A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER

This has been a summer like no other.  Who would have ever imagined – at the beginning of the year – that we would be in the midst of a global health crisis?  One person said, “Five years ago, if we all had been asked what we thought we would be doing in 2020, we all would have been wrong.” 

Most of my work as executive director of Lutheran CORE is by telephone or computer, so most of it continues without major change or interruption.  But there is one area where there has been major change.  The various convocations and gatherings that I had been planning on attending during the second half of the year have all had to become online.   

I would like to tell you about two such events that I had been planning on attending in person the past couple months, that instead became online.  The first was a week of NEXUS in mid-July at Grand View University (ELCA) in Des Moines, Iowa.  The second was the NALC convocation in early August.

NEXUS

NEXUS is a program which gives high school youth the opportunity to study the Bible and theology, engage in ministry, develop new friends, and consider a church-related vocation.  This is the fourth summer that Grand View has offered two weeks of NEXUS.  Lutheran CORE will be sponsoring one of the weeks next year, so my intent had been to attend a major part of the NALC-sponsored week in July.  Because NEXUS became an online rather than an in person program, I participated in the sessions on one of the days.  It was a good day.

What I experienced was something totally worthy of our support.  Kate Faas, director of NEXUS, has awesome organizational, coordinating, and technical skills.  During the opening worship service Russell Lackey, campus pastor, gave an inspiring message based on Revelation 2, in which he challenged us to stay in the race.  Mark Mattes, chair of the department of religion and philosophy, gave a presentation from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah.  I was struck by the great similarities between Jeremiah’s day and our day.  The stark contrast between the message of Jeremiah regarding the need to take seriously the power of the Babylonian empire and those who minimized the concern reminded me of the differing attitudes that people today have towards COVID-19.  I felt warmly welcomed by the college-aged mentors and the high schoolers during the hangout time in the evening. 

What I would like to spend more time telling you about was the presentation from the New Testament by Ken Jones, professor in the religion and philosophy department.  The comparisons he drew between the musical “Hamilton” and Paul’s letter to the Galatians were brilliant.  His Bible study was one of the best I have ever heard.  

Dr. Jones described “Hamilton” as “the best theater experience in my entire life.”  He talked about the song, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” where everything in the story changes.  Prior to that time Hamilton’s son Philip had been killed while defending his father in a duel.  He and his wife Eliza have become estranged because of his being unfaithful.  The song, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” talks about three “unimaginables” – the unimaginable consequences of Hamilton’s sin (the death of his son and the breakdown of their marriage), his wife’s unimaginable gift of forgiveness, and the unimaginable grace of now being able to live into a new future.  Hamilton’s adultery and his son’s death had changed the trajectory of their lives in a negative way as it led to a complete collapse of their marriage.  But during the song Eliza reaches out and takes his hand.  Everything changes.  The trajectory is no longer based upon Hamilton’s past sin.  Instead it has hope for the future because of his wife’s gift of forgiveness.  Instead of being determined by the past, their relationship would now be able to build and anticipate a new future. 

Dr. Jones then compared the message of the musical to the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where the apostle contrasts living by the flesh and living by the Spirit.  As Eliza did for Hamilton, so Jesus gives freedom by extending mercy to sinners.  We were all living in unimaginable sin.  Jesus reached out to us with His unimaginable love.  In an unimaginable act of mercy and grace He took on our flesh and died for our sins.  In the song Hamilton says, “I’m not afraid.  I know whom I married.”  In spite of all the circumstances of our lives, in our nation, and in our world, we need not be afraid, because we can know Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  In the words of the song, Hamilton received from Eliza, and we can receive from Jesus, “a grace too powerful to name.”  The number of times that the college-aged mentors and the high schoolers talked about the musical “Hamilton” during the hangout time that evening told me how much Dr. Jones’ presentation had made a real impact on them.       

