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November 2, 2014–Thanks in the Midst of Trial

Jay McDivett, Waukesha, WI

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Warm-up Question

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do? What got you through it? When it was over, how did you feel?

Thanks in the Midst of Trial

After 21 long days of quarantine, over 40 people who may have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus were released with a clean bill of health last week. Several others still wait to be cleared.

Even though the threat of an Ebola epidemic in the United States is extremely minimal, media attention has created a state of panic for many in this country, worrying about the safety of travel, immigrants, and casual contact with folks at the supermarket or at church. (Several pastors report parishioners wanting to do away with the passing of peace and intinction or common cup Communion because of fears of Ebola and other communicable diseases.)

But for those who were in contact with Thomas Duncan (the one Ebola patient to die on U.S. soil), the fear was very real. It’s over now. This is especially real for Louise Troh, Duncan’s fiancée. “Praise to God. I am free. I am so happy… All thanks to God,” Troh said, according to a spokesperson who spoke to ABC News.

Thankful, but still mourning the loss of her fiancée. Other folks are still under quarantine, with their movements restricted and their hearts and families anxious about whether or not they’re sick.

And the rest of the country waits to see what will happen next.

 

Discussion Questions

  • On a scale of 1-10, how worried are you about Ebola?
  • How would you feel if you were Louise Troh? Or one of the people who are still on quarantine?
  • Think of a time when you were really scared about something… and then everything turned out okay. How did that feel?

November 2, 1014–All Saints Sunday

Revelation 7:9–17
1 John 3:1–3
Matthew 5:1–12

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

The book of Revelation is scary. And weird. And totally wonderful.  More than anything, it is a bold and constant proclamation of a foundational promise: God is in charge. From beginning to end of the book of Revelation, we hear the same word: God is the beginning and end.

That doesn’t mean that what happens in the middle doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean that death and disease, war and worry are nothing.  It means that all of this is the “great ordeal” that we fumble through. Some days are wonderful and blissful and full of nothing but blessing. Some days just plain suck. Most days have some of both.  And the Lamb of God reigns and rules above it all; God is with us and among us through it all, and is working to bring us through it all.

November 1 is All Saints’ Day – celebrated in church on November 2 this year. It is the day to remember how God was present with all those who have gone before us – through all their trials and tribulations, all their fears and failings. And to remember how God is present with us now, too – surrounding us with this “great cloud of witnesses” – inspiring us with the stories of how they endured all manner of “great ordeals” and came out on the other side, dressed in the white robes they were given when they were baptized. This promise is ours, too. No matter what we face, the “Alpha and Omega” – the “Beginning and the End” – will be with us.

In the face of that, Ebola ain’t got nothin’ on us. Seriously.

Discussion Questions

  • Tell a story of a “great ordeal” (a trial or test, a disease or defeat) that someone close to you has “come through.” What gave them strength?
  • All Saints’ is a time to remember those who have completed their baptismal journeys. Tell the story of someone close to you who has died. Where was God in their life? What did you learn from them about faith?
  • How could you help someone who is going through a “great ordeal”? How can you be present with people who are struggling to be faithful when life kind of (or really) stinks?

Activity Suggestions

Materials: Paper, writing utensils, crayons/markers/colored pencils/paint, magazines/scissors/glue sticks, whatever you need to express yourself.

Create a stained-glass window of a saint. It could be a saint of the church, or a saint in your life. Anyone who has died whose faith has taught you something about your own faith.  Invite folks to share their saints with each other.

Closing Prayer

God: Your love and grace make broken people holy – saints. Thank you for that. Help us all to be better than we could ever be on our own. When we are afraid or challenged, bring us through. Keep us, and all who have gone before us, safe. Amen.

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ELCA presiding bishop says land occupation is counter-productive to peace, two-state solution

Peace Not Walls

Text from ELCA news release:

CHICAGO (ELCA) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), commended the Obama administration for urging the Israeli government to “reverse its recent declaration as ‘state land’ the estimated 988 acres in the Gush Etzion Jewish settlement bloc in the occupied West Bank.”

As a denomination that “calls for a cessation of all settlement activities and withdrawal from settlements on Palestinian territory to the 1967 boundaries,” Eaton expressed hope that the administration “will continue to pursue this reversal.”
In her Oct. 22 letter to the U.S. president, Eaton noted that she shares the administration’s concern regarding the Israeli government’s “reportedly recent move to advance the settlement planning process in the sensitive area of Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem.” She said the plan for the new neighborhood “would cut the territorial continuity between the Palestinian neighborhoods in South Jerusalem and the future Palestinian state.”
Eaton also mentioned the recent occupation of six residential buildings in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem. This occupation “is a provocative act that only serves to escalate tensions at a moment when those tensions have been high,” Eaton wrote. “This new occupation, the largest since 1991, could expand the settler presence by about 35 percent from the number of settlers currently in the area.”
“It is deeply distressing to us that these kinds of action, which seek to create new ‘facts on the ground,’ continue unabated,” Eaton wrote. “Along with Jewish organizations like Peace Now and B’Tselem, we fully agree with your administration that such actions are counter-productive to achieving a comprehensive and sustainable peace based upon a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, where international human rights and humanitarian law are respected and upheld. … such actions reinforce despondency among the Palestinian people, limiting optimism that a political solution will be found.”
Eaton urged Obama to call all involved in the conflict to refrain from violent or provocative actions that “could lead to more casualties and further exacerbate the existing barriers toward a return to negotiations and a just final status agreement that results in two viable, secure states living side-by-side in peace.”
Grounded in hope, “we pray that the current truce, following the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, will hold so that hope might begin to be restored,” the ELCA presiding bishop wrote, adding that it is imperative that, with the help of the international community, both Palestinians and Israeli leaders return to negotiations to “identify and constructively address the underlying causes of continued tension, so that God’s peace and justice will prevail.”

