Editor’s note: Every Christmas, many ELCA congregations share the spirit of the holiday by hosting and serving community Christmas dinners. The stories below were submitted by congregations that have long-standing…
I’ve had many wonderful Christmas celebrations over the years. The most memorable one was more than 60 years ago, before I was ordained. I was attending Luther Seminary in St….
And the Word became flesh and lived among us … (John 1:14) When I took my church job in 2002, I was tasked with organizing the annual Christmas Eve family…
Handcrafting trains, doll cradles, vehicles, jewelry boxes, pull toys and more is the faithful work of the Happy Joes, a carpentry ministry started by men from Mount Morris Holden Lutheran…
I have always loved Mary, the mother of our Lord, and each year she becomes more important to me. But my love for Mary does not come from admiration of…
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Livonia, Mich. Founder and director of Seedlings Braille Books for Children I founded Seedlings Braille Books for Children 35 years ago because I heard that braille books…
In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech at Riverside Church in New York City. In his address, he alluded to one of the Bible’s most well-known passages, the…
Lovely and historic Budapest was a very different place in 1944. The German army invaded Hungary early that year, and months later the country’s fascist, anti-Semitic Arrow Cross Party took…
In the spirit of Christmas, many congregations decorate evergreen trees for their sanctuaries. Often these trees are covered in white and gold ornaments in the shapes of religious symbols and…
Every December, I take somewhat dark delight in viewing (Google it for grins) a 1926 painting by German artist Max Ernst titled “The Blessed Virgin Chastising the Infant Jesus before…
When Len first came to St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church’s Lunchtime Ministry in Hoboken, N.J., it was as a last resort. Born in Jersey City in 1959, Len (last name…
Our Advent lectionary readings this year are a rich tapestry. In Matthew’s Gospel, we are swept up together in the comforting but challenging reality of the “already” and the “not…
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