“He has been raised; he is not here.” —Mark 16:6

This year, journeying through Lent as well as the spring gatherings around our synod, I was heartened by the joy of our most basic calling: sharing the Good News.

At gatherings of conferences in Las Vegas, Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sedona, a portion of our time was dedicated to simple open mic sessions, introduced by conference deans, where leaders of our congregations and ministries proclaimed the wonders of God's work in their communities. The feedback we received was clear: we live in a world desperate to hear any kind of good news.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardMarch 27, 2024Bishop Hutterer Letters, 2024 Holy WeekComment

Bishop Hutterer: 40 Days of Contemplating Mortality and Embracing Life

Some may find it strange, but I welcome Ash Wednesday. While I believe we are a resurrection people, I also feel we can’t have that joy of new life without contemplating the reality that life is broken, and that things have an ending as much as a beginning.

Ash Wednesday, as well as the season of Lent, invites us as to reflect on themes that our modern world often encourages us to evade: confession, grief, and mortality. These are not subjects to be feared or shunned but embraced as vital in shaping the richness and depth of our lives.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardFebruary 14, 2024Bishop Hutterer Letters, 2024 LentComment

Celebrating Our Synod’s Journey in 2023!

As this year draws to a close, I continue to be surprised and delighted by the spirit of generosity and commitment that is present throughout our church community. Your support and dedication have been the bedrock of our many achievements in 2023.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardDecember 28, 2023Bishop Hutterer Letters, 2023 Advent and ChristmasComment

Bishop Hutterer: Awaiting Jesus

“O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.” If you’re like me, when we enter the liminal season of Advent, this is the song that slows me down to a time of waiting and reflection. I imagine the quiet of Bethlehem, a world waiting for the birth of Jesus, waiting for the profound message of peace and reconciliation he brought into our world.

With the world, we are still waiting.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardNovember 29, 2023Bishop Hutterer Letters, 2023 Advent and ChristmasComment

Bishop Hutterer: Giving thanks to God

As you gather this Thanksgiving season with friends and family—whether they be relatives or connections as family in Christ—I want to express my deep gratitude to each congregation and individual for your support and commitment to our mission as church together. Through prayer, presence, and financial gifts, your generous support has allowed the Grand Canyon Synod to accomplish so much this year. I am continually inspired by the way you live the call to love God and serve our neighbor.

Bishop Hutterer: Reformation Sunday and Living Hope's Legacy

Traditionally, we view Reformation Sunday as both a time of remembrance as well as a renewed commitment to the transformative power of the Gospel. This year, however, Reformation Sunday carries an added weight, as Living Hope Lutheran Church in Las Vegas closes its doors after 75 years of faithful ministry.

As the Living Hope community gathers in their final worship service, we are reminded of the transient nature of earthly institutions, in contrast to the eternal promise of Christ's church.

Bishop Hutterer: Creating Space for Conversations

In turbulent times, our shared faith is both a source of solace and a beacon, guiding us towards the path of understanding and unity. With our nation grappling with all sorts of divisions, it is vital that we seek not to fight one another, but rather to engage in open and compassionate dialogue.

This comes after recent events have left our hearts heavy. Reports of church burnings in Southern Arizona, protests at our churches that openly welcome LGBTQIA+ members, and ongoing racial tensions nationally have underscored the urgent need for us to live out our call to be peacemakers and bridge builders.

Bishop Hutterer Annual Report: May, 2023

To all of you — lay leaders, rostered ministers, prayer partners — thank you for your commitment to the synod's work, which forms part of God's redeeming activity in our world. It continues to be my privilege to serve alongside you as the bishop of this synod. As we move forward, let us remain bold in our faith, trusting in God's guidance and love.

Bishop Hutterer: An Invitation to Boldness

The Synod Assembly is an essential occasion for us to come together, not just as individuals or separate congregations, but as the body of Christ. Our gathering is a time to reconnect, to learn from one another, to share our struggles and triumphs, and to discern the path forward in unity and faith. It is during these meetings that we are reminded that we are not alone, but part of a larger, dynamic community of believers, bound together by our common faith and mission.

Bishop Hutterer: Streams in the Desert

We are the Grand Canyon Synod, our namesake formed by the waters of the Colorado River. As citizens of the Southwest commemorating Earth Day 2023, we are keenly aware of the preciousness of water and the need to preserve this life-giving resource.

