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Monday, July 6, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Excited for study this fall
Several women have stopped by the Women of the ELCA display at Let the River Flow (ELCA large congregation event) and said they've attended LWT Bible study intro events with Sarah Heinrich and they are "so excited to study Romans."
How about that?! (Paul and Luther would be so happy!)
Linda Post Bushkofsky
Executive director
How about that?! (Paul and Luther would be so happy!)
Linda Post Bushkofsky
Executive director
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Voices: Audacious Assignment
By Kate Sprutta Elliott
Welcome to our summer Bible study, “Mary: A Woman for All Seasons” by Christa von Zychlin. In this session, we reflect on Mary’s life as a very young woman. Christa writes, “Hope was bare and frozen for God’s people who lived on a hilly strip of land called Judea. . . . And yet, just like the buds in earliest spring, God’s life forces were stirring. God’s power was about to be made known in a teenager’s courage to take on an audacious assignment.”
Are you willing to take on “an audacious assignment” yourself? In “Do Not Be Afraid—I Dare You,” Tana Kjos writes that “living a bold life on purpose, a life like Mary’s, begins with knowing that God is calling you to participate in something bigger than yourself.” Tana goes on to challenge readers to “participate in God’s mission to bless the world.” Are you willing to work boldly with God to bless the world?
We can begin blessing the world in the places nearest to us. As we reflect on Mary as a young woman, let’s think about ways we can have a positive influence on the young people in our lives—in our families, our congregations, our communities.
In “Singing with Mary,” Jennifer Baker Trinity considers how we can be mentors to one another—older to younger, younger to older—and how music itself can mentor us in our faith. She writes, “Think of a song you learned as a child that you still know by heart. . . . When you hear that melody, you are transported to another place. The music itself becomes a mentor that accompanies you along your life’s journey.”
In many congregations, young people seem to drift away as they grow up. In “Will They Be Back?” Rod Boriack writes, “It’s tempting to think that if we could just get them back through the front door and sitting in a pew again, all will be well. . . . But it’s not that simple.” Rod’s suggestion: Take the time to reach out and talk to the young people you know and to really listen to their stories.
For many young people, the milestone in their life of faith is confirmation, when they publicly affirm their baptism in the presence of the community. Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen reminds us that “we are named by Holy Baptism as ‘children of God.’ We share the joy and responsibility of shaping one another in the Christian faith.”
Finally, in this issue, we honor a writer whose faith has been an example and encouragement to many of us—Marj Leegard. Anne Edison-Albright interviewed Marj, who turns 89 in August, at her home in Detroit Lakes, Minn. We hear in Marj’s own words about her life’s journey and the joy of writing. She has been a mentor to many and a gift to the church. While she is retiring from her regular column, we hope that she will still write for us from time to time. Thanks be to God for Marj’s witness!
Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You can contact her at LWT@elca.org.
Welcome to our summer Bible study, “Mary: A Woman for All Seasons” by Christa von Zychlin. In this session, we reflect on Mary’s life as a very young woman. Christa writes, “Hope was bare and frozen for God’s people who lived on a hilly strip of land called Judea. . . . And yet, just like the buds in earliest spring, God’s life forces were stirring. God’s power was about to be made known in a teenager’s courage to take on an audacious assignment.”
Are you willing to take on “an audacious assignment” yourself? In “Do Not Be Afraid—I Dare You,” Tana Kjos writes that “living a bold life on purpose, a life like Mary’s, begins with knowing that God is calling you to participate in something bigger than yourself.” Tana goes on to challenge readers to “participate in God’s mission to bless the world.” Are you willing to work boldly with God to bless the world?
We can begin blessing the world in the places nearest to us. As we reflect on Mary as a young woman, let’s think about ways we can have a positive influence on the young people in our lives—in our families, our congregations, our communities.
In “Singing with Mary,” Jennifer Baker Trinity considers how we can be mentors to one another—older to younger, younger to older—and how music itself can mentor us in our faith. She writes, “Think of a song you learned as a child that you still know by heart. . . . When you hear that melody, you are transported to another place. The music itself becomes a mentor that accompanies you along your life’s journey.”
In many congregations, young people seem to drift away as they grow up. In “Will They Be Back?” Rod Boriack writes, “It’s tempting to think that if we could just get them back through the front door and sitting in a pew again, all will be well. . . . But it’s not that simple.” Rod’s suggestion: Take the time to reach out and talk to the young people you know and to really listen to their stories.
