Our thanks to a subscriber who emailed me, asking for information about where to buy the Art’s book. What poor marketing we have done thus far! To purchase the book, click here.
With this post, Kent and I begin a series reviewing a new book, Ever to Emmaus: A Theological Memoir, by our friend Arthur Just, Professor of New Testament at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Since Art graciously wrote one of the forewords to our book, Journey to Jesus, we’re delighted to be able to thank him by featuring this newly published work.
The opening words of the Prologue – “The room was large and the sherry was dry” – immediately drew me into Art’s story. The Prologue, the story of his doctoral dissertation (Luke’s Gospel through the lens of the Emmaus account), sets the stage for the theme of the book. His dissertation advisor declared, “Emmaus is a story that will serve you until you close your eyes in death. You will always be ‘Ever to Emmaus’” (xxiv).
Part I is titled “A Story of Pilgrimage,” and each of the five chapters has a pilgrimage theme. In the opening chapter Art joins his story to that of all Christians, declaring that “we are always on pilgrimage to Emmaus for hearts to burn and eyes to be opened in the breaking of the bread” (12). Although autobiographical and conversational in tone, he closes the first chapter as a good academic, stating that he “will argue that a postmodern church will look like a premodern church, and that means that ‘tradition’ must be either reinvented or restored as a way forward for the generation of my children and grandchildren” (14).
Chapter 2, cleverly titled “A Just Conversion,” chronicles his early years through the lens of his spiritual “pilgrimage” that led to embracing his calling to pastoral ministry. Art claims that a key to this “conversion” for him was an inner dialogue akin to Mary’s “pondering” after the Annunciation and what Paul likely experienced for the three days in Damacus before Annanias restored his sight. His musing – “One wonders how, in the process of evangelization, we could be more intentional in directing the inner conversation of those who are bit by the Gospel and are seeking His face always” (37) – struck a chord with me, because, like Art, I am deeply immersed in such questions relating to the adult catechumenate.
In Chapter 3, “The Camino,” Art recounts walking the full 500-mile medieval pilgrimage route through France and Spain at age 55 with his 19-year-old son (who often trekked ahead of his father to secure prime space at the pilgrimage hostel and to scope out dinner options). He concludes the chapter not at the end point, Santiago de Compostela, but at a stop only a third of the way on the route, with a description of the Mass (and details of the priest’s homily) in the small but beautiful church in San Juan de Ortega attended by locals and pilgrims alike. He writes:
As a priest in the parish for twenty-five years, he had seen countless pilgrims walking the Camino for all kinds of reasons. But he believed, deep down, that we were all walking this road for one reason and one reason alone—we were searching for our home, and perhaps, perhaps, on these paths we would find it in Christ, and that when we arrived in Santiago, we might know where our true home is (61).
With “Novel Theology,” Art uses his knowledge of literature (his undergraduate major was a History-English) to expound on “the Lutheran distinction between law and gospel that is … fundamental to the biblical narrative” and is present, according to Just, in two novels, The Great Gatsby and A Prayer for Owen Meany. I commend this chapter to English majors and lovers of literature.
The final chapter in part one, “Old School: Hemingway and the Prodigal,” reveals Art as simultaneously a literary critic and caring pastor whose empathetic listening to parishioners is informed by the suffering of the literary characters he has analyzed. I close with these words (next to which I made a large star in the margin):
The circumstances of life can overwhelm the saints in our congregations, but with good pastoral care, good preaching, our people will come back to Christ by a pastor who connects their sufferings to the sufferings of Christ, especially through the Eucharist, so that they may say with Paul, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). (103, emphasis added.)
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Banner image: Jesus and the two disciples On the Road to Emmaus, by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319); Altarpiece of Siena Cathedral, reverse side, main register with scenes from the Passion of Christ; scenes: Christ appears to two pilgrim apostles at Emmaus.
