Bishop Eaton encourages us to take time to reflect on this comforting passage from Psalm 46: Be still and know that I am God.
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This Earth Day, I write in celebration of God’s creation. I am an early bird. I enjoy the pre-dawn quiet. I especially enjoy the emergence of birds and their song as darkness gives way to light.
By far, my favorite bird is the scarlet tanager. Their breeding ground is in the eastern United States, where I was blessed with a few glimpses of the bright and exotic red bird with black wings. I can vividly recall those moments.
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The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minnesota police officer charged with the killing of George Floyd, has riveted our national attention these past weeks, and now a verdict has been reached. Together with people around the world, we have anticipated the jury's decision with troubled hearts. As members of the community of Jesus, we affirm that "if one member suffers, all suffer together with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26, NRSV).
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Stanley Enzweiler is the Program Manager of St. Matthew Trinity’s Lunchtime Ministry, which offers a warm meal, hospitality and community to neighbors in Hoboken, New Jersey.
In this post, Stanley reflects on the uncertainty and stress the community faced in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic – and on the hope, hard work and perseverance that has kept Lunchtime Ministry going.
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After witnessing acts of violence this week, particularly against Black and Brown people, Bishop Eaton reminds us of all the ways our church has committed to do justice—on racism, on health care, on education, on immigration—but implores us to do more. Work for change. Get in contact with your neighbors, communities, lawmakers and officials. The same liberating gospel that sets us free from sin sets us free to serve our neighbor.
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Lutheran campus ministry (LCM) can sometimes be an afterthought to the greater church. I spent my whole life in Lutheran congregations and had never heard of campus ministry before coming to Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. However, LCM has been a vital part of the Lutheran community since the ministry’s inception in 1907 as a community “to attend to the needs of students.” Read more at Living Lutheran.
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Congress is currently considering two competing bills which would codify civil rights for LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States, the Equality Act (H.R. 5) and the Fairness for All Act (H.R. 5331). The Equality Act has passed the House of Representatives and is now being considered by the Senate. One of the most significant points of dispute is how the two bills would treat religious objections.
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The 2021 Earth Day theme, "Restore Our Earth," reminds us of the holy work God entrusts to us — of seeking the well-being of creation as inseparable from the wholeness of humankind. En Español tambien.
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But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24 NRSV).
The last 16 days have been a microcosm of the original sins of racism and white supremacy in the United States. As an anti-racist church that condemns white supremacy, we acknowledge these injustices.
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On Monday, April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in a concentration camp in Flossenburg, Germany, for his role in a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler. A week earlier, on April 1, the wider world had celebrated the news that Jesus “is not here; for he has been raised” (Matthew 28:6).
Read more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s subversive witness in Living Lutheran.
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In her April column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes about Easter and Earth Day, reminding us that we are redeemed, reconciled and reunited in the beauty of the Creator’s loving handiwork.
Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3uR9fFu and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3wXV9UA.
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Priscilla Paris-Austin, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle, sees her commitment to racial justice and equity work as a “both/and” imperative involving personal and systemic change. Here, she shares a reflection on how her experiences led her to her work in inspiring and achieving the God-given dream of liberating love.
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As this pandemic draws on and we sometimes lose track of our schedule, Presiding Bishop Eaton assures us that no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are in the right place and surrounded by God’s presence.
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I used to sell insurance. During that time, I learned that most car accidents occur within five minutes of home. Why? We’re overconfident in a familiar place. The most common collision isn’t caused by another person: it is us driving, on autopilot, into a neighbor’s parked car. Ask me. I’ve done it.
At this point in the pandemic, I believe we are in a similar situation. As we return to “normal,” we think we’re safe, and our old habits return. Tired from a year of pandemic, we stop practicing the vigilance and best behaviors that kept us safe on our long and strange journey.
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This year, we observe Easter for the second time in a challenging context amid painful situations. To protect our own lives and those of others, many of us celebrate Easter again and will meet with the Risen Lord “behind closed doors” (John 20,19-20).
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Imagine what it must have been like on that first Easter morning when there wasn't the knowledge of the resurrection. When, instead, it was all about death and disappointment. Imagine Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Lord. Hear Bishop Eaton’s message and a hymn from our newest worship resource, All Creation Sings, about the transformation of Mary's grief into joy. Happy Easter!
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Another Easter arrives, and again, we proceed with hesitance and fear. We struggle with our beliefs. We are unsure how to celebrate. We can feel isolated and separated from each other, wondering if we should leave our homes. In a time of political unrest, we are unsure of the stories we are hearing from the outside world.
And in these circumstances, we are blessed to experience Easter in the same way as the first followers of Christ.
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As we go through Holy Week, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land’s Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar shares his Easter message based on Mark 16:3 “Who will roll the stone away for us?”. View as PDF.
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Together with God, we grieve with the families and communities impacted by gun violence — especially in communities where it is an everyday occurrence. These shootings are not isolated but rather a pattern of the gun violence crisis in the United States.
The numbers of victims tell only a part of the pain — the trauma caused by gun violence ripples across family members, friends, neighborhoods, communities and this country.
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As we go through Holy Week, Presiding Bishop Eaton reminds us that Jesus is present in all of our suffering. The lives lost to gun violence and the suffering caused by the pandemic - Christ has journeyed this path and continues to journey with us.
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