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.

---

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  

ELCA Racial Justice Ministries and ELCA African Descent Ministries invites you to join us at the Rise & Remember Festival in Minneapolis, MN. The 3-day, annual event “exists to hold in remembrance George Floyd and those we have lost unjustly to the pervasive impacts of systemic racism. Activities focus on education, empowerment, healing, celebration, and our collective pursuit for racial justice and equity.”

We hope you will join us for the gospel concert and candlelight vigil on Sunday, May 25. We will meet in front of Calvary Lutheran Church (clchurch.org) at 5 pm.

If you plan to attend, please let us know by completing this short, 6-question survey:  https://forms.office.com/r/d3ZW4T7iWs

Catalyst Question

If you were living on a desert island for a year, with enough food and water to last indefinitely, what is one thing you would want to bring to make it the best life possible?

Peace with a Purpose

In John 20:19-31, a resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples twice. Often, when we read this passage, we focus on Thomas. He wasn’t present the first time Jesus showed up, and so was skeptical until Jesus appeared a second time. Some call him Doubting Thomas. Others emphasize Thomas’s devotion because he would only settle for the real Jesus and not any potential imposters.

Today, let’s instead focus on what Jesus says to the disciples during his appearances. Jesus sends the the disciples, just as God the Father sent him. Jesus equips the disciples to forgive sins. Jesus empowers the disciples, never alone, but with the Holy Spirit. As essential as each of these commissions are, they’re built upon something else.

Three times Jesus declares peace. In part this is because the disciples knew him to be dead just a few days before. Now he’s here, but with wounds still showing the evidence of his murder. How threatening would that feel!? Peace is needed. But more than this moment, peace is needed for the movement ahead. After a death wrought by violence, Jesus declares that the way of life is the way of peace.

Even so, violence still remains too present in our world. Another mass shooting, this time at Florida State University, reminded us of the violence so prevalent in the United States. This occurred after years of war in Gaza and Ukraine. In the face of such death, and at the absence of peace, we might despair.

Yet, that’s why Jesus resurrection reminder is so essential still for today. Peace is no less essential for life in our world than it is for the recently resurrected Lord. For life to continue, for life to thrive, peace is required. Easter reminds us that we live in the hope of resurrection, and therefore the hope of peace, even amidst the signs of death.

Small signs like that still show up. For instance, after three years of war in Ukraine, Russia recently indicated openness to substantive peace talks for the first time. This is no guarantee, but it is progress, especially since just a few weeks ago there seemed to be no end in sight. Now, we may see only a glimmer of possibility, but it is there.

The peace that Jesus sends us with is much more than this. It is a peace that passes all understanding. It is a peace that relies not only on the natural instincts of survival, but the supernatural experience of resurrection. It is a peace that promotes not only coexistence, but life abundant! That is the peace Jesus gives to us in the resurrection, and it is peace with a purpose: to bring abundant life to the very ends of the earth.

Ask Yourself

What does peace look like? What does peace sound like? What does peace feel like? Take time to reflect on these different senses of peace.

Ask a Friend

How can we work together to bring peace to places where we notice conflict? Strategize two different ways you can share peace in your daily lives.

Catalyst Question

What kind of evidence do you need to believe something is true?

Evidence of Life

Recently, the possibility of life on another planet hit the news. While studying a planet 124 light years away from Earth, scientists made a surprising discovery. Thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and an advanced understanding of physics, scientists identified two gasses in this plant’s atmosphere that, in our experience, are only produced by bacteria and phytoplankton. How could anyone know that these particles exist from such a distance? The telescope can identify the composition of the planet’s atmosphere by studying the way that light passes through it. Different gaseous components will mean that light behaves differently as it moves through those elements. Right now, with 99.7% confidence, scientists believe that the atmosphere of planet K2-18b is showing signs of organic life.

Artist’s rendering of planet K2-18b based on observed data. Used with permission from NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

The certainly of life was much lower when Mary Magdalene and the other women visited Jesus’ tomb on the Sunday morning after his crucifixion. In fact, they were expecting death. Luke 24:1-12 tells us that they’d brought spices to anoint him for burial, which was impossible to do after his death since the Sabbath had begun. They were showing up to complete the funerary process. But there was just one problem.

There was no body.

After a brief encounter with an angel, who said in no uncertain terms that “he is risen,” the women ran back to share the good news with the other disciples. Though they were much closer than 124 light years, no news could seem further from the truth. What evidence of there was life? At this point, none. There was, after all, an incredible lack of evidence. There was no body. Just like the particles on K2-18b, no one had yet touched Jesus body, whether it was alive or dead. It was just as possible at this point that someone had stolen Jesus’ body for reasons unknown; in fact, most of the disciples thought the testimony to the resurrection was an “idle tale.”

