“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.
 

Prayer prompts:
For justice and peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially Ukraine and Russia, Palestine and Israel, Haiti, Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, India and Pakistan…
For the Roman Catholic Church and for the College of Cardinals in their deliberations during this papal conclave…
For all in Europe affected by power failures last week…
For safety, protection, and compassion for all migrants…
For the emotional and mental health of all who work in stressful vocations, especially public servants, political leaders, and military personnel…
For farmers and farm laborers during the shift in seasons…
For all who approach Mothers Day with joy, and for all who approach Mothers Day with pain…
For bold witnesses to justice, compassion, and freedom…
For synods of the ELCA as they gather in their assemblies, that the Spirit would enliven and guide them…

Events and observances:
May Observances: Mental Health Awareness Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Julian of Norwich, renewer of the church, died c1416 (May 8)
Victor the Moor, martyr, died c303 (May 8)
Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, renewer of the church, hymnwriter, died 1760 (May 9)
Vesak (Buddha Day) Buddhism (May 12)
Matthais, apostle (May 14)

Prayers from ELCA resources:
A prayer for families (ELW p.83)
Triune God, whose will it is that humans live in community, bless family life everywhere and fill all homes with respect, joy, laughter, and prayer. Strengthen the commitment of [spouses] to one another, that they may mirror your covenant faithfulness; pour out your Spirit on parents, that through them their children may taste your unconditional love; and empower all family members to live in your grace and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A prayer of Pope Francis (ACS p.48)
Enlighten those who possess power and money that they may avoid the sin of indifference, that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live. The poor and the earth are crying out. O Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your kingdom of justice, peace, love, and beauty. Amen.

A prayer for faithful living in society (ACS p.50)
God, our gracious giver, your Son Jesus taught us that where our treasure is there our hearts will be also. Teach us to love people more than money, relationships more than things, and you above all, that the way we live will reflect what we truly value and believe. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who emptied himself in love for us, and now reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.Amen.

The following topical resources are available from resources.elca.org for use in public worship and personal devotion:
Worship resources and prayers in response to wildfires
Worship resources for the crisis in the Holy Land
Worship resources for the Eastern Europe Crisis
Worship resources for and following national elections

—

ELW = Evangelical Lutheran Worship
ACS = All Creation Sings: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Supplement

Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.

Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress. Further assistance for composing prayers of intercession can be found here: Resources for Crafting Prayers of Intercession

Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.

By Emily Ahern, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow [About the Author] 

On May 1st, many observed the public holiday May Day, otherwise known as International Workers’ Day. This day is set aside specifically to commemorate working class people and to shed light on the demands made by people involved in the labor movement. Christians have intertwined with this movement, historically and today, and Lutheran teaching shapes our point of view. 

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 

May 1 was specifically chosen to commemorate the strike which would culminate in the Haymarket Riot, a clash between labor protesters and police on May 4, 1886 which led to the deaths of at least eight people and brought increased attention to the American labor movement. 

From the turn of the 19th century up until the Great Depression, labor organizers found allies in religious Americans, particularly those of Protestant affiliation. An influx of Protestant immigrants saw workers entering the “craft” trades (supported both by what is known as the Social Gospel and the Protestant Work Ethic). With significant representation in the largest group of unions in the country, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) (the largest group of unions in the country), Protestants felt a pull to adhere to the Social Gospel’s call to social justice and often both turned to union work and supported the rights of others to unionize. 

The Great Depression saw the integration of many religious, racial and ethnic groups in union spaces. The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), which first broke away from the AFL due to disagreements over their belief in the organization of all industries (craft and non-craft alike), reintegrated with the AFL after its leadership was ousted in droves due to allegations of communist affiliation. Together, the AFL and the CIO formed what is now known as the AFL-CIO, and those who were once part of the CIO took to organizing laborers in non-craft trades, who were often Catholic or Jewish, in droves. Soon, the labor movement became a monolith composed of different identity groups – racial barriers began to be broken down, and workers of a number of faith traditions worked together on issues related to workers’ rights. 

LUTHERAN SHAPING OF VIEW ON LABOR

In my reflection, I think it is in our marrow to work. Genesis 2:15 says that humankind was placed in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Perhaps most importantly, Colossians 3:23-24 says that “Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.” Our Christian tradition teaches the inherent dignity of all human beings, as we are made in the image of God. Our work can express this dignity; however, work is not all that we are as humans.¹

With this understanding of human dignity, it is essential that employers treat their workers with respect. This includes being compensated fairly, given good benefits and treated fairly. The ELCA social statement on Economic Life calls us as a church to “commit ourselves to… cultivate participatory workplaces, support the right of employees to organize for the sake of better working conditions and to engage in collective bargaining, and refrain from intentionally undercutting union organizing activities, or from permanently replacing striking workers” (p. 10). 

This idea goes back to Martin Luther’s original understanding of vocation. He made clear that all vocations – from working in farms to working as a minister – please God. For Luther, all work is an opportunity to praise God and shine our light as people of faith. As we are all redeemed through faith, any work conducted in faith is an opportunity to spread the gospel and show kindness and goodness to our neighbor. Martin Luther’s radical understanding of vocation and its foundations in Colossians shape our Lutheran attitude toward labor today. No form of labor is above another – therefore, we are called to support each other in our vocations, including supporting the rights of all workers, union or nonunion, high-wage or low-wage.  

CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS

Today, the dignity of work experiences new challenges that should concern us as Christians and workers across the United States. Recently, the National Labor Relations Board, the quasi-judicial body which litigates labor disputes and investigates companies and corporations alleged violations of labor law, has been functionally frozen. In an Executive Order, the White House asked the Department of Labor (DOL) to halt all workplace discrimination investigations. Meanwhile, policymakers are also considering cutting essential programs such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which ensures workplace safety standards. In another Executive Order, the President restricted or eliminated employment protections for workers in numerous federal agencies. These agencies– including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration–were questionably declared “to have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work,” and therefore were rendered ineligible for these labor protections. As Christians with a history of upholding the whole needs of the human person, including essential elements of work, these developments should concern us.   

CALL TO REFLECTION TODAY

Labor in the United States would not be nearly as strong, nearly as effective, or nearly as safe without people of faith. As we as Lutherans reflect on our commitment to work and human dignity, I encourage us to reflect as Lutherans on our commitment to work and human dignity not just historically but also today.  

1 See also the ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All: “Although our identity does not depend on what we do, through our work we should be able to express this God-given dignity as persons of integrity, worth, and meaning. Yet work does not constitute the whole of our life” (p. 9).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Emily Ahern (she/her) is the Hunger Advocacy Fellow – Federal Policy with ELCA Advocacy. She is originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a lifelong member of congregations of the ELCA. She graduated from American University this past spring with a degree in Political Science, and graduated (once again) from American University this May with a Master’s in Public Administration. Ahern is so excited to research and advocate for policy which will alleviate the effects of hunger and poverty for all Americans! In her free time, she can be found collecting vinyl, going to concerts and watching Star Wars.

Catalyst Question

When someone asks “who are you,” who do you typically respond to that question? What are 3-5 things that you share about yourself to indicate who you understand yourself to be?

Who Are You?

Last month, news broke that dire wolves had been brought back to life. Colossal Biosciences, the company behind the animal’s reintroduction, used DNA from well-preserved fossils to give these old creatures new life. Though only puppies right now, these canines will grow to become the largest wolves on the planet, not only by heigh but also by muscle mass. Though they won’t be as big as those depicted by HBO’s Game of Thrones, they’ll still be impressive specimens.

Certainly, this is an incredible feat. Yet, not all scientists agree that these are dire wolves. Some argue that these are, in fact, grey wolves with genetic modifications rather than true dire wolves. Rather than a true rebirth of an ancient species, they consider this a hybrid creature. Impressive, to be sure, but not an exact replica of the dire wolves of old. In their eyes, this is a case of mistaken identity.

Another case of identity confusion–or better yet, conflict–appears within John 10:22-30. There, Jesus is confronted by the religious leaders of his day, demanding to know whether he is the Messiah. “If you are the Messiah,” they demanded of him, “then tell us plainly!” Of course, he’d already told them plainly. By this point in John’s Gospel, he’d performed many miracles, accepted others claims that he was the Christ, and even used the “I AM” language reserved only for God. There was certainly identify confusion, but not because Jesus hadn’t shared his true self.

