"In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to your life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these." Matthew 6:26-29

"We see the despoiling of the environment as nothing less than the degradation of God's gracious gift of creation."

ELCA Statement “Caring for Creation”
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Archive of Care for Creation Sermon Reflections on the Lectionary Lessons

Archive of Care for Creation Commentary on the Lectionary Lessons (see below)

Lutherans Restoring Creation (www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org) is pleased to offer substantive care-for-creation reflections by on the lessons for each Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary. These commentaries are exegetically-based, theologically sound, creative in their ecological exploration of the text’s potential, and effective in articulation. The care for creation commentary is not an add-on, but an integral part of the exposition of the text itself. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a foundational resource for preachers and congregations seeking to incorporate care for creation into their worship and congregational life.

Our Commentators

Dennis Ormseth served from 1991 to 2005 as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in St. Louis Park, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that emphasizes care of the earth as part of its mission. In retirement, he has served on the executive committee of Congregations Caring for Creation, an interfaith network promoting care of the earth as integral to spirituality and social justice in Minnesota congregations of faith. Holding a Ph. D. from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, Dr. Ormseth is also a graduate of St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary in St. Paul. He taught religious history and the history of Christian thought at Luther Seminary and Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was campus pastor for Lutheran students at Purdue University in Indiana. dennisormseth@gmail.com

 

Tom Mundahl has served as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation, St. Louis Park, MN since 2007 (the home of Sen. Al Franken and the Coen brothers). During more than a decade in Dubuque, IA, he helped to develop statewide, ecumenical 'care of the earth' seminars, chaired the NE Iowa Synod Care of Creation Work Group, and sat on the Iowa Environmental Council. A graduate of St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary, he holds graduate degrees from the Universities of Iowa and Michigan, and has taught political theory at the University of Iowa and Luther College. He also has served as Director of the Christus Community, Lutheran Campus Ministry, at the University of Iowa. tmundahl@gmail.com.

 

Robert Saler is Research Fellow, Christian Theological Seminary at Indianapolis and Director of the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs. He has served as pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Gary, IN and visiting lecturer in theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He received his BA from Valparaiso University, his MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and his M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He is the author of numerous articles in the areas of biblical hermeneutics, ecological theology, patristic thought, and contemporary ecclesiology. He is currently writing an intellectual biography of the 20th-century theologian Joseph Sittler. rsaler@hotmail.com.

 

Leah D. Schade is a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) with an MDiv from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 2000 (LTSP). She has served congregations in suburban, urban and rural settings and is currently the pastor of United in Christ Lutheran Church in West Milton, PA. Rev. Schade is completing her dissertation on homiletics and ecological theology at LTSP. She is a trained workshop leader for Lutherans Restoring Creation, and a member of her synod’s Creation Care team. She also serves on the synodical task force for addressing justice issues surrounding fracking in Pennsylvania. Re. Schade is founder of the Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition of the Susquehanna Valley (ISEC) committed to addressing threats to water, land, air, eco-systems, and public health. Her blog, http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/, features sermons, essays, creative writing, and movie and book reviews on ecological and social justice issues. jimleah@aol.com

Schedule for Comments on the lessons for Pentecost and the Season of Creation in Year C

·         Dennis Ormseth: From the Day of Pentecost through the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.

·         Robert Saler: From the 9th Sunday after Pentecost through the 16th Sunday after Pentecost.

·         Tom Mundahl: From the 17th Sunday after Pentecost through the 24nd Sunday after Pentecost.

·         Leah Schade: The four weeks of the Season of Creation (for September) plus the last two weeks of the Season of Pentecost: The 26th Sunday after Pentecost and Christ the King.

