Church Anew Blog
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The Worst Kind of Evil
I understand why so many parents devote endless hours to the perfect organic diets for their kids, why so many of us research endlessly where to send our kids to school, how to address their medical needs. On a very deep level we sense that when it comes to protecting our children’s lives, we are ultimately mostly powerless, adrift in a sea of powerful interests, in a world where profit is king and kids are another line on a national expense sheet.
Where is the God of Walter?
I’m not yet sure what to do in a world without Walter. But I know what he’d do—he’d go back to the text. And what do you know? Just like Walter said it would, the Bible has resources for us to think about the crisis of this day.
Of Water and Wafers: Resisting Inwardness in an AI World
Independence and autonomy are not the gifts of baptism or communion. Instead, these sacraments remind us that God comes to us from beyond ourselves—that salvation is given, not earned.
Lectionary Musings from the Church Anew Blog: August 31 and September 7
Each week, we’ll offer a curated selection of blog posts that speak to the upcoming lectionary texts to help spark your imagination and serve as a thought partner for you. We hope these musings meet you right where you are with a fresh, bold, and faithful witness.
Pray Without Ceasing at Shepherd of the Hills in Minnesota
We were early adopters of the Pray Without Ceasing (PWC) ministry opportunity. When I suggested PWC, some shared that praying for thirty whole minutes seemed like a very large hill to climb. Folks were nervous, asking, “What will we do for thirty minutes? Will there be awkward silence? Is this even Lutheran?”
Martha Martha Dragon Slayer (Luke 10:38-42)
Why is it different here? What is so different about Martha that her “ministry” becomes “tasks” and “meal prep”? It is curious, indeed.
Lectionary Musings from the Church Anew Blog: August 24 and 31
Each week, we’ll offer a curated selection of blog posts that speak to the upcoming lectionary texts to help spark your imagination and serve as a thought partner for you. We hope these musings meet you right where you are with a fresh, bold, and faithful witness.
When the Sunday Scaries Meet the Gospel: Meeting God in the Overwhelm
The Sunday Scaries—the creeping dread that arrives as the weekend slips away and the responsibilities of the new week inch closer—aren’t just cultural noise. They reflect something deeper: our desire to be in control of our lives, to meet expectations, and to stay ahead of what’s next. But into this anxious reality, the Gospel speaks a quiet and disruptive word of grace.
Lectionary Musings from the Church Anew Blog: August 17 and 24
Each week, we’ll offer a curated selection of blog posts that speak to the upcoming lectionary texts to help spark your imagination and serve as a thought partner for you. We hope these musings meet you right where you are with a fresh, bold, and faithful witness.
Letter to the Supreme Court Justices
Through years of theological discernment, prayer, and faithful conversation, the ELCA has affirmed that same-gender couples are fully capable of embodying the love, commitment, and covenant that Christian marriage represents. We marry same-gender couples not in defiance of our beliefs, but in fidelity to them.
Empire in the Everglades: Prophetic Imagination in the Face of “Alligator Alcatraz”
The prophets offer us a glimpse of what could be, but visions are not guarantees. They demand something of us.
See Them, Champion Them: On the Election of Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry and Secretary Lucille “CeCee” Mills
How can we stand “close enough” to Presiding Bishop-Elect Curry and Secretary-Elect Mills? What is our call as ELCA Lutheran Christians to love, support, and protect our newly called leaders?
Lectionary Musings from the Church Anew Blog
Each week, we’ll offer a curated selection of blog posts that speak to the upcoming lectionary texts to help spark your imagination and serve as a thought partner for you. We hope these musings meet you right where you are with a fresh, bold, and faithful witness.
Friendship and Masculinity
A man disconnected from others is more vulnerable than strong—and more dangerous than heroic. His high walls may look like strength but in truth they are purpose-built for hiding, not protection. In his isolation, he becomes a threat to himself.
Is Your Anger a Good Thing?
Maybe that’s the point. Maybe the story was never about the whale, but about a God who dares to ask us things we don’t yet know how to answer.
Interview with Bishop Brenda Bos, Author of “Refilling the Reservoirs: Spiritual Care for the Exhausted Caregiver”
You are not alone in your struggle. Your spiritual despair makes sense, and God is reaching out. Your feelings are real, your overwhelm is real, and God has something to offer.
Improv for Preaching
How might such silly exercises embed the deeply sacred value that everyone’s voice is needed and worthy in your community?
Partisan Politics Are So 2024
This is our past year in America, and now that we’ve reviewed it — can we finally consign the political past of 2024 to the dustbin of history?
Interview with Joe Davis, Author of “Unearthing Us: Poems and Practices for Discovering Our Fullest Selves”
This book is for anyone ready and willing to dig deeper into their personal and communal stories to unearth the healing wisdom that waits for us all.
St. Mary Magdalene
The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene – July 22 –
Has long been on my calendar
Because
She has long been
A prophetic
Source of
Inspiration,
Wisdom,
Solace,
And yes Courage.
EXPLORE OUR ARCHIVE OF ARTICLES FROM
Walter Brueggemann
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