Skip to Main Content
Women of the ELCA
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
  • Ministry & Action
    • Discipleship
    • Justice
      • Human Trafficking
      • Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
      • Racial Justice Advocacy
      • Racial Justice Advocacy Network resources
      • Domestic Violence
    • Membership
    • Stewardship
      • Thankofferings
      • Faithful Friends
      • Katie’s Fund
      • Gift Planning
    • Special Initiatives
      • Rachel’s Day
      • Raising Up Healthy Women & Girls
    • Scholarships
      • Lutheran laywomen
      • Lutheran Ordained Ministry
  • Resources
  • About
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Staff
    • Get Involved
  • Events
  • Belong
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
« Back to All Daily Grace

Simple, powerful rituals

10.11.2023
|
Daily Grace

Rituals — actions done with presence and intention — tell our bodies and brains that something is about to begin or shift. They have the power to move us into a different frame of mind and openness of heart. Prayer before a meal is a ritual. So is celebrating a friend’s birthday with a party. Lighting a candle is a ritual.

Rituals that ground and nourish us can be connected to faith, but they don’t have to be. Rituals help us to care for ourselves, to remember that we matter. It is then easier and more authentic to extend that same care to the world that God loves so much.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God sees us, knows us, and has compassion for us. God proclaims, “I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15b-16a). Rituals help us slow down enough to hear the still, small voice of God’s love that is always within and around us. We are held in God’s love when times are calm and when they are chaotic.

This message is excerpted from “Rituals that ground and nourish us” by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick in the October 2020 Café online magazine.


Copyright © 2023 Women of the ELCA. Inquiries for permission to reproduce should be directed to [email protected].

Share this post

Sign up for Daily Grace

Daily Grace is an on-the-go companion for your journey, offering a faith reflection every day. Encounter God’s extravagant, boundless and often surprising grace by signing up for a daily email message.

Back to home

8765 W. Higgins Rd.

Chicago IL 60631

800-638-3522

[email protected]

Stay In Touch

Sign up for the WELCA Newsletter

Explore WELCA
  • Ministry & Action
  • Daily Grace
  • Resource Library
  • Events
  • Blog
  • News
  • About WELCA
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Photos
Explore Publications

Bold Cafe

A Lutheran perspective for women of Christian faith or any woman who is interested in how faith relates to the issues facing women today.

Gather Magazine

A mix of articles, theological reflections, devotions and stories of comfort and challenge that help readers grow in faith.

Cafe Podcast

Subscribe to our podcast:

Click to subscribe

© Copyright 2025 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
© Copyright 2025 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.