 

YEAR C

 

 

 

WEEKLY REFLECTIONS ON THE LESSON FOR YEAR

 

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Third Sunday after Pentecost in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Second Sunday after Pentecost in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Holy Trinity Sunday and the Second Sunday in Pentecost in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Day of Pentecost in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Seventh Sunday of Easter in Year C (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Sixth Sunday of Easter in Year C (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Fifth Sunday of Easter in Year C (by Tom Mundahl) 

 

The Fourth Sunday in Easter in Year C (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Third Sunday of Easter in Year C (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Second Sunday of Easter in Year C (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Resurrection of Our Lord/ Easter Sunday (by Tom Mundahl)

 

Palm/ Passion Sunday in Year C (by Rob Saler)

 

The Fifth Sunday in Lent in Year C (by Rob Saler)

 

The Fourth Sunday in Lent in Year C (by Rob Saler)

 

The Third Sunday in Lent in Year C (by Rob Saler)

 

The Second Sunday in Lent in Year C (by Robert Saler)

 

The First Sunday in Lent in Year C (br Robert Saler)

 

The Transfiguration of Our Lord in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Third Sunday after Epiphany in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Second Sunday after Epiphany in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Baptism of Our Lord in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Epiphany of Our Lord in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The First Sunday of Christmas in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Nativity of Our Lord in Year C: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fourth Sunday in Advent in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Third Sunday in Advent in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Second Sunday in Advent in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

First Sunday in Advent in Year C (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

 

 

 

Year B

Christ the King Sunday in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

OR Reformation Sunday in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Tom Mundahl)

 

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Tom Mundahl) 

 

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B. (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (by Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Third Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Second Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (Dennis Ormseth) 

 

Trinity Sunday/ The First Sunday after Pentecost in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Day of Pentecost in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Seventh Sunday of Easter in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Sixth Sunday of Easter in Year B (Dennis Ormseth) 

 

The Fifth Sunday of Easter in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fourth Sunday of Easter in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Third Sunday of Easter in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Second Sunday of Easter in Year B (Dennis Ormseth) 

 

Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

Passion Sunday and Holy Week in Year B (Dennis Ormseth)

 

The Fifth Sunday in Lent in Year B (Tom Mundahl)

 

The Fourth Sunday in Lent in Year B (Tom Mundahl)

 

The Third Sunday after Lent in Year B (Tom Mundahl)

 

The Second Sunday in Lent in Year B (Tom Mundahl)

 

The First Sunday in Lent in Year B. (Tom Mundahl)

 

Transfiguration Sunday in Year B (Robert Saler)

 
 
 
 
All commentaries below this point were written by Dennis Ormseth.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Holy Trinity Sunday in Year A

Pentecost in Year A

Seventh Sunday of Easter in Year A

 
 
 
Background on Dr. Ormseth
 
Dennis Ormseth served from 1991 to 2005 as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in St. Louis Park, MN, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that emphasizes care of the earth as part of its mission. In retirement, he has served on the executive committee of Congregations Caring for Creation, an interfaith network promoting care of the earth as integral to spirituality and social justice in Minnesota congregations of faith. Holding a Ph. D. from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, Dr. Ormseth is also a graduate of St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary in St. Paul. He taught religious history and the history of Christian thought at Luther Seminary and Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was campus pastor for Lutheran students at Purdue University in Indiana.
 
 
Praise for Dr. Ormseth's Commentaries
 
"The good thing about what Dennis is doing is that there might be some people who would want to do kind of a green overlay on the texts, but Dennis is doing this from the assumption that care of God’s creation is one of the very bases of Trinitarian faith. This is not an extra little tidbit we could add, but this is in fact something that we have missed in our looking at the texts from the beginning. I use [the commentaries] as part of my sermon preparation along with other commentaries and reading the texts and doing the language study myself. So it’s just one more thing I look at."
 
-The Rev. Tom Mundahl, Lutheran Church of the Reformation in St. Louis Park, MN
 

*                *                *

 

"I respect Dennis and a lot of his insights, so I want to pay attention to what he’s paying attention to. [The commentaries] stimulate my thinking and also my sermon preparation. I look at them most of the times that I’m preaching. I preach about the environment on occasion, and I try to weave this into both sermons and prayers. Dennis comes at the texts from an interesting angle or a different angle than a lot of other places, other resources do. And so it’s a good way to see both the richness of texts as well as to think through the wholeness of creation."

 

-The Rev. Erik Strand, Edina Community Lutheran Church in Edina, MN

 
 
Publicity
 
Article in the June issue of The Lutheran magazine about Lutherans Restoring Creation, featuring Dr. Ormseth