Grand View University is making a vitally important contribution to the Church through NEXUS.  I am very glad that Lutheran CORE has the opportunity to support this ministry through sponsoring a week of NEXUS during the summer of 2021.

I am very grateful for all who have already contributed towards our meeting our commitment of $15,000.  This amount covers half of the cost of providing one week of NEXUS for twenty-four high school students, including the cost of college-aged mentors, teachers, activities, room and board, and materials.  The funds from Lutheran CORE will be matched by Lilly Endowment to cover a full week’s cost of $30,000.

At this point we have received over $8,000 in contributions towards our commitment of $15,000.  Thank you to those who have already given.  Please consider making an additional contribution to Lutheran CORE to help us fulfill this commitment.  Be sure to indicate NEXUS on the memo line on your check. 

NALC CONVOCATION

Congratulations to the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) as they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their formation as a denomination.  Since the day when they were first constituted, on August 27, 2010, when seventeen congregations signed up, they have grown to over 440 congregations and over 150, 000 members.  As Bishop Dan Selbo said, “We are not able to be together in person, but we are united in Jesus.” 

Bishop Selbo’s opening devotions and Gemechis Buba’s keynote address were both based upon one of my favorite passages of Scripture – Ephesians 3: 14-21.  Paul concludes this passage by saying in verses 20 and 21, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” 

Addressing the fact that Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter and referring to the global pandemic that has surprised us all, Bishop Selbo made the very interesting and pertinent comment that the shutdown and other circumstances related to the pandemic are “the closest I have come to being in prison, and yet they do not even come close.”  He then talked about the hope that sustained Paul in prison as he said, “That is the only real hope that we will ever have.”  Following up on Paul’s statement in verse 14, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” Bishop Selbo asked us, “Are we spending the time we need to in prayer, or do we think we can do it alone and on our own?”

The following morning Dr. Buba picked up on some more of the emphases of this passage.  I am always hugely inspired and encouraged whenever I hear Dr. Buba. 

Dr. Buba referenced Paul’s language in verse 21 – “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.”  First he said, “All our focus must be on Jesus.”  Then he asked how we could be speaking of the decline of the church and the passing of the Christian era when the Bible uses the words, “to all generations, forever and ever.”  He reminded us of how we speak of measurable goals, measurable actions, but the Bible speaks of immeasurability.  The Bible tells of the one “who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”  We must not put a limit on the grace of God.  If God is involved, the results will be immeasurable.

Reflecting on the fact that in verse 14 Paul said, “I bow my knees before the Father,” and in both verses 16 and 18 he said, “I pray that,” Dr. Buba commented that our problems come when we do not pray, when we ask for the wrong things, when we pray for less than God can do, and when our prayers lack intentionality.  In contrast to an image of a church that is shrinking, slowing down, and becoming less, Paul’s reference to “the power (that is) at work within us” means that the church is the most powerful institution on earth.   We must never ask for less.  We must never imagine small.  We need a God-sized prayer life and a God-sized vision. 

During the convocation Bishop Selbo laid out a ministry vision for the next several years of the NALC.  His vision for such things as new mission starts and the number of seminary graduates reflected a faith like that of the apostle.  I like the comment that Dr. Eric Riesen, president of the North American Lutheran Seminary, made to Bishop Selbo.  “You are articulating a vision for a Lutheran church that I have always wanted to be a part of.”   

LETTER TO BISHOP EATON

I had promised that I would share whether I had heard from Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, in response to the letter which I sent to her on July 20.  Over three weeks later I have not heard anything from her or any of her staff.  That is an interesting way to handle challenges to the ELCA’s integrity – to just ignore it.

In my letter I asked Bishop Eaton how the ELCA could be celebrating the tenth anniversary of LGBTQIA+ persons’ being able to serve freely in the church when that is not what was voted on at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.  That assembly did not consider B, T, Q, I, A, or + persons.  Instead it only provided for the possibility of the ordination of a certain group of L and G persons – those that are in (PALMS) publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous, same sex sexual relationships.  In my letter I asked her how, going forward, any one on any side of any issue would trust any action taken by any Churchwide Assembly if the ELCA does not honor the commitments and remain within the boundaries, but instead essentially rewrites the resolutions that were voted on and approved in 2009. 

