Happy Lutheran

Last week, I attended my first Women of the ELCA [WELCA] triennial gathering, the theme of which was:

i am worthy

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect. I certainly had an idea–or, better said, a stereotype–and in my head, I imagined hundreds of 70-year-old white quilters, mostly from the Midwest.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, there were lots of older white quilters; in fact, Lutheran World Federation had an enormous booth in the middle of the exhibition hall, set up with several tables of sewing machines and quilting materials, which were frequently occupied. [And, if you have been fortunate enough to attend or pastor a church with a strong quilting ministry, you know what a gift those quilters are–to say nothing of the quilts themselves!]

But the gathering was so much more than that, too; and I wanted to share a few reflections, because, in my mind, it was a strong example of the power and relevance of Lutheran theology, and Lutheran community.

First, according to Dr. Jennifer Hockenbery, the new executive director, there were roughly 1100 people (overwhelmingly women) there, from all nine Regions in the ELCA. I talked to one woman who has attended every single gathering, and she was from California.

It is true that most of the women were white, and most of them were older, but there certainly were younger women and diverse representation as well (I especially appreciated the girls who were ambassadors for different programs). This diversity really showed up in the presenters and the workshops. We were blessed with fantastic speakers who shared wisdom from their own lives and faith experience, and invited all of us into their stories with honesty, humor, and great empathy. We were repeatedly encouraged to “turn to our neighbor” and engage them in conversation, and there were lots of opportunities to meet new people. I also appreciated the presentations that helped us learn more about the work of different ministries of the ELCA; and I really enjoyed the Run, Walk and Roll 5K on Saturday morning. Throughout it all, connection, welcome and community were at the center. We were wrapped in affirmation, and it was great!

And, I think for me, “affirmation” is the biggest takeaway from the event as a whole. The theme i am worthy wasn’t just a slogan, it was a lived reality, embodied in every activity, every Bible study, and every interaction. I’m not exaggerating: it was the most uplifting, encouraging ELCA event I have ever attended, and I do not take for granted the experience of being in an enormous space with almost all women, listening to presentations by all women, and having women’s experiences foregrounded with every example in every story.

And this was not accidental. The central Bible verse for the Gathering was Psalm 139:14: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” And through this anchor, the event sought to make perfectly clear what true worth is really about.

• No one else in your life, regardless of how close they are to you, can define/control/determine your worth. [And certainly no man can do that!]
• Your precious and priceless worth is given to you freely and fully by God: you can’t earn it, you can’t lose it, and no one can take it away from you.
• You are worthy of respect, love and care; and if you are in a relationship where you are not treated that way, get out!
• We find and celebrate worth in community–with others who see us, love us, and seek the best for us [as we do the same for them]

I want to end with a silly little story that sums up the whole weekend for me. In our goodie bags, there were these lovely pashmina scarves in a variety of very pretty colors. The one I ended up with was a beautiful teal, but I wanted the light orange one, because, you know, Wartburg. So, the last morning I was there, I made it my mission to find someone to trade with. The first woman I saw wearing an orange scarf was very sweet, but she said that she already had a teal one; ok, no problem. Then, I saw a second woman and she was actually very happy to trade, because she wanted the teal color. But then, right in the middle of my conversation with the second woman, the first woman came back up to me, and tried to take off her orange scarf and and hand it to me: “Just take it, she said. After you left, I felt so badly, that I wasn’t showing Ubuntu [which we had just heard about in the Bible study].” “Oh no,” I said, “this is working out perfectly–she wants to trade!” And then we all laughed, someone said, “It’s a God thing,” and we shared a hug–and everyone went away happy.

I know: not world peace, not some great theological breakthrough–just one small moment of generosity, connection, and joy. But, the reality is, the world could use a whole lot more of those. When you feel worthy yourself, you are better able to see the worth of others, and magnify it; and the more that happens in the small moments, the more it will happen in the big moments.

Lutherans know this core truth: I am worthy; and so are you–because God has made us so. It was great to be in a space where that was not only talked about, but experienced.