Full text of Bishop Eaton’s letter

Full text of ELCA News Release

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Treasure Mapping – From Charity to Justice with the CICBA Program

Kathee Forrest

At a recent congregational meeting of MacArthur Park Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas, a corny skit about a treasure hunt triggered memories of all the “treasures” we’ve discovered through our work this past year with the Southwestern Texas Synod’s pilot Congregation-Initiated Community Based Advocacy (CICBA) program. It’s often tempting to look at what lies ahead in our journeys without reflecting on and celebrating where we’ve been and what we’ve learned along the way.

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MacArthur Park Treasure Hunters (L to R): Brenda Krueger, Jeanette Pierce, George Pierce, Lisa Hooter and Jean Schriever

 

What is CICBA?  Well…it’s a mouthful!  Congregation-Initiated Community Based Advocacy.  As one of six congregations in this three-year pilot program, we are on a journey as people of God to develop skills to identify systemic (real and permanent) causes of poverty in our communities using the tools of community organizing.  We are engaging in conversation and action with community partners and people living in poverty in our neighborhood.

Our group of congregations is diverse in settings and contexts, and each has their own unique CICBA journey – border ministry, mission start, rural and urban congregations among them.

But all share one goal: to  move from charity to justice and to know the difference between the two.

As we started out over a year ago, most of the CICBA team was new to advocacy and community organizing. So our first retreat was a “Community Organizing 101” intro from Sue Engh, ELCA Program Director for Congregation-Based Organizing. The retreat focused on power analysis (Who has power in our community?  What power do we have?) and cara-a-cara. Cara-a-cara, or “one-to-ones,” are relational meetings with each other that give the space for natural, yet uncommon conversation; this paradox emerges as we speak candidly about the parts of our everyday lives we often ignore or cover up. This type of conversation is at the heart of connecting with community leaders and our neighbors to identify assets, priorities and hopes of our community.2

We also began to use new language – the vocabulary of community organizing, including concepts such as “problems vs. issues” and strategies to cut big problems into “bite-sized” action items.  Team member Bee Moorhead, Executive Director ofTexas Impact, talked about public policy and “issues,” along with important data, including the fact that Texas ranks in the bottom half of the states for political action and electoral participation!  This is pretty disappointing, but it also presents a real opportunity for this kind of work here.

After the first retreat, our team practiced one-to ones with each other and the congregation, gaining confidence in the process and learning about gifts, values, passions, and concerns in our midst!

Listen, God Is Calling! – At the second retreat, we kicked the “treasure hunt” into full swing. The stages of community organizing are much like a treasure hunt. By digging deeper into one-to-ones, power analysis, and community partner identification, we unearth riches.  In this retreat, we practiced listening as a form of spiritual hospitality and as an opportunity to find out what God is already up to in our neighborhoods, connecting with Jesus’ great commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves (Matt 22:27).

At this retreat, we put on our Grace Goggles.  Mikka McCracken, Program Director of Constituent Engagement and Interpretation with ELCA World Hunger, accompanies our CICBA program.  She spoke about the ELCA’s method ofaccompaniment, reminding us to always listen through a lens of grace amidst cultural and economic differences.  So, we all put on “Grace Goggles,” seeing each other as beloved children of God, created in God’s image.

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Haven for Hope – Retreat number 3!  We listened to a one-to-one conversation of “holy curiosity” between Sue Engh (see picture at right) and Ruth, a woman who, over the course of several months, went from middle-class to homeless due to a series of unexpected health and family events. CICBA groups asked Ruth and her husband questions, which were answered in a friendly and candid way, embracing the “natural, yet uncommon” essence of cara-a-cara. Ruth and her husband shared their journeys into and out of homelessness.  The couple met at San Antonio’s Haven for Hope, whose mission is “to offer a place of hope and new beginnings…by providing, coordinating and delivering an efficient system of care for people experiencing homelessness.” We heard their hard truths.  Ruth offered us advice when talking to people in poverty: “It’s okay not to be perfect, but [at least] be honest. Walls may be put up – it depends on the day – don’t take it personally.”

The Time Has Come to Act! – At Retreat #4 we are called to action – to keep this at a level of crisis.  The crisis is clear:  1 in 6 families live in poverty.  1 in 4 children live in poverty.  We have the resources, yet there is the risk of doing nothing because the task is so big.  And what happens when we do nothing?  Who benefits when we do nothing?  We were challenged by a question posed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:  “Are we still of any use?”  We then worked to develop a 6 week action plan and Collaborative Table Team, to include new members with gifts to help us identify emerging patterns and clarify the actions of an ongoing Organizing Cycle:  LISTEN, RESEARCH, DEVELOP LEADERS, ACT! 

What’s Next? 

Our conversation and learning do not end here. We continue to seek more community conversation partners. CICBA Team members have talked with an apartment manager, riders on the local bus, a neighborhood barber, pharmacist, pastor and elementary school counselor. We are also looking for ways to further engage in conversation with people experiencing poverty within our neighborhood.

Here are some of our other ideas:

1) Community Partner Program – We are also exploring the possibility of becoming a resource to assist the community with online applications for services such as SNAP food benefits, CHIP health care benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).  We heard about the need for application assistance through Texas Impact and will explore working with a neighboring church.

2) Economic Justice Workshop – We have recently joined with other faith-based groups, schools and non-profit institutions to launch a community-wide Living Wage and Economic Security campaign in San Antonio.  The rallying cry is “Si, se puede!” – “Yes, we can!”  Our team made a commitment to talk to our congregation, city councilperson and county commissioner about the issue, and to bring more people to a large, city-wide rally this November.

3) The Cross Marks the Spot – Okay, back to the corny skit.  We had some fun pretending to search for exotic treasure as we introduced our congregation to the Community Treasure Hunt which consisted of twelve important community topics paired with challenges and field trips for further digging.  Each month, we will have a congregational conversation based on Matthew 25:34-37 on issues that matter within our community: employment, education, homelessness, food assistance, etc.  The topics and challenges were created by Texas Impact and can be used for any community, so check it out! Throughout the treasure hunt we learned that “the cross marks the spot.” It is always Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves and Jesus’ love on the cross that informs our commitment to justice.  As people of faith, we should know our community.

