18 July 2014

Lutheran educators tour to Germany and the ‘Luther-lands’

Over the last 2 weeks, I have accompanied a group of Lutheran educators as they visited significant sites in the life of Martin Luther. The tour began and ended with Mission One World in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, a long-standing partner of the LCA in mission in Papua New Guinea and more recently in SE Asia.

On my way here, I visited the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land at their headquarters in Jerusalem. On the way home, I will be visiting a number of other church leaders, including from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (at the Lutheran World Federation Office in Geneva), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. I will be back in early August.

Martin Luther is an extremely significant person for our church – theologian, pastor, and reformer. What we know about him, and how we regard him, especially as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, affects our self-understanding as ‘Lutherans’. Of course, he never wanted a church to bear his name – he often played down his own importance, right up to his death.

I will return from this trip with deeper understandings of the Lutheran Reformation. I will also know more of what it means for the people of modern Germany, the place it all happened.

In this eNews I offer a prayer about the breaking news regarding flight MH17, and an item just released from the Lutheran church in Palestine/Israel about the current crisis there.

Your brother in Christ

John Henderson

Bishop

Prayer about Malaysian Airlines MH 17 from Amsterdam, Thursday 17 July 2014

O Lord, we live in a world where we can feel insulated from the pain and hurt of others.
So often it passes us by, even though we want to feel it and do something about it.
Stolen schoolgirls in Nigeria, Ebola virus in West Africa, air attacks in Gaza, rockets in Israel, civil war in Syria and the Ukraine, drowning refugees in the Mediterranean and off the Australian coast.
All these things should shock us – and they really do – but we find it so hard to feel the pain.

Every now and then, something happens that breaks through our insulation,
and strips away our anaesthetic.
A crashed airliner full of ordinary people, going about their holidays or their business is just that.
We pray to you, Lord, to help us know how to respond.

You gave your life for the world.
You love the world, and all its people, to the end.
In Jesus you are the answer – you are the way, the truth, and the life.

We pray for the families and loved ones of all those who died so needlessly.
We pray for the families of the crew, who were just doing a day’s work.
We pray for all who are confused, hurt, angry, or grieving.
We pray for those who have lost their breadwinner, their child, their fiancé.

We do not know exactly what happened, although there will be plenty of information and speculation in the days to come.
You know, however, and you know the hearts and minds of everyone involved.

O Lord, save us from the brutality that humans deal to each other.
Save us from ourselves. Help us to show compassion.
Despite everything, you are a loving God.
We place our lives into your care. Amen.

Holy Land Lutheran Bishop Younan Pleads for an End to Revenge and Bloodshed

LWF General Secretary Junge Urges Political Solution and Support for Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

JERUSALEM/GENEVA, 17 July 2014 (LWI) - Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) has called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of the hostilities between Israel and Palestine, which have led to loss of civilian lives, human suffering and instilled absolute fear.

In a statement issued from Jerusalem, Younan, who is also President of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), said that many people in the region are depressed, frustrated and wondering about the future of Palestine and the Middle East, following the recent escalation of violence.

“What Palestine and Israel need at the moment is justice, peace and dignity rather than the radicalization, revenge, and bloodshed promoted by one-sided diplomatic or military support for either group,” Younan said.

His plea for an immediate cessation of hostilities was echoed by LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge, who called the new wave of violence “an escalation of madness” that will result in all parties losing.

Younan said his church, which has always condemned violence as a way of solving conflict, was deeply troubled by the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers and the subsequent kidnapping and burning alive of a Palestinian teenager, which triggered the current wave of violence.

“We strongly condemn both of these actions as inhumane and despicable acts,” the Holy Land bishop said.

The bishop also unequivocally condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas against civilian targets and the ongoing Israeli blockade and bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 200 people, 80 percent of whom are civilians, and 20 percent include children.

“Both expressions of violence are flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights laws and should be immediately ended,” Younan said.

He expressed ELCJHL’s fears that the current violence will force more Palestinian Christians to immigrate, and he urged them to stay and work for peace and justice, acting as bridge builders. The Israeli siege on Gaza must be lifted; material support for religious cooperation and peace building must be provided by the international community, he said.

“Please do not leave us alone in this moment of struggle. The whole Middle East is boiling,” the bishop urged.

In calling for an immediate ceasefire and political negotiations to deal with the situation of Palestinians, Junge emphasized the LWF’s wholehearted support for the ELCJHL and its prophetic voice, as well as its work including education, interfaith dialogue and peace building.

“Never before has its [ELCJHL] voice of moderation and its call for dialogue been more important; never before has its ministry among the youth and education been more pivotal than at this moment in order to turn the tide.”

Junge urged LWF member churches to continue also supporting LWF’s ministries in the Holy Land, including the Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives and the vocational training centres of the LWF Jerusalem program that empower and train youth.

He called on LWF member churches to also lobby their respective governments to support the Palestinian Authority in order to maintain basic social services, which have been hurt by the recent violence.

The general secretary reiterated LWF’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the years—resumption of direct peace talks to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable peace and a two-state solution based on 1967 borders.

“ELCJHL Calls for Immediate Cessation of Hostilities in Gaza” | LWF Council 2011 Statement on the Situation in the Middle East