This blog post “Communicating Shared Values” is part two of a series designed to spark conversation! To read the previous posts in the series, you can view all ELCA Innovation Blog posts here.

Research Insight: Young adult parents don’t consider religious faith or spiritual development important for their children.   

Last week’s blog post shared a call to action from the U.S. Surgeon General for faith communities and religious leaders to play a part in responding to issues around parents’ mental health and well-being in today’s world.

Yet, in a recent research study, survey respondents rated “religious faith” as the least important thing to teach their children when presented with a list of options that included values and behaviors like empathy, helping others, tolerance, and responsibility, which may all feature prominently in Christian teaching designed for children.

With this disinterest in passing on religious faith, how might congregations engage parents and their children? Gallup has reported that religious people experience better well-being in various ways. We should not reduce our faith to being a device or vehicle for health and happiness. Instead, emphasizing the connection between a relationship with God and a life of purpose and vocation deserves an increased focus.

While trust in religious institutions may be waning, 27% of survey respondents still said they would trust religious leaders or texts for parenting advice. This compares to 63% who would trust their parents (by far the most trusted source of advice), 30% who would trust experts or academics, and only 15% who would trust blogs, influencers, or social media. This level of trust is hardly overwhelming, but it does signal an openness to hearing from faith communities about parenting – particularly if that advice helps a parent pass on values and ideals they care deeply about, like a sense of responsibility and empathy for others.

Next steps for congregations

What can faith communities do to support parents as they raise children to live a life of purpose? While there isn’t a singular solution, congregations seeking to promote the well-being of parents can listen intentionally to local families. What needs do parents have that a faith community might have the resources to meet? Where is there alignment between a congregation’s beliefs or practices and the values parents are striving to instill in their children? These are the types of wonderings that spark ideas for creative ministry.

Next week’s blog will focus on spiritual practices among parents and prospective parents. In the meantime, we invite you to reflect on the discussion questions below. If you have comments, questions, or reflections, please share them with us at Lab@elca.org!

Discussion Questions

• Does our congregation or community offer any ministry specifically designed for parents? If not, when was the last time our congregation/community intentionally engaged with parents?
• How might our congregation play a role in connecting caregivers and parents to foster social connection?
• How could we learn more about the biggest challenges facing parents in our community?
• What other non-profits, faith communities, organizations, etc., are providing support for parents in our community? Have we made any connections with them recently?

Further Reading

1. Recommended Practices for Lifelong Faith Formation: This ELCA handbook gives concrete, easily accessible touchpoints for faith formation for different age groups.
2. 4D Formation: Exploring Vocation in Community: This book by Drew Tucker, an ELCA pastor, explores the definition of Vocation and invites the reader “to examine, clarify, and affirm their purpose and identity, and ultimately to experience God’s presence in and purpose for their lives.”
3. Young Adult Parents Research: We’re basing this blog series on this report! The linked report provides analysis and survey results in full.

Warm-up Question

• What is your favorite holiday? Share some of the reasons why you prefer that celebration.

Holiday Origin Stories

Every year we celebrate a number of holidays. Some are national in origin, which is why Independence Day is on July 4th in the United States of America, September 16th in Mexico, and June 26th in Madagascar. Others have deep religious meaning, like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, though each of those holidays now have many secular elements as well.

Too often, we only tell one part of the holiday’s origin story. Take, for instance, the celebration of Christmas. Of course, for Christians, this centers around the birth of Christ. Yet, there’s no obvious connection between Jesus’s birthday and bringing pine trees into our homes, eating candy canes, or hanging socks above a fireplace. While some articles, like this one, aggregate some of that history to give a bit more context, there’s volumes of books on the history of each holiday.

Of course, you don’t have to know everything about a holiday’s origins to enjoy it with your loved ones. Yet, learning more about the holiday can help you to appreciate it more deeply, as well as explain to others why you do–or do not–participate in some of the day’s traditions. So take some time to investigate the history of your favorite holidays and ask yourself: now that I know more about this, how does that change the way I feel about this event?

