Skip to content

ELCA Blogs

Announcing a New Partnership and Grant Opportunity: ELCA World Hunger and the Campus Kitchens Project!

Ryan P. Cumming

WH_4_color_Small_WebsiteCKP_Logo-Black

Anyone familiar with a college or university knows that there is a LOT happening on campuses these days!  More and more students are becoming involved in service and activism, on campus and off.  The leadership, creativity and passion for justice among college students are amazing, and we are happy to announce a new opportunity for students to fight hunger in their communities!

Through an ELCA World Hunger Education grant, ELCA World Hunger and the Campus Kitchens Project (CKP) have launched a new opportunity for ELCA colleges and universities and Lutheran Campus Ministries on public and private campuses.  With this partnership between ELCA World Hunger and CKP, students that are eager to start or to deepen their anti-hunger work will have access to funding and support to launch a Campus Kitchen at their school!

This year, ELCA World Hunger will provide up to $5,000 each to two campuses to launch Campus Kitchens at their schools!  This start-up funding will help new kitchens build support and meet the needs for a successful launch.  In addition, CKP and ELCA World Hunger will help provide assistance and support during the launch, including helping link campuses with community partners.

The Campus Kitchens Project is a national non-profit that empowers student leaders to create innovative and sustainable solutions to hunger. Campus Kitchen students rescue food that would have gone to waste from a variety of sources, primarily their on-campus dining hall cafeterias, but also from local restaurants, supermarkets, food banks, and farms and use that food to prepare and serve balanced nutritious meals food insecure residents in their communities. Students involved in Campus Kitchens learn to see wasted resources as a sustainable solution to community issues and gain valuable service learning and leadership experiences, which build upon and enhance their work in the classroom.

The model CKP provides has had a tremendous impact in communities.  In the 2013-2014 school year alone, more than 19,000 student volunteers dedicated nearly 75,000 hours to recover 939,034 pounds of food for 8,509 clients!  What is more, 95% of students involved with CKP report that they have acquired skills that make them more likely to find a job, and 90% say they are more likely to address food insecurity in their own communities after graduation.

As readers of this blog know, ELCA World Hunger is dedicated to addressing the root causes of hunger, to be sure that families and individuals can feed themselves in the long-term.  Both the ELCA and CKP share this focus.  As folks from CKP will say, “We can’t feed ourselves out of hunger.”  Ending hunger requires a complex, multi-pronged approach based in relationships with neighbors.  For students involved with CKP, the relationships built through programs at their Campus Kitchens are the most energizing part of their work.  And it is these relationships built through sharing food that give students and partners a way to go deeper into hunger, providing nutritional education, SNAP outreach, and a variety of other programs to address the many-layered causes of hunger in their communities.

We had our first webinar yesterday to showcase this opportunity, and you can check it out below!  You can also find a recording of it here.  To learn more about the grant and how to apply, visit www.campuskitchens.org/elca or email ELCA World Hunger Education at Ryan.Cumming@elca.org.  To learn more about Campus Kitchens that are already up and running, check out Augsburg College’s Campus Kitchen or the Campus Kitchen at Minnesota State University, Mankato!

 

Share

February 15, 2015–Ending Leprosy

Erik Ullestad–West Des Moines, IA

​

Warm-up Question

What’s the sickest you’ve ever been?  How were you treated for your illness?

Ending Leprosy

World Leprosy Day was recently observed on Sunday, January 25.  Though this disease has a known cure, over 200,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.  Many people are not able to access the multi-drug therapy required to treat leprosy.

shutterstock_112584377edit

Leprosy, also called Hansen’s disease, is caused by slow-multiplying bacteria that incubate for up to five years.  Symptoms of leprosy include painful skin lesions and growths; thick, stiff, or dry skin; muscle weakness and paralysis; enlarged nerves; eye problems; and ulcers on the bottom of feet.  Complications can arise that result in other physical deformities such as the loss of fingers and toes.

The majority of people afflicted with leprosy live in places that have enacted laws which discriminate against people with the disease.  In India, for example, there are fifteen laws that target people with leprosy – including preventing them from holding public office or obtaining a driver’s license.  Laws in Thailand and Nepal place restrictions on employment and marriage for people with leprosy.  Through the efforts of World Leprosy Day, the World Health Organization hopes to remove the social stigmas associated with this disease in order that more people will be diagnosed and cured.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Did you know what leprosy was before reading the article?
  • How might this illness affect a person’s ability to live a normal life?
  • Why do you think leprosy continues to spread even though it’s completely curable?
  • If you were to get sick with something like leprosy, how would you go about being treated?

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

(Editor’s note–This week we depart from the lectionary’s observance of Transfiguration.)

2 Kings 5:1-14

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Mark 1:40-45

(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 B at Lectionary Readings

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

 

Gospel Reflection

The second half of Mark’s first chapter is all about healing.  Early on we see that Jesus has both the power and the ability to make people whole.  These miracles not only gave hope to the people who were healed, it also put Jesus in the precarious position of being in the spotlight.

In today’s story of the cleansing of the leper, we see that it is the man’s faith in Jesus that opens the door to his healing.  Yet it is Jesus who chooses to cleanse the man of leprosy.  By removing the leprosy, Jesus also removes the social stigma that came with it.  Leprosy is a highly contagious disease.  In those days the only way to prevent the spread of leprosy was to isolate people with the disease.  They were cast off from their friends, family, and religious community.  A leper lived a painful, shameful, and lonely life.  Imagine the immense joy felt by this man who was healed by Jesus.

Jesus instructed the cleansed leper to do two things – (1) don’t tell anyone, and (2) present yourself to the priest.  At this point in time Jesus was already starting to become overwhelmed with the crowds that were following him.  These large gatherings may have been somewhat inconvenient, but they also presented a security risk for Jesus.  The more his popularity grew, the more likely it was that government and religious leaders would see him as a threat.  Jesus was attempting to keep the crowds small while also telling the religious leaders that he comes in the name of the same God they believe in.

It’s not surprising to read that the man couldn’t keep this news to himself.  How can someone keep quiet when their life has been forever changed?!  The man told everyone who would hear, which made life more difficult for Jesus.  He would continue his ministry of healing and teaching, but it was a very different existence from then on.

Discussion Questions

  • Have you ever seen a miracle happen to someone?
  • When have you felt desperate for healing or change in your life?
  • How would you respond to Jesus’ healing if you were a leper?
  • Why do you think Jesus wanted the man to not tell anyone?

Activity Suggestions

Hospitals and nursing homes are filled with people in need of healing – and not just the kind of healing that comes from doctors and medicine.  Contact a local residential care facility and ask how your group might help bring hope to their residents.  This might be a musical performance, a skit, a worship service, Bible study, or playing board games.  Be sure to talk with your group before your outing about how to appropriately interact with aging, ill, or disabled people.  Encourage them to be agents of Christ’s love through their words and actions.

Closing Prayer

God of hope, help us trust in your power to heal us.  Give us confidence to show your love and compassion to those in need.  Amen.

Share

ELCA State Advocacy Update: February 2015

ELCA Advocacy

​Lutherans are taking action across the country! Below you will find our monthly State Advocacy Newsletter. Share with your friends!

———————————————

Washington, D.C.
Advocacy Director, Stacy Martin

LOGUMWe are a church energized by lively engagement in our faith and life. Informed by our Lutheran heritage and theology, the ELCA works for change in public policy based on the experience of Lutheran ministries and programs in communities around the world. We work to create and influence public policies that embody the biblical values of peacemaking, hospitality to our neighbors, care for creation, and concern for our sisters and brothers facing poverty and struggling with hunger or disease. As we engage with our elected officials in Congress and the administration in 2015, we work with a focus on the following advocacy priorities:

Addressing root causes of poverty and injustice internationally. This year, ELCA Advocacy will work to pass the Food for Peace Act, the International Violence Against Women Act, and will address funding needs for humanitarian relief and promote peace in the Middle East. In 2015, we will improve the treatment of migrants in-transit and seek opportunities to address the root causes of migration in Central America by ensuring policies uphold human rights and dignity. “Our calling to love of neighbor obligates us to act to prevent wars and seek alternatives to them” (ELCA Social Statement, “For Peace in God’s World”).

Caring for all of God’s creation. We look forward to gathering support for a strong Endangered Species Act, working to protect water and air standards, and continuing to encourage a strong and proactive U.S. position in the negotiations for the Paris climate change agreement. “Made in the image of God, we believe that we are called to care for the earth as God cares for the earth” (ELCA Social Statement, “Caring for Creation”).

Standing with our communities facing poverty and struggling with hunger and disease. Advocacy will work to help end hunger by enhancing domestic programs, including reauthorizing the Child Nutrition and WIC Act, supporting older Americans, establishing a sufficient living wage, securing funding for low-income housing, caring for veterans, ensuring a fair tax policy, and reforming education systems. “Out of deep concern for those affected adversely by poverty, we find it a moral imperative to seek a sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all” (ELCA Social Statement, “Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All”).

———————————————

New York, NY
Advocacy Director, Dennis Frado

At the United Nations: This past January, LOWC collaborated on various documentary screenings at the U.N. Church Center and in New York focusing on detention facilities throughout the United States. Students from the University of Maryland visited LOWC on Jan. 16 to learn about the U.N.’s structure and focal points for the work of our office.

Hunger Leadership Gathering: ELCA Advocacy staff from our New York and Washington offices also participated and collaborated with Global Mission and ELCA World Hunger to lead workshops about proposed U.N. sustainability goals and action through advocacy at the ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering in San Francisco.

———————————————

California
Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy- CA ​

1ELCA Hunger Leadership Gathering: The Lutheran Office of Public Policy – CA, as a participant in the Sierra Pacific Synod Hunger Team, helped welcome participants to the San Francisco area, including several advocacy colleagues. LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson, in cooperation with ELCA World Hunger staff and Oakland congregations, helped initiate site visits and neighborhood walks in Oakland. We walked to the Remember Them monument, and returned to San Francisco past BART’s Fruitvale Station, the location of the Oscar Grant shooting. Later, ELCA Director of Domestic Policy John Johnson joined Mark in Sacramento for the annual MLK365 march, which drew an estimated 29,000 walkers.

Sustainable Development Goals and the U.N. 70th anniversary:2 Mark joined ELCA pastors and community representatives in an initial planning meeting for a Swedish church choir visit to California. A focus of the event will be celebration of progress made on the Millennium Development Goals and call to action on the new Sustainable Development Goals.

———————————————

Colorado
Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Colorado 

Families living in poverty: Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado Director Peter Severson testified before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in support of a bill to allow child-support payments from non-custodial parents to “pass through” to the child in cases where the custodial family is also receiving benefits from the Colorado Works program (SB15-012). LAM-CO supports this change to allow children living in poverty to gain the benefit of child-support payments that are owed to them, overwhelmingly used for basic medical, educational and food expenses.

Affordable housing: LAM-CO is supporting a bill to use money from a surcharge increase on county documents for an affordable housing fund administered by the Colorado Housing Finance Authority (SB15-079).

Events: Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado will host its 2015 Faith Advocacy Day on Feb. 16 under the theme “Homelessness and Justice.” Register by clicking here. Director Peter Severson was present at the 2015 ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering in San Francisco to lift up the critical role of advocacy in the domestic work of ELCA World Hunger.

———————————————

Minnesota
Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota 

State Legislature: The Legislature is in full swing with new legislators and with quite a shake-up of several House committees bringing a new rural-urban divide. Perceptions are that rural legislators were left out of all major decisions, so the educational focus needs to emphasize Greater Minnesota. In addition to coalition efforts to educate legislators, Lutheran Advocacy-MN Director Tammy Walhof is working to bring Lutheran advocates up to speed.

Housing/homelessness: At a hearing last week, it became clear there is an effort by some legislators to direct new funding to higher income renters/owners. Lutheran voices focused on “the least of these” will be especially important in this context. In collaboration with Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities, Tammy met Republican Rep. Anna Wills of St. Paul. She agreed to be lead author of the House Homeless Youth Bill.

Clean energy and jobs campaign: Efforts are underway to secure lead authors. Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota was a key player with other partners in planning Clean Energy Day at the Capitol on Feb. 2 at Christ Lutheran on Capitol Hill (location of Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota).

Payday lending: We are building from previous efforts.

Upcoming advocacy days: Thursday, Feb. 19 – Lutheran Bishop/Legislator Breakfast and Lutheran Pastor’s Day for Advocacy Day; Tuesday, March 10 – Day on the Hill with Interfaith Partners (Joint Religious Legislative Coalition).

