Bishop's Blogs Archives - Mpls Area Synod ELCA

Costly Solidarity—Close to home and in the Middle East

March 3rd, 2026

By Bishop Jen Nagel

The January morning when Renee Good was killed, I was at the airport, headed for Palestine and Israel for an ELCA accompaniment visit that included the consecration of Bishop Imad Haddad in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). For generations, our siblings in the ELCJHL have experienced daily oppression and violence as they minister in a situation of occupation. Witnessing you and our region move through those days immediately after Good’s death was heartbreaking and beautiful, and the systems—close to home and in the Middle East—that conspire to strip us of dignity and humanity were, and are, palpable.

ELCJHL Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac talks of Costly Solidarity. Standing with another in solidarity has costs: it is risky and, at once, it is the call of our Christian faith. Our call to solidarity is rooted in Jesus’ life and death. Jesus lived in solidarity with those cast down by the systems of power, and he died in solidarity with humanity. Pastor Munther Isaac invited us to this Costly Solidarity, commenting: “We can’t do this alone… You might ask, ‘When do you want us to be here?’ The answer is now. We need you right now.”

ELCJHL Bishop Imad Haddad

After Saturday’s attack on Iran, ELCJHL Bishop Imad Haddad wrote to partners in a powerful and heartfelt letter. One paragraph particularly caught me: “Dear partners, we urge you: pray, and pray fervently. But do not let prayer become a substitute for responsibility. Let your prayers be joined with courageous and concrete action. Stand publicly with those who are afflicted. Advocate persistently for a just peace that safeguards the dignity and security of all people. Challenge policy makers whose narratives make endless war appear inevitable.” Dear ones, this is Costly Solidarity, hearing the need, responding faithfully and boldly for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of these siblings.

So, what does Costly Solidarity look like here in Minnesota?

Showing Up. Congregations and communities around our synod have been listening and showing up: alongside neighbors, in brave spaces, sometimes quietly for the sake of safety, sometimes boldly, with a persistent resistance in the name of Jesus Christ. I know that folks are tired. And I know that the needs continue. I pray for pacing and resilience. And, please, keep showing up.

Speaking Up. Over these months, on behalf of the Synod (that is all of us), I have spoken up. When I speak as Bishop, I lean into Scripture (the Bible says A LOT about these subjects), into our ELCA social teachings, into the resolutions of our synod (in particular this bold resolution we approved last year at our Synod Assembly that created the Immigration Task Force and Welcome Fund, and asked me and us to speak boldly), and into our baptismal promises (“…to care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace…”), and my ordination vows. Recently, the Minneapolis Area Synod joined a lawsuit to ask the government to allow religious leaders to provide pastoral care to those detained at the Whipple Federal Building, similar to how a pastor or deacon would visit someone who is in the hospital or imprisoned elsewhere. We enter this lawsuit confident that its aims are consistent with Scripture, our social statements, our synod’s action, and the promises of baptism and ordination. Pastoral care is at the very heart of what we do and who we are. I know it might feel political to some, but I understand it as Costly Solidarity and part of our call as the Church in the name of Jesus.

Holding Tension. In this moment, we know that we are not all of one mind. Tensions are real when faced with social and political differences, and congregations are navigating these tensions every day. This, too, is part of Costly Solidarity. It asks us to listen well to those who are most affected like our immigrant siblings, to hear one another out, and to live in the tensions of this time and place. I’m moved by the ways Jesus navigated tension during his ministry, and I’m moved by how some in our synod are navigating the tensions in their own communities as well. Again, this is Costly Solidarity. We navigate these tensions trusting in our Savior’s leading and presence.

In Solidarity, not alone. I am in awe of the ways our partners in ministry literally across the Church and around the world are showing up in support of Minnesota and our communities. Daily we receive notes of support, words of encouragement and prayer, and gifts to the Welcome Fund (please do continue to support this fund which has been providing essential resources to congregations serving and accompanying immigrant communities). This accompaniment is powerful, and it reminds me that others are standing in Costly Solidarity with us. We are not alone.

