Beloved in Christ, Southern California has always been the home of people from all over the world. Migrants strengthen our communities and our churches. As the Trump administration begins to endanger the livelihoods and families of so many migrants, I pledge my support for all of God's children. Our churches are places of worship, faithfulness and community, and we are glad you are here. We understand our churches can offer spiritual care and support your efforts for employment, legal status and safety for your families. We stand with you.

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs to deep for words.” (Romans 8:26) Most beloved in Christ, Grace and peace to you in this time of great loss and strength. God is with us, in each of our situations, from those who are safe and unaffected to the homeless and grieving. My prayer is we lean into God’s grace and wonder in these times and that all of us may be made whole in Jesus’ name. The wildfires which devastated multiple communities in Southern California have impacted thousands of us. We know God calls us to care for each other, even people we do not know, in times of need. The Southwest California Synod is being called to care for victims of the wildfire in intentional, thoughtful ways. In response to the wildfires, our synod is working closely with Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Social Services of Southern California. We are also creating our own synod disaster response team and hiring a disaster response coordinator. This person will match needs with ways to assist, be that with designated funds, volunteers or resources. I, myself, am taking a leave of absence for at least a month to grieve, heal and deal with the myriad new questions and needs in my life. I will be well in God’s care, and also in the confidence that we have so many talented and committed people, on our staff, in our synod council, in our congregations and within our partner organizations. I will pray for you while I am away from my office, and I ask for your prayers as well. People will require care for many years to come. We are not daunted by this task, as we cling to God’s promises to strengthen and inspire us. Indeed, people of faith can bring a unique compassion and understanding to the needs of our communities.

You may think this is a silly question. Isn’t God the same to a Southern California Lutheran as God is to a Tibetan monk as God is to a Gazan refugee? In some ways, yes, of course. God is constant and dependable. But in other ways, God is dynamic, always moving, just like God was at the beginning of the world – hovering over the formless void, willing a universe (or many universes) into being. And God has been revealed to Christians through Jesus Christ, to Jewish nation through Torah, to Muslims through Mohammed… there are myriad ways God has revealed Godself. This makes God unknowable, which is a confounding and fascinating truth of God. I think about my marriage and my family. I will be learning about who my wife is, who my child is, who my granddaughter is, forever. I will also be learning about myself forever. Wouldn’t the same be true about God and God’s revelations to us? Systematic theologians are people who realize our entire worldview is shaped “systematically” by who we understand God to be. Is God the loving, powerful creator of us all? Or is God like a watchmaker who set the cosmos in motion and walked away? Is God a trickster? A punisher? A redeemer? We know people feel all kinds of ways about God, including ignoring, not believing in or hating God. Whether or not they choose to acknowledge it, taking any of these stances about God shapes how they feel about nature, or people, or justice or health. I do not mean to say an atheist does not care about nature, the opposite is frequently true. What I mean is how people will approach life and life’s challenges differently based on how they think God is engaging life and life’s challenges. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has come into the news in the past few weeks because the presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, is an ELCA Lutheran. Some people are asking “What’s a Lutheran?” Others are wondering about Governor Walz’ military service, school record, and decisions as a governor based on their perception of what a Lutheran Christian is. Some believe his service reflects his devotion to God in a Lutheran flavor, others are mocking his faith in a liberal denomination. I do not write to talk about Governor Walz. Let the two presidential candidates and their running mates run their own campaign and answer for their actions and proposed policies. I write to talk about God, and how we perceive God as ELCA Lutherans in Southern California. Lutherans believe God is the Source of Life, the creator of the universe. We believe the Bible’s teachings, although we do not expound a literal interpretation of scripture. This does not mean we throw out scriptures, it means we read them critically, with reason and intelligence, and wonder what God’s revelation is for us in this time and place. We believe the Word of God is relevant today, instructing us on who God is, and how we are to act. We profess in the words of the Apostle’s Creed that God is almighty, and deeply engaged, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, in human activity and the church. Jesus “will come to judge the living and the dead,” so we do not believe God just set us in motion and said, “Good luck with that!” We are held to a standard of love and forgiveness and service. But we do