Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
What a thing is
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Theologian Douglas John Hall writes, “I wouldn’t have become a theologian (perhaps I wouldn’t have remained a Christian) had I not been introduced to Martin Luther.” I might say I wouldn’t [...]
‘Pity the fool’
By Pastor Craig Pederson One of my best friends was born on April 1. We were classmates for our entire K – 12th grade experience and I went to all of his birthday parties. We [...]
New things
By Pastor Norma Malfatti Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18-19a NRSV [...]
‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’
By Jack Hurbanis Even having grown up at St. John’s Lutheran in south Minneapolis, if you would have asked me how many churches were in the Minneapolis Area Synod or who the bishop was, my [...]
Can circles once again not be square?
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen When my mother died in 2012, we received several sympathy cards from women we didn’t know. They were all members with mom in Bible Study “circles.” Mom rarely missed her ALC/ELCA [...]
Icons: Reflect, respond, and rest
By Pastor Norma Malfatti Pastor Norma painting an icon Each Lent I spend time with a new icon. Growing up, icons weren't things we talked about in my church. They were images that my Roman [...]
The dusty and dry places
By Pastor Craig Pederson One of the gifts of Christian liturgies is that they incorporate words and phrases we are not likely to hear in everyday conversation. This week in the liturgical year, Ash Wednesday [...]
Grammys? Super Bowl? Whatever.
By Pastor John Hulden Council members from Bread of Life Deaf Lutheran Church (BOLD) and Woodlake Lutheran Church discuss what good meetings look like during the synod's Tool Kit event. I was in [...]
Free and unconditional
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Grace and Vocation. Two words. And, yet, if you know them well, you’re probably a Lutheran. Much of Lutheran theology can be captured in these two words. (Though, if you were [...]
Look what I can do!
By Nicholas Tangen Two Sundays ago, I preached at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in East Bethel, one of the congregations participating in the Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices learning community. I’ve really enjoyed visiting the [...]