Dear ones, these are challenging times close to home and in the Middle East. I invite you into this Costly Solidarity not because it’s easy—it’s not—but because solidarity is our call. With courage we walk and pray together. Thanks be to God.

Connected Through Call

November 11th, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

We’ve had a season of ordinations this fall around Minneapolis Area Synod. Ian Heseltine was ordained as a deacon with a call to serve in development at Augsburg University. With ties at Normandale Lutheran, Sumner Musolf was ordained as a pastor and now serves St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Bloomington. Asefa Melka Wakjira was ordained at Our Redeemer Oromo Evangelical Church in South Minneapolis and serves as a pastor, as well as a hospital chaplain. Kayla Zopfi was ordained as a deacon with a call from the ELCA Churchwide Office as the ELCA Young Adult Network Coordinator. And, Morgan Simmons, who did candidacy in the Delaware-Maryland Synod and has been active in our synod for some years during seminary and internship, has been called to Northern Great Lakes Synod and now serves as pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Whew!

With these ordinations, I have been thinking about our interconnections and an activity I have done with people in outdoor ministries. The group would stand in a circle with a ball of yarn or thin rope. The person who starts would hold the end of the rope and then pass the ball across the circle to someone else. They’d grasp the rope and pass the ball of rope to another person. With the passes, a web of rope is created with each person around the circle holding on. As a group, we’d talk a bit about this interconnected web, or ecology, noticing how a tug or added pressure in one spot is felt across and around the circle.

Getting to know these new deacons and pastors in the church, I celebrate the web of relationships that has raised up their faithful calls to ministry, held them in prayer, funded their studies, engaged their academic learning, nurtured their skills, and now invites them into new leadership and trust. And all this, not for their sake, but for the sake of this beautiful and broken world, for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the sake of proclaiming, indeed, embodying, life in the midst of death.

When we’re tempted to go it alone, the truth comes again in the tug across the circle. We, dear ones, are part of this interconnected ministry, tethered together by the Holy Spirit, and held by our God who will never let us go.

Ecclesial Estuary

October 7th, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

What a week!

This was a big week here in the Minneapolis Area Synod.

On Saturday we celebrated the installation of our new Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Yehiel Curry. It was a wonderful service and day with great preaching (Rev. Dr. Kevin Vandiver, the senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C.), spirited music, powerful times of prayers, and a sense of the enormity of the Presiding Bishop’s call and our call as church in this new season. A giant thank you to Central Lutheran’s team for their generous hospitality—so well done! Many from our synod attended, as well as guests from across the church, our ecumenical partners, and church representatives from Lutheran bodies across the globe. What a joy to host this special celebration in our synod. (You can read more about and see pictures from the installation in this Living Lutheran story.)

Bishop Jen and Pastor Leila Ortiz at BTC

Now, I could stop there, but our synod’s annual Bishop’s Theological Conference concluded a week ago today. Many of the synod’s pastors and deacons came together for a time of worship, bible study, learning, and growth, with the theme Baptism in Muddy Waters. Our keynote speaker was Leila Ortiz. Up until a month ago, Leila served as Bishop of the Metro D.C. Synod, but now she is Pastoral Theologian in Residence at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York City.

Leila grew up between Puerto Rico and New York and leans into the image of an estuary, the area where a river flows into the ocean, where the fresh water and salt water mix, where currents cross, where distinct plants and animals thrive in lagoons and bogs, where muck and mud are stirred in the mixing and mingling. This estuary eco-system is particularly rich with death and new life, always in a process of “becoming.“

A bird’s-eye view of an estuary

Pastor Leila captured our imagination and invited us into the ecclesial estuary. The word ecclesial is a fancy way of saying the church. She’s describing the church as an estuary, the church as a place where all the layers of who we are come together. The water isn’t pristine and clear in this space, but rather it can be a bit muddy, and it is rich, full of growth. In this season of the church and our world, this image of the church as ecclesial estuary landed well. It’s tempting to seek clear waters, to assume that’s the way it’s “supposed” to be, but actually, in an estuary, the stirred-up water is absolutely normal. Indeed, we are baptized in muddy waters. You can see more pictures from our Bishop’s Theological Conference below.

