Where does Jesus send you and your congregation?

Sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in my local congregation’s life that I focus simply on local concerns, especially if offerings come up short against on-going expenses. That’s why it’s not only good, but faithful, to remember what Jesus says to me and to each of us and all of us together in Acts, chapter 1.

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus says to his disciples, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1.8)

Witnesses in Jerusalem

Jesus sends you and me into our local neighborhood, town, school, workplace, and family to make his love, forgiveness and promises known by face-to-face ministries. Jerusalem is where your congregation and mine put a face to the faith and enact Jesus’ kind of love and invitation to all people. But Jesus doesn’t let us stop there.

Witnesses in Judea

Judea is the larger area around Jerusalem. For you and me, it’s the first area larger than our local community or neighborhood where we no longer have daily face-to-face contact and relationships with very many people. It’s where our congregations first start to cooperate with other ELCA congregations (such as in Area Ministries) or with congregations of other denominations to provide ministries no one congregation could do alone. But witness in Judea is just the first circle larger than witness in Jerusalem.

Witnesses in Samaria

This circle is more difficult for us. Samaria was the area that Jewish people avoided in Jesus’ day. Samaritans were considered to be enemies of their faith, people whom it was best to avoid and certainly never help. Where is Samaria for you and me today? At times we may think the people next door are Samaritans, but Samaria is the area neighboring Judea and Samaritans are people who live across the state or in the next state.

This sounds like the territory of our synod. After all, the concerns, values, and lifestyles of folks in our center cities often differs greatly from those of folks in small towns—which in turn differs from folks in the suburbs—which in turn differs from folks in rural areas.

Samaria is the area where we wouldn’t easily go to live—and yet, Jesus sends you and me and our congregations to witness in Samaria. We do this mostly through sending others to witness in our place. That’s what our mission support does—to our synod, to our agencies and institutions—it sends others to witness in Samaria. But witness in Samaria is still incomplete, according to Jesus.

Witnesses to “the ends of the earth”

The Holy Spirit isn’t satisfied until we witness to God’s love in Jesus Christ throughout the world. This is huge. But it’s what those who have gone before us have done. Previous generations have been witnesses to the ends of the earth. If they hadn’t been, we would not be Christians.

Now it’s our turn:

Again, as with our witness in Samaria, we witness “to the ends of the earth” primarily by sending financial support, through our synod, to support others in witnessing on our behalf.

So, what’s the point?

Actually, there are (at least) three:

1. Our witness, yours and mine, is incomplete if we focus only on our witness in Jerusalem, or even our witness in Judea. Certainly these two areas are where we have the most opportunity and primary responsibility for face-to-face encounters, for face-to-face witness. But just because we send others (through mission support) to witness in Samaria and to the ends of the earth, it is no less personal for the folks who experience Christ’s love and promises this way.
2. When your congregation sets up a Mission Endowment Fund, all four settings for witness should be included: witness through your congregation’s ministries (Jerusalem), witness in your wider community (Judea), witness through synod ministries, such as synod agencies and institutions (Samaria), and witness through our church’s national and global ministries (to the ends of the earth).
3. When you remember ministries in your personal will or living trust, consider the possibilities of leaving a legacy for witness in all four areas. For instance, if your major concern is for children, you might provide gifts for your congregation to start new ministries with children and youth (Jerusalem), for your congregation to cooperate with others in such ministries (Judea), for a synod agency’s work with children or with youth or with campus ministries (Samaria), and for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal program to feed hungry children.

But will there enough for “us”?

It’s easy for local concerns to take over—especially when offerings don’t keep up with expenses. It’s also easy to cut back on mission support—or to set up an endowment fund that is primarily “for us.” When we do these things as congregations, we actually are teaching our members to be less generous with their own giving to support the congregation’s witness. We are, I believe, working against the Holy Spirit’s power. After all, Jesus says: “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . . you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

As to whether there will be enough for us if we become more generous for the sake of others, I believe that this promise of Jesus applies: “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9.24 and parallels)

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Wills vs. Trusts: A Checklist

Deciding between a will and a living trust can be complicated. Often it is necessary to consult with an attorney specializing in estate planning to fully understand the pros and cons of each. Here are a few guidelines to help you get started in your decision-making process:

Choose a living trust over a will if . . .

Choose a will over a living trust if . . .

My estate is given to me by God to be used wisely in God’s service. I make a will as an act of Christian stewardship, giving thanks to God for many blessings and expressing my love for my family, Church, relatives & friends.

Lutheran Planned Giving

Services to individuals:

Services to congregations:

Sponsors:

Information and examples in this newsletter are for educational purposes only and should not be considered tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax or legal advisors about your own will, trust or estate plan.

Content Copyright (c)2000, Lutheran Planned Giving in the Arkansas-Oklahoma and Central States Synods.  All rights reserved.