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The following is cross-posted from Living Lutheran. You can find the original post here. I’m a Lutheran: Glory Godwin Lekashu By John Potter|December 20, 2024 Medical laboratory technician, Essentia Health Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn. Growing up, I was highly involved with the youth ministry of my home church, Kimandolu Lutheran Church in Arusha, Tanzania, and was on the church praise and worship team. I started going to Trinity Lutheran Church in 2019 as a college freshman at Concordia College [in Moorhead, Minn.]. Currently, I serve on the hospitality team for Trinity. I usher and read Scripture. This involvement is very important to me because…

Portrait des Theologen Karl Barth in Basel. Photographie 1956. Portrait of the theologian Karl Barth in Basel. Photography. 1956. I was chided back in the day by some Princeton Theological Seminary, at that point, MDiv students (who now have their PhDs from the same school), by referring to Scripture as containing biblical revelation; and this with Barth’s theology as the broader background. These guys asserted that Barth would never refer to the Bible as containing “revelation” of God. And yet clearly these lads had never really even read Barth in depth. Barth’s doctrine of the Threefold Form of the Word…

“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 areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and conflict: Gaza, Syria, Ukraine… For the family…

Catalyst Question What constellations, comets, or other celestial objects can you identify? Signs in the Skies Happy New Year! Last year, many in the United States experienced a total solar eclipse. As this article details, 2025 forecasts a number of different events involving the sun, moon, stars, comets, and more. We’re not the only ones who look to the heavens with interest. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 2:1-12, Magi from Persia follow heavenly body to Bethlehem and visit Jesus. Magi were priests and scholars who looked to the stars for divine wisdom. They asked questions about anything from the…

It is no secret, for those whom it is no secret, that Augustine believed that original sin was a genetic material stuff that was propagated in and among the human mass through the lust of sexual intercourse. Indeed, some of this, no doubt, was developed in the context of his Manichean background; but also, Augustine believed that the passions themselves were ultimately representative of the very base of sin, or what he identified as concupiscence (self-love). He wasn’t the only one who believed this, there were many others, following, like Ambrose, and later Peter Lombard, who affirmed the same in…

Salvation. God is salvation. Jesus is God. Jesus is salvation. Jesus is both the object and subject of salvation; both the electing God, and elected human. Jesus is with and for us and in us before we are in Him. Jesus first became human that we might become human in Him. Jesus is the Godward to human and humanward to God movement of the triune life for the world; even as He is, without the world. Jesus, in the triune life, freely chose to not be God without us, but with us. Jesus was and is, first, Deus incarnandus (the…

  Everyone in the United States has certain rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, regardless of immigration status. Given the heightened levels of uncertainty and fear in communities, noncitizens and citizens alike may require even greater accompaniment and comprehensive support during this time and months ahead. Depending on someone’s individual circumstances it may make sense to talk to a lawyer for more specialized assistance. The resources listed below can help communities stay generally informed, prepared, and united in support of immigrant neighbors. Note: This information is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer. Laws may vary by state.  …

Catalyst Question When you think of words like “education” or “school,” what comes to mind? Witnessing a New Era Merry Christmas! Now, you might be thinking, “How was Jesus forn was just a few days ago, and now already he’s a 12-year-old?!” Rather than a mutant-like growth pattern, a la Marvel’s X-Men, this is simply a reflection of how little scriptural material addresses Christ’s childhood. Even so, it’s remarkable how normal this childhood appears. In Luke 2:41-42, we find Jesus in school. Not exactly like the middle school that today’s 12-year-olds attend, but a school quite common for the day:…

Merry Christmas! Incarnation and Atonement; these are of apiece as we celebrate the coming of the Son of Man as a babe in a manger. The trajectory of His freely elected life to be us that we might be Him, by grace, through union with Him, in His vicarious humanity for us, is a cruciform trajectory that first confronts us in the womb of Mary; and then in the wood of the manger. He was born that we might have life, and that more abundantly. He became God with us, Immanuel; not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit….

Catalyst Question How do you define success? Witnessing a New Era This week, a new era in began in college sports: a twelve team playoff to name the national champion in collegiate football. For many years–in fact, for more than a century–champions were determined through voting of either coaches or media professionals. In 2014, a four team playoff format began. This week, this playoff expanded to include twelve contenders, with teams from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame inaugurating this new era. With more games, there will be more fans who witness the plays on the field, and…