Pastor Hugh's Monthly Meditation

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OH, FOR THE DISCERNING
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
AND THE BINDING LOVE OF JESUS.

In I Kings 3, there is a story about King Solomon who was called upon by two women to determine who was the true mother of a baby that both claimed was theirs. One of them was the true mother, the other was not—her child having been accidentally suffocated when she tragically roled upon it in her sleep. As there were no other witnesses to call upon, the king ordered that a sword be brought to him, and that this living child, which both women claimed as theirs, be equitably cut in two, with each woman receiving half. The identity of the true mother was revealed when one of the women, horrified by the King’s orders and desparate to save the life of her child, begged the King to spare the child’s life by giving him whole to the other woman. Discerning the selfless love of the real mother, Solomon gave her the child.

Click on image to see a larger view of Doré's, The Judgement of Solomon, in a separate window.

In an historic change of church policy—and 2000 years of church tradition—the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, at its just-completed biennial Churchwide Assembly, voted by a simple majority of 61% to “commit itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships.” Following that decision it committed itself by an even slimmer margin of only 55% to “finding a way” to allow persons in such same-gendered relationships “to serve as rostered leaders of this church.”

Oh, how I wish we had a Solomon among us today.

As a called and ordained minister within this Church, and one who has formally studied this issue for nearly two decades, I find myself torn in a multitude of directions. I hold one view that is shaped by Scripture, church history, and my own traditional “gut” response to this issue. I am also pulled by a relatively new perspective, a new “word”, that has come from a growing consensus in the developmental sciences and, more poignantly, from the lived experiences of those whose affectional orientation is the opposite of my own, and yet who still wish to create a family with their own beloved as much as I do with mine. I struggle with this issue. I find no easy answers. It is as complex as it is deeply personal and highly emotional.

Some have argued that this divided vote represents a growing clash between the clear and unambiguous Word of God as revealed in scripture, on the one hand, and the shifting opinions of the “world”, on the other. In other words, they see it as a matter of right verses wrong. I don’t agree. Truth is more complex and nuanced than that. I believe that within the Church and among the faithful followers of Jesus, there is a fundamental difference in how we approach Scripture in the first place, and thus a difference in how we “hear” God’s “Living Word”. It’s not that some approach the word of God faithfully and others not. We encounter it differently. And this difference has created a deep and pressing challenge for the ELCA.

While certain deeply personal and highly emotional issues can lead to a division of the body of Christ, it need not, and ought not do so. If I am absolutely and unambiguously clear about one thing, it is that the love and unity that we have in Christ, a bond forged by his death and resurrection, is stronger and more permanent than any issue that could divide us.

So I propose a conversation. I have posted in the Fellowship Hall an invitation to those who wish to explore the implications of the Churchwide Assembly’s decision. The ground rules will include the honoring of and respect for the deeply held beliefs of one another—our “bound consciences,” as our church calls them. Let’s talk. But as we do, let’s not lose sight of the overwhelming faith and love, secured in Jesus, that can and will hold this body together.

We may not always know where our journey will take us. But our faith tells us who it is that walks with us along its road.

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