Being Transfomed

“The power of becoming something new with the arrival of each new day is one of the recognized privileges of having Christ live in the lives of those who follow him, or what Dietrich Bonhoeffer once described in personal terms as ‘Jesus Christ incarnate, crucified, glorified, entering my life and taking charge.’ The spectacular idea that we no longer have to make up our lives by the minute — or live under the constraint of our own charm or wit — is one of the blessings of being shaped by God.”

Peter W. Marty

From “All We May Become.” The Christian Century Magazine, page 1. September 2026.

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Two Worlds started in February 2023 as a simple extension of an Intro to Bible Study class and a desire to dig deeper into the Revised Common Lectionary. Today it’s a small digital ministry space that shares the RCL readings, a brief homily, and supporting images, music, and ELCA commemorations.

The blog is authored by Paul Rykken in consultation with Pastor Jen Hatleli of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

The full three‑year cycle of the Lectionary is available on the Two Worlds Home Page.

Note: Images and lay-out tend to land better on a bigger screen.

Pentecost 13 Readings

Image of the Week

Giovanni Lanfranco’s (1582-1647) Liberation of Saint Peter captures the explosive moment when divine light breaks into human confinement — an angel flooding Peter’s prison cell with radiance, rousing him from chains and leading him past guards who remain trapped in darkness. The painting’s swirling motion and stark chiaroscuro make the rescue feel both urgent and undeserved, a vivid embodiment of God’s power to free, call, and commission. That same dynamic pulses through Matthew 16:13–20. Peter, who will later be liberated (recounted in Acts 12), is here “awakened” in a different way: his confession of Jesus as the Messiah becomes the moment when God reveals, illumines, and entrusts him with a vocation he could never claim on his own. Lanfranco’s scene of physical deliverance mirrors the gospel’s spiritual one — Peter is the rock not because of his strength, but because God’s light breaks in, names him, and sends him.

Five-Minute Homily

One of the admonitions I offer my history students is simple but important: work to make this knowledge your own. Don’t just memorize it — absorb it, wrestle with it, let it shape how you see the world. That mindset fits our exploration of scripture as well. Romans 12:1–8 was one of those passages that grabbed me in my formative years. It didn’t feel abstract or distant; it felt like Paul was speaking directly to me, inviting me to see scripture not as ancient words but as a guide for how to live a real, everyday life. That early encounter helped me sense that faith isn’t something we hold at arm’s length — it’s something we make our own, something that forms us from the inside out.

To appreciate the force of this passage, a bit of backstory helps. Paul’s Letter to the Romans comes near the end of his ministry, written to a community he has not yet visited but hopes to strengthen for the mission ahead. In chapters 1–11 he lays out a sweeping theological vision: humanity’s universal need for grace, God’s saving action in Christ, and the astonishing inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in a single covenant family. He traces God’s mercy from Abraham forward, culminating in Christ’s faithfulness and the gift of the Spirit. By the time he reaches chapter 12, Paul has built a grand argument about what God has done; now he turns to what this new life looks like in practice — a transformed community offering itself to God in gratitude.

That shift sets up the heart of today’s reading. Paul moves from proclamation to invitation. After eleven chapters describing God’s mercy, he shows what that mercy does in us. He begins with two forceful ideas: present and transform. Present your whole selves to God. And do not be shaped by the world’s patterns — be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Paul isn’t describing a minor adjustment. He’s naming a deep interior shift that changes how we see, choose, and live. These were radical notions for first‑generation Christians, and they remain radical for us who inhabit the twenty‑first century.

