Pastor's Page
by the Rev. Dr. Marcia Cox

How do we make up for the destruction caused by self-centered people? Only other-centered people can do that. I was invited to participate at the Interfaith Prayer Service for Children at the National Cathedral. Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund asked the above question and answered it.

It challenged me to look at myself in a variety of ways. The assumption that self-centeredness is destructive is precisely what is in our Confession each Sunday. Sometimes I have the tendency to think that my self-centeredness doesn’t hurt anyone else…as long as no one else is actively getting hurt. WRONG. All we have to do is look around in our society as a whole and our congregation in particular to see the destruction self-centeredness causes. Pick your favorite: people on cell phones driving SUV’s taking up the whole road: bicyclists, head-down, earphones on, running you over on the sidewalk: people who say they will do something and then don’t follow-through and not bother to let you know they won’t do it: political policies that “leave no millionaires behind” at the expense of the poor: or here at Augustana, the difficulty of planning anything of substance because over half the congregation doesn’t “have time” come to worship and a little less than half can not seem to acknowledge any level of financial support.

Another challenge Edelman’s question and answer posits is this: Are we one or the other? Are self-centered and other-centered people 2 distinctly different people? Holy Scripture and several interpreters of Scripture as Martin Luther would say, we are all the first category of people. From the Garden of Eden forward, we all want the world to revolve around our own centers. HOWEVER….because God in God’s own goodness strengthens us, encourages, nudges, and gives to us, we are called forward out of ourselves to become other-centered people. This congregation thrives because of other-centered people. The ministries here come alive because of other-centered people. We have people who pray for others; visit others, call others, make themselves available to serve others….and, yes, even urge others to give real financial support to the whole. This nation thrives when other-centered people are given the lead. Much of the good that is done happens when we think of someone else beside ourselves.

As we walk into Lent and possibly yet another war, ponder Edelman’s challenge to you, personally. May the talk that we talk become the walk that we would want to walk.

Next Article - The Augustanan Home

Augustana Lutheran Church
2100 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009-6507

Church Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm