The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

    He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

    he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths

    for his name’s sake.

 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

    I fear no evil,

for you are with me;

    your rod and your staff,

    they comfort me.

 

You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

    my whole life long.

 

Sunday afternoon, I attended “Spirit, Open Our Hearts,” an event hosted by Bishop Current, during which she invited members of the Southeastern Iowa Synod to reflect on Psalm 23, hear about the ministry of the synod, and ask questions before joining together in worship. She invited us who attended to share about the gathering, so here goes!

In the first part of the gathering, Bishop Current led us through a contemplative Bible study practice. Sometimes when we come to the Bible, we think we need an expert explanation to help us understand. While Bible scholars can be helpful, Bishop Current reminded the group that asking open questions can add as much as reading a commentary. So we read Psalm 23 and asked “What do you notice? What image or phrase sticks out to you?” Answers like “my cup overflows” and “goodness and mercy follow me” and “you are with me” came up around the table. We read the psalm again and asked “What do you wonder about this passage of scripture?” Answers like “will it get boring to dwell in God’s house forever?” and “do goodness and mercy really follow me even in the dark valleys?” and “do my enemies really have to be at the table, too?” were shared. Finally, we read the psalm a third time and asked “What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?” Once more, we shared answers: “the Shepherd is so important” and “if God anoints me, I guess it means God wants me where I am” and “God is bringing me beside still waters.” Those three questions can be very meaningful for personal Bible reading, too.

After our time of dwelling in the Word, Bishop Current spoke about the work and ministries of the SEIA Synod. We support campus ministries at Iowa and Iowa State, seminaries in Dubuque and Chicago, and the statewide work of Lutheran Services in Iowa. The synod staff work with congregations in transition, discern with potential pastors and deacons about their calls to ministry, help develop leaders among both clergy and laity, administer programs and events, and tend to the overall ministries of the synod. That was a more difficult conversation, as a few people present wondered about the ELCA’s future. Overall, the membership and attendance of the national church is in decline, as is the case for Christian church participation as a whole in the United States. Understandably, this makes for some anxiety! While that trend is neither universal nor inevitable, it is a reality of the world around us. We were reminded also that the Holy Spirit continues to bring about new life, sometimes in unexpected ways. It’s good to remember that the church isn’t ours; it belongs to Jesus, who promised to be with us always. Around our tables, we shared some of the new things the Holy Spirit is doing in our congregations.

Finally, we worshiped together. We sang Holden Evening Prayer as the afternoon light dimmed outside. It was good.

I hope you will join me in thanking God for the ministries of the Southeastern Iowa Synod and especially Bishop Current and the staff who work with her. It is good to have the opportunity to gather with others from around the synod and to hear what good work we are doing by working together.