As children of God, we give thanks for all of the LGBTQIA+ people who experience God's calling to the holy work of parenting. In particular response to the June 17 Supreme Court ruling on Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the ELCA stands with our LGBTQIA+ siblings in Christ and reaffirms our commitment to equal protection, opportunities and responsibilities under the law (Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, p. 33).
Read MoreBishop Eaton greets us from the Vatican, where, promoting Christian unity, she participated in Lutheran World Federation meetings with the pontifical council and Pope Francis. As we gather in our own congregations, the bishop asks us to remember that we are part of a large Lutheran family and an even larger Christian one.
Read MoreThe ELCA has designated June 17 as a day of commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9. On June 17, 2015, nine people were shot and killed during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Bishop Eaton reminds us to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.
Read MoreIn her June/July column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on what we’ve learned from the Apostle Paul about the deeply spiritual act of stewardship. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3gBIYFR and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3xqt8ER.
Read MoreAll active Rostered Ministers or retired ministers serving as interim pastors are invited to the Bishop’s Fall Gathering to be held on October 18-20, 2021 in Phoenix. Bishop Eaton will be our guest for this event. More details are on the way.
Read MoreThis Pride Month, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton gives thanks for the blessings of our LGBTQIA+ siblings and prays that we will all have a sense of pride in being part of this fearfully and wonderfully made family.
Read MoreBishop Eaton offered the sermon for Lutherans Restoring Creation’s Good Shepherd Sunday service in celebration of Earth Day 2021. She also accepted our request to take some follow-up questions collected by the network.
Here are portions of their time with her that we encourage you to share with your congregation as these are questions we are all meant to wrestle with.
Read MoreIn the story of creation we learn that on the seventh day God rested. From the beginning, God established a natural rhythm of work and rest. Bishop Eaton reminds us that in the midst of our busy days we need to take time for rest, for noticing creation and each other.
Read MoreThis week we observe Ascension Day – a time to consider Jesus’ transition from earth to heaven. We are living during a time of transition - in the life of our church, in our personal lives and in a rapidly changing world. But as Bishop Eaton emphasizes, what is steady and certain is God’s presence with us always.
Read MoreIn this video, Bishop Eaton asks for people to write President Biden and members of Congress urging they send a message to Israel to halt the illegal removal of East Jerusalem families from their homes and respect the Status Quo agreement and holy sites in Jerusalem. To show your support, go to: http://bit.ly/ELCASupportPeace
Read MoreDear church, God loves us all. No matter how we are grappling, we are not alone; God is with us. Throughout May and beyond, we must seek ways to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness and continually love everyone compassionately as a child of God.
Read MoreIn her May column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton notes that music, like God’s love, is at the same time deeply personal, sounding deep within an individual’s soul, and universal, ringing out to an entire community. Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3uBnRJy and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3ty0oYb.
Read MoreThis week, Bishop Eaton shares an experience of witnessing true hospitality and generosity from her neighbor.
Read MoreAs Lutherans we believe that science and religion come from the same source and that source is God. Religion and science are both ways of knowing God’s creation. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine does not mean we are being less than faithful by trusting science rather than God.
Read MoreBishop Eaton encourages us to take time to reflect on this comforting passage from Psalm 46: Be still and know that I am God.
Read MoreThe trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minnesota police officer charged with the killing of George Floyd, has riveted our national attention these past weeks, and now a verdict has been reached. Together with people around the world, we have anticipated the jury's decision with troubled hearts. As members of the community of Jesus, we affirm that "if one member suffers, all suffer together with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26, NRSV).
Read MoreAfter witnessing acts of violence this week, particularly against Black and Brown people, Bishop Eaton reminds us of all the ways our church has committed to do justice—on racism, on health care, on education, on immigration—but implores us to do more. Work for change. Get in contact with your neighbors, communities, lawmakers and officials. The same liberating gospel that sets us free from sin sets us free to serve our neighbor.
Read MoreThe 2021 Earth Day theme, "Restore Our Earth," reminds us of the holy work God entrusts to us — of seeking the well-being of creation as inseparable from the wholeness of humankind. En Español tambien.
Read MoreBut let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24 NRSV).
The last 16 days have been a microcosm of the original sins of racism and white supremacy in the United States. As an anti-racist church that condemns white supremacy, we acknowledge these injustices.
Read MoreIn her April column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes about Easter and Earth Day, reminding us that we are redeemed, reconciled and reunited in the beauty of the Creator’s loving handiwork.
Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3uR9fFu and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3wXV9UA.
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