Dear Friends in the Risen Lord:

Every morning – when I turn on my computer – I wonder, “How much worse is the news going to be today than it was yesterday?”  How many more confirmed corona virus cases will there be?  How many more people will have died?  What kind of greater precautions will we need to take, and what kind of greater restrictions will be placed upon us?  How much more will the stock market plunge?

In the midst of all this, we need encouragement, a source of strength, and hope.  What greater source of encouragement, strength, and hope could we have – and could we be able to share – than the good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead?  He is with us in our struggles, and He has defeated our greatest enemies – sin, death, and the power of the devil.

I would like to share with you four sources of strength and hope from the account of the Israelites’ crossing the Jordan River on their way to the Promised Land, as recorded in the early chapters of the book of Joshua. 

First, in Joshua 1: 2 the Lord said to Joshua, “My servant Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan.”  The Lord did not say, “Moses is dead; you might as well give up.”  Nor did He say, “Moses is dead; so why not go back to Egypt.”  “Moses is dead; it will never be the same again.” Or “Moses is dead; what hope do you have now?”  Rather the Lord said, “Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan.” 

We have heard it said over and over again.  We are living in unprecedented times.  We were not prepared for this, nor did we see it coming.  We do not know how long it will last or what life will be like after it is over.  We know it will be different, but we do not know how it will be different.  In many ways Moses is dead.  The realities, resources, and support systems that we had been counting on no longer exist.  And they disappeared so quickly.  But just as God said, “Moses is dead; now proceed to cross the Jordan,” so God is saying to us, “Life will be different, but it is not over.”  With God’s presence and power – with the hope of the resurrection – we will be able to get through this.  One year from now we will be able to look back and say, “God is good, and He saw us through.”  Moses may be dead, but we still need to and we still can cross the Jordan. 

Second, three times in the first nine verses of Joshua 1 God says, “Be strong and courageous.”  In verse 6, verse 7, and verse 9.  “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

It would be very easy today to be frightened and dismayed.  We have many, very valid reasons to be frightened and dismayed.  Just like the disciples of Jesus, on the evening of Good Friday, had many, very valid reasons to be frightened and dismayed. 

But the angel told the women who came early on Easter Sunday morning to the tomb, “Do not be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here.  He has been raised.  Come, see the place where He lay.  Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has been raised from the dead.”  (Matthew 28: 5-7)  So we, too, need to see the place where He lay.  We, too, need to see that the tomb is empty.  Then we, too, need to go quickly and tell people that He has been raised from the dead.  This year – during the upcoming Holy Week season – may God give you even more strength of conviction and mountain-moving faith, so that you will be able to believe with power and with boldness, “Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.”

Third, in Joshua 3: 2-4 we read that the leaders of Israel went through the camp and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place.  Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before.” 

What do we need the most as we go through a national and global crisis unlike any we have experienced before?  We need to know that God is with us and that He goes before us, “for (we) have not passed this way before.”  I remember a poster I had on my wall in my dorm room in college.  It showed a mushroom cloud from an atomic explosion.  It asked the question, “Is there a future?”  It gave an answer from God.  “Yes, I am already there.”

Paul describes Jesus as “the first born from the dead.”  Jesus has already gone through the experience of death ahead of us.  And He has broken the power of death over us.  Therefore, “nothing in all of creation” – and that includes the corona virus – “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8: 39)

Fourth, Joshua 3: 15-16 tell us that “when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still . . . while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off,” so the people were able to cross over on dry ground. 

There was a miraculous crossing of a body of water at the beginning of the time of leadership of Moses (the Red Sea), and there was a miraculous crossing of a body of water at the beginning of the time of leadership of Joshua (the Jordan River).  But there is a significant difference between the two.  In the case of Moses and the Red Sea, God sent a strong east wind that blew all night.  In the morning there was a dry path. The people did not need to step into the sea until they had a dry path.  In the case of Joshua and the Jordan River, somebody had to step into the water first before the flow of the river stopped and a dry path became available.

