Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

We confess that Jesus is Lord. We trust that God is active in the world. Even in times of confusion, uncertainty, & anxiety, we firmly believe God has the final word. As we wait & adapt this summer, we need to remind ourselves & one another of that very fundamental fact. Jesus Christ is Lord.

Christ gave the disciples & us the command to love one another. Paul exegeted that command for the Romans as “love does no harm.” In our context, this makes us more cautious with the health & lives of our neighbors than perhaps we would be of our own.

The following is an excerpt Luther wrote in reference to an outbreak of the bubonic plague in Wittenberg. “Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid persons and places where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. … See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.” (& he did so without the internet)

We have a long tradition of believing that God sends the Holy Spirit into every aspect of our lives & into the world around us. The Spirit is not relegated to working within the walls of church buildings. The Holy Spirit is fully capable of working in scientists, healthcare workers, & civic leaders. God brings vocations together to discern the best path to love one another. We trust God will provide whatever is necessary to carry out that love.

As unfortunately experienced by several congregations around the world, there are challenges particular to congregations. Despite efforts to practice physical distancing, some have tragically encountered the reality of engrained habits & traditions designed to promote congregating colliding with physical distancing measures. It is imperative that each of us do everything possible to make worship safe for this parish and the communities we serve. St Olaf council has prayed, studied guidelines, and developed a strategy by which they hope to fulfil both peoples’ desire to gather and our responsibility to provide as safe an environment as possible. Please review and do your utmost to follow these protocols. (Zion will discuss adopting similar protocols at their June meeting.)

God’s Spirit in us & in the world will guide us in ensuring that ‘no harm is done to our neighbor’ in our continued endeavor to proclaim Christ in Word and Deed. The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla