{"id":218,"date":"2025-05-05T12:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/deanofthechapel\/?p=218"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:48:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T12:48:35","slug":"prayers-for-our-body-and-our-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/deanofthechapel\/2025\/05\/05\/prayers-for-our-body-and-our-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayers for our Body and our Board"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have two invitations for you this week:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invitation to Pray<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Please pray for Luther Seminary because two big things are happening on our campus this week. The first is that our second on-campus accreditation visit is happening on Monday and Tuesday. Last month we went through the ATS (Association of Theological Schools) 10-year review campus visit. This week we will have the HLC (Higher Learning Commission) campus visit. These are important, but stressful, moments for a school to experience. The second is that our Board of Directors will be on campus for their regular May meeting on Thursday-Saturday. Please pray for wisdom, courage, and peace during all these meetings this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invitation to Reflect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Happy Easter! Happy Spring! Happy Mothers’ Day!<\/strong> As I dwell in the texts from the Revised Common Lectionary this week, I see a theme of new life that comes from pain and death, and how Jesus is the Shepherd who leads us there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may not feel like celebrating this season. You may feel caught in darkness. That’s OK. AND, I encourage you to remember that the original hearers of these texts were people who were suffering greatly. The disciples of Jesus were Jewish people who were suffering under the tyrannical oppression of the Roman Empire. They were people experiencing deep division and hatred between ethnic groups. They were people who were faced with death if they proclaimed their devotion to Jesus rather than the Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our hope is found in the resurrection life of the Good News of the kin-dom of God that Jesus proclaimed and embodied. The murderer Saul became a grace-filled giver of new life. Sister Tabitha was raised from the dead. Those who were slaughtered for their faith gather around the lamb who was slain and proclaim, “Salvation belongs to the LORD!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mothers who have passed through the pain of giving birth know the joy that comes on the other side. God, the universe, our generation is in the pains of childbirth, awaiting the already-but-not-yet life that our Shepherd Jesus leads us to each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blessings on this week as we pray for our body and trust in our Good Shepherd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"pain<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This image comes from my 300 daily devo doodle collection<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Week in chapel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All chapel events are at 11:00am<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n