Join ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson, Primate Linda Nicolls of the Anglican Church of Canada, and interfaith activist Dr. Ingrid Mattson for an evening of Christian-Muslim friendship and learning at Huron University in London, Ontario. The night promises to be illuminating with speeches, responses, Scripture recitations and prayers. Light refreshments to follow.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Bishop Susan Johnson and Anglican Church of Canada Archbishop Linda Nicholls share their Christmas message to Lutherans and Anglicans across Canada.

The full text of the letter is below. View a PDF of the letter here.

Dear friends in Christ,

Once again, we stand at the door of the manger in anticipation. Once again, our dreams for the world have not yet been fulfilled.

We hear the cries of the earth groaning and cracking under the effects of climate change. We hear the cries of refugees driven from the countries they love by war or drought or economic collapse only to be refused at border after border. We hear the cries of hatred and polarization pulling us apart nation by nation. We long for the fulfillment of the peaceable kingdom promised in the vision of Isaiah 11 where one will rise from the stump of Jesse who lives by righteousness and is faith filled with the spirit of wisdom, counsel and the fear of the Lord, and all will live in peace.

Once again, we stand at the door of the manger knowing that the child born there is the one in whom all hope can and will be fulfilled. In the face of powers and systems that abuse we need once again to see the face of God in that most vulnerable baby. We need to remember how he lived in this world and calls us to follow the way of forgiveness, grace and love. We will be touched again by the ordinariness of a young woman and her partner willing to be parents of this child as we are called afresh to our vocation of bearing Christ into the world.

Once again, we stand at the door of the manger knowing we will find the hope we need to turn back into the world God loves and give ourselves to proclaiming this Good News.

May our hearts be renewed in this hope as we enter the manger again.

 

The Rev. Susan Johnson – National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls – Primate, Anglican Church of Canada

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The ELCIC Praise Appeal allows the opportunity to highlight different aspects of the ministry of the wider church. Congregations throughout the ELCIC are asked to designate one Sunday this year at a time that works best for them to highlight the ELCIC Praise Appeal.

The theme for the 2019 ELCIC Praise Appeal focuses on the call we hear in Micah 6:8 to do justice, love kindess and walk humbly with our God in a way that is both memorable and compelling.

Resources for holding an ELCIC Praise Appeal can be found here: https://elcic.ca/praiseappeal/2019Resources.cfm

Has your congregation already held a Praise Appeal Sunday this year? Let us know! Email tgallop@elcic.ca

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an annual ecumencial celebration. Christians around the world are invited to pray for the unity of all Christians, to reflect on scripture together, to participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services, and to share fellowship.

In the northern hemisphere, Week of Prayer for Christian unity is traditionally held every year between January 18 (the Feast of the Confesssion of Saint Peter) and January 25 (the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul).

Resources for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity can be found here: https://form.jotform.com/ELCIC/stewardship

This year’s theme calls us to move from shared prayer to shared action. The international resources for the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by colleagues in Malta. The 2020 them, "They showed us unusual kindness" (Acts 28:2), remembers the historic shipwreck of Paul on the island of Malta and calls us to a greater generosity to those in need.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Bishop Susan Johnson, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Mark MacDonald of the Anglican Church of Canada and Anglican Church of Canada Primate Linda Nicholls write to the two churches in advance of the October 21 federal election. In their letter, the leaders invite members of the two churches to consider, "What kind of Canada do you desire? How is that desire rooted in your spiritual convictions as a follower of the way of Jesus Christ?"

The text from the letter follows. Download the full letter here: https://elcic.ca/Documents/documents/Election2019jointletter.pdf

September 26, 2019

Dear Friends,

On October 21, Canadians will vote in a federal election, electing Members of Parliament who will help shape the life of our country for the next four years.

On the one hand, an election provides an opportunity for citizens to reflect deeply on the values we hold dear, on the common good, and on the promises that candidates and parties make as they seek our vote. On the other hand, an election can focus on fear and on appeals to apparent self-interest. Decisions based on fear are often flawed, even dangerous, and what appears to be our self-interest may be so detached from the common good that, in fact, it does everyone harm.

In the midst of the exile, when it would perhaps seem quite normal to be driven by fear and self-interest, Jeremiah utters these words on behalf of the God of Israel: “Pray for the city into which I have sent you in exile, and seek its welfare, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” As Lutheran and Anglican Christians, we receive this as lively counsel from the living God.

What might that look like as we prepare to vote in October? How might we reflect on key elements of our churches’ public witness as Election Day approaches?

Along with a broad base of faith communities, our two churches share a deep sense of call to actively work for the common good. In 2013, our two churches made particular commitments to encourage each other in addressing issues of Reconciliation, Climate Change, Responsible Resource Extraction, Affordable Housing, and “free, prior and informed consent” for Indigenous peoples.

An election campaign is a good time to think about these issues, pray about them, talk about them in our churches, and ask about them in town hall meetings and to campaigners at the door. Both The Canadian Council of Churches (www.councilofchurches.ca/news/2019-federal-election-guide/) and KAIROS (www.kairoscanada.org/resources/federal-election-2019) have prepared ecumenical resources to encourage discussion and reflection on various issues. We commend them to you for your consideration.

What kind of a Canada do you desire? How is that desire rooted in your spiritual convictions as a follower of the way of Jesus Christ? Let’s talk about that in our churches, pray about it in the deep longing of our hearts, bear witness to it in our public discourse, and seal it with a vote that thoughtfully considers what will make our country a good place for all, and therefore a good place for each of us.

Yours in the Spirit of Full Communion,

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Most Rev. Mark MacDonald
National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, Anglican Church of Canada

The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls
Primate, Anglican Church of Canada