Ask the Pastor

Question: What is different between the "old" church year and the "new" church year, beginning in Advent?

Answer: One of the most notable changes will be heard in the Gospel readings. Beginning Advent One, we will be reading the book of Luke. "Tell all the Truth, but tell it slant". Thus begins Emily Dickinson's deeply religious, spiritual poem.

St. Luke knew how to tell truth on a slant. His gospel, easily read in one sitting, provides one of the greatest adventures in biblical literature. From the cycle that recounts the birth of Jesus, through his life and ministry, his parables, his miracles, and his teaching, to his death and resurrection, the reader is enveloped in the power present of God at work in the world. Stories of unfathomable love of God for us and for all of creation come in a slanted profusion that brings us ever into the fold of the faithful. This is not a straightforward lecture in theology. It is, instead, an account of Jesus, incarnate in the ancient world, and now in our lives. We look at Luke's stories, and on that slant, we see the unseeable face of God.

We actually can see the ancient liturgy taking shape: gathering, word, meal, sending. The disciples, met on the road and gathered together with Jesus around the table, are the church gathered at the altar. They are gathered to hear the word of God mediated through the mouth of Jesus himself and of his emissaries of truth. They are gathered to eat and drink his body and blood, launching them into the heart of Jesus' compassion, and embracing and blessing them so that they might tell the good news to others. They are sent out to bear that news, to be that news. They are sent out to bear that news, to be that news. They are sent out rejoicing, bringing delight in their new knowledge to a pain-filled aching world.

Gathering, hearing the word of God, sharing the holy meal, and being sent out to minister and to share the good news of wholeness and grace with others, this liturgy is the deepest mark of Luke's gospel. All of life is gathered as a sacrifice to be placed at the foot of the table, to be brought as a gift to the One who does these things repeatedly for us, God's own. Luke's stories of Jesus become the stories of our lives.

This year, beginning in Advent One, walk down the road to Emmaus, listen to the story, and hear the invitation to dine on things eternal. Then, go back. God back up the road to the rest of life. Live in hope. Tell the stories. Build relationships. Tell all the Truth but tell it slant.

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The Augustanan
Newsletter
NOV/DEC 2003

This Issue:

Pastor's Message
Ask the Pastor
50 Years Old!
Accessibility
Getting to Know Us
Committee Schedule
Calendar

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Augustana Lutheran Church

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

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