Last week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) I was in Mesa, AZ for our annual synod assembly.

Community Lutheran Church is connected to a larger church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Within the ELCA, we are located within a synod (think area or district) in which we are connected to other ELCA Lutheran churches.

The Grand Canyon Synod’s boundaries include Saint George, UT, Southern Nevada and all of Arizona.

We gather once a year to do the business of the church. Last weekend was that meeting.

I went early to report to our synod council (like our church council) about the work of the national church. https://benbergren.com/article-april-elca-church-council-meeting/

At our synod assembly we re-elected our bishop, Deborah Hutterer to another 6 year term as our bishop.

We also heard reports about thriving ministries in our synod and how churches are innovating and doing their best to make an impact in our hurting world.

When we think of the church, we often think of our own congregation and rightfully so. Let us not forget that we are not only connected regionally but also nationally! Through our partnerships we are connected to the global Lutheran church through the Lutheran World Federation.  We are not an island.

I am reminded of what Presiding Bishop Eaton of the ELCA said at our last ELCA council meeting.

I am paraphrasing but essentially our Bishop said, “We are not a social service and we are not an NGO (Non Governmental Organization). We are the Church and we are called to share the good news of God’s love found in Jesus. That is our first and most important priority.”

Yes, we serve the community and each other. Yes, we do good works because of our faith in Christ. Above all, we are to share the name and love of Jesus with all who will listen.

As Saint Peter once wrote…

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… 1Peter 3:15

God bless you,
Pastor Ben

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Some of us are really good at making snap judgments about other people. In the blink of an eye, we assess someone and decide if they are beneath us or someone we strive to be. Once we do that, we start to disdain others who don’t measure up to our standards or beliefs.

It feels like we are wired to establish a pecking order and where we fit into that order.

Societal rules quietly reinforce the notion that we are better than others.

This stands in stark contrast to our calling as people of faith and even how Jesus views us.

Christ could look down on us and view us as poor lost souls without any redeeming qualities. Instead, Jesus loves us, invites to be a part of his family, and then equips us serve others with the help of the Holy Spirit. Wow.

Rather than God looking down on us and shaking his head in disappointment, Jesus invites us in and tells us that we are siblings!

If God doesn’t look down on us why do that very thing to others?

Saint Paul reminds us to be humble. Humility is looking to God for all things and giving God all the credit (glory) for the good things in your life. When we look to God for all things, we are also acknowledging that God doesn’t negatively look down on us.

When we adopt a humble mindset, we treat others more equitably. We are less condescending and recognize the gifts and qualities that others bring to a situation.

Being humble also insulates you against being selfish and self-centered. Rather than always looking out for yourself, you keep others in mind and their needs.

The church (the family of God) is at its best when we care for and serve one another.

This is what happens when we hold others closely in care and kindness…

When we serve others in the church we are not only preparing  “God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” But the end result will be this… “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness humans in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:12-14

Our relationship with Jesus and our unity within the church insulates us from the hate and anger of this bitter world.

God bless you,
Pr. Ben

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (to believe). Romans 1:20

Saint Paul is making a simple argument: look at the world around you and you should come the inevitable conclusion that someone is responsible for creating the world we live in.

Is the beauty of our world and even very selves a result of random events?

Some would argue yes, and I would say no. As a person of faith, I acknowledge that God created us and all that we see.

As I have said more times than I count, “The Bible is not science book” but it points to the author of all creation.

Even scientists wonder what caused the universe began. Let me explain.

There is universal agreement among astrophysicists that creation began with a big bang. But what CAUSED the big bang?

American Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated this…

 “The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion…The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen.”

Here is what Jastrow is saying, the big bang didn’t just happen. Something or someone caused it.

There has to have been a catalyst, even scientists understand that.

Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of Motion of 1666 tell us that things don’t just happen. Something or someone must have caused the creation to happen.

Although there is general agreement about the moment of creation among scientists, they don’t know how or why it happened.

Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this big bang, “the universe was about a hundred thousands million degrees Centigrade…and the universe was filled with light.”

Hmmm… light at the moment of creation. That sounds familiar.

Oh that’s right, the first thing God did when the universe was created.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3

As I said before, the Bible isn’t a science book, but God inspired the author of Genesis to write it down this way. God was there at the beginning and God knew.