 

Our final retreat is planned for February 2015 at Texas Lutheran University, opening with a conference event on Faith-Based Organizing:  Our guest speaker will be Alexia Salvatierra, ELCA pastor and co-author of Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World, and Dr. Ray Pickett, professor of New Testament at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, will be our guest preacher.  Ray is currently working on a resource to look at the work of Jesus through the lens of community organizing.  We will also be among Texas Lutherans at the First Annual ELCA Legislative Event in Austin, Texas in February 2015!

Live the Gospel.  Change the World.

Yes, this is a bold vision statement for MacArthur Park Lutheran Church in San Antonio, as the CICBA team and congregation celebrate treasures of community organizing – those already identified and those yet to be unearthed.  But we know through faith that we, and the people in our community, are being called “to ventures of which we cannot see the ending…through Jesus Christ.”  And with the tools we’ve gained through CICBA, we are ready to start the adventure!

 

RESOURCES YOU CAN USE

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Dr. Ruby Payne’s book A Framework for Understanding Poverty, was especially helpful in understanding the culture of poverty, specifically noting the differences between generational and situational poverty and the “hidden” rules, behaviors and language gaps between those in poverty, the middle class and the wealthy. The book is full of case studies, examples and comparative charts.  For example, one of the quizzes asks readers if they could survive living in poverty or living in wealth with a checklist of life situations in each economic level.  The exercise was very eye-opening!

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Hope at Work – This comic book is about, well…not Superman or Batman…but superheroes of community organizing!  “Hope at Work” is an imaginative, fictional cartoon story about a couple from Hope Church who are called to move beyond canned goods drives to “feed God’s sheep”, and the excitement of working with a community group appropriately called “MISHPAT” (Metropolitan Initiative for Strong, Hopeful People Acting Together).  The Hebrew term “mishpat” refers to acts of justice in societies and is an important quality of godly communities in the Old Testament.  “Hope at Work” was written by Sue Engh, ELCA Director for Congregation-Based Community Organizing and the CICBA leadership team.  (The comic book is available at http://www.elca.org/Resources/Congregational-Based-Organizing.)

 

ELCA Social Statement – A social statement on economic life: Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All – an important resource as we work on the “Living Wage and Economic Security Campaign”  http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Economic_LifeSS.pdf

With thanks to Vi Lien, Mary Lou Walther, Pastor Herb Palmer, Pastor Charles Fredrickson, Sharon Wiggins and the Southwestern Texas Synod for the CICBA Pilot Program.  The CICBA program is supported in part by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger.

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Stand against Domestic Violence this Month!

Tia Upchurch-Freelove, ELCA Advocacy Director of Communications

​​” It is not my enemies who taunt me—I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—I could hide from them. But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.” 

– Psalm 55:12-14 

This October, as we observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are called as a church “into a mission of love and compassion toward all peoples … to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God” (ELCA social policy resolution: “Violence Against Women,” 1995). Violence against women is a widespread problem both here in the U.S. and abroad. Around the world, one in three women experience physical, sexual or psychological abuse in their lifetime (UNIFEM report, 2003).

We come together as Lutherans to take action by denouncing and combating the beating, sexual abuse, raping and killingthat threaten the life and safety of women everywhere and by encouraging greater awareness among members of our church about all forms of violence that threaten the lives and safety of all women.

Here are some important ways you can join Lutherans this month as we learn, engage with one another, spread awareness, and speak out against domestic violence:

Learn and Engage 

Spread Awareness

Take Action

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we remember those impacted by domestic violence and speak out to end all violence against women! Please join us as we seek to do justice and walk humbly with God.

​ELCA Advocacy & Lutheran Office for World Community

ELCA Justice for Women

ELCA Poverty & Justice Ministries

Women of the ELCA

Lutheran Services in America/ LSA Advocacy

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October 26, 2014–Parents Just Don’t Understand

Danny Stone, Marion, IA

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Warm-up Question

Share the story about a disagreement between you and your parent/guardian/caregiver.  Who won the fight?  How did you feel?  How did they feel?

Parents Just Don’t Understand

shutterstock_23623474edit

In the Grammy Award winning teen rant, Will Smith raps that “parents just don’t understand.”  It was true in 1988, true now and true when families gathered around the fire to roast a mastodon. 

Imagine for a moment a student and father battling.  Dad is a strong willed and ambitious owner of a construction company.  He has worked hard all his life and dreams that his son will be a lawyer.  Mike just finished college and hates the career that is father has chosen.  He feels anxious and lost. In the past year, Mike has seen two friends die, leaving heavy questions on his heart.

While traveling between law school and home, Mike’s car hydroplanes in a thunderstorm, spins wildly and narrowly misses a truck.  His car lands in the ditch.  With his life passing before his eyes, Mike decides to follow his calling.  He vows to quit school and join the Peace Corps.

Elements of this story may sound familiar.  We have all heard stories about children and parents not agreeing about college and career.  Who hasn’t felt pressure to excel?  This story becomes completely familiar when we replace character names and a few details.  The father’s real name is Hans, and he owns a small copper mine.  The student is Martin; he is frightened by a lightning strike on the way to University of Erfurt and promises to become a monk.  The year is 1505.  Yes, Martin Luther’s father wanted him to be a lawyer, not the scholar-priest who led the Reformation.

Discussion Questions

  • Have you had “lightening” in your life that points you in a new direction?
  • What do your parents want for your future?
  • Share the story of a time that you were mad, angry or frustrated with your parents.
  • Discuss the difference between winning an argument and forging an agreement.
  • What can your church, congregation and faith do to help improve family relationships?

Reformation Sunday

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Romans 3:19-28

John 8:31-36

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

Martin Luther’s childhood under the thumb of a domineering father a left him with deep scars.  The church of his time offered little comfort.  He might have been free of his earthly father but feared eternal punishments from his father in heaven.  Luther felt crippling fear but found hope in the Gospel.  Today is Reformation Sunday — the day we celebrate Luther’s movement that brought the church back to Christ’s unswerving message of forgiveness, salvation, and freedom.