I know that I, for one, would like to have a dry path before I have to step in.  But that is not the way it always goes.  It sure would be good to know how this pandemic will end and how long it will last, but at this point we do not know.  But still we need to step in, take necessary precautions, help those who are most vulnerable, and see this time as an opportune time to show the kind of courage and compassion that Christ can give. 

I remember several years ago a woman who was very close to dying from cancer read the lessons on Easter Sunday.  Never before had those Scriptures passages spoken so strongly to me as they did that day as they were being read by someone who would soon be dying and who believed with all her heart that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

This Easter season may your faith in Jesus be even bolder, your hope in Jesus be even greater, and your love for Jesus be even stronger.

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
[email protected]
909-274-8591

P.S.

Our prayers are with all confessional Lutheran pastors as you find and develop ways to stay connected with your congregations, give your people hope, courage, and strength, and reach out to your communities during these most unusual times.  On our website you can find a list of some congregations that are livestreaming and/or posting recordings of their worship services.  A link to that list can be found here.  Please let me know if you would like to be added to that list.

This is a list of confessional and orthodox congregations who are livestreaming or recording their church services.

• If you would like your church to be added to the list, please email [email protected]

To view the letter CORE’s Executive Director, Dennis Nelson, has sent about this list, click the button below.

In addition to our partial pan-Lutheran list below, the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) has an amazing list of NALC church services: click button below.

Among the people whom CORE especially want to serve through this ministry are:

• Lay people whose congregations are not livestreaming their services
• Lay people who are members of congregations that are not confessional and orthodox

Dear CORE Supporters:

Not even a month ago we started raising funds for a class at the NEXUS Institute and, thanks to your response, we went from 6% to 16% and now to 25% of the funds needed to sponsor a NEXUS class during the summer of 2021.

We are very grateful. We are also in the midst of a pandemic and, for many of us, there is a high level of economic uncertainty in our lives. And yet there is the comfort that God is the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow.

To read more about the reason we are raising funds, click on the buttons below.

Dear Friends in Christ –

Among Lutheran CORE’s greatest concerns have been the
following –

How can we help raise up a whole new generation of
Lutheran pastors who will be Biblical and confessional in their theology and
who will be committed to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples for
Jesus Christ?

What can we do to reach young people for Jesus?  How can we present the Gospel of Jesus to
them in a clear, compelling, and engaging way? 
How can we help them feel and be connected to the church?

Because of these concerns, we are very grateful for
the opportunity to sponsor a week of NEXUS for high schoolers at Grand View
University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Originally funded by a substantial Lilly Endowment
Grant, NEXUS is designed to give high school students a chance to engage in the
study of the Bible and Lutheran theology, be involved in service, and discern
whether God has gifted them and is calling them to full-time Christian ministry
and/or leadership in the church.  In the
past three years, over one hundred high schoolers have gone through NEXUS.  Grand View has found that after a week of
NEXUS, students grow significantly in their understanding of Scripture,
Lutheran theology, faith practices, and the doctrine of vocation.  In addition, many college-aged mentors who
have participated in the program have gone on to seminary and/or full-time
church work. 

There is no charge for high schoolers to attend NEXUS,
and Grand View wants to keep it that way. 
The original grant from Lilly Endowment will have been spent by the end
of this coming summer, so Grand View has approached Lutheran CORE and other
ministries about sponsoring a week of NEXUS. 
The board of Lutheran CORE has long recognized that many of the Lutheran
ministries that used to engage young people with a high view of the authority
of the Bible and the challenge to consider a career in Christian ministry no
longer exist or no longer function in that way, so the board immediately
responded positively to the invitation and request.

The cost to host one week of NEXUS for twenty-four
high school students, which includes college-aged mentors, teachers,
activities, room and board, and materials, is $30,000.  Lutheran CORE has committed half of the
amount for one week – $15,000.  The funds
from Lutheran CORE will be matched by Lilly Endowment to cover a full week’s
cost of $30,000. 

