Dear Friends in Christ,
I am writing this message on November 1, All Saints Day. Yesterday was Reformation Day. Next Tuesday is Election Day. By the time you read these words, the Election will have already taken place, although the results may be contested for some time.
The gifts of the Reformation are many, but as I write this newsletter, I find myself thinking about Luther’s perspective on government and being a citizen. I have written or spoken about this topic on many occasions, but it seems especially important to again use our Lutheran roots to center ourselves during this extremely unsettled time.
It’s important to notice that Luther’s views about being a citizen spring out of his then-revolutionary affirmation of “the priesthood of all believers”. In Luther’s day, society viewed people as having lives of meaning and worth only if they were “close” to God because of their righteous, spiritual work (nuns, priests and popes), or because they had high social ranking and power (princes, bankers and emperors.) In his reading of St. Paul and the Gospels, Luther re-discovered that we are all equally valued and cherished by God, not because of what we do or who we are socially, but because God unconditionally loves and prizes each one of us. Luther then went on to say that, just as we are all equally loved by God, so we are also given lives of equal meaning and purpose. From the first moment of our baptism, we all become priests, called and empowered to serve and care for others as God has cared for us.
The exact form of our priesthood depends on the context of our lives and what we are specifically called to do. Luther used the term “office” to describe the different vocations we take on. We might use the term “role”. We live out our priestly faith and love in the variety of offices and roles we play in our lives: parent, school-teacher, farmer, nurse, business worker, pastor. And, yes, the “office” of both citizen and government leader are among the roles that Luther identifies as part of God’s royal priesthood.
Luther was still very much shaped by the sixteenth century society around him that was just emerging from feudalism. Therefore, he did not leap immediately into full-scale democracy. It’s important to confess that Luther did not always practice what he preached. He sided with wealthy land-owners when he denounced the Peasants movement that rose up in 1524 asking for fair treatment for farmers and farmworkers. He encouraged government leaders to treat the Jewish population in cruel and life-threatening ways. The Nazi’s later used his words to justify killing 6 million Jewish citizens. It is important to honestly explore our roots in order to see both the gifts and the failures, so that we learn from both.
However, in his better moments, the rights and duties that Luther proposed for common people and their government leaders are quite stunning. As cities in Germany became “Lutheran”, they welcomed advice from Luther about how to re-form their government structures so that they would better reflect God’s equal, life-changing love. In response, and for the first time in Europe’s history, Luther mobilized local governments to: (1) Establish and financially support free schools open to all boys and girls. (2) Establish a social assistance program that would provide material help to people in crisis (widows, the ill, the unemployed.) This welfare program or “community chest” would be equally administered by a balanced leadership group of two nobles, two city council leaders, three town citizens and three peasant farmers. Democracy was truly emerging out of Luther’s re-discovery of the priesthood of all believers. The office of “citizen” became a holy calling! (For much more information about this, see Dr. Torvend’s book listed below,)
Like Luther, we live in a time of turmoil, change, and conflict. It is easy to feel cynical about the political process and the caustic campaigning that has taken place. Many of us wonder about the future health of our country.
In the face of that turmoil, it is important to see again how the office of being a citizen is part of our priesthood as God’s people. It’s true that American democracy is still an experiment in the process of being developed. We groan at its limits and imperfections. Growth is needed in all of us.
However, being an active citizen is a holy calling. In the same way that parents care for children, God is working through us as citizens to care for our nation and the world, and to bring grace, blessing, and justice to all.
The election of leaders is, of course, an important part of democracy. By their skill, values and vision, leaders are meant to guide and shape our nation, cities and states. Therefore, it’s good that we spend time debating and voting on who will lead us.
However, we make a big mistake if we think that our leaders are going to figure everything out and fix everything by themselves. The world is way too complicated for any one leader to have all the answers and solve every dilemma. Democracy only succeeds when we citizens stay involved in discussions, planning, and actions as each new challenge is faced. Fair, collaborative decision-making is an on-going element of democracy that we are still learning to use. Leaders must be held accountable by citizens to make sure that fair laws and basic decency for all people guide our nation.
We also have an important ministry of healing and reconciliation to do. So much anger, bitterness and violence is evident throughout our country. Therefore, our ministry as citizens must include bringing all people together and rebuilding a sense of community, even as we make complicated decisions as a nation.
I urge you to engage in the gift of democracy and the office of citizen that God has granted to us. May God bless and guide us as we enter a new chapter in our journey together as a nation.
Sovereign God, your son Jesus lived within the structures of society even as he spoke truth to those in power and challenged systems of oppression. Empower us to be courageous disciples and responsible citizens. Grant that our life in the public realm be grounded in love for our neighbors, care for the most vulnerable in our midst, and respect for the common life we share, following the example of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. (All Creation Sings, page 50)
Bishop Rick Jaech
P.S. Here are three books I recommend that connect our Lutheran tradition and citizenship: Samuel Torvend, Luther and the Hungry Poor: Gathered Fragments, (Fortress Press); Timothy Lull and Derek Nelson, Resilient Reformer: The Life and Thought of Martin Luther (Fortress Press); The Forgotten Luther: Reclaiming the Social-Economic Dimension of the Reformation (three volumes of articles by Lutheran University Press).
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