John’s Gospel promises freedom from slavery.  Many of us might say like the disciples, “Wait, we are not slaves.”  Slavery is much deeper and more common than the obvious.  Jesus was not talking about the slavery we know from history.  Slavery is common, everyday, and afflicts all of us.  On an elemental level, we are all slaves to our fear of death.  We may be slaves to drugs and alcohol.  We may eat too much, be forced to follow the group, have crippling debt, bow down to obsessive behaviors.  Slavery is everywhere.

The truth of Christ’s death and resurrection frees us from sin, death, fear, and anxiety.  We do not have to live as slaves.  Luther’s movement sought to enable Christians to take up the Bible, so that we may discover this truth.  Once we are free, we can live in communion with Christ, the world, and even our families. The truth sets us free.

Discussion Questions

  •  In what ways do you feel enslaved?
  • How does life in Christ give us freedom from inappropriate expectations of others?
  • One reason we observe Reformation Sunday is to remember that the church is in constant need of being re-formed, created anew.  From what does the church need to be freed in our day so that it can more effectively serve Christ?

Activity Suggestions

 

Bookmark these items in advance.  Have small groups review a video.  Discuss and share with the large group what each clip can teach about children, parents, and family relationships.

“Father and Son” by Cat Stevens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DsYmxznWA

“Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s5r2spPJ8g

Bill Cosby on childhood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anNR5YU98OQ

“Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_cGeb8K1BA

“Daughters” by John Mayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZLbUIa7exE

“Butterfly Fly Away” by Hannah Montana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrL8ndJRgcQ#t=115

“Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra-Om7UMSJc

“Cleanin’ Out My Closet” (clean version) by Eminem
http://vevo.ly/gFujFl

Closing Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, parent of all, bless our families and aid our growth.  Help us find freedom through the death, resurrection and forgiveness of your son, Jesus Christ.  In your name we pray, Amen.

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Pronunciamientos sociales de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (ELCA) en español

​”Esta iglesia desarrollará pronunciamientos sociales… que guiarán la vida de la iglesia como institución e informarán a las conciencias de sus miembros en el espíritu de la libertad cristiana”. (Pronunciamiento Social de la ELCA, “La Iglesia en la Sociedad: Una perspectiva luterana”.)

Los pronunciamientos sociales de la ELCA son documentos educativos que hablan sobre políticas y proporcionan un marco amplio con el que ayudarnos a pensar y hablar sobre cuestiones sociales en el contexto de la fe y la vida. Su misión es contribuir a la formación moral, la deliberación y la participación consciente de las comunidades e individuos en las cuestiones sociales de actualidad al tiempo que participamos en la obra de Dios en el mundo. Los pronunciamientos sociales también establecen políticas para la ELCA como institución y sirven de guía para sus labores y su promoción de los derechos humanos como iglesia pública. Son el resultado de un extenso proceso de participación y deliberación, adoptándose con el voto favorable de dos terceras partes de una Asamblea General de la ELCA.

La descripción y procedimientos para desarrollar y adoptar documentos sobre políticas y enseñanza social se establecen en “Políticas y procedimientos de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América para abordar las cuestiones sociales”, documento adoptado por la Asamblea General de la ELCA de 1997 y revisado periódicamente por el Consejo Eclesial de la ELCA.

A continuación les ofrecemos una lista de los pronunciamientos sociales de la ELCA a su disposición en español:

Aborto (1991): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/AbortionSS_Spanish.pdf

La Iglesia en la Sociedad (1991): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Church_SocietySS_Spanish.pdf

La Iglesia y la justicia penal (2013): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/La_Iglesia_Y_La_Justicia_Penal_Escuchemos_Los_Lamentos.pdf

Pena de Muerte (1991): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Death_PenaltySS_Spanish.pdf

Vida Económica (1999): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Economic_LifeSS_Spanish.pdf

Educación (2007): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/EducationSS_Spanish.pdf

Medio ambiente (1993): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/EnvironmentSS_Spanish.pdf

Genética (2011): http://www.elca.org/Faith/Faith-and-Society/Social-Statements/Genetics

La Sexualidad Humana (2009): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/SexualitySS_Spanish.pdf

Por la Paz (1995): http://www.elca.org/Faith/Faith-and-Society/Social-Statements/Peace

Raza, Etnicidad y Cultura (1993): http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/RaceSS_Spanish.pdf

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October 19, 2014–Why Pay Taxes?

Erik Ullestad–West Des Moines, IA

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Warm-up Question

How do you stay connected with your friends?

Why Pay Taxes?

Cell phone usage is at an all-time high.  Many people are getting rid of their landline phone and exclusively using a mobile device for all their communication needs.  The pre-teen market has grown significantly in the last five years.  The average age for a kid’s first cell phone is 11 years old and 77% of kids ages 12-17 have a cell phone.  Contributing to this growth in mobile device usage are an abundance of new devices entering the market place (like two varieties of Apple’s new iPhone 6) and wireless service providers that offer a wide variety of monthly plan options suited to the needs of the customer.

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Phone companies and wireless providers aren’t the only groups who are profiting from the mobile boom.  Federal, state, and local governments are seeing increased revenue as a result of taxes applied to cell phone plans.  According to a study by the Washington D.C.-based Tax Foundation, the U.S. average combined tax rate for wireless plans is 17.05%.  The federal rate is currently fixed at 5.82%, which is added to the varying state-local rates.  Washington State has the highest rate at 18.6 percent, compared to neighboring state of Oregon which has the lowest at 1.76 percent.

For some, the issue of high cell phone taxes is political.  Governor Rick Scott has promised to give the people of Florida at $120 million annual reduction in the communications services tax.  Others see this as a justice issue.  The Centers for Disease control reports that over 56 percent of adults living in poverty have only wireless service as their means of communication.

Discussion Questions

  • Do you have a cell phone?  If so, how do you use it?  (Social media, texting, phone calls, etc.)
  • How much money do you think is an appropriate amount to spend on a cell phone?
  • What do you think is a reasonable tax rate for wireless service plans?