Because the original grant from Lilly Endowment will
cover the costs for the two weeks of NEXUS during the summer of 2020, the funds
from Lutheran CORE will be used for a week during the summer of 2021.  However, we do not want to wait until next
year to be involved.  My plan is to
attend at least a significant part of the week of NEXUS this year that will be
sponsored by the NALC (North American Lutheran Church) – July 12-17 – to
further observe the program and to get to know, listen to, learn from, and
share with the young people who are there about such things as these –

What
are they thinking about, running into, and dealing with in their lives?

What
are the questions that they are asking and facing?

What
hopes do they have for the church and for their own lives?

What
is stirring them?

Sharing
in that interaction and experiencing a week of NEXUS will help us know how best
to put a “Lutheran CORE imprint” upon a week of NEXUS in 2021.

My
purpose for writing is to let you know about this additional ministry that we
are pursuing.  In his first letter to his
young friend Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote, “The Spirit expressly says that
in later times some will renounce the faith.” 
(1 Timothy 4: 1)  Part of our work
as Lutheran CORE is to alert people to ways in which the orthodox Christian
faith is being renounced by many – unfortunately even in the church.  We also want to be there for people and
congregations when they do become aware of this great tragedy.  In his second letter Paul wrote, “What you
have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will
be able to teach others as well.”  (2
Timothy 2: 2)  It is absolutely
imperative that the Christian faith be passed on from one generation to the
next.  We do not want to be the
generation that drops the ball.

Please consider giving a gift to Lutheran CORE – over and above your current giving – to help fund the commitment that we have made to provide $15,000 for one week of high school NEXUS.  You may donate online or use the response form that you will find below and/or you may designate NEXUS on the memo line on your check.  We are very grateful for the faithful generosity of our friends, which will enable us to help support this fine ministry, in addition to all of the other ways in which we seek to be a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.

Blessings
in Christ,

Dennis
D. Nelson

Executive
Director of Lutheran CORE

Visit
our website www.lutherancore.org

Follow
us on Twitter @LutheranCORE

Like
us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LutheranCORE

For easy access, the Response Form also appears below:

LUTHERAN
CORE

A
Voice and Network for Confessing Lutherans

NEXUS

A week for high schoolers

of study in the Scriptures and Lutheran theology, involvement in ministry,

and discernment of call to full-time Christian service  

Please find enclosed my gift (make check payable to
“Lutheran CORE” and designate “NEXUS” on the memo line)

Please use my gift to help fund one week of NEXUS for
high school students

__________ Amount

Name ______________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________

             
____________________________________________

Phone number _______________________________________

Email address ________________________________________

Prayer request
________________________________________

                       
________________________________________

                       
________________________________________

If you prefer, you can give online by going to the Give
page on our website – https://lutherancore.website/give/

2 Timothy 2: 2 – “What you have heard from me through
many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as
well.”

1
Timothy 4: 12 – “Let no one think less of you because you are young; rather set
the believers an example.”

“MUCH LAND STILL REMAINS TO BE CONQUERED” 

Joshua 13: 1 says, “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years.’”  I can imagine Joshua saying, “Thank you, Lord.  I really did not need to be reminded of that.”  Then the Lord added, “Much land still remains to be conquered.”

Joshua, it’s not all over.  There is still much important work for you to do.

I can imagine the Lord saying the same thing to all of us who are retired or who are approaching retirement.  “Much land still remains to be conquered.  It’s not all over.  There is still much important work for you to do.”   

I have heard it referred to as both the second chapter and the third chapter of life – that time in life (usually during retirement) when time is more abundant because the kids are grown and we do not have to work full-time in order to earn a living.

