the members asked if it is appropriate for a previous pastor to contact members of the congregation regarding the disaffiliation issue.  The person asking the question then said that these kinds of contacts were being made.  This member asked since ELCA guidelines for discipline prohibit it, will a pastor who does it be disciplined?  Bishop Hagmaier affirmed ELCA policy and said that any pastor who violated the policy would be disciplined by the bishop in whose synod that pastor is rostered.  She said that there was a process for this discipline and that any complaints should be brought to her in writing.  I thought it was astounding that Bishop Hagmaier reaffirmed as a reason for discipline behavior and action that she had invited three previous pastors to be involved in.

Bishop Hagmaier also clearly stated that the South Dakota Synod applies synodical administration (S13.24 in the model constitution for synods) only after a congregation has disbanded.  Only after a congregation has held its final worship service does the synod receive the keys to the property so the synod can make sure that the property is properly cared for.  I wonder how many synods apply synodical administration (S13.24) only under those kinds of circumstances rather than under circumstances such as we have described in other synods (including in the former synod of the current presiding bishop of the ELCA). 

MISREPRESENTING THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION FOR A RENEWED LUTHERAN CHURCH

I also found it shocking how Bishop Riegel of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, who was also a member of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, misrepresented the work of that Commission.  Bishop Riegel was among the four initial presenters.  During his opening remarks he made the following comments regarding the Commission.

The “primary drive” behind the memorials from ten synods to the Churchwide Assembly that led to the formation of the Commission was “a sense that this church structurally is too big for itself.”

The focus for the original memorials was for “increasing flexibility for congregations and synods,” “loosening things up so that congregations and synods would have more ability to dictate to themselves how polity would be structured, how they would do things, so they could respond more nimbly to their context.”  The goal was “untangling some of the uniformity of the church” and “having greater flexibility.”

He also referred to the commitment to dismantle racism as merely a “proviso on the side.” 

Neither the final report of the Commission to the Church Council, nor the recommendations from the Church Council to the Churchwide Assembly, nor the actions of the Churchwide Assembly support his statements.

Contrary to what Bishop Riegel said, the commitment to dismantle racism was not a “proviso on the side.”  Instead it was a top priority of the process.  The resolution that was passed by the 2022 Churchwide Assembly that called for the creation of the Commission instructed the Commission to be “particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism.”  Anything that any group is to be “particularly attentive to” is not a “proviso on the side.”    

Recommendation 1 from the Commission to the Church Council was entitled “Immediate Action on Dismantling Racism.”  It included these statements. 

“To ensure timely action, all constitution and bylaw amendments needed for the development and implementation of these accountability measures and compliance incentives must be developed and advanced in time for consideration by the 2028 Churchwide Assembly.  If by that time such measures and incentives have not been adequately identified or enacted, we recommend the ELCA Church Council call for a special meeting of the Churchwide Assembly to evaluate and enact necessary constitutional revisions that will enable and advance the ELCA’s commitment to anti-racism work.”

B-14 was a summary of memorials from several synods and was approved by the Churchwide Assembly 646-144.  The thrust of this motion was –  

• To acknowledge the importance of accountability in addressing racism within all structures of the ELCA
• To affirm the work of the Strategy Toward Authentic Diversity Advisory Team and request that the Church Council continue to work with the team to clarify the nature of mutual accountability as referenced in Recommendation 1 of the CRLC Report
• To direct the Church Council to add a timeline to its actions taken in response to CRLC Recommendation 1 and to provide progress updates to this church with a final report by Fall 2027, including possible constitutional changes, and
• To recommend that if this work is not accomplished by Fall 2027, the Church Council consider calling a special meeting of the Churchwide Assembly to enact necessary revisions to the governing documents of this church.

When you combine these actions with the development of a DEIA handbook and several pages of DEIA Recommendations for Congregations found in the DEIA audit which the Church Council had done of the ELCA’s governing documents, what you have is greater and enforced compliance and uniformity, not “greater flexibility” and “loosening things up.”

