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In this devotion, Cody Sanders, associate professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership, prays that we might rejoice in the signs of God’s loving presence. Read today’s God Pause.

Residential and commuter students, you are warmly invited to join us for a Men’s Cookout in the Bockman Hall basement kitchen as we prepare a special dinner-style meal for our Residential Life Holiday Feast on December 15. Cooking begins at 1:00 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m. This gathering is not only a time of cooking and community but also a moment of cultural learning for some and a significant shift in experience for many. We invite you to come with openness as we share traditions, learn from one another, and build deeper connections. Come and be in community together as we prepare good food from the oven, pray, share testimonies, and celebrate this season. You are welcome to bring a gift for someone of your choosing as we spread joy and fellowship. We are also delighted to share that Shamani Shikwambi, our Interim Dean of Students, will be joining us partly during the cooking and all through the dinner time. All residential and commuter students who are able are encouraged to attend.

The Registrar’s Office will be closed from Tuesday, December 23, 2025, through Thursday, January 1, 2026 for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday break. During this time, we will be focused on our family and holiday times. We will not be processing any registrations for winter or spring, transcript requests, loan deferments, transfer work, petition forms, or cross registration for other institutions. To ensure your items are processed before the closure, please note the following deadlines:
• All registration, transcript and petition requests must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by 4 p.m. CT on Thursday, December 18.
• Any requests submitted after this deadline will not be processed until the week of January 5, 2026.
• Online registration will remain open on MyLutherNet for students to adjust their registration as needed. Students needing assistance will need to wait until Monday, January 5 for a response.
We encourage everyone to plan ahead and submit materials early. Thank you for your cooperation as we work to ensure a smooth transition before and after the break.

The Minneapolis Area Synod (MAS) and the Leipzig District of the Lutheran Church in Saxony, Germany, are hosting a joint young adult pilgrimage to Germany and the Taizé community in August 2026. Ten young adults (age 18-26) from MAS and ten from the Leipzig District will be selected to attend. At a critical time for U.S. Churches to cultivate global relationships, the pilgrimage will focus on relationship building across ecumenical and national boundaries through shared learning, experience, and worship. With Leipzig, home of the Peaceful Revolution, as a home base, the first week of the pilgrimage will focus on German political and church history as a mirror for contemporary currents in Europe and the U.S. (nationalism, authoritarianism, and so on). The second will be a week in the Taizé community in France, an ecumenical monastic community founded in the wake of WWII. Departure flights to Germany are on August 9, 2026, and return flights to the U.S. are on August 25. The cost for the pilgrimage is $2,000—this includes flights, ground transportation, housing, admission fees, and most meals. (Additional scholarships may be available on an as-needed basis.) Applications will be accepted through December 31, 2025. First-round invitations will be sent during the week of January 11, 2026. Invitees will have until January 23 to confirm their participation and submit a deposit. If any first-round invitees decline, additional applicants may be offered a spot. Final registration will be completed by January 31, 2026. Questions may be directed to Adam White at awhite003@luthersem.edu.

Mark your calendars for an annual tradition at Luther Seminary . . .
Wednesday, December 17 at 11 a.m. in the Chapel lobby and dining areas (OCC)
Everyone is invited—students, staff, and faculty—as we gather for cocoa, cider, coffee, and treats and enjoy this year’s Do-It-Yourself Nativity and a community lunch from Andiamo Italian. Join us for fellowship and snacks, some light-hearted fun participating in or watching colleagues as we recreate a completely unique nativity, share a community meal, sing carols, and celebrate coworkers who have reached various milestones. Let us know if you plan to attend and how you’d like to engage using this online Advent Open House + Holiday Extravaganza form. Check all columns that apply.
Friendly reminder: Don’t forget your cookies (if you signed up to bring some)!
– Treats. Bring a dozen of your favorite Christmas cookies, bars, or other treats to share.
– DIY Nativity. Join the frivolity
– Lunch. Join us for a delicious community meal
– Milestones. Sharing annual employee recognition toward the end of lunch

Portico is transitioning from Further to Health Equity for management of tax-advantaged accounts. There will be a blackout period beginning December 23 for members with HSA accounts, in order to get accounts moved over. Members will also see this messaging when they sign on to their Further account. Here are some high-level details about the transition:

• Health Equity debit cards will be received in the mail early to mid-December. Some of us received ours in the mail last Saturday.
• HSA account blackout period begins 12/23/2025, and the last day to use the Further debit card to access HSA dollars is 12/22/2025. Any claims incurred from 12/23/2025 – 12/31/2025 can be submitted to Health Equity, and reimbursement will be initiated once the account is fully transitioned on January 1, 2026. The Health Equity debit card will need to be used effectively on January 1, 2026, to access HSA dollars.
• There is no blackout period for FSA accounts, and the last day to use the Further debit card to access FSA dollars is 12/31/2025. The Health Equity debit card will need to be used effectively on January 1, 2026, to access FSA dollars in 2026. NOTE: For members with FSA accounts, all claims and/or expenses incurred in 2025 must be submitted for reimbursement to Further. If you choose to use your debit card to pay for claims and/or expenses from your FSA account, all claims and/or expenses incurred in 2025 must be paid with the Further debit card. Members with FSA accounts will not submit reimbursement requests to Health Equity or use their Health Equity debit cards until they are requesting reimbursement or submitting payment for expenses incurred in 2026.
• Direct deposit will need to be re-established. For security purposes, we can not transition bank account information from Further to Health Equity. Health Equity uses Plaid as the security authentication method when adding a bank account to the Health Equity portal. (This is a nice heads-up for some folks, so they don’t think they are getting scammed.)
• The other thing we can’t stress enough and strongly suggest to members: open and read all communications from Health Equity received in the mail. You don’t want to accidentally throw away your new debit card or miss out on some tips and tricks for navigating the transition.