This was a classic situation of people seeing what they wanted to see; or perhaps, not seeing what they didn’t want to see. If Jesus was really the Messiah, and not some imposter, then that would challenge the authority of these religious leaders. It would shake the foundations of the very temple in which this conversation occurred.

Sometimes we struggle to acknowledge the truth that’s right in front of us. When it comes to the dire wolves, the jury is still out. When it comes to Jesus, though, the truth is clear: he’s saying he is the Messiah.

Are we listening?

Ask Yourself

Take some time to read all of the assigned lectionary readings for this Sunday. You can find them all here. What does God’s Word say about God’s self? How might that challenge your conception of who God is?

Ask a Friend

What’s something extinct you’d like to see brought back to life? How do you see God’s handiwork in that creature?

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

A Three-Year Banquet: The Lectionary for the Assembly

A Three-Year Banquet by Gail Ramshaw invites the entire worshiping assembly, lay and clergy, to understand and delight in the three-year lectionary. This study explains how the Revised Common Lectionary was developed and how the gospels and the first and second readings are assigned. Further chapters describe the many ways that the three readings affect the assembly’s worship and the assembly itself. Like food at a banquet, the fare we enjoy in the lectionary nourishes us year after year.

Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Vol 3: Keeping Time

This title in the Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship series delves into why Christians have different ways of looking at time. Explore how the life of the church is ordered and organized by days, weeks, seasons, and years. It provides detailed information about Sundays, festivals, seasons, and commemorations, as well as daily prayer.

Lutheran Study Bible, Second Edition (NRSVue)

Read and explore scripture with Lutheran Study Bible, Second Edition (NRSV Updated Edition). More than 70 Lutheran theologians and biblical scholars guide this exploration and provide new and updated study notes, articles, and charts. These beautiful tomes also include a section on Martin Luther and the Bible, a 52-week Bible reading plan, and 15 full-color maps. Hardcover and paperback editions are available for preorder now! Publication date is July 1.

Sundays and Seasons: Guide to Worship Planning Year A

Sundays and Seasons supports comprehensive week-by-week planning with content and ideas for liturgy, music, preaching, and visuals that are shaped by the Revised Common Lectionary, the church year, and the assembly gathered around word and sacrament. Worship planners and leaders, preachers, presiding ministers, worship committees, musicians, visual artists, sacristans and altar guilds, and those who create congregational worship folders will find an indispensable companion in Sundays and Seasons as they prepare for worship each week. Sign up for a print subscription to receive your subsequent S&S materials when they are released!

Summer Music Clinics

Join us this summer for our annual music clinics. This year’s phenomenal clinicians are Jennaya Robison (choral) and Jan Kraybill (organ). Check out our website to read more about these talented practitioners, explore the daily schedule, and register for a clinic in your area!

• July 18–19, Columbia, S.C.
• July 21–22, Columbus, Ohio
• July 24–25, Philadelphia, Pa.
• August 11–12, Twin Cities, Minn.
• August 14–15, Chicago, Ill.

The ELCA Building Resilient Communities (BRC) team invites nominations of adult leaders, ages 18-and-older, to participate in the inaugural Building Resilient Leadership (BRL) cohort.

Over twelve months, BRL participants will grow their public leadership skills while they develop a justice-oriented project in their community, build relationships with a peer mentoring group, and participate in community-organizing skills workshops.

BRL seeks to work with leaders who already demonstrate leadership in their communities on an everyday basis and seek to further develop their ability to accompany their community as it continues to flourish.

If there are any adult leaders in your life who you think would be a good fit for this program, please send them the link to this page. If they indicate a desire and capacity to apply, please nominate them using this form.

Nominations will be accepted through June 16th (please note the expanded deadline). Nominees will then be asked to officially apply, with a due date of July 7^th for that application.

Who is the Building Resilient Communities team?

ELCA adult leaders, shown here at the 2024 ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering in Houston, TX.

BRC is the office of the ELCA that represents the three direct service, intersectional justice ministries of the church: ELCA World Hunger, AMMPARO, and Lutheran Disaster Response. We meet human need and enhance human dignity, work to overturn oppression and injustice, and engage members and constituents collaboratively toward the flourishing of human community.