Yet, there were signs. That brief encounter with the angel was kind of a big deal. That angelic presence matched their previous experience of voices from heaven, miraculous healings, and power over nature. There was evidence that this resurrection thing was possible. It just wasn’t something they had touched. Not yet.

Today, none of us have touched Christ’s resurrected body. We, too, rely on the testimony of those who came before us. Just like this faraway planet, we might wonder how reliable the evidence really is. But there are signs. The taste of grace at the communion table is a sign. Waters washing away sin at baptism is a sign. Hope that perseveres despite the most dire circumstances is a sign, all that nothing–not even death–can separate us from the love of God.

Easter Sunday isn’t about academic certainty. Christ’s evidence of life is found in faith passed down from Mary Magdalene to today. Some will come to know this on the road to Emmaus. Others by touching his wounds. Still others like you and I who, for generations to come, by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So today, and every day, we proclaim together:

Christ is risen!

Ask Yourself

What are three ways that I can emulate Mary Magdalene and share the story of Christ’s resurrection with my own community?

Ask a Friend

This Easter, what about the story of Christ’s resurrection gives you the most hope?

The following is shared from the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) newsletter for Wednesday, April 9, 2025. 

Catalyst Question

How do you identify the heroes in your life?

Joy Amidst the Sorrow

We’re at a turning point in the season. The long journeys we’ve been on are finally coming to a conclusion, identifying the heroes and champions, as well as the wannabes and villains. Though the wait has been long, we can finally see the finish lines.

This could be about sports. After all, we just wrapped up both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA tournaments, crowning two champions (Florida and UConn, respectively). With few cinderella stories and the top-8 seeds in both Final Fours, these playoffs felt like money and pedigree were the most important factors to victory. Whether you consider the final victors heroes or villains likely depended on your rooting interest before the tournament began.

Of course, that’s not the only season that’s wrapping up. We’re headed through the final days of Lent, into Holy Week, and culminating with Easter. This Sunday’s reading from Luke 19:28-40 shows a different approach to recognizing heroes. Jesus didn’t enter Jerusalem as a top seed, but as a backwater preacher. Yet, peopled hailed his entry. His arrival didn’t require fine chariots pulled by thoroughbred horses, but just a donkey. The crowds didn’t cheer for him because he was the odds-on favorite. These everyday people cheered him because he, too, was an underdog, and they were looking for liberation from oppressive influence of Rome’s money and pedigree.

You see, while we hail Jesus as King on Palm Sunday, we do so in the shadow of Holy Week. Even that first Palm Sunday was a revolutionary moment, because Pontius Pilate was likely arriving to Jerusalem on the other side of town. The simplicity of Jesus entry was a counterbalance to the extravagance of Rome’s arrival. What power do palm fronds have over spears, or peasants over centurions? Yet, in Jesus, the people found the hero they needed, however unlikely he was.

There’s still much more to the story, with a last meal with friends on Maundy Thursday, followed by abandonment by those very same friends before his death on Good Friday. For now, though, take note of how people in real need identify their heroes. Rather than the ones that have all the money to buy allegiance and all the power to force submission, they cheer a man who healed their illnesses and fed their hungry bellies, all while forgiving their faults. That’s the hero that we welcome on Palm Sunday. That is Jesus Christ.

Ask Yourself

It’s fun to root for underdogs, though we often don’t expect them to win. How does the unlikely nature of Jesus’ ultimate victory make you think differently about Palm Sunday?

Ask a Friend

Who are the people in our lives that we’ve written off because they didn’t seem like they had a chance to succeed? How might we reconsider their role given Jesus’ cinderella story?

Due to the historic misuse of “the Jews” in John’s passion to justify anti-Judaism, please consider how this gospel is read and heard in your assembly’s worship. The Consultation on Common Texts, the ecumenical body that curates the Revised Common Lectionary has provided the following paragraph. You are invited to include it in printed worship folders or read it aloud before the gospel is proclaimed. 

Throughout Christian history, references to “the Jews” in scripture—particularly in John and Acts—have been used to perpetuate negative stereotypes and falsely assign blame for the death of Jesus. These references gloss over significant distinctions among religious leaders, such as Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees, and obscure the fact that Jesus and his disciples were themselves Jews. As Christians, we confess and lament the history of anti-Judaism associated with these texts. We renounce the evils of violence and discrimination against Jewish people. We strive for mutual understanding, respect, and partnership with Jewish neighbors and commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation among people of all faiths.