On Saturday, as we installed our first African American Presiding Bishop, the ecclesial estuary was particularly rich and layered. What a beautiful time of worship and an experience of who we are as the body of Christ. Our church has always been richer and more diverse than is sometimes noticed. If you attended the installation or watched online, I invite you to think back to what you experienced and how the mixing and mingling of identities added to the day. That’s the Holy Spirit at work in the ecclesial estuary, creating spaces of new life, renewing the body of Christ, inviting us—each of us—to be part of muddy baptismal waters.

Led Into Life

September 2nd, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.
-Taize, tune by J. Berthier, based on Psalm 103.1 (listen to a version here)

Group photo of the newly elected leaders

I write from Bossey, a lovely ecumenical institute outside of Geneva, Switzerland. After three airline flights, I arrived Sunday evening to join other new-ish Lutheran bishops at the Lutheran World Federation’s Retreat of Newly Elected Leaders. The ELCA is one of 154 member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a communion of Lutherans, from literally around the world. This group of 13 of us represents churches in Namibia, Indonesia, El Salvador, Poland, Canada, Sweden, Costa Rica, Argentina, Tanzania, Guyana, Malaysia, and the US (yes, that’s me). We’ll be together until next Tuesday—first here in Switzerland, and then some days in Wittenberg, Germany.

We share a common calling as church leaders, and we bring with us our particular contexts and experiences, joys and concerns. Though I’m across the ocean, you, dear church, are my context, and you and the lament of these last days since the shooting at Annunciation are not far from my heart. This song from Taize began our evening worship tonight: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.” Or I might adjust it to read, “… who leads us into life.”

Even, and I’d say, especially, in the midst of these days of grief and death, when we lack for words, and light candles teary-eyed, my trust is even stronger in this One who leads us—amidst it all—into life.

A few reflections as we are led into life:

You can read my message from last week here, and also the call of the Minnesota ELCA Bishops here. You’ll notice some important links about gun violence and the ELCA’s Social Message on Gun-Related Violence.

One of many prayer vigils held at area churches last week (this one, at Diamond Lake Lutheran)

I’m grateful for the ways ELCA folks are showing up—offering pastoral care at Annunciation last Wednesday, caring for families (a number of these kids and their families and educators have ELCA connections), comforting neighbors, seeking support, hosting vigils, praying, praying, praying. In an exchange with Archbishop Hebda, he expressed gratitude for the ELCA support and outreach.

I appreciate this resource from our colleagues at Outfront MN and PRISM. I echo what they write: “News reports tell us that the shooter was transgender. This reality can make our grief more complicated, and we must take care that it does not fuel harmful narratives or stigmatization of the broader trans community. As people of faith, we know and must clearly communicate that one person’s violent actions do not define the worth or dignity of an entire community. Trans and nonbinary people are beloved children of God, made in the divine image, and worthy of safety, joy, and flourishing.”

For many of us, the world is feeling out of control and overwhelming. If that’s your experience, you aren’t alone. I hear you. Jesus meets us in the storms. Let someone know how you are feeling. Support your mental health. And know that we (our churches, our leaders, our cities, our schools) are prayed for—I have gotten a number of notes from far afield sending prayers for all us.

Many head back to school today. We pray for students of all ages and stages, for parents and caregivers, for educators and school support teams, and for our campus pastors: Pastor Babette and Pastor John at Augsburg University, and Pastor Kate at the U of M’s Lutheran Campus Ministry-Twin Cities.

Beloved ones, our prayers are many these days, and sometimes simply sighs, but God hears them, God hears you. Across the ocean and in conversation and prayers with colleagues from around the world, I am praying for you and with you, and for our broken hearts and battered world. “Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads us into life.”