Program Highlights

• Participants will create a project in, with, and for their community. BRL’s goal is to support leaders whose work throughout the program prioritize the stories of their community, is open to people from any identity or background, and increases their community’s power. The project might be a single event or seek to have longevity beyond the 12-month program. Some potential projects might be (but are not limited to):
  • Community-based mutual aid groups
  • Local community spaces (physical or virtual)
  • Safe spaces for marginalized people in a community (physical or virtual)
  • Regular resiliency training for community members
  • Local advocacy dedicated to building power for marginalized members of a community
  • First steps toward creation of local food-hub
  • Most importantly: participants do not need to have a project in mind before they start the BRL program.
• Peer mentoring. In peer mentoring sessions participants will develop their project relationally, alongside other BRL leaders and an assigned mentor. Through reflection and open discussion, colleagues will hold one another accountable for the growth of their project and their leadership skills.
• Participants will attend a monthly workshop series that will inform the growth of their project. Each workshop will feature experts from the ELCA ecosystem, focusing on different aspects of leadership development and community organizing.

BRL leaders benefit from the following:

• Up to $1,000 in seed money to develop a community project.
• Connection to the national, intergenerational network of ELCA justice ministries: ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, and AMMPARO.
• Tangible, transferrable skills for leadership in career, volunteering, and recreation.
• Deepened relationships with people in their communities.
• New connections with peers passionate about many of the same justice issues as themselves.
• A prestigious addition to their resume.
• The opportunity to shape a growing leadership development program from the ground-up, through participation in this inaugural cohort.

Participants’ Time Commitment:

• Participation at a two-day, in-person orientation at the ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering in Columbus, Ohio in September.
• 5 hours/month to attend and prepare for workshops and peer mentoring sessions.
• Any time spent on their community-based justice project. This is up to the participant and depends on the extent of the project. Intensive work on projects will begin around November and continue into the following summer.
• A final celebration and presentation of projects in August.

If you would like to nominate any adults in your life, please do the following:

• First, let them know! When you do be sure to acknowledge and celebrate their leadership. Then, make sure the program is something they can commit to. Their participation in all elements of this program is required. Feel free to send the potential candidate the link to this page. They should also know there is a brief application process for nominees.
• Once you have confirmation that one or more leaders in your life are interested and able to apply, please fill out this form.
• Self-nominations are also welcome.

Questions?

Email Peter McLellan (ELCA Program Director, Hunger Education) at peter.mclellan@elca.org.

Greetings from ELCA Disability Ministries!

Today would like to announce that the applications for our next cycle of grants will open on Thursday, May 15th, and close on July 31st. Projects receiving grants will be announced by the end of October 2025.

For more information on the details regarding registration and eligibility/expectations for grant proposals, please go to:  https://www.elca.org/our-work/grants/impact-church-ministry and scroll down to “Disability Ministries” . If questions arise, please contact our coordinator, Rev. Lisa Heffernan at disability.ministry@elca.org.

We are excited to learn what your communities are dreaming up for 2025! God’s peace and blessings to you in this spring season.

Catalyst Question

When you greet your friends, how do you first speak to or otherwise engage one another? This could be a phrase like “what’s up”, a special handshake, or other shared behavior. What does having this ritual indicate about your relationship?

May the 4th Be With You

This Sunday is a special holiday for a very specific segment of the population. For Christians who are also Star Wars fans, May 4th falling on a Sunday is a special occasion. Why is that?

An artist’s rendering of the B1 Battle Droid, featured prominently in Episode III.

“May The Force be with you” is a line in the Star Wars universe commonly used both by Jedi and their allies. The similar sounds of “force” and “fourth” has led to an unofficial, annual holiday where Star Wars fans greet one another with a galactically exuberant “May the 4th be with you!” This all coincides with last weekend’s theatrical re-release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. 20 years after its initial debut, crowds returned to the theater to experience the sci-fi series one the big screen once again.

Of course, in church, we often greet one another with the phrase, “(May) The Lord be with you.” It’s an especially common phrase in Lutheran liturgies, as well as Catholic, Episcopalian, and other denominations.

Each variation of the phrase serves as a sort of communal signal. If you say it to someone, and they respond in kind–“and also with you”–then you know that you share in a community together. The phrases serve as a kind of bidding of goodwill, wishing a divine presence be with community members when they are gathered and when they scatter.