Discussion Questions

• What’s one holiday you want to learn more about?
• If you happen to know the origins of a specific holiday tradition, share that story with a friend.

Reign of Christ Sunday

• Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
• Psalm 93
• Revelation 1:4b-8
• John 18:33-37

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year A at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Reflection on the Gospel

Many Christians across the world celebrate this Sunday as The Reign of Christ. If you think that this holiday has ancient origins like Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost, consider this: this festival is only 99 years old! Though the words from our Gospel have Christ claiming this ultimate authority nearly 2,000 years ago, it was only in the last century that the church declared a specific day to commemorate that reality. Why is that?

Much like other holiday traditions, the historical context matters significantly. In the early 20th century, after the devastation of World War I, nationalism and authoritarianism began to arise in throughout Europe. In Italy, this appeared as fascism, which took official power in 1922. Note that this is the same time that its political ally, Nazism, grew in popularity in Germany. In the face of such claims of ultimate power by political authorities, Pope Pius XI declared a feast day, “Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Regis,” The Feast of our Lord of Reigns. This is a political statement. It does not support any particular party or leader, but instead puts all governments and parties on notice: whatever power they may have is always subject to the King who is Jesus Christ.

In the midst of today’s political unrest, along with threats of parties and politicians whose power seems unmatched, we stand to benefit from this declaration as well. Our ultimate allegiance is not to a party, or even a Christian denomination, but to Christ. Our worship belongs not to worldly rulers but heavenly powers. Our salvation is not in the hands of a general or president, a monarch or a congress, but only in the hands that were pierced in a cross outside of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. This Christ, who was born in a barn and crucified as a traitor to the empire, may seem powerless.

But this is the only King who has ever risen from the dead.

Discussion Question

• How does this history change your perspective on Reign of Christ Sunday?

Activity Suggestion

• Do a media experiment. For one day, keep track of how many advertisements you see via email, on social media, on websites, and on television or streaming services. Then, ask yourself:
  • How many of them either claim some kind of power or seek some kind of allegiance from you?
  • How do you understand them being subject to the Reign of Christ?

Closing Prayer

God Who Reigns, save us from ourselves. Where there is pride, correct it with humility. Where there is hatred, counter it with love. Where there is violence, defeat it with peace. In all things, remind us that your reign is not of this world. Remind us that that your power will look different than that of our worldly rulers. Inspire us to trust in your reign over all others that seek our allegiance. In that name of Jesus, the One who reigns and the One who died and rose to life, we pray: Amen.

 

This blog post was co-written by Rev. Charbel Zgheib of the ELCA and Rev. Hakim Shukair of The Episcopal Church. 

Our faith is shaped by our prayer. For Arabic-speaking Christians in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Episcopal Church, worshiping in their native language deepens this connection. As the number of Arabic speakers grows in the U.S., creating a meaningful Arabic liturgy has become more than a translation task—it’s a vital step toward honoring and empowering faith communities.

The Power of Language in Worship
When Immigrant Christians in the United States pray in their native language, they engage with their faith at a deeper level, allowing worship to resonate in personal and culturally relevant ways. Arabic has become one of the most widely spoken languages in the United States, with over 1.4 million people now speaking Arabic at home, according to Pew Research. [1] Recognizing this, leaders in the Episcopalian and Lutheran traditions saw the importance of translating liturgy into Arabic. This translation ensures that Arabic-speaking members can pray, learn, and connect in a language that speaks directly to their hearts.

The Art and Challenge of Faithful Translation
Effective translation of liturgical texts is more than word-for-word substitution. Literal translations can feel rigid or unnatural, often failing to capture the original essence of the prayers and rituals. Collaborating with Arabic-speaking translators with theological backgrounds and editors who understand church language helped ensure that these translations are not only accurate but also spiritually meaningful.

The main resources used for translation were The Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer and Evangelical Lutheran Worship, particularly focusing on the Eucharist, which is central to both traditions. This careful approach aimed to bring the richness of these texts to life for Arabic-speaking worshipers, crafting liturgical resources that feel at home in their cultural and linguistic context.

