When the future feels uncertain, belonging to Christ gives us courage to keep going together. In Faith Lens for October 4, Pastor Ian McConnell reflects on Philippians 3:4b–14 and neighbors caring for one another in Minneapolis, connecting faith with practical love. Youth leaders will find discussion questions, activities, and a prayer to help young people imagine a future rooted in God’s love. Read the full Faith Lens reflection.
Read MoreWhat makes someone trustworthy? ELCA’s Faith Lens explores Matthew 21:23–32, connecting Jesus’ parable of two sons with the trustworthiness God reveals in Christ. Reflection questions, group activities, and prayer help youth consider how their actions reflect their words. Smaller-church leaders will also find an invitation to share their experiences through a listening project survey. Explore this week’s Faith Lens.
Read MoreIn Matthew 20:1–16, Jesus’ vineyard parable invites us to wrestle with fairness, grace, and our need for one another. This week’s ELCA Faith Lens reflection considers how congregations and groups can welcome new people, navigate conflict, and work together for the good of the whole community.
Read “Laboring Together,” by Pastor Adrianne Meier, for discussion questions, a group activity, and prayer resources. Read the full Faith Lens reflection.
Read MoreReflecting on Romans 14 and the 25th anniversary of 9/11, this ELCA Faith Lens explores how Christians can hold firm convictions without judging or excluding others. Because Christ alone is Lord, we are called to meet religious and cultural differences with humility—loving, listening to, defending and welcoming our neighbors.
Read MoreThis week’s Faith Lens reflection explores Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and invites readers to reconsider what “eternal life” really means. Rather than focusing only on heaven after death, the study highlights Jesus’ call to know God deeply, live in unity, and participate in God’s work in the world right now.
Through scripture, reflection questions, and prayer, “Look Up” encourages disciples to lift their eyes beyond fear and isolation toward a life shaped by Christ — “the kind of life that death can’t destroy.”
Read MoreThis week’s ELCA Faith Lens reflection explores John 14:15–21 and Jesus’ promise that God’s Spirit remains present through lives shaped by love. Rev. Rory Chambers reflects on how ordinary acts of care — sharing meals, helping friends, showing kindness, and loving neighbors — become signs of God’s presence in the world.
Read MoreIn this week’s Faith Lens, reflecting on John 14:1–14, Jesus offers words of comfort to anxious disciples facing an uncertain future: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” As today’s world continues to wrestle with violence and fear, this reflection invites us to consider where true safety is found—not in circumstances, but in Christ’s enduring promise to prepare a place for us.
Grounded in Lutheran hope, this resource encourages conversation, reflection, and faithful action—reminding us that even in times of uncertainty, we are called to trust in God’s promise and to become safe, welcoming places for our neighbors.
Read MoreThe April 26 Faith Lens reflection, Awe and Belonging, explores Acts of the Apostles 2:42–47 and the early Christian community where “no one was in need.” Rather than beginning with rules or expectations, this community was formed through awe at God’s presence—an awe that led to deep sharing, trust, and belonging. The reflection challenges common assumptions about faith, inviting us to see that authentic Christian community is rooted not in human effort, but in encountering Christ already at work among us.
Read MoreIn this week’s Faith Lens reflection on John 20:19–31, we encounter disciples paralyzed by fear and uncertainty—until the risen Christ appears with a simple but transformative message: “Peace be with you.” Though their circumstances do not immediately change, Jesus’ presence reshapes their fear into purpose, empowering them to move forward in faith.
As we pray for peace in a world marked by violence and division, this reflection reminds us that Christ’s peace is not passive—it sends us out. Grounded in hope and trust in God’s presence, we are called to embody that peace in our congregations, communities, and daily lives: “Let there be peace on earth—and let it begin with us.”
Read MoreA new Women of the ELCA resource, “Resurrection: a holy discipline,” invites reflection on what it means to live as “children of the resurrection” during the 50 days of Easter. The downloadable, multi-session study explores how resurrection shapes daily life here and now.
