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It is has been one year since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began. The violence increases still. This anniversary reminds us of violence and heartbreak across the globe: the ongoing war in Ukraine, the violence in Myanmar, countless military conflicts in various countries, shootings in U.S. streets and homes, the super-charged U.S. election that looms on the horizon, the loss of life and property in the wake of Hurricane Helene…the list goes on. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming and we can feel helpless. One thing that we can do in times like these is to come together in community and lament. Bring your grief, your pain, your confusion, and your heart to chapel this Wednesday as we simply cry out to God in lament, look to God for comfort, and find comfort in our shared lives.
Bless you, Luther Community.
—Steve Thomason, Dean of the Chapel

In this devotion, Paul Kopka ’86 M.Div., offers thanks to God for giving us worth and loving us as we are. Read today’s God Pause.

The Interfaith Coalition on Immigration is a local group that engages in courageous spiritual, multicultural action in solidarity with immigrants and refugees to achieve justice and stand up to systems of oppression. We hold a brief morning prayer vigil every second Tuesday of the month in front of the Whipple Federal Building (Bishop Henry Whipple Building, Federal Dr, Minneapolis), located near to the Mpls/StPaul airport. The next vigil will be October 8, starting at 7:30 a.m. I invite any and all of you to join in this vigil. I think it’s more powerful in person—and I’ll be there—but you can also attend via Zoom (a link is posted the night before). Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions!
—Mary Hess, mhess@luthersem.edu

In this devotion, Paul Kopka ’86 M.Div., asks what Jesus’ invitation to welcome and receive the little ones could mean in our communities. Read today’s God Pause.

Join us today—Thursday, October 3—at 6:15 p.m. in OCC 10 and on Zoom (link in email) for a virtual visit with Mónica Guzmán, renowned journalist and author of “I Never Thought of It That Way.” Over the summer, many of us have been reading, discussing, and learning from this book, which was the title chosen for our ABIDE all-community book club. After Ms. Guzman’s twenty-minute address, Cody Sanders will lead us in a thirty-minute discussion so that we can all reflect and digest what we have learned.

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from mid September through mid October. Here’s a brief, updated bibliography of Hispanic Ministry and Latinx Theology.