And that’s where discernment enters the picture. A renewed mind allows us to “discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Discernment is the Spirit‑shaped ability to sort through the noise and recognize what aligns with God’s purposes. Transformation and discernment work together: as God reshapes us, we learn to see with clearer eyes and respond with wiser hearts. And it echoes what Peter Marty in that introductory statement above — that Christ’s presence frees us from having to invent our lives moment by moment or rely on our own charm or wit. We are being shaped by God, not driven by self‑construction. And that’s Paul’s point: the Christian life doesn’t run on autopilot. It grows as we offer ourselves to God, allow grace to transform us, and practice the kind of discernment that keeps us aligned with God’s renewing work in the world. This is good news to share this week and beyond!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Musical Reflection

“I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” is an African American spiritual that emerged anonymously in the 19th century among enslaved communities, shaped by lived suffering and a deep trust in God’s companionship. Because spirituals were created and transmitted orally, there is no single composer; the song reflects the collective voice of the Black church. ELW (hymn 325) includes it as part of its commitment to honoring African American sacred music and expanding the church’s sung witness to lament, endurance, and hope.

The arrangement I posted here is a truly fun version of this song by a group from Brazil. Enjoy!

ELCA Commemorations

Note: The ELCA commemorates a wide range of Christians throughout the year as a way of remembering that God has worked through ordinary people in every age. These commemorations — drawn from Scripture, the early church, the Reformation, and more recent history — invite us to see faith lived out in many different vocations and cultures. They aren’t about elevating “heroes,” but about widening our sense of the communion of saints and letting their witness encourage our own. In marking these days, the church pauses to give thanks, to learn, and to be reminded that the Holy Spirit continues to shape faithful lives in every generation.

You will find the full listing of them in the front of the ELW. We have only one on the calendar this week.

Commemorations: Week of 17 August

Thursday 20 August
Bernard, Abbott of Clairvaux (d.1153)

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) was a towering figure of 12th‑century Western Christianity — monk, mystic, reformer, and one of the most influential voices of the Cistercian Movement. Born into a noble family in Burgundy, he entered the newly founded monastery at Cîteaux as a young man and soon helped establish Clairvaux, where his leadership and spiritual intensity shaped a generation of monastic life. Bernard became known for his passionate preaching, his deep devotion to Christ, and his role in major church affairs, including advising popes and inspiring the Second Crusade. His writings, especially on love of God and humility, remain central to Christian spirituality.

Digital Ministry

We’re living in a moment when the tools of ministry have expanded far beyond the walls of any building. Digital platforms now allow Scripture, teaching, and community to reach people wherever they are. What once required physical presence can now be shared through video, messaging, and collaborative online study. This new landscape invites congregations to imagine ministry with a wider reach and a deeper sense of connection!

Spiritual Rhythms

“Dependable spiritual rhythms in life ground us in remarkable ways. Sometimes they morph into powerful habits that help hold life together and evade that inner fragmentation . . . Reliable rhythms matter biologically, relationally, and spiritually. Life can turn quickly sour without them.”

Peter W. Marty

From “Rhythms of Life,” by Peter W. Marty, editor/publisher of The Christian Century, August 2026.

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Two Worlds began in February 2023 as an extension of an Intro to Bible Study class and a desire to better understand the Revised Common Lectionary. It has since become an anchor for Adult Study in our parish, offering a steady rhythm of scripture, reflection, and resources across the church year. Today, Two Worlds serves as a digital ministry space featuring the weekly RCL readings and a brief homily, supported by images, music, and the ELCA’s weekly commemorations.

The blog is authored by Paul Rykken in consultation with Pastor Jen Hatleli of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

The full three‑year cycle of the Lectionary is available on the Two Worlds Home Page.

Note: Images and lay-out tend to land better on a bigger screen.

Pentecost 12 Readings

Image of the Week

The story of Christ’s encounter with the Canaanite woman found in Matthew 15 is unsettling.

Ludovico Carracci leans into that tension by showing Jesus and the woman locked in a moment of raw human need and unexpected grace. The kneeling figure draws your eye immediately, her posture making the case for her daughter before she even speaks, while Jesus’ gesture suggests both challenge and invitation. Around them, Carracci fills the scene with onlookers whose mixed reactions mirror the discomfort in the Gospel itself — some curious, some resistant, some unsure what to make of this boundary‑breaking exchange. As a member of the influential Carracci family, Ludovico helped push Italian painting toward greater emotional realism, and you can feel that impulse here in the way he lets the drama play out through bodies, faces, and the charged space between them.

