My 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…
Read MoreSusanna Black, weekend anchor and reporter, WSOC-TV (Charlotte, N.C.), and member of Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s advisory council, shares what it means to be a Lutheran. Read the story at Living Lutheran…
Read MoreThis “Experiments in Action” blog series features individuals and communities who are trying something new. This post features a story from The Rev. Rebecca Ehrlich, Interim Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop in the Allegheny Synod and founder of an online community exploring Christian Minimalism.
Read MoreIf Mary and Joseph showed up on the steps of an inn in Palestine today, they would’ve had a bed, some coffee, and probably three servings of a home cooked meal.
Read MoreMay we dwell in the story of Jesus’s birth in new ways, remembering the small intimacy of that night and the gathering of a family of three. May we be as surprised and astonished as the shepherds in the fields.
Read MoreThe Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and leaders of The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have joined together to offer the following Advent message: Churches Beyond Borders, Advent Call to Address Racism and White Supremacy.
Read MoreBishop Eaton shares a video message as we recognize World AIDS Day on December 1, 2020.
Read MoreBishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land writes asking for help providing Christmas gifts to 500 children. View the letter in our blog post or view as a PDF.
To give, visit community.elca.org/givenow, and click on the red + sign at the top, and select “Lutheran Schools in the Holy Land.”
Read MoreI encourage you to take advantage of this year’s limited gathering ability to focus on what is most important to you and the ones you love as you enter these holidays.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Eaton reminds us that during this holiday season, even though we may not be traveling to be with family, we are all gathered at one table. She also asks us to reach out to someone who is alone this year.
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