Come, Holy Spirit, Come

August 5th, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

More than 800 voting members and hundreds of visitors, observers, volunteers, and staff spent last week in Phoenix at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly. From Minneapolis Area Synod, we had a group of 30 voting members and a strong contingent of others supporting the assembly’s work. I am deeply grateful for how our group showed up with faithfulness, curiosity, humility, mutual respect, good humor, joy, engagement, and honesty. See the photo gallery below from our team and the ELCA that show many of our voting members in action.

I know that many have been following the assembly’s actions online. Want to catch up?

Here is a playlist of videos chronicling the whole assembly—plenaries (sessions for business, learning, voting, and prayer), worship services, special events like the exhibition pow wow, short videos with a focus on assorted ministries (hint: could be used in worship), and some really well done pre assembly bible studies (even after the fact, these could be used well in a congregational bible study setting).
Here are daily posts from Living Lutheran. I appreciate the words, but even more I love the pictures. Check them out!
And here are the daily updates posted by Assistant to the Bishop for Faith and Neighboring, Nicholas Tangen.

By now, most have heard of the elections of Presiding Bishop-Elect Rev. Yehiel Curry and Secretary-Elect Rev. CeCee Mills. Bishop Curry currently serves in Metropolitan Chicago Synod and also serves as the Chair of the Conference of Bishops. It’s in this capacity that I’ve come to know him over the last year and so value his leadership and ministry. I’d echo a phrase I’ve heard from others: He’s the real deal. He embodies faithfulness, trust in God’s power and the Holy Spirit’s movement, clarity, collaboration, and humor. I’m grateful for his willingness and trust to step into this big role and I invite you to join me in praying for Bishop-elect Curry, his family, and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod.

I look forward to working with Secretary-Elect Mills and learning more about her leadership. It’s my sense that she melds a deep piety, considerable years of ministry in the North Carolina Synod office and parishes, a willingness to listen and act, and just the right amount of constitutional nerdiness that’s essential for facilitating a good process as the church moves and flexes in these times. We pray for Secretary-Elect Mills, her synod and community, and the whole ELCA Churchwide organization in these coming months.

Memorials sent from Minneapolis Area Synod, along with dozens of others from synods around the church, were approved en bloc. These included memorials related to Youth Gathering DEIA, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, and Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection. A few areas to name in particular:

The Faith and Civic Life Social Statement was approved. This offers important ethical language and direction for each of us (yes, you and me, all of us, check it out), especially in this time. Some years ago, it was from Minneapolis Area Synod that the call rose for a social statement of this nature.
We approved a memorial related to Palestinian rights and Israel. This came from many synods and included elements from the memorial passed by our synod. Learn more about this work of Sumud (which means steadfastness in Arabic) here.
We approved a memorial about Indian Boarding School Remembrance. Our thanks to Elizabeth Andress from Grace University Lutheran Church who is a leader in this movement.
In all of this, the humanity of God’s church was real—we tried our best and still there was harm, still it was painful at times. For many in our delegation, there were real highs and also significant struggles, especially related to how we as the ELCA hold the tension between the church as it is, and the church as it is called to be. I was grateful for the role of Assembly Chaplains, led by Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy and Rev. Jenny Sung, making space, accompanying individuals, and inviting reconciliation.

To riff on Hebrews 11:32, and what more shall I say? So much happened last week! What images do I hold? The visual of colorful streamers (and sometimes doves) embodying the Holy Spirit’s movement leading us into and out of worship, and the steady rhythm of preparing for votes with song and prayer. Often led by Deacon John Weit from the Churchwide worship staff, we prayed singing chants such as “Come, Holy Spirit, Come” (ACS #940, and found here at 2:56:07).

This assembly felt like a shift in the possibilities for the future of our church and I am hopeful for this direction. Come, Holy Spirit, come. That’s my prayer for all of us and our church moving forward. Thanks be to God.