What has happened since then?  An October 9, 2025 news release from the ELCA reports that during the October 2-3 meeting of the Church Council the Council “received updates from its Executive Committee regarding a timeline of the ‘immediate action on dismantling racism’ . . . to develop mutual accountability measures and compliance incentives across all expressions of the ELCA.”  Anything that calls for “immediate action” is not a “proviso on the side.”  “Mutual accountability measures and compliance incentives across all expressions of the ELCA” do not speak of “greater flexibility” and “loosening things up.”  Instead they speak of greater, enforced uniformity. 

And then another way in which Bishop Riegel misrepresented the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church was in his incomplete reporting regarding a proposed amendment to the ELCA Churchwide Constitution – 22.11.b.  As I reported in my analysis of the Churchwide Assembly (LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – AUGUST 2025 – Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE)) that amendment would have provided a way to fast track the approval of amendments that come from the floor.  According to the proposed amendment, they would no longer need to be ratified by a Churchwide Assembly three years later (hopefully after discussion in synods and congregations).  Rather they could be ratified by action of the Church Council within the next twelve months.  Bishop Riegel reported that he opposed that amendment, and he was correct when he said that it did not pass (though just barely).  But he did not say what happened next.  Later during the assembly a voting member proposed new language, which would provide for a provisional ratification of an amendment from the floor by a vote of the church council within twelve months and then a later ratification of the amendment by the next Churchwide Assembly.  After much discussion about whether the new language was appropriate and how it would be executed, the assembly voted 517-247 to refer the motion to the Office of the Secretary for further study.  This action raises the question of how newly elected Secretary Lucille “CeCee” Mills will interpret the constitution. 

I thought it was very interesting that Bishop Riegel did not tell the rest of the story.  Rather he presented the actions of the Churchwide Assembly in a way that would “calm the nerves” of the members of First Lutheran.  I also do not understand if the final report of the Commission was no more than what Bishop Riegel said it was, why he would have dissented to it in full.

I have only limited information from other congregations regarding the consultation that they had with their synodical bishop before they held their first vote on whether to disaffiliate from the ELCA.  But none of them were like this one.  This Consultation certainly says two things –

• ELCA synodical bishops need to respect the integrity of congregations.
• ELCA church leaders need to tell the truth. 

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF

One of the best-known Christmas stories of all time is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss. The Grinch was not happy. And because he was not happy, he did not want anyone else to be happy.

Now we all know people who behave like the Grinch. The Grinches we know do not live in faraway lands in caves on top of mountains. Instead they can be our neighbors – even our fellow church members. It would be easy to spot them if they had green skin. But outwardly they look like the rest of us. How can you know if you are having to deal with a Grinch? Worse yet, how can you know if you are becoming a Grinch? Here are five things that help us identify a Grinch. These same five things were true of another Grinch whose story is told in Matthews 2: 13-23, the Gospel reading this year for the First Sunday after Christmas. First –

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF YOU GET UPSET WHEN OTHERS INVADE YOUR TERRITORY

The Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ story is standing on a ledge outside his cave on a high mountain overlooking the village of Whoville. He is upset because he has to listen to all the noise from the village down below. He had moved to the top of the mountain because he had wanted to get far away from Whoville and Christmas. But on the top of the mountain his territory was being invaded by the sounds of Christmas.

Matthew tells us about another Grinch whose territory also was being invaded – Herod. The Romans had made Herod King of the Jews. But most of his subjects hated him. He had built mighty works for them, including a greatly expanded Temple, but they hated him. Herod knew how much the people hated him, and that they might use any opportunity to overthrow him, so he spent his days living in constant fear that he could lose control at any time.

So imagine Herod’s utter terror when some wise men come from the east and ask, “Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews?” What do you mean, King of the Jews? I, Herod, am King of the Jews. Someone was invading Herod’s territory. No wonder Matthew tells us that Herod was frightened. And not just frightened, he was infuriated. And Matthew tells us that all Jerusalem was upset with him. If Herod is upset, everyone is upset.

Do you ever get upset because you feel that Jesus is invading your territory? You like the idea of His coming into your life as baby born in Bethlehem – with His gifts of love and peace and joy. But there are certain areas of your life where you have posted big, bold “No Trespassing” signs.

