David Bahn – Reflections

A recent Open Letter, and official response by the LCMS Presidium, and the follow-up to that by the California-Nevada-Hawaii District President shines some light into the innermost political workings of our LCMS church body. It isn’t pretty folks, but that’s why we need a Savior. For Him (Jesus, just to be clear) I am very thankful. But the issues are inevitably political, and the concerns expressed are valid.

Having said all that, here is the Open Letter and the response to the LCMS presidium’s email blast by DP Robert Newton. I respect these men and am hopeful that their concerns will be properly addressed.

An open letter to all members of the LCMS. Important!

Date: June 2, 2016
Open Letter to: Members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
From: Former members of the Commission on Constitutional Matters
Subject: The Election of the President

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Grace and peace to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!

The undersigned, former members of the Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) of the Synod, representing almost 30 combined years of service through the 2013 Convention, are compelled by Christ’s love and a life lived for Him (2 Cor. 5:14-15) to write to you words of encouragement and words of concern as you prepare to cast a vote for electing the President of the Synod:
We encourage all congregations to sense the urgency. The Synod is facing the danger of a shift in ecclesiastical supervision authority that would jeopardize what the Constitution says are the primary objectives of the Synod. Included in those objectives are to “provide evangelical supervision, counsel, and care for pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers of the Synod in the performance of their official duties” and to “provide protection for such members of the Synod and the maintenance of their rights.” (Art. III) The Dispute Resolution Task Force, created unilaterally by the President and whose members were named by him, recommends the President or the Praesidium be given Ecclesiastical Supervision over individual members instead of the District Presidents as provided in the Constitution Article XII.
The urgency is reflected in other Articles of the Constitution: Art. II, the Confession of our church; Art. III, the objectives and purpose (such as unity, witness and missions in addition to the above); Art. XI, the duties of the President; Art. XII, the jurisdiction of the Districts of the Synod and the District Presidents (Ecclesiastical Supervision); Art. XIII, expulsion from the Synod.

We are concerned that President Harrison, having initially expressed concerns about the concentration of power in the Office of the President caused by the structural changes adopted by the Synod in 2010, has now abandoned that position and is actively attempting to aggregate even more power in the Office of the President.

We are concerned about President Harrison’s encouragement of attempts to restrict the right and responsibility of congregations and individual members to engage in mission work without interference, obstruction and even prohibition by the Synod, when the role of the Synod as set forth in our Constitution is to encourage and facilitate such witness.

The urgency is demonstrated by 2010 Convention Res. 8-30B requiring a Synod-wide study of Article VI, acquiring and holding membership (important in disputes, dissent and expulsion) and by Res. 8-32B requiring a study of Article VII, the advisory nature of Synod and the self-government of its congregations. These studies (biblical, confessional and historical) are needed for the unity and harmony of the Synod and to undergird present and future actions of the Synod, its congregations, pastors and commissioned ministers that are in accord with the Synod’s Constitution. Regrettably, these studies, remanded to the President of the Synod, have not been implemented.

The urgency of these studies was apparent to the President as he requested a consultation with the CCM regarding the studies on September 4, 2011. The urgency was made palpable in the resolution of an urgent and potentially explosive matter in the 2013 convention, as the CCM set aside the application of an opinion (Opinion 11-2598 by adopting Opinion 13-2682) based on the commitment by President Harrison that he would prioritize the studies mandated by 2010 Res. 8-30B and 8-32B, and assured their completion by the 2016 convention. That commitment has not been fulfilled.

We are concerned that President Harrison is actively supporting efforts to impose a form of “closed communion” inconsistent with Synod’s historical practices even before completing the study of Article VI of Synod’s Constitution. This is in direct contradiction to the President’s promise to the CCM, as part of the discussion leading to the CCM’s decision to suspend its Opinion 11-2598, that the Synod will fully study Article VI before this issue of “closed communion” would ever be presented to a convention for consideration.