———————————————

​Nevada
Rev. Mike Patterson, Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Nevada https://leanforjustice.wordpress.com/

Legislative forum on MLK Day: Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy in Nevada held the first legislative forum event on the Martin Luther King holiday to learn about issues that will be coming up in the 2015 legislative session.  James Hardesty, chief justice of the State Supreme Court, was the featured speaker. He gave credit to the faith community for its advocacy in past years for rehabilitation and re-entry programs, saying it has changed the culture at the Nevada Department of Corrections. Other speakers spoke about the needs of the hungry in our state, education, and the continued need to work for the rights of all minorities in Nevada.

Backpacks for a cause: Also on the holiday legislators joined in the “Backpack Challenge.” Legislators were allowed to pack school supplies for Title 1 schools in their respective districts. The challenge was designed to demonstrate to legislators that our schools need proper funding. Supplies came for donations by member churches and a special price break from an office supply company.

​———————————————

​New Mexico
Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico 

3Commitment to hunger: The legislative session is off to a rocky start as the Republicans took control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in over 60 years. The first week was taken up with reorganization of the House and the House standing committees. LAM-NM has been working to introduce our work to the many new House members.

4Prayers for leaders: On opening day, LAM-NM Director Ruth Hoffman joined other faith leaders in offering prayers for the people of our state and for elected leaders to have the political will and courage to stand with our many neighbors living in poverty and hunger. Ruth was also invited to join faith leaders in an informal conversation with the Rev. James Forbes about the nature of and need for public witness.

​———————————————

Pennsylvania
Amy Reumann, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania 

5ELCA World Hunger Leaders: LAMPa staff met in San Francisco, including a dinner with Pennsylvania hunger leaders (pictured), where six synods shared the effort in their part of the state and learned how we can collaborate, connecting our work, particularly around the churchwide Day of Service and Advocacy.

Education: LAMPa advocates called lawmakers for a statewide day of action on education funding. LAMPa voted as part of the Campaign for Fair Education Funding on a proposed formula as recommendation. LAMPa Associate Director Tracey DePasquale met with the incoming governor’s policy director to advocate for trauma-informed education and later traveled to Glade Run Lutheran Services to see work they are doing in education with victims of childhood trauma.

Immigration: Amy addressed an Immigration Forum at Trinity, New Holland, and Tracey met with a York County commissioner about funding for an immigration detainee visitation program.

Hunger: LAMPa staff met with leaders of Hunger-Free Lancaster County about the church’s leadership in hunger work. We met with the new chair of the House Housing and Urban Affairs Committee about expanding the state Housing Trust Fund. LAMPa is partnering with social ministry organizations in an access to benefits training in Philadelphia.

———————————————

Virginia
Marco Grimaldo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy 

Little agreement in legislation: Virginia is in the middle of a 45 day legislative session and so far very little legislation has been agreed to. While there is an agreement in principle for the governor’s budget amendments to the biennial budget, the bills we support, including raising the minimum wage, making Virginia’s Earned Income Credit refundable, and a range of bills to offer protection from predatory lending and gun violence, have had a much more difficult time.

Day for All People: On Jan. 20, 2015, we hosted 250 advocates, including 90 leaders supporting just immigration policies, who visited with legislators as part of our Day for All People advocacy day. Many had previously met with their legislators prior to the session and now returned to stress their support for specific bills.

Synod-wide Childhood Hunger Task Force: Bishop Jim Mauney of the Virginia Synod has convened a Childhood Hunger Task Force, and we are supporting him in his work to call other faith leaders to address policies that will help hungry children. Bishop Mauney now serves on the Governor’s Commission to Close the Nutritional Divide. We were also pleased to recently work with Bishop Mauney on an article for the Richmond Times Dispatch’s editorial page.

​———————————————

​Washington
Paul Benz, Faith Action Network 

FAN-WA is busy in the third week of a 15-week legislative session. Here are some of the key issues we are working on this month:

Reducing wealth inequality: A Wage Theft package of four bills: wage recovery for employees, anti-retaliation protections, employee misclassification by the employer, triple damages/penalties for unscrupulous employers. A minimