3 traditions celebrate historic agreement, spirit of unity
Methodist, Catholic and Lutheran leaders recess following the
celebration of an historic agreement on justification by faith at Old
St. Patrick Church in Chicago. A UMNS photo by John Brooks, ELCA News
Service. |
By David Briggs*
Oct. 2, 2009 | CHICAGO (UMNS)
In joyful embraces, spirit-filled hymns and common prayer,
Methodists, Catholics and Lutherans marked the end of centuries of
division over a central doctrine of faith by vowing to move toward
greater unity.
The celebration of an historic agreement on justification by faith,
or how individuals are forgiven and brought into a right relationship
with God, began with a colorful opening procession in which robed
leaders of the three historic Christian traditions walked side by side.
United Methodist Bishop Gregory V. Palmer (left) joins the Revs.
Ishmael Noko (center) of the Lutheran World Federation and Michael
Kinnamon of the National Council of Churches during the celebration. A
UMNS photo by John Brooks, ELCA News Service.
|
The professions of unity continued through a rousing finale, as
hundreds gathered Oct. 1 in Chicago’s oldest church building for a
service of thanksgiving and sang together with fervor, “We are marching
in the light of God.”
Participants broke out in spontaneous applause at the end. Bishop
Gregory Palmer, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops,
said in reflection, “For me, the heart of God, I trust, found some
delight in us tonight.”
In a pew in the back, the Rev. Phil Blackwell, pastor of First
United Methodist Church-The Chicago Temple, also sensed the Holy Spirit
in Old St. Patrick Church, as Methodists, Catholics and Lutherans
affirmed their common Christianity against a history of centuries of
theological battles.
“We don’t go backward from this,” Blackwell said.
A ‘milestone’ in Christian history
The Rev. Ishmael Noko, top staff executive of the Lutheran World
Federation, said during the service that the agreement on justification
by faith, first reached by the Vatican and the Lutheran World
Federation in 1999, was “one of the major ecumenical milestones in the
life of the church.”
The agreement, made possible by nearly 35 years of dialogue, voided
standing condemnations dating back to the 16th century. Justification
by faith was at the heart of the Reformation, with Lutherans
emphasizing justification as a divine gift given human beings through
no merit of their own. Catholics, and later Methodists, also emphasized
the free will of human beings to accept or reject God’s gift, and the
responsibility of believers to do works of piety and mercy.
In reaching their historic consensus, the Lutheran-Catholic
agreement stated: “Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in
Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are
accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts
while equipping us and calling us to good works.”
The World Methodist Council, which includes The United Methodist
Church, accepted an invitation to join in the agreement. After years of
conversation, the World Methodist Council in 2006 declared its
fundamental doctrinal agreement with the Catholic-Lutheran pact.
Leaders at the service vowed to
move toward greater unity.
A UMNS photo by Ed Hiestand.
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At the service Oct. 1, Noko gave special praise to the Methodist
action, since the tradition did not have to undo centuries of conflict
as Lutherans and Catholics did.
The Methodists, Noko said, acted “for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
In the opening procession, Palmer, along with United Methodist
Bishops Sharon Zimmerman Rader, ecumenical officer for the bishops, and
Hee-Soo Jung of Chicago, marched along the white marble center aisle
with eight other international dignitaries. The group included Noko,
Catholic Cardinals William Keeler and Francis George, president of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
All three United Methodist bishops offered prayers of intercession,
leading the gathering in petitions for peace within the human family,
the healing of the Earth, and collaboration among the churches in
redressing social ills for the poor and downtrodden.
Rader said she could not have imagined such a Protestant-Catholic
service as a child. For her, the event brought home the importance of
holding Christ in the center of ecumenical relations.
“There will not be true peace,” she said afterward, “until we find the unity that is already ours.”
A challenging road ahead
No speaker said the path to greater unity would be easy.
In a homily, Catholic Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta said the
recent decision by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to permit
noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy “poses a serious challenge to our
relationship.”
He called for more prayer to help heal new conflicts and provide opportunities for the churches to grow in unity.
In the service’s concluding address, Noko made an appeal to “let us go forward in this journey even if there are difficulties.”
By the year 2024, Noko said, people should not be asking what the
agreement on justification among Methodists, Catholics and Lutherans
achieved.
Instead, he said, “Let them say, ‘Alleluia. Wow!’”
For its part, The United Methodist Church is committed to seeking Christian unity, Palmer said.
“God honors the effort we make, making the church whole and the body
of Christ whole in the world,” he said. “For United Methodists, working
across the barriers and the partitions is a part of who we are. It’s a
part of our DNA.”
*Briggs is news editor of United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: David Briggs, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
The World Methodist Council and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
John Wesley sermon: Justification by faith
John Wesley sermon: Catholic spirit
Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns
Interdenominational Cooperation Fund
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