wfn.org | Churches Challenged on the Implication of Reconciliation

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

Opening Worship of the 2001 LWF Council Meeting

LWI 2001 Council News 2001-01

GENEVA, 12 June 2001 (LWI) * At the opening Eucharist of the 2001 Council of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches of the worldwide
communion of 131 member churches were challenged to know more of what the
ministry of reconciliation means for themselves and for the entire church of
God.

Delivering the sermon at the LWF Council opening worship at the Reformed
Parish of Commugny, Geneva, Rev. Dr. Keith Clements, General Secretary,
Conference of European Churches (CEC), recognized that the annual meeting of
the LWF governing body was not meeting in Bethlehem and Jerusalem as
originally planned because of the tragic conflict situation there. "How we
pray for the peace of Jerusalem today!" Clements told worshippers. The theme
of this year's meeting, "The Church: Called to a Ministry of
Reconciliation," was chosen by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan.

Clements noted that the apostolic begging for peace and unity (Ephesians 4:
1) echoed by the church's past is amplified by the tragic conflicts that
exist worldwide today. He pointed to the significance of the theme*"For the
Healing of the World"*of LWF's Tenth Assembly taking place in Winnipeg,
Canada in 2003 and CEC's to be held the same year in Norway under the theme
"Jesus Christ Heals and Reconciles * Our Witness in Europe" and called for
frankness on what people are seeking.

However much churches may be preoccupied by the niceties of their respective
confessional positions, neithr the political decision-makers nor the masses
of ordinary people suffering from war, economic exploitation or racial
oppression are in the least interested. "People are begging for signs that
peace is practicable and possible," said Clements, making reference to not
only the aftermath of earlier conflicts but also to tragedies in the world
today including Rwanda, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Former
Yugoslavia, West Bank and Gaza.

Clements noted that in the struggles for Christian truth "the truth of love
often became a casualty" as Christians condemned and persecuted each other.
The big Lutheran churches of Europe were not always kind to the smaller
evangelical communities, which in turn were judgmental toward their "big
brothers and sisters." In the past wars were fought in the name of religion,
and rulers at that time can be blamed for exploiting religion for their
political interests, but then one has to ask why "Christianity allowed
itself to be easily exploited, becoming part of the political problem
instead of the answer.

"We cannot undo our past of division and conflict, but we can re-examine
it," Clements said. More importantly, "we can redeem the past" by seeking to
discern whether there are possibilities of achieving reconciliation and
unity which might not have been evident at the time of the battles long ago.

Clements, an Irish Baptist, described the October 31 1999 signing of the
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, by the LWF and the Roman
Catholic Church as a particularly good sign not only for the worldwide
Lutheran family and the Catholic church but also for Europe, still
inheriting the effects of religious wars

Clements spoke of the significance of the ecumenical charter, signed on
April 22 by the CEC* with more than 120 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican
churches* and Council of European (Catholic) Bishops' Conferences (CCEE).
The "Charta Oecumenica", a set of guidelines to promote co-operation among
churches in Europe, invites common commitment oward concerns that include
proclamation of the gospel and accepting common responsibility for peace and
reconciliation. Clements described the Charta as a way of recalling the
Apostle Paul's desperate plea for humility and gentleness, for bearing with
one another in love, maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of
peace.

The Charta signing was the culmination of a four-day gathering*the European
Ecumenical Encounter* to mark the new millennium. It brought together 100
church leaders and representatives from the two organizations and, for the
first time at such an event, an equal number of young people who according
to Clements, voiced contemporary concerns. The CEC general secretary said
the youth today, and especially from central and eastern Europe are less
interested in revolutionary talk but rather in the far costlier challenge of
simple integrity, calling on the church to be in actual life what it should
be, a true community of reconciled and reconciling people.

The over 170 participants in this year's Council meeting include
representatives of the LWF member churches, ecumenical guests, LWF staff,
stewards, interpreters and press.The Council, composed of a president and 48
members, is the LWF's governing body meeting annually between meetings of
the highest-decision-making body, the Assembly, every six years. The over
130 LWF member churches in 72 countries represent more than 60.2 million of
the nearly 64 million Lutherans worldwide.

The 2000 Council meeting was held in Turku, Finland, hosted by the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland under the theme "I give You a Future
with Hope."

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, commuication, 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 acknowledgement.]

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