Churchwide Assembly 2025: For the Life of the World

July 1st, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

At the end of this month, July 28 – August 2, 2025, many will gather for our Churchwide Assembly, this time in Phoenix, Arizona. Just as congregations come together for annual meetings, synods host synod assemblies, our wider church – the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the ELCA) – meets in a churchwide assembly every three years. The Churchwide Assembly is the primary decision-making body of the ELCA. I write today as we prepare for another milestone assembly.

The assembly theme is For the Life of the World, a theme rooted in the Nicene Creed (this year celebrating 1700 years) and the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “The church is the church only when it exists for others.”

Minneapolis Area Synod sends 30 Voting Members to the Churchwide Assembly. Thanks to those who accepted these nominations (and alternates) more than a year ago and are giving of time (often vacation time) and soul to participate. Additionally, observers, resource people, advisors, and other visitors from our synod will be attending.

The assembly days will be full. Worship and Bible Study ground our days and are a highlight for me and for many. Our business will include two social statements: one on Faith and Civic Life (a social statement that originated in our synod), and editorial updates to Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. There will be action related to the recommendations of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC). We will act on memorials and resolutions sent from synods around the church; some will come en bloc and others will be debated by the assembly. We will elect a new ELCA Presiding Bishop and ELCA Secretary – these decisions will shape the trajectory of the church for years to come. We will do business (reports, budgets, elections, and more). We will worship together, including a pow wow on Tuesday evening and a vigil related to immigration on Wednesday evening.

How can you be engaged in this summer’s ELCA Churchwide Assembly?

Pray. Pray for the churchwide assembly, for those attending and safety in travels, for the churchwide staff and many volunteers who make it happen, and for the Holy Spirit’s power moving and shaping us in this time. Invite your congregation to join you in praying for the assembly.

Learn more. Explore this webpage for links to all sorts of information about the assembly, resources (bible study and worship information, schedules, reports, proposed social statements, resolutions, and more), and updates. While geared toward voting members, these introductory videos offer helpful basics about who we are as the ELCA. Additionally, this is the place to find the lists of those who have been preidentified as possible nominees for the role of Presiding Bishop and Secretary. Note that the materials linked on this page change: more will be added in the coming weeks, and some materials (such as the bios for those preidentified) will be removed at the start of the assembly. This is also the place I’d look for links to watch the assembly live. Keep checking back!

Share. During the assembly, we’ll be posting regular updates on our social media pages. Additionally, afterward there’ll be opportunities for people around our synod to hear more from some of those who attend. Conferences or congregations may choose to host gatherings to share the experience. Watch for opportunities, and consider talking with your pastor or deacon, or the conference dean to explore opportunities.

A gathering like the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, by its nature, and particularly at this time in history, is a container for the possibilities and the pain of our life together. How do we stay rooted together? How do we make a space to hear well the experiences of other voices? How do we act meaningfully for the life of the world? I pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance for our time together at the Churchwide Assembly and I covet your prayers for our Church, Christ’s Church.

Holding Space

June 3rd, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

“When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place . . . Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them.” – Acts 2

May 25th marked the 5-year Angelversary of the murder of George Floyd. That Sunday evening, as part of the Rise and Remember Festival and at the invitation of the ELCA Racial Justice Ministries, I joined a number of you for a fabulous concert featuring Sounds of Blackness and a moving vigil. We gathered beforehand on the steps of Calvary Lutheran Church, just a block south of George Floyd Square. ELCA Racial Justice Director Jennifer DeLeon grounded us for the evening, reminding us that people come to this event holding both memories and hopes, lament and a call to action. If you haven’t been to George Floyd Square lately (or ever), consider making a pilgrimage and ask for a community guide to share this sacred space with you or your group.

Photo credit: Pastor Melissa Pohlman

The sun was low when the concert ended. Theologian and community leader Jeanelle Austin stepped onto the stage to prepare us for the vigil. Volunteers quietly distributed candles. Now, let’s be clear: These were not the smaller candles we often hold during a Christmas Eve candlelight service, candles that flicker through a few verses of Silent Night and are soon extinguished. Instead, these were large tapers, ready for the long duration of the vigil and all it would include.