Lectionary 29

Isaiah 45:1-7

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Matthew 22:15-22

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

 

In the Gospel reading today we find Jesus in a potentially sticky situation.  The church leaders, in conjunction with Herod’s followers, have set a trap for Jesus.  They ask him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? [17]” This was a trick question.  If Jesus answered “yes”, the church leaders would be upset because they felt taxation – especially the poll tax – was unjust.  If he answered “no”, the emperor could throw Jesus in jail for challenging the law.

Jesus offers an answer that leaves both parties speechless.  He says, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and give to God the things that are God’s [21].” In saying this, Jesus not only silenced his adversaries, but he lifted up the importance of giving back to God.  The money that was to be given to the emperor was just money – an idolatrous coin with the face of Caesar on it.  God, the creator and ruler of all, blesses us more than any earthly leader ever could – which means we have a lot to give back.

When it comes to “giving to God”, students might remember the 3 T’s – time, talents, and treasures.  When we give to God in this way, it’s not about acts of service; it’s about lives of service.  It’s about a life-altering change in the way we look at our tangible and intangible gifts.  Like Abraham, God blesses us so that we may be a blessing to others [Genesis 12:3].

Discussion Questions

  • How did the Pharisees try to trick Jesus?
  • Why do you think the Pharisees sent their disciples to confront Jesus instead of talk to Jesus themselves?
  • How did Jesus answer the question about taxes?
  • What do you think Jesus’ words mean to you today?  What does it say about your priorities?
  • In Jesus’ day, taxes were often associated with corrupt leaders who made themselves rich at the expense of the poor.  What do you think about taxes today?  Are they important?  Why do you feel that way?
  • What are ways that God has blessed you?
  • What is one way that you can share these blessings with others this week?

Activity Suggestions

Consider making a commitment as a group to financially support a local, national, or global organization that helps other people.  Ask the group if they have any suggestions.  If they don’t, offer some of your own.  You’ll want to research this in advance.  ELCA Good Gifts can give you some great ideas.  Discuss all the suggestions, and then try to come to a decision as a group.  Sign a covenant that everyone will bring a regular offering to help support this project.  You may want to make a poster that demonstrates how much money is given each week/month to this ministry.  Inform parents and other congregation members of the way that the young people are “giving to God what is God’s.”

Closing Prayer

Generous God, we give you thanks for the ways in which you bless us.  Help us to be in tune with the gifts we have received, and help us to use those gifts to bless the lives of those around us.  Open our eyes to the needs of others and give us the strength to share words of peace, hope, and love to the world.  For the sake of Jesus, we pray, amen.

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Nebraska youth stands with New Jersey and continues Superstorm Sandy recovery

Megan Brandsrud

​Nebraska Synod youth

(Pictured: Nebraska Synod youth sporting Lutheran Disaster Response volunteer shirts as they embark on their volunteer projects.)

This July, more than 300 youth and chaperone volunteers from the ELCA Nebraska Synod ventured on a cross-country bus trip to New Jersey. As part of the synod’s annual youth mission trip, the group spent a week in New Jersey to participate in on-going disaster recovery work from Superstorm Sandy.

“The synod takes a trip every year, with every third year to the national youth gathering,” said Kari Fry of St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church, who helped plan the trip. “In the recent past, the focus of the trips has been on mostly urban ministries. The synod hasn’t gone to a place of natural disaster since [Hurricane] Katrina, and we felt that this was an important experience for the youth to have.”

Superstorm Sandy struck the Jersey Shore in October 2012, and recovery work has been on-going ever since. Lutheran Disaster Response has been working with Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey (LSMNJ) to assist in the long-term response. While Superstorm Sandy is no longer receiving national media attention, the destruction and devastation caused by the storm is still very prevalent in the communities that were impacted.

Door-to-door recovery
Amy Pennenga, disaster recovery coordinator for LSMNJ, has been driving the Superstorm Sandy recovery projects and was very excited to receive this large group of volunteers.

“This is definitely the largest group of volunteers I’ve worked with,” Pennenga said. “We started planning the trip a year in advance, which allowed me enough time to find communities where they could work and have housing during their stay.”

Working with a group this large allowed Pennenga to get creative and plan projects that she usually doesn’t have enough volunteers to cover.

“Some of the volunteers participated in rebuilding homes, cleaning up a camp and working in a food pantry,” Pennenga said. “The majority of the group, 250 of them, worked on a canvassing project, handing out flyers for the long-term recovery group in the community and asking people what they needed. They gathered information, such as how many homes have been elevated and how many homes still need repair. This canvassing is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, but we never had enough people. This group made it possible.”

“New Jersey is Still Recovering”

On the group’s last evening in New Jersey, they all donned red shirts and converged on the boardwalk with a large banner that said, “We Are With You – New Jersey is Still Recovering.” Gathered all together on the boardwalk, the group sang “Lean on Me” while people from the community watched and were filled with emotion.

“We saw one older lady crying,” Pennenga said. “Her home had been destroyed by [Superstorm] Sandy and she was still struggling with the rebuilding process and she felt like everyone had forgotten. She said it was so encouraging to see this group of people from several states away acknowledge the work that still needs to be done.”

Fry also expressed the community’s reaction.

“Everyone was so gracious and grateful,” Fry said. “Our goal was to draw attention to the reality that recovery is still on-going. Whether someone is a New Jersey resident, neighbor or from states far away, people need to know that their help is still needed and will be needed for years to come.”

Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey accepts volunteers year-round and while the focus of work is on home rebuilding, volunteers do not need to be skilled.

“We are very much in need of volunteers,” Pennenga said. “We conservatively still have one thousand homes left to rebuild after already doing 500. It is overwhelming for the people here. There were so many people impacted and it’s easy for people to get lost in the cracks. We fight every day to make sure that the most vulnerable don’t get forgotten in the crowd.”

If you are interested in volunteering in New Jersey, please contact Amy Pennenga of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey at apennenga@lsmnj.org or 609.699.4137.

