Catalyst Question What’s your favorite remake? It could be a song, movie, or other piece of art. How does it compare to the original? What’s Wrong with a Remake? In Luke 3:1-6, John the Baptist cries out, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Straight paths. Leveled hills. Smooth roads. It’s
Today’s Reading: Read Romans 13-16 Use the white side of a role of wrapping paper to wrap a box. Ultimately, you want a gift box wrapped with blank paper for your family to decorate. Assign everyone in your family a different color. Use each family member’s assigned color and write
Why Churches Are Not Inherently Safe Places It’s understandable why people would think, “This place is full of Christians. It must be one of the safest places in my community.” But churches are not inherently safe. Quite the opposite. Churches have a target on them! You are a spiritual target
The details of their analyses vary, but a number of commentators have recently come to the same conclusion: Catholic theology finds itself in a profoundly challenging moment. In his 2021 essay, “The Crisis in Catholic Theology,” Grant Kaplan reflects from his position at a large Catholic university on the “gravitational pull
“The table is set. The people of Israel welcome Jesus as king while his disciples anticipate his crowning. But—instead of confronting Rome—he turns the tables on his own religious festival. Their power threatened, the country’s religious and political leaders will go to any length to ensure this Passover meal is
“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
Today’s Reading: Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, 15-18; 12:9-11; 13:11-13 Start today off by singing the song Jesus Loves Me. After you have sung the song through, talk about what this phrase means: “They are weak, but He is strong.” Paul faced a lot of challenges as He traveled as a
The Church As A Community of Gratitude “In response to Christ’s exaltation, the church is a glad community,” writes Oliver O’Donovan in “The Desire of the Nations.” How could it be otherwise? Christ’s exaltation consists in his resurrection from the dead, defeat of the last enemy Death, ascension to his