CR is for Corporate Repentance

The ascending Lord commanded that "repentance and forgiveness of sins" be preached to all nations in His name. Customarily we think of "all nations" as the collection of all individuals. But what if the Lord meant that also human institutions and communities can repent, maybe even be forgiven? And since even the baptized continue to need repentance preached to them, could even Christian institutions get in on this repentance, and need to?

David Tiede says they can and do. He ought to know about a theme like "repentance and forgiveness," with his Harvard Ph.D. in New Testament (for what else is the new covenant?). Or is it his years in an urban congregation in the seventies when he learned about institutional change? Probably repentance was part of his experience on three ecumenical dialogues for the ALC and ELCA, as he participated in the fall of stereotypes and the determination to speak the truth in love.

Which institutions can repent and receive new life? President Tiede names three: seminaries, like the one of which he is president (Luther Seminary in St. Paul), congregations like yours and the one I pastor, and the office of bishop, so much discussed lately. Here follows an address, titled "Paths as Yet Untrodden," that he offered in St. Louis last November at the Lutheran School of Theology's celebration of the Episcopal and Lutheran agreement, "Called to Common Mission."

tbcm

Please join me in the classic Christian prayer for the journey: "Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We come together today in a spirit of respect, of some uncertainty, and of hope. My theme, "Paths as yet untrodden," will explore our shared conviction as expressed in the agreement between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church USA. In the title we declare that we are "Called to Common Mission." I believe that to be true. God is the one who has Called us to Common Mission, and we have just begun. I will invite you to consider our calling in light of three affirmations:

1. A moment of crisis has come for Christendom.
2. This is a time for amendment of life for our churches.
3. This is an era of apostolic mission for the Church of Jesus Christ.