ELCJHL pastors gathered with their families in Aqaba, Jordan, for a retreat to begin the New Year. It was a rare opportunity to be together in fellowship, prayer and study. They focused on:
No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous! Joshua 1:5-6a
They reflected on the meaning of our baptism into the Body of Christ and the tension it calls us into. Our belief that God comes to us in a small baby in a manger, the mystery of the Incarnation, illustrates how the Christian journey asks us to live in contradiction to ordinary values. In our globalized, militarized world, God calls us to find our strength in weakness and true power in vulnerability and compassion.