In John 21:1-19, a resurrected Jesus appears to disciples in a number of places: on the sea while they’re fishing, on the shore amidst a meal, and in conversation about what life looks like in light of the resurrection. Even when it seems most unlikely–after all, he just died a few days ago–Jesus shows up in the lives of those he loves. Interestingly, Jesus does so without bidding. Jesus initiates the presence because Jesus wants to be with the disciples. Not even death will keep him from being with them–or us.

Jesus doesn’t show up because we bid him. Jesus shows us we can trust his presence at all stages of life. Sometimes, we’re looking for God to do something massive. Often, though, God shows up in the mundane. Fishing with friends? Jesus is there. Having a snack on the beach? Christ is with you. Talking about your future in light of recent struggles? God’s a part of the conversation.

When Christians say “The Lord be with you,” we’re anticipating God’s accomplished promise. Rather than hoping for something that might happen, we instead reaffirm that God’s already with us through the Holy Spirit. And that Holy Spirit? She’s certainly a force for good!

This Sunday, when you say “May the 4th/the Force/The Lord be with you,” remember this: when talking about God, we can trust with certainty that God is already with us. Even when it seems impossible, God’s presence with us is assured in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Ask Yourself

Why do you sometimes struggle to notice God’s presence? Name three places where you don’t often notice God so you can intentionally look during the coming week.

Ask a Friend

Where did you notice God’s presence in your life this week?

In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries will be elevating the voices of our Arab and Middle Eastern Descent peers and reposting their works from other sources around the ELCA. The following is cross-posted from Living Lutheran. You can find the original post here.

My take: We are not newcomers

Let us not just celebrate Arab American heritage—let us be changed by it

By Khader Khalilia | April 28, 2025

Marhaba (mar-huh-bah or mar-ha-bah). A simple word, ancient and powerful. Rooted in Aramaic and Syriac languages of early Middle Eastern Christians. It means more than just “hello.” It means God is love. It’s a greeting, a theology, a word grounded in relationship, faith and belonging.

April is known as Arab American Heritage Month, but the church is invited to not only observe one month out of the year but to reclaim marhaba as a spiritual practice of welcome, belonging, dignity and solidarity.

At the heart of our culture is hospitality. The moment a guest walks into our home or church, we no longer see them as a stranger—they are part of our family. We don’t just offer food, we offer belonging. You’re not just a visitor, you’re embraced with dignity and love. That spirit of open doors and open hearts mirrors the gospel: there are no outsiders in the body of Christ. The church is called to do likewise—not only to welcome the stranger but to receive them as part of the body of Christ.

But for too long, Arab Americans have been painted as the “other.” Our stories flattened and identities misrepresented. Whether Muslim, Christian, Druze or otherwise, in Hollywood and other places, including the church, we’re cast as villains, terrorists, foreigners or footnotes. These images have real consequences—from hate crimes and surveillance to erasure and isolation. Even indigenous Arab Christians who are descendants of the earliest followers of Christ are often invisible in American Christian spaces.

That’s why this month matters.

It’s why we give thanks to the ELCA, specifically the Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities (MDCC), for opening its doors to Arab American communities. For making space not only for our language, culture and style of worship but for our leadership, theology, story and witness. Through the MDCC’s support, Arab Lutheran congregations are taking root in places where the gospel is preached in Arabic, where Dabke is danced in celebration and where marhaba is lived out loud. These congregations aren’t side projects—they are essential to the church.

Arab Americans have helped build this country. We are doctors, engineers, teachers, artists, small-business owners, veterans and public servants. We’ve enriched American cuisine, contributed to scientific breakthroughs, helped shape national policy and led movements for justice. Arab Americans have woven their lives into every part of this nation’s fabric.

We are not newcomers—we are neighbors.

Let us remember: marhaba is not just about welcome. It’s about belonging.

Representation shapes how we see God and how we see each other. To support Arab American ministries is to proclaim that Christ speaks every language, eats every dish and walks with every people. It’s to remember that Christianity was never Western to begin with, and we did not convert from Judaism or Islam. Jesus was born in my hometown, Bethlehem; grew up in Nazareth; and was crucified in Jerusalem. And Christianity first spread across lands now called Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt.