I retired a little over five and a half years ago.  For me a major question since then has been –

What does God want me to do with what He gave me the opportunity to learn and with the skills He gave me the opportunity to develop during my full-time working years now during this next chapter in life?

I think of Moses.  Moses did not begin his major life work until the age of eighty.  I am eight years short of the age of eighty.  Moses spent the first forty years of his life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter – pampered and spoiled and unable to control his temper.  There was no way that at the age of forty he would have been ready to lead several hundred thousand stiff-necked, stubborn, and complaining people through the wilderness.  It was only after another forty years of herding the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro in the desert that Moses knew how to survive in the desert and that Moses was ready to lead God’s people through the desert.  It was only at the age of eighty that he was ready. 

What has God been getting you ready for?  What does God have in mind for you?  God is the one who sent the plagues, parted the waters, and provided manna in the wilderness.  But Moses was the man whom God had prepared to lead His people.

What has God been preparing you for?  I know that for me the opportunities I have had in retirement to do supply preaching and teach adult Bible studies have been a blessing, and the opportunity to serve as executive director of Lutheran CORE is the perfect thing for me at this time in life. 

I asked three retired persons if they would write about what they are doing now in ministry to use their accumulated insight, wisdom, gifts, knowledge, skills, and experience in their current chapter of life.  They are Robert Benne, professor at the Institute of Lutheran Theology and former professor of religion and director of the Center for Religion and Society at Roanoke College; Carol Peters, retired LCMC pastor in Arizona and one of the CiT (Congregations in Transition) coaches; and Steve Shipman, former executive director of Lutheran CORE, currently serving as an interim pastor of an NALC congregation in Pennsylvania. 

Here is what they wrote:

Dr. Robert Benne wrote –

In 1999 I went to the Roanoke College President’s office to tell him I wanted to relinquish my endowed chair and my tenured position on the faculty.    I was only 62.  I was weary from doing too many things and I wanted a new chapter in my life.  Graciously, he told me to think about it for a week or so since it was a pretty drastic move.  I came back in two weeks to reaffirm my decision, with the proviso that I continue to run the Center for Religion and Society which I had founded in 1982, as well as teach a few electives as an adjunct senior lecturer.

I simply did not want to give up the activities I had done with some skill and satisfaction for nearly 35 years.  I relinquished the directorship of the Center in 2012.  A new online seminary — the Institute of Lutheran Theology — came calling so I returned to teaching Christian ethics at a seminary after having been a college teacher for 30 years.  At the same time I gave up teaching at Roanoke College.

I now teach one course in Christian ethics per term at the ILT.  Another great teaching opportunity came up as we moved in 2015 to a large and thriving NALC congregation, St. John Lutheran.  There I offer courses that draw from 30-60 adults.  Right now I am teaching a course on Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship to 50.

Meanwhile, I am busily doing another activity I love—writing.  Since 2010 I have written three books: Good and Bad Ways to Think about Religion and Politics; Keeping the Soul in Christian Higher Education: a History of Roanoke College, and my memoirs, Thanks be to God: Memoirs of a Practical Theologian.   I have also written a number of chapters in other books.

I recount all this to illustrate what I think is true for most people who have taken up a vocation that brings deep satisfaction and usefulness to church and society.  In my case, I have been a Christian teacher and writer for 55 years.  Those activities have brought intrinsic meaning and joy over the years, and I hope they have been useful to the church.  But the point is that we should not stop doing those sorts of vocational pursuits if we continue to find satisfaction in them and others (church and seminary in my case) find them valuable.

When I advise friends who are wondering what they should do in their retirement I recommend that they continue to exercise their talents and training in something continuous with what they did in their full-time employment.  For example, I advised an exhausted emergency room doctor to exercise his talents on a charity hospital ship — something he had always wanted to do — rather than devote his time to other sorts of voluntary activities.  I advised a retiring pastor to find some diminished role in another church so he could continue preaching, teaching, and offering pastoral care.  Perhaps this sounds like semi-retirement, but if so, I commend it.  One lives a more manageable life with more leisure, freedom, and ample naps.  And one continues one’s calling in a more customized way.

