On Sunday the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) will for the first time ordain a woman into pastoral ministry, Sally Azar. I invite you to join in the celebration by watching this short documentary about what women’s ordination means for the ELCJHL, and the livestream of the ordination service, which will begin at 7 a.m. Central time.
Read MoreYesterday we awoke to the news of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. As part of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), we mourn his death and celebrate his life eternal in Christ Jesus.
Read More“When we talk to someone who shares the same Christian faith, but has a different set of political beliefs or convictions, it can be uncomfortable, or frustrating, and sometimes even scary. As members of the ELCA, we believe that we can have different political opinions but be of the same faith,” asserts Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in her November 2, 2022 video addressing Christian Nationalism.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reads the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20. Merry Christmas and a blessed Advent! This is a season of preparation. As we prepare for family gatherings, homecooked meals, and Christ’s birth, let us take a moment to relax, breathe, and receive the Christmas story. Merry Christmas, dear church!
Read MoreAs you vote early or make your plan to vote, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton offers this message in advance of Election Day. Thank you for making informed and faithful decisions for your community, and congratulations to the first-time voters!
Read MoreChristian Nationalism identifies human-made governments as lockstep with God’s will and seeks to privilege Christians, typically only white Christians. This type of ideology is not only dangerous but distorts the difference between holding government accountable to God as opposed to identified strictly with God’s will. We must stand against Christian Nationalism and as that you join us in signing the petition and sharing your stance by visiting the Christians Against Christian Nationalism site.
Read MoreOn Reformation Day and in this video from Bishop Eaton, we celebrate the five hundred and fifth anniversary of the Reformation! Over five hundred years later, the Lutheran movement is alive and well, as the good news is proclaimed in languages and places Martin Luther never knew existed.
Read MoreThe pandemic is not over, and we encourage you to get vaccinated and boosted (and to encourage your neighbors to do the same), not just for you, but for your family, your community, and your faith.
Read MoreMonday, October 10, 2022, we observe Indigenous Peoples' Day, an opportunity to honor Indigenous Peoples and celebrate all the vital gifts that they offer to Creation from their cultures, traditions, theology, wisdom, creativity, ingenuity and so much more.
Read More"ELCA Guidelines for Ministry in a Multi-Religious World" provides general guidance for occasions when Christians and people of other religions come together. Included are recommendations for prayer services, crisis and tragedy response, social ministries, pastoral care, weddings and funerals.
"Preaching and Teaching with Love and Respect for the Jewish People" explores challenging topics, lectionary selections, and Bible passages to inform Christian preaching and teaching so that they respect the integrity of the Jewish tradition and avoid anti-Jewish interpretations of New Testament texts.
Read MoreIn her September, 2022 column for Living Lutheran, Bishop Eaton writes: “In Christ we are individually members one of another. Sometimes we might feel like we are stuck with each other. This is the great mystery and beauty of the wounded body of Christ—we are woven together.” Read in English at https://bit.ly/3RUS2a5 and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3f1BfDT.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton provides her report at the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
Read MoreELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton preaches at the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
Read MoreIn this video message, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares information on the upcoming 2022 Churchwide Assembly, asks for our prayers as our church gathers and discerns, and invites us to watch.
Read MoreIn this video, Bishop Eaton encourages us to celebrate the full participation of all in the body of Christ.
Read MoreOur prayers are with the family of Jayland Walker as they laid him to rest on Wednesday in Akron, Ohio, a place I know well and a community dear to my heart. We join all who gathered to mourn the brutal killing of their loved one.
Read MoreJune is National Pride Month and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares a message celebrating the gifts of our LGBTQIA+ siblings. You enrich our church! We celebrate you this month and all year long.
Read MoreDear church,
Whatever personal perspective one might take on the June 24, 2022 abortion ruling from the Supreme Court, it is the legal framework in which we now minister, and I wish to speak a pastoral word at this time.
Read MoreIn the video we shared at our 2022 Synod Assembly, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton urges us to follow Luther's example and use modern tools to spread the gospel, just as Luther shared the good news with the help of Gutenberg's printing press. 500 years ago this year, Martin Luther published his first translation of the New Testament into German vernacular.
Read MoreBishop Elizabeth Eaton will join faith and government leaders on June 17, 2022, to mark the seventh anniversary of the racially motivated shootings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Watch the event here.
The leaders will participate in a commemorative Bible study event that will kick off a yearlong Bible study across the country. The theme for the event, "What Kind of Soil Are We?," is taken from Mark 4:1-20, the Bible passage the Emanuel Nine were studying on the night they were murdered by Dylann Roof (who was raised in an ELCA congregation).
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