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I find this Jesus, the suffering servant, to be welcoming and comforting – one who stretches his arms wide on the cross, willingly bearing suffering and evil knowing that the resurrection dawn will certainly come.
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The Office of the Bishop participates in the Installation of Rev. Dan Potaznick, (Apr 1, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, St. John’s, Glendale) in multiple ways, and continues to prepare for assembly and other meetings. We also share photos from the High Country Conference Spring Gathering, as well as the Installation of Rev. Scott Klimke.
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Other than Apache, which is at a medium level, all of our synod’s counties are at at low levels.
Note: our updates can be a week behind due to our news cycle overlapping with Thursday updates. View the latest CDC and NYTimes updates here.
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This week we celebrate the following ordination anniversaries:
Deacon Glenda Blegen, who celebrates 17 years on April 2.
Rev. Adele Resmer, who celebrates 36 years on April 5.
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This year the suffering servant text struck me differently – struck me almost in the way Rocky Balboa gets struck over and over in the famous movie franchise Rocky.
Read More![[re]imagine Lent: 3/29/2023](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bc35f5d7980b31e1c91ba1c/1680107401393-IEN9VWZYQ5C6W8ADQU6C/image.png)
In anticipation of Palm Sunday, and in the aftermath of yet another shooting, today’s devotion is a poem written b Pr. Katy Stenta. Hosanna, a dangerous prayer indeed.
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We pray for Rev. Kevin Meyer and the people of Covenant Lutheran Church in Quartzsite, part of the Cactus Conference. Visit their Facebook page.
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The last few weeks have brought worry and panic to the banking world. The panic began with the sudden collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank over a three-day span. These bank closures led anxious customers to withdraw their money from other smaller regional banks and place it with bigger institutions that are better capitalized.
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For the students and staff at Covenant School in Nashville, and for all who are grieving, traumatized, and fearful…
For open-heartedness, courage, and humility in conversations about gun violence and meaningful change in our society…
For families and friends of those who died in the immigration center fire in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico…
For earthquakes and severe weather in California…
For cleanup efforts following a chemical spill in the Delaware River…
For all those recovering from the devastating tornado in western Mississippi and Alabama…
For the people of Israel in the midst of political turmoil…
For peace in Ukraine and de-escalation of nuclear threats…
For Muslim siblings observing Ramadan, Jewish siblings preparing for Passover, and Christians who prepare to enter Holy Week…
For LBGTQIA+ siblings, especially children and youth, amidst restrictive legislative actions in state legislatures across the United States…
In lament over acts of discrimination, hatred, and oppression done in the name of Christ…
We welcome Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza as our special guest at the 2023 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly. Dr. Bateza is a specialist in Martin Luther, moral theology and Christian ethics.
At St. Olaf College, he is the: Associate Professor of Religion; Department Chair of Race, Ethnic, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and Director of Race and Ethnic Studies. Learn more in this post or on our 2023 assembly special guests page.
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We are pleased to welcome Rev. Sara Cutter as our ELCA churchwide representative at the 2023 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly. She serves as the Senior Director for Operational Effectiveness in the Christian Community and Leadership Home Area of the ELCA’s churchwide organization. Learn more in this post or on our 2023 assembly special guests page.
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All members of the Grand Canyon Synod are invited to participate in a Q-&-A Zoom presentation of the 2024-2025 Mission Plan, hosted by Erik Rehms, our Synod Treasurer, and Barbara Carl, our Synod Vice-President. Each session is the same, with two dates to choose from. View the proposed plan here.
Tuesday, 5/16/2023, 5pm MST/PDT, 6pm MDT. Click here to register.
Saturday, 5/20/2023, 9am MST/PDT, 10am MDT. Click here to register.
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Someone said to me just the other day, “The church mayyyyy be broken.”
I can’t say I totally disagree, as there is so much about our church that simply doesn’t work anymore, or that sorta, kinda works, but desperately needs transformation.
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We pray for Rev. John Maroni and the people of Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church in Sun City, part of the Cactus Conference. Visit their site at shepherdofthedesertelca.org, and their Facebook page.
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Luther Seminary's Faith+Lead is proud to announce a new online learning experience for all of those leading in rural and small-town settings. This new offering, the Rural Curiosity Learning Community, starts April 20, 2023.
Ready to get all the details? Click here to find out more.
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The tAble is a pre-event to the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans for youth living with a wide range of physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. The Rev. Jonathan Vehar (he/him), the director of the tAble, shares an invitation to be a part of this faith formation event. To learn more about the 2024 Gathering, visit elca.org/Gathering and watch the video in this post.
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It has been a difficult few weeks for me, particularly as I watch the civil rights of my LGBTQ siblings stripped away. It has been difficult to assure my children that it will be ok when they saw the news report of Russia’s downing of a US drone when I have no power to give that assurance. Or to again think of the thousands living in the aftermath of earthquakes and war, to hear stories of Afghani women and girls still banned from education and work.
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The 40 days of Lent are drawing to a close, and so, too, is our journey through the psalms. From the plaintive cries of Psalm 32 to the quiet comfort of Psalm 23, we have glimpsed the spiritual depth of these hymns and reflected on what they might mean for us today, centuries after they were first recorded.
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[Jesus] cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. - John 11.43
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Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world. These words are familiar – the creed we speak in community, boldly proclaimed as one when the body of Christ gathers in worship.
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