Five-Minute Homily

Isaiah 56 speaks with force into our moment. We live in a time when communities argue over who belongs, who is welcome, and how trust can be rebuilt after deep fractures. The prophet’s words cut through that noise. They remind us that God’s people have stood in this kind of uncertainty before — when institutions collapsed, when identity felt fragile, and when the future was anything but clear. Isaiah answers that anxiety with a call to justice, mercy, and wide‑open welcome.

To hear that call, we need to know where we are in Isaiah’s long prophetic story. The book unfolds across three eras. First Isaiah (1-39) speaks from eighth‑century Judah under the pressure of Assyria. Second Isaiah (40-55) speaks hope to exiles in Babylon. Third Isaiah (56-66) — where today’s reading begins — addresses those who have returned home and now face the hard work of rebuilding a broken society. Isaiah 56 stands at the threshold of that struggle. The exiles are back, but nothing is simple. The temple lies in ruins. Social divisions run deep. Debates about purity and belonging threaten to define the future. Into that fragile moment, the prophet announces that God’s salvation is already moving — and calls the people to embody it through justice, faithfulness, and a welcome that refuses to shut anyone out.

Samuel Giere of Wartburg Seminary sharpens this point: Isaiah 56 is a deliberate reset. It reopens the covenant and stretches it beyond every boundary the community had used to decide who counts. The foreigner and the eunuch — people long excluded by law, custom, and religious practice — are not just invited in. They are promised joy in God’s presence and given “a name better than sons and daughters.” The prophet is saying something bold: God’s renewed covenant is not a gated community. It is a gathering place. God’s blessing spills outward, reaching those who were once pushed aside. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (verse 7). That line is not a slogan. It is a mission. It tells Israel — and it tells us — that God’s future cannot be built by drawing tighter circles. It is built by practicing justice, keeping faith, and welcoming those who have been told they don’t belong.

This is where the Gospel comes alive. In Matthew 15, Jesus confronts boundary‑keeping of a different kind — purity rules that define who is clean, who is worthy, who is inside. He teaches that what defiles is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of the heart. Then he meets a Canaanite woman whose persistence breaks open the disciples’ assumptions. Jesus steps across the boundary they thought was fixed. He embodies Isaiah’s vision: God gathers the outcasts — and then gathers “others besides those already gathered” (Isaiah 56:8).

So what does that mean for us? It means the church’s calling is not to guard the door but to widen it. Isaiah and Jesus both insist that God’s mercy is always moving outward. In a moment when our public life feels fractured and fearful, these texts invite us to trust that God is already gathering, already restoring, already breaking down the barriers we build. Our task is to live in that movement—to become communities where God’s wide mercy is not just preached but practiced, where strangers find joy, and where those once pushed aside discover that they are already at the center of God’s heart.

Soli Deo Gloria!

I am indebted to Samuel Giere for his interpretation of the Isaiah passage this week. He is an Associate Professor of Homiletics and Biblical Interpretation at Warburg Seminary in Dubuque Iowa. His article was from 2014 and was accessed from the Working Preacher website, sponsored by Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Musical Reflection

Folliott S. Pierpoint wrote “For the Beauty of the Earth” in 1864 while walking near his home in Bath, England, struck by the spring landscape and wanting to create a simple hymn of gratitude for creation and the gifts of daily life. His original text was meant for Communion, which is why the refrain was “Christ, our God, to thee we raise,” though later hymnals broadened it for general use. More than a century later, John Rutter (1945– ) took Pierpoint’s words and shaped them into one of his most beloved choral pieces, full of the warm, flowing lines choirs love him for. Rutter grew up in London, studied at Clare College, Cambridge, and quickly became known for music that feels both polished and immediately singable. His setting of “For the Beauty of the Earth” remains a favorite because it captures Pierpoint’s simple joy while sounding unmistakably like Rutter — bright, grateful, and beautifully crafted. I hope you enjoy the version I posted here.

