“Church Speak” A colleague at the Lutheran Center related this story. An unchurched friend of hers was visiting and noticed her Advent calendar. “What is Advent?” she asked. A simple question. But my colleague soon discovered it wasn’t that easy to explain Advent to someone who had never heard of it, but who also had […]
“October 32 and Beyond” This is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. For the past year it has been “All Reformation All the Time!” Everything Martin Luther. The really observant have branched out to Philipp Melanchthon and Johannes Bugenhagen. True believers will dress their children up as Martin and Katie for Halloween, or if they […]
“At the Table Together” Old recipes are precious things. They give instructions about how to prepare a dish, but they are so much more. They are filled with memories. They connect families as they are passed from one generation to the next. They bring events and people from long ago right into the present. I […]
“The Laborers in the Vineyard” Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, Jesus told a very interesting parable. It’s sometimes known as the “Laborers in the vineyard” (Matthew 20:1-16). You remember how it goes: A landowner hires laborers for his vineyard at 6 a.m., promising them that he would pay the usual […]
Our Synod’s bishop, Bishop Mary Froiland, suffered a heart attack last week. She received prompt medical care and is taking a short vacation to rest and recuperate. She is expected to be fine and is looking forward to returning to work soon. Please remember her in your prayers!
4/12/2017 12:40:00 PM CHICAGO (April 12, 2017) – In her Easter message, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), reminds us to rejoice even when the brokenness of this world breaks our spirits. Visit ELCA.org to listen to Eaton’s message. – – – About the Evangelical Lutheran […]
11/14/2016 9:30:00 AM CHICAGO – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued the following statement on Standing Rock. Statement from ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton on Standing Rock: When we come together for worship, we often begin with confession and forgiveness using these words: “We confess […]
11/2/2016 9:10:00 AM CHICAGO – In honor of Veterans Day (Friday, Nov. 11), the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is calling on the church to pray for members of the armed services, veterans, chaplains and their families. “Let us pray for an ordered civic life and respect […]
A Proclivity for Paradox A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject of all, subject to all (Martin Luther in Freedom of a Christian). Wow, Lutherans love paradox! Law and gospel. Saint and sinner. Free and bound. David Swartling, former ELCA […]
7/20/2016 6:00:00 PM CHICAGO – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has released a statement in response to the shootings in Baton Rouge, La., and Dallas that killed eight police officers. Eaton’s statement follows: My soul is bereft of peace: I have forgotten what happiness is. […]