A copy of my letter to Bishop Eaton can be found here.  If you receive communications from Lutheran CORE via the U. S. post office mail, a copy of my letter has been enclosed. 

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

Finally, I would like to recommend to you the weekly prayers of the church, which can be found on the Worship page on our website.  Many thanks to Cathy Ammlung, NALC pastor and secretary of the board of Lutheran CORE, for writing these weekly prayers.  I had the privilege to preach on August 16 on the text from Matthew 15 on Jesus and the Canaanite woman.  I found her prayers to not only relate to the issues of our day, but also to the unique emphases of that particular Scripture passage.

Many thanks to Cathy for writing these prayers.  I highly recommend them to you.

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com 
909-274-8591  

July 17, 2020

Dear Bishop Eaton:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for your leadership of the church.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

“GOD IS THE RULER YET”

One of my favorite hymns for Fathers’ Day is “This Is My Father’s World.”  One of the verses goes like this:

Oh, let me not forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world.
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.
God reigns!  Let the earth be glad!

We live in a time when the wrong seems so strong.  Between the pandemic, the blow to our nation’s and the global economy, and racial strife, we wonder how much more our country and our world can take.  I was very disturbed to read a comment made by a CIA intelligence officer.  According to him, what he sees happening are the kinds of dynamics that occur in nations that are about to collapse.  How will it end?  What will be next?  How will it play out?  How long will it take?

I completely missed – because of my focus on the pandemic – May 8 as the seventy-fifth anniversary of V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day.  That is the day when the Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945, thus marking the end of World War II in Europe.

I do not want to similarly miss the seventy-fifth anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day.  That term has been applied to the day when Japan’s surrender was initially announced – August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945, in the United States.  It has also been applied to September 2, 1945, when the surrender document was signed, thus officially ending World War II.

We know how the war ended – both in Europe and in the Pacific.  But can you imagine being a part of the massive effort to win the war, when you did not know how it would end? 

We recently observed the seventy-sixth anniversary of D-Day.  From our vantage point, we know how it turned out.  We know that the effort was a success.  It was a massive invasion that cost many lives, but it gave the Allies a foothold on the European continent.  It turned the tide of the war.  But can you imagine being a part of the invasion, not knowing if it would succeed?

We do not know how the pandemic, the economy, and racial strife will all play out.  We do not know how long it will take, how many will suffer, or how much damage will be done.  But we do know this.  That this is our Father’s world.  And “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”  “The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.  God reigns!  Let the earth be glad!”

I would now like to turn our attention to four passages in the Old Testament that tell us what we as God’s people need to be doing at a time like this.

First, 2 Kings 19: 14

King Hezekiah of Judah received a threatening letter from the Assyrians, basically telling him that just as no other nation had survived the Assyrian assault, so Jerusalem would not survive either.  How did Hezekiah respond?  2 Kings 19: 14 says that Hezekiah took the letter with him, went to the house of the Lord, and spread the letter out before the Lord, and basically said, “God, this is beyond us.  We do not know what to do.  Our eyes are on you.”  We also need to take our whole situation and spread it out before the Lord.  Like Hezekiah, so we, too, need to say to the Lord, “This is beyond us.  The issues are so complex.  The problems are so deep and so deep-seated.  The wrong goes back for so long.  We do not know what to do.  Our eyes are on you.”

Second, Amos 5: 24 – “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”

I live in Arizona – out in the desert on the northeast side of Phoenix.  We are just at the beginning of the Monsoon Season – that time of year when we can experience some powerful thunderstorms.  We live about thirteen miles from where we go to church.  Between our house and the church there is only one traffic light, but there are about twenty places where the road dips down, following the contour of the land.  If we had one of those major thunderstorms on a Sunday morning, there is no way we could get to church.  There are too many places where our car would either stall in the water or even get swept off the road.