For many young people, the milestone in their life of faith is confirmation, when they publicly affirm their baptism in the presence of the community. Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen reminds us that “we are named by Holy Baptism as ‘children of God.’ We share the joy and responsibility of shaping one another in the Christian faith.”
Finally, in this issue, we honor a writer whose faith has been an example and encouragement to many of us—Marj Leegard. Anne Edison-Albright interviewed Marj, who turns 89 in August, at her home in Detroit Lakes, Minn. We hear in Marj’s own words about her life’s journey and the joy of writing. She has been a mentor to many and a gift to the church. While she is retiring from her regular column, we hope that she will still write for us from time to time. Thanks be to God for Marj’s witness!
Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You can contact her at LWT@elca.org.
Monday, June 1, 2009
How is God at work in this world through your hands?
How would you illustrate it through a 30-to-90-second video?
The churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is inviting members and the general public to submit their videos to a contest inspired by our tagline: "God’s work. Our hands."
Prizes include a $5,000 ministry grant for ELCA congregations or a $2,500 cash prize for individuals. Second prize in both categories is an HD flip video camera.
The contest runs from June 15, 2009, through July 15, 2009. Learn more!
The churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is inviting members and the general public to submit their videos to a contest inspired by our tagline: "God’s work. Our hands."
Prizes include a $5,000 ministry grant for ELCA congregations or a $2,500 cash prize for individuals. Second prize in both categories is an HD flip video camera.
The contest runs from June 15, 2009, through July 15, 2009. Learn more!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Go with us to Wartburg Seminary
Recently, the Lutheran Woman Today team visited the first Bible study introductory event of the summer at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Get a taste of what the experience was like through this video.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
What we've been up to
Your LWT editorial staff just got back from Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, where the author of the 2009-2010 Bible study, the Rev. Sarah Henrich, introduced "To God's Beloved: Paul's Letter to the Romans" to a crowd of nearly 150 women (and a few men). These dedicated learners and leaders heard Sarah describe, explain, and outline this essential epistle (which Martin Luther said would even be worth memorizing!).
Sarah has several other LWT Bible study intro events on her schedule, all over the country. There's probably one close enough that you could go, too! See LWT Bible Study Intro Events for more information.
We've attended the Wartburg event for the past few years and we find it so very worthwhile. Meeting readers who are so dedicated to studying Scripture with the women of the church, hearing your concerns and questions as an author outlines her study, helps us know more about you -- and that helps us serve you better. We're glad we get to do it -- and we couldn't do it without your generosity. So thanks.
Just before our trip to Iowa, we had lunch with the authors of the 2010-2011 Bible study, the Revs. Jensen and Linda Johnson Seyenkulo. Jensen is a New Testament scholar now serving as Director for Rostered and Authorized Ministries in the churchwide Vocation and Education Unit. Linda, a trained family therapist, is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Park Forest, Illinois. Together they are the parents of three. They will be writing on unity and diversity in the early church and what that can mean for us today. We can tell you that they are full of exciting ideas -- but no titles yet! We will post titles and theme verses as soon as we have them.
Sarah has several other LWT Bible study intro events on her schedule, all over the country. There's probably one close enough that you could go, too! See LWT Bible Study Intro Events for more information.
We've attended the Wartburg event for the past few years and we find it so very worthwhile. Meeting readers who are so dedicated to studying Scripture with the women of the church, hearing your concerns and questions as an author outlines her study, helps us know more about you -- and that helps us serve you better. We're glad we get to do it -- and we couldn't do it without your generosity. So thanks.
Just before our trip to Iowa, we had lunch with the authors of the 2010-2011 Bible study, the Revs. Jensen and Linda Johnson Seyenkulo. Jensen is a New Testament scholar now serving as Director for Rostered and Authorized Ministries in the churchwide Vocation and Education Unit. Linda, a trained family therapist, is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Park Forest, Illinois. Together they are the parents of three. They will be writing on unity and diversity in the early church and what that can mean for us today. We can tell you that they are full of exciting ideas -- but no titles yet! We will post titles and theme verses as soon as we have them.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Voices: Unexpected Heroes
by Kate Sprutta Elliott
The heroes I know aren’t superheroes. Not one of them can leap a tall building. Not one has x-ray vision (some of them barely have any vision without their bifocals). No superpowers, no capes, no fancy high-tech spy gadgets.