ELCA Commemorations

Note: The ELCA commemorates a wide range of Christians throughout the year as a way of remembering that God has worked through ordinary people in every age. These commemorations — drawn from Scripture, the early church, the Reformation, and more recent history — invite us to see faith lived out in many different vocations and cultures. They aren’t about elevating “heroes,” but about widening our sense of the communion of saints and letting their witness encourage our own. In marking these days, the church pauses to give thanks, to learn, and to be reminded that the Holy Spirit continues to shape faithful lives in every generation.

You will find the full listing of them in the front of the ELW. We have several commemorations this week, as noted.

Commemorations: Week of 10 August

Monday 10 August
Lawrence, deacon, martyr (d. 258)

Tuesday 11 August
Clare, Abbess of San Damiano (d. 1253)

Thursday 13 August
Florence Nightingale (d. 1910), Clara Maass (d. 1901); renewers of society

Friday 14 August
Maximilian Kolbe (d. 1941), Kaj Munk (d. 1944); martyrs

Saturday 15 August
MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD

Digital Ministry

We’re living in a moment when the tools of ministry have expanded far beyond the walls of any building. Digital platforms now allow Scripture, teaching, and community to reach people wherever they are. What once required physical presence can now be shared through video, messaging, and collaborative online study. This new landscape invites congregations to imagine ministry with a wider reach and a deeper sense of connection!

Velkommen!

Two Worlds began in February 2023 as an extension of an Intro to Bible Study class and a desire to better understand the Revised Common Lectionary. It has since become an anchor for Adult Study in our parish, offering a steady rhythm of scripture, reflection, and resources across the church year. Today, Two Worlds serves as a digital ministry space featuring the weekly RCL readings and a brief homily, supported by images, music, and the ELCA’s weekly commemorations.

The blog is authored by Paul Rykken in consultation with Pastor Jen Hatleli of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

The full three‑year cycle of the Lectionary is available on the Two Worlds Home Page.

Note: Images and lay-out tend to land better on a bigger screen.

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The Pentecost 11 Readings

Image of the Week

Virgilio Mattoni, a Sevillian painter active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was known for combining academic technique with a dramatic, almost theatrical sense of religious storytelling. In Christ Walking on the Waters at Iglesia de San Pedro, he heightens the miracle’s emotional tension by contrasting the turbulent, slate‑colored sea with Christ’s calm, illuminated figure, creating a visual theology of serenity confronting chaos. The disciples’ gestures—fear, astonishment, and desperate reaching—anchor the scene in human vulnerability, a hallmark of Mattoni’s narrative style. The composition ultimately emphasizes Christ’s stabilizing presence, using light, posture, and spatial depth to convey divine authority breaking into a world overwhelmed by uncertainty.

Five-Minute Homily

Listen to this week’s homily here.

Walking in Two Worlds

We are nearing the halfway point of the Season of Pentecost — the longest stretch in the church year — and Matthew has been guiding us through a series of miracle stories these past weeks. Diana Butler Bass, historian and theologian, reminds us that miracle stories always provoke questions. Were they real? Are they metaphors? Are miracles even possible? What makes a miracle a miracle? Those questions hover over every text we read in this season, including this week’s Gospel.

Matthew 14 invites us into one of the most vivid miracle scenes in Scripture — not only Jesus walking on the water (also found in Mark 6:45–52 and John 6:16–21), but Peter’s daring attempt to join him, a detail only Matthew preserves. Before we enter that moment, I find myself returning to a childhood memory. I still remember standing in a small country church as a child, staring at an altar painting of this week’s Gospel scene. It was not the church pictured here, but that is the image. Jesus walking on the storm‑tossed water captured my imagination long before I understood its depth.