We encourage all congregations (two votes) to vote. As ones who spent countless hours understanding the history of our Synod as well as interpreting and reviewing the Constitution, Bylaws and Resolutions of Synod, we realize fully that voting for the President engages the congregations and pastors in determining the mission direction of the Synod. For the first 25 years of our Synod every congregation was engaged directly in voting. From 1874 to 2010, only representatives of a group of congregations were engaged in voting for a President. Now through modern technology, the congregations are engaged directly again.

We encourage all of us to pray (including prayers this Sunday in worship) that whoever will be elected as President by the congregations of the Synod will not only have [Letters From] a Pastor’s Heart (a book written recently by Matthew C. Harrison, with a cover letter listing its transmission as Easter 2016, but which was mailed just a few days ago by Balance Concord to every congregation in the Synod to arrive just before the election of our President) but an evangelical Christ-centered mission heart that will also act in accordance with Synod’s Constitution (our covenant), see to it that the Resolutions of the Synod are indeed carried out, and provide leadership for the unity and mission of the church.

As former members of the CCM, we lived these urgencies, concerns and burdens as we served with gratitude a church that desires to be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ and His mission. Thank you for the privilege of pouring out our hearts.
In Christ’s love,

Rev. Dr. Wilbert Sohns

Rev. Philip J. Esala

Daniel C. Lorenz, Esq

Here is President Newton’s response to the LCMS Presidium email blast. It’s well worth the click and the read.

presnewtonresponsetopraesidiumletter

Deuteronomy 3:24

What god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours!

Matthew 7:24

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 

I have my to-do list for today (my day off); everything from a workout at the gym to getting the oil changed in the car, to work around the house, to supplying some help and pizza for the Dorias unloading party tonight. It should be a good and full day. That list is generated in my mind based on what I believe needs to be done. They are good things, worthy of my efforts.

Two principles lie behind my lists of things to do, decisions to make, and goals to pursue. First is the awareness of God’s unique role in our lives. If a god is that to which we look for the highest good in life, then a conscious awareness of the only true God and his unique work in our lives and the lives of others must shape our goals, decisions, and actions. The Only True God, revealed in Jesus Christ serves as our North Star for all of life’s twists and turns.

Our God has performed mighty deeds and wonderful acts in our behalf. He has created the world and everything in it. He has redeemed a rebellious people and called us to himself. He has sent his Son to suffer and die for us. He has raised Jesus from the dead and promised that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. It is essential that we believe these truths. It is important that we build our lives (read, to-do lists, decisions, goals, plans, and actions) upon what he has said through his Son, Jesus Christ.

A righteous and an unrighteous person may do the very same things I or any other Christian does today. But a life lived out of faith in God, an acknowledgement of his mighty power, and a commitment to follow Jesus will guide the follower of Jesus in the paths of righteousness. Such a life is built on a rock solid foundation.

2 Samuel 14:14

God will not take away a life; he will devise plans so as not to keep an outcast banished forever from his presence.

Mark 2:16–17

The scribes said to Jesus’ disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

A friend of mine in ministry did not grow up as a Christian or in the church. When he was converted, he became an Episcopal priest. Not long afterward another friend remarked to him, “I might have known that were you to catch religion, you would catch it in its least virulent form!” That may not be a fair commentary on any particular expression of the Christian faith, but it certainly goes to the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

The expression of true faith in the context of today’s denominational smorgasbord of options seems less to be about a denominational tag than about a kingdom perspective, a sense of humble and repentant thankfulness, and a desire to follow Jesus – friend and savior of sinners.

My wife describes herself these days as a “follower of Jesus who worships in a Lutheran community.” She and I are thankful that Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors. We thank God that his plans are such that outcasts are not to be banished forever from his presence forever. We rejoice in the promises of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and (especially these days so near to the memorial service for my mother) the hope of the resurrection and promise of eternal life.

We’re all sick. Thank God we have the Great Physician and Healer of our Souls, Jesus Christ!