Bishop Hutterer: From worry to wonder

As we move through our Lenten journey into Holy Week, I find myself thinking of the theme of our spring gatherings: From Worry to Wonder.

The journey of the church involves becoming something new, not returning to the past. The path forward is to move together, exploring worries and shifting from a posture of worry to a posture of wonder.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardApril 4, 20232023 Lent, Bishop Hutterer LettersComment

Bishop Hutterer: Journeying through Lenten borderlands

In the last few months, I have had the privilege of traveling to various border regions around the world. These visits have left a deep impression on me, as I have seen firsthand the harm caused by physical walls and checkpoints. And now as we go through our Lenten journey, I am also reminded of the emotional and spiritual walls that exist within us.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardMarch 22, 20232023 Lent, Bishop Hutterer LettersComment

Bishop Hutterer: The liminal season

We are in the midst of Advent, our season of waiting. In our church calendar of birth, death, and resurrection, we are entering a new year. We are waiting for prophecies to be fulfilled in the form of a lowly birth. In our secular calendar, our norms are interrupted by the holidays, friends, families, and year-end projects. We are waiting for the New Year, hoping for better. And we are a people who do not like waiting.

There is a concept that describes these in-between times and places, called a liminal space.

Bishop Hutterer: The jar that will not empty

In our synod, we are blessed with an abundance of ministries that focus on hunger. From the advocacy work of LAMA and LEAN to the many food banks and outreach efforts of many of our ministries, we are a synod that works in many ways to end food insecurity.

During this Thanksgiving, as we are grateful for the bounties we share, I hope you find time to listen to the ways God calls you to be both the giver and receiver of bread and faith.

Bishop Hutterer: Pray as the ELCA gathers for Churchwide Assembly

The ELCA gathers for its Churchwide Assembly next week, August 8–12, 2022. As I travel to Ohio to attend this gathering, I invite you to pray for all 900 voting members are attending, including ten others who will represent the Grand Canyon Synod: Glenn Austad, Roger Bailey, Pastor David Brandfass, Barbara Carl, Laura Hollengreen, Hannah Manzanares, Pastor Matthew Metevelis, Pastor Charles Newman, Sarah Morris, and Pastor Christine Stoxen.

Bishop Hutterer: Good Courage

In my life, the amount of hope I find Easter morning has always been related to the depth of the Lenten journey before. The glorious Sunday morn is not possible without the nights of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Two Easters ago, the reality of the pandemic truly hit the church. And if you look at Lent through the lens of giving something up, it can feel as if we’ve had two years of Lenten fasting from normalcy.

Bishop Hutterer: Holy Ground

As I approach the end of my Lenten journey, I see the Grand Canyon Synod has many places of holy ground. I have experienced holy ground when in conversation with candidates hoping to enter seminary and with candidates near graduation, waiting to interview with a congregation.

I am on holy ground when I visit our various congregations to preach, preside, meet church leaders, and participate in conversations in special congregation meetings.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardApril 6, 20222022 Lent, Bishop Hutterer LettersComment

Bishop Hutterer: The Forgotten Luther

As part of our Monday meetings, the Office of the Bishop staff recently discussed The Forgotten Luther, a series of three books edited variously by Carter Lindberg, Paul Wee, Ryan P. Cumming, and Conrad Braaten.

True to its name, the premise of the series is to reclaim the Martin Luther’s oft-forgotten voice for socio-economic justice. Martin Luther addressed the crises of the day on the basis of Scripture with pioneering theology. The series calls us to do the same.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardFebruary 28, 2022Martin Luther, Bishop Hutterer LettersComment

Bishop Hutterer: Another January, another Covid surge

The wave of Omicron infections that is overwhelming health care systems across America is now rapidly rising in our synod. All of us know more and more people affected by Covid-19.

No one is more affected by this most recent tide of cases those folk toiling in the health care fields. These people and systems—strained to their limit over the last two years—are at their breaking point.

Bishop Hutterer: A common table

For most of our lives, we’ve been aware that the promise of Thanksgiving—warm and loving reunions of family and friends around a common table heaped with abundance—can set us up for disappointments.

This year, in our first post-vaccination Thanksgiving, our hopes may even be higher as we finally gather in the larger groups we’ve yearned to be in. We’re striving for a “normal” Thanksgiving.

Bishop Hutterer, Letters, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardNovember 22, 2021Bishop Hutterer LettersComment

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