In her August column in Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes: “This is the faith which declares that through pandemics, droughts, floods, famines, deadly bigotry, war, all the death-dealing things in nature and the human heart, life—the abundant life that Jesus promises—will prevail. Plant something in the summer.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3CGLepk and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3iDH4qd.
Read MoreEspecially as temperatures and wildfires are soaring all over the country, it is clear that our climate crisis is reaching a tipping point. Our Christian call and vocation include caring for creation, and Bishop Eaton encourages us to find ways to be part of the solution to this dire situation. Start with a read or re-read of the ELCA Social Statement, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice.
Read MoreJust as the Olympians are surrounded by family, friends, mentors, and entire countries, we too are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. This week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton encourages us to "run like the wind."
Read MoreOn Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will join together for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday.
Bishop Eaton invites your congregation to join this annual day of service and celebrate who we are as the ELCA ― one church, freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor. Learn more and plan your day at ELCA.org/DayofService.
Read MoreJesus taught us that when we welcome the stranger as a person made in God's image, we also welcome God. Our lives, ministries and congregations have been blessed by many immigrants and refugees over the years — from many of our ancestors to those we welcome among us today.
Read MoreAs cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 increase, it may seem like we are in a never-ending wilderness. Bishop Eaton reminds us of the exodus of God’s people, who wandered in the wilderness for forty years searching for the land that God had promised them. God never left them, and God has not left us.
Read MoreWe’re excited to share updates on our 2021 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, as we gather under the theme: The Power of Story. We have hotel reservation info for our October 18-20, 2021 event at All Saints Lutheran Church in Phoenix. Registration is $50.
All active rostered ministers or retired ministers serving as interim pastors are invited to this gathering which will include ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Rev. Roberto Federico Trejo Haager, Pastor President of Iglesia Luterana Mexicana, and Ryan Panzer, author of Grace and Gigabytes. More info on our web page.
Read MoreThis week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that peace is not the absence of struggle or strife, but the complete presence of a loving God.
Read MoreAs an avid gardener, Bishop Eaton admits that tending a garden isn’t easy work. But she reminds us that gardening is fundamental to our whole understanding of God tending this good, green earth.
Read MoreAs we look to the future of the ELCA and invite new people to know Jesus, Bishop Eaton asks, “how would you describe what it means to be a Lutheran Christian?”
Read MoreThis week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton introduces us to some of our Lutheran family from across the globe.
Read MoreAs children of God, we give thanks for all of the LGBTQIA+ people who experience God's calling to the holy work of parenting. In particular response to the June 17 Supreme Court ruling on Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the ELCA stands with our LGBTQIA+ siblings in Christ and reaffirms our commitment to equal protection, opportunities and responsibilities under the law (Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, p. 33).
Read MoreBishop Eaton greets us from the Vatican, where, promoting Christian unity, she participated in Lutheran World Federation meetings with the pontifical council and Pope Francis. As we gather in our own congregations, the bishop asks us to remember that we are part of a large Lutheran family and an even larger Christian one.
Read MoreThe ELCA has designated June 17 as a day of commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9. On June 17, 2015, nine people were shot and killed during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Bishop Eaton reminds us to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.
Read MoreIn her June/July column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on what we’ve learned from the Apostle Paul about the deeply spiritual act of stewardship. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3gBIYFR and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3xqt8ER.
Read MoreAll active Rostered Ministers or retired ministers serving as interim pastors are invited to the Bishop’s Fall Gathering to be held on October 18-20, 2021 in Phoenix. Bishop Eaton will be our guest for this event. More details are on the way.
Read MoreThis Pride Month, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton gives thanks for the blessings of our LGBTQIA+ siblings and prays that we will all have a sense of pride in being part of this fearfully and wonderfully made family.
Read MoreBishop Eaton offered the sermon for Lutherans Restoring Creation’s Good Shepherd Sunday service in celebration of Earth Day 2021. She also accepted our request to take some follow-up questions collected by the network.
Here are portions of their time with her that we encourage you to share with your congregation as these are questions we are all meant to wrestle with.
Read MoreIn the story of creation we learn that on the seventh day God rested. From the beginning, God established a natural rhythm of work and rest. Bishop Eaton reminds us that in the midst of our busy days we need to take time for rest, for noticing creation and each other.
Read MoreThis week we observe Ascension Day – a time to consider Jesus’ transition from earth to heaven. We are living during a time of transition - in the life of our church, in our personal lives and in a rapidly changing world. But as Bishop Eaton emphasizes, what is steady and certain is God’s presence with us always.
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