Is there someone behind creation or did it come about by chance. If it is by chance, what are the odds? Glad you asked. According to the astrophysicist and astronomer Dr. Frank Drake, the odds of us being here by chance are only one in a trillion…

A one in a trillion chance that the earth has the right combination of chemicals, temperature, water, days and nights to support planetary life as we know it.

We are either here by chaotic chance or by divine purpose.

I choose divine purpose. I choose God.

God bless,

Pr. Ben

This past weekend I began a sermon series on Joseph. If you didn’t hear the message, you can listen to it here: Joseph Sermon .

Joseph’s life was filled with lots of downs. More downs that ups. It was as if he lived in the proverbial “valley of the shadow of death” for most of his life.

This week, I have been thinking about what tools and characteristics we need to navigate the most difficult times of our lives like Joseph. Without a doubt trusting God is the first and most important thing. We have very little control over much in this in life, therefore it makes perfect sense to trust in the One who holds the whole world in His hands.

I am speaking of Jesus. He’s in control of all the stuff that is beyond our grasp.

At the Last Supper before his death, the disciples knew something was wrong. They could feel it but couldn’t name it. In that moment, Jesus speaks to the uneasiness of their hearts.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1

The disciples didn’t know Jesus was about to be arrested, beaten and killed, but Jesus did. They knew something was wrong, but they couldn’t figure out what it was. Jesus tells them to trust God and to trust him.

Joseph of the Old Testament trusted God in times of great uncertainty and tragedy. Now Jesus is reminding the disciples to do the same.

God was about to take a broken human situation and turn it into a divine miracle. God was about to take the sinful plotting of Jesus arrest and crucifixion and turn it into: resurrection, forgiveness and power.

The soulless of plotting Jesus’ death (because they were threatened by him) ended up becoming the greatest miracle in the history of humanity on Easter morning.

But at the Last Supper, there was only sorrow and worry. Jesus told the disciples to trust God and to trust him. God is in control. Don’t worry about what other people are doing or what the situation is in the current moment… trust God, trust Jesus.

Later that same evening, Jesus gave the disciples a gift before his arrest and death. Jesus chose this “thing” above anything else. That tells me this “thing” is important.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Jesus chose to give the disciples the gift of peace above everything else. He didn’t give them power or patience or even perseverance. All of those are good, why did Jesus offer peace above those other good and needed things?

When we are worried, scared or unsure we will make poor decisions based in fear or anger. When we trust Jesus AND have peace, we are able to surrender ourselves to his care in the bleakest of situations.

Peace will give you ability to trust Jesus even more than you do today.

God bless you,
Pastor Ben

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Last week, I was at the church council meeting for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Community Lutheran Church is a congregation of the ELCA. In 2023, I was nominated to serve on the church council of the ELCA.

The national (ELCA) church council operates a lot like our own church council here at CLC. We make decisions on behalf of the entire ELCA in the times between church wide assemblies.

During our last meeting we received reports and acted on some action items.

Here are a few highlights:

Bishop Eaton gave her report and reminded the church council that the ELCA is not an NGO (non-governmental organization) or a social service. We are the Church! Although we are servants, our main purpose is to share the good news of Jesus love (the Word) and share the presence of Jesus (the Sacraments) with the faithful. We need to hold to our calling and not default to being or becoming a service organization.

We heard an update from the “God’s Love Made Real Initiative” that is seeking to organize the ELCA around three guiding principles:

• We are a Welcoming Church
• We are a Thriving Church
• We are a Connected, Sustainable Church

Their work continues and will bring recommendations to the ELCA church council soon.

We also heard an update from the “Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church” that is examining the very purposes of the ELCA that are articulated in chapter 4 the church wide constitution. There are 17 purposes in that chapter of the constitution. They are being evaluated and potentially updated.

“The Budget Prioritization Committee” also reported that they are working on guidance on where financial resources should be allocated based on current and future needs of the ELCA. We expect to hear more at our next meeting.

We celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the World Hunger program and applauded their excellent work.

We reviewed the “Draft of a Social Statement on Civic Faith and Life” as well as adopted “Gun Related Violence and Trauma” as a social statement of the ELCA.

We did many other things as well, but those are the highlights. Our church (the ELCA) is working hard to be a relevant church in 2024 and beyond. I am honored to be a member of this church council and serve our larger church body.

God bless you,
Pastor Ben