Marhaba is more than a greeting. It’s an invitation to reimagine the church as a place where no one is foreign. It’s a call to resist tokenism and performative inclusion and instead build real relationships rooted in listening, trust and shared struggle.

So this month, let us not just celebrate Arab American heritage—let us be changed by it.

Let us teach and preach about the early church as a living legacy still carried in Arab American communities. Let us teach our congregations that when Jesus said to love your neighbor and the stranger, he was talking to a people who knew what it meant to flee, to be displaced, to be labeled othered. Let us break down the walls that separate us from our neighbor and dismantle racism, support Arab-led ministries and show up in solidarity when our siblings are targeted or dismissed.

Let us remember: marhaba is not just about welcome. It’s about belonging.

To my beloved ELCA, we thank you for making room at the table for us. For helping Arab American congregations not just survive but thrive. For reminding the whole church that inclusion reflects the kingdom of God.

Khader Khalilia
Khader Khalilia is program director for ELCA Arab and Middle Eastern Ministries.

This post is shared jointly on the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Perspectives blog and the ELCA Worship blog.

1700 years ago, in 325, the first ecumenical council was convened in Nicaea to discern matters central to the Christian faith, namely: How do we understand Jesus Christ? The council sought to end disputes about the divine nature of Jesus, and his relationship to God in an attempt to unify all of Christendom. The end-result, later expanded in 381, was the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – a clear articulation of the complexity of the faith. However, a later addition to the creed – the “filioque” (‘and the Son’) – was made by the Latin church in an attempt to resolve yet another dispute. This has contributed to division between the Eastern and Western church for almost a millennium.

Last year, this division was meaningfully addressed in “The Common Statement on the Filioque,” issued by the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox church, a 40+-year international dialogue. This ecumenical breakthrough aligns with earlier actions of the ELCA including “A Lutheran-Orthodox Common Statement on Faith in the Holy Trinity,” issued in 1999 by the US Lutheran-Orthodox dialogue, and adopted by the Church Council in 2006. That same year the ELCA introduced Evangelical Lutheran Worship and included a footnote to the Nicene Creed that says it is appropriate to confess the creed without the filioque (p. 104).

As we commemorate the 1700^th anniversary of Nicaea, and celebrated a common date for Easter this year, “The Common Statement on the Filioque” presents us with an opportunity to move toward healing age-old divisions within Christ’s church, in light of our common affirmation that the filioque is no longer church-dividing. Recently, ELCA Church Council unanimously recommended “that the 2025 Churchwide Assembly prayerfully receive the 2024 Lutheran Orthodox Common Statement on the Filioque, understanding such reception to be an intention to lean into a fuller understanding of this issue and the promise of greater unity in the body of Christ.” By doing so, the ELCA would commit to: 1) reflect on our Trinitarian theology and the role of the Holy Spirit and 2) take continued steps toward local dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation with our Orthodox siblings.

To support this, we are pleased to announce a new study guide, whose primary author was the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Linman, pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Ariz., and Lutheran Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Representative for the Grand Canyon Synod. We are also grateful that the Rev. Dr. Dirk Lange, assistant general secretary for ecumenical relations at the Lutheran World Federation, and Bishop Emeritus Don McCoid, former bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, former executive for ecumenical and inter-religious relations in the Office of the Presiding Bishop, and longtime co-chair of the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue Between the LWF and the Orthodox Church, served as consultants.

The study guide provides a variety of entry points including study, worship, prayer, liturgy, and local dialogue and cooperation. We are eager to hear about your experiences and experiments with this resource in your congregations and communities.

Lastly, as you consider possibilities for omitting the filioque in worship this year, we offer language to help interpret this – whether printed in your worship folders, spoken verbally, or provided in other resources where you are helping people reflect on the good Lutheran question, “What does this mean?”

2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council of Nicaea. This commemoration is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of this church’s ecumenical self-understanding and vocation. Recent developments in Lutheran-Orthodox relations present the possibility of continuing the journey toward reconciliation between Eastern and Western Christianity after nearly a millennium of church division over the addition of the filioque clause (“and the Son”) to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox Church’s 2024 Common Statement on the Filioque is an important ecumenical breakthrough, concluding that the filioque is no longer church-dividing and inviting further dialogue and renewed theological reflection on the Trinity and the role of the Holy Spirit. In faithful response to this invitation, today we will profess the Creed without the filioque clause.

