I don’t remember where I was at the announcement of any previous Pope. I can recall where I was when Neil Armstrong stepped onto on the moon. I can recall where I was when 9/11 was happening. And now I can recall where I was when Pope Leo XIV was elected and came out onto the balcony at St Peter’s in Rome … at the Churches Together in England Enabling Group (think ‘Synod’) meeting sitting next to the Roman Catholic representative in a room of about 50 people from many of the churches and ecumenical groups in England! He was so excited when the white smoke appeared and all our screens in the room were switched to the BBC to await who was elected. We were in the middle of presentations on how the Council of Nicaea was known in various church traditions and what it means for them today. The moment, the meeting, the topic seemed very ‘church’.

And then Pope Leo XIV appeared and the nationalities were announced – American and Peruvian – and the Roman Catholic representative was astonished, excited, joyful all at once – he didn’t see this coming – and the rest of us were wondering what’s going to happen next?! 🙂

So what will happen next?

That question is asked whenever there are changes in the Church. The question presupposes and reveals the essence of the Church, what is important, and what it is unique in the Church in this world. What does the Church do that is not done by anyone else?

There is nothing in the world and the world has no reason to proclaim God in Christ and his cross and the forgiveness and new life achieved for all sinners. The work of the Church – the power of the keys – the task of the ordained ministry is a power or command of God to publicly preach Law and Gospel, to remit and retain sins, and to administer the Sacraments. It is the task of the disciples of Jesus to live in this forgiveness, to trust Jesus, to forgive, and to follow Jesus seeking to serve others in their daily life. If the Church does not do this work, it is not done. And the core for Lutherans is God’s justification of the ungodly through Jesus’ cross which is received through faith and lived out in this world never perfectly while we can still be clear about the message.

We do not live in the 1^st century Church with the apostles or the 16^th century Church with Lutheran reformers and the denominational landscape is very different today. Indeed Pope Leo XIV is the 267^th pope! Our world is very different to those centuries as well. And yet human beings still need God in Jesus Christ and the message of Jesus’ cross is the most important news we’ll ever hear and discipleship with Jesus is the best lifestyle we’ll ever live. We can hope and pray that Pope Leo XIV will point the world to Christ alone, grace alone, and faith alone – as do all followers of Jesus. And may we all live securely in God’s forgiveness seeking to serve those whom God places around us.

GS