“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body....” ~I Corinthians 12:12-13a~

I had one of those “aha” moments a few days ago as I was remembering my final day in Minneapolis following the conclusion of the Churchwide Assembly. I did some sightseeing because the Assembly ended a day early. Yes, I went to the Mall of America! I went to see the exhibition entitled “Bodies.” This exhibition was an opportunity to “peer inside yourself, to better understand how your elaborate and fascinating body works, and how you can become a more informed participant in your own health care.” The “aha” moment was the realization that I had just come from the Assembly where there was deep concern that, because of a few decisions made, the Body of Christ would now be torn asunder in such a way that it could never be healed. I walked through the “Bodies” exhibition, reflecting upon the amazing machine we call the human body, how every part works to make the entire body healthy and whole. I now realize how this was a parable describing another amazing and complex body we call the Body of Christ.

At our October Council meeting, there was action taken to explore the possibility of holding a forum jointly with other Lutheran congregations to discuss these Assembly decisions. Within three days of this council action, I had conversations with several people here at St. James. One person voiced concern as to how this ELCA decision might affect a future Call process here at St. James. Four people wanted me to know that this issue is totally a non issue for them. What I heard at our Council meeting is that a few members of Council are hearing from people who, for them, this is an issue to be further discussed. These conversations simply confirm what I suspect we already know: our congregation is a microcosm of the greater church--faithful people with different responses. I attest this diversity here at St. James to be one of our many strengths!

I would love to engage in more conversation as to how we can best serve the Gospel, especially related to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, how we might best pray through our own uncertainties, and how we can be faithful witnesses with each other when our opinions differ, especially when God’s “messy” grace no longer fixes persons into neat little boxes.

From my musings point of view, as Chapter 13 of I Corinthians begins, “...if I have tongues of angels, prophetic powers, mountain-moving faith, giving away all possessions, burning my body...but do not have love, I am nothing...,” St. Paul is talking about living together faithfully. How we do this is the conversation we really need to be having!