A Tangible Outcome: Arabic Resources for Worship
The work resulted in essential Arabic-language resources for significant parts of Christian life and worship. These include:

• Seasonal Bulletins and Feast Days: Liturgical bulletins for different seasons of the Church year and key festivals/feasts.
• Life Passages: Liturgies for Baptism, Marriage, and Funerals, which are foundational rites in the Christian journey.

These resources are currently used by two Arabic-speaking communities within the Episcopal and Lutheran churches: Salam Arabic Church in Brooklyn, New York, and Mother of the Savior Church in Dearborn, Michigan. For these communities, having an Arabic liturgy is not only a means of worship but a message that their culture and language are valued within these churches.

Building Bridges Through Language
By investing in Arabic liturgical resources, the Episcopal and ELCA churches demonstrate a commitment to cultural inclusivity. For Arabic-speaking members, this work communicates a sense of belonging and acknowledgment that their mother tongue, traditions, and identity are respected and integrated into the fabric of worship. This liturgical translation project fosters unity, bridges cultures, and makes the Church a welcoming home for all, no matter their native language.

In this way, the Arabic-speaking communities not only receive spiritual nourishment but also find a voice within the broader Church.

The Rev. Charbel Zgheib – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Rev. Halim Shukair – The Episcopal Church

[1] Pew Research Center. “5 Facts About Arabic Speakers in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, May 18, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/18/5-facts-about-arabic-speakers-in-the-us/

Issue 96 of Administration Matters

Staying safe in church

For most people, the church has always been a symbol of peace, a safe place where people can gather and worship. That has changed drastically over the last few years. We must pay more attention to church security to ensure that we are creating safe spaces for adults and children to worship, learn and grow as disciples. >More

2024 cyber security year-end review

Maintaining strong cybersecurity controls is imperative to protecting your organization’s confidential constituent data and securing your operations so you can continue to carry out your mission. >More

Plan ahead for 2025 Roth and payroll withholdings

Do you provide ELCA benefits through Portico? If any of your employees elected Roth after-tax retirement contributions, or changed their 2025 pretax retirement contributions, supplemental life insurance, and/or other voluntary benefit elections during Portico’s Annual Enrollment, you’ll need to adjust payroll withholdings for 2025.

Starting with pay periods in January, the Payroll Withholding Summary on EmployerLink can help you determine how much to withhold from your employees’ paychecks. Your employees who want more specific information as to how Roth contributions will affect their taxes should consult a tax professional. As always, your employees who receive ELCA retirement plan benefits through Portico can schedule an appointment online or call the Portico Financial Planners to get answers about Roth contributions at no additional cost.

Money matters

The COVID-19 pandemic forced churches to rethink many issues related to money. How much money do we need in our reserve accounts? How can we communicate financial needs without reinforcing a scarcity mentality? What technology should we use to collect money? If giving patterns shift, what priorities will we want to protect? Though we may have figured out the answers to some of these questions, we are likely still learning valuable lessons. >More

Inflation’s effect on houses of worship

Today it costs your church more money to do the same things it was doing before. How will you address rising costs? There are only a few options for navigating these cost increases: increase giving, cut expenses or rely on cash reserves. You would be wise to consider cutting expenses and focusing on what is core to your ministries. >More

Go Green! Save Green! – 12 Ways to Save in Your Congregation

By focusing on energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, less water consumption, waste reduction and mindful consumer choices, individuals and organizations can embark on a journey that benefits both their cash flow and the planet. >More

To honor Transgender Day of Remembrance which is observed on November 20 each year, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited Vicar Vica-Etta Henrietta Steel to share some thoughts with our readers.

Editor’s note: Our author intentionally capitalizes the word queer throughout. While this capitalization may not be congruent with style guidelines, ELCA RJ Ministries supports this style decision.

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Each year, on Nov. 20, the Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed across the nation. Each year, the vast majority of the transgender people who are murdered are Black and brown transgender women. People gather to mourn, to light candles, to say the names of those who have been murdered. 

