When 10 young people spoke at the General Synod dinner at Concordia College on the first evening of Convention, those gathered were captivated. Delegates, visitors, staff and volunteers who sat and attentively listened to heartfelt reflections and moving testimonies later said how encouraged and inspired they were by the presentation. The seven representatives of Lutheran […]
When 10 young people spoke at the General Synod dinner at Concordia College on the first evening of Convention, those gathered were captivated. Delegates, visitors, staff and volunteers who sat and attentively listened to heartfelt reflections and moving testimonies later said how encouraged and inspired they were by the presentation.
The seven representatives of Lutheran churches in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, as well as three young Australian Lutherans, shared their thoughts on what grace is, especially as it relates to the Synod theme (The gift of God – it’s grace that unites us); what it means to be unified as a community of Christians; and how we as the church can most effectively share Jesus with those who don’t yet know him.
They prepared for the occasion with five weeks of online meetings with LCA Interim Assistant to the Bishop for International Mission, Erin Kerber. Erin believes what occurred at Synod was a result of their prayerful and Scripture-based preparation and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
‘The young people were invited to pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to discern what God was wanting to say through them and, as they did so, I feel he did bless us with his words’, she says. ‘Considering the young adults have had minimal experience presenting to large groups, I believe it was a miracle – a real testament to God’s goodness.’
Although the young adults had limited time together online and in Australia, Erin says the connections they made were significant.
‘While dwelling in the word across cultures, the Holy Spirit revealed a richness in the text they hadn’t discovered by reading it alone’, she says. ‘As they interacted, the differences between cultures remained but were not the focus. Instead, they were witnesses and imitators of God’s grace for one another. This is a gift we hope more of the LCANZ will be able to experience.’
Kimberley Owes Sep, Paul Giwisa and Judy Agena, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea, contributed to the presentation, as did Trivan Fortunatus Mandapot Tua, Evaena Febrieni Sumbayak, Samuel Partogi Marulitua Siahaan and Seniman Kristiani Daeli, who are part of four different Lutheran synods in Indonesia. From the LCANZ, Austin Gogel, Emily Barr and Kendall Kahl took part.
‘Grace is the love of God, given to us freely’, dinner guests were told. ‘The love that we don’t deserve. A divine gift that cannot be obtained by human effort. Grace is the infinite love of God … that shows his goodness, kindness and generosity toward us.
‘Through grace, we are reconciled while we are still humans full of sin. We feud with God, but through his grace in Jesus Christ, we get to be reconciled. Through grace, we are justified in God. So, we are unified with him …
‘In unity, we embrace our gifts, diversity and purpose as a body of Christ. We form strong Christian connections … (which) call us to share this grace and love with gentle hearts to others. We do this with the posture and reminder that salvation is for everyone … God calls us into … a kingdom that is for everyone. This is the mission of the church.’
Reprinted with kind permission of The Lutheran. Visit the website to find out more about The Lutheran or to subscribe.
Many of our partner churches are working in new territory for the kingdom of God; therefore, spiritual attack is their everyday reality. As a member of a congregation, school, or family, or a couple or individual, you are invited to commit to praying for our partners in mission. For regular prayer point updates, go to www.lca.org.au/international-mission/act-now/pray
0 Comment