Rhoda’s First Adventure at a Lutheran Camp – Part 3
This will be my final installment of my first experience at a Lutheran camp (as the keynote speaker at the LCMS Northwest District Youth and Family Ministry Conference, held at Camp Lutherhaven, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho). My apologies to CAMP LUTHERHAVEN! I have been using the wrong name for the camp, but corrections have been made on the previous blog posts.
The video, below, is a quick look at the Dexterity Competition, another event at the “Name the Gift Olympics.” This Olympic event was based on chapter 7 of Journey to Jesus, “The Path to Conversion: Belonging, Believing, Behaving.” For the Dexterity Olympic event, participants had to flip the two upside down cups upright and then fill both with water (another baptismal allusion). One of the two cups had the words (from top to bottom) “belonging, behaving, believing” written on the side (see the featured image, above). The “inversion” indicates one of the major research findings Kent and I discussed in chapter 7. Here’s the relevant excerpt from our book:
[Diana Butler] Bass asserts [in Christianity after Religion] that, at least since the Reformation, Western Christianity has followed this sequence: belief, then behavior, “and finally belonging, . . . [a] pattern [that Protestants and Catholics] turned into rituals of catechism, character formation, and Confirmation.” Her assessment rings true to us, based on the historical evidence and on our personal experiences as “cradle Lutherans” in the LCMS, where full membership was attained through the rite of confirmation, which was also the gateway to the Lord’s Supper (when one truly “belonged”) and the point at which the newly confirmed received contribution envelopes. Based on our research, we find compelling Bass’s assessment that our contemporary context calls for a reshuffling of the BEs, one that moves belonging to earlier stages of the process, for in three of our four case studies belonging is the dominant theme in participant interviews.
Worth repeating here is the wisdom of Pastor Bruzek: “When I was young, we used to ask people what they thought [or perhaps, believed]; now people ask, ‘How do you feel?’” In answer to that question, people today respond that they feel “empty, lost, broken, listless, betrayed, miserable, angry, loveless, afraid, victimized, alienated, oppressed, in despair”—all of which can be compressed into the statement “I feel alone and unloved.” … That so many of those interviewed in our research used language of belonging persuades us that social disconnection and loneliness are the spiritual crises of today that the church is called to address (Journey to Jesus, 124-25).
Just as it was a challenge to invert the cups in this event, it’s challenging to think about reordering what we have done for scores of years. We do point out that it’s less about reordering—each of the three BEs is essential to the process of faith formation—and more about a matter of emphasis.
Our research reveals a predominance of “belonging” language from those interviewed at St. Mary’s, Redeemer, and St. John; at Living Faith, “believing” was the dominant theme. A deeper analysis of the data uncovers the presence of all three BEs in all four congregations in varying degrees and emphases. But rather than a clear succession of formation and incorporation into the life of the church one B-word at a time, the interviews disclose a simultaneity of belonging, believing, and behaving within the stages of the formation process. By exploring this simultaneity along with the “dominant” BE-language in each congregation, we hope to awaken readers to the creative possibilities inherent in an adult faith formation process in their contexts (Journey to Jesus, 126).
Rhoda’s First Adventure at a Lutheran Camp – Part 2
Yes, my first experience at a Lutheran camp (as the keynote speaker at the LCMS Northwest District Youth and Family Ministry Conference, held at Camp Lutherhaven, Idaho) was so enriching that I’m sharing a second installment. The opening worship included a rite of thanksgiving for baptism, spoken as water was poured from a pitcher into the font (a large salad bowl borrowed from the camp kitchen, as was the pitcher). In my first address the next morning, I spoke of the process of baptismal living as the primary way in which we as Christians are “formed” to be Christ for others in ministry, linking the ritual we had experienced in worship to our transformation through baptism. I had also provided a pithy definition of ritual as actions that are repeated, communal, and symbolic, assigning “homework” to the group that asked them to reflect on ritual in family or civic life that met the definition.