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

After the message at my mother’s memorial service today, I will share some names:

• Betty Bowen Morrow Bahn
• Katheryn Elizabeth Bahn
• Louis William Bahn
• Eugene Bahn
• E. Lawrence Bahn, Jr.
• Martha Leta Lewis Bahn
• Nicole Micek Bahn
• Barbara Lynne Bahn Lohrmann
• Eric Lohrmann
• Genevieve Prigge Dolan
• William Schott
• Hershel Raymond Hancock
• Robert Edward Dolan

These are loved ones near and dear to those who will be gathered  today at the memorial service for Evelyn Estelle Dodson Bahn, my mother. Two of my sisters, my father, my mother and father-in-law, a daughter-in-law, two brothers-in-law, and an aunt: each touched our lives in special ways. Each will be remembered for his or her unique gifts to us. God has blessed us with some wonderful people who have shared our lives. For them we give him thanks.

Some of those memories…

• Pizza made with biscuit dough, ketchup, American cheese and hamburger
• Family Christmas concerts – with or without the sung 1, 2, 3, 4 direction of Mom
• Scrabble games with helpful hints offered by Eric, or lengthy study times by Barbara
• Dominoes games with the not-so-subliminal chant, “Play on me…Play on me…”
• Rice Chow-Now
• God’s Minute or some other daily devotion
• Meeting at least a dozen of her friends as we tried to leave Saxony Village
• Unusual gifts to which Mom would say, “It’s the thought that counts.” And I would wonder, “What thought did you give to that, Mom?!?”
• A visit to Vernal when Dad was driving, Mom sleeping in the back seat, popping up and saying to the Highway Patrolman, “He wasn’t speeding!” He answered, “How would you know; you were asleep in the back seat?”
• The impromptu parking lot in the yard at 917 Bellevue for SEMO football games
• The large magnolia tree in the side yard.
• Blue Shag carpeting, the theater organ with the doorbell.
• “Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.” Or references to “Growing up in the Oklahoma dust bowl during the Depression.”
• The Sands Motel, or West Cape Rock Drive balcony, Brookwood Drive Christmas celebrations and 917 Bellevue Street

These memories will help us grieve well. We do not grieve, however, as those without hope. For there is another name and a memory that will sustain us forever. The name is Jesus. The memory is of his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Through him we can grieve these loved-ones’ deaths. But our hope in him is that we will join them before the throne in the life of the world to come.

Jesus is our Savior, our hope, and the author and perfecter of our faith. He won our salvation and secured a future hope for us all. His name will endure long after our names have been forgotten and we who trust in him will be eternally glad. Thank you for joining us today as we remember Mom, and helping us through this time. May the name of Jesus be praised today and forever.

Isaiah 5:8

Woe to you who join house to house, and add field to field, until there is room for no one but you, and you are left to live alone in the midst of the land!

Luke 12:15

Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. 

We live in a patio home with a zero lot line. Our next door neighbor’s house is 10 feet from ours. Our south wall is her north property line. Her back porch is very near to our bedroom window. That’s not normally a problem. But once in awhile her conversations come wafting across the property line and we are very aware of having a neighbor close by. It is mildly annoying occasionally, but not a call for woe! That is not Isaiah speaks of here.

Or is it? Our propensity to navigate through life in a spirit of self-reliance and self-sufficiency can actually take us out of relationship with others. We can miss the opportunities God gives us to show his love to a neighbor. But if we are insulated from others, or see them only as bothersome, we will forfeit enjoying and expressing his goodness, grace, and love.

Some would say that God’s great desire is for us to experience financial and worldly wealth in the fullness of prosperity. That is precisely what God warns against here! When people are replaced by things like houses, money, or our privacy, we have traded a true blessing for fool’s gold. God wants much better for us.

Exodus 33:15 (NIV)

Moses said to the Lord, “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” 

John 16:13

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. 

I wonder if we’re not more like that little child than we realize. God is always watching. We are never out of his sight or away from his heart. We, however, may lose sight of his presence and wander from his protective care. Better we realize how important his presence is, and make a conscious decision not to shun his presence. 

Psalm 139 provides a great deal of comfort in this regard, saying in part, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (v. 7-10). 