Austin described the plan: With candles lit, Brass Solidarity would lead us north past the spot where George Floyd was murdered, past exhibits and memorials filled with the names and stories of BIPOC individuals from around the country who have been victims of systemic racism and violence. We would turn west and go a block to Say Their Names Cemetery where over a hundred symbolic headstones bear the names of Emmett Till, George Floyd, Philando Castile, Jamar Clark, and dozens more. Anticipating the moment, Austin explained that we should move down into the cemetery and find a headstone where we would “hold space” as the youth and young adult musicians of Kamoinge Strings played several pieces, and then we would close with a prayer.

Holding space. As the sun set and night came, hundreds of us settled in around the headstones. Some people stood, some sat in the cool grass. Candle flames flickered and wax dripped. Music swelled. It was beautiful and incredibly sad all at once. I held space by the stone of a 17-year-old named Jordan Davis who was killed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012.

Holding space means creating a safe — yet also brave — environment in which people, with all our emotions, can be present and remember. I keep thinking of exercise classes and how they remind me to engage my muscles as I move this way or that. Holding space means figuratively engaging our muscles. It takes time. It makes us tired. It can be uncomfortable. If we do it well, we’ll grow stronger, we’ll gain endurance. I find that holding space is often profoundly moving. It’s holy work.

In times like these, the temptation is strong to move through these anniversaries – this pain, this trauma – passively, without really engaging. Holding space invites us into the vulnerable recognition that the world is not yet as it should be, and we are called to be present, engaged, honest to the grief and all the moment holds, and ready to be part of the change.

This Sunday we’ll celebrate Pentecost and the Holy Spirit’s movement. We believe that love is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death, and that together, by the Holy Spirit’s power, we can be part of God’s new creation. That was my prayer as we held space with the sun setting and the candles flickering. That is my prayer today. May it be so.

Let Your Peace Rain Upon Us

March 4th, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

Yarabba ssalami amter alayna ssalam,
Yarabba ssalami im la’ qulubana ssalam.
(Arabic)

I returned Saturday evening from nearly a week spent with the Conference of Bishops in Chicago. The Conference of Bishops includes the 65 synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, and Secretary Sue Rothmeyer. Wonder what’s going on on-the-ground across the ELCA? This group tends to have a sense of it, for put together we are connected to the 8,400+ congregations of this church, the rostered ministers (pastors and deacons) who are currently serving or retired, and those in candidacy preparing for ministry. So, you might wonder, what did we do?

We worshipped and prayed together daily, singing with strength, grounding our conversations in prayer, sharing Holy Communion. For all the beauty around us, there also is so much brokenness, uncertainty, hatred, and fear. We’re feeling it, and we are hearing the concerns and heartbreak from you and across the church, especially in immigrant communities, and amongst those of us who identify as queer, disabled, or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).

We consulted, offering feedback for the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC), and the two social statements that will come to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this summer (July 28-August 2, 2025, Phoenix), Faith and Civic Life: The Well-being of All, and the first set of reconsiderations of elements of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.

The Bishops of the Region 3 Synods together at the Conference of Bishops. Photo originally posted by Bishop Craig Schweitzer.

We discussed proposed changes to the candidacy process (with a shift in the process to focus on competencies and create more flexibility), and the First Call process. We also reviewed a report on the trends in pastoral leadership that studied the need for pastoral leaders, geography, and affordability. It’s important—check it out here.

We dug into topics like White Christian Nationalism, The Barmen Declaration from 1934 Germany and the Confessing Church, and what resistance looks like in this season and land. The recent executive orders about refugee resettlement and immigration strike close to home for many of us and our congregations. While the ELCA as a whole hasn’t signed onto immigration-related lawsuits, some congregations are considering these next steps.

