1] Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for 2] Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. 3] This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.
Image created by Jason Chesnut
I never set out to be a Christian. I never wanted to be a pastor. But alas, here I am, an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I had an experience with the resurrected Christ that changed my life, and because that experience resonated so deeply with my soul, I couldn't turn away. Nothing in my conversion experience made sense; if anything, I wrestled with it for almost a decade, until I stood at a font on May 6, 2007. As much as I wanted to turn my back on the resurrected Christ,
I.
Just.
Couldn't.
But I cannot (and most certainly do not) want to lobotomize who I was and my life experiences that led up to that day in Salem Lutheran Church in Glendale, California. The rich culture from my heritage, my life experiences, the formation and guidance I received from friends and family came to construct the lens in which I view the world, a "terministic screen" if you will. I still think about the formation of my prayer life with my family. I still think about (and believe) that everything has a connection being a part of God's created world. I still think about the Trimurti, but how that has shifted and changed and transformed as a believer in the Trinitarian God.
I will also not assimilate to an ethnic notion of Lutheranism; I simply cannot and will not be something that I cannot be. There is a personal note to this; I think of my beloved maternal grandfather. He was a kind and brilliant man. He was so eloquent in his writing and speaking. And while he was studying to get his Masters degree, he was a part of the student movement in India's struggle for Independence from the Empire. His blood flows in my veins. He taught me to love words and literature. His history has shaped my own. Because of my beloved grandfather, I too love words. I too love literature. And maybe it's because of him that in the past days with #decolonizelutheranism, I have felt something stir within me and my passion for the church of Christ. I have a deep love and weird fascination in this spiritual home in which I've been led. I rather enjoy jabbing with my friends and colleagues on so many aspects of Lutheran theology. But when that theology becomes intertwined with an ethnic identity is when the stranger does not seem to be welcome. I only want to be who God created me to be; a broken being who is forgiven. I also will not be quiet. I know that I have come to serve within a denomination that has its roots firmly planted in Europe. But they are roots... roots grow out into shrubs, trees, flowers... roots that branch out into new and exciting and beautiful (and honestly, weird and sometimes scary and outright bizarre) areas.
Christ is the center of everything for me... but it is through the weirdness of my cultural background and life experiences that allow me to embrace the resurrection of Christ that much more. It is through the lens of my culture and my lived experiences that I can share the Gospel and tell the story of the risen Lord. I can tell and show that...
I believe in the Holy Spirit.
I believe in the holy catholic Church.
I believe in the communion of saints.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins.
I believe in the resurrection of the body.
I believe in the life everlasting.
Amen.
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ETA: My friend and colleague, Jeremy Serrano, answers the question, "What does a Lutheran look like?" at his blog.
