Stories, reflections and perspectives from diverse range of voices across the ELCA.
Over recent decades, I’ve witnessed much change across the church. As a professor and parish pastor, I’ve been able to observe the church and the seminary each from the lens…
Each year on the Sunday following Easter, we hear in our Gospel lesson the story of Thomas, “the Twin.” He’s been stuck with the nickname “Doubting Thomas,” yet the point…
Jesus “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). Scripture makes clear that God’s will is for each of us, and the entire planet, to have health, wholeness…
A sacrifice is giving up something valuable to gain a greater treasure. As a child, I sacrificed my precious free time to participate in park district programming, which afforded me…
In [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed (Romans 1:17). In the preface to The Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Works (1545), Martin Luther recorded how this verse in Paul’s…
Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, Seattle National Public Radio (NPR) correspondent I believe that man is not the measure, and the simple fact of existence is evidence of divine will. An…
How sometimes everything closes up, a painted fan, landscapes and moments flowing together until the sense of distance – – – say, between Clapp’s Pond and me – – –…
I’ve always appreciated the brassy candor from two sisters upon meeting Jesus after Lazarus’ death: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, 32)….
One of the Reformation’s ambitious goals was to create an educated clergy. Both Protestant and Catholic reformers shared this goal, but the methods they chose varied somewhat: Protestants relied on…
(There are some spoilers for the film Us ahead.) By the time the monsters reveal themselves in the new horror thriller Us, viewers already have a good idea who they…
If you’ve ever wondered when your congregation began and who started it, there are ways to find the answers. Sure you could ask someone who may know the congregation’s history,…
If Father K—director Judd Ehrlich’s short film about Khader El-Yateem’s run for a seat on the New York City Council—were simply a political drama, then knowing whether he won or…
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