If God starts to invade that territory, suddenly all of your defenses go up, and like Herod and all Jerusalem you get upset.

Yes, both the Grinch and Herod got upset because someone was invading their territory. So they cooked up a plan. Which brings us to the second way in which you can tell if you are a Grinch.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF YOU ARE PRETENDING TO BE SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT

The Grinch knew that he was hated down in Whoville. But he also knew that Santa Claus was loved just as much as he was hated. So he made a Santa suit out of some old red material and placed a pair of antlers on the head of his dog, Max. Then he went down to Whoville as Santa, not to deliver presents, but to steal every present from under every tree and every ornament from every home.

Herod had a similar plan. When he heard that someone was invading his territory, he called together the chief priests and those who knew the Bible well to find out from them what the Bible has to say about where this new king was to be born. The Bible scholars told him, In Bethlehem. So he called the wise men back and said to them, “Go and search diligently for the child. And when you have found him, bring me word so that I also may go and pay him homage.”

Herod had no desire to worship Jesus. He was only pretending because he wanted to kill Jesus. And I often wonder how much pretending goes on at Christmas time. Like people who pretend to have far more financial resources than they actually have by the amount they charge to their credit cards. Both the Grinch and Herod were pretending to be something they were not. And then, third –

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO JOIN WITH OTHERS IN THEIR JOY

With his Santa Claus suit on, the Grinch and his dog Max head down the mountain into Whoville, where they go house to house, snatching all the toys that Santa Claus had left for all the good little Whoville girls and boys. Then he heads back up the chimney, packs the toys onto his sled, and then carries them up to the top of the mountain.

Herod, too, was surrounded by joy. He could have joined in, but he refused to. When the wise men heard where the Christ was to be born, they quickly headed off to Bethlehem. Can you imagine their joy. They had been on their journey for quite some time and now they were almost there. Matthew tells us, “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.”

What a moment of joy. But Herod did not get to experience any of that joy. Even though Jerusalem was only a few miles away and Herod could have gone there and found the source of true peace and joy that his troubled soul so desperately needed, still he chose to stay away. In fact, he even tried to destroy the source of joy. So close and yet so far.

Now there is nothing we can do about Herod. But we all know people who also are so close to joy. All around us are troubled people who are searching for peace and joy. Both the Grinch and Herod were so close to joy. But they were neither willing nor able to join in on that joy. Instead they wanted to rob others of their joy. It’s really sad to be around people who cannot stand to see other people happy.

I wonder if at some time early in his life the Grinch had been hurt very, very badly. I wonder if one of the Whovillers might have said or done something to him a long time ago that he just could not let go of. Is that how he had lost the ability to have joy, so now he wanted to steal the joy of others? Well that brings us to the fourth sign of being a Grinch.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF YOU GET INFURIATED IF YOUR PLANS DO NOT WORK OUT

God the Father knew how Herod would react so He warned the wise men to go home a different way. And He told Joseph to get Mary and Jesus out of Bethlehem.

Now I do not know why Herod did not just have the wise men followed so that he would only have to kill one baby and one family. But I do know, because Matthew tells us, how we reacted when he found out that he had been tricked. He was infuriated. So he sent soldiers to kill all the boy babies in and around Bethlehem up to the age of two years.

The Grinch also had a plan. He placed all the stuff he had gathered from Whoville onto his sled and then whipped little Max into pulling that sleigh to the highest cliff of the mountain, where he would throw everything over the cliff to be destroyed on the rocks below. But his plan did not work out quite as he had planned. And all that brings us to the fifth way that you can know if you are a Grinch.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A GRINCH IF YOUR HEART DOES NOT GET CHANGED

By the time that little Max was able to reach the top of the mountain with the sleigh, it was Christmas morning. The Grinch pauses to listen to what is going on down in Whoville. He is expecting to hear the sound of great wailing, for all the presents and ornaments are gone. But much to his surprise, instead of wailing, he hears singing. And it is the same song as before they lost all the presents and ornaments. The Grinch wonders, How can this be?

Then all of a sudden, the sleigh begins to slip over the edge. The Grinch tries to grab it. He does not want it to be destroyed. Something miraculous has happened. His heart that had been two sizes too small has grown four sizes. And the sly grin that had been on his face is now replaced with a smile that says that something good has happened inside.

But unlike the Grinch, Herod awoke to the sound of great weeping. Hundreds of mothers weeping. Not because their children’s Christmas presents have been stolen, but instead because their children have been murdered.

Now we all know how the story ends for Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. He became a part of Whoville. He joined in their joy and carved the roast beast. He was not an outsider anymore. His heart had been changed. Unfortunately, that is where the similarity between the two stories ends. Herod’s heart was never changed. Matthew tells us that he died, and history tells us it was only about a year later. Herod had his chance, but he missed his chance. So he remained a Grinch forever.

The Grinch’s heart was changed by what he heard. This Christmas may your heart be changed by what you hear. We do not have the ability to change our own heart, but the love we can receive from the baby in the manger can change our hearts forever.

If you know someone who is a Grinch, do you stay away from them or can you see beyond the tough exterior and green skin and reach out to them in love? If you know someone who is a Grinch, reach out to him or her this Christmas. Let him or her see the love and joy of Jesus shining through your life. Who knows what hard and shriveled up heart just might get changed.

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VIDEO MINISTRY

INTERIM MINISTRY

by Cathy Ammlung and Tim Hubert

Many thanks to NALC pastors Cathy Ammlung and Tim Hubert for this video about interim ministry. A link to their video can be found HERE. A link to our You Tube channel, which contains sixty-four reviews of books and videos on topics of interest and importance, can be found HERE.

In this video Cathy interviews Tim, who is now serving his twelfth interim parish. They discuss the various kinds of interim situations; what congregations can (and shouldn’t) expect from their interim pastor; and what are the key components to successful, productive interim ministry. It is not about how to obtain an interim pastor or start a call process. Rather it is about developing a good and trustful relationship with your interim pastor – and with one another, if there’s friction; using his or her compensated time wisely and well; and working toward a healthy, productive future.

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PETROS NETWORK

The November issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, contained an article about Petros Network and its partnering with many indigenous churches worldwide, including the world’s largest and reportedly fastest-growing Lutheran denomination – the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). For those who missed it, a link to that article can be found HERE. A link to the page on their website that tells about their work with the Ethiopian Lutheran Church can be found HERE. 

Reading that article, as well as Paul Borg’s article re the recent gathering of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Network (LINK TO ARTICLE), give new meaning to what the angel said to the shepherds, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people.” (Luke 2: 10)

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The beloved Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” says about the small village where Jesus was born, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” May the love of Jesus fill you with hope and may His presence address all your fears.

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

December 2025

Dear Friends –

My theological degrees (M. Div. and D. Min.) are from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.  After I graduated from Fuller in 1972 I served my internship under Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota at the same church as where I had worked as youth director during my third year in seminary.  Halfway through my internship year I went back to Luther for an interview with the faculty.  I was not prepared.  Attending a non-Lutheran seminary, I had not studied Lutheran theology and church history as I should have so I was required to spend a year at Luther as a graduate student taking Lutheran courses before I would be certified and approved for ordination.  I felt totally put upon by the requirement.  But as it turned out before the end of that additional year the congregation where I would end up serving my entire forty years of ministry, who knew me from my days in youth ministry, and where I met my wife was ready to call an associate pastor.  They would not have been ready before my additional year at Luther.  I have no idea where I would have been called and how my life would have gone if I had not been required to attend seminary one more year.  “All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8: 28) 

I remember wondering, when I found out that I would be required to attend one more year of seminary, how am I going to be able to pay for that?  But then I received an unexpected blessing.  The congregation where I had worked as youth director and served my internship gathered donations that more than covered the expenses for my unanticipated, final year of study. 

