Atlantic District Publications

Letters from the President - The Main Attraction

August 31, 2009 at 3:37 PM


In this rainy summer, Judy and I have gone to two professional golf tournaments in the rain.  Twice drenched, we have witnessed the same incredible sight.  The pros all have great swings, and all hit the ball a mile.  People following along are astounded at what their favorites are doing with that little white ball.  It’s nice and relaxing, a walk in the park for aficionados.

Except at a certain time of the day, for about four hours, a human wave washes over the course.  Kids dragging parents, people clapping and yelling, an enormous international and inter-racial throng, way younger than the rest of the fans, an African-American woman in wheelchair being piloted bumpily alongside the fairways, thousands and thousands running ahead, angling for a spot closest to the action – it’s quite a sight. What is this?

Tiger Woods.  

Simply amazing.  The “Main Attraction.”

The ministry of Jesus, as we read and witness in Sacred Scripture in the season of Pentecost, was an attractive, crowd-thronging, international, young people’s trip, was it not?  5000 here, thousands there, folks running around the corners of the lake when He took the short-cut by boat across it.   His was a ministry of healing and proclamation of Good News to the poor and the poor in spirit.  A crowd-pleaser.  

The Main Attraction.

Until Jesus began to speak of the cost of discipleship, of suffering for the cause of the righteous, of taking up your cross, even as He described His own pending death.  Then they left in droves, all of them, even the inner circle.  Until Jesus was alone.  On a tree, beaten and dying and dead.  Redeeming the world.  And you.  And me.  Truly amazing!

But not attractive.  And that’s the difference between all earthly attractions and heavenly destiny, is it not?  We face an economic downturn and have to pinch some pennies.  The church coffers are pretty empty – 42 of our Atlantic District parishes have a large goose-egg when it comes to offerings for the wider Church eight months into the year.  And we think we’ve got it tough, and change from looking at the world around us to looking inside the doors, shutting off opportunity for sanctuary pseudo-securities.  Not amazing.  A big mistake.

What I desire from my heart is for all of us in our corner of the Missouri Synod world to focus anew on the cleansing, life-changing gift of the Good News named Jesus, who suffered, died and rose for the sins of the world.  The real Main Attraction confounds all earthly attractions.  We can and should focus on Him sacrificially, offering ourselves in the world individually and as parishes for the sake of the One who gave Himself for us.  We can and should accomplish that sacrifice in Word as well as in deed.   

On our New Workers’ Orientation tour this summer we visited a hip-hoppin’ VBS in the Bronx, where 200 danced before the Lord, not to dis-tract from the Gospel, but to allow the children, youth and adults to open their ears to Jesus who IS the Main Attraction – the Good News.  Then we visited a location in East New York, Brooklyn, where 10000 people now live in homes that used to be vacant lots or worse, ashes of destroyed neighborhoods, and where the Missouri Synod and the Atlantic District have partnered with other denominations to allow that housing and community miracle to take place.  Beautiful, attractive homes and home-owners – praise God!  Then we visited a new parish on Long Island where Good News comes to hundreds in a worship space that had fallen into disuse – fresh start in the Spirit!

In every case the focus is OUTward, not inward, out into the world God so loves.  The volunteers giving hundreds of hours of time are sacrificing, but joyfully, because they’re part of God’s design on the world.  That’s US, dear sisters and brothers.  This fall focus on Christ our Lord.  He will lead.  And he will guide.  He is, forever and ever, the Main Attraction.