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On the First Sunday in Lent this year, we hear Luke’s version of Jesus’ three temptations in the wilderness, in which Satan tempts (or tests) Jesus with three fundamental seductions that we all face as human beings. This presentation looks at those seductions through energy, a physical reality that is central to our being as living things and central to our identity as humans. One result of our yielding to those seductions is the climate crisis we are now experiencing. 

Fred Quivik is a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Saint Paul who works as an expert witness in environmental litigation and is a retired history professor at Michigan Technological University, where one of the courses he taught was Energy in American History.

Together we will explore ten different ways that Scripture speaks of creation with special emphasis on the implied human role in each portrait. We will look at various portraits of creation in Genesis, Psalms, Job, some law, some prophets, Proverbs, and a bit of Paul, John, and Revelation. Begone all notions that there is only a single view of creation in Scripture! 

Dr. Diane Jacobson is professor emerita of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, MN where she taught from1982-2010. She also served as director of the Book of Faith Initiative for the ELCA from 2008-2016. She is a rostered deacon of the ELCA. Jacobson has been a frequent speaker throughout the Church, including the 2011 and 2013 Churchwide Assemblies, the LWF 50th Anniversary Assembly in Hong Kong, and numerous synodical assemblies, rostered leaders gatherings, and churchwide consultations. 

Jacobson currently serves on the St. Paul Area Synod Caring for Creation Workgroup and the EcoFaith Leadership Team of the NE Minn Synod as well as on the boards of Augsburg University, where she chairs the academic committee. She also served on the consulting board and as a contributor to the Lutheran Study Bible (2009, 2023). 

Jacobson is, first and foremost, a lover of Scripture. “I’m in love with this Book,” she says. “My calling is to teach Scripture for the sake of God’s world, and to invite others into the wonders and rewards of exploring the Bible together.”

Labyrinths are ancient designs, thousands of years old that are experiencing a resurgence of interest. Today labyrinths are found all over the world in a variety of settings, including schools, parks, hospitals, churches and private homes. Learn about the intriguing history and modern adaptations of these graceful, meandering pathways, how they are used in prayer, how they differ from mazes, and how to locate dozens of public labyrinths in our region. Lots of photos and information. 

Lisa Gidlow Moriarty is a professional labyrinth maker and advanced certified labyrinth facilitator who designs and creates labyrinths in all materials, from canvas to concrete, finger to full-size. She has traveled internationally to research and experience ancient labyrinths, and has installed labyrinths in the USA and internationally, from the Africa to the Yukon. She works with schools, hospitals, churches and individuals to create labyrinths and programming for all ages and interests. Lisa is past president and Midwest Regional Representative of the international Labyrinth Society (www.labyrinthsociety.org) and is the owner of Paths of Peace Labyrinths and Resources. She also offers workshops, presentations and retreats. Visit her websites at www.pathsofpeace.com and www.canvaslabyrinths.com to learn more about Lisa’s work.