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“The call of God to us is not simply to feed the hungry but to ‘repair the breaches,’ to be a part of God’s holy work in the world.” With these words, Bishop Peter Rogness ended the first of a two-part Bible study with the assembly. “Repairing the breaches” comes from Isaiah 58:12 as a promise of God’s presence and work through God’s people. Rogness, in addition to being bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod of the ELCA, has long been involved in ecumenical efforts to overcome poverty. He is the author of A Common Foundation: Shared Principles for Overcoming Poverty, signed by more than 30 religious leaders around Minnesota. The document outlines the principles shared by all faith communities in walking with those living in poverty. It also shapes the synod’s ecumenical efforts to end poverty. Before beginning the study itself, Bishop Rogness laid some foundations for how the study would proceed. He presented the assembly with four principles, or approaches, to the scriptures: hearing it devotionally, understanding it historically, evaluating it as literature, and reading it through a Lutheran lens. After reading the passage from Isaiah 58, Rogness invited the participants to take a few minutes to jot thoughts about these four aspects and then gather in small groups to share their insights. Judging from the conversation in the assembly hall, the members fully engaged in the process and benefited greatly from the dialogue. The study continued Saturday but already the participants had a solid foundation for their work, “A Synod at Table with the Hungry.”
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