Good seeds, good harvest
Lectionary Blog

Good seeds, good harvest

Lectionary for July 19, 2026 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Did you ever have a story or joke so good that you…

Good government is daily bread
Theology & Beliefs

Good government is daily bread

Editor’s note: Throughout the summer, Living Lutheran is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with articles reflecting on the church’s role in civic life and…

Loving all God’s creatures
Living Faithfully

Loving all God’s creatures

Focal verse “Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?” (Job 35:11). Reflection: As our beloved shelter dog,…

Contexts matter
Lectionary Blog

Contexts matter

Lectionary for July 12, 2026 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 I find myself absolutely giddy for the summer in Year A and…

Lutherans and the bicentennial
Theology & Beliefs

Lutherans and the bicentennial

Editor’s note: Throughout the summer, Living Lutheran is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with articles reflecting on the church’s role in civic life…

Holy listening
Voices of Faith

Holy listening

The woman hadn’t spoken for 20 minutes. Her weathered hands clutched a well-worn tissue, and her eyes were fixed on the sterile white floor of the hospital waiting room. As…

Responding bodily to the good news
Lectionary Blog

Responding bodily to the good news

Lectionary for July 5, 2026 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 You may have heard the phrase, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.”…

Learning antifragility from our children
Theology & Beliefs

Learning antifragility from our children

Series editor’s note: The 2026 theme for “Deeper understandings” is faithful witness in challenging times. This year various authors will explore what it means for the ELCA, and each of…

Welcoming a prophet
Lectionary Blog

Welcoming a prophet

Lectionary for June 28, 2026 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42 Sometimes I fear for my wife in churches. My wife grew up…

“That sort of Christianity …”
Lectionary Blog

“That sort of Christianity …”

Lectionary for June 21, 2026 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18; Romans 6:1-11; Matthew 10:24-39 One of my favorite movies is Kingdom of Heaven from 2005 (the…

Grounded in sabbath
Voices of Faith

Grounded in sabbath

The world has grown crazier than usual; life as we knew it has tilted and won’t right itself. This takes energy to process and navigate, energy we’d rather pour into…

Discerning together in hope
Mission & Ministry

Discerning together in hope

Seventeen years ago, the 2009 Churchwide Assembly adopted the social statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” a milestone in the church’s deliberation about sexuality. Then the 2022 Churchwide Assembly authorized…