How much did Abram lose when he responded to God’s command to leave his home and family, trusting that ‘the land God would show him’ would provide a future? I imagine the grief was palpable, and the fear great. Yet, in faith, Abram did the next right thing. He took the first step, then the next, and then the next. He couldn’t see the future, didn’t know what it held, but he knew who held it.
Read MoreI was recently at worship and noticed that the series of stained glass windows in the sanctuary highlighted several important stories from the Hebrew scriptures. What struck me about the image of Adam and Eve in the garden was that the only things visible were their hands, and the serpent’s body was wound around them like shackles, resulting in the poignant picture of what it is to be ‘bound to sin.’
Read MoreOne Sunday a parishioner came to me and said, “I don’t think our worship is very welcoming. We say, ‘Good morning!’ and then proceed to talk about how awful we are with the confession and forgiveness. What must visitors think when we force them to talk about how bad we all are?”
Read More“You are a hiding place for me.” —Psalm 32:7
Psalm 32 is a fitting way to begin the season of Lent. The season has most commonly been understood through the centuries as a time of fasting and preparation for Easter, a time when new Christians were often baptized.
Read MoreLent calls us to repentance, to turn from that which does not give life. This week I invite you to write or make a list of all that is getting in the way of you experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. What are those things in the congregation that no longer give life?
Read MoreWhat defines you? What defines your faith community? Or rather, who defines you? In the gospel lesson for Sunday, the tempter tries to identify Jesus as the Son of God by the acts he performs rather than simply by who he is.
Read MoreWhat are the objectives of democracy in the United States?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreThe Richard R. Hammar Clergy Tax Guide and the Federal Reporting Guide for Churches are both available on myPortico at no cost to you.
Read More“In these post-COVID years, I find myself wondering if church is experiencing just such a wilderness. Everything has changed, and our communities are doing their best to pick up the pieces and carry on, only the pieces we have don’t seem to fit our world anymore.”
Read More“Ok, time to get honest. Does the church ever start to feel like a burden? Or do you sometimes feel like being part of a congregation isn’t so different from being part of another organization that has finger-pointing or bad-mouthing?”
Read MoreThe February, 2023 edition of Go and Do News, a newsletter from ELCA World Hunger, is available. This edition features 40 Days of Giving, a new vacation Bible school program, The Dwelling, The Legacy of Martin Lutheran King Jr. event, partner spotlight Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), and featured resources.
Read MoreAfter perhaps a year or more of not gathering on-site for Ash Wednesday services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, worshiping communities across a large swath of the US are dealing with or expecting severe weather that would prevent gathering on-site.
Conversations on social media have begun, as fellow worship planners ask one another what they are doing when assembling for worship on-site will not be possible.
Read More“Even when ashes are imposed while standing on street corners or reaching through car windows the words resonate, a vibration pulsing with the reality we all do our best to avoid: everything and everyone dies.”
Read MoreELCA Worship shares their news for January, 2023.
Don't forget to visit ELCA.org/worship and click on "Worship Resources" for a library of liturgical and formational resources for use in your context. You might find something new (or new to you) and share it with others who help plan worship in your context. Blessings as we approach Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.
Read MoreStudents of all races at Collingswood High School in South Jersey recently protested two straight days over allegations of racism in their school. During the peaceful demonstration, students protested racial profiling, lack of inclusivity, and how their Black classmates are disproportionately disciplined.
In a recorded statement student Abygail St. Louis shares her frustration and why it has come to protesting for equal rights for her and her classmates. She says she would rather be in the classroom.
Read MoreJoin us this season — on your own, in a small group or with your congregation — as we encounter the psalms anew and unite in our efforts to end hunger. Visit elca.org/40days to download or order a suite of resources to equip you on the journey.
Read MoreIn the fall of 2021, the ELCA Worship Blog began a weekly series entitled, “Prompts for Prayers of Intercession.” Beginning this Lent, the blog series will be retitled, “For What Shall We Pray?”
This new title honors a more expansive understanding of the purpose of this resource. It is a weekly invitation for individuals, groups, and congregations to remain mindful of the needs of our world, and to lift one another up in prayer.
Read MoreWhat are Lutheran views on civic life?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreAll active Grand Canyon Synod rostered ministers are required to participate in professional boundary training every three years. Retired rostered ministers are not required. The Office of the Bishop has partnered with CongregationU to provide Boundary Awareness Training for $29.00.
Click here to take this course by 2/15/2023, and email your certificate of completion to office@gcsynod.org by 2/28/2023. Learn more in a letter from Bishop Hutterer in this post.
Read MoreDr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a celebrated poet, author, teacher, filmmaker, and civil rights activist, among other roles and accomplishments. When interviewed upon being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, Angelou reflected: “I’m always amazed when people walk up to me and say, “‘I’m a Christian.’ I think, ‘Already? You’ve already got it?’ I’m working at it…”
Read More
![[re]imagine Lent: 3/1/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677764738360-JQ10Q9YCFK18TOLG3NLN/unsplash-image-ecIZe6MdUH8.jpg)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/28/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677601167997-G5KC8QAHUDZG3UF44267/unsplash-image-fYkqCHcuBxI.jpg)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/27/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677522021673-28P6OVUQ1EIF41GHSO7N/unsplash-image-UHXQXcQqSoM.jpg)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/26/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677602147852-XNJZCMZHMB20N3UU20C2/Screenshot+2023-02-28+at+9.34.19+AM+%282%29.png)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/25/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677602522731-VGCUF6IPFBE9DCO6NI7K/unsplash-image-b_SHPU5M3nk.jpg)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/24/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677246079490-8OD403ZQ3ZCW3BHPK2IA/unsplash-image-V9BBZLMR3PU.jpg)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/23/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677162047900-IKNF9Q4K6MFVMCZJCD9X/unsplash-image-SvMPccIOyxg.jpg)
![[re]imagine Lent: 2/22/2023, Ash Wednesday](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1677162424059-7B1OIKCJ5OM1DK88E8MA/unsplash-image-LGqGCpm3epw.jpg)
