This letter - 1 Peter - is one of the most hope-filled books in the New Testament. Its purpose is to encourage Christian converts living in the midst of a hostile society. Like most of the letters, there are a few passages that I would rather ignore; I have to remember that the letter was written in a very different time and place. Still, there is enough life-giving in the letter to hold our attention. The author names “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1:3). That living hope is ours as well, even as the world around us groans. We hope that the God who created life out death on Easter morning will continue to create life from death. We hope that transformation is possible. And finally, like those disciples in the Emmaus Road story, we might say “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?” (Luke 24:32).
Two Ways of Seeing a River
Ministry, in all the ways we live it—parish, hospital, campus, new/old projects, organizing, public service and public witness—has its seasons just like a river does. It’s up; it’s down. It bends unexpectedly. It has snags. It dwindles to a trickle or rages in a torrent of energy. When we are so focused on navigating the moment-to-moment challenges, we easily miss the glorious sunset. Too homed in on that potential snag we know is coming, or worried about our own lack of knowledge (gosh…never floated this section before…), we fail to look up from our wheel, our desk, our phone, our whatever and just see. Oh, my goodness: the play of the twilight sun on the water!
Solar Electric Cooking System for UKD
NWIM Synod Council has authorized the Companion Synod Team to raise funds towards the purchase of a Solar Electric Cooking System (SECS) to replace the hazardous combustion system. In addition to producing on-site electricity for stove-top and oven cooking, the SECS would power a water pumping system and water purification system.
Sacred Ground
Daily Bread Grants
A Thank You from Tumaini Lutheran Secondary School
Sharing of the Peace
Worship, including the sharing of the peace, gives us a glimpse of God’s reign that we can take into the world, and what a gift that is. Jesus gives us a peace, as he says earlier in John’s gospel, that the world does not know, a peace that exists through Jesus Christ even when the world feels like it’s shaking and absent of all peace.
Mission Support News for Congregational Treasurers
We have updated the Congregation Remittance Form to use when sending in mission support and now have a Checklist that provides some helpful information about submitting mission support and designated gifts.
Preaching and Teaching With Love and Respect for the Jewish People
the Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations offers this guide to support preachers and teachers in reflecting and embodying these commitments in congregational life. Progress in understanding the Bible, its first communities and the development of Christian theology provides many resources for creating a foundational framework for moving forward.