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If faith for Abram looked like taking the next right step into an unknown future, then Nicodemus coming to ask about Jesus was certainly a great act of faith – stepping out in the dark of night to learn more about who Jesus was.
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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.
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Join us as we celebrate the beginning of the upcoming month of Ramadan with an Interfaith Iftar Dinner, inviting teens of many faiths to come together in peace to learn about each other to build communities of mutual respect. Monday, 3/13/2023, 5pm, at the Islamic Center of the Northeast Valley (12125 E Vía Linda, Scottsdale, AZ 85259).
Register at isb-az.org/iftar by March 8, 2023. Contact: iftar@isb-az.org for more info.
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Explore the economic, cultural, political, and ecological contours of the systemic crisis we face, and grow in the knowledge, skills, spiritual strength, and community that are so vital to forging the paths toward climate justice.
Register here for this event facilitated by Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, Friday, March 10 - Sunday March 12, 2023.
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I 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.’
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One 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?”
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The next Simon’s Project is ready to get started! Join Pr. Jacqui Thursday once per month to discuss the ways you get encourage your community to celebrate diversity. The first info and get-to-know-you session is Thursday, 3/16/2023, 1:30pm MST/PDT, 2:30 MDT. Register here.
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“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.
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For many months we have seen an alarming spike in anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim and white supremacist hate. It has been reported that extremist groups are planning a national "Day of Hate" tomorrow, targeting Jews. This evening, as the sun sets and Shabbat begins, our Jewish neighbors are living in fear.
As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors and to be peacemakers.
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Lent 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?
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What 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.
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What 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.
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In this article in Living Lutheran, a Colombian camp counselor reflects on serving in South Dakota.
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The Richard R. Hammar Clergy Tax Guide and the Federal Reporting Guide for Churches are both available on myPortico at no cost to you.
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As part of the latest Stories of Faith in Action, we share a story about the United Evangelical Church in Cuba Lutheran Synod (view online or as PDF). “Yamilka Hernández Guzmán always loved education and had a talent for teaching. A psychologist in an oncology hospital in Cuba, she looked for answers to the daily struggle for life she witnessed.”
View all the Stories of Faith in Action here, and how your offering becomes mission support.
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A new cohort of Excellence in Leadership will begin Sunday, March 12, 2023. Classes will run approximately every two weeks and end on April 28, 2024 with a Commissioning Ceremony. Starting in the Spring and finishing in 13 months is an opportunity for councils and ministries as they begin to reorganize early in the year. Learn more on the Rocky Mountain Synod website.
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“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.”
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For continued relief and recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria…
For continued clean-up efforts following the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment…
For all who are digging out and warming up following winter storms in the Midwest…
For the families and loved ones of the Orlando shooting victims…
For an end to gun violence across our nation and our world…
For the loved ones of those killed in a plane crash near Little Rock, Arkansas…
For those injured and killed during violent raids in the West Bank…
For peace in our world, especially at the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…
For recovery efforts after an open pit mine collapse in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region…
For all facing unemployment, job insecurity, or financial instability…
Welcome to Episode 4 of Talks at the Desk, season 2. We travel to Ghana and hear from students attending the All Africa Youth Congress. We visit a slave castle and hear about the what enslaved ancestors endured. Also, Pastor Nicolette Penaranda sits down with three legends of Black Lutheran theology.
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