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From The Presiding Bishop
Our common witness
One of the distinct privileges of this call as presiding bishop is seeing the church at work at home and around the world. The Lutheran movement is alive and well,…
From The Presiding Bishop
We belong to the Truth
“Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or “No, No’ ” (Matthew 5:37). When I was a girl, dinner table discussions in our family were lively. We could state our position…
From The Presiding Bishop
Gathering, word, meal and sending
Liturgy is important—not each constituent part—but the basic structure of corporate worship: gathering, word, meal and sending. It’s a discipline Lutherans willingly undertake because it helps individuals and the entire…
From The Presiding Bishop
Questions in life
The good people at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Living Well Center for Vocation and Purpose invited me to address the school on the topic “Lives Worth Living.” Yikes! This is one of…
From The Presiding Bishop
All created things
God’s entire divine nature is wholly and entirely in all creatures, more deeply, more inwardly, more present than the creature is to itself (Martin Luther). I am formed by the…
From The Presiding Bishop
Spiritual and religious
Is “Lutheran spirituality” an oxymoron? When we consider Martin Luther and the early reformers, we think of great theologians, prolific writers and musicians. We are well aware of Luther’s earthy…
From The Presiding Bishop
What is God up to?
What is to be done? Our congregations are growing older and smaller. At least 40 percent of our congregations have an average weekly worship attendance of 50 or less. ELCA…
From The Presiding Bishop
Happy New Year!
Editor’s note: This is a reprint of the January 2017 column from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Ah, a new year! It opens up before…
From The Presiding Bishop
From cradle to grave
Christmas comes at a descending time. The old year is coming to an end, the new year is not yet here. It is too late to accomplish goals set on…
From The Presiding Bishop
In the wilderness
In the Hebrew Bible the book of Numbers is called “In the Wilderness.” It starts with great hope. God delivered God’s people from Egypt, from bitter slavery, grinding toil and…
From The Presiding Bishop
So now what?
This month marks the 501st anniversary of the Reformation. Last year it was all Reformation all the time. It was our year! News, media and the public paid attention. Hundreds…
From The Presiding Bishop
So now what?
This month marks the 501st anniversary of the Reformation. Last year it was all Reformation all the time. It was our year! News, media and the public paid attention. Hundreds…