I am willing to admit that some folks need to stop what they are doing and do something very different, or do nothing at all for a time, but that would not work for me.  On the worrisome side, what will happen when I cannot teach or write?  At 82 that may come sooner than later. Then I will be tested whether I have been tempted to justify myself by my works.  I dearly hope that I will then discover the depth of the meaning of being justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

* * * * * * *

Pastor Carol Peters wrote –

After being retired for two years, I discovered what was for me a liberating testimony by J. Vernon McGee, a pastor in Los Angeles many years ago as well as a radio preacher.  I had been feeling guilty for not missing full-time ministry more than I did.  In his commentary on the Psalms, Pastor McGee wrote: “…the happiest time of my ministry began when I retired from the pastorate; the most spiritually profitable time of my life began at that moment…. Do you know why?  I have whittled my life down to the one thing I want to do—teach the Bible.”

Indeed, the now four years I have been retired have been very “spiritually profitable.”  I now have time to spend in sessions of intercessory prayer for individuals, for the spread of the Gospel, for nations, for persecuted believers, for the health of the Church, etc.  I prayed, of course, while I was a pastor, but I never had a lot of time to devote to the ministry of intercession.  There is also much more time each week to spend alone with Jesus.  And like Pastor McGee, I am enjoying teaching the Bible in various settings.  I have always loved teaching, only now I have more time to spend digging into the Scripture and developing various courses than my schedule allowed when I was overseeing numerous programs at the large church I served as associate pastor.

My situation as a retired pastor is rather unique in that I am still a worshipping member of the church I served as a pastor as is the now-retired senior pastor with whom I worked.  Our congregation left the ELCA some years ago, and with the new senior pastor’s approval – and I should mention that he served as an associate pastor with us for about ten years before becoming the senior pastor – we made the decision that after retiring, we would stay away for six months or so, allowing a “new normal” to develop, and then we would return.  We do keep an intentionally low profile but are pleased to assist in any way when requested by the current senior pastor.

And that has worked out beautifully in our situation!  I have maintained my friendships made over the years.  I have taught in our adult education program.  I was asked to continue writing devotional studies for the congregation for Lent which I had done for many years while a pastor.  Now I have much more time to research and develop those studies!  And then, of course, there is occasional preaching and presiding at memorial services – not frequent, but occasional.

Those activities, as well as occasional opportunities to serve other congregations by supply preaching or teaching a short-term class, have made for a happy time of ministry!  No longer the demanding schedule of the pastorate yet the continued service to the Lord and His Church.

* * * * * * *

Pastor Steve Shipman wrote –

Recently a person trying to do some work around my house who wanted me there when he did it, was trying to coordinate schedules with me.  Finally in frustration he turned to his wife and said, “That guy flunked retirement.”  I confess that I cannot argue with that claim.

Since I work half a day each week in a program designed to keep people who qualify for institutional care out of nursing homes, I realize how undeservedly blessed I am.  I used to tell people I “take care of a bunch of old people,” then one day I looked at the computer and discovered a third of the folks were younger than I was.  Several years have passed, and it may be closer to half.  Yet they are all dealing with serious health issues, mostly through no fault of their own, and need assistance with the activities of daily living.

This year I am both serving as District Governor for the Lions club in my three-county area and also as half-time interim pastor of an NALC congregation as it searches for a full-time pastor. That in addition to my chaplaincy.  I didn’t plan it that way, but I was committed to the Lions and was the most logical person to do the interim.  Yes, it has been a crazy year and I am looking forward to re-retiring when the congregation issues its call.  But I’m not aware my ordination had a termination date.  God didn’t call Moses until he was 80, and God retired him (in much better health than I am today according to Deuteronomy) at 120.  So who am I to complain?

