In his book, Silence the Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about two kinds of knots. The first knot is our notions, ideas, concepts, and knowledge. These things are not bad, but when we get stuck on them we miss out on the truth of life.
The second knot is our afflictions, fears, anger, discrimination, despair, and arrogance. Thich Nhat Hanh believes that until these knots are undone we remain bound up and not truly free.
Read MoreOn Halloween night in the UK, three children stopped to trick or treat at the house of Brenda Burdon, 86. Brenda apologized because she did not have any treats ready to give out. The youth replied, “It’s OK, because sometimes making people happy and getting a nice big smile is reward enough.”
They returned the next day with muffins and chocolates, a card which they had decorated with pumpkins and doodles. Brenda Burdon’s grandson later said, “She was just lost in happiness that total strangers could leave such a wonderful impression” and that it was the best Halloween of her life.
Read MoreSymbols of Presence: A virtual weekly program from Spirit in the Desert during the season of Advent that helps participants prepare to receive the Best. Gift. Ever. The program is FREE, register on our calendar pages.
Read MoreWhen you think of a sloth, what do you think of? I’d bet a small, furry creature. Likely clinging to a tree with incredibly long claws. Probably munching on some leaves or flowers with a glib, goofy grin that God placed on its face through millions of years of evolution.
Read MoreAs you observe All Saints Sunday on November 7, 2021 or at another time near November 1 (All Saints Day), you may desire a rite that acknowledges those who have died from COVID-19 during this past year or since the beginning of this pandemic.
Read MoreIn late September the MacArthur Foundation announced that Joshua Miele is a genius grant recipient. Miele designs adaptive technologies that allow blind and visually impaired (BVI) people to use the technologies that permeate society. For instance, Miele developed YouDescribe, which allows sighted volunteers to create audio descriptions of any video on YouTube.
Read MoreThree songs from our 2021 Bishop’s Fall Gathering are available for your listening pleasure: A Story For All People, For All the Faithful Women, and I Love to Tell the Story. Listen and watch in this post.
Thanks to vocalist Karin Gunderson and pianist Jerry Gunderson for sharing. Jerry isDirector of Worship & Music Ministry, All Saints Lutheran Church, Phoenix.
Read MoreIn the past few years there has been a movement within the US American Catholic Church to recognize Dorothy Day as a saint within their tradition. While Lutherans and Catholics have different understandings of saints and sainthood, we too, can look to these people as exemplars of the faith.
Read MoreA 2010 study by psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton revealed that money did have an impact on how people evaluate their lives — people with more money feel better about their lives. The study showed when individuals reached an annual salary of $75,000, more money didn’t equate to more happiness.
Read MoreThe stories about the evacuation of American citizens and allies from Afghanistan have been heart wrenching. My feeling of helplessness drove me to discover signs of hope. As Mister Rogers invites us to do in a crisis, I felt compelled to “look for the helpers.”
Read MoreEveryone hoped that the conflict over whether to mask or not mask amid the COVID pandemic would be over by now. It isn’t. The number of cases continues to climb and mask mandates–and opposition to them–are also rising. A recent article points out that the issue can be framed as whether the vulnerable have a right to feel safe at school.
Read MoreLutheran Outdoor Ministries is making available a video for a worship experience for use on June 6, the Second Sunday after Pentecost. Find it at www.lomnetwork.org, no later than May 28, 2021.
The video and bulletin are for use in their entirety or pick and choose segments for your own setting.
Read MoreJoin the RMS Creation Care Team for a special worship service for Earth Day. The prayer service includes readings, music, and prayers from all across the Rocky Mountain Synod. View the service in this post or on Vimeo, or as a live event on the RMS Facebook page, April 22, 2021, at 11 am MST/PDT.
Read MoreIn the Easter season our “Alleluias” are bold. “Christ has risen while earth slumbers,” a new hymn in All Creation Sings, announces the promise of resurrection while acknowledging the complexity of human experience.
Read MoreA Good Friday worship service—premiering April 2, 2021, at 6pm MST/PDT—is available on the synod’s YouTube channel and in this post. It is a service of Tenebrae, with reading of the passion by leaders from the Colorado River Conference, a message from Bishop Hutterer, and special music. Download the order of worship in PDF or as a Word doc.
Our thanks to Pastor Jason Adams, (Reformation Lutheran, Las Vegas) for heading up this project.
Read MoreFor Earth Day April 25, 2021, Lutherans Restoring Creation is preparing a gorgeous program of liturgy, visual journeys, musical offerings, insights and inspiration. Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will be delivering the sermon. More info here.
Be sure to register and receive a link to download the service a week prior to the live presentation on April 25th (Good Shepherd Sunday). The entire worship service will also be offered via our YouTube and Facebook channels live that day.
Read MoreLutheran World Relief offers videos for congregational and personal use on Maundy Thursday and Easter, available for download or on YouTube.
Read MorePacific Lutheran Theological Seminary invites you to join its Easter Vigil worship watch party on Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 7pm PDT/MST on the PLTS Facebook page.
Read MoreMembers of the Association of Asians and Pacific-Islanders – ELCA share the Embodied Blessing and Healing, part of the litany for the day of lament against anti-Asian racism observed on March 21, 2021. The litany is done without words, using movement as expression.
Read MoreOur 2021 synod assembly worship service will be made available for use by all congregations for use on the weekend of June 12 and 13, 2021.
Our assembly is Saturday June 12, 2021, with worship tentatively scheduled to be live-streamed at 3:30 pm MST/PDT. If our worship service is pre-recorded, the file will be made available earlier that week. If we are recording live, we will make the file available as soon as possible on Saturday.
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