Knowing what it means to receive financial assistance from God’s loving and caring people, I am especially thankful that Lutheran CORE has the resources to be able to provide financial support for seven students attending the North American Lutheran Seminary (NALS).  One of them, Luke Ratke, writes –

“Thank you so much for your generous gift of financial support. . . .I am in my last year of study at the seminary and I plan to graduate at the end of the spring 2026 semester.  After I graduate I plan to begin a year-long internship at a North American Lutheran Church congregation.  I look forward to learning as much as I can during that year about how to do pastoral ministry work well. . . .May God bless your ministry work and all that you do for the sake of the Gospel!”

I am in the process of teaching a Sunday morning adult class on the life of Moses at the ELCA congregation where my wife and I are members.  Exodus 16:13 tells us that as the Israelites were on their way to Mt. Sinai, the evening before God first provided manna, “quails came up and covered the camp.”  I have read that this area of the Sinai Peninsula is along the route of a major bird migratory path.  Often birds would stop to rest after flying north over the Gulf of Suez.  And where they stopped to rest is where the Israelites were camped.  Long before the Israelites passed that way, God provided a way by which they would have food.  God knew where the finances would come from long before I knew that I would be required to attend an additional year of seminary.  And long before these seven students responded to God’s call to ministry, God knew that your generosity would help provide the resources for them to attend seminary.  “My God will fully provide for every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 19)

During the upcoming year we will continue to monitor and keep you informed about what the ELCA is doing leading up to its 2028 Churchwide Assembly in terms of eliminating any place for traditional views as it reconsiders the 2009 human sexuality social statement as well as in terms of continuing to make DEIA, dismantling racism, and critical race theory the central value and operating system of the ELCA.  In addition, we will continue to provide resources such as worship aids, prayers, daily devotions, weekly lectionary-based Bible studies and children’s messages, video book reviews, and support and assistance for congregations in transition.

For example, the ELCA news release dated October 9, 2025 concerning the October 2-3 meeting of the ELCA Church Council stated that the Council received an update from its Executive Committee regarding “a timeline of the ‘immediate action on dismantling racism’ acted on during the spring 2025 meeting to develop mutual accountability measures and compliance incentives across all expressions of the ELCA.”  There are powerful people who want to remake the ELCA and make DEIA and dismantling racism mandatory throughout the ELCA, including for congregations.  They made significant progress at the 2025 Churchwide Assembly, but they did not fully succeed.  They will not stop.  They will try again in 2028.  If there are not enough constitutional changes ready to go by the end of 2027 they will call for a reconstituting assembly.  Notice the wording in the news release.  “Immediate action” – for these people nothing else is of such supreme importance.  “Dismantling racism” – not just not being racist, but dismantling systems that privilege some and allow those some to oppress others (Marxism).  “Mutual accountability measures and compliance incentives across all expressions of the ELCA.”  “All expressions” includes congregations.  All still within the ELCA should wonder how these “mutual accountability measures and compliance incentives” will play out in their synod. 

Thank you for your prayers and your faithful, generous financial support.  Please find below a link to a form which you can use to let us know how we can be praying for you.  You can also use that form to send a year-end gift that will enable us to continue to do our work.  We would also like to hear from you regarding a time when God provided for you maybe even long before you knew that you would have a need.   

Thanking God for His goodness,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

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A FAITH FOR THE STORMS

During my lifetime I have witnessed several high-profile assassinations.  I was in high school when President John F. Kennedy was shot.  I was in college when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were killed.  I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first heard about each of these tragedies.  But the one that has affected me the most and has given me the greatest feeling of loss is the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

I am confused and puzzled by some of the things that I have heard people say that Charlie Kirk said.  But still I see him as a man who deeply loved the Lord Jesus, who wanted everyone to know and love Jesus, who had boundless energy and an incredible gift for reaching young people, and who was able to present and defend traditional values and views in a way that made them credible and viable.  And the way that his wife, Erika Kirk, in front of the whole world forgave the man who had killed her husband – because that is what Jesus did – was absolutely astounding.  With her at the helm I am hopeful for the future of that organization.