No, the heroes I know are the ones who show up. They are the ones who help at the soup kitchen or lead the Bible study or make the quilts or visit the veterans’ hospital—even though they themselves may be struggling with chronic illness or money worries or family problems. Some of them are barely getting by, but still manage to bring something to the potluck or make a donation to World Hunger. When they say they’ll pray for you, you know they will. These are women and men you can count on. It’s likely that you know some heroes like these. They see service and loving loyalty—hesed—as an expression of their faith.
This month’s Bible study is the final session of “The Hidden Hand of God.” The writers point out that Esther is an unexpected hero: “It is an orphaned young woman, rather than a prophet, priest, or warrior king like David, who delivers her people. Esther is an example of hesed toward the community even at great personal risk.”
In this issue, you’ll read about several unexpected heroes. In “A Wink and a Prayer,” Peggy Tampson tells of her mother’s powerful witness as she was dying: “Every doctor received a warm hand squeeze from the only hand that worked, a hearty thanks, and a wink (because words couldn’t be counted on to come out right). Roommates told us how Mom’s encouragement at night kept them hopeful. She introduced them all to her best friend, Jesus.” It’s a tribute that’s especially appropriate as we celebrate Mother’s Day.
In “Showing the Love of Christ” LaRayne Topp introduces us to St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska, and to Mavis Heidemann. In 1971, mothers of mentally challenged adults asked Fremont’s churches for Christian education for their grown children, and St. Timothy answered the call. “Mavis Heidemann was one of the first teachers. Mavis continues to fill that role today—at the age of 87.” It would be easy to see Mavis as the unexpected hero here, but it’s not that simple. The students are heroes too.
Also in this issue you’ll find a profile of a Women of the ELCA leader in Eveleth, Minnesota—Marian Chase. Author Mary La Plante describes how the circles in Marian’s congregation live out the Women of the ELCA purpose statement “by participating in Bible study, forming a close faith community, and engaging in action to help the poor, hungry, and disenfranchised.”
Finally, in “What Kind of Christian,” Patricia Lull reflects on how she chooses to live as a woman of faith. She challenges readers to use her article “to start a conversation with the people you care about the most. What do you want your children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, neighbors, and co-workers to know about the shape of your life as a Christian?” This is a good reflection question as we prepare for the life-changing windy blessings of Pentecost.
Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You can reach her at lwt@elca.org.
The heroes I know aren’t superheroes. Not one of them can leap a tall building. Not one has x-ray vision (some of them barely have any vision without their bifocals). No superpowers, no capes, no fancy high-tech spy gadgets.
No, the heroes I know are the ones who show up. They are the ones who help at the soup kitchen or lead the Bible study or make the quilts or visit the veterans’ hospital—even though they themselves may be struggling with chronic illness or money worries or family problems. Some of them are barely getting by, but still manage to bring something to the potluck or make a donation to World Hunger. When they say they’ll pray for you, you know they will. These are women and men you can count on. It’s likely that you know some heroes like these. They see service and loving loyalty—hesed—as an expression of their faith.
This month’s Bible study is the final session of “The Hidden Hand of God.” The writers point out that Esther is an unexpected hero: “It is an orphaned young woman, rather than a prophet, priest, or warrior king like David, who delivers her people. Esther is an example of hesed toward the community even at great personal risk.”
In this issue, you’ll read about several unexpected heroes. In “A Wink and a Prayer,” Peggy Tampson tells of her mother’s powerful witness as she was dying: “Every doctor received a warm hand squeeze from the only hand that worked, a hearty thanks, and a wink (because words couldn’t be counted on to come out right). Roommates told us how Mom’s encouragement at night kept them hopeful. She introduced them all to her best friend, Jesus.” It’s a tribute that’s especially appropriate as we celebrate Mother’s Day.
In “Showing the Love of Christ” LaRayne Topp introduces us to St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska, and to Mavis Heidemann. In 1971, mothers of mentally challenged adults asked Fremont’s churches for Christian education for their grown children, and St. Timothy answered the call. “Mavis Heidemann was one of the first teachers. Mavis continues to fill that role today—at the age of 87.” It would be easy to see Mavis as the unexpected hero here, but it’s not that simple. The students are heroes too.