We wish you a blessed Eastertide and a thought-provoking commemoration of this 1700^th anniversary of Nicaea.

In partnership,

Kathryn M. Lohre, executive, ecumenical and inter-religious relations & theological discernment, Office of the Presiding Bishop

Deacon John E. Weit, executive, worship, Office of the Presiding Bishop

This post is shared jointly on the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Perspectives blog and the ELCA Worship blog. 

1700 years ago, in 325, the first ecumenical council was convened in Nicaea to discern matters central to the Christian faith, namely: How do we understand Jesus Christ? The council sought to end disputes about the divine nature of Jesus, and his relationship to God in an attempt to unify all of Christendom. The end-result, later expanded in 381, was the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – a clear articulation of the complexity of the faith. However, a later addition to the creed – the “filioque” (‘and the Son’) – was made by the Latin church in an attempt to resolve yet another dispute. This has contributed to division between the Eastern and Western church for almost a millennium.  

Last year, this division was meaningfully addressed in “The Common Statement on the Filioque,” issued by the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox church, a 40+-year international dialogue. This ecumenical breakthrough aligns with earlier actions of the ELCA including “A Lutheran-Orthodox Common Statement on Faith in the Holy Trinity,” issued in 1999 by the US Lutheran-Orthodox dialogue, and adopted by the Church Council in 2006. That same year the ELCA introduced Evangelical Lutheran Worship and included a footnote to the Nicene Creed that says it is appropriate to confess the creed without the filioque (p. 104). 

As we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea, and celebrated a common date for Easter this year, “The Common Statement on the Filioque” presents us with an opportunity to move toward healing age-old divisions within Christ’s church, in light of our common affirmation that the filioque is no longer church-dividing. Recently, ELCA Church Council unanimously recommended “that the 2025 Churchwide Assembly prayerfully receive the 2024 Lutheran Orthodox Common Statement on the Filioque, understanding such reception to be an intention to lean into a fuller understanding of this issue and the promise of greater unity in the body of Christ.” By doing so, the ELCA would commit to: 1) reflect on our Trinitarian theology and the role of the Holy Spirit and 2) take continued steps toward local dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation with our Orthodox siblings. 

To support this, we are pleased to announce a new study guide, whose primary author was the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Linman, pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Ariz., and Lutheran Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Representative for the Grand Canyon Synod. We are also grateful that the Rev. Dr. Dirk Lange, assistant general secretary for ecumenical relations at the Lutheran World Federation, and Bishop Emeritus Don McCoid, former bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, former executive for ecumenical and inter-religious relations in the Office of the Presiding Bishop, and longtime co-chair of the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue Between the LWF and the Orthodox Church, served as consultants.  

The study guide provides a variety of entry points including study, worship, prayer, liturgy, and local dialogue and cooperation. We are eager to hear about your experiences and experiments with this resource in your congregations and communities.   

Lastly, as you consider possibilities for omitting the filioque in worship this year, we offer language to help interpret this – whether printed in your worship folders, spoken verbally, or provided in other resources where you are helping people reflect on the good Lutheran question, “What does this mean?”  

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2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council of Nicaea. This commemoration is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of this church’s ecumenical self-understanding and vocation. Recent developments in Lutheran-Orthodox relations present the possibility of continuing the journey toward reconciliation between Eastern and Western Christianity after nearly a millennium of church division over the addition of the filioque clause (“and the Son”) to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox Church’s 2024 Common Statement on the Filioque is an important ecumenical breakthrough, concluding that the filioque is no longer church-dividing and inviting further dialogue and renewed theological reflection on the Trinity and the role of the Holy Spirit. In faithful response to this invitation, today we will profess the Creed without the filioque clause.

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We wish you a blessed Eastertide and a thought-provoking commemoration of this 1700th anniversary of Nicaea.  

In partnership, 

Kathryn M. Lohre, executive, ecumenical and inter-religious relations & theological discernment, Office of the Presiding Bishop  

Deacon John E. Weit, executive, worship, Office of the Presiding Bishop