The love of God and the Spirit of truth dwell within us and prevail in our daily lives. Pray that with this knowledge and inspiration, we will feel encouraged to follow the commandments and ways of God and to exemplify love, truth, mercy and service in the world.
Read MoreGive thanks and praise to God that our church and lives are built on the solid, enduring foundation of Christ; pray that we, as siblings in Christ, will be bold and welcoming in our invitation to our neighbors to believe, have faith and experience the blessings of community with us.
Read MorePastor Steve Haggmark, who had served as the Interim Pastor at Spirit of Grace, Surprise, died April 28, 2020. We pray for his Nancy, his wife, and his family. Please contact the synod office for Nancy’s address if needed.
Eternal God, your love is stronger than death, and your passion more fierce than the grave. We rejoice in the lives of those whom you have drawn into your eternal embrace. Keep us in joyful communion with them until we join the saints of every people and nation gathered before your throne in your ceaseless praise, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read MoreOn Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020, Presiding Bishop Eaton will provide a video sermon for use by congregations. The sermon will use the texts for Trinity Sunday, Year A, with a focus on II Corinthians 13:11-13 and Matthew 28: 16-20. It will be ready for release on May 31st, with Spanish subtitles, a printed text in English and Spanish.
Read MoreIn this video, Bishop Eaton lets us know how God is working, through a church activated in many new ways. One bishop describes people as having “a cross in one hand, and a bag of groceries in the other.”
Read MoreWorship in the Home, Sixth Sunday of Easter. In this time of world-wide crisis, congregations throughout this church are not able to gather for worship as the body of Christ. While you cannot be together in person, we can hear the word of God and hold each other in prayer. We offer this brief resource as an aid for prayer in the home.
Read MorePray for synod leaders who are discerning new plans, formats and dates for their assemblies with concern for the health and well-being of leaders, voting members and others; pray the Spirit will guide their plans and strengthen their unwavering work of proclaiming the gospel, growing the church, serving our neighbor and doing God’s work in the world.
Read MoreA few months ago, the Netflix docu-series Cheer dropped and instantly the hardworking college cheerleading team it profiles became famous and world-followed. Maybe the breakout star is Jerry Harris, a young man who has had a tough life, but projects incredible positivity. He’s magnetic in the series and has drawn a huge following because of his story and energizing “mat talks.”
Read MoreWhen we live into the limitless, we open ourselves up to taking risks, to trying new things, to see ourselves as important pieces in our world. Limitless is about removing the limits we often put on ourselves and others and to live into a potential that is far more than we dare ask or imagine.
Read MoreDuring the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am encouraged by your resilience and creativity in our witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am also inspired by your generosity. This is a trying time for us all.
At the same time, we know that a disproportionate burden of illness, death, discrimination and harassment falls on communities of color. This pandemic has exacerbated racism and racial inequities deeply entrenched in society and across the church. We see this in the growing anti-Asian racism and the disproportionate number of deaths in black, American Indian and Latinx communities.
Read MoreWe pray for Pastor Robert Jones, Santa Cruz Lutheran, who is recovering from surgery following a car-bicycle accident.
O Lord, your compassions never fail and your mercies are new every morning. We give you thanks for giving our brother Robert both relief from pain and hope of health renewed. Continue in him the good work you have begun; that he, daily increasing in bodily strength and rejoicing in your goodness, may so order his life and conduct that she may always think and do those things that please you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Read MoreMental illness is not a sin. It is not a moral failing. And it is not a sign of weakness. God wants us to be whole people – emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually – and God will journey alongside us especially as we are feeling depressed, anxious and hopeless. Be well, dear church.
Read MorePray for students of all ages as they participate in online classes, wonder about their school year, prepare for finals and graduations, and long for their normal social interactions and school activities.
Read MoreOn April 26, 2020, the Grand Canyon Synod was awarded $10,000 from the ELCA’s COVID-19 Response Fund to assist GCS Native American and Latino ministries with food, water and basic hygiene items.
On April 28, Bishop Deborah Hutterer shared this good news and issued a challenge to match this amount for even greater impact. As of this writing, we have exceeded the initial challenge by $3,700, raising $13,700 in one week. We celebrate the generosity of this synod.
Additional gifts from congregations and individuals can still be made to this appeal through online giving or checks with the designation of GCS Daily Bread Grants. Grateful for how God does good through you.
Read MoreGive thanks that God knows us intimately and listens to our prayers, and that God is our rock, refuge and source of steadfast love in all circumstances and in all places.
Read MoreWe all want to go back to in-person worship. We also want to be safe. We want our neighbors to be safe. Many have asked me when we can gather for in-person worship.
In a time of so many unknowns with so much at risk, I feel it would be ill-advised to project yet another date. As we decide when to proceed, I suggest we wait for the CDC guideline of a “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period.”
Read MorePause throughout the day and give thanks for the simple things of creation that enrich your life and faith and fill you with joy and wonder.
Read MoreIn a Zoom meeting with Bishop Ann Svennungsen of the Minneapolis Area Synod, Dr. Michael Osterholm advises us to be ready for months of uncertainty. You may have seen Dr. Osterholm and his rational and accurate pandemic forecasts on many news outlets. Not only is Osterholm an infectious disease epidemiologist and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, he is a plain-spoken ELCA member who cares deeply for the church.
“Sobering” is the most common word used to describe Dr. Osterholm’s advice to be ready for months of uncertainty. View at www.facebook.com/mplssynod/videos/619998971928161/.
Read MoreWith no Covid-19 vaccine on the horizon, Women of the ELCA’s executive board voted to postpone the organization’s convention and gathering until August 2021. “We are postponing not canceling,” said Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director of Women of the ELCA.
In the meantime, WELCA invites us to pray with Lutheran women across the church every Tuesday at noon.
Read MoreTo support prayer practices in the home, ELCA Worship has provided these simplified forms of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. In addition to these three times of day we have provided Responsive Prayer, a simple order that may be adapted to a variety of times and contexts. Each of these services are adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
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