This season, many of our congregations celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord, the moment when Jesus steps into the Jordan River, the heavens open, and God declares, “You are my beloved.” In that moment, sacred water is not only cleansing, it becomes a sign of calling, identity, and shared purpose.

Baptism reminds us that water is never ordinary.
It is where God claims us, renews us, and calls us beloved.
It is life, promise, and liberation.

This Gospel imagery is powerful to hold alongside the realities facing our region today. For the first time in nearly twenty-six years, California is drought free—a milestone worth celebrating. Yet the long-term megadrought across the West is far from resolved.

Much of Western Nevada has temporarily emerged from drought, but Southern and Eastern regions still face significant water stress. And Lake Mead continues to hover near historic lows, signaling that the challenges beneath the surface remain urgent.

Our baptismal waters call us to remember that all water is sacred, whether flowing through the Jordan River or the Colorado River basin. Water is not a resource to be hoarded or taken for granted, but a shared gift entrusted to our care.

As Nevada’s leaders consider how water will be managed and equitably distributed in the decades ahead, LEAN stands rooted in faith:

• Water is life.
• Creation is a neighbor.
• Stewardship is a calling, not a political option.

Just as Jesus rose from the water beloved and sent, we too rise from baptism with a purpose—to advocate, protect, and care for God’s world and every neighbor who depends on it.

Livestreamed and in-person, on Jan. 17 of MLK weekend learn about the intersecting legacies and lessons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr., while deepening our understanding of how people of faith can confront and resist forces of authoritarianism and Christian nationalism. Antoine Cummins, ELCA Program Director for Civil Rights Policy, is among panelists. Co-hosted by Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, United Lutheran Seminary and Gettysburg College.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and congregations are invited to join a focused season of prayer, worship, and advocacy to help #EndHumanTrafficking. Women of the ELCA offers daily prayers, trauma-informed worship resources, and a church leader toolkit—available in English and Spanish—to support this work, especially during the four weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.

These resources equip congregations to respond faithfully through education, prayer, and action. Learn more, download materials, and find support resources at womenoftheelca.org, or contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888.

WHAT CONGREGATIONS CAN DO NOW

Congregations are encouraged to use the following resources throughout January—or during the four weeks leading up to the Super Bowl—to engage this issue faithfully and thoughtfully:

Daily Prayers (English and Spanish)

Seven daily prayers invite the church to lift before God:

• Those experiencing trafficking and exploitation
• Those healing from trauma
• Those causing harm
• The church’s call to act
• Our response to indifference

Each prayer is paired with a scripture verse to ground this work theologically.

Trauma-Informed Worship Resources

A full set of worship materials is available, including:

• A Confessional Prayer over Consumerism (using the Beatitudes)
• A template for Prayers of the People
• Suggested hymns and contemporary songs, such as Let Streams of Living Justice (ELW 710) and Break Every Chain

These resources are designed to help congregations address the realities of trafficking with care, honesty, and hope.

Toolkit for Church Leaders

In partnership with Freedom Collective, congregations can download a practical toolkit that includes short educational videos and discussion resources. These materials are well-suited for adult forums, Bible studies, and fellowship groups.

Access all resources here: https://www.womenoftheelca.org/ministry-action/justice/human-trafficking

(Resources are available in English and Spanish.)

LEARN MORE AND GET HELP

Human trafficking is the exploitation of people through force, fraud, or coercion for labor or sexual purposes. It is a form of modern slavery that affects every region and community.

For more information, to report a tip, or to access confidential support, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center:

• Call: 1-888-373-7888
• Text: HELP to BeFree (233733)
• Website: humantraffickinghotline.org/en

As people rooted in God’s grace and justice, we are called not only to pray, but to act. This January, may our congregations bear faithful witness—through worship, education, advocacy, and compassionate response—as we work together to #EndHumanTrafficking.

January 9, 2026

Learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17).

Alongside our siblings in Christ in Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota and all who have been impacted by aggressive immigration enforcement and violence by federal law enforcement agents, I mourn the shocking shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7, 2026. I join calls for a thorough investigation into this case, accountability for the shooting and a de-escalation of ICE enforcement across the United States. Alongside the Lutherans who have held vigils in Minneapolis and around the country, our church prays for God’s peace in this community and justice in this case.

The ELCA is committed to upholding and guaranteeing basic human rights for the safety of migrants and their families. Our church works toward just and humane policies affecting migrants in and outside the United States. We decry language that dehumanizes immigrants who are beloved children of God and escalates tensions between federal agents and communities. Surges of immigration enforcement and violent encounters like we are seeing in Minneapolis — as well as in Chicago; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, D.C.— have indiscriminately targeted our neighbors, creating fear and uncertainty. This has created conditions where immigrants, those accompanying them and federal agents are all at risk.  

ELCA social teaching provides guidance in complex situations: “Public safety depends upon trust in law enforcement to respect and protect the rights of all” (“Gun-related Violence and Trauma”). As a church, we are concerned by the trend of law enforcement and federal agents involved in immigration enforcement relying on the use of force in our communities without sufficient accountability or oversight.  

God calls us to be witnesses to God’s presence, healing and hope. I invite ongoing prayers, vigils and advocacy for peace and justice, and I affirm the ELCA’s “pledge to continue our church’s historic leadership in caring for refugees and immigrants” (For Peace in God’s World).

In Christ,

The Rev. Yehiel Curry
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 

The Rev. Yehiel Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will give the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, in the Center for Faith and Life (CFL) Main Hall on Luther College’s campus. The theme of the day and Curry’s talk is “Courage for the Common Good.”

The program begins with a community choir rehearsal at 9:30 a.m. in the CFL’s Recital Hall. Singers of all ages and backgrounds are invited to learn a simple gospel arrangement to be performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address. The community choir will be led by Andrew Last, director of choral activities at Luther. The performance will feature soloist Adrianna Tam, assistant professor of music and director of Luther’s Aurora and the Collegiate Chorale.  his keynote address, Curry will highlight how “Courage for the Common Good” represents the shared legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Martin Luther, both of whom embodied the moral courage needed to confront injustice while uplifting the people around them. This theme calls our community into bold, brave, benevolent action.

“Dr. King taught us that true courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to act despite it,” Curry said. “As Lutherans, we believe that faith must be lived publicly, for the sake of others. Faith gives us the courage to confront injustice, to stand with the vulnerable, and work for the common good.”

The keynote address is presented in part by the Williams Endowment Fund. It will be live streamed on Luther’s YouTube channel.