Lest all this talking of talks makes the conference sound too heady and boring, the planning committee had carefully scheduled a series of “Get Connected” activities. From my perspective as the keynote speaker, the loveliest aspect of Name the Gift Olympics was the way in which the planning committee tied the individual events into the program theme of “Formed.”
On the second full day of the conference, one of those activities was called “Name the Gift Olympics.” The conference attendees were divided into teams, and individual members of each team competed in events based on different gifts and skills. The baptismal theme was clear in the “Strongest” competition (photo, right). Each team member held a pitcher of water with arm outstretched for as long as possible. Gradually, one guy after another set his pitcher on the floor until Cody and Matt were the final two. Cody (left) stared down Matt until his arm failed.
When it was time for the “Smartest” competition, the “smartest” member of each team was given a piece of paper and instructed to unscramble three words—with a clue that they had heard these words in one of my keynote addresses. The winner was Jackie Druckhammer, who may have had an edge over the others, since she was a former student who had heard me lecture on the components of a ritual in an Honors class. Jackie (left in the photo, CSP ’14) is holding the scrambled letters; Alanna Davis (another former CSP student, ’16) was the team member who delivered the correct words to the judge. See the photos, below for details.
What a joy it was to experience the ways that the planning committee reinforced the conference theme and important content from my keynote addresses through the frivolity of the “Get Connected” fun. Thanks be to God for these faithful servants of Christ, formed for ministry among God’s people!
Last month I (Rhoda) had the privilege and joy of serving as the keynote speaker at the LCMS Northwest District Youth and Family Ministry Conference, held at Camp Lutherhaven in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The theme of the conference, “Formed,” was a great opportunity to introduce some of the resources Kent and I have promoted through this website and our book, Journey to Jesus. For two of the sessions, the whole group (about 50 people) practiced the African Scripture Reflection Method and Luther’s Four-Strand Garland Scripture Reflection. I also facilitated a breakout session for those interested in the Visualization Method. Three people attended: DCE Scott Thurman (St. John Lutheran Church, Vancouver, WA), Deaconess Amanda Mumm (Immanuel Lutheran Church, Twin Falls, ID), and DCE Ethan Mirly (St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK).
At our next plenary gathering, the three reported to the whole group what the process was like and presented their end “product,” a haiku poem based on the biblical text they had heard and discussed. Scott kindly wrote this narrative of their creative process.
I was so amazed by the workshop breakout session entitled Visualizing Scripture. I worked with two other individuals, Amanda and Ethan, and we confronted the text involving Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. After reading it several times we shared important takeaways from this story. Each of us was experiencing the passage from different angles, and I was so impressed with the way our group shared things that stood out; images that caught our attention. After we shared and listened to each other, we began to imagine how we might present discoveries and excitement. At first, we were reaching far and wide, making connections with Old Testament and New Testament passages. But Dr. Schuler gently encouraged us to narrow our focus and to pay attention to strong motifs. Hands, feet, towel, water, baptism. After some struggle to distill our thoughts, we fashioned our ideas into a haiku. From 45 minutes of great discussion and shared insights, three short lines, a handful of words and syllables, emerged. In a haiku every word counts, and we took some time shaping and clarifying our poem. The learning from each of us felt meaningful, and we had grown closer through the process.
Here’s their haiku. Click on the image to watch it; Scott is in the middle.
By reflecting on the process, he named the strengths of this method. First, it deepens the meaning of the particular Scripture passage for the participants, forming their faith in Christ; and second, it forms the participates into community. Scott wrote:
Although the presentation of the poem took just seconds to share, we all felt that the time spent would last for a very long time. In this process the audience takes in a “product or presentation” that they did not have a hand in shaping. They may receive it and it does not have nearly the impact it had on each of us who created it. Their reaction, somewhat subdued, was not a measure of the experience we had as a team. In debriefing the presentation afterwards, it became clear to my colleagues and me that we had gained so much more from the process, and that the learning was much deeper and more significant for us. We realized that regardless of how seemingly simple our creation of a haiku was, what we created had a lasting impact. The joy and blessing in our discussion and the listening to one another had built friendships.