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ELCA State Advocacy Update: October 2014

ELCA Advocacy
Lutherans are taking action across the country! Below you will find our monthy State Advocacy Newsletter. Share with your friends, and download the document in the PDF version!  
 —
Washington, D.C.
Advocacy Director, Stacy Martin
​​1People’s Climate March – On Sept. 21, more than 400,000 activists joine​​d together in New York City in what is being called the largest ​climate march in history. The People’s Climate March called on world leaders to support a global climate change agreement and to act on climate change with over 2,700 events in more than 150 countries. In partnership with The Lutheran World Federation, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, and the Metropolitan New York Synod, hundreds of Lutherans assembled for the march.
2The U.N. Climate Summit – The weekend of the People’s Climate March, ELCA Environmental Policy Director Mary Minette attended an interfaith conference on climate change at Union Theological Seminary. Following the summit, a delegation of more than 30 faith leaders created an interfaith statement on climate change at an event sponsored by the World Council of Churches. The interfaith statement was presented to the U.N. secretary general during the U.N. Climate Summit later that week. ELCA Advocacy also joined several other climate events in New York sponsored by the ACT Alliance, including strategies on addressing climate disasters, which included as a speaker a Lutheran pastor from New Jersey speaking about Superstorm Sandy recovery, and limiting climate change with low-carbon development strategies.
Campaign finance reform – On Oct. 1, Advocacy Director Rev. Stacy Martin joined a panel of faith leaders, activists and academic experts to discuss the moral and religious dimensions of the question of money in public life and governance. Sponsored by the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, the conference included speakers such as Kathy Saile, the associate director for government affairs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and interfaith partners from across the religious spectrum.
3Preparing for midterm elections – Election Day is one month away, and ELCA Advocacy is sending out resources and guides on how to promote civic engagement in Lutheran congregations throughout the country. The electoral process is one way in which we live out our affirmation of baptism to “serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus,” and “to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” Share our Called to be a Public Church Guide (2014)to learn more about ways you can take action in your community. Tell your friends to “Take the Pledge” by signing our Voter Pledge Form online, and find more resources on our Action Alert Page.​
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California
Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy- CA ​
4On Sept. 30, Gov. Jerry Brown completed his review of hundreds of bills passed by the Legislature after completing its two-year session. As attention shifts to direct democracy in the form of ballot propositions, the Lutheran Office of Public Policy–California is disappointed that the DISCLOSE Act, requiring more transparent information on large originalsource funders of ballot measures, did not pass. LOPP-CA is part of developing strategy for the DISCLOSE Act next session. Among other bills of interest signed were measures that dealt with stronger incentives for electric cars in lower and moderate-income communities, groundwater management, equalizing penalties for possession of crack and powder cocaine, a ban on most plastic grocery bags, and a waiver of birth certificate fees for homeless children and youth.
Firearms – As the ELCA Conference of Bishops participated in a prayer revival in Chicago, LOPP-CA was cheering enactment of a “gun violence restraining order” bill adopted in response to the Santa Barbara
tragedy. This bill allows law enforcement and family members to seek a temporary court order removing guns from a person who is a danger to themselves or others. As the election approaches, LOPP-CA is focusing energy on support for a $7.5 billion water bond and Prop. 47, a criminal sentencing reform initiative supported by the PICO community organizing network and many other community and civil rights groups, seeking remedies for mass incarceration and “The New Jim Crow” racial disparities.
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Colorado
Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Colorado www.lam-co.org
5Hunger – The Hunger Free Colorado Summit took place on Sept. 8, featuring Sister Simone Campbell of Nuns on the Bus and NETWORK, the Roman Catholic social justice
organization. Her exhortation about developing a social
justice “for the 100 percent” was powerful and resonant.
LAM-CO has been connecting more intentionally with campus
ministry groups. Director Peter Severson visited both
University of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University
this past month. Additionally, the Strengthening Colorado
Families & Communities Summit took place in Keystone on Sept. 15-16, sponsored by the Colorado Department of Human Services-Office of Early Childhood. LAM-CO was able to participate in several
discussions around the formation of a Colorado Child Maltreatment Prevention Plan for 2015-2020.
Transportation – LAM-CO has been partnering with Iliff School of Theology and the Office of the Auditor
for the City of Denver to oppose the Colorado Department of Transportation’s proposal to widen Interstate
70 in vulnerable community areas in north Denver. A meeting with Iliff faculty and students and community representatives has led to the creation of a faith community petition that will be delivered to CDOT in response to the Environmental Impact Statement for the project. The Rocky Mountain Synod Theological Conference (Sept. 22-25 in Colorado Springs) led to great networking with pastors, ministers and other leaders in the synod. Congregations have been faithfully supporting Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Colorado and New Mexico for 30 years!​
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Minnesota
Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota 
New name – Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota replaces Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota (LCPPM) as our name. The Policy Council voted unanimously for the change, and feedback on the new name has been very positive from partners, supporters, participants and others.
Legislative policy development – Tammy continues to be deeply involved in the policy shaping process with the Homes for All Coalition. She is also active with A Minnesota Without Poverty, which has just started thinking about policy options and directions for the 2015 session. The Clean Energy and Jobs Campaign narrowed their focus to two policy objectives for 2015. Tammy is thinking about the materials needed for Lutheran churches to be ready for the key objective, focused on improving the Minnesota Clean Energy standard to 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.
Education and awareness raising – Tammy has been working closely with the Minneapolis Area Synod and the Alliance for Sustainability to find leaders to build a synod chapter of Lutherans Restoring Creation.and is beginning outreach for a similar St. Paul effort. On Sept. 30, Dr. David Rhoads came to the Twin Cities and met with potential leaders for LRC. Tammy has been in various churches talking about the key themes of hunger, poverty, care of creation and advocacy.
Communications/administration – We are deep into the process of rebranding, building our “new” website, and making lots of administrative processes work better. The new office is almost completely furnished now with cubicles and a welcoming area for partners to gather.
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​New Mexico
Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico 
Poverty and Hunger Coalition – Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico has been an active partner in the newly created Interfaith Hunger Coalition as a part of the advocacy committee by helping to organize several gatherings in the Albuquerque area with coalition members and candidates for election to the New Mexico House of Representatives. The gatherings were opportunities for coalition members to express their concern about the unacceptably high rates of hunger and poverty in New Mexico and to engage in conversation with the candidates about how to address the situation. Eight candidates attended the gatherings, which took place at Albuquerque congregations. Ruth Hoffman, LAM-NM director, also spoke about state public policies that would help address poverty and hunger at a recent education workshop sponsored by the Coalition at Holy Rosary Catholic Community.
Food stamps – In mid-September, Ruth traveled to southern New Mexico and testified before the interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee in opposition to increased work requirements for SNAP recipients proposed by the state Human Services Department. She also spoke in opposition to the proposed rule changes at a public hearing that was attended by at least 100 people. At the hearing, Ruth also spoke on behalf of the New Mexico Conference of Churches. Ruth’s testimony was highlighted in a recent KUNM radio segment: http://kunm.org/post/faith-leaders-speak-against-new-snap-requirements.
__________________________________________________________________
Pennsylvania
Amy Reumann, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