Each year we gather. Each year.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to call for justice for transgender people. The day of remembrance is a day to call for racial justice. The harm done to our transgender family in this nation, and across the world, is a racial justice issue. 

The transgender community is under constant and growing attack. Over half the states in the nation have enacted or are considering laws that take medical care, safety and opportunities from our transgender family (for more details, see Erin Reed’s “Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map: September 2024 Edition”). According to Nature Human Behavior, rates of attempted suicide by youth and young adults have skyrocketed, up to 72%, in states where anti-transgender legislation has been enacted. These laws harm all of us, but the greatest harm is done to those who face multiple marginalizations, specifically BIPOC, disabled or neurodivergent people. Too often, people in America have become injured to the reality of murder and harm. Complacency becomes complicity and the horror of murder being normalized in the broader society is magnified in our marginalized communities. 

I cannot speak here of all the harm done to transgender people. It would be too much for you to read. It is too much for my heart to take. All I can do is share some of what I experience as a Queer woman who is transgender and lesbian. I am white. I tell you this because when I came out to the world, when I lost access to the privilege afforded me as one who had presented as if I were a white man, I learned how much privilege I hold, still. 

When I tell you that I have learned to be wary of police and cautious of men, do you understand that as privilege? My wariness grows from a fear that, if I am arrested, a person who carries authority in a gun will place me in a holding cell with men. I do everything I can to avoid that harm. When I travel alone, I drive the speed limit and obey all traffic laws. If I see police officers at a roadside gas station, I get back on the road and continue driving. I take precautions to make certain it is safe for me to use the same bathroom other women use. (I always travel with a change of clothes and other materials so I can avoid a stop if it isn’t safe.) Do you understand the danger we who are transgender face in this world where our right to exist is open to debate? Where we are not allowed to be present when cis people legislate or argue our fates? Where fear of our existence is sold across the nation for the political gain of those who prosper from harm? Where even people and organizations that claim to be our allies choose silence in the face of open expressions of transphobia? The need to be safe is a real concern. Also, I do not fear being shot by those same police for simply existing. It is my privilege to fear rather than experience the unjust incarcerations that are the reality for far too many Black and brown transgender women (for a more detailed analysis, see the Movement Advancement Project report “Unjust: How the Broken Criminal Justice System Fails Transgender People”). 

I write here to share that it is long past time for us all to speak with and lift the voices of our transgender family, especially the Black and brown women in our circles. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day of racial justice. Trans joy and trans uplift are racial justice issues. I hope that we all integrate the work toward justice for and with Queer communities, especially transgender communities, into the work toward racial justice. 

As core work toward racial justice, I urge you to follow the writing of Black transgender women who help everyone understand transgender people’s stories of pain and joy. If you don’t know where to start, I offer the leadership of Imara Jones and her work at TransLash.org. Seek out Transgender Day of Remembrance services in your communities or online. Find and say the names of those murdered each year. I pray that we all begin.

 

Vica-Etta Henrietta Steel is in ministry at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Madison, Wis. She is also the developer of JustBe Ministry, an inclusive ministry in the public square, rooted in Queer community with a focus toward centering BIPOC Queer voices and the voices of all who have been historically and are currently excluded. She works to lift trans joy in a world that gives us so much pain.

 

Hi friends!

Every day I get the honor of serving as the coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministries. I love so much of what I am called to do, but I know I’m not able to get it done alone. The advisory team that volunteers with Disability Ministries does amazing work in this ministry. They craft and lead workshops, review grant proposals, develop new resources, speak at events across the church, and a lot, lot more. Every day I give thanks to God for them and all they bring to this ministry.

We have reached a point in our time together where we feeling a want and need for some new friends to be on this advisory team along with them and myself. So, if you sense God may be calling you to come alongside us, here is what that search process is going to look like and the qualities we are looking for in 1-2 new team members.

