Wow, what a ride!

What a Ride!

This has been a year of anniversaries! 150 years for the Eastern Synod, 100 years for Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, 25 years for the ELCIC and also 35 years since our church authorized the ordination of women. Thirty-five years! In some ways it seems quite a long time. But seen from the perspective of two thousand years of history, I suppose it’s barely a blink!

Lutherans in North America began seriously discussing the question of women’s ordination in the later 1950’s – began seriously engaging it in the later 1960’s – and then in 1970 came to the determination “that there was nothing in the exercise of ministry as a functional office that would exclude a woman because of her sex.”  According to the 1970 Lutheran Church in America convention minutes, after a brief debate, “the proposed amendment, striking the word “man” and inserting the word “person” was adopted with a resounding voice vote.” A headline from the summary of the convention reads, “Drop man – Add Person – Free Women!”

It was six years later that the first woman pastor was ordained by Canadian Lutherans. And now, thirty-five years hence, we can clearly identify how important that decision for the life of the church. By virtue of that affirmative vote, the church’s potential leadership pool was effectively doubled and through our experience of the leadership provided through that expanded pool, our understanding and experience of all Christian ministry has similarly stretched and grown.

My predecessor in this office, Bishop William Huras, describes the contributions of ordained women in more eloquent terms than I. He writes, “Our grasp of Scripture and theology has expanded as women serve in seminaries and in other teaching ministries. Our grasp of interpersonal relations and family life has matured as women bring their insights to pastoral ministry. Our grasp of what it means to be male or female has been enriched as women articulate their faith stories and spiritual histories.”

Let there be no question. The decisions made at church conventions can and do have a significant impact upon the life and ministry of the church! And I thank God that our forbearers in the life of this church had the courage, the wisdom and the foresight needed to make the important decision that they made in the summer of 1970. For had they not made that decision, our church would look very, very different today and our life together would be much impoverished. The proof is, indeed, in the pudding. The rightness of a particular action is, and certainly will, be born out within its fruits!

“As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” The message is a simple one. Fruit does not come from dead branches! The branch has got to be alive! It’s got to be moving and growing. It’s got to continually be drawing nourishment and new life from the vine. Otherwise it becomes brittle and dies. It ceases to fulfil any useful function on behalf of the vine. It ceases to bear fruit.

And say what you will – regardless of how you felt then, or feel today, about women’s ordination - there can be no doubt that the church – the branch - which birthed this great change was alive! This was a church that courageously engaged difficult questions, that studied, debated and then made a bold decision. This was a church that exhibited great courage! This church was not afraid!

Someone once suggested that “Life is not just a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, “Wow, what a ride!” That’s the kind of spirit I’d like to see more of in our churches. And why not? We have absolutely nothing to be afraid of so long as we remain strongly grafted, strongly attached, to the one who is our vine.