On Sept. 7, LAMPa helped Lutherans add “Our voices” to the theme of “God’s work. Our hands.” with letter-writing and speaking to media in locations around the state on behalf of our neighbors on housing, hunger and immigration.
6At the capitol – LAMPa delivered a letter from Bishop Kusserow, Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, urging lawmakers to act to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. LAMPa staff brought others engaged in ministry with the homeless to meet with legislative leaders to push for passage of bills to expand the state Housing Trust Fund. The visits were made powerful by the presence of one mother, accompanied by the Rev. Matthew Lenahan, who shared how a Lutheran congregation in Lancaster County is walking with her as she struggles with homelessness. Collaborating with the Lower Susquehanna Synod on a food drive/hunger advocacy project, LAMPa accompanied youth motivated by a synod retreat themed “Hungry” to participate in the “Can Hunger” event at the capitol, where they spoke with the leader of the legislative hunger caucus.
7On the road – LAMPa staff participated in Bishops convocations in the Allegheny and Lower Susquehanna synods, the launch of a hunger team in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, a Lutherans Restoring Creation and training in the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod and the People’s Climate March in New York City. We conducted our biennial survey to establish LAMPa’s agenda for the next legislative term. The results showed education and health care to be top priorities after hunger and were analyzed at our policy council retreat.
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Virginia
Marco Grimaldo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Civic engagement – The fall continues to be a busy time for educational forums and advocacy training in Virginia. We are also encouraging in-district meetings with legislators in advance of the January legislative session. Most recently we have been offered programs in Charlottesville and Roanoke that allow the immigrant community to better understand their rights and engage decision-makers including local law enforcement in productive discussions about their community. We have also been part of a growing minimum-wage campaign for raising the wage both in Virginia and at the federal level.
Health – Our health care work continues even though there has been no agreement on Medicaid. Small numbers of local leaders join us each Monday for our Moral Monday call for Medicaid, and it continues to be a great way to muster solidarity. As we prepare for the next assembly, we will prepare to also work on legislation related to health equity and network adequacy that can help make sure that low-income and underserved communities, which may already be covered, get the health care that they need with reasonable access.
Our policy priorities have been revised for the year ahead, and we also have a new website so Virginians can better follow our efforts and download the resources they need. We have background papers and talking points on each of our top priorities as a way to jump start those campaigns. Visit us at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org.
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​Washington
Paul Benz, Faith Action Network 

8Promoting advocacy – Faith Action Network’s 15 geographic clusters convened to discuss effective types of advocacy efforts in faith communities in Washington, share FAN updates, and talk about future collaborations. Meanwhile, ongoing meetings with state legislators and members of congress continued. This month FAN met with multiple legislators, including the state House Republican leader, state Senate Democratic leader and her district House member, and a federal House member meeting with members of an African American Baptist church. FAN is also currently getting ready for our Annual Dinner on Nov. 16 where local philanthropist and travel guide speaker Rick Steves will speak on the importance of faith-based advocacy. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray has also been invited.
Upcoming election and the ballot – FAN has coordinated and sponsored three candidate forums with three more to go. The forums are focusing on state legislative races with each one having three questions coming from FAN – of which one is always on hunger and poverty. Average attendance has been 50. FAN continues be the statewide faith organization coordinating support for Initiative 594 (mandating universal background checks for gun sales). A Faith March to the Ballot Box will occur on Sunday, Oct. 19, in Seattle – local marches/vigils will be encouraged. Two forums on preventing gun violence were sponsored jointly by ELCA Southwestern Washington Synod Bishop Rick Jaech and FAN.
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Wisconsin
Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin www.loppw.org
Poverty – With secular and faith partners, LOPPW will endorse a referendum on whether Wisconsin should take federal dollars for Badger Care on the November ballot in 20 Wisconsin counties. Although the vote cannot determine a change, it provides an opportunity for citizens to voice concern about 87,000 residents unnecessarily going without health care. LOPPW will work on an op-ed and additional ways to promote a Vote Yes on BadgerCare Nov. 4th campaign initiated by Citizen Action Wisconsin. On Nov. 8, LOPPW will lead a summit on poverty for the Northern Great Lakes Synod in Marinette. Click here to see the flyer​!
Sex trafficking – LOPPW is starting a campaign to pass a Safe Harbor Bill. Recently Women of the ELCA leaders led a workshop with a PPT created by Cherish All Children’s (CAC’s) director and LOPPW’s director in the Northwest Synod. Our new CAC/LOPPW advocacy group will meet for a second time in October with additional members and discussion about how to further include Women of ELCA and involve congregations.
Upcoming events –
  • Advocacy and Hunger workshop at synod-wide event in Marquette, Mich. – Oct. 11.
  • ​The director will be the Lutheran representative on a panel at an event hosted by Catholic and Lutheran campus ministries: “Faithful Citizenship: A Christian Perspective on Voting and Political Involvement” on Oct. 21 at UW-Eau Claire

Federal – This month, LOPPW will set a plan to build awareness and advocacy on the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, the EPA rule on carbon dioxide emissions, and other federal issues related to environment. Additionally, LOPPW’s director was at a third 2015 Advocacy Day planning committee meeting organized by the Wisconsin Council of Churches.