We all know people who retired in good health and within a brief period became seriously ill. I’m not ready to sit in a lounge chair watching those dumb Hallmark movies with my wife.  She and I would like to do more traveling and I’d like to get back into biking on the many local rail trails. But in the end, I am being selfish if God gives me opportunities to serve people and I refuse His call.

Science has proven that being active and using one’s brain power can put off many of the medical issues associated with aging.  And since we old people are especially subject to depression, it is good to get involved in meaningful activities where we can see other people being blessed instead of whining about the inevitable changes in our own bodies or in the world around us.

And I have found that supply preaching and interim work carry a different dynamic than a long-term pastorate, as does my part-time chaplaincy.  I have never felt so appreciated in my life, and I have to admit that my ego enjoys the compliments I receive.  But I also know my track record, and there is a long list of people from parishes I served who would disagree, usually with valid reasons.  I would urge retiring pastors and church workers that, after a period of time sitting in the pews to unwind, you be open to any opportunities God gives you to use your gifts to help congregations in transition or in a chaplaincy setting.

I’m having more fun than I have had for years, and I also feel that I am in many ways doing more good than I may have done in my called ministries. Some of that is having learned from my mistakes, but most is due to the different context.  I’m hoping that the Almighty lets me slow down a bit, and I don’t want to keep at this as long as Moses, but I trust that God’s purpose is more important than what I think my desires might be.

* * * * * * *

If you were to write about what God is calling you to do at this point or time in your life, what would you say?

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
[email protected]
909-274-8591

Editor’s Note: Pastor Cathy Ammlung is a pastor in the North American Lutheran Church and serves as Secretary of the Board of Lutheran CORE. She has earned a master’s degree in Chemistry and two master’s degrees in Theology.

I normally don’t share stuff about my political or religious views, aside from occasionally posting one of my sermons. That’s because I don’t usually like reading other people’s stuff on those topics. I confess, I generally click “hide this post.” Keeps my relationships with many folks more cordial because I’m not tempted to get in a war of words that would probably not change anyone’s mind but undoubtedly would harden someone’s heart.

I don’t want to inflict my views on other people, and would rather talk one on one about such topics. But I’m breaking my own rules today. I promise to not get judgy. Still, if you want to unfriend me because I was at the March for Life, go ahead. I get it.

This was the first time I’ve ever been in any march. I hate crowds! But this was a remarkably peaceful, polite, joyous crowd. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Mideastern. Many religious groups. Bikers in badass leather. Guys in dreadlocks. A fellow dressed in a weird Uncle Sam outfit, riding a sort of skateboard with a big center wheel, waving a “Shred for Life” banner. Don’t ask!! Knights of Columbus with thunderous drummers, and a group of Evangelicals with bagpipes, trumpets, and fifes. An astonishing number of young people, and scads of young nuns, young priests, young monks. Folks in wheelchairs, on crutches, with canes, in casts. Me, I was part of the North American Lutheran Church contingent. It was an uplifting and thought provoking experience.

What really got to me, and I suppose why I decided to post something, were a few of the very personal posters and comments. A young man with a photo of himself as a very premature baby in a NICU, with the words, “This is what ‘late term’ looks like.” Someone who said, “The doctor urged an abortion when my mom was pregnant, saying I wouldn’t live 24 hours. She chose life.” Women who deeply regretted having an abortion, standing quietly in front of the Supreme Court – next to women quietly holding up “keep abortion legal” posters. Men mourning the death of children they would have loved, but whose partners aborted the child. One of those men openly weeping when some prayers for the sanctity of life that I’d written were read in his church, grateful that someone offered a word of compassion for him and his girlfriend.

And it struck me: if I’d been conceived in 1973 instead of 1953, I might have been a statistic instead of a participant. My birth parents were married when I was born. Can you imagine the gossip if a *married* couple back then, obviously expecting a child, gave up that child – and not to a sympathetic relative but to an agency? How much less awkward, inconvenient, even shameful, if they’d surreptitiously had an abortion and claimed a miscarriage. Seeing those profoundly personal signs, hearing multitudes of personal stories, thinking about my own existence, drove home a point.