We spoke out in support of Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem. I went to Chicago a day early to take part in a focused session on the Middle East. The ELCA’s effort to help build peace with justice in Palestine and Israel is called Sumud. Sumud is a Palestinian word that means steadfastness. We heard from those in Gaza who shared of dire situations, hunger, 85% unemployment in the West Bank, and the psychological toll of the years of occupation.

I know that sometimes we Lutheran Christians struggle to understand the complexity in the Middle East. Fearing we’ll get it wrong, we stay quiet. Dear ones, this is a time to stand in solidarity with our Christian, Muslim, and Jewish siblings, to lean in and hear their stories, to reach out to our legislators, to pray. This ELCA Sumud link includes many ways to be involved. Also here are a number of short and easily used videos, and a powerful poem by Mosab Abu Toha called My Grandfather Was a Terrorist that can make for a great discussion starter. Beloved, take one step.

Yarabba ssalami, that’s Arabic meaning let your peace rain upon us. The traditional Palestinian song is found in All Creation Sings, #989. “Let your peace rain upon us” is my prayer… in the Middle East, around our nation, across this church, and in our homes and hearts.

Let your peace rain upon us, O living God of peace.
Let your peace rain upon us, Lord, fill our hearts with your peace.
(All Creation Sings, ACS #989)

Church Together in Puerto Rico

January 14th, 2025

By Bishop Jen Nagel

I returned last week from five days in Puerto Rico, at the Bishops Academy of the ELCA and the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada). Held every two years in various locations, the Academy is a space for continuing education and fellowship for those serving as bishops across these two Lutheran churches (the 65 synods of the ELCA and the 5 synods of the ELCIC).

Bishop Jen at the camp where the Caribbean Synod’s office is located

Bishop Vivian Dávila and the Caribbean Synod of the ELCA hosted the Academy this year. This synod includes the ELCA congregations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with a synod office at a Lutheran camp in a community near San Juan, Puerto Rico. The camp was a perfect spot for many of our learning sessions and it has a great story. In 1951, the women of the Caribbean Synod yearned for a gathering space, found 16 acres of land, and amazingly purchased it for $1000.

What a joy to be present with the Lutherans of Puerto Rico for Día de Los Reyes (Three Kings, Epiphany). The story of the magi is core to the people of Puerto Rico. The celebrations were plentiful with good food, playful magi crowns, children preparing small boxes of grass to leave for the magi’s camels in return for gifts, and a slower pace with family gatherings.

Bishop Jen at worship with the people of Iglesia Evangélica Luterana San Esteban Mártir in Bayamon

Sunday worship was a highlight for us. The bishops attended worship at more than a dozen different congregations. My spouse, Jane, and I, along with Bishop Bryan Penman (Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod) and Bishop Patricia Lull (Saint Paul Area Synod) had the pleasure of joining Iglesia Evangélica Luterana San Esteban Mártir in Bayamon. Pastor Ricardo Rivera Morales serves this redevelopment congregation and is the Caribbean Synod’s Director of Evangelical Mission (DEM). This congregation sends its greetings to you all, and I carried your greetings and prayers to them. We are church together!

The Taíno are the native inhabitants of Puerto Rico, but the island was claimed as a Spanish colony in the 15th century. Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898 and the end of the Spanish-American War. The Lutheran story in Puerto Rico traces back to the 16th century, and the Caribbean Synod, then a part of the United Lutheran Church in America, was founded in 1952. The influence of Puerto Rican leaders in the ELCA and predecessor bodies is significant, and you can learn more by reading Caribbean Lutherans by Rev. Dr. José David Rodríguez who joined us for the Academy.

I especially appreciated the sessions led by Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos and Rev. Dr. Evie Landrau on de-colonial theology. Colonialism and imperialism have influenced Christian theology by centering Western, especially European worldviews and cultures, as the default. Instead, both leaders invited us to listen for how God speaks in the vernacular – in the familiar language, the mother tongue, in and through the unique and diverse cultures of our world – a very Lutheran practice. Rev. Dr. Santos lifted up a number of common Puerto Rican expressions, unpacking their theological implications. For example, “Tu no salistes de una mata de plátanos!” (You didn’t come out of a banana tree.) For Rev. Dr. Santos this expression reminds us that we need to know the communities, stories, spirituality, racial identities, and religious meaning of the people we come from. We need to know our roots.

