Category: Protestant

Alex Zuber, Harrisonburg, VA Warm-up Question What is the most urgent or pressing thing in your life right now?  (It could be a good thing or a challenge) Tear It Open! For all the build-up, Christmas just flies by too fast!  Some of us (me included) may have been singing along with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” since November 1, but Christmas is still over too soon. I know I could slow down and savor the moment more, but I’m always far too delighted by the frenzied rush of Christmas morning.  It doesn’t seem to matter…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For peace among nations, especially between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine… For victims of and responders…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For peace among nations, especially between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine… For peaceful resolution to post-election…

There is no Faith Lens post this week   “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him he gave power to become the children of God” (RSV) ELCA Blogs

Linnea Peterson, Minneapolis, MN Warm-up Questions Have you ever tried to talk about something that happened to you and had someone refuse to believe you?  Do you think some people are believed more than others when they talk about their experiences? What do you think leads to that difference?  Believe Me A couple of months ago, pop star Britney Spears released a memoir, The Woman in Me, bringing her back into the national spotlight. Though her most popular songs came out over 20 years ago, Spears has received attention in recent years with the #FreeBritney movement, which was an effort…

  By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day [God] rested from all his work.   Here in Genesis 2:1, we learn about the continuing of creation, flora and fauna, rest from the six days God created the skies and the earth and humanity.     We’ve heard this Scripture countless times, in pithy sentences, in expectation for an abstract time in the future where we would pause and reflect. But, when the appointed time comes, many of us continue ticking things off the to-do list, doing one last thing…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For peace among nations, especially in Israel/Palestine… For the volcanic eruption in Grindavik, Iceland… For those injured,…

In honor of International Migrants Day, Racial Justice invited guest writer Rev. Menzi Nkambule to share some thoughts on being a migrant in the United States.   What is your response when someone asks, “Where are you from?” Mine is a joke and reality. I often reply with my Eswatini accent, “I am from Decorah, Iowa.” I was raised in Eswatini, attended Luther College in Decorah and Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and am now a Lutheran pastor in Jersey City, N.J. For most people in America, “Where are you from?” is a tricky question. We need a different…

Dennis Sepper, Rosemount, MN Warm-up Question How do you react when things do not go your way?  How do you get though the rough times in life?   Hope in the Wilderness Bernhardt Ingemann was born on May 28, 1789, the son of a Lutheran Pastor who died when Ingemann was 11 years old.  Bernhardt entered the University of Copenhagen in 1806.  The following year, when the British attacked Copenhagen to prevent Napoleon from taking the Norwegian-Danish navy, Ingemann helped to defend the city.  His apartment and his early works were burned in the siege.  In 1809 he lost his…

Dear youth leader: Being a youth leader can be both rewarding and challenging. It’s a role that requires a great deal of energy, compassion, and patience. If you’re feeling tired or overwhelmed during this Advent Season, you’re not alone. The demands of guiding and supporting young people, coupled with all the responsibilities of the season, in addition to balancing the visioning prep for upcoming trips and all that goes into them, can take a toll. Firstly, we want to acknowledge the importance of your work. You play a crucial role in shaping the lives of young individuals and fostering their…