FAQs (or Frequently Asked Questions) about the ELCA Continued

Last month, I introduced you to the first of five FAQs about our church—the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—that are posted at the very bottom of the homepage of our church:

https://www.elca.org/ Welcome to the ELCA

Each of the FAQs are listed in response to the question posed by someone seeking to understand the beliefs and practices of our Lutheran Church—someone who might ask this question: “I’m new here. I have questions about God, church and faith.”

This month, I will note the second FAQ about our church that is listed, and offer my commentary,

Here’s the FAQ:

Martin Luther, after whom the Lutheran branch of Christianity is named, wrote, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that you could stake your life on it one thousand times. … Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; serving everyone, suffering everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown such grace.” Faith is about living in a trusting relationship with God in response to God’s grace.

I find the quote above from Luther to be beautiful statement of Christian faith.

Faith is, itself, a gift from God, in response to God’s love for us.  Faith is what God raises up in us—trust in God—because of God in Christ regards us favorably.

Out of Faith comes love for the neighbor—or “serving everyone.”  We call such love for the neighbor “Good Works.” 

Do we do good works for our neighbor so that God will be favorably disposed to us?  The answer is a flat “No.”  We do good works for our neighbor only because our neighbor needs our good works.

When the Lutheran hospital where I served merged with the next-door Catholic hospital, some Lutherans questioned that the Catholic hospital annually bestowed the award, “The Christian Nurse of the Year” on an individual.  One older Lutheran nurse somewhat pleasantly complained, “Who among us can judge who is worthy of being raised up from among us as an ideal Christian nurse?  That’s God’s job to figure out, not ours.  Our job is to do our job—taking care of our patients the best we know how.”   I agreed with her then and I do so now—and would award her the “A+” for her expression of faith in God.

I'll conclude my comments on this ELCA FAQ with the same conclusion I offered last month.

I share the above FAQ with you since, as members of ELCA congregations, you are joined to the ELCA in what it proclaims—both in its FAQs and elsewhere.

I will offer further comments on other ELCA FAQs for your consideration in the Newsletters ahead!

I pray that we may all grow in wisdom and love.

Peace be with you

Pastor Leonard Hummel