Tag Archive - Justice

ELCA Youth Gathering 2009

July 21, 2009 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

July has been a whirlwind in many respects.  I can’t believe it is half over.  But one would not think summer has even come given the weather in CNY this year.

This Wednesday I will be leaving with two other adults and 5 kids from St Mark’s to New Orleans!  I’m pretty excited about it! We’re going to be flying Wednesday Morning around noon. This trip is the ELCA National Youth Gathering which takes place in a different city every three years. This will be my first time attending in a Youth Gathering.

In 2003 I helped send a youth group to the National Youth Gathering in Atlanta, GA just before I left for seminary. In 2006 I helped a youth group get to the National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, TX just before I went on internship for seminary.  So I am excited to be going as a chaperone for our group this year! The Gathering is pretty much a huge youth event. Somewhere around 38,000 high school youth and adults will be participating this year! We’ll be sleeping in hotels throughout the city and will have activities in a convention center as well as our large group events in the Super dome!

Here will be some sites that you might want to check out this week:

The ELCA National Youth Gathering Site -  Click Here

My Twitter Feed where I will be giving LIVE updates -  Click Here (or check out the sidebar on my blog)

My Blog where I will share some experiences -  (you made it here already – but hit and RSS feed to get my posts delievered directly to you!)

I will be uploading pictures as we go along - Click Here

I have also added a feed of all those twittering about the gathering in my sidebar.  That way you can know all that is happening at the gathering.

Please be praying for our youth and adults and all who are at the gathering this year.  Please look out for emails and annoucements to times and places where we will be sharing our experiences sometime later this summer.

**  There has been alot going on this summer– after I come back from New Orleans I will be gearing up for our block party then I will be taking some time and reflecting on all that I have done and accomplished.  So stay tuned!! **

Justice

July 24, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

The Bible talks alot about justice and how we need to live in a just world.  I am sure that there are doctoral dissertations written about the subject but how can I live this out?  How can I show compassion, grace and love while at the same time live in a just society?

This came to my mind recently after our car was broken into.  They stole my sirius satellite radio, my bluetooth headset and my wallet.  Nothing too precious that I can’t replace (but a big inconvenience on my wallet), but I was rightfully upset.  I called the Sheriffs office to report it and they came and wrote up a nice report for my insurance company and then he had me sign a paper.  I was not sure that I was prepared for this — but it was a paper saying that when caught I would like the individuals arrested for what they did.  I took a step back…..was I really prepared for this?  Did I want someone to be put into jail on my account?  Especially if I recieved the items back…..

I signed the paper because I would like to seek justice and by all accounts from what I was told it was a group of kids doing this and they would most likely recieve a slap on the wrist for their crimes.  But it started to make me think.
The ELCA is coming out with a new social statement in 2013 on criminal justice.  I have applied to be on this task force because it is something that I am interested in.  I am not sure how many pastors they are taking and I am sure there are many more qualified people who can serve but throughout my ministry this will be an important topic for me.  For the most part as Lutherans I think we are scared to talk about these issues, we live in a world where we preach Law and Gospel — so how do we handle the gospel when we are dealing with someone who broke the law and does not show remorse?  Of course theologically we will still love them and we will reassure them of God’s love — but is there something else?  Is there something missing from the conversation that we need to include?

There is something facisinating to me about the criminial mind – for me it is a mix of theological, moral, ethical, and psychological issues mixed perhaps with some issues around the nature of evil in the human spirit.  Perhaps I can find time in the months and years to come to explore this alittle deeper and I can find opportunities as a church (both St. Marks and the church at large) to help educate and stimulate interest in others.