The author of Hebrews, alluding to the account in Genesis 18 of the three men/angels/the Lord visiting Abraham and Sarah, wrote,
“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb 13:1-2).
Shortly after returning home from the Best Practices Ministry 2026, all the attendees (I assume) received an email from Jeff Schrank, pastor of Christ Lutheran in Phoenix, which hosts the conference. Jeff wrote:
“Would you please be willing to reflect upon how this event impacts you, your team, your church? I will share these thoughts with the congregation and the army of volunteers that wanted to encourage you last week.”
Here, Jeff, is my response to your email. This year was my third time attending BPM, and what amazed me that first year continues to blow me away, namely the astonishing love and hospitality of the people of Christ Church, especially those who serve behind the scenes. This year was the first time I was able to thank in person the women who clean and replenish the restrooms during sessions. In all my restroom breaks at BPM I have never encountered an empty paper towel or soap dispenser, trash on the floor, an unflushed, dirty toilet, or (most amazingly) a stall lacking toilet paper. To walk into fully stocked, clean restrooms at all times and in all places (on the church/school campus) is no small thing; it is emblematic of the beautiful hospitality that is a hallmark of BPM. And hospitality, while it may not be among the fruits of the Spirit, is a concrete way of expressing the love of Christ for all.
This year was also the first time I had occasion to speak with one of the hundreds of volunteers (pictured here) who make attending BPM an extraordinary experience of love and hospitality. Since I have forgotten her name, I’ll call her Grace. She was cleaning the tables outside the entrance to the building where the meals were served and took time to share with me that the people of Christ Lutheran consider it an honor and joy to serve in any way, even the lowliest of tasks. Grace used to be on restroom duty and was a bit miffed to have been transferred to the more public task of table wiping! That she and others did this service without seeking honor or praise for their work was clear; they were motivated by the love of Christ for them and their desire to provide a few days of encouragement, community, and respite for professional and lay workers in God’s Kingdom.
The author of Hebrews is not the only New Testament writer who exhorts Christians to practice hospitality and to pair this virtue with love; no less that Peter and Paul did so as well.
The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received (1 Peter 4:7-11).
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers (Romans 12:9-13).
Thanks be to God for the love and hospitality of all at Christ Church Lutheran!
I, Rhoda, also had the joy of presenting at a breakout session at Best Practices Ministry last week. After a brief presentation that began with the “grim statistics” of the decline in church membership in recent decades, moved to the need for adult faith formation, and zipped through a quick summary of the stages of the adult catechumenate, my formal presentation ended with brief descriptions of three models for small group reflection on Scripture. Common to all three is use of the Gospel texts from the three-year lectionary. The focus on Gospel readings in these small groups introduces those unfamiliar with the Bible to the person of Jesus – not doctrines or teachings about Jesus – but the stories of Jesus, what he said and did. One resource on the adult catechumenate, describing the African method, says, “this method turns Bible study away from the intellectual pursuit of knowledge about the text toward an attitude of listening to what God is saying through the text” (Go Make Disciples, 140).
After my introductory presentation, we broke up into small groups that experienced the three models, led by three of my former students, all serving as Directors of Christian Education in parishes. The joy I felt observing these young women leading the small groups with a gentle but firm hand, with the skill of servant leadership, and with empathy as participants shared their reactions to the text was overwhelming — so much so, that I completely forgot to take photos of them; but I found these on their church’s websites.
Thanks be to God for these women and their service to the church!
Alanna Davis CSP ’16 Epiphany Lutheran Church Kenmore, WA
Jackie Druckhammer CSP ’14 St. John Lutheran Church Vancouver, WA
Heather McCormick CSP ’14 Faith Lutheran Church Topeka, KS
On Thursday at the Best Practices in Ministry Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Kent’s breakout session room was full of pastors, musicians, and other church professionals to hear his presentation—I counted 70 people. Everyone was engaged as he presented, and the questions and discussion were lively.
