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Words from the Bishop: 
Are you ready for Christmas?

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I was sitting in the doctor’s office this week, waiting for my turn, when I heard the man ahead of me ask the doctor, “Are you ready for Christmas?” Her response warmed my heart. “Good heavens, no! We’ve still got 2 weeks!”
 
Two weeks to finish the shopping and the wrapping, the addressing and the mailing. Two weeks to finish the baking and the decorating, the caroling and the year-end giving. Two weeks to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Lord. Wow.  
There is a way in which we are never ready for Christmas, never ready for the surprise of the Incarnation, of the Word made flesh. Advent, with its troubling series of scripture texts, gives us a taste of disruption, but also hope. God coming to be among us, to be one of us is a major disruption of the status quo.
Mary reflects that in the Magnificat, as she visits her cousin Elizabeth.

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October 27, 2018
 
Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I write to you with a broken heart – for the lives lost, wounded, and shattered by horrific hatred and violence at Tree of Life Congregation this morning. We join our Jewish neighbors and enter into mourning for all that has been lost. In our grief, God is our comfort. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
From Pittsburgh to Portland, and around the world, Jews are living in fear. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Public acts of hatred and bigotry against Jews are commonplace. As Christians, and particularly as Lutherans, we deplore and reject this bigotry. “We recognize in anti-Semitism a contradiction and affront to the Gospel, a violation of our hope and calling, and we pledge this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us” (1994 Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community).

We are reminded that hate-filled violence knows no bounds – whether a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, a Christian church in Charleston, or a Jewish synagogue In Pittsburgh. As people of faith, we are bound together not only in our mourning, but also in our response.  

Therefore, in this tender moment of grief, let us reach out to those whose hearts are most broken – our Jewish neighbors. I encourage you to contact your local synagogue, or your Jewish colleagues, friends, and family members, to share your words of care, support, love, and protection. There may be specific acts you might offer to demonstrate your care, such as when the members of Faith Lutheran Church surrounded Congregation Beth Israel of Chico, California, serving as Shomrim, or guardians, as they observed Yom Kippur following a hate crime in 2009.

Such simple acts can go a long way to demonstrate our love, as an extension of God’s love. As we seek to heal the brokenhearted, we are assured that God is near. There is no greater promise in the face of grief.

In peace,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop, ELCA
https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7952
​

​AGREEMENT
between
Montana Synod Lutherans of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
and
Montana Association of Jewish Communities

PROLOGUE
 
Montana as every part of the world, is affected by religious and cultural diversity.  Different communities of faith may passively tolerate this diversity, or they can actively welcome it as an opportunity to understand different faith traditions, and cooperate in the humane goals of civil life.  This opportunity is being engaged enthusiastically by the Montana Association of Jewish Communities and Montana Synod Lutherans of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
 
Lutherans and Jews alike find the basis for this engagement in our shared heritage and belief in one God who as Creator calls all persons to live together in justice and peace, with respect for human and national rights.  Our shared heritage dating to Abraham, bearing witness to God’s liberating and blessings actions in history, does not diminish our theological differences—such as beliefs about redemption, the Messiah, the doctrine of God or sacred land—but we experience a new day when condemnations, brutalities and stereotypes can themselves be denounced.  We are beginning to talk and walk as equals, with interactions tainted much less by ignorance and claims of religious superiority.  Christians are beginning to hear Judaism be defined by Jews, and Jews are beginning to hear Christianity be defined by Christians.  We must continue to explore and deepen our appreciation of each other’s traditions and cultures.
 
In addition, since we live as neighbors in Montana, we have common civil challenges and duties for which Jews and Lutherans can make common cause.  We need not share a common creed to share common deeds that enhance human welfare and strengthen the moral fabric of society.
 