El Yunque tropical rain forest

Rev. Dr. Landrau spoke from her Afro Puerto Rican heritage and said clearly to us, “I am the subject matter expert of my own life and experience,” pushing back on the imposition of the colonial definition of Puerto Rican identity. Becoming aware of and unpacking the ways colonialism has impacted our theology and our worldview opens us up to the incredibly diverse expressions of Christianity across the globe, reminding us that God is already acting powerfully and creatively through our unique communities. At a time when colonial rhetoric is again on the rise, the wisdom and invitation of our Puerto Rican siblings is timely and vitally important.

Music, dance, beautiful worship, a tour of the Old City of San Juan, the ocean, a day trip to El Yunque tropical rain forest, and plenty of good conversations blessed our time. Puerto Rico is a beautiful and complex land, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn more with and alongside our colleagues and our Puerto Rican siblings in Christ. We are Church Together.

Stir Up Our Hearts, O God

December 10th, 2024

By Bishop Jen Nagel

Advent blessings, dear ones. We are smack in the middle of this season of preparation for Christ’s birth. Around our house we’ve gotten as far as putting the lights on the tree, but the bin of ornaments awaits. Calendars, candles, concerts, cookies, cards. The pulls of this season are many. More than a few of you have mentioned feeling stressed and weary. Thank you for all you are carrying. I hear you.

I love Advent. In particular, I love the rhythm and patterns of the ancient Advent prayers used in many congregations within our Lutheran family and across the church. Week after week our prayers begin with “Stir up.” Stir up your power, O Christ, and come. Stir up our hearts to prepare the way. Stir up the wills of your faithful people and open our ears.

We need some stirring up these days. Our divisions are blatant. Our uncertainty is rampant and deep. The temptation to hunker down is strong. And we know only enough to pray, Stir us up, O God, by your Spirit, with your gentle might, rouse us to a new way, awaken us to your birth, turn us back to you, set us on fire with your justice, soften our hearts with your love, instill courage, comfort fears, make us ready to welcome You.

Just in the last few days I’ve savored a string of meetings and events with a thread of preparation and sense of being stirred. Let me share a few:

ELCA Youth Gathering. The next ELCA Youth Gathering will be held here in Minneapolis June 28-July 2, 2027, with 16,000+ youth expected. This past week Gathering staff visited and planning is well underway. More to come!

Candidacy Open House. On Thursday candidates at all stages of preparation for ministry as ELCA pastors and deacons gathered for an open house at the synod office. Candidacy has its own Advent feel. I give thanks for the way the Minneapolis Area Synod Candidacy Committee walks with candidates over the years of preparation.

Minnesota Council of Churches. We are active members of the Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC). At an MCC Board Meeting last week, I was reminded of the rich and varied gifts of the council. In this season, refugee resettlement is particularly crucial with more than 50 staff members dedicated to this important work of hospitality.

The choir from Amazing Grace Ministry sings at the Hmong New Year celebration.

Amazing Grace. On Saturday, I had the joy of experiencing the Hmong New Year Celebration hosted by one of our synod’s new ministries, Amazing Grace. What a wonderful event filled with music, dance, good food, and bright and beautiful traditional clothing. This marks the 50th year since the Hmong community first came to Minnesota. My thanks to Pastor Nhiabee Vang and the hospitality of Amazing Grace.

Synod Staffing. We are in a season of interviews for an Assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Vitality and a Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM). The response has been strong with more than two dozen applicants for the positions. Please pray for the Spirit’s stirring and discerning power for the interview teams and for the candidates.

For these things and all the others that need it, Stir up our hearts, O God, to prepare the way for your coming. Amen!

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