I had the joy of reconnecting with a number of CSP alum and former students. I’m pictured here with Pastor Ryan Barnett. I was his third favorite CSP theology professor, after Dr. David Lumpp and “the other” Dr. [Mark] Schuler. But he did purchase a couple of our book, Journey to Jesus, which will be signed by both Kent and me!
Kent and Rhoda will both be presenting at Best Practices in Ministry, “a conference hosted by Christ Church Lutheran [in Phoenix, Arizona]. For over 10 years we have offered this FREE conference to remind professional and lay church workers that you are loved, you are not alone, and you matter. And when we say free, we truly mean that: free meals, free shuttling, free speakers, free snacks, free activities, free registration.” For any of our readers who will be with us in Phoenix next week, here are the details about our respective breakout sessions.
Luther’s Contemporary Worship: Worship that is Always of, by, and for Faith, by Kent Burreson, will explore how Luther’s vision of the church’s worship life was always contemporary: oriented toward birthing, strengthening, and nurturing the baptismal life of faithful trust in God the Father here and now. For Luther, worship’s contemporaneity always entailed freedom and responsibility, freedom to create new rituals that nurtured faith and responsibility to the church’s ritual tradition, filled with elements that continued to nurture faith. Through Luther’s own words we will construct a dialogue that seeks to bridge the various approaches to worship within the LCMS and the church at-large. Thursday, February 12, 3:00 – 4:30 pm
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Searching the Scriptures, Discovering Jesus: Small group Scripture reflection tools for both seekers and disciples, by Rhoda Schuler, begins with a presentation on the four stages of an adult catechumenal process and the central role of small group reflection on Scripture (especially the four Gospels) in that process, before moving into experiential learning for participants. Attendees at the session will be placed into small groups and put into practice three distinctive Scripture reflection tools: 1) the aural or African method; 2) Luther’s four-strand garland; 3) the visualization method. Participants will reflect on their small group experiences with whole group; discussion will focus on the three Scripture reflection tools in relation to the stages of the adult catechumenate and on assessing each one’s potential use in participants’ ministry contexts. Friday, February 13, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
We look forward to connecting with new people and reconnecting with friends and colleagues at this conference, and we pray that our presentations with inspire others to faithful service to Christ, church, and the world.
Since both Kent and I are alumni of Valparaiso University, we wish to remind our readers that the early-bird registration for the Institute of Liturgical Studies at VU ends on January 31. To save $100 on the registration cost, click here by Saturday, January 31. The Institute meets April 13 – 15, 2026. It’s a great post-Holy Week retreat for pastors and musicians.
In April and May 2025, an ecumenical seminar was convened for the second time in Assisi, Italy. They met under the banner of The Feast of Creation and the Mystery of Creation: Ecumenism, Theology, Liturgy, and Signs of the Times in Dialogue to continue a conversation begun a year earlier.Organized by the Laudato Sì Research Institute of the Roman Catholic Church in partnership with the Anglican Communion, Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Council of Churches, and the World Methodist Council, the seminar met to examine the history of Christian engagement with the creation story, described in the book of Genesis, in the context of the growing climate justice movement. They developed a proposal that a creation season be incorporated into the liturgical calendar to run from A Feast of Creation on September 1 through to October 4, the Commemoration of Francis of Assisi. The 77th meeting of the Institute of Liturgical Studies will consider the possibilities of such a festival and season. We will reflect on creation, incarnation, and Jesus’s death and resurrection, all received by us through the created materiality of our sacramental life together. Furthermore, we will examine how petroleum culture has influenced our sacramental life and begin to envision ways to counter its impact. A model lectionary will be used, and sample liturgies will be celebrated. Join us April 13 – 15, 2026, for The Feast of Creation—liturgy as creation groans.
Click here for details about the program, schedule, plenaries, and workshops.
