Education

Voices of Faith

The beginning is near

The times and seasons kept by the body of Christ often bear a consoling and encouraging witness in contrast with the times and seasons of our surrounding culture. Fear and…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: ‘Anna, God has not forgotten us!’

Lectionary blog for Nov. 13 Pentecost 26   Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19 It was during Lent many years ago. I was the pastor of a very…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Worshiping who we used to be

Lectionary blog for Oct. 30 Reformation Sunday Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36 A story is told about a young priest who was assigned to a cathedral in…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Faith during bad times

Lectionary blog for Oct. 16 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8 Our gospel lesson about the widow pestering the judge reminds me of…

Mission & Ministry

Ecumenical summer academy supports student success

Cesar’s model town was designed to keep oil, grease and other toxins from polluting the local river. Sponges, cotton balls and other absorbent materials dotted the cardboard-and-aluminum foil town, built…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: What it means to have faith

Lectionary blog for Oct. 2 20th Sunday after Pentecost Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-9; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10 In her autobiography, Broadway actress Helen Hayes tells about her first…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: You were serious about that?

Lectionary blog for Sept. 25 19th Sunday after Pentecost Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 In the movie “The Princess Bride,” one of the running gags…

Faith in Action

The comfort of Hope

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Duluth, Minn., suffered a fire Feb. 18 that destroyed much of its furnishings, including the organ, piano, altar and stained-glass windows. The 110-year-old Gothic-style building and…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Being radically inclusive

Lectionary blog for Aug. 28 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Proverbs 25:6-7; Psalm 112; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 When you’re pastor of the Lutheran church in Athens, Ga., where…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Love can trump the rules

Lectionary blog for Aug. 21 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 58:9b-14; Psalm 103:1-8; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 As a graduate of a non-Lutheran seminary, I spent a year at the…

Faith in Action

Doing what Jesus wants us to do

When Lynn Hauger Anselm, a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Palmer, Alaska, attended a four-day training in community organizing conducted by Anchorage Faith & Action Congregations Together (AFACT), she…

Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Good, not pleasant, news

Lectionary blog for Aug. 14 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 23:23-29; Psalm 82; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 Some years ago a man I knew in one of my congregations had…