not do these things to impress God and stay in God’s grace. God is the one who has brought us eternal life, forgiveness, reconciliation, not us or our actions. As Gerhard Forde said, (paraphrased) “What will you do with your life once you realize you do not have to spend any time working on your salvation?” The answer, in my mind, is we can now spend our time loving God’s people and God’s planet. As the nation careens toward a presidential election in just under two months, I have been praying a lot about how a person of faith should live in these times. Our national laws prohibit preachers from endorsing candidates from the pulpit, so what can Christians do, if we aren’t telling people who to vote for and why? (That’s meant as something of a joke, but seriously, what are we to do?) As Lutherans, we take our dual citizenship in the kingdom of God and the kingdom of earth seriously. We know we belong to God our Creator, and answer to His authority. But our founder, Martin Luther, and our Savior, Jesus before him, were clear that we “give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s,” which I interpret to mean we must live in the world, and its trappings, while also answering to our call as God’s people. One of the most confounding things, in my mind, is the various ways Christians express their faith. Some Christians are judgmental, demanding and rigid. Others are free-flowing and permissive. I realize one of the key things we must determine, as people who follow Jesus, is what do we mean when we say we are Christian? Who is Jesus to us? Who is God? What is the church? Sure, these are lofty questions, but I think in these difficult times, when each of us must determine what we believe and where we stand on issues, we need to do something of a systematic theology “check-in”. What is systematic theology? It’s a way of understanding how you view the world, how you act, what you think of yourself and others, and the cosmos, is based on what you think of God. If you believe God is judgmental and angry, you likely live in fear or retaliation or judgment. If you believe God is loving and reconciling, you likely live seeking healthy relationship. And how you think about God shapes how you think about Jesus and the Holy Spirit and sin and the church and the world. It’s not quite that obvious, but who we think God is determines just about everything about the way we act. I do not mean to say you must believe in God to be deeply ethical and loving: many atheists are selfless and kind. What I mean is how people will approach life and life’s challenges differently based on how they think God is engaging life and life’s challenges.

God’s grace and peace to you all, I have been named to the ELCA Human Sexuality Social Statement Reconsiderations Task Force. This task force was mandated by the 2022 Churchwide assembly, with a call to reconsider our 2009 Social Statement on Human Sexuality. That statement redefined the ELCA’s understanding of human sexuality, including allowing for the ordination of LGBTQ persons. In 2009, a key piece of our statement was to hold four different ideas of “bound conscience,” that is, the way a congregation understands Biblical teaching on homosexuality, and how the congregation lives out that understanding. These stances range from full acceptance and celebration of LGBTQ persons to condemnation of any sexual acts outside of heterosexual marriage. Any of the four stances are acceptable in an ELCA congregation. This task force has two separate tasks. In the first task, we are to make editorial changes to the 2009 statement, to bring its language up to date with legal language about marriage found in our federal government laws. These editorial changes will come to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly for approval. The second point of business is to reconsider the social statement in its entirety for the 2028 Churchwide Assembly. This reconsideration may or may not alter the ELCA’s understanding of human sexuality. Social statements are created after extensive study and inquiry with various groups of people throughout the denomination. The task force does not make these statements from their own wisdom, but rather from the wisdom of people in the pews and pulpits. Any reconsideration would come before the 2028 Churchwide Assembly and must pass by a 2/3 vote. It is important for everyone to understand: this denomination is not going to insist on rostered leaders or congregations performing same-gender marriages in the coming months or even years. I know there is a rumor that the ELCA is just about to make this change. That is simply not the case. There will be no policy changes for at least four years, and even then, we do not know where the Spirit will lead us, as a task force, or as a denomination. The most painful part of this work is knowing in 2009, with the welcome of LGBTQ, many people felt this church was no longer for them. Other people, LGBTQ folks and their allies, celebrated that this church had finally made a place for them. Obviously, the 2009 decision made it possible for me to be ordained and to become bishop. I have very strong and happy feelings about this decision, but I know it came with a lot of struggle and many relationships were broken by this process. No matter what, I ask for this church to stand against hate of any kind. The world is suffering from so much discord and violence. I believe the church has a unique and critical role in speaking for love and justice in this time. I will work for a loving process on this task force. There are a lot of questions about what this task force is called to do. Many of your questions may be answered here. Please pray for the work of the church, on this task force and so many others who are trying to create the church of the future. Bishop Brenda Bos