Justice rolling down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream is an image that speaks powerfully to me.  As a nation we need to look seriously at where people have been denied justice.  The quest for justice needs to be as powerful as the runoff from a mighty desert thunderstorm.

Third, Micah 6: 8 – “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

The prophet Micah is not saying, “It sure would be nice if you would.”  Instead he is saying, “This is what the Lord requires of you.”  “Requires of you – to do justice.”  Not just to be in favor of justice, but to do justice.  To work to make justice happen.  To identify with and to advocate for those who have been denied justice.  To love mercy.  For me – during these times – loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by the pandemic – those whose health is most vulnerable, those who are facing great personal risk as they bravely and faithfully provide care for others, those who are isolated in nursing homes and other care facilities and their families who are unable to visit them.  Loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by the economic shut down – the poor, the long-term unemployed, those who were living from paycheck to paycheck and now have no income.  Loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by racial strife –  victims of prejudice, good police officers who now feel vulnerable because of lack of support from public officials, business owners who had already suffered major economic setback, and now have had their place of business looted and/or destroyed.

The fourth verse says more about what it means to “walk humbly with your God.”

2 Chronicles 7: 14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.”

Lord Jesus, heal our land.

* * * * * * *

AN ALARMING MISUSE OF SCRIPTURE

The second thing I would like to talk about is Episode 1 of Season 5 of the Netflix series Queer Eye, which was recently released.  Queer Eye is a series which features a team of five LGBTQ+ persons, who are known as the Fab 5, who work with someone and give that person a makeover in some area of life.  Episode 1 features a number of ELCA pastors, including the Rev. Noah Hepler, who needed help in accepting his sexual identity; the Rev. Megan Rohr, the ELCA’s first transgender pastor; and Bishop Guy Erwin, the ELCA’s first gay bishop.  This episode lifts up the LGBTQ+ lifestyle as well as what has come to be called “Queer Christianity.”  Because of the fact that potentially this episode could be seen by millions of people around the world, it is important that people know what is being promoted and how they can respond to friends and family members who see the episode and might be persuaded to accept its LGBTQ+ ideas.  A link to the trailer for season 5, including episode 1, can be found here.

One of the things that should be most alarming to Christians who take seriously the authority of the Bible as the Word of God is the way that this movement, called “Queer Christianity,” views, misuses, and misinterprets Scripture.  Hermeneutics has to do with how we interpret the Bible.  It is alarming how those who follow the principles of “queer hermeneutics,” as illustrated in this episode of Queer Eye, interpret the Bible. 

I urge you to read my full article so that you will see how advocates for “Queer Christianity” do not listen to and follow the clear and obvious meaning of Scripture.  Instead they use Scripture in order to get Scripture to support their LGBTQ+ perspective.  And I urge you not only to read my full article, but to share it with others.  This is not just a matter of different views of human sexuality.  Rather what is at stake is the authority of the Bible as the Word of God and the foundational principles of the Christian faith.  Click here for a link to the full article.  

LIST OF CONFESSIONAL RESOURCES

Finally, for your summer reading, I would like to refer you to the List of Confessional Resources which Lutheran CORE has prepared.  Many thanks to all the pastors who have contributed to this list of books, videos, commentaries, ministries, and movements.  Click here for a link to this annotated bibliography of confessional resources.

If you have a resource that you would like to see added, please let us know.  May you be blessed by and during your summer reading.

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
909-274-8591 

Dear Friend in Christ –

“The Last Full Measure” is a 2019 American war drama film that tells the story of William H. Pitsenbarger, a U. S. Air Force Pararescueman who was killed while aiding and defending a unit of soldiers who were being pinned down by enemy assault.  Before his death he helped save over sixty men. 

