Beloved in Christ, Since the time of the apostles, the Holy Eucharist has been the principal act of Christian worship, a fact that our tradition recovered in and through the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. It has become deeply ingrained in our spiritual lives and imagination as Episcopalians. I have heard from so many of … More A Theological Reflection on the Eucharist
Dear ones, On this day, when we are surrounded by uncertainty and anxiety, I invite you to remember that no matter what happens today and in the days to follow, three things simply cannot change: Jesus is LordLove winsDeath has died. No candidate who is elected to any office can save us, and, no matter … More Election Day Reflection
At Convention, Bishop Loya shared four priorities for ECMN’s life together in this moment. You can see the vision laid out here – he has invited our people and faith communities to attend to faithful innovation, justice, and vitality by leaning into discipleship. Discipleship, as in daily practices that help us follow Jesus as a whole way of life, as the … More Why Discipleship?
Beloved in Christ, Today is the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. Most of us, I suspect, don’t quite know what to make of angels. In scripture, they are present in many of the most important moments. They are usually terrifying, but they also represent the way human beings can be swept up into … More Swept Up
Bishop Craig Loya addressed ECMN on Saturday, September 26th as part of ECMN’s Online Convention. Bishop Loya is framing 4 priorities that will frame our collective work in the years to come: Discipleship, Innovation, Justice and Vitality. Watch the video below. You can find more information about these priorities, plus the video of this message … More Bishop’s Address
Check out Bishop Loya’s sermon, delivered online to the good people of Sts. Luke and James Episcopal Church in Minneapolis on September 20th, 2020.
The via media, the middle way, is not a political safety valve from the Way of Jesus. It’s a call to ongoing relationship at Jesus’ table with those who disagree while we live the Gospel, even and especially at the voting booth. … More The Politics of Jesus
The landscape we have been traveling through together these past many months is exceedingly complex. The constant disruption and shifting ground easily wears on us, and most of us are tired. In the midst of this complexity, I have found it helpful to remember that the Christian life is actually remarkably simple. We are called … More Rooted in Jesus
It is now impossible to miss the fact that another major election season has come fully into focus. (And, if you’ve been avoiding it, now is the time to make a voting plan! See below for resources to help you with that.) Like you, I am acutely aware of the fractious nature of this time … More Remember, Proclaim, Pray.
If worship by Zoom isn’t seeming to connect in your faith community or for your family, you have the opportunity to shift your practice of common prayer. Worship is discipleship—and, it might be a good time to let discipleship lead. Discipleship—daily practices that form us as followers of Jesus – is the primary work of the local church. You have permission to shift your practice and try a new experiment now. … More What are we learning from six months of online worship?
Beloved In Christ, As many of you know, this month I have begun making official visitations to faith communities. I began with those places that have gone the longest since their last Bishop’s visit. During this season, I’m joining congregations for whatever kind of worship they are offering. In a few places, we’ve gathered outdoors for … More On the Road Across ECMN
Christian tradition holds that the story we tell about his life, death, and resurrection is a promise for all of us — not just for life after death, but for life in the midst of change, loss, and grief. … More Registration open for fall courses
As I think about walking through Holy Week at home this year, I find a desire to do more than go through the outward rituals. I want to create space to be present with my kids the way Jesus was present with people. I want to invite them into the Love that came to us, delighted in us, ate dinner with us, went fishing with us, and in all ways invited us to see and cease our anxious frenzy, and instead notice the Kingdom, God’s love, already in our midst. As simply as I can, I want to find a way to attend with them to their emotions and notice the profound love and beauty in their lives. … More Finding God Together
Those of us trained as faith leaders are facing a particular kind of new stress. We’re facing all the same challenges and fears that all our parishioners are carrying. But the very things we have been trained to do in crises are now off-limits. … More Anything that is not about care can wait
As faith communities change how they operate to respond to calls for social distancing, faith formation does not need to stop. Here are some tools you can access right now to keep people connected to God and each other, from home. … More Staying connected with God and each other, from home
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is a potential crisis in Minnesota, and we’re wise to prepare as such.
But it’s also an opportunity to revisit, again, what giftedness and creativity our faith communities can offer back to the world. … More 10 ways to respond creatively to anxiety about COVID-19
All of it is discipleship, all of it is formation, all of it is apprenticing people into something. There is a message in your method, whether you intend it or not. … More The message in the method
Rather than letting fear drive our ways of gathering, we can choose to bring our faith, our critical thinking and our values of hospitality to our life together, with best practices and tools that can shape our shared life in the way of Jesus. … More Safety, fear, and love
These courses start as soon as February 3, 2020, so don’t delay! … More We’ve got a gift for you.
When our primary orientation toward power is that it’s not ours to wield, we abdicate our own responsibility for the culture and content around us. And today, All Saints Day, is a good time to remember the power each one of us carries – whether positional power is involved or not. … More All Saints: Let’s talk about power