Also in this issue you’ll find a profile of a Women of the ELCA leader in Eveleth, Minnesota—Marian Chase. Author Mary La Plante describes how the circles in Marian’s congregation live out the Women of the ELCA purpose statement “by participating in Bible study, forming a close faith community, and engaging in action to help the poor, hungry, and disenfranchised.”
Finally, in “What Kind of Christian,” Patricia Lull reflects on how she chooses to live as a woman of faith. She challenges readers to use her article “to start a conversation with the people you care about the most. What do you want your children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, neighbors, and co-workers to know about the shape of your life as a Christian?” This is a good reflection question as we prepare for the life-changing windy blessings of Pentecost.
Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You can reach her at lwt@elca.org.
Friday, April 24, 2009
LWT's 2009-2010 brochure is ready!
Learn more about upcoming Lutheran Woman Today issue themes and Bible study sessions for September 2009-May 2010 by downloading our new brochure. Hang the brochure on your church bulletin board or put it in your Bible for easy reference. To receive a copy, call 800-638-3522, ext. 2730.
Every issue of Lutheran Woman Today brings you articles that inform, challenge, comfort, and encourage.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
As we prepare for Easter
This is an excerpt from the April 2007 issue of LWT.
by Bryan Cones
The Easter Vigil service begins, like birth, in darkness. As the sun sets on our Holy Saturday vigil with the entombed Christ, something unexpected happens: Instead of a funeral, the darkness of the tomb finds a challenge. A fire is lit in the darkness, and the faces of those gathered to mourn reflect its light. One great candle marked with the cross is blessed and lit: "Christ, yesterday and today, the beginning and the ending. To Christ belongs all time and all the ages; to Christ belongs glory and dominion now and forever." In one moment, the power of death is undone.
"The light of Christ," sings the minister. "Thanks be to God," we sing in reply. As the Christ-light shines, it also spreads to the candles of the baptized, who share Christ’s victory over death. What began as a vigil for the dead has been transformed; it has become a celebration of life, a celebration of all who have passed through the cross to new life and a hopeful waiting for those yet to be born in Christ.
In joy we sing the Exsultet, our hymn of victory, a great thanksgiving for deliverance from death: "Rejoice, now, all heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne!" Having walked the 40 days of Lent, recalled the betrayal and death of Christ, waited in the silence of death, we now finally hear the good news: "Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes forever!" Not content to listen, we must respond: "This is the night!"
The LWT staff wish you blessings and peace as you walk with Jesus through the Three Days (Triduum) and come to the waters of new life on Easter.
Kate Elliott
by Bryan Cones
The Easter Vigil service begins, like birth, in darkness. As the sun sets on our Holy Saturday vigil with the entombed Christ, something unexpected happens: Instead of a funeral, the darkness of the tomb finds a challenge. A fire is lit in the darkness, and the faces of those gathered to mourn reflect its light. One great candle marked with the cross is blessed and lit: "Christ, yesterday and today, the beginning and the ending. To Christ belongs all time and all the ages; to Christ belongs glory and dominion now and forever." In one moment, the power of death is undone.
"The light of Christ," sings the minister. "Thanks be to God," we sing in reply. As the Christ-light shines, it also spreads to the candles of the baptized, who share Christ’s victory over death. What began as a vigil for the dead has been transformed; it has become a celebration of life, a celebration of all who have passed through the cross to new life and a hopeful waiting for those yet to be born in Christ.
In joy we sing the Exsultet, our hymn of victory, a great thanksgiving for deliverance from death: "Rejoice, now, all heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne!" Having walked the 40 days of Lent, recalled the betrayal and death of Christ, waited in the silence of death, we now finally hear the good news: "Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes forever!" Not content to listen, we must respond: "This is the night!"
The LWT staff wish you blessings and peace as you walk with Jesus through the Three Days (Triduum) and come to the waters of new life on Easter.
Kate Elliott
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Faithful Disobedience
by Kate Sprutta Elliott
Disobedience makes me uneasy. I like to know and follow the rules. I figure that people smarter than I am made them, and they had their reasons. Even when there is no one around, I stop for the stop sign and use my blinker to signal the turn.
