From August 2015 Bethel Bell Tower newsletter
“Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up,” says the Lord; “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
~ Psalm 12:5
The Lutheran church has been referred to as the “sleeping giant.” Some people attribute this phrase to the Reverend Billy Graham, but I found references dating back to 1919! I’ve been thinking about this “sleeping giant” moniker a lot this past week as Bethel youth and adult leaders gathered with 30,000 other Lutherans in Detroit for the ELCA Youth Gathering. The theme for the Gathering is “Rise Up!” and I wondered: Is the Lutheran church really asleep? What are the signs that would tell us whether a church that is awake versus a church that is asleep?
The Lutheran church, as well as many other churches and other organizations, may find ourselves being slow with decisions, burying ministry ideas in bureaucracy, attending worship and Sunday School but not being moved to a faith response, compartmentalizing our youth ministries and setting them away from the central ministries of the church by referring to our youth as the “future of the church,” and not adapting to our changing context (i.e. changes in our neighborhoods, changes in the way families and communities work). To an outside observer, the ELCA and many of our churches may look asleep, bored, and lacking zeal for the gospel.
As I looked through the Bible for references for “rise up,” I found that there were really four categories of rising: (1) noticing that one’s enemies were rising up against them, (2) a person or people rising up to defend themselves, (3) a plea for God to rise up on behalf of His people, and (4) God Himself saying that He would rise up. From these, you see that “rising up” involves motivation and action – it involves taking a stand. In Psalm 12 referenced above, God shares that He is rising up because of the condition of the poor and needy. God rises up to take that stand that their condition is unacceptable. Rising up involves strength. Rising up involves doing something.
At the Youth Gathering, 30,000 people rose up. We worshipped. We were inspired by several speakers and by music. We were awakened by learning about the needs of the people of Detroit and around the world. Even though some groups had trouble with their service day, thousands of people wearing orange shirts were dispersed throughout the city to serve by boarding up houses, painting, clearing lots, and working in food pantries. One adult leader on our trip said he was in conversation with a security guard at Ford Field who said many groups promised to come to Detroit and help, but they either didn’t show up or they showed up in much fewer numbers than promised. So, when the ELCA said there would be about 30,000 people, the people of Detroit were skeptical. But then Lutherans rose up on behalf of the people in Detroit. The road to recovery for Detroit will take a long time, but Lutherans made a difference and we rose up to bear witness to our faith in Jesus and to glorify God.
Like the ELCA, there are parts of Bethel that are awake, but we’ve got tingling in our extremities. As we continue to focus on Building Bethel, each of us must ask ourselves: Am I awake or asleep? Am I able to rise up to bear witness to my faith and to glorify God? You’ll recall that a major theme throughout Advent is keeping awake so we can watch for Jesus. Keeping awake isn’t just about watching for Jesus’ return at the end of time, it’s about watching for how Jesus comes to us awakening us to the needs of others, awakening us to the ways God may be calling us to share His message, and awakening our faith so we are able to rise up to do something in the world on God’s behalf. We are not mere observers of life. So, Bethel, let’s rise up! Let’s awaken whatever is in us that is asleep, apathetic, or bored. Let’s find ways to involve the youth not only as the future of the church, but as the church’s present. Let’s find ways to form our youth so they are equipped and empowered to rise up, but let’s also be willing to be formed by them. This is a great time to be the church of Jesus Christ! Let’s rise up together!
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff
For more on the Youth Gathering, check out the following links:
- ELCA Youth Gathering website: elca.org/gathering
- Bethel’s Youth Gathering blog: belcnyg.wordpress.com
Epicurious Lutheran 