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Voices of Faith

30 seconds of silence

For me, a powerful part of the Sunday liturgy is that short silence observed most weeks during the confession at the beginning of the service. We’ll belt out something mostly…
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Voices of Faith

What it feels like being an anxious churchgoer

I grew up going to a Lutheran church several times a week, and it was one of my favorite things to do. I still love a good Lutheran liturgy, but…
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Voices of Faith

Cemetery walk

Cemeteries simultaneously fill me with fear and awe. I’m not ashamed to admit that you wouldn’t find me walking alone at night in a cemetery, but I’m also not ashamed…
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Voices of Faith

Jesus: Living stone

On the final Sunday of August we’ll hear the prophet Isaiah urge us to “look to the rock from which you were hewn” (Isaiah 51:1). In these late summer Sundays,…
I’m a Lutheran: Grace Wolf-Chase
Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Grace Wolf-Chase

“I’m a Lutheran” is a monthly profile featuring ELCA members around the country. The profiles showcase ELCA members in all their diversity, connecting one another through individual faith stories as…
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Voices of Faith

Growing faith

Over the course of my life, it has become easier for me to trust God. My faith has not grown because I’m exceptional, but simply because I have more experiences…
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Voices of Faith

Perspective: A bigger table in a divisive era

On July 26, the Trump administration filed an amicus brief stating that the provisions under Title VII (which dates back to 1964) do not refer to people in the LGBTQIA…
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Voices of Faith

A new sense of purpose

The Rev.  Jackie Utley of Ascension Lutheran Church in Columbia, S.C.—the first African American to be ordained in the ELCA in South Carolina—came away from the recent Women of the…
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Voices of Faith

How to confess what we have left undone

Editor’s note: This article is the third in a four-part series exploring the relevance of Martin Luther’s catechism for our lives today. “Here reflect on your walk of life in…
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Voices of Faith

Transformation in Mexico

I walked into my Mexican home and collapsed on the couch. Through tears, I exclaimed to my host dad, “I wish I had never come to Mexico. This was a…
The sacrament of the altar versus the sacrament of culture
Voices of Faith

The sacrament of the altar versus the sacrament of culture

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a four-part series exploring the relevance of Martin Luther’s catechism for our lives today. “What is the benefit of such eating and…
I’m a Lutheran: Kathryn (Kate) Koob
Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Kathryn (Kate) Koob

“I’m a Lutheran” is a monthly profile featuring ELCA members around the country. The profiles showcase ELCA members in all their diversity, connecting one another through individual faith stories as…