This isn’t an agenda or slogan. It’s not a political stunt or legal diktat. This is about real human beings, yes maybe even including me, who would not have even existed except they were not aborted. It’s about real people in the midst of scary, difficult, even tragic circumstances, heroically or maybe even inadvertently being truly “pro-choice.” They chose an innocent child’s right to life above their right to assert their own legitimate desires, hopes, and fears. It’s about committing our lives, time, and efforts into supporting, encouraging, and aiding women and men to make that brave, hard choice even when the culture shouts and celebrates the opposite.

Enough. Here is the prayer that I wrote.

Gracious Father, through you all parenthood is blessed. You were pleased to incarnate your Son through the consent and the flesh of a woman, the Virgin Mary. You entrusted the care of the holy Child to his foster father, St. Joseph. Bless, protect, guide, and strengthen all parents – biological, adoptive, and foster. Especially when parenting is difficult, give them joy and satisfaction in their holy task. Grant them a double portion of your Spirit, so that their children may flourish in faith toward you, in honor toward their parents, and in love for all your children.

We pray for those who struggle to have children and cannot. We pray for those who have lost a child they deeply loved.

We pray for those who struggle to love their children even when that is desperately difficult. We pray for those who do not want the child they have conceived or borne. Have mercy on them all. They face such terrible demons of grief, shame, regret, fear, and anger. Often, we can only stand and weep with them, and pray for them. Help us to do those things, and to walk with them through their dark valleys. Help us to share our confidence that you will lead them safely through.

Have mercy on women who seek, or who have endured, an abortion – and upon the father of their unborn child. As you visited Joseph in a dream, touch their spirits with your presence. Help them understand your love for them, and their unborn child. Where forgiveness is needed, grant it freely and lavishly. Help them to turn to you. Give them the strength to choose life, not death, if they are pregnant. Give them the grace to repent, to forgive themselves and each other, and to be healed in body and soul, if they have already had an abortion.

There are so many “disposable people,” dear Lord! They range from the unborn, to the handicapped, to refugees and immigrants, to the frail elderly, to our personal and corporate foes, to people whose lives seem so “out of bounds” that we can’t really comprehend, much less respond to them helpfully or graciously. Loving, respecting, and caring for “disposable people” is so hard! We can feel overwhelmed, angry, frustrated, cheated, or hopeless. And we’re ashamed even to admit that sometimes even we wish they’d just go away. Forgive us, dear Lord. Give us grace to see them through Jesus’ eyes: as people he loves so much that he gave his life for them. Give us grace to see his presence in them. Give us grace to share even a cup of cold water with them, for Christ has claimed them as his sisters and brothers.

We pray for everyone who cares for the most vulnerable people in our midst. Their work is often hard and usually under-appreciated. Thank you for their goodness and dedication. Deepen their compassion, integrity, and wisdom. Protect and strengthen them when others want them to act against their faith, their principles, and their dedication to cherish life and promote genuine well-being.

Father, there are many who think that humanity is a matter of achievement. If someone isn’t smart enough, healthy enough, independent enough, or even wanted enough, they don’t “deserve” to be treated as fully human persons. Don’t let us fall into that horrible mindset. Give us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord, and joy in your presence – not just for our own good, but so that we are equipped to combat those sinful and death-filled notions. Help us to share, in word and by example, what you have always revealed: that we are persons because you have made us in your divine image. No matter how distorted or disabled or debased that image has become through accident, malice or the cussedness of the universe, help us all to see, acknowledge, and pray for that image to be perfectly restored in Christ Jesus our Savior.

Joseph
must have been a wonderful man.  I would
like to have known Joseph and to have had him as a friend.  Matthew 1: 18-25 – the Gospel reading for
December 22, the fourth Sunday in Advent this year – has this to say about
Joseph.  “Joseph, being a righteous man
and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her
quietly.” (verse 19)

But
then, after the angel appeared to him, it says, “When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” (verse 24)

If
Joseph were with us today to tell his story, I could imagine his saying
something like this –

“I
am a righteous man.  I try to live
according to the Holy Scriptures.  I had
a reputation to maintain in our community. 
As soon as people found out that Mary was pregnant, they would assume
that I was the father.  My reputation
would be ruined.  I was furious.  I was going to make it public.  I was going to go before the elders at the
town gate and sever this relationship, after explaining to them that I was not responsible.

“But
as I thought about it I realized that I could not do that, because I loved
Mary.  Even though she had broken my
heart and had shattered my trust, and I knew I could not marry her, still I did
not want to expose her to public shame. 
So I decided that I would just call the whole thing off quietly and make
up some sort of a story.”

After
the angel appeared to him, I can imagine his saying something like this –

“I
was elated.  I had received a message
from heaven.  I knew for sure that Mary
had told me the truth.  I was filled with
joy.  I apologized to Mary for doubting
her.”

Regarding
the circumstances of the birth of Jesus, I can imagine his saying something
like this –

“I
lit a fire to keep us warm.  When the
baby came, I did the best I could to be a midwife.  But remember, I am a carpenter.  I severed the cord, cleaned the child as best
I could, and then wrapped him in strips of cloth.  I laid him in a manger, because that was the
only place where I could put him where he would be off of the filth of the
floor.

“I
had all kinds of questions, like: If Mary is supposed to be highly favored of
God (as the angel had told her), and if this is something that God had been
planning on doing for a long time, then how do you explain the cave?  How do you explain the dirt and the
cattle?  How do you explain the
loneliness?  For no one came to celebrate
the birth of our son except some lowly shepherds.  They came smelling like sheep.  They said they had heard an angel choir.  They came looking for our baby boy.  Except for them, we were totally alone.” 

Looking
back on the whole Christmas experience, I can imagine Joseph saying something
like this –

“When
I was young, I figured that if even once in my life I were to see an angel, I
would never doubt.  I would always
believe.  Well, I saw an angel.  But still there have been times when I have
doubted.

“Maybe
you have a strong faith like Mary’s.  If you
do, then you are a special person, chosen by God.  But maybe you are more like me – a more
practical person.  You like things you
can touch, feel, and measure.  You find
it hard to believe.

“After
I met the angel, there were times I thought I would never doubt again.  But there were also times when the whole
thing did not make sense to me.  It all
seemed like such a strange way to save the world. 

“Well,
God used me.  I, Joseph, put my thumbprint
on Jesus.  I taught him how to be a
carpenter.  And he was such a good
carpenter.  He could make oxen yoke that
were so easy.  They would fit just
perfectly.  In fact, the folks in our
village called him ‘the carpenter.’  I
felt so proud whenever I heard him being called that, because I was the one who
had taught him how to be a carpenter.  I
put my thumbprint on him.

“But
then he also put his thumbprint on me, for he is the Savior of the world.  It was not easy.  But still – every time whenever I thought
that I knew what God wanted me to do – I would do it.  I had faith enough to do it.

“When
God sent his Son to earth, he put him in my care.  A carpenter, who sometimes believed his
doubts and sometimes doubted his beliefs. 
But who tried with all his heart to remain faithful throughout.”

Joseph
is not the main character of the story. 
But the Gospel reading for December 22, the fourth Sunday in Advent this
year, is primarily about Joseph.  As we once
again celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us also remember Joseph.  When God wanted someone to take care of his
Son, he chose Joseph.  May we strive to
be like Joseph, who was both righteous and compassionate.  Who believed, obeyed, and did the best that
he could.  

Wishing you a blessed Advent and a joyous Christmas,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
[email protected]