The setting matters. After feeding the five thousand (Matthew 14:13–21), Jesus withdraws to pray (14:23) while the disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee. By nightfall, a brutal storm engulfs them (14:24). At dawn, with the wind still raging, they see a figure striding toward them on the waves. Terrified, they assume it’s a ghost (14:26). Jesus answers with that unforgettable reassurance: Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid (14:27). Biblical scholars note that some version of “do not be afraid” is the most repeated command in Scripture. Sit with that for a moment or two.

Then Peter steps forward. True to form, he wants proof. Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water, he says (14:28), and he climbs out of the boat. For a moment, he walks. Then fear overtakes him, the waves rise, and he sinks (14:30). Jesus pulls him up, gently rebukes his doubt (14:31), and climbs into the boat. The storm stops. The disciples, stunned by what they have witnessed, proclaim him “Son of God” — the first time his followers use that title (14:33). What do we make of this whirlwind of a story? Let me offer two reflections.

First, Christians live in two worlds at once — the world we inhabit daily and the Kingdom that already claims us. Fear thrives in the earthly one. We fear danger, illness, change, failure, success, difference, loss, death, and the future itself. Fear traps us. Like Peter, we want to step out of the boat with confidence, trusting God to steady us. Yet our courage falters, distractions rise, and the waves swallow us. In those moments, our prayer becomes Peter’s cry: “Lord, save me!” Second, even when we falter, Jesus keeps moving toward us. He does not wait for us to master our fears or perfect our faith. He walks toward us in steadfast love, reminding us that we already belong to his Kingdom. That promise — sealed in baptism — strengthens us to face our fears with courage rooted not in bravado but in God’s presence. “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.” That is a message worth carrying into the world, especially for those who most need to hear it.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Musical Reflection

This week’s Gospel reading from Matthew 14 immediately brought a beloved hymn to mind — Eternal Father, Strong to Save (you’ll find it in the ELW on page 756). The connection feels almost instinctive because the hymn was born out of real fear and real rescue at sea. William Whiting wrote the text in 1860 after surviving a violent storm; he wanted to comfort a student who dreaded ocean travel. His words lean heavily on biblical scenes where God shows mastery over chaotic waters, and John Bacchus Dykes’ tune Melita gave the hymn its solemn, maritime character. When you hear Whiting’s plea — “for those in peril on the sea” — it’s hard not to picture the disciples straining at the oars in Matthew 14, battered by wind and waves, or Peter stepping out of the boat only to sink beneath the storm. The hymn’s heartbeat is the same as that moment in the Gospel: human fear meeting divine presence. Just as Jesus reaches out to Peter with a steady hand, the hymn trusts that God still hears, still comes near, and still brings calm where chaos once ruled.

ELCA Commemorations

Note: The ELCA commemorates a wide range of Christians throughout the year as a way of remembering that God has worked through ordinary people in every age. These commemorations — drawn from Scripture, the early church, the Reformation, and more recent history — invite us to see faith lived out in many different vocations and cultures. They aren’t about elevating “heroes,” but about widening our sense of the communion of saints and letting their witness encourage our own. In marking these days, the church pauses to give thanks, to learn, and to be reminded that the Holy Spirit continues to shape faithful lives in every generation.

You will find the full listing of them in the front of the ELW. Explore this week’s commemorations via the links provided under the dates.

Commemorations for the Week of 3 August

Dominic, Founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) d. 8 August 1221

St. Dominic (1170–1221) was a Spanish priest whose compassion for people caught in spiritual confusion led him to found the Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. He believed that preaching grounded in study, humility, and poverty was essential for renewing the church, especially in regions troubled by the Albigensian Movement. Dominic traveled constantly, teaching, debating, and forming communities devoted to learning and proclaiming the Gospel with clarity and joy. By the time of his death in Bologna, his order had already begun to spread across Europe, shaping Christian theology and education for centuries.