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October 12, 2014–Take the Invitation

Stephanie Opsal, Albuquerque, NM

​

Warm-up Question

How do you choose what to “like” or “follow” on social media?

Take the Invitation

How many times every day on Facebook are you asked to join a group, answer a friend request, or play the latest online game?  Perhaps today more than ever, we are bombarded with invitations.  Some are very significant, such as a family member’s wedding announcement, but many are very trivial:  “[Insert name here] has invited you to play a game of Words with Friends.”

shutterstock_193013642editEvery request to which we answer “yes” implies an investment.  When we choose to invest our time in a new friend or game we show what values are important to us.  Do you spend all day playing online games?  If so, you reveal that you enjoy and value those activities.  Do you actually communicate with the “friends” or “followers” you have on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram?  If not, why did you say yes to their invitations?

In the same way that we are cautious about what personal information we reveal online, we need to be aware of how many different events, causes, groups, and friend requests we accept.  “Likes” and things we “follow” reveal our personality and help form the identity that we represent to the world.  Do you want to be known as a gamer?  A soccer fan?  A Christian?  A supporter of cancer research?  A follower of a famous actress? What you say “yes” to says a lot about your character.

For some games and applications, you have to sign contracts or consent to license agreements and stick to the program’s terms.  When you’re in, you have to play by the rules.  Think twice before automatically signing “yes” to every invitation that comes your way.

Discussion Questions

  • Discuss some of the people you follow, things you support, or games you play on social media websites, such as Facebook or Twitter.  What things do you check the most?  Why?
  • Do you ever “like” or “follow” something that you do not truly care about?  Why or why not?  Do you think this hurts anything?

Lectionary 28

Isaiah 25:1-9

Philippians 4:1-9

Matthew 22:1-14

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

In our Gospel story, Jesus tells a parable about a wedding feast.  A king is throwing a banquet for his son, but the guests he had previously invited now refuse to come.  Twice he sends servants to the intended guests, telling them it is time to come to the celebration.  Instead of jumping on board, they go off on their own way.  Some even brutally attack the messengers.  The king destroys those murderers and burns the city.

The king tells his servants to go out to the streets and invite everyone they can.  The servants bring in many new people, of both good and bad reputations, and fill the banquet hall. Though many are poor, dirty, or stuck in sin, the king gives them a place at his banquet table.

Happy ending, right?  Not quite.  One new guest does not put on the wedding garments.  In this historical context, the host always gave guests specific garments that were to be worn for weddings.  This clothing was free and readily available for all guests.  All were expected to wear them.  A guest who chose not to wear the garment would come across as arrogant, as if he or she was too good to wear the standard dress.  The guest would suggest that he or she did not truly want to take part in the ceremony.

The unfortunate fellow who did not wear the wedding garments was tied up and thrown out of the feast.  The issue was not that the newly-invited man from the street could not afford the right clothing, but rather he was given the proper attire as a gift and yet chose not to wear it.  He  thought he could do whatever he wanted, when he actuality needed the son’s covering to receive his place.

This parable is a beautiful illustration of God’s story of saving you and me.  The book of Revelation talks about the Son of God having a magnificent wedding feast to reunite Christ and his beloved bride, the church, at the end of time:

 

“‘Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding feast of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ Then the angel said to me, ‘Write:  ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”  And he added,  ‘These are the true words of God.'”–  Revelation 19:6B-9 (NIV)

Jesus offers an open invitation to his eternal wedding feast, but people have to come ready, clothed in his fine linen, which is Christ’s righteousness.  When Christ died on the cross for all the world’s sins, He made His people clean, covered by His righteousness.  They need only they believe that it is true and accept that righteousness.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The parable suggests that Jesus invites everyone to come to His feast, both the religious people you might expect to follow God and the broken, weary, sinful, sick, poor, and dirty people.  All are welcome in God’s house.

Two conditions prevent the parable’s potential guests from enjoying the banquet.  The original guests say “no,” quite possibly more concerned about their own money and well-being than God’s desires.  As a result, the king declares, “Those invited were not worthy,” (v. 8).  The improperly clothed man got a free invitation but spoiled his chances by not wearing the required, yet freely available, attire.

What does this mean for us?  Christ offers all an invitation to follow Him.  He loves us so much that he keeps offering open invitations.  However, we cannot get into the party by our own merit.  We are saved by his work, but we do have to accept the gift.  Otherwise we will be left, like the invited, no-show guests at the beginning of the parable or the unprepared man at the end.

Give your life to following God.  Accept that you need Christ’s forgiveness of sins to receive heaven.  This is one invitation you cannot pass up.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Why would the first invited group of guests refuse to come?  Why do people choose not to follow Jesus and accept His gift of eternal life?
  • Do you think it was fair that the improperly dressed man was abusively kicked out of the banquet?
  • Discuss what you think the final verse (v. 14) means:  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
  • Can we follow Christ half-heartedly as we do with many of our social media interests?

Activity Suggestions

  • Look up your own most-used social media profile page, such as Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, or Pinterest.  View your page objectively, as if you had never seen it before.  How would you describe yourself, based on the things you see written on the page, causes you support, and people with whom you interact?  Think about what your page says about your outlook on life, values, attitude, faith, friendships, and identity.  Is your page an accurate representation?  If not, why not?  Decide what image you want the world to see.  Are there some things you would like to change?  Change things, delete things you no longer commit to, and refresh your social media identity to be who you want to be.
  • Draw a picture of a “wedding garment” or make a list, and write or draw things about yourself and God that you want to represent to the world.  What are some qualities of Christ’s righteousness?  Search your Bible for Jesus’ character traits, and write things that you want to increase in your life, (e.g. love, forgiveness, kindness).

Closing Prayer

Jesus,

We praise you for teaching us about yourself and your ways through  parables.  Lord, we want to follow you whole-heartedly, know your love for us, and sit at your heavenly wedding banquet.  Help us to live in your way and invite others to know you.  We love you.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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