Several ELCA resources are available to help guide worship planners and preachers in navigating these important concerns. Preaching and Teaching “With Love and Respect for the Jewish People” is available from the ELCA Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations. An essay titled, “The Jews” in John’s Passion was published in the 2020 edition of the Sundays and Seasons worship planning resource from Augsburg Fortress. 

(This message was written by Pr. Jamie Gallagher, Pastor of First Lutheran Church, Monmouth, IL.  The Northern Illinois Synod held its annual Congregational Resourcing Event (CRE) on March 22, 2025.)

Since the announcement was right before Lunch, I started by asking who was hungry — with a lot of hands going up, I simply said, there are millions of people who are asked that question and there is not a table of lunch sitting right there waiting for them.  I then reminded the gathering that it was 50 years ago when Lutherans just like us gathered in a room just like this had someone raise their hand to ask “Can’t we do something about the hunger crisis” and all the other hands went up and said, “yes we can”.  Today, ELCA world Hunger is a ministry worth over $21 million dollars, but that money doesn’t come from thin air, it comes because we Lutherans still raise our hand and say, “Yes we can”.

I then spoke about the giving challenge, and how it is the generosity of a donor from our synod that is going to match up to $100,000.  And I don’t really remember how else I said everything, I didn’t have anything written down. I just went up there and spoke about it.  I also shared the story of how my congregation is giving toward this, and how as of that morning I was anticipating over $1,200 to go toward ELCA World Hunger.

What I didn’t know Saturday but what I do know today is that my congregation is at $1,698 and I have one more week to collect for ELCA World Hunger.  This has been the largest single month collection for what our church calls “vision and purpose giving” our monthly outward benevolence offering collection.  And it isn’t even close.  I think for St. Jude’s we once raised $650.  For LDR last month, we raised $515, but that is the best we have done before. So, I am excited for the enthusiasm my congregation is pouring into this, and I am looking forward to our synod having that same enthusiasm.

The workshop I led had 10 participants.  I used the take home version of the Generation Zero activity from the 2024 Youth Gathering.  They were assuming family roles and playing them well – they were counting candies in the jar and guessing way off but having fun.  They played with playdough and made goats, some good, some not so good, but all in good fun, and they learned what some of the root causes of hunger are and what ELCA World Hunger is doing amid those causes.

It was a great time.  We also collected a bunch of new ideas we will be sharing on our synod website for fundraising ideas for ELCA World Hunger as they all had great ideas.

So, it was a great day to announce the challenge and present the workshop.

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.

The Three-Day Feast: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter

Recent decades have witnessed the revival of the ancient liturgies of the Three Days—Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. In this book Gail Ramshaw gives a little history and a lot of suggestions about how these services can enrich the worship life of your entire assembly.

Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Vol 2: The Christian Life

This volume of Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship focuses on the formative role of baptism not only for the individual being baptized but the church. After it examines baptism and the related rites of affirmation of baptism, welcome to baptism, and confession, it moves to consider other rites in which the baptismal center is clearly seen: Healing, Funeral, and Marriage. Also available as an eBook.

Forged: Following Jesus into a New Kind of Family

The Jesus Way calls us into community with others to form a new kind of family— a forged family. In an era when relationships with our families of origin are more complicated than ever, pastor T. C. Moore shows us how following the way of Jesus can lead us to forged families that are authentic and life-giving. Forged weaves together stories from the author’s experience with urban, multiethnic ministry all over the US, principles from Scripture, and his own experience as an ex-gang member turned church planter and pastor. It proposes a way of approaching faith in community that rejects hierarchical, bureaucratic structures in favor of formative, inclusive friendships that last.

Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible

Before the Nazis banned him from publishing, German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer published this book on the Psalms. This classic reveals how the Psalms are essential to the life of the believer and offers Bonhoeffer’s reflections on psalms of thanksgiving, suffering, guilt, praise, and lament. Now with an introduction by Walter Brueggemann and excerpts from the Psalms, Bonhoeffer’s timeless work offers contemporary readers ancient wisdom and resources for the living of these days.

Mystery Manifest: The Triune God, Figuratively Speaking

Renowned liturgist and scholar Gail Ramshaw mines the treasures of the Bible, patristic sermons, theological treatises, mystical reveries, liturgical texts, hymns, and poetry to craft a richly textured collection and framework for thinking about the language Christians use to address and describe the triune God. More than a compilation, Mystery Manifest is a volume that liturgists, ministers, and theologians will return to again and again seeking wisdom and insight into the figures of speech humans have developed to express the ineffable. Scholars and ministers alike will want to keep a copy readily available on their shelves for liturgical study, homiletical preparation, worship preparation, and theological reflection.

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.