Dear ones, I am writing in response to our nation’s elections more than two weeks after the votes were cast. I am confused, exhausted, unsure how to lead. And then it occurred to me: this “not knowing” is exactly the place God invites us to. II Corinthians 9 tells us God promised, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” and later Paul admits, “When I am weak, then I am strong,” (II Corinthians 9). It seems to me the problem in American politics is we can never talk about weakness, except when mocking opponents. The world is filled with terrible strife and need, and each candidate must promise to have the answers in order to get elected. Of course people vote for that promise, in whatever package it is presented. What the 2024 election clarified for me is we simply cannot convince each other about anything. People on “the other side” think I’m crazy and dangerous, and the truth is, I often feel the same about people who vote for a different party than I do. I also think we struggle, as individuals and as the church, to know what are place in society is. Can one pastoral letter change Congress’ vote? No. Can I fret enough to sway an election? Clearly not. This does not mean I can advocate from being a religious leader; but it helps to know what my “lane” is. Bishop Dave Nagler of the Pacifica Synod says the nation is in spiritual crisis. I agree. We are not calling for the United States to become a Christian nation – I believe that is part of the problem – believing one religion has all the answers. But the soul of our country, our compassion, our generosity, our hope, hang in the balance. How shall we respond? Jesus drew us a picture of what the kin-dom of heaven looks like, filled with reversals of fortune and surprise endings and power being used in confounding ways. Why do we expect things to make sense when Jesus promised they wouldn’t? What is the church’s role today? The same it always was: care for the widow and orphan, feed the hungry, heal the sick. Visit those in prison, welcome the stranger. I’m not being political, I’m quoting scripture. The Bible never said, “Secure your borders, increase productivity and make sure you hoard wealth.” And look, I’m writing to the liberals as well as the conservatives here: we all hoard wealth, we all struggle with scarcity models, we are all afraid to lose too much. We all want power, and the church should be engaged in critiquing power and its use. Intolerance, both on the left and on the right, is the devil’s work. As soon as we decide our enemies are not really human, are sub-standard and impossible, we have lost any ability to move forward together. Putting up walls against enemies is the easy answer. The most vulnerable do need protection. I am not asking them to enter into the fray. But those of us with privilege and safety must engage deeper conversations to make life possible for those who do not have those rights. This is nuanced, complicated work. Jesus knew something about that, and I believe the Holy Spirit is poised to inspire us. Cruelty is unacceptable, in every situation. If President-elect Trump’s agenda moves forward, we will personally know people who are deported, or lose their marriage rights, or lose reproductive options. Our public lands will lose federal protections, our borders will be managed differently, international war and peace will shift. We need to be ready to respond, and most importantly, we need to be ready to care for those whose lives will be damaged or destroyed. We need to listen deeply to people who say they are suffering, even if we do not see it ourselves. Let’s listen when people complain about high prices and lost wages. Let’s listen when people worry about losing their marriage rights and risk deportation. Imagine that, listening and caring for all people, rather than just the ones we like. This is what it is to follow Jesus’ commandments. And here’s the really bold idea: let’s pray for our enemies. This is not weak – this is invoking the Holy Spirit to help us navigate our way forward. I know churches who prayed weekly for the president, until Kennedy was elected, or Nixon, or Clinton, or Trump. We seem to have missed the point: we are to pray for leaders, even if, maybe especially when, we consider them an enemy. We need divine help to heal our differences and stop hate. I’m not abdicating my responsibility to bring about change; I’m admitting we are going to need a spiritual revolution to get this done, and I for one have no idea how to do that, without spending enormous amounts of time in prayer and conversation. We need to stand in the midst of the chaos and understand it better. We also need to call out evil when we see it. But we must be willing to see evil in ourselves, beg God’s forgiveness, and be healed. I believe God will give us answers, if we ask the harder questions. Let’s not rush to feel better. Let’s sit in this difficult place of unrest and confusion, realize the Kin-dom of heaven is being birthed, and acknowledge this is exactly the place where God abides. Jesus told his disciples he was sending them out among wolves and commanded us to be crafty as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16) I think it’s time to take this commandment, along with love our neighbors as ourselves, very, very seriously. I will, and I ask God to help me.

