Guest Post - Loving Your Neighbor

Loving Your Neighborby Pastor John Lund

 

Kudos to the Darby library for going forward with the March 9 talk on Islam by UM scholar Samir Bitar. The rampant rhetoric of fear regarding Muslims immigrants is out of line with our core American value of granting life and liberty to all people. What has made us great is our willingness to give everyone a chance regardless of race, ethnicity, social class, or beliefs. Certainly, we need to denounce and fight ISIS, and we need protection from their attacks. It is reasonable to be concerned about screening immigrants from a war-torn nation. But to judge all Muslims because of ISIS is unfair. The claim that Islam is at war with Christianity or with the US and that all Muslims are out to get us is plain wrong.

For those of us who are Christian, we would do well to look first at the log in our own eye. We have to acknowledge that many Christians justified the killing of native peoples by calling them "heathens" and "savages." Later, Christians sent Native children to boarding schools so they could be "Christianized" and re-cultured. Christians also justified slavery, and many later fought against civil rights for Blacks and all people of color. European Christians perpetuated stereotypes and discrimination against Jews, which allowed the rise of Nazi hatred and the Holocaust. Many Christians fought against the right of women to vote, and some still believe that women should be subject to men and silent outside their homes. Even today, Christians fight the hardest against civil rights for people in the LGBTQ community. If the atrocities of some Christians were used to judge all of us, we'd be lucky to have any neighbors at all.

The truth is that there are an estimated 3.3 million Muslims in this country, and many have been here for decades. Most work hard as teachers, business owners, laborers, doctors, and in other professions, and are integrated into American culture and life. They wage peace through daily prayer, compassion, care for their neighbor, and devotion to the same God that Christians and Jews worship. They honor Moses and Jesus as Major Prophets and have great respect for the Bible. I have known many Muslims in my lifetime and feel fortunate to have some as friends. They are among the most genuine, gracious, giving and humorous people I know. In all of our major cities, Imams and Muslim leaders work with Christian, Jewish and other faith leaders to foster relationships, peace and unity among the world religions. Time after time, when Christians actually meet Muslims and get to know them and share a meal and conversation, relationships are formed, attitudes and perceptions are changed, and the whole community is enriched for the better. Thank God we have different languages, music, food, skin colors, traditions and beliefs! Because of that we learn and grow and become fuller human beings when we are together.

Yes, there are horrible things being done by some Muslims who manipulate Islam and the Quran to justify their own ideology of terror and control. Yes, some Muslims believe that women should obey their husbands and have fewer rights than men. Yes, some Muslims are fundamentalist and practice horrific forms of violent retribution. And this is true for some Christians as well. We see evidence of this today in KKK rallies, mass shootings and vandalism of Black churches and abortion clinics, and the high rate of domestic violence against women. The greater truth is that the huge majority of the estimated 1.7 billion Muslims and 2.4 billion Christians in the world are people who love God and neighbor, care for those in need, and seek peace in our world.

As Christians, we are called not only to love the neighbors who are similar to us, but to also love those who are different and even our enemies. Our world is already filled with fear, lies, hatred, and violence. We can do much better by waging peace, forming relationships, listening to each other, sharing life, and expecting the best from each other. That is exactly what a Galilean Jew did 2000 years ago amid times of great fear, much like today. Perhaps we can follow his lead.

      -Pastor John Lund is Campus Pastor at the University of Montana

Emmaus Campus Ministry at the University of Montana

Lutheran Campus Ministry Raffle - Deadline to Purchase Tickets is THIS SUNDAY!

FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS RESORT RAFFLE -  WEEK OF JULY 10-17

 

Support YOUR Lutheran Campus Ministry at MSU-Bozeman by purchasing a raffle ticket for a week at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, July 10^th-17^th, 2015. (The Montana Folk Festival in Butte is July 10^th-12^th, and Fairmont is only a short drive away!) Tickets are $50 each and only 100 will be sold! The Raffle Drawing will be June 5^th, need not be present to win.

The prize package includes:
-- accommodation in a one-bedroom Vacation Club unit which sleeps four adults (one bed, one sofa-bed) and has a maximum occupancy of six

-- 5 passes good for 24-hour entry to the pools

Additional Resort Amenities (not included in the raffle prize, but available for purchase at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort):- 350’ Enclosed Waterslide

- Massage and Spa Services

- 18-hole Golf Course

- Miniature Golf Course

- 2 Restaurants and Whiskey Joes Lounge

- Casual and Fine Dining

 

Purchase Raffle Tickets from Mike Beehler, Melanie Schell, John Sheppard, or Pastor Lindean, or call the church office to reserve a ticket to pick up. 

TRIVIA NIGHT!

This is going to be a GREAT event! Recruit a team and get signed up!
Trivia Night will run about two hours, and the game will be led by Challenge Entertainment-Montana (the same folks who do trivia at the Bacchus every Monday night!). Great prizes and bragging rights await!

Making History?

I've been exchanging emails with a mentor and friend this week, who also happens to be our predecessor here at CtK, the Rev. Shelley Wickstrom. Pastor Shelley now works on the ELCA's Region One staff. And she wears quite a few hats. She spent time in June at the Campus Ministry Conference, part of July at the Women of the ELCA's Triennial Convention, and part of August in Orlando for the Churchwide Assembly (CWA). Here's what she had to say about the Assembly:

During CWA I was impressed by the endorsements given to the Genetics Statement. One genetics counselor gave a workshop on it to a national conference of genetics counselors who were amazed at its depth and breadth. That kind of peer review matters. There were also farmers who spoke in favor of it, plus geneticists. Participation in the Malaria Campaign will be one of those experiences that hopefully we'll be able to say to Marit some day that once upon a time there was a disease that killed a child every 45 seconds. Your church stopped that (with the help of philanthropists, other denominations, etc....)

I hope she's right - that Malaria will be history someday. And that we will know we have played a small part in making it so.

Not sure what all Pastor Shelley's talking about? Learn more about the Social Statement on Genetics, the ELCA Malaria Campaign, the Women of the ELCA, and Lutheran Campus Ministry!
See you in worship - don't forget to bring your school bag this Sunday!

Greeting from Lutheran Campus Ministries in Montana

Another Christmas greeting - from Campus Pastors Tim Spring (MSU) and John Lund (U of M).

Don't forget to invite your friends and family to join you for worship tonight at 6pm or 9pm - and tomorrow morning at 11am.

A blessed Christmas!

MSU Lutheran Campus Ministry Update

Tim Spring, our campus pastor at MSU, sends occasional updates to students and those of us on the LSF (Lutheran Student Foundation) Board. Students are the target audience, of course, but since campus ministry is OUR ministry, I thought you might like an update on some of the latest from the Christus Collegium. Here's the latest update.

Also there is at least one MSU student who regularly participates in worship here at CtK who won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving due to his work schedule. Anybody planning an early Thanksgiving feast (he has to be at work at 4pm Thanksgiving Day) and willing to set an extra place and extend some Christian hospitality to a brother in Christ? Let me know!

Enjoy the snow today, and please remember to pray for all those who have to be out on the roads, especially those whose job it is to help us all stay safe.