In response to the shutdown’s effects on families, the team at ELCA World Hunger is seeking to triple the number of Daily Bread grants to quickly fund hunger ministries. Apply here: https://forms.office.com/r/bgiTNHk2p9

Reprinted from Living Lutheran article posted October 31, 2025.

Sunday after Sunday, we play musical chairs in the pews, recite familiar hymns and watch the colors of the paraments change, fading into the background like the holidays they represent. We move to the steady rhythm of the church calendar, which marks the seasons, honors the saints and pauses for holy times.

On Reformation Sunday, we don our red garments and stand firm in our Lutheran heritage, joining the hymnist in singing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” But once the service ends and we step outside the church, we tend to forget until the following year. The vibrant red fades, the resounding song lowers in volume and the symphony of daily life begins to blare. We forget to be the church.

We prioritize our to-do lists, routines and other people over God. Those once-holy rhythms slip by unnoticed, crowded out by growing calendars, commitments and a cacophony of concerns. More than 500 years later, the vitality of the Reformation often feels dulled, not because the Spirit has faded but because we’ve grown numb to the call.

This raises an important question: Is the Reformation still relevant more than 500 years later? How does the Reformation continue to impact the lives of people in our church today? How do we view the Reformation not as a holiday that fades into the background but rather as the promise of salvation for all?

Reformation Sunday isn’t just a special day—it should be marked as a holiday. We are called to embody the fire of the Reformation promise, which tells us that God’s radical grace is still accessible. Reformation Sunday is more than a familiar tune—it’s a profound act of religious freedom that allows us all to be in one accord and know that we are loved, not because of our actions but because of who we are.

The Reformation reminds us that we are perfectly imperfect and encompassed by this radical grace that gives us chance after chance, forgiveness after forgiveness, and meets us with love when we feel we aren’t deserving.

More than a day

But the Reformation isn’t confined to a single day in October—it is lived out whenever we proclaim faith alone, Scripture alone and grace alone. It is lived out as we grapple, welcome and question reform within our policies and bylaws to reflect Jesus’ teachings.

When we, as a community, stand up and speak boldly to advocate for change, we become the voice for those silenced by systems. This is the Reformation in everyday life, the reform church that accepts everyone and allows all of us to have accessible faith. It’s in the way we treat our neighbors, advocate for justice and show compassion to those in need.

The Reformation happens in everyday discipleship as we reexamine how Scripture shapes our lives and how we live it out. It occurs in the conversations we have with one another when we care for them, when we choose love over fear, courage over complacency, truth over deception and grace over judgment. It’s found in the small but mighty faithful choices we make to serve, to forgive, to grow and to lead. That is where the Spirit reforms the church.

All of us, as a community, are responsible for living out these doctrines and our faith so that is the first thing people encounter when they meet us.

The heart of the Reformation isn’t history, to be stowed away as a relic, but should reflect our footsteps as we follow Christ. It can be found in the pattern of our liturgy and the hum of our hymns. It’s woven throughout the folds of our churches.

“The Reformation isn’t confined to a single day in October—it is lived out whenever we proclaim faith alone, Scripture alone and grace alone.”

— The Rev. Ralen Robinson

I implore you not to let the red fade and the Reformation flame flicker and be extinguished. Let us see the reform of today and know that love extends through our past, present and future. We must embody the same courage as did theologian and forefather Martin Luther, challenging the systems that fail to reflect the church and God’s mercy.

May we see that the reform is in equality, kindness and, most important, care for our neighbor and the way we speak, not one day out of the year but every day. The church is called to be reformed.

The Reformation is not just a passing event. It’s more than a pile of discarded red clothing items lost in the hamper Sunday night or the faint memory of the story of a courageous German theologian guided by God. It was meant to be not just commemorated but continued. It is a living tradition that challenges us to ask what needs reforming today.

Where is the Spirit stirring around you? How do we proclaim the gospel in a way that embodies a liberating and healing now? The Reformation is not a historical event but a living tradition that continues to shape our faith and lives today.

So let us nail truth to every door, knock without fear and be the church, courageous, reforming and alive today.

Read the article in Living Lutheran.

Recent cuts to SNAP are going to affect over 500,000 Nevadans. If you need help finding food assistance near you, use https://www.nevada211.org/food-services/food-lines-pantries

From Global Refuge:  The Trump administration is formally announcing a refugee admissions ceiling of just 7,500 people for Fiscal Year 2026 — the lowest in U.S. history — while primarily using those limited slots for Afrikaners from South Africa.

The Presidential Determination, to be published Oct. 31 in the Federal Register, cites Executive Order 14204, which explicitly prioritizes Afrikaners for resettlement, and references other executive orders that restrict refugee entry and narrow eligibility. Global Refuge, one of the nation’s largest refugee resettlement organizations, continued to express grave concern that the new framework represents a profound break from decades of bipartisan policy guided by humanitarian need, not ideology or identity.

“This decision doesn’t just lower the refugee admissions ceiling. It lowers our moral standing,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President & CEO of Global Refuge. “For more than four decades, the U.S. refugee program has been a lifeline for families fleeing war, persecution, and repression. At a time of crisis in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Venezuela to Sudan and beyond, concentrating the vast majority of admissions on one group undermines the program’s purpose as well as its credibility.”

The Presidential Determination marks a continuation of policies that have sharply curtailed refugee resettlement since January, when the administration first suspended admissions under Executive Order 14163. Despite ongoing litigation, tens of thousands of refugees who had already undergone exhaustive vetting by the U.S. government remain stranded abroad. Many had sold their belongings, vacated housing, and quit jobs in anticipation of travel that was abruptly halted.

Even for those able to arrive, federal support has been significantly weakened. In recent months, the administration shortened the duration of cash and medical assistance for newly arrived refugees and, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), eliminated access to key federal programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — ending decades of guaranteed access to food and health coverage for lawfully-admitted refugees.

“Refugee families are ready to rebuild their lives and give back to the communities that welcome them,” Vignarajah said. “But without a fair chance at protection and a consistent baseline of initial assistance, we risk creating a system that fails both those seeking refuge and the nation that promised it.”

Global Refuge emphasized that the FY26 ceiling diverges from the United States’ longstanding role as a global humanitarian leader and violates both the spirit of the Refugee Act of 1980 and the ancient moral calling shared across religious traditions to welcome the stranger and protect those fleeing persecution.

“Offering refuge is an act of faith — faith in people, in second chances, and in our shared humanity,” continued Vignarajah. “That faith has shaped America’s story for generations, and turning away from it now would be a betrayal of both our history and our hope.”

With the federal government shut down, and no re-opening date in sight, states are not receiving the federal funding they need to help low-income families afford their utility bills. At a time when bills are skyrocketing and budgets are extra strained, this lack of assistance could lead to missed payments and utility shut-offs. A lack of electricity for light, heating, or cooling is dangerous and can even be deadly during extreme weather events. LEAN is urging utilities not to shut off power during the shutdown.

Swipe to learn more about the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, and how the lack of federal resources during the shutdown is having real-world impacts.