Posts in ELCA
Faith Lens: Glimpse of the Kingdom
Faith Lens: Glimpse of the Kingdom

The Easter season is seven weeks long. Nearly every week the gospel lesson includes disciples encountering Jesus and failing to recognize him. This week’s gospel encounter is crammed with significance. There is a miracle and allusions to Peter’s failure to stand firm during the horrible events of Holy Week, as Jesus asks him repeatedly, “Do you love me.” Both are important and theologically significant, yet by focusing on them we may miss what is most significant. Namely, Jesus is in the world today if we have eyes to see.

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Worship Resources, ELCA, ResourcesBrian FlatgardFaith Lens, Youth and Young Adult, 2022 Holy WeekComment
Ryan LaHurd: Identity and Relationship in Arab-American Culture
Ryan LaHurd: Identity and Relationship in Arab-American Culture

In his Daily Meditation of February 6 on 1 Corinthians 12, Rev. Richard Rohr writes “Humanity consistently has to face the problem of unity and diversity. We’re not very good at understanding it. We habitually choose our smaller groups, because we don’t know how to belong to a larger group. That demands too much letting go.”

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardRacial Justice, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious RelationsComment
Spanish resources available at Sundays and Seasons
Spanish resources available at Sundays and Seasons

All Creation Sings includes a fully bilingual setting of Holy Communion (Setting 11/Liturgia 11). To support use of this liturgy as well as Evangelical Lutheran Worship Setting Seven: Santa Comunión, Sundays and Seasons now provides many more hymns and songs in Spanish.

Most hymns from Libro de Liturgia y Cántico are available for download to Deluxe subscribers. Service music (#181-274) is available to both Standard and Deluxe subscribers.

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ELCA, Resources, Worship ResourcesBrian FlatgardELCA WorshipComment
Building an Anti-Racism Team: Next Faithful Steps
Building an Anti-Racism Team: Next Faithful Steps

The ELCA European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice (EDLARJ) hosts a webinar series entitled Building an Anti-Racism Team: Next Faithful Steps on three upcoming Wednesdays: 9/7/2022, 10/5/2022, and 11/2/2022. Register in advance here. More info at edlarj.org/events and Facebook event.

This series is for anybody in the ELCA, specifically interested in connecting with other folks building or working at a synod, campus or congregational anti-racist team.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardELCA European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice (EDLARJ), Racial JusticeComment
Introducing “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community”
Introducing “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community”

On March 31st, 2022, the ELCA Church Council adopted “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community,” uplifting our commitment to friendship and solidarity with our Muslim neighbors.

The idea that the ELCA should develop “A Declaration to the Muslim Community” has been around for some time, especially since the Reformation commemorations of 2017, when there was renewed focus in a variety of forums on Luther’s attitudes toward the religious Other.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious RelationsComment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: April 24, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: April 24, 2022

  • For people facing violence in the Donbas region of Ukraine…

  • For Orthodox Christians celebrating Easter this week…

  • For interfaith peace and understanding as people of different faiths observe this holy time of year…

  • For wisdom and compassion to treasure and preserve our planet, God’s own beloved creation…

  • For our Jewish neighbors as they observe Yom HaShoah and for people facing genocide throughout the world…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
How do we ask—and answer—the big questions?
How do we ask—and answer—the big questions?

Several years ago I was having an over-the-fence conversation with my neighbor. My garden lay at the edge of my property line, and her children’s play set stood at the edge of hers, so we’d exchange chitchat now and again as neighbors do.

On this afternoon, she peeked over the pickets and said somewhat breathlessly, “Anna, today I had to take my daughter out of our Baptist day care and put her in the Lutheran one.”

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardLiving LutheranComment
TuneUp: A way to recruit singers by teaching them to match pitch
TuneUp: A way to recruit singers by teaching them to match pitch

ALCM Webinar Series “TuneUp: A Way to Recruit Singers by Teaching Them to Match Pitch,”
Friday,4/29/2022, 11am MST/PDT, 12pm MDT.

The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians invites you to join its webinar to “help people sing with confidence.” This session offers ways to “recruit people to TuneUp” as well as useful techniques to get them to quickly and easily match pitch.” Register as part of the spring or full-year webinar series.

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ELCA, Resources, Worship ResourcesBrian FlatgardAssociation of Lutheran Church MusiciansComment
Faith reflections: Theology and resistance to climate change
Faith reflections: Theology and resistance to climate change

Resurrection – new life out of death – is built into the natural world—the interdependent life cycles of plants and animals living together in ecosystems mirror resurrection. How can our faith help us care for creation?

Read the article by LeeAnn Pomrenke in Café, a publication of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA).

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardWomen of the ELCA (WELCA), Climate ChangeComment
A Holy Confluence: A Reminder of our Interconnection
A Holy Confluence: A Reminder of our Interconnection

For the first time in decades we are witnessing a confluence of significant religious holy days and cultural traditions during the month of April. Kristen L. Opalinski shares her thoughts in Perspectives, a new ELCA ecumenical and inter-religious blog. She also shares these links:

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ELCA, LettersBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, 2022 Holy WeekComment
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: April 17, 2022
Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: April 17, 2022

  • For loved ones of the six million people who have died of Covid-19 around the world…

  • For our Jewish neighbors, siblings in God’s covenant, observing Passover…

  • For the people who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine and for refugees seeking safety everywhere…

  • For victims and loved ones of those affected by the subway shooting in New York…

  • For people living in poverty and all who are struggling to pay their bills…

  • For farmers and farmworkers as they plant their fields for the coming season…

  • For the preservation and renewal of the earth, God’s creation entrusted to us…

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ELCA, PrayersBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment