Native theologian Kelly Sherman-Conroy—a minister of social justice and advocacy for children, youth and family—shares a reflection on her experience serving as convener of the Twin Cities Movement Chaplains, part of a Living Lutheran series focusing on the personal stories of the ways in which Lutherans are striving for racial justice in the world today.
Read MoreNiveen Sarras, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wis., was born and raised in Bethlehem. In Living Lutheran, she shares a Palestinian interpretation of the nativity.
“The nativity of Jesus Christ was a subversive attack on Rome’s imperial power and unjust peace. Jesus’ birth stands against all kinds of systemic injustices and military occupation. It is a message of solidarity with the disadvantaged.”
Read MoreIn March, I didn’t imagine we’d be grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic at Christmastime. On top of the usual challenges and joys of the season, grief and uncertainty from this pandemic may weigh heavily.
Yet, I keep watching my children, who show me Christmas is still coming, Jesus will still be born and the light of the world will not be extinguished.
Read MoreEnsuring that children have access to education and educational support, though, is a difficult goal to reach, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created even more obstacles for communities in need.
In Romania, the Evangelical Parish in Sibu has been hard at work adapting to these new challenges.
Read MoreFrom our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and blessings in the New Year!
Read all the latest LSSN updates in their December 2020 newsletter.
Read MoreThis Christmas, we might find ourselves not at the inn but in the stable, sitting by the manger next to Mary. Waiting for her world, our world, to be changed, even to be reborn. Indeed, it’s time for new.
In Living Lutheran’s December issue, we are given the opportunity to ponder with Mary the time, coiled with tension, between “How can this be?” and “Nothing is impossible with God.” Click here to read the piece; the study guide is available here.
Read MoreThere is no more appropriate time for us to say Thank You and to express to you and yours every happiness in this beautiful season and throughout the coming year.
Read the full holiday newsletter from Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission (NELM).
Read MoreWe hope that everyone in our Cal Lutheran community finds moments of hope and peace this season.
Visit our site to experience the beauty of our talented students performing their annual Christmas concert virtually.
Read MoreThis year has challenged all of us — some have adapted to new learning environments, some to new workspaces and others to new methods of worshiping and communicating.
May you and your loved ones feel the presence of God’s boundless love in your homes and communities in this season and always.
Read MoreMy only prayer for the year was for health and stability. Why would you do this to us again, God? Why is there so much suffering?
Other Christians might have framed my husband’s cancer journey as an expression of God’s faithfulness, but during that difficult year, my trust in God had frayed significantly. Read more at Living Lutheran…
Read MorePalestine is a very dear place to my heart. Visiting Palestine became a reality for me when I was trained to be a Peace Not Walls trip leader.
As a Black man in America I have experienced a great deal of oppression. While in Palestine I quickly learned that their oppression mirrors my own on many levels.
Read MoreMatuor Dot Alier, social worker, Cass County Economic Assistance Division; chair of the Fargo Human Relations Commission; Bush Foundation fellow; and member of the Eastern North Dakota Synod Council shares what it means to be a Lutheran. Read the story at Living Lutheran…
Read MoreMy childhood connection to nature was effortless. It was filled with state park camping trips, summer camps, Minnesota lakes, and my roomy backyard.
Yet I learned more at the Environmental Education Center (EEC), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, than I could ever have imagined.
Read MoreAs ecumenical and inter-religious partners, we have a role to play in preparing for the post-pandemic future. We can encourage people to love their neighbors by getting vaccinated – when it is our turn. We can advocate for equitable distribution in the US and globally.
Read MoreThe 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering is a trip I will forever remember. Becoming a leader in the church is a true gift from God and I cherish my ability to share those gifts with the people of God.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton discusses how we ought to heal following the 2020 United States presidential election, perhaps by unifying around one central question: Is the neighbor being served?
Read MoreIn her Christmas message, Bishop Eaton shares a story of gathering with women from Honduras: “I told the young Honduran woman about another young woman who was forced to leave home because of a government decree. She, too, was pregnant and made a long and difficult journey.”
Read MoreThe allegations of medical neglect and invasive gynecological procedures in a privately-run detention center in Irwin County, Ocilla, Ga.—including coerced sterilization—quickly drew disbelief and condemnation worldwide this fall. Far from unique, these shocking allegations echo the historic and current reality of cruel and inhumane treatment towards migrant women.
Read MoreThere is a rather troubling metaphor in that same section of Matthew that Lutherans often avoid. Jesus is compared to a thief who breaks in at night, a common robber. Why does Jesus say he’ll arrive at night, undercover? Read more at Living Lutheran…
Read MoreTucked in a closet with all our Christmas decorations, there’s a small box with the words “Little People” written on it. The box contains a toy nativity scene complete with a manger, animals, angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Over the years this nativity scene, with all its parts, has become one of our most treasured Christmas items. Read more at Living Lutheran…
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