Read MoreMore than 400 participants across ELCA Region 2 joined this year’s 40-40-40 Lenten Challenge, reflecting on Matthew 25 and responding through prayer, devotion, and generosity. The online giving portal for ELCA World Hunger remains open through May 31, offering continued opportunity for individuals and congregations to participate.
Gifts of any size make a meaningful difference. Donate online or give by check using Appeal Code R2LENT2026 as this shared Lenten witness continues beyond the season.
Read MorePlease enjoy this joyful musical offering of “O Clap Your Hands” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed by the LSM 2025 Festival Choir, conducted by Dr. Shannon Gravelle, with Dr. Catherine Rodland, organ. Watch here: https://youtu.be/bI8CzO_VgxA.
Read MoreIn this Easter reflection, Dr. Jennifer Pietz, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, draws on 1 Corinthians 15.
Read MoreIn this year’s Easter message from Lutheran World Federation, Nepalese pastor Rev. Rinki Rachel Soren reflects on the transformation made possible through Christ’s resurrection, freeing believers from sin and redefining their identity in him. Rather than observing this season only as an event, Easter is an invitation to leave behind the old self, choose justice over injustice, and love over division, in a world marked by violence, inequality, and broken relationships.
Read MoreWhat makes Good Friday “good” amid pain, suffering, and death? Bavarian church leader Michael Martin, invites us to reflect on the answer: Jesus’ solidarity with us, giving us strength and courage. Read the full message on The Lutheran World Federation site.
Read MoreIn this week’s Faith Lens reflection, Pastor Tim Wright explores how Easter is not just a celebration—but a divine interruption that transforms everything. Drawing from Matthew 28 and a personal story of injury and recovery, Wright reflects on how both joyful and painful interruptions shape our lives, and how God’s grace ultimately interrupts despair with hope, death with life, and fear with peace.
Grounded in the resurrection, this reflection invites readers to consider how Jesus continues to interrupt our lives today—with love that cannot be undone—and challenges us to share that same grace with others in tangible ways.
Read MoreFaith Lutheran Church in Phoenix invites all to the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Beginning with a new fire and the lighting of the Paschal candle, the service moves through scripture, song, and sacrament, culminating in the first Eucharist of Easter, the affirmation of baptism, and the welcome of new members.
Held at 801 E Camelback Rd, this powerful and ancient liturgy proclaims the resurrection story in full, inviting all into the hope and promise of new life in Christ.
Read MoreIn his Easter message (download: bit.ly/4c9zxv4) , Presiding Bishop Curry says that even though we consider ourselves to be an Easter church, we must remember that we are also a Lenten church, a time when we live in uncertainty, waiting and hoping for renewal. Curry reminds us that in the midst of that uncertainty, comes God’s promise of reassurance and hope. Death does not have the final word.
“Yes, we are Easter people. Even when the ground below us is shaking, we will not grow weary. We know that Jesus is our foundation. Christ is risen, and that truth strengthens us. It gives us courage to live, to hope, and to proclaim joy. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!”
Read MoreWe come to Easter this year in a world that feels, in many ways, unsettled—marked by uncertainty, division, and deep longing. And yet, this is not new territory for God’s people.
Jesus lived, spoke, and moved among communities facing turmoil, oppression, and fear. Into that very reality, he proclaimed good news. Into that very reality, he brought healing, hope, and ultimately resurrection.
Read MoreMountain View Lutheran Church in Phoenix invites all to “The Way of the Cross: A Time of Meditation and Prayer”on Friday, April 3 (7 AM–6 PM, closed 12–1 PM). This self-guided experience features seven stations with artwork, Scripture, meditation, and prayer, inviting participants to walk alongside Jesus while reflecting on both Christ’s suffering and the realities of life today.
Open to all, this Holy Week opportunity offers space to pause, pray, and consider where we find ourselves in God’s story—bringing our burdens before Christ and encountering his presence along the way.
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