ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 24, 2007
LWF President Hanson says Living in Communion is 'Sheer Gift'
07-41-LWI*/JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- While living in communion takes
considerable effort and can appear to even be counterintuitive,
countercultural and unnatural at times, it is a "sheer gift,"
said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. Hanson addressed participants in the March 20-
27 LWF Council meeting and 60th anniversary celebrations in Lund,
Sweden.
The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF has
140 member churches in 78 countries throughout the world
representing nearly 66.7 million Christians. The meetings are
taking place under the theme, "Living in Communion in the World
Today." In his address to the LWF Council meeting, Hanson urged
delegates to consider deeply their work as a communion and find
strength in the many unique perspectives that individual members
bring to the LWF.
He framed his opening remarks around three words,
"hesitance, urgency, joy," and spoke of how it might have been to
attend the 1947 LWF founding assembly in Lund. "I can picture
delegates hesitating as they first approached the entrance to
that assembly," he said. "Could there truly be a common future
for Lutherans? Did they truly belong together?"
The LWF president noted that because the churches did come
together, "the roots of the LWF were forged" by the sense of
urgency in which Lutheran churches around the world responded
when aid and assistance were required to help several hundred
thousand Lutherans displaced at the end of World War II.
The new realities that emerged because of hesitancy and
urgency led to ecumenical respect and dialogue, and to joy. "Joy
because just as new forms of cooperation and dialogue were coming
to be both among Lutheran churches and between them and long-
estranged sister churches, at the same time whole new networks of
governmental and non-governmental international dialogue and
cooperation were being born," said Hanson. The new LWF, he noted,
"was more than a single light in the darkness; it was part of a
new constellation of hope."
"Hesitance, urgency and joy" are still relevant words to
help describe the current atmosphere and gathering of Lutheran
churches for the LWF meetings and anniversary celebrations in
Lund, said Hanson. He noted there was hesitancy because of
ongoing debate on political, academic and theological issues. The
struggle against poverty and HIV and AIDS compels Lutheran
churches to come together with a sense of urgency. The joy that
was first experienced by the coming together of Lutheran churches
during the first assembly has "grown so vigorously and has
developed so far in its self-understanding and work that now the
LWF finds itself in this historical moment with a rich and
compelling vocation phase, 'Living as communion in the world
today.'"
Hanson said the words which form the theme of the 2007
events, "Living as communion in the world today," are a natural
extension from the theme of the founding assembly -- "The
Lutheran Church in the World Today." The shift from "Living as
Lutherans" to "Living in the world" represents the outward focus
of the LWF and its focus on ecumenical relationships.
Reflecting on the 2007 theme, Hanson argued that while living in
communion could be considered counter-intuitive to the LWF's goal
of full ecumenical communion, "If our communion is life-
overflowing," he said, "then a Lutheran communion can exercise
profound ecumenical vocation."
Referring to the United States, Hanson remarked that "We are
now exporting not only products, we are exporting prosperity-
gospel preaching evangelists to your countries who are beckoning
Lutherans away from their Lutheran churches." He appealed for
assistance from the global communion, "holding the preaching of
the gospel in the United States accountable, for it being the
crucifying gospel of God's radical grace in Christ through faith
rather than some other distortion of the gospel that we so now
export and is pure heresy."
The LWF president noted that living in a full communion
relationship would not be easy, rather it would mean challenging
old assumptions, listening to one another and becoming,
"accountable to others with different angles of vision, with
different insights, blind spots, strengths and temptation." But
"together we can discover how to speak the gospel more truly.
Together we can challenge each other to engage in God's mission
more courageously. Together through the eyes of others we will
begin to see ourselves more clearly, even critically."
Hanson requested the member churches to consider a number of
difficult, complex and pressing questions as they reflect on
their role in both the Lutheran and ecumenical communion. He
cited issues such as finding agreement on ethical questions with
other churches with whom the LWF shares little or no
ecclesiological commonality; what and who establishes the LWF's
priorities; the organization's financial future and new income
sources, while holding each other accountable for membership
fees; and how ecumenical and inter-religious work can be done
most effectively.
The number of LWF members and nuances of issues for the
organization may have changed over the years. For the LWF
president, "The question for the next 60 years is the same
question which brought our forebears together 60 years ago. Where
is God leading us now? How do we love and serve our neighbor
today?"
An estimated 500 people including more than 100 church
leaders are attending this year's LWF Council meeting, church
leadership consultation and the LWF 60th anniversary
celebrations. Also attending are officials from LWF partner
organizations, invited guests, stewards, interpreters and
translators, LWF staff and co-opted staff, and participants in
the three-year LWF international training program for young
communicators.
The council is the governing body meeting between assemblies
held every six years. The current council was appointed at the
July 2003 10th Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada. It comprises the
president, treasurer and 48 people elected by the assembly. Other
members include advisors, lay and ordained persons, representing
the different LWF regions.
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*This report on Bishop Hanson's remarks to the LWF Council
was supplied by Lutheran World Information, Geneva.
A video of Bishop Hanson's report to the LWF Council is at
http://tinyurl.com/35enda on the Web.
Information about the LWF and the LWF Council meeting in
Lund, Sweden is at http://www.lutheranworld.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