Visit the Dominican Friars Website Here!

The Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, are derived from the Dominican Order and their Motherhouse is located in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin (southwestern corner).

Learn about them here!

Digital Ministry and News

We’re living in a moment when the tools of ministry have expanded far beyond the walls of any building. Digital platforms now allow Scripture, teaching, and community to reach people wherever they are. What once required physical presence can now be shared through video, messaging, and collaborative online study. This new landscape invites congregations to imagine ministry with a wider reach and a deeper sense of connection!

An Introductory Image

The artist Norman Rockwell had an uncanny ability to tap into so many facets of the American character, and that gift came to mind for me during the recent World Cup. Watching that swirl of flags, languages, and sheer human variety, I found myself thinking again of Rockwell’s Golden Rule cover from the April 1961 Saturday Evening Post — one of my all‑time favorites. Soccer really is the world’s game, and that global mix of faces feels like a living echo of Rockwell’s composition. He built the painting around the biblical line “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” drawn from Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31, then surrounded it with people of different cultures, ages, and backgrounds. The whole thing becomes a kind of visual chorus—ordinary folks gathered around a simple moral idea meant to bind us together. In the energy of the World Cup, with millions celebrating both their differences and their shared love of the sport, you can almost feel Rockwell’s message breathing again.

For further (and fascinating) background on Rockwell’s painting, visit this website.

Welcome and Thanks for your Visit This Week!

Two Worlds is a digital ministry space featuring the weekly Revised Common Lectionary readings and a brief homily, supported by images, music, and the ELCA’s weekly commemorations. The blog is part of the adult education program at ELC in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Paul Rykken authors the blog in consultation with Pastor Jen Hatleli.

Note: Images and lay-out tend to land better on a bigger screen.

Why the Lectionary?

The Revised Common Lectionary grew out of late‑20th‑century ecumenical work, especially the Consultation on Common Texts, which wanted churches to share a common, three‑year rhythm of Scripture shaped by the seasons of the church year. We are currently in Ordinary Time, the longest season of the church year. There are 25 Sundays between Pentecost and Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday on the church calendar (this year on 22 November).

The weekly readings are meant to speak to one another: the Old Testament reading sets the theme, the psalm responds to that reading, the epistle widens the theological frame, and the Gospel anchors the day. Watch for that as you work your way through the four readings this week.

Four-Minute Homily

Right now, the World Food Programme estimates that over 282 million people are facing acute hunger worldwide — the largest hunger crisis in modern history.** Conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability are pushing families in places like Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, and the Sahel into deeper food insecurity. It’s a staggering number, and it makes the Gospel’s feeding stories feel less like distant miracles and more like urgent reminders of what compassion looks like in a hungry world. Feeding stories appear all over Scripture. Matthew gives us two (Matthew 14:13–21; 15:32–39), and Mark parallels both (Mark 6:32–44; 8:1–10). Luke offers his version (Luke 9:10–17), and John does too (John 6:1–13). These scenes echo earlier moments in Israel’s story — Elijah and the widow’s jar of meal (1 Kings 17:8–16) and Elisha feeding a crowd with a small offering (2 Kings 4:42–44). “Breaking bread” was one of Jesus’ most consistent ways of revealing who he was.

Three parts of this week’s Gospel always stand out to me. First, Matthew connects the feeding of the 5,000 directly to the death of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12). Jesus withdraws to a “deserted place” (14:13), carrying his grief with him. (After visiting our son while he was stationed at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert, I have a new appreciation for how harsh such a landscape can be). Yet even there, the crowds follow — people carrying their own wounds and hopes. It’s not hard to see ourselves in that wilderness crowd during seasons when life feels barren or disorienting. Then comes the line that always stops me: “He had compassion for them” (Matthew 14:14). Compassion isn’t pity; it’s suffering‑with. Jesus consistently moved toward people who were pushed aside — children, women, the sick, the poor, anyone whose life had been diminished by power or circumstance. His compassion was embodied and active. And that compassion meets our world right now. When Jesus looks at the wilderness crowd, he sees the same human reality we see today — people longing for stability, healing, and enough food to make it through the day. The global hunger crisis reminds us that the wilderness isn’t just a biblical setting; it’s a present reality for millions.