The death of Charlie Kirk is certainly not the only example of a tragic killing that is a reflection of the political extremism, violent rhetoric, and high levels of hatred that are tearing our nation apart.  Every single one of them should cause us to ask, “How did it get this way and what can be done about it?”  We are living in the worst of storms – social, political, inter-personal, moral, and spiritual storms.  What can help us as God’s people face, endure, and maybe even help calm the storms?  What can give us A FAITH FOR THE STORMS?

We live in Arizona northeast of Phoenix.  Up until a few years ago the area where my wife and I live was open desert.  New homes are being built further and further out into the desert.  Most of the time Arizona is sunny.  But we do have storms.  During the summer monsoon season we have thunderstorms that equal anything I ever experienced in Minnesota.  And we can have very heavy rainfall.  We can have rainfall that makes roads impassable.  While walking our dog I was looking at the way in which the land was graded, desert washes were preserved, and the area was prepared before homes were built.  There are major washes between rows of houses that allow for the flow of very heavy rain without endangering the homes.  Storms will come.  Very intense storms will come.  How can a community be planned so that it is prepared for the storms?  How can we live our lives so that we are ready for the storms?  What can give us A FAITH FOR THE STORMS?

To answer that question I would like to look at the account of two storms in the Gospel of Mark – in chapter 4, where Jesus stills a storm – and chapter 6 – where Jesus walks on water. 

The first thing I notice in both stories is that a storm came into the lives of the disciples even when thy were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do.
Mark 4: 35 – “When evening had come, Jesus said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’”
Mark 6: 45 – “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.”

Obeying Jesus and doing exactly what God tells us to do is not going to protect us from all storms.  And just because a severe storm is happening to us does not mean that we are living outside the will of God.    

 Mark 4: 35-41 – Jesus Stills a Storm

 Verse 37 – “A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.” 

You might ask the question, Several of the disciples were seasoned fishermen.  How could seasoned fishermen have gotten caught off guard by a storm?  As I understand it, storms that come from the west – from off the Mediterranean Sea – are rainstorms that are accompanied by clouds.  You can see these storms coming.  But storms that come from the east – from off the desert – are windstorms.  There are no clouds that warn you they are coming.  And those winds are only intensified as they rush down the canyons surrounding the Sea of Galilee to a water surface that is several hundred feet below sea level.  I am reminded of what Luke said in Acts 2:2 in his description of Pentecost.  “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind.”  The disciples who had been fishermen before they became followers of Jesus certainly knew what it was like to experience a sound like a rush of a violent wind.    

Verse 38 – “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’”  When you are going through the storms in your life, have you ever wondered if Jesus is asleep?  Have you ever wondered whether Jesus cares that you were perishing? 

Jesus does care, and Jesus can do something about the storm.  Verse 39 – “He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Be silent! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.”

I believe that this was more than just a weather event.  I believe that this was a spiritual event.  This was Satan trying to stop Jesus from advancing into the Gentile world.  And I believe that the political violence, hateful rhetoric, and extreme divisiveness that are disrupting our country and tearing it apart are not just human dynamics.  They are spiritual dynamics.  The Bible tells us that the Thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10: 10).   

 Mark 6:45-51 – Jesus Walks on Water

 And then two chapters later Mark gives us another account of how our relationship with Jesus can give us A FAITH FOR THE STORMS.   Here also a storm came into the lives of the disciples even when they were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do.  Verses 45-46 – which come right after the feeding of the five thousand – “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.  After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.”  There are three things that I would want to say from this account.

 First, Jesus prays for us during the storms.

Whatever storm you are going through right now, Jesus is praying for you just as He was praying for the disciples.  Therefore, Hebrews 4: 16 tells us that we can “approach the throne of grace with boldness,” knowing that there we will “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Jesus intercedes for us in our time of need.  We receive His mercy and grace and help in time of need.   

 Second, Jesus comes to us during the storms.

 Verses 47-48 – “When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning.” 

The same Jesus who saw that His disciples were straining at the oars against an adverse wind also sees you in all of your struggles.  But notice something.  Sometimes God does not intervene right away.  When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, but Jesus did not come to them until early in the morning.  Sometimes Jesus will not respond and come right away.  But He will always come – never too early and never too late – but just at the right time. 

