ELCA presiding bishop delivers Christmas message

     CHICAGO (ELCA) – In her Christmas message, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said although the evidence of Christmas is all
around, "We are also still in Advent."
     "I want us to consider the deep and holy longing that is a part of this season," said Eaton. "It is significant that the words of the prophets and the yearning of Israel in exile are so prominent in the
lessons appointed for this season. The people longed for the Lord to come, to act, to redeem them, to take them home. They lived in Babylon, but their hearts were not there.
     "I think Advent is that way for us. As Lutherans, we do not withdraw from the world but engage it believing that it is a gift," she said. "But we also know that it is not quite right, that there is brokenness and pain – the pain we experience, the pain others cause, the pain we cause others."
     The bishop described the Advent longing as "an awareness that apart from God we are not whole."
     "In the incarnate Christ, God comes to us, finds us and gives our restless hearts rest," she said.
     Eaton's Christmas message is available at http://bit.ly/ELCA_Christmas_2015.

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.7 million members in more than 9,300 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

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Candice Hill Buchbinder
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