top of page
Search

A Mighty Fortress: A Pastoral Message

Writer's picture: St. Stephen's Lutheran ChurchSt. Stephen's Lutheran Church



With debates raging in the news, I wanted to take the time to reach out and reiterate this church’s support for two groups of people who may be feeling vulnerable.


First, our church has a long tradition of welcoming immigrants. The Lutheran movement in the United States began as an immigrant church. After World War II, one in six refugees around the world was Lutheran. The National Lutheran Council was established to resettle refugees in the US, and this organization went on to become Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, now called Global Refuge. Together with Global Refuge and the rest of the ELCA, including ELCA Advocacy, we stand with immigrants and work to provide a warm welcome to the newest Americans. Global Refuge and its predecessor organizations have served over 750,000 people in its history.


Seeking asylum from dangerous countries is a human right. While debates on legal and illegal immigration policy are one thing, recent executive orders have made it nearly impossible for people to seek asylum under the law. We stand together with immigrants and value your presence in our community as one in the Body of Christ.


Second, our church, and St. Stephen’s in particular, strongly affirms LGBTQIA people and works for their equality both within the church and in our wider society. Our welcome statements reads, “We welcome all because God welcomes all, regardless of race or culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or relationship status.” We further “commit ourselves to working for racial equity and equity for LGBTQIA+ persons” and others.

 

While this past week’s executive order seeks to demean and threaten trans and other gender-diverse people, we believe strongly that all people have the right to gender expression that fits their identity. We are proud to be a Reconciling in Christ congregation partnering with ReconcilingWorks, an organization advocating for the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in the ELCA. If you are LGBTQIA+, we value you in our community, and we stand together with you as one in the Body of Christ.


More than what we do, God’s expansive welcome is clear. God acted mightily to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian oppression and to the promised land (Exodus 14). Jesus himself, and his parents, fled Herod’s violence and sought safety in Egypt as refugees (Matthew 2:13-23). People of diverse genders and sexualities experience God’s grace, including the centurion and his boy-servant (Luke 7:1-10) and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40). The apostle Paul writes, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).


So what now? We continue being the church. We will continue to support organizations that work for the dignity of LGBTQIA+ people and those seeking asylum. We will continue to feed and clothe our neighbors. We will continue in solidarity with the larger church, particularly those organs of the body of Christ who are our mouthpiece on the national level. We will keep “waging peace." Luther’s best-loved hymn describes our God as a mighty fortress, a safe refuge from all that threatens us. Its last verse begins, “God’s Word forever shall abide,” and we shall cling to this truth, providing refuge and safety for those in need.


Yours in Christ,

Pastor Joe

148 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

コメント


St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

856-845-1747

info@ststephenselca.org

230 N. Evergreen Avenue

Woodbury, NJ 08096

  • White Facebook Icon
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
Transparent-RIC--e1647374083306.webp

©2025 by St. Stephen's Lutheran Church. Proudly created with wix.com

bottom of page