wfn.org | Noko stresses the church's task in a consumer-oriented society

[franki@elca.org]

New Year's message from the LWF general secretary

GENEVA, 21 December 2000 (LWI) - The church is called to care for and
nurture people in a society in which personal relationships and attitudes
are increasingly influenced by dictates of the "market place", said Rev. Dr.
Ishmael Noko, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) general secretary.

In his New Year's message Noko reminds the church, as a community of faith,
of its obligation to question the extent to which the forces of the consumer
world at the present time contribute significantly to the way "our values,
choices and indeed our frame of mind" are structured. "Often," he stresses,
"our communities and churches are dominated by the 'I want to have my way'
attitude."

Nevertheless, the LWF general secretary recognizes and pays tribute to the
contribution of men and women in places that were not in the news media
spotlight, and challenges Christians to remain "true to one another, as
Christ is true to us." It is Noko's prayer that the New Year 2001 would be a
time to continue Christian witness through concrete and visible actions of
solidarity with one another.

Below is the full text of Dr. Noko's New Year message:

NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE
Dr. Ishmael Noko
General Secretary, Lutheran World Federation

Remaining true to one another

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

One of the striking characteristics of our time is the way in which
attitudes and relationships of people are influenced to a very large extent
by norms of the 'market place'. Through an array of commercial
advertisements we are constantly persuaded to seek opportunities for
personal gain, importance, self-immortalization, 'value addedness' to who we
are and what we do; we are endlessly encouraged to 'have it our way'.
Individualism, normally understood as a process of empowering and setting
free the individual person has been shown to have negative side effects,
society is fragmented by the strong desire for personal gain - profit. In
this context, friends are friends insofar as they make a relationship
profitable; the community or the church is perceived as worth belonging to
as long as it is gainful to do so. Yes, often our communities and churches
are dominated by the 'I want to have my way' syndrome.

We must question the extent to which the forces of the 'market place'
dominate our society at the present time and are therefore allowed to
dominate our values, choices and indeed our frame of mind. The basic reason
for raising such questions is the increasing awareness today that we are
undergoing important changes in the way we set priorities and take
decisions. More than ever before we appear preoccupied with expediency i.e.
with 'what is in it for us or for me'. We seem to shift our alliances more
readily in accordance with the opportunities that are presented to us.

The church as the body of Christ is called to be different. It is called to
care, to nurture every single person not because of what they can achieve or
the rank they hold in society, but because of what God has achieved for them
in Christ. The church as a community of faith sharing in the common life of
long-term commitment is called to be a church for others, living in
difficult circumstances. At this particular time we are reminded of those
men and women who dedicated their lives, time and energy to others in places
never featured in the news media, whose efforts were never adequately
recognized. In this connection we are reminded of the church and faithful
communities in Palestine and Israel, in Sierra Leone, in Liberia, in Congo,
in Colombia, in Northern Ireland, in Kosovo, in Chechnya and many other
places.

As we enter the year 2001 I greet you and wish you a faithful New Year,
praying that as the body of Christ we may witness through concrete and
visible actions of solidarity with one another and with the world. Remaining
true to one another, as Christ is true to us; this is where the task of the
church lies - the healing of a fragmented world.

Finding ourselves within the complex interplay of forces in the world we
should pledge our allegiance to God and God's people, with words from Ruth
to her mother-in-law, Naomi:

'Do not press me to leave you 
or to turn back from following you! 
Where you go, I will go;
Where you lodge, I will lodge; 
your people shall be my people, 
and your God my God.' (Ruth 1:16)

December 2000

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing over 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, normally held every six years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which meets
annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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