March 18, 2011
Dear brothers in Christ,
I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the source of all hope for our world. Following to the letter of the Deputy General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Chandran Paul Martin written on my behalf during my absence from the Communion Office in Geneva, I want to follow up with a letter of my own, in order to express my solidarity with the people of Japan, and particularly with the leaders and members of our member churches in Japan. We are constantly following the news, sharing with you the days of confusion and despair, but also joining you in prayers to God so that serenity remains in your hearts and minds, hope invigorates daily life and love to the suffering neighbor flows as a gift of God.
Rev. Dr. Chandran P. Martin has been in touch with all of you, and he will continue doing so during the following days. Please understand his contacts with you as the tangible expression of a global communion of 145 member churches around the world that stands with you, prays for you and is in solidarity with you.
In his dialogues with you, we have been offering the possibility of an emergency advisor to assist you as you discern and prepare yourself for the response that churches may be able to give to the current situation. I am sure that from the distance we can hardly realize the nature of the pastoral and diaconal challenges emerging for your churches. At the same time, we are convinced that the response that a given church may be able to deliver doesn’t necessarily relate to its size, or its strength. In this respect, I pray that our Lord may show you the way of what is there for you today, and how to be a sign of hope and life for the people that you may be able to reach and touch. I was very moved to see pictures in one of your emails today showing how the churches are making space to people in their facilities. This apparently so simple action is of deep diaconal meaning, and reveals how deep the seed of the word has taken root in the life of your churches. I give thanks to God for it!
Please understand the presence of the LWF emergency advisor as a further expression of the LWF’s concern and care for you and your ministry in these difficult times. He is there to assist, to advise and to offer his experience, building on what you are as a church and you do already. Let me assure you of my daily prayers for you, as well as of our thorough follow up on the situation in Japan as it continues evolving.
In Jesus Christ,
Rev. Martin Junge
General Secretary
Lutheran World Federation
