If you do not have a six-year-old in your household right now, you might not be familiar with the PBSKids program Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. In it, Xavier & friends time travel to meet real-life superheroes from history and the show caught my attention for a moment this week when Xavier & friends were visiting a child-version of Harriet Tubman. This was the part of the dialog that I overheard. The kids are meeting with Harriet as the sun sets and the moon rises--“But Harriet, if you are free, why did you come back??”
Harriet answers--“Because there are so many people who are not free, so I come back to help them.”
“That sounds dangerous!”
“It is, but it’s the right thing to do. I’ve already saved my brothers. Today, it’s my parents.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Of course I am. Fear reminds us to look out for danger, but real courage is bravely moving forward, even when you’re scared.”[1]
Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Maria Tallchief, Ruby Bridges… these and so many more people have walked in the way of the widow from Jesus’ story. Put off, the widow kept coming. Asking for justice over and over again. She persisted.
And finally, this unjust judge gave her what she wanted, just to get rid of her.
But God is the opposite. God is listening. God quickly grants justice.
Even though we sometimes describe God as a “judge,” God’s righteousness and values are more like the widow’s way. God helps over and over. God restores, heals, brings goodness… and yet, Jesus asks, “And yet, when I come among you… will I find faith?”
It’s a weighty question.
When will justice come? Can we cling to faith even while we don’t yet see everything coming together into harmony? Are we willing to receive God’s gift of faith and nurture it and live immersed in it, even when things are scary and overwhelming?
Fear has its role—it “reminds us to look out for danger, but real courage is bravely moving forward, even when you’re scared.”
Today, you are all invited to participate in a conversation together that will help this congregation bravely move forward. Leaders cannot move a congregation without its buy-in and consent. The body of Christ cannot operate without all the parts of that body sharing from their gifts and perspectives. Today, your Council leaders are going to ask you to respond to questions in a really accessible way about our real feelings, values and ideas as a community. They are going to make it easy to participate, and we hope that many of you will participate.
Many of you are aware that throughout this year, there have been many signs of vitality—Abundance Kitchen is buzzing with tenants on the weekdays, our church building received its historical designation, the Create Sabbatical Summer featured abundant care and hospitality at funerals, honored guest preachers, and hosted several meaningful family and neighbor events. More recently, Godly Play, Deep Dive Confirmation and Four12 Youth group began again; eight leaders attended an inspiring Vitality 101 training and we hosted another Marathon picnic—but at the very same time as all these good things are happening, the congregation is in a serious financial crisis. Yes, it’s true, the congregation has experienced deficits regularly for 70 years, so in one way, financial challenges are nothing new.
But in this third year of Covid, we are also clear that we are not immune from a whole cultural shift away from congregations. People have left and they are not coming back.
We are in a new time, and we who are in the room and joining in the livestream—we are the ones who remain to support this wonderful shared ministry.
There are at least two ways to address a financial crisis, and we are not always of one mind about the best way forward. One way to correct a financial crisis where expenses exceed income is to cut expenses.
Your Council leaders are hearing questions like—do we need to move into a part-time pastor model of ministry, do we need to consider the sale of our building? They are very big questions that would fundamentally change ministry at Christ, and we cannot move forward without everyone giving their best sense of the values and vision that should guide the decisions that will need to be made over the next years.
Another obvious way to correct the problem is to increase income. This happens because we look around and say, “We are not going to allow this building that has such a unique and valuable location to crumble away.” “We value the ministry that we do and that our pastor leads and serves faithfully.” “We are grateful for our talented staff who bring in contributing partners, produce communications, provide beautiful music.” And we ask ourselves, am I giving my very best gift? Am I invested in the present and future of Christ on Capitol Hill? Am I giving the gift that is going to lift up and support all that is becoming new in this place? As you are able to give from what God has given you, your investment here will change your life.
Jesus so beautifully puts it this way, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
I’m putting all this information in front of you because we need you in on the conversation today. Also, you’ll be receiving an invitation in the coming weeks from Christ’s Stewardship team to consider your intended giving for 2023, but honestly, we ought not wait until 2023.
If we believe that Christ on Capitol Hill is still a vital ministry that God wants to exist, it’s time to be like Jacob, to look to God and wrestle a blessing that will invigorate our shared life. If we think there is a reason (or maybe many reasons) why Christ on Capitol Hill is here for good in this time and place, it’s time to pray for guidance to God, the persistent widow who keeps asking for justice for the most vulnerable ones that this ministry supports. I have faith that God is by no means done with this congregation. Even if we might feel lost in grief, even if we limp, God is ready to help. God is ready to open us to new possibilities. As we look back on the history of Christ Lutheran, we can see so much evidence of how our forebears persisted when things were tough, and even now, “real courage is bravely moving forward, even [if we’re] scared.”[2]
May God grant us this kind of courage. May God give us persistent faith. And God help us as we gracefully let go of who we used to be… and invest in this time when God is making us new.
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