“门徒忘记带饼，除了船上有一块饼，他们什么都没有……耶稣知道了，就对他们说，‘你们为什么谈论没有饼呢？你们还不明白吗？你们的心还是刚硬的吗？…你们不记得吗？我曾为五千人掰开五饼，你们收了多少篮子的零碎？’他们说，‘十二筐。’他又问，‘那为四千人掰开的七饼，你们收了多少篮子的零碎？’他们说，‘七筐。’然后他对他们说，‘你们还不明白吗？’ 马可福音 8:14-21 选段。 当我向你们致以复活节的问候时，你们可能会对这段经文感到困惑。通常情况下，主教的问候会庆祝空坟墓，宣扬复活的应许。而我现在却和饥肠辘辘的门徒困在船上，这又是怎么回事呢？ 今年当我思考复活节对我来说意味着什么时，这段经文就浮现在脑海里。我能理解门徒们的情况，他们虽然多次目睹耶稣行的神迹，却仍然怀疑他能否满足他们的需要。当然，门徒们后来成为了我们教会的支柱。正是他们的见证开启了基督教教会的时代。然而，在他们故事的这一刻，他们仍然是困惑的耶稣跟随者。尽管他们参与了五饼二鱼和七饼四鱼的神迹，他们仍然不信任耶稣能养活他们。 我写给你们当中的一些教会领袖。人们聆听你们传讲福音的见证。我们当中有些人正处于故事中困惑跟随耶稣的部分。我们已经在生活中见证过奇迹，但仍然怀疑耶稣。坦白地说，我也见过奇迹，但我仍然怀疑耶稣将来是否会帮助我，尽管他过去无数次帮助了我。所以，当我发现自己和这些门徒坐在同一条船上时，我关注的是他们的饥饿和怀疑，而不是他们将来会成为重要的教会领袖。今天他们饥肠辘辘，无法想象耶稣会帮助他们。 也许教会也处在同样的境地。 有许多理由感到恐惧。世界上的暴力令人震惊。战争仍在继续，恐怖分子袭击，枪支失控，电视上充斥着谩骂和嘲讽。教会衰落，我们的学校面临困境，我们的家庭难以维持完整。我们倾向于认为我们目前的处境是前所未有的糟糕。我们常常认为他今天就会停止关心我们，但我们用一生去见证上帝仍然是信实的。 随着我们进入复活节，我鼓励你们带着所有的疑虑来到耶稣面前。门徒们这样做了，耶稣仍然耐心相待。后来，耶稣派遣了圣灵，这显然是那些门徒完全信靠耶稣的唯一途径。只有在五旬节和圣灵降临之后，门徒们才能大胆地宣扬耶稣的救赎之道。 因此，教会现在处于故事的这一刻：钉十字架刚刚发生。复活已经发生，但没有人理解耶稣的能力。圣灵还没有降临，使其更加清晰。你在故事中找到自己了吗？充满希望，却又害怕？绝望，无法想象更美好的未来？饥肠辘辘，怀疑耶稣知道吗？ 我的朋友们，我也是如此。然后我回想耶稣在我生命中所做的一切。我拥抱圣灵，它在我生命中显然是活着的。同样的耶稣也在你的生命中，圣灵能够重新点燃你的信心和希望。 毫无疑问，这是艰难的时刻。但我们有耶稣与我们同在，他活着，充满力量，治愈，供养，爱护，关心。 要信靠这位耶稣，他多次与你同在，将来也会与你同在。耶稣还活着并渴望将你带到一个充满活力、充满信仰的生活中。哈利路亚！ 复活节祝福， 布伦达∙博斯主教 2024 年复活节

“Ahora los discípulos se habían olvidado de traer pan, y solo tenían un pan con ellos en el barco… Y al darse cuenta de esto, Jesús les dijo: ‘¿Por qué hablan de no tener pan? ¿Todavía no perciben ni entienden? ¿Tienen el corazón endurecido?... ¿No recuerdan? Cuando partí los cinco panes para los cinco mil, ¿cuántas canastas llenas de pedazos recogieron?’ Ellos le dijeron: ‘Doce’. Y los siete para los cuatro mil, ¿cuántas canastas llenas de pedazos recogieron?’ Y ellos le dijeron: ‘Siete’. Entonces él les dijo: ‘¿Todavía no entienden?’” Marcos 8:14-21, versículos seleccionados. Puede que estén confundidos al leer este texto mientras les envío saludos de Pascua. Por lo general, el saludo de un obispo celebra la tumba vacía y reclama la promesa de la resurrección. Y aquí estoy, atrapado en el barco con discípulos hambrientos. ¿Qué pasa? Cuando consideraba lo que significa la Pascua para mí este año, este pasaje vino a mi mente. Puedo identificarme con los discípulos que habían visto los milagros de Jesús repetidamente, pero aún dudaban de que pudiera satisfacer sus necesidades. Claro, los discípulos pasaron a ser los pilares de nuestra iglesia. Fue su testimonio el que dio inicio a la iglesia cristiana. Y sin embargo, en este momento de su historia, todavía son seguidores confundidos de Jesús. A pesar de que participaron en la alimentación de los 5000 y los 4000, aún no confiaban en que Jesús los alimentaría. Escribo a algunos de ustedes que son líderes en la