Volunteer Job Description: The purpose of the ELCA Disability Ministries Advisory Team is to advise and support the work of the ELCA Disability Ministries Coordinator.

Duties:

• Bring your ideas, experience, and insights to the work of the team
• Attend web-based team meetings as scheduled by the coordinator (at least once a quarter and typically on Microsoft Teams)
• Contribute ideas and material for the blog and the quarterly newsletter
• Review grant proposals and collaborate with the team on final selections
• Attend in-person planning meetings (Usually one a year)
• Prepare workshop proposals and presentations in consultation with the team
• Conduct workshops and presentations on behalf of the team as approved by the coordinator

Qualifications:

• Strong team player who will fit in well with the current team
• Knowledge of and/or experience with a disability
• Must be able to keep confidentiality
• Support the ministry of the ELCA and ELCA Disability Ministries

Next steps: 

• Write up a bio and a short document (300 words max) sharing why you feel this ministry is important to you and the life of the church, and why you feel called to serve in this capacity.
• Applications can also be received in a video or audio format. Do not exceed two minutes, please.
• Dates: Please send your materials to https://bit.ly/DMTeamApplication by no later than January 31st,2025. 

 

New members will be announced by March 31st. Thanks and God bless your discernment.

Peace,

Rev. Lisa Heffernan, ELCA Disability Ministries Coordinator

If you attended the Extravaganza last January, this resource may be familiar to you! It was revised and put together by Rev. Peter Heide in consultation with the rest of the Disability Ministries advisory team. We offer it here to share with our friends and colleagues who may wish to explore the Thanksgiving for Baptism from a lens of disability. It had quite an impact when Rev. Peter Heide and fellow team member Anita Smallin shared it with the assembly at the Extravaganza, and pray that it can be shared well in your communities, too.

Thanksgiving for Baptism

The assembly stands. The presiding minister invites all to make the sign
of the cross +, the sign marked at baptism.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God,
the fountain of living water,
the rock who gave us birth,
our darkness and our light, our life and our salvation.
Amen.

The presiding minister addresses the assembly.

Joined to Christ through the waters of baptism,
we are clothed in God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Therefore, let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.

Water may be poured into the font as the presiding minister gives
thanks.

We give you thanks, O God,
for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters
and by your Word
you spoke the amazing diversity of the world into being,
from darkness you brought forth light in rainbow colors,
from darkness you brought forth varieties of seeds and trees,
from darkness you brought forth animals of every size and kind,
birds of the air and fish of the sea.
And lastly, from darkness,
you brought forth humanity in your own image,
of all colors and in many sexual identities,
people able-bodied and disabled;
and, having called forth creation
and recognizing your image reflected in myriad ways,
you took delight and called it good.

Through the waters of the flood, you delivered Noah and his family.
By the Jabbok river, you wrestled with Jacob,
named him Israel and gave him a holy limp.
At the Red Sea, through Moses, your stuttering servant,
you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom on dry land.
At the River Jordan, your Son was baptized by John
and anointed with the Holy Spirit.
By water and your Word, you claim us as your children,
heirs of your promise and hope for the world, servants of all.

We praise you for the gift of this water that sustains life,
and above all we thank you for the gift of new life
received in the many-gifted, resurrected body of Jesus Christ.
By your grace, shower us with your Spirit,
renew us in your forgiveness,
embrace us in your love.
We give you honor and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen.

The service continues with gathering song. As a reminder of the gift of
baptism, the assembly may be sprinkled with water during the singing.

revised by Rev. Peter Heide in consultation with ELCA Disability Ministries
Advisory Team for ELCA Youth Extravaganza 2024, New Orleans, LA

ELCA Disability Ministries Workshops @ Extravaganza!

Have you registered for Extravaganza yet? Better get to it, because we would love to have you join us for our TWO workshops this year! Here’s a glimpse of what each workshop will be about. You can go to https://www.elcaymnet.org/workshops to find more information about all of the workshops happening at the E! this year.

D.A.R.E. to Play (Disability Access Resource Experience): All are welcome at church? Some of our youth group games don’t include all of God’s children. During this workshop, participants will learn how to make icebreakers, team building activities, and games more inclusive for those with disabilities and/or those who are neurodivergent. We will discuss the “why” of inclusion, along with navigating conversations surrounding youth with disabilities. Participants will also receive a list of supplies to have on hand at their congregation to make games and activities more accessible for those with disabilities. Come prepared to play some games and have some fun.

Catechism D.A.R.E. (Disability Access Resource Experience or Exploration): What does dying and rising mean from a disability perspective? Join the ELCA Disability Ministries Team as we explore the baptism texts of the New Testament, Luther’s explanation, and our contemporary Lutheran baptismal worship services. Mark Allen Powell, New Testament scholar and music critic, and others have demonstrated that we are influenced by our context. Indeed, it is Scripture’s content in conversation with our changing context that engages and reveals the Living Word of God. The Church often wrestles wondering how to make accommodation for the disabled student, but in this workshop come consider what might happen if people living with various disabilities are allowed to speak and interpret Scripture.

 

The Extravaganza is January 23-26, 2025 this year at The Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. Hope to see you there, friends!

 

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church.

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Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

2024 LSM Musical Advent Calendar

Join Lutheran Summer Music, December 1-24, for their fourth-annual Musical Advent Calendar–a daily moment of music and reflection on their Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages as well as archived on their website at LSMacademy.org/acal

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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

The conference theme, For all that is to be, describes our effort to equip people in all stages of their love for music of the church. Whether you are a volunteer, part-time or full-time employed, a student, newly employed, or retired, this conference will nurture your passion for the many ways in which we continue to share the gospel message.

Now is a great time to register and get the best rate. If you get continuing education funds, maybe you have some money left in your budget this year that you can put toward this opportunity. Registration is live – visit the conference website to register now. We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh!

ALCM is excited to offer a composers symposium, Where Do We Go from Here, to stimulate conversation among composers regarding our efforts to be faithful, creative, and nurturing stewards of the church’s song – even where gatherings have limited human and material resources. Registrants will also have the opportunity to explore newer music software. For a more detailed look, visit the symposium website. More information is added regularly, so check back often for more.

ALCM is especially grateful to the hosts for this symposium, Bob Hobby and Trinity English Lutheran Church. Generous donations from the Fred Jackisch Memorial Fund as well as from Trinity English Lutheran have helped to maximize the benefits of attendance while minimizing costs to registrants. Registration rates go up after January 14th. Those who register for both the 2025 Symposium and Raleigh-Durham Conference will receive a $70 dollar refund at the close of the conference.

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The Hymn Society & The Center for Congregational Song

The mission of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada is to encourage, promote, and enliven congregational singing. The Center for Congregational Song is the resource and programmatic arm of The Hymn Society, connecting resources, leading deep and vital conversations about the church’s song, and collaborating with our partners.

Back in 2020, The Center for Congregational Song hosted a 12-hour broadcast of music and pastoral moments on Election Day in an effort to provide a space for peace in a time of great anxiety. Four years later, the political discourse in the United States is not all that different, and, in some ways, even more charged than it was before. If you find yourself in need of a break from the news, we invite you to recharge by watching our broadcast from four years ago.

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Institute of Liturgical Studies

An ecumenical conference on liturgical renewal for the church today.

Rites of Passage: Engaging Occasional Practitioners in a Secular Age
Valparaiso, Ind., April 28–30, 2025

The American religious landscape is characterized by declining participation in religious institutions, increasing uncertainty about matters of faith, and a growing population identifying as non-religious. Nevertheless, many people continue to turn to churches at some of the most significant moments in their lives—such as the birth of a child or the loss of a loved one—and many others show up to support them. At last year’s Institute, Rev. Dr. Sarah Kathleen Johnson introduced the idea of occasional religious practice to describe a way of relating to religion that is characterized by participation in religious practices occasionally rather than routinely, most often in connection with certain types of occasions, including holidays, life transitions, and times of crisis. She encouraged us not to rush to judge occasional practitioners’ lack of involvement or to come to hasty conclusions about why they are seeking out these practices but instead to listen to and learn from them.

Most of our planning resources are directed at the Sunday assembly. Yet, baptisms, weddings, and funerals are liturgical events rich in their potential for service and outreach. How might we more fully consider the possibilities of these occasions to be better prepared to serve a decreasingly churched culture?

Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on the 2025 conference.

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Music that Makes Community

Music that Makes Community (MMC) practices communal song-sharing that inspires deep spiritual connection, brave shared leadership, and sparks the possibility of transformation in our world.

Music that Makes Community invites you to consider the following events and resources for continuing education, community building, professional development, and celebrating this practice of paperless communal song-sharing.

Communities around the nation gather together to sing and build bridges of connection. Be sure to go to our events pages for information on Workshops and Retreats, Community Events and other gatherings in your area. Join one of these regular groups, if they aree near you or start your own (we can help you with that; just reach out!):

Albuquerque, New Mexico – 1st Tuesdays
Brownsburg, Indiana – 1st Tuesdays
Chicago, Illinois – 3rd Wednesdays
Ellensburg, Washington – 2nd Thursdays
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota – varies

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Resources from the Center for Church Music

The Center for Church Music is a place where one can tap into an expansive library of resources and perspectives on the music and art of the church, with a focus on a Lutheran context.

“Profiles in American Lutheran Church Music” presents video conversations with prominent church musicians “Beyond the Children’s Choir: Focused Experiences for Children in Worship: Emily Woock, Elmhurst Ill., Oct. 2023 and the Rev Paul D. Weber, (interviewed by Barry Bobb, April 2024) as well as many other Lutheran Church musicians.

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Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Ordinary Blessings for the Christmas Season

For so many of us, the season leading up to Christmas is a time of overwhelming expectations, busyness, and often grief. From gifted poet and empathetic pastor Meta Herrick Carlson comes a beautiful collection of prayers, poems, and meditations to help us recognize the holy beneath the hustle and hibernation of the holidays. The book includes blessings for all the ordinary and not-so-ordinary moments of the season, like addressing Christmas cards, setting boundaries with family, shoveling snow, and the first Christmas without a loved one. Also included are blessings dedicated to beloved nativity characters like Mary and the magi, blessings for each of the twelve days of Christm as, and a beautiful collection of sacred-word-inspired blessings that readers can use as daily Advent readings. Let this beautiful little book be a reminder that the holy can be found in the routine and the ritual of the holiday season.

Martin Luther’s Christmas Book

Martin Luther’s conception of the Nativity found expression in sermon, song, and art. This beautiful gift edition of a classic collection combines all three. In thirty compelling Christmas excerpts from his sermons, Luther vividly portrays the human realism of the Nativity: Mary’s distress at giving birth with no midwife or water; Joseph’s misgivings; the Wise Men’s perplexity; and Herod’s cunning. Throughout, Luther suggests the question: If we had lived in Bethlehem when Jesus was born, would we have believed that this newborn baby was God in human form? With these musings and more, Luther reminds us that Christmas is a year-round mission for caring for those in need. Nine elegant illustrations by Luther’s contemporaries—including four by noted engraver Albrecht Durer—capture timeless scenes from the Christmas story.

 

Washed and Welcome Living the Promises of Baptism: 101 ideas for parents

In the service of baptism, parents and guardians of the baptized are asked, “Do you promise to help your child grow in the Christiam faith and life?” The answer of “I/We do” affirms that this newly baptized member of the church will continue to learn about and experience faithful living. But how does one do that? The 80 pages of Washed and Welcome are filled with concrete ideas for celebrating with your children the gifts of baptism in daily living. Meals, bedtime, play, seasons, milestones, transitions—all these occasions and more become opportunities for practicing faith. The ideas in Living the Promises of Baptism are for children from infancy through the upper elementary years. Whether your child is a newborn, a preteen, or somewhere in between, you will find yourself returning to this book again and again for support, encouragement, and inspiration.

