The Metropolitan New York Synod is encouraging children to deliver sermons, write new hymns, design stained-glass windows and even officiate at weddings. Well, not exactly. But through a free mobile…
“Mommy, who is God?” My son’s words stopped me mid-step in his darkened bedroom, halfway between the freedom of me time and parental obligation. I crouched alongside his bed, rubbed…
Recently, it was my son’s baptismal anniversary. As a pastor, you may expect that we light the baptismal candle every year and make a big deal of marking this occasion….
Lectionary blog for Jan. 5, 2020 Second Sunday of Christmas Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 147:12-20; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:10-18 For those of us who are blessed to live relatively close to…
With half-eaten bowls of oatmeal on the table, my children jump off their chairs and run to the living room. “Music on?” my son asks, smiling. With arms lifted in…
How to find balance is one of life’s perpetual questions, and its answer is one of life’s most elusive. No matter what season of life we are in, we have…
As any parent of a 2-year-old can tell you, they can be unpredictable, squirmy, loud, messy and make even the thickest-skinned parents embarrassed to sit in worship. So how does…
I often find myself longing for life to be simpler, especially after our family has had a chance to get away for a bit. Being away from the usual chores…
The members of Holy Cross Lutheran, the congregation I serve in Decatur, Ill., gather for worship at 9:15 a.m. every Sunday. The pews are filled with elder caregivers. Their love…
Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer for the day from the ELCA resource Prayer Ventures, which can be downloaded here. These petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life…
“No, we don’t answer the phone or text during meals; we are present to each other.” “Yes, we are still going to pray before meals when friends are over.” “No,…
Editor’s note: Our June cover story, “Worship 101,” examined the “whats, whys and hows” of ELCA worship. We now continue the story as a monthly online series further exploring what Lutheran worship is, how…
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