Fill… Spill… Thrill…

Bishop David deFreese
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

“Jesus said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Last week, the President said something at the memorial service for the victims of the Tucson, Arizona shooting that resonated deeply in my soul. He simply stated: “We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know how we treat one another is entirely up to us.”

How we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe this is what Jesus was saying when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself”… “love your enemies”… “a new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you.” St. Paul understood and called for the same response: “Love one another with mutual admiration; outdo one another in showing honor” … and “for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.” St. John expressed the importance of how we treat each other: “Let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God”… and “let us not love in word or speech, but in truth and action.” Followers of Jesus live love.

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Rev. Martin Russell
Assistant to the Bishop
Nebraska Synod, ELCA

Together, we live love… building homes.

From its earliest days, the Christian church has moved outward. Disciples and apostles moved away from their home cultures, sharing their faith over unfamiliar meals with strangers whose ways were new to them. As Christ was made known in these relationships, the act of sharing changed guest and host. Teacher became learner, learner became teacher. Within the Nebraska Synod, our global mission efforts have found a wonderful expression in our two companion synod relationships: the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina and the Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania

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Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Psalm 46:1-3)

One year ago, a catastrophic earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, killing nearly 250,000 people and leaving more than one million homeless.

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