God’s presence is a gift too precious to ignore. Losing sight of God’s presence is bad enough. We must never abandon him or his gracious presence. Because Jesus suffered the abandonment of God on the cross, we have been spared the prospect of God removing his protective presence from us. 

Ezekiel 33:11 

Turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die? 

Luke 15:7

There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 

There are plenty of sinners out there who need to repent. Some are obviously far from God – down and out and wayward in every way. Others appear less sinful, more respectable, and not obviously in need of God’s grace or forgiveness. But anyone who lives apart from God, without acknowledging his proper place, or thanking him for his gifts are on the road to perdition (cf. Romans 1:21-23). 

Then there are those of us who would do well to acknowledge our continuing need for God’s grace inspire of our faith in him, and acknowledgement of his glory and gifts. We who are in the church too easily can fall prey to the most subtle of self-righteous superiority. We can forget that we never outgrow the need for God’s mercy and grace. Thankfully, however, God’s grace is never exhausted. It may be ignored. It may be abandoned. But it is never exhausted. 

When we acknowledge our own sin, repent and believe the Good News of Jesus’ salvation and gift of abundant eternal life, there is joy in heaven. Those who are truly God’s people lay claim to his grace and rejoice in God’s joy in receiving sinners, and saving lives.

Ezekiel 20:11

I gave them my statutes and showed them my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live.

John 14:23

Jesus answered, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

The idea of Covenant and Kingdom has helped me further understand how it is that we are saved by the grace of God, totally and freely as his gift. Nothing we do makes that happen. God does it all, and we receive that gift by faith. Even faith itself is a gift of God’s Holy Spirit. It’s God’s doing from first to last! We have this beautiful covenant relationship with him, and are God’s children. This establishes our identity. 

We also are called to “live under [Christ] in his kingdom” in the words of Martin Luther (cf. Luther’s Small Catechism, the explanation to the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed). As citizens of God’s kingdom we represent the King in the world. We do that by obeying his commands and reflecting his love. 

So much for the theology lesson. There is more to be said in that vein. But for me today, I will seek however possible to represent God’s gracious rule in my heart by faith, obey his commands, and rejoice in his presence in my life. How about you?

Psalm 106:3 (NIV)

Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right. 

John 15:12

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

For many years, I have leaned heavily on the Good News of Jesus’ love and salvation given as a gift of his grace, received by faith alone, inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit. I have more often than not been the Lutheran in the imaginary conversation between Jesus and a Lutheran believer.*

Jesus: Love your neighbor.
Lutheran: O, Lord Jesus, forgive me. I have failed to love my neighbor as I should. I have hurt and harmed him. Forgive me!
Jesus: I know that. I forgive you. Now, love your neighbor.
Lutheran: Thank you Lord Jesus! And I will try to love my neighbor, but I know I won’t do it perfectly. Even my best efforts will fail to love him as I should.
Jesus: I know that. I forgive you. I will help you. Now, love your neighbor.
Lutheran: Lord Jesus, I will try to love my neighbor, but I don’t want to do it with false motives. I know I cannot please you or earn your favor by loving my neighbor, for I am a sinner.
Jesus: Yes. I know that. But you are also a saint. Now, love your neighbor.

I wonder whether the Lord tires of such thinking. In fact, I wonder if that is not more burdensome than the outright refusal of a non-believer to love his neighbor. He expects more from his own people. 

That’s the beautiful thing about God’s love. It is not dependent on the heart or the live of the sinner or saint. It just is. God loves us because he IS love. His desire for us is that we would express his love to others. He delights when we love others, because he loves us and our neighbors. We have failed to love our neighbors as ourselves. We don’t earn his favor when we do. We must never love others in order to gain something from them. 

The Good News still stands. It is essential to our relationship with God. Jesus’ love is perfect and his command is clear: As I have loved you, love or another. Amen.

*Credit where it’s due: Thanks to my  friend and colleague Jeff Gibbs, who is now a professor at Conconrdia Seminary in St Louis, MO, who first offered this imaginary conversation to me many years ago.

Romans 8:35-39