Pastor Imhoff reflects on Dr. Diane Jacobson at 2007 Bishop’s Convocation

This is a reflection written by the Rev. Roger G. Imhoff Jr., former pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New Rochelle, N.Y., concerning Dr. Diane (Levy) Jacobson, keynote speaker at the 2007 Bishop’s Convocation at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Worcester. Dr. Jacobson is director of the ELCA’s new Book of Faith initiative designed to deepen and broaden Lutheran engagement with the Bible. Pr. Imhoff baptized Dr. Jacobson, a Jewish woman, at Holy Trinity. He is now retired and living in Great Barrington, Mass.

Pr. Imhoff read most of this address at the Bishop’s Convocation.

By the Rev. Roger G. Imhoff Jr.

I am overjoyed that I was one of the human instruments to have had a small part in the faith pilgrimage of Dr. Diane (Levy) Jacobson, baptizing her at a congregation of the Lutheran Church in America, in New Rochelle, N.Y., more than 31 years ago. I don’t pretend that I was the one who led her to Christ and the Gospel. I would suggest that the Holy Spirit used her husband Paul and Diane’s Lutheran pastor father-in-law, and many others for this purpose.

The context or setting for relating to the Jacobsons, and their two young sons, was a unique place affectionately called “HT” or Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, located in the New York City suburb of New Rochelle. It has been called the “Lutheran Vatican.” The old ULCA “Presiding President” (not bishop), Dr. Franklin Clark Fry, and others in high leadership positions in the national Lutheran church and synod, had been members. By the time I became pastor in 1970, Dr. Fry had died, as had others, and “the times they were a changing.”

The congregation was wonderfully racially integrated. When I left in January 1982, after 11 and one-half years, the membership was more than 40 percent African Americans, a little less than 60 percent European Americans, with a few Asians, Hispanics and one American Indian family.

Something unique for me was that NOT simply via affirmative action, but based on extraordinary talent, more than half a dozen young African American members enrolled at Harvard, Yale, MIT, Wellesley, Princeton, Cornell and other colleges.

There were about half a dozen Lutheran-Jewish households within our membership. And the congregation was a little like the United Nations, having members and a few friends of the parish born in the following countries: Argentina, Bermuda, Barbados, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, Denmark, England, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica West Indies, Japan, Norway, Panama, Sweden and the United States.

After the Jacobsons first visited our congregation, I called on them. What a stimulating conversation, as I recall. I think we talked about church in general, and Holy Trinity in particular; religious faith; marriage, family and divorce; politics, men’s and women’s issues, race relations, and what Union Seminary was all about – for Diane was enrolled there, enroute to her Ph.D.

TWO THINGS.

First, beyond that visit – after six months? One year? Two years? – Diane said something like “I want to become a Christian and I want you to baptize me.” I thought to myself (or may have said aloud), “You gotta be kidding. Do you know what you are getting yourself into? Not just the blessings of Christ and the Christian faith, but a tradition, which unfortunately, has been marred by some Lutherans given to anti-Semitism at various times?” Of course, this is something about which Diane may have known more than I. Also, I don’t know if we discussed it, but I thought it – “What about your own Jewish family’s thoughts?” Diane had considered everything, and so, on the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 18, 1976, I baptized Diane and her two young sons, Nathaniel and Benjamin.

As to Diane’s personal faith journey or pilgrimage, you need to ask her about that. But I am happy and proud (if a Lutheran can be proud) that one of the hymns during her baptism service was LBW #188 I Bind Unto Myself Today. The first two verses read:

“I bind unto myself today The strong name of the Trinity

By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever, By pow’r of faith,

Christ’s incarnation, His baptism in the Jordan River,

His cross of death for my salvation, His bursting from the spiced tomb,

His riding up the heav’nly way, His coming at the day of doom,

I bind unto myself today.”

THE SECOND THING… something I did not recall hearing from prospective members very often; I believe Paul and Diane said, “We want to join your church because we think you might need us, and we think we can make some special contributions.” WOW. This was not hubris, but a genuine appraisal of how they might join us and minister via our church. Have you such members? Paul and Diane contributed mightily, in many ways, beyond financial offerings.

Paul contributed excellent volunteer musical offerings on the organ and recorder; Diane contributed via insightful – up-to-date – adult bible studies for us on Sunday mornings. Paul and Diane helped with vacation bible school, gave temple talks regarding education and stewardship, helped in planning worship with regard to various liturgical seasons and services, AND in so many other ways. Also, they joined me and others in promoting use of the new LBW and in beginning to have the Eucharist every Sunday. To my knowledge, our congregation was the first in Westchester County, N.Y., to have instituted weekly Holy Communion. Beyond this, Diane was active in the Metropolitan New York Synod; she and I were heavily invested in one weekend’s synod-sponsored discussion on sexuality in Staten Island. Paul and Diane would tell you that while HT NR (Holy Trinity, New Rochelle) was NOT “Camelot,” it was a deeply spiritual place, and a fun place and a crazy place at times. For instance, for about five years, we held informal Friday fellowship nights, discussing not only how to live with cancer, race relationships, and what the work of the United Negro Fund was about (their executive director, Chris Edley, was a HT member), capital punishment, the meaning of Justification by Grace via Faith – while showing the Martin Luther film; Roman Catholic/Lutheran relations, BUT ALSO the meaning of marriage, gay or straight – presented by a former LCA pastor and his partner. AND presentations by guests from the Moon movement and The WAY bible movement, plus dialog on feminism and the church, civil liberties in our land, the high cost of medicines, the high cost of dying, etc.

Finally, Diane preached for me at least once. My calendar notes Sunday, Aug. 28, 1977 – the 13^th Sunday after Pentecost. A tough text. Luke 12:49-53, a portion of which reads: “I came to bring fire to earth … Do you think I have come to bring peace, no, rather division … from now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three … they will be divided father against son and son against father, mother against daughter.” You get the picture. I have a copy of the sermon, and I wrote EXCELLENT on the top. (Would Diane preach it any differently today?)

Receiving her Ph.D. from Union (and Columbia?), Diane left to teach Old Testament at Luther Seminary, and has forever been active in Jewish/Christian dialog and rapprochement. In January 2007, I read about her addressing Lutheran scholars, who were wrestling with a) what are the foundational issues of the authority of Scripture and principles of bible interpretation, and b) what does “the word of God” mean to me? I believe she was quoted as having quoted Brother Martin Luther who said, “Scripture is the cradle in which the Christ-child lays his head.”

A few things Diane has taught me? How Jewish Law is a genuine gift to humanity, as opposed to ONLY being seen as a condemning law. Thus, following TORAH can lead to living a gracious way of life. Diane has taught me and others how to discover GOSPEL in the Old Testament. She has shared what she knows of the graciousness and saving love of God through Christ.

Diane Jacobson was a gift to Holy Trinity, New Rochelle, N.Y., and now is a special gift to the ELCA.