And then –

Third, Jesus comes to us victorious over our greatest fears.

Verse 48 – “He came towards them, walking on the sea.”  He came to them, walking on top of the very thing that terrified the disciples the most.

Whatever it is that frightens you the most, Jesus is literally on top of.

So, are you concerned for our nation?
Are you troubled by all the political extremism, violent rhetoric, and high levels of hatred?
Does it ever feel to you like Jesus is asleep?
To put it on a personal level, do you ever wonder if He cares about what is happening to you?
Do you ever wonder if He sees your struggles?
Do you ever ask why He does not respond any sooner?

Just look out on the waters.
He is walking on the waves.
He is literally on top of what frightens, threatens, intimidates, unsettles, and upsets you the most.

In the strong Name of Jesus,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

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September 2025

“O Jerusalem, I have posted guardians on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually.”  (Isaiah 62: 6)

 

Dear Friends:

I am very grateful for all the people who are praying regularly for Lutheran CORE and for our work of alerting people to what is happening in the ELCA.  You are like the guardians in Isaiah 62: 6, who pray continually.

I am also very grateful for all the words of encouragement, support, and appreciation which I have received in response to my recent Review and Analysis of the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.  As I said, it was bad, but it could have been worse.  And I believe the 2028 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will be worse.

Here are some of the responses I have received, which I experienced as uplifting and sustaining.

• “Thanks for the Summary and Analysis of the CWA.  It was great, and yet troubling.”
• “Thank you for sharing your detailed review and firsthand account of the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.  I truly valued your insights, especially since my experience attending online was no    substitute for being present in the room.  Your reflections captured dimensions and moods that simply don’t come through the virtual platform.”
• “Thank you for your articulate, insightful & spot-on eyewitness account of CWA ’25.”  
• “Thank you for the long and interesting report from the ELCA national gathering.  You went so we didn’t have to.”

Those who are determined to make dismantling racism and promoting DEIA as the heart of who the ELCA is and what the ELCA does have yet to fully accomplish their goals, but they are well on their way.  They have made major strides forward.  During the assembly we saw clearly that there are powerful and powerfully positioned people who will not stop until ELCA governance and structure are changed so that their agenda can be made mandatory at all levels of the ELCA.  And those who are determined to eliminate bound conscience will be working tirelessly through the task force that is reconsidering the 2009 human sexuality social statement.  They are determined that the newly revised social statement will have no room for traditional views and those who hold them.  As I mentioned in my article, I believe we saw a preview of what is to come in the vote that was taken towards the end of the 2025 assembly to eliminate the words “between a man and a woman” in the social statement’s description of the church’s historical view of marriage.  The argument was that the words “between a man and a woman” are hurtful and harmful to the LGBTQ+ community.  Therefore, they must be removed.  If the ELCA will not even tolerate an accurate description of the historical view of marriage because some people experience that description as harmful and hurtful, how do we think that bound conscience has any chance to survive?  The major question is, Why will it take a full three years for the task force to eliminate bound conscience?   

And we have yet to see how all this will be impacted by the election of a new Presiding Bishop and Secretary. 

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement, which give us strength and spiritual protection as we continue our work.  And thank you for your faithful and generous financial support so that we can continue to provide the following –   

• Resources on our website, including daily devotions, worship aids, lectionary-based Bible studies and children’s messages, and videos on books and topics of interest and importance 
• Financial support for several seminarians  
• Sponsorship of the local and cross-country, intergenerational, multi-denominational mission trips organized and held by River’s Edge Ministries in Mt. Airy, Maryland 
• Support and guidance for congregations that are between pastors or will soon be losing their pastor, as well as for smaller and/or more remote congregations that are facing the real possibility that there might not be a seminary-trained pastor available for them 

Please find below a Printable Response Form or other links which you can use to give a gift towards our operating expenses.  Please also let us know how we can be praying for you.  Your prayers are especially important for us during the next three years as we continue to monitor and alert you to the relentless efforts being made to take the ELCA further and further away from the historic Christian faith.        

As a guardian with you on the wall,

 

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
P.O. Box 1741
Wausau WI 54402-1741