The rules make me feel safe. But not everyone experiences them that way. Before the civil rights movement in this country, the rules dictated where African American people were allowed to sit or eat or go to school or live. Those unjust rules deserved to be resisted. Rosa Parks took a risk to disobey those rules and we remember her today as a hero.
This month’s Bible study session focuses on Esther’s decision to help her people. The writers tell us, “Mordecai persuades Esther. She will disobey the king's rule and risk her life. Shedding her former passivity, she now takes charge . . . She will act with hesed toward her people. Like the men in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3, she understands that she is risking her life.”
In “For Such a Time as This,” Mary Nelson tells of her mother’s arrest at age 78 for civil disobedience. When she was asked why she did it, she said it was for the world’s children. Nelson writes, “Like Queen Esther and my mother, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that call for faithful disobedience.”
But how do you know when to act and what to do? It takes discernment. Ginger Anderson-Larson is a spiritual director at an ELCA seminary. In “God’s Clues,” she writes about her experiences with students who seek discernment: “In open conversation with others and in quiet listening to God, the Holy Spirit will let us know God’s plan for us.”
When we’re trying to figure out what to do, we wish we could know how it will turn out. In “From Scripts to Faith,” Martha Stortz reminds us that life seldom turns out the way it does in the fairy tales and we can’t be sure of the ending. Yet there is hope: “No matter how far we’ve wandered or been wrenched away from where we thought we were going, God is there, the grace we can count on.”
It takes courage to change the script, even when the circumstances seem to require it. In “Applecart Lessons,” Phyllis Kersten shares what happened in her congregation when the torch was passed to the younger generation—and it wasn’t all sweetness and light. What would it take for the women to break out of the trap of nostalgia? Kersten writes, “What it took for the Women of Grace was for the older leadership to receive the gifts and ideas offered by the younger members for what they truly were: gifts from God, even though these ideas might threaten to turn some of their established world upside down.”
This month we see the world turned upside down in dying and rising of Jesus Christ. May you be blessed by the surprising new light of Easter.
Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write her at LWT@elca.org.
Disobedience makes me uneasy. I like to know and follow the rules. I figure that people smarter than I am made them, and they had their reasons. Even when there is no one around, I stop for the stop sign and use my blinker to signal the turn.
The rules make me feel safe. But not everyone experiences them that way. Before the civil rights movement in this country, the rules dictated where African American people were allowed to sit or eat or go to school or live. Those unjust rules deserved to be resisted. Rosa Parks took a risk to disobey those rules and we remember her today as a hero.
This month’s Bible study session focuses on Esther’s decision to help her people. The writers tell us, “Mordecai persuades Esther. She will disobey the king's rule and risk her life. Shedding her former passivity, she now takes charge . . . She will act with hesed toward her people. Like the men in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3, she understands that she is risking her life.”
In “For Such a Time as This,” Mary Nelson tells of her mother’s arrest at age 78 for civil disobedience. When she was asked why she did it, she said it was for the world’s children. Nelson writes, “Like Queen Esther and my mother, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that call for faithful disobedience.”
But how do you know when to act and what to do? It takes discernment. Ginger Anderson-Larson is a spiritual director at an ELCA seminary. In “God’s Clues,” she writes about her experiences with students who seek discernment: “In open conversation with others and in quiet listening to God, the Holy Spirit will let us know God’s plan for us.”
When we’re trying to figure out what to do, we wish we could know how it will turn out. In “From Scripts to Faith,” Martha Stortz reminds us that life seldom turns out the way it does in the fairy tales and we can’t be sure of the ending. Yet there is hope: “No matter how far we’ve wandered or been wrenched away from where we thought we were going, God is there, the grace we can count on.”
It takes courage to change the script, even when the circumstances seem to require it. In “Applecart Lessons,” Phyllis Kersten shares what happened in her congregation when the torch was passed to the younger generation—and it wasn’t all sweetness and light. What would it take for the women to break out of the trap of nostalgia? Kersten writes, “What it took for the Women of Grace was for the older leadership to receive the gifts and ideas offered by the younger members for what they truly were: gifts from God, even though these ideas might threaten to turn some of their established world upside down.”
This month we see the world turned upside down in dying and rising of Jesus Christ. May you be blessed by the surprising new light of Easter.
Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write her at LWT@elca.org.
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