Finally, this story shows how the Kingdom of God breaks in — not someday, but now. Jesus tells the disciples, “You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16), and suddenly the Kingdom looks like shared bread, shared responsibility, shared hope. When the Pharisees asked about the timing of God’s Kingdom, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20–21). It’s already here, already moving, already multiplying whatever small offering we bring. For Pentecost 10, the feeding of the 5,000 invites us to see compassion as Kingdom work — to notice the wilderness around us, to recognize the hunger in our communities and across the world, and to trust that God can take what we offer and turn it into abundance.

Soli Deo Gloria.

My source for that statistic was drawn from the World Food Programme website. Try this INTERACTIVE MAP to gain a greater sense of where food insecurity is most problematic. And, if you want to get a sense of the situation in Wisconsin, here is the Feeding Wisconsin website.

Musical Reflection

Curtis Mayfield wrote “People Get Ready” in 1964 straight out of the gospel world he grew up in on Chicago’s South Side. You can hear the sermons, the spirituals, and that familiar train imagery from Black freedom songs running through it. When The Impressions released it the next year, their tight harmonies and Mayfield’s soaring falsetto turned what feels like a quiet, prayer‑like meditation into a national anthem of hope. Mayfield later said he was in a “very deep mood of religious inspiration” when he wrote it — and honestly, that comes through in every measure. The heart of the song — “You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board” — lines up beautifully with Isaiah 55’s invitation: “Come, all you who are thirsty… without money and without price.” Both are saying the same thing in different ways: grace is already on the move, and you don’t have to earn it or prove anything. You just open your heart and step toward what’s being offered. One reason the song has lasted so long is how far it’s traveled. Artists from all over the musical map have picked it up — Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck, Eva Cassidy, Kenny Rankin, and plenty more. Each one hears something in it that speaks to their moment. The Impressions’ version is still the anchor, but the sheer number of covers shows how flexible the song is. It can be a prayer, a protest, a lament, or a word of encouragement depending on who’s singing it. For Pentecost 10, “People Get Ready” feels like a modern echo of Isaiah’s feast — a reminder that God’s invitation is wide open, the train of grace is already rolling in, and the only thing we’re asked to bring is a readiness to climb aboard.

ELCA Commemorations

Note: The ELCA commemorates a wide range of Christians throughout the year as a way of remembering that God has worked through ordinary people in every age. These commemorations — drawn from Scripture, the early church, the Reformation, and more recent history — invite us to see faith lived out in many different vocations and cultures. They aren’t about elevating “heroes,” but about widening our sense of the communion of saints and letting their witness encourage our own. In marking these days, the church pauses to give thanks, to learn, and to be reminded that the Holy Spirit continues to shape faithful lives in every generation.

You will find the full listing of them in the front of the ELW. Explore this week’s commemorations via the links provided under the dates.

Tuesday 28 July

Johann Sebastian Bach, 1750; Henrich Schutz, 1672; George Frederick Handel, 1759; musicians

Wednesday 29 July

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany

Olaf, King of Norway, martyr, 1030

Follow the links if you want to go further into the stories behind the commemorations for this week in our calendar!

Going Beyond

We’re living in a moment when the tools of ministry have expanded far beyond the walls of any building. Digital platforms now allow Scripture, teaching, and community to reach people wherever they are. What once required physical presence can now be shared through video, messaging, and collaborative online study. This new landscape invites congregations to imagine ministry with a wider reach and a deeper sense of connection!

Here are several examples.