 Of the 78 million Lutherans around the world, 31 million are in Africa. 8.6 million of the Lutherans in Africa are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), which is the second largest Lutheran Church on the planet (The largest is the Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus in Ethiopia). By contrast, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (of which we are a congregation) has about 2.8 million members. While congregations shrink and denominations struggle here, the African church is growing and becoming more vital.
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 A few weeks ago, I was invited to answer some questions from our middle school students. One of the very first was: “Where are dinosaurs in the creation story?” I paused—not because I was caught off guard, but because I wanted to take the question seriously. I looked at the earnest faces around the room, each one waiting for an answer that could connect prehistoric creatures with the story in Genesis.
 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." — Galatians 2:19b-20
In a world that often feels fractured—where relationships strain, communities divide, and hearts ache—we long for healing. Healing in our relationships. Healing in our inner lives. Healing in our neighborhoods and beyond. But where does that healing begin?  Our theme for the season of Easter this year is, Christ is Alive. This does not simply point to a distant historical event. Nor does it refer to an ethereal presence of Jesus akin to a pleasant aroma or foul smell. It is easy to store Jesus safely in the future, anticipating his return, (but not too quickly, or he’ll spoil the fun). No, Christ is Alive means what it says. The bodily Christ is here, now, standing and serving and loving right in front of us.
 It may seem odd for a Lutheran Pastor to say much about the death of a pope. Luther himself had little good to say about popes. Popes had little good to say about Luther. Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther in 1521. That was, however, a very long time ago. Lutherans have changed and so have popes.
 Easter Sunday stands before us this weekend, and with it comes a decision: Will we be drawn into the moral vortex of vindication and punishment? Or will we rise to the resurrection vision of Jesus?
 With the NCAA basketball tournaments in full swing, I have found myself reflecting on the invaluable contributions of those who may not stand in the spotlight of greatness but hold the fabric of our communities together—the "sixth player" individuals, if you will.
 First Published November 2019.
Once in a great while I write something that has “legs” (at least I think so). I offer again a reflection on fear in an age of fear. C.S. Lewis, in his book “Screwtape Letters,” took on the voice of a demon trying to spread evil in the world. The book is a series of letters instructing how best to advance the cause of Hell in the face of the Kingdom of Heaven.  We don’t like to admit it, but so much of our self-worth gets wrapped up in external things—the opinions of others, our performance, our success, even our failures. We search for validation, hoping that if we achieve enough or do enough, we’ll finally be seen, finally be enough.
 Over the last month we’ve received a steady stream of prayer requests related to the changes wrought by the new administration in Washington. Uncertainty, fear, and a sense of chaos seem pervasive for a lot of people. The prayer requests call for reason, reconciliation, and some way to find hope when the future seems so bleak.
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