Outwardly focused for the sake of the world - thoughts by Teresa Kaldor

Here is a surprising fact:  there has never been a Lutheran president in the United States.  Episcopalian Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, yes; Lutheran, no.  There has only been one Lutheran Supreme Court Judge (Rehnquist) compared to 33 Episcopalians.  Granted, there are 26 Lutherans in the current Congress, but why are there so few of us involved with politics, at least at the federal level?  As a former social studies teacher, this bothers me.  It speaks of an unwillingness to participate in a political system that needs our voice at the table.  We’ve allowed conservative Evangelical groups to become the face of Christianity in our society to our detriment and that of society’s.  Do we Lutherans subtly send the message that “religion and politics don’t mix” or “don’t rock the boat” with controversial issues?  Are we burying our heads in the sand? On the other hand, it is important to point out the wonderful work that Lutheran World Relief does as well as the missions that other individuals and churches support.  We don’t shy away from social ministry in certain arenas.  Lutherans excel at helping our neighbor in need, especially in calamities.

 

 

 Do we, as educators, encourage God’s people and provide opportunities to put their faith into action in their community, work, school, country, and world?   Our society seems to be about “me.”  How do we nurture the concept of servanthood in our members, wherever they live? Obviously, it requires role modeling and practice. 

 Are we providing meaningful service learning opportunities for all ages?  By meaningful, I mean that it involves more than writing a check or dropping some coins in an offering plate (though that is always appreciated!).   I would offer that the service learning opportunity involves the giving of time and effort and that it has the possibility of impacting all the participants, both those serving and those being served.  In addition, we have to give people time to reflect on the experience.  I have to thank Mark Jackson from Trinity Lutheran College for this insight.  His S.A.L.L.T. Project has really changed the way I think about service.

 And there has to be opportunity for everyone.  An elementary student can be just as involved and as impacted as an adult.  In the last two years, my church has instituted a servant weekend, in which congregational members and friends sign up to participate in a number of service opportunities.  Several are designed to include families with children of all ages.  One is making sack lunches for homeless shelters.  While some students put together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, others color the brown paper sacks with pictures and messages.  Interestingly, even though adults are involved, the teens have emerged as the coordinators of this particular project, making sure stations are set up and sack lunches are complete before they are bundled up to be delivered.  Participants are asked to come back and reflect on their experience to others.  While the process isn’t perfect, it is a good beginning and the hunger for more opportunities like this is apparent in surveys we’ve sent out.

My belief is that people want to know how to put their faith into action.  They just need to be shown how.  And that’s where we come in.