Go & Tell the Story

By Rev. Megan Morrow, Assistant to the Bishop Seeds. Lots of people planted and nurtured the seeds of faith in my life – men, women, family, Sunday School teachers, youth ministry, campus ministry, pastors, friends, music teachers, and worship musicians. “I’ll pray a line and then you pray it. Our Father, who art in heaven…” – my grandmother, Lillian, before I was 5. “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.” – a favorite hymn growing up. “So, what has God gifted you for? To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:7, 27 – An ah-ha moment during middle school confirmation. “So, have you ever thought about becoming a pastor? I watch how you pay attention to people, others overlook, and you watch for God’s presence and point it out.” – one of my pastors during high school in the late 70s, not long after the decision to ordain women. “God, ...

By Rev. Megan Morrow, Assistant to the Bishop What’s a church? Seems like a simple question, right? But, think of all the possible answers to it…              - A building, a congregation in one place, a congregation with multiple campuses, an online or electronic media ministry, a denomination here in the U.S. or one in another country, or one that stretches around the world, all Christians everywhere, etc. We’ve explored that question a lot over the last three years in the Nebraska Synod with our yearly themes on Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s emphases: We are Church, We are Lutheran, We are Church Together. Though we might have differing opinions on many things, these are things that are at the core of our identity in the ELCA and the Nebraska Synod: 1) We are the Body of Christ, Christ’s Body ( Church ), 2) We are called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the Spirit around Word ...

By Rev. Megan Morrow, Assistant to the Bishop  It’s amazing what one can learn from Google tools. I recently discovered, for example, that though the word “together” was used with consistent frequency throughout the 19 th  century, it experienced a steady drop in usage during the 20 th  century, until about 1983, when it began a steady 30 year rise in frequency of use.  What does this mean? Who knows! But, it’s an interesting way to note how much we’ve reflected “together-ness” in our language over time. I’m wondering if it’s a reflection of how there are times when we’ve talked less and focused less on “together-ness” in our English-speaking culture as well? No matter what the surrounding cultures say, though, the Church should be speaking and embodying healthy “together-ness” in the midst of cultures, right? After all, the Church is the Body of Christ in the world. Yes, you would think the Church would be the one speaking and ...