Glorious!

Dear Beloved in Christ in the Rocky Mountain Synod,

As I write this, I still find myself still basking in the glow of yesterday’s installation worship for our new ELCA Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton.  My one word for our worship together:  glorious!  Held in the majestic Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, here are a few reflections that made this moment in our life so wonderful.

It was a liturgy designed for a unique occasion.  The worship began with a rite of “Welcome of the Presiding Bishop-elect” during with Bishop Eaton waited outside the church while Presiding Bishop Hanson went to the door to welcome her in to the church.  After being presented by representatives of her home synod, Northeastern Ohio, the ritual then included these words reminding us of our common baptismal identity:

Elizabeth, in your baptism you were clothed with Christ and you are now called by God through the voice of the church to enter upon the ministry of presiding bishop.  We remember with joy our common calling through baptism to serve Christ, and we celebrate God’s call to you, our sister.

It was an ordinary liturgy.  Aside from the welcome and the rite of installation, the liturgy represented the rhythm of what we do in congregations all across this country every Sunday.  The name of the service was telling:  Holy Communion with the Installation of the Presiding Bishop.  Worshipping God through Word and Sacrament was not incidental to this worship, but central.  We installed our new presiding bishop in the midst of the kind of worship that is common to our life as a community of faith.

How we were seated mattered.  Those of us who serve as synodical bishops entered the sanctuary following a processional of ELCA Church Council members and a processional of Ecumenical, Global, and Inter-Religious Guests. As we arrived inside, we discovered that our seating was two by two throughout the sanctuary rather than in one separate section.  The symbolism that we were part of the community of the baptized simply called to a particular ministry within the wider body was not lost on us or anyone else. 

Our worship reflected the nature of our church.  It was clear that we are a church living in a context of rich cultural diversity, committed to global and ecumenical relationships.   We heard lessons and prayers in a multitude of languages.  We sang hymns and songs of different genres and styles.  The laying on of hands and prayer for Presiding Bishop Eaton was offered by leaders from our five full communion churches as well as from Lutheran leaders from four different continents.

The gospel was proclaimed without reserve.  Bishop Jessica Crist (Montana Synod, Chair of the Conference of Bishops) preached a powerful sermon about what it means to be a community of “sowers of the seed” who rely on God’s capacity and timing to bring those seeds to harvest.

Who showed up gave a message.  Any notion that we are a church whose “best days” are behind us was dispelled for me by the number of young adults who eagerly participated in this worship beside the elders of our community.  I don’t know if our church will grow or decline numerically, but it’s clear to me that our focus on proclaiming God’s radical grace, nurturing communities of faith that include all people, eagerly offering our lives and gifts for the sake of serving as God’s hands in the world – all of these resonate with people of all generations.

Worship was inspiring, moving and lively.  I found myself choked up much of the time, which tells me that this worship spoke not just to my head but to my heart.  There was bright color and movement; there were times of silence, times to listen deeply, and times to speak or shout aloud together; there was music that made the spirit soar and music that quieted the soul.  What we saw drew us more deeply into the divine experience:  the processional cross helped us keep our eyes on Jesus; watching Bishop Hanson remove his pectoral cross and place it around the neck of Bishop Eaton as a sign of her new office invited us to profound gratitude for past and future; seeing the faithful walk forward to join in the Communion meal pointed us to the love we share in Christ that makes us one.

I wish each of you could have experienced the glory of this worship first-hand!  I encourage you to view the online webcast.  More than that, I hope you will consider how worship in your context becomes a living experience of the grace, love and mercy of God in Christ, made real in our midst by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Yours in Faith,

Bishop Jim