21.12.2001
New Year Message from the LWF General Secretary
GENEVA, 21 December 2001 (LWI) - Pointing to key concerns in 2001-intractable escalating violence in the Middle East; the terrorist attacks in the United States of America and subsequent military campaign in Afghanistan; a declining global economy; a deepening global HIV/AIDS pandemic and globalization among others-the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, in his New Year -2002- message, reminds churches of their common responsibility in responding to the myriad challenges facing people worldwide.In the face of the obvious inequities and injustices of economic globalization, Noko says, "we are empowered to respond as a communion in which both 'winners' and 'losers' in the global marketplace are brought together around the Lord's table."
Noko invokes the church's spirit of compassion rather than judgement, urging them to "to be true witnesses to God's love" when responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Noko also recognizes the continuing enriching experience of developments such as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and the Anglican-Lutheran agreements in North America, and urges Lutheran churches to deepen and extend their ecumenical relationships toward the goal of the visible unity of the church.
The full text of Dr. Noko's New Year statement follows:
Statement for the New Year (2002) by Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko
General Secretary, The Lutheran World Federation
As we cross the threshhold of another new year, we look back on a year of change and uncertainty, in which violence and injustice have been particularly evident. The year 2001 has been marked by the intractable escalating violence in the Middle East; suicide bombings there and elsewhere in the world; the attacks in the United States and the subsequent military campaign in Afghanistan; a declining global economy, and economic crisis in many countries; a deepening global HIV/AIDS pandemic; inter-religious violence in Nigeria and Indonesia; international controversy over responsibility and accountability for past racist crimes; fragile steps towards establishing democracy in places such as Kosovo; attempts to hold political and military leaders accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity; violent anti-globalization protests; catastrophic earthquakes and floods in India and elsewhere; struggles over land and power in places such as Zimbabwe and Brazil; and a widening gap between rich and poor throughout the world.
In the midst of these troubled times, the faithful worldwide have continued to proclaim God's word and celebrate Christ's presence. We have continued to witness the small daily miracles of hope and compassion. In these small daily miracles, in the quiet movements of the Spirit, as the faithful continue to minister, we glimpse the coming reign of God in the midst of disorder and doubt.
Churches joined in the communion that is the Lutheran World Federation share a desire for deeper relationships with other Lutheran churches in order to strengthen one another in our common call to proclaim and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the Gospel message points us beyond ourselves. Our communion is the basis for wider relationships of dialogue and understanding, ecumenical and interfaith, in which we are challenged to reflect on our own convictions and to examine our prejudices.
In the field of ecumenical engagement, the harvest from such developments as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and the Anglican-Lutheran agreements in North America continues to enrich the whole ecumenical movement. Lutheran churches will be called in this new year to deepen and extend their ecumenical relationships, towards the goal of the visible unity of the Church.
With the world shaken by the ferocity of hatreds fanned by religious fundamentalism, interfaith dialogue has received a renewed focus and priority. In pursuing interfaith dialogue and relationships, we must ensure that we are motivated by the quest for mutual understanding among God's peoples, rather than by narrow political objectives. Lutheran churches have much to resolve in our own traditions concerning relations with peoples of other faiths, as well as much to contribute in the search for interfaith understanding.
In an era of globalization, in which communities are fragmented at the same time as the globe becomes ever smaller, our communion is a gift with a potential not yet fully realized for responding to the challenges of our times. In the face of the obvious inequities and injustices of economic globalization, we are empowered to respond as a communion in which both 'winners' and 'losers' in the global marketplace are brought together around the Lord's table.
In our reaction to the growing HIV/AIDS pandemic, we are reminded of the fundamental calling of the Church - to compassion, consolation and acceptance, rather than to judgmentalism, exclusion, and denial. We are challenged to be true witnesses to God's love, in a time of HIV/AIDS.
I give thanks to God for all the children, women and men around the world who witness daily to the biblical vision of justice, compassion, peace and equality. They are God's prophets among us. I pray that the year 2002 will bring increasing clarity to this vision and progress towards its fulfillment, and that we may all be strengthened with the Spirit of God to respond in faith to the trials - and to the joys - that this new year will bring.
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