During a rescue mission on April 11, 1966, Pitts (as he was called) willingly chose to leave the relative safety of the rescue chopper to aid people on the ground when he saw how bad the situation was below.  While others on his team declined to go, Pitts willingly put himself at risk.  After saving many, he was ordered to take an opportunity to escape on the last helicopter out of the combat zone.  But he stayed behind in order to defend and save many American lives, before making the ultimate sacrifice in one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam war.

His being willing to come down into a place of great danger reminds me of how Jesus was willing to leave the halls of Heaven in order to come to earth, even though He knew that He would be despised, rejected, and crucified here.  Jesus was willing to go through hell for us because He did not want to go to Heaven without us.

But there is also a brief moment of dialogue – which is included in the trailer for the movie – which speaks to me of how I have responded when people have asked me, “Why are you – and other people in Lutheran CORE – still fighting for orthodoxy within the Lutheran church today?”  One of the soldiers asked him, “Why are you here?”  Pitts responded, “Because you are here.”  The battle really was not his.  He was a part of the Air Force.  The people being attacked were in the Army.  He could have stayed in the relative safety of the helicopter.  But he willingly came down because of what was happening – because he could offer what was needed.

Many times people have asked me, “Do you really think you can get things to turn around?”  I always reply, “It would take a mighty intervention and work of the power of God to get things to turn around.  But I am here – and I continue to do the work of Lutheran CORE – because people need to be alerted to what is happening.  People need to be warned of how Biblical faith and moral values are being compromised.  And we need to be there for people when they do become aware.”   “Why are you here?” Pitsenbarger was asked.  “Because you are here,” he answered. The rescue work of William H. Pitsenbarger reminds me of the work of Lutheran CORE.

“Why are you here?”  “Because you are here.”  Among our newest efforts is the work that we are doing to develop a support system for orthodox ELCA students at ELCA seminaries.  We have orthodox pastors who are available to talk and pray with orthodox students.  We have a list of orthodox pastors and congregations that are willing to serve as internships sites for orthodox students.  Please pray that the ELCA seminaries will be willing to allow that to happen.  We are developing a list of Biblically and theologically faithful resources – books, newsletters, websites, etc. – to recommend to students.  Members of our board are writing responses to various publications from ReconcilingWorks in order to demonstrate in a clear and compelling way that the LGBTQIA+ agenda is in violation of the clear teaching of Scripture.  We are very grateful for the seminarians who are giving us help and guidance in knowing how we might be able to make connections and build relationships with other students.  Please pray that God will bless these efforts.

Thank you to all who are supporting our partnership with the NEXUS Institute, a program of Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa which is giving high school youth the opportunity to study the Bible and theology, engage in ministry, and consider a church-related vocation.

Your support also enables us to keep on doing the following –

• Provide a system of support for orthodox ELCA pastors

• Offer ministries specifically designed for these days of the COVID-19 pandemic – two new Facebook groups as well as a list of congregations that are livestreaming and/or posting recordings of their worship services

• Through our Congregations in Transition ministry initiative provide (mostly retired) Lutheran pastors who have been trained to be coaches for congregations where the pastor either already has or soon will be retiring or resigning to take another call

• Hold our annual Encuentro – a day of fellowship, inspiration, and resources for pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that are already involved in or are considering becoming involved in Spanish language and/or bi-lingual (English-Spanish) ministry 

• Provide on our website daily devotions and worship resources, including prayers and hymn suggestions

The reason we are able to do all of this work is because of your faithful prayer and financial support.  Please click on the button below to let us know how we can be praying for you.  Your timely gift to Lutheran CORE will help enable us to continue to be a VOICE for Biblical Truth and a NETWORK for Confessing Lutherans.

As a steward with you in the ministry of the Gospel, 

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

Visit our website www.lutherancore.org
Follow us on Twitter @LutheranCORE
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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
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
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 lcorewebmail@gmail.com

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.

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