Reconciling Works

June 20, 2016 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, This is a follow up to my June 13 letter about the shooting in Orlando. In the midst of my own pain and anger about that shooting, I needed to dig deep within myself and reflect on how to be an instrument of God’s peace and […]

This poem is written by Rabbi Bradley Artson and was presented by Rabbi Steven Rubenstein at the Interfaith Service of Prayer and Remembrance in Detroit hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and the Southeast Michigan Synod, ELCA,  June 18, 2016. It is shared with permission.   Pulse: When Dancing Is Political   There’s really only one […]

ReconcilingWorks is proud to present our newest RIC community: Messiah Lutheran Church in Montgomery, Alabama! Their welcome statement reads: “Messiah Lutheran Church publicly and without reservation states that it welcomes all people regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, social status, color, or life circumstance.” Join them for worship on Sundays at 8am or 10:45am, […]

Dear Friends in Christ, It has taken some time for me to write this letter. Like many of you, I have been in shock since I woke to the Sunday news of another mass shooting. I look to our world and I wonder, “What is going on?” Are there any words I can add to […]

My dear friends, It has been a few days now since we first heard of the horrendous events in Orlando, and still our hearts and minds can barely comprehend. 49 people slaughtered and 53 more injured by a hate filled individual affected by extremist rhetoric. Members of the LGBTQ community deliberately targeted. We are better […]

A pastoral letter to the Metropolitan New York Synod. My Dear Sisters and Brothers: Grace, mercy, and peace to all of you in the Name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. There is enough evidence for me to realize that not everyone reacted in the same way I did to the horrid violence and evil […]

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I am writing with a heavy heart as again our country is mourning the senseless loss of over 50 lives at the hands of hatred and violence. This time, the particular target was the LGBTQ community. Later this week, we will mark the one year anniversary of the massacre […]

A Response from the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago to the Shootings in Orlando: We, the members of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, add our own voices of lament and outrage to the cry rising up across our nation for peace, justice and healing in the aftermath of the mass […]