iglesia. La gente escucha su testimonio del evangelio. Algunos de nosotros estamos en la parte de la historia donde somos seguidores confundidos de Jesús. Hemos visto cosas milagrosas en nuestras vidas, pero aún dudamos de Jesús. Permítanme ser honesta, he visto cosas milagrosas, y aún dudo de que Jesús vendrá en el futuro, a pesar de que ha venido innumerables veces en el pasado. Así que cuando me encuentro sentada en este barco, con estos discípulos, me centro en su hambre y duda, no en el hecho de que se convertirán en líderes importantes en la iglesia. Hoy tienen hambre y no pueden imaginar que Jesús vendrá en su ayuda. Quizás la iglesia se encuentra en la misma situación. Hay muchas razones para tener miedo. La violencia en el mundo es abrumadora. Las guerras continúan, los terroristas atacan, las armas están fuera de control, los abusos verbales y las burlas televisadas son constantes. La iglesia está en declive, nuestras escuelas sufren, nuestras familias luchan por mantenerse intactas. Tendemos a pensar que nuestra situación es la peor experiencia. Y frecuentemente creemos que Dios dejará de preocuparse hoy, después de toda una vida de pruebas de que Dios ha permanecido fiel. Al entrar en la temporada de Pascua, los animo a acudir a Jesús con todas sus dudas. Los discípulos lo hicieron, y Jesús permaneció paciente. Y más tarde, Jesús envió al Espíritu Santo, que, aparentemente, era la única forma en que aquellos discípulos llegarían a confiar plenamente en Jesús. Solo después de Pentecostés, y la aparición del Espíritu Santo, los discípulos pudieron proclamar audazmente el camino salvador de Jesús. Entonces, la iglesia se encuentra en este momento de la historia: la crucifixión acaba de ocurrir. La resurrección ha tenido lugar, pero nadie entiende de lo que Jesús es capaz de hacer. El Espíritu Santo aún no ha llegado para aclararlo. ¿Dónde se encuentran en la historia? ¿Lleno de esperanza, pero asustado? ¿Desesperado y no puedes imaginar un futuro más brillante? ¿Hambriento y dudando de que Jesús lo sepa? Mis amigos, yo también. Y luego recuerdo todo lo que Jesús ha hecho en mi vida. Y abrazo al Espíritu Santo, que está claramente vivo en mi vida. Ese mismo Jesús está en sus vidas, y el Espíritu Santo es capaz de avivar su fe y esperanza. Estos son tiempos difíciles, no puedo negarlo. Pero tenemos a Jesús con nosotros, vivo, poderoso, sanador, alimentador, amoroso, cuidador. Confiemos en ese Jesús, que ha estado junto a nosotros tantas veces, y estará en el futuro. Jesús está vivo, bien, y ansioso por llevarlos a una vida vibrante y llena de fe. ¡Aleluya! Bendiciones de Pascua, Obispo Brenda Bos Pascua 2024

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