“So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
Ephesians 2:19-21

Dear friends,

I’m at the three-month mark now in my time as bishop, and if there’s anything I would want you to know about my experience so far, it is that by far the greatest joy has been worshiping in our synod’s congregations. I wish each one of you could have this experience. Each congregation is slightly different. Some use liturgy from the Lutheran Book of Worship. I can sing this liturgy by heart because it is the liturgy I learned when I was young. Other congregations teach new songs. Worship spaces also vary widely—some are very traditional; others have been recently remodeled. 

What I want you to know, however, is that this role and the experience of worshiping in our congregations have made me keenly aware of not only the variety of our practices, but also our unity. There is something incredibly powerful about knowing that, as one community gathers around the word of God and the Holy Supper, nearly 180 other congregations across our synod are gathering to do the same (and that’s just our branch of Lutheranism!).

This past Sunday, of course, was All Saints’ Sunday. As I was preparing to preach at Holy Trinity in Chapel Hill, I began reflecting on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and his notion of being “citizens with the saints.” I recalled my experience during our family vacation in August to London of walking among the memorials of over 3000 people who have been buried in the abbey. The cathedral is literally built on the foundation of the prophets (saints) and All Saints’ Day has a way suspending both time and space so that we are truly united with those who have gone before us and laid the cornerstones of our churches (both literally and figuratively) and those who gather in different communities across our cities, our synod, our country, and our world. 

What I wish you could experience is what I have been able to experience in these short three months: a rich sense of being connected to one another. If you can’t experience it, then I at least want you to know that we are far more connected than I ever imagined as a parish pastor in a single congregation. Our proclamation of the good news of Jesus—the cornerstone!—is what connects us.

Thank you for all that you do in your individual communities and contexts. For all the saints (including you!) I am eternally grateful.