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Here is John Calvin commenting on Colossians 1:15: The sum is this — that God in himself, that is, in his naked majesty, is invisible, and that not to the eyes of the body merely, but also to the understandings of men, and that he is revealed to us in Christ alone, that we may behold him as in a mirror. For in Christ he shews us his righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, in short, his entire self. We must, therefore, beware of seeking him elsewhere, for everything that would set itself off as a representation of God, apart from Christ,…

Colleen Montgomery, Salem,VA Warm-up Questions Did you ever have toy like was like you? If so, how was it like you?  What toy would you be excited to buy a younger sibling, cousin, or neighbor for Christmas?  Like Me, Like Christ Shoppers across the country are buying toys for Christmas presents for the children in their lives. While many toy manufacturers have increased the racial diversity of their dolls and action figures, there is a segment of children who still don’t see themselves in the toys they find under the tree on Christmas day. Children with disabilities and medical conditions. …

This past Sunday, across many Christian traditions, the season of Advent began. This season begins with apocalypse, revelation. Contrary to the popular and colloquial use of the term apocalypse, it does not mean “end of the world.”  Quite literally, apocalypse means revelation, pulling [the curtain] away. When a play begins there is an apocalypse – the curtain is drawn, and the show is revealed. When I was a child, every morning was apocalyptic; my mother would pull the covers off me, my day began exposed to the chilling reality of a new day.   The entrance to the sanctuary of St….

I am still a doctrinal (fundamentalist) evangelical in many ways. On a doctrine of biblical inerrancy: I am so committed to the intent that “inerrancy” intends to communicate that I’m beyond an inerrantist. My view of Scripture is “contexted” Christologically and thus soteriologically such that any type of abstract philosophical frame for a doctrine of inerrancy simply will not do. My view is confessional and even via antiqua, as I see an ontology of Holy Scripture funded protologically by God’s free election to be for the world in Jesus Christ. In a theological taxis then, my doctrine of Scripture has…

ELCA World Hunger is excited to announce the addition of a new staff member, Everdith Landrau. Read more about her below!  Hi everyone, my name is Everdith Landrau, also known as Evie, and I am delighted to join the ELCA World Hunger as Director of Networking and Engagement.  I am a native of San Juan, Puerto Rio by way of Manhattan (Spanish Harlem), New York.  I am an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament with the Presbyterian Church, (USA).  My grandmother fostered the love of service early on in my childhood.  Growing up in an urban setting both in Puerto Rico and Spanish Harlem exposed me…

These prompts are provided for worship leaders as they prepare the prayers of intercession for weekly worship. The prompts are prepared by several leaders in the ELCA and reflect current world and national events. You are encouraged to adapt and add other concerns for your local context, including staying informed of events and concerns in your synod. Intercession prompts: For rebuilding and recovery work following tornadoes in the southern United States… For families grieving children killed in a school bombing in northern Afghanistan… For an end to continued war in Ukraine… For an end to gun violence in our nation……

Here’s a post I found in my drafts from 2013, not sure if I ever posted this. Election. Election has been such a source of consternation for so many of us through our own theological years. The battle continues to fray on and on between the rascally classical Calvinists and Arminians—at least in its most popular expression—there is a trading of proof texts that sail right past each other as two ships in the dark navigate precariously past one another. There is a more sophisticated way to engage with this tumultuous topic. I like to think that Myk Habets and…

Join us in Sensing Advent: Practicing God’s justice in embodied community Advent Pilgrimage in Palestine is a four-week virtual pilgrimage from the ELCA’s Peace Not Walls, Young Adult Ministry, Arab and Middle Eastern ministry, and ALAMEH featuring young adult voices from the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In Palestine and around the world, Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas—not only in our hearts and minds, but in embodied traditions that involve all our senses. Decorations, food, music, and gifts can not only express the rich cultural diversity of the church and connect…

ALAMEH (Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage) issued a statement on Iran, please find it linked below. ALAMEH Statement on Iran ELCA Blogs

It’s better to know God in the way that He has deigned to be known. He has freely chosen to be known through men’s (Prophets and Apostles) voices, and not His voice directly (like audibly per se). Even as He came to us in the Son, He came as a human being; the human being par excellence. But still, He accommodates to speak to us, to reveal Himself to us, in a man’s voice, a human’s voice; albeit the Godman’s voice. The person we finally encounter in the Man, Christ Jesus’ voice, is the person of the triune God; nevertheless,…