ELW Hymnal Companion

This Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship will help pastors, church musicians, and others who plan the assembly to understand the context, origins, and characters of the hymn text and tunes, allowing them to craft cohesive and intentional services. Comprehensive and practical, this essential reference resource also contains a glossary, chronologies, bibliography, and several indexes to provide additional help for the user. The companion is a valuable resource for all who care about the church’s song.

Also available is Assembly Song Companion to All Creation Sings, the hymnal companion to the recent All Creation Sings ELW supplement.”

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Warm-up Question

• What is your favorite building? Do you like it because of the architecture? Because of a memory that occurred there? Because of the feelings inspired by the space? Something else?

Who Is Displaced?

This summer, there was a fire in the electrical room at Christ Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD. Fortunately, no one was injured. Smoke damage occurred from classrooms to worship spaces to fellowship halls. Major renovations and utility upgrades are underway that cost millions of dollars. There are still major utility wires running through every floor and most spaces. From the bathrooms to the sanctuary, it’s obvious that the congregation is still recovering in many ways. While the congregation also hosts many other organizations on its property, only some of the buildings–and therefore some of the ministries–were affected.

While some interrupted ministries have resumed, others still await for the completed electrical upgrades and facility repairs. Unfortunately, one of the buildings affected was a shelter for houseless women and children. The fire displaced at least 17 residents that night and has closed the shelter until further notice. Of course, the congregation worked with local officials to find other temporary solutions, providing a continued witness of care in the midst of such facility devastation.

Let us continue to hold the members, ministers, and ministry partners at Christ in prayer as they continue to restore facilities to support ministries like the women’s shelter.

Discussion Questions

• Experiencing a loss like the one at Christ Lutheran Church in Baltimore is a traumatic experience for individuals and the entire community. When you’ve had such challenging experiences, what kinds of support do you find most helpful?

25th Sunday after Pentecost

• Daniel 12:1-3
• Psalm 16
• Hebrews 10:11-14 [15-18] 19-25
• Mark 13:1-8

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year A at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Reflection on the Gospel

This week’s Gospel talks about the destruction of another building, the Temple of Jerusalem. This foreshadowing of Christ’s death and resurrection is also a foreshadowing of the very real collapse of the Jerusalem Temple. Rather than an accidental fire, this damage came from Roman soldiers, who tore the temple to pieces during a Jewish revolt against Rome in the 1st Century CE. Often, readings of this story focus on the theological witness of both the biblical prophecy and historical occurrence.

As Christianity evolved with Judaism in the 1st Century CE, those evolutions occurred in the wake of the temple’s destruction. It’s also important for us to remember that people were displaced by the temple’s destruction. This was a very real historical event. People who gathered for worship lost their sanctuary. People who worked there lost their livelihood. People who received support services lost their safety net.

What we read about in scripture isn’t simply ancient history or disconnected theology. It’s a witness to the real lives of real people. Even as Jesus predicts this future of destruction, he doesn’t celebrate it. Instead, he looks to life beyond its destruction without ignoring the suffering that happens in the midst of such great change.

Discussion Questions

• Jesus describes the fall of the Jerusalem Temple and the associated prophecy as the beginning of “birth pangs.” How does this image of birth connect to themes of pain, loss, and new life?

Activity Suggestions

• Play Jenga with a twist. Get a bowl of candies and place it alongside the tower. As each wooden piece is moved, have a player collect candy into a pile in between themselves and the tower. When the tower falls, each piece that was touched by the destruction must go back into the bowl.
  • Afterward, reflect about the experiences of loss. Note that this can happen even in the midst of fun, or even because of someone else’s mistake. Explore how you might support those who experience such losses.

Closing Prayer

God of New Beginnings, remind us not to ignore the pain of endings. Inspire us to care for those whose loss is real in the wake of your transformation. Equip us, as your disciples, to bring good news to those who suffer without ignoring the reality of the suffering itself. In your time, raise us all to new life with Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord: Amen.