AFFIRMATIONS
 
Together we affirm that:
 
*          We build on a common heritage of the Hebrew Bible for Jews and the Old Testament for Lutheran Christians.
*          The one God calls us to live together in dignity and with selfless respect for the sanctity of ethnicity and religious traditions.
*          Our histories, though marred by ethnic and religious animosity and misunderstanding, should and are moving toward mutual concord and                          cooperation.
*          The Jewish and Lutheran people of Montana have been blessed by God with a rich diversity of gifts for sharing and service with each other and all              their neighbors.
*          Within the territory of Montana Jewish and Christians communities can be enriched by religious and moral cooperation.
 
 
OUR PLEDGE
 
Therefore we pledge that we will:
 
*          In prayer seek God’s guidance for mutual understanding, and for the unity of the whole human family.
*          Encourage the congregations of Montana Synod Lutherans and the congregations of the Montana Jewish community to participate in this                              Agreement with each other.
*          Share, study and discuss declarations, reports and resources made available by our religious bodies that promote reconciliation and appreciation              toward each other; in particular, issues regarding theology, Martin Luther, the Holocaust, and the Holy Land.
*          Try to learn more of historical and theological developments in Judaism and Christianity since Bible times.
*          Work together for the common good and for peace and justice as our authentic response to the will of God.
*          Invite each other to be present at worship in each tradition, observing official guidelines for such events.
*          Agree to review this Agreement periodically, and renew it at a joint service.
 
We dedicate ourselves to this Agreement and ask the blessing of God upon it and ourselves, that we may be faithful to God’s will and bring glory to God’s holy name.10th day of
 
Dr. Brian Schnitzer,                                                                The Rev. Mark Ramseth, Bishop
President of MAJCO                                                              of the Montana Synod, ELCA
 
 
Ms. Natalie Fisher,                                                                  The Rev. Dr. Paul Seastrand,
Vice-President of MAJCO                                                     Ecumenical Officer of the Montana
                                                                                                Synod, ELCA
 
Signed in the presence of representatives of Montana Jewish and Lutheran communities assembled at Great Falls, Montana, on the 10th day of June, 1995.

Montana Synod Strategic Benchmarks

Our Mission: "Marked by the cross of Christ forever, abundantly blessed, we faithfully serve God and neighbor."

Our Vision: "Every person a witness, Every minister equipping witness, Every congregation and ministry, empowered for witness, serving faithfully."

The Montana Synod will measure its own faithfulness to our mission and vision and to the task of providing leadership to the Montana Synod by the following benchmarks:
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1. Meet the future boldly.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart. (Jer 29:11-13)

We will take risks for the sake of the Gospel, remembering that Jesus said that whoever wants to save your life will lose it, and the only way to be a disciple is to pick up a cross and follow. We will learn from our conversations with  congregations and we will model faithful, visionary ministry that is more prophetic than safe.
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2. Serve the world, especially the poor and those who are in need.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

We will be able to articulate how everything that we do, everything that we advocate, everything that we commit time and money to will serve the world, remembering that the Gospel of John tells us that God so loved the world as to give Jesus, for the whole world. Through direct action, advocacy and cooperative work, we will minister to the poor, the poor in spirit, the forgotten and neglected. Realizing that this mission field is limitless, we will encourage coalitions, cooperation and establishment of meaningful priorities.
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3. Deepen faith and witness.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20)

We remember that Jesus called us to go and make disciples of all nations. We will support and encourage congregations to remain faithful in worship, Word and Sacrament. We will support congregations as they encourage their members to grow in faith and to broaden their witness in their communities and beyond.
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4. Promote unity.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do  nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:1-5)

We remember Paul’s image of the body of Christ. We will maintain a clear sense of who we are and whose we are. We will celebrate our diversity within the unity that is ours in Christ. We will give thanks for our many gifts of the Spirit as we  explore our different responsibilities within the body.
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5. Strengthen congregations
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another
(Gal 5:13)

We are a resource to congregations and pastors. The Synod leadership, staff and volunteer, will provide support to congregations to empower them to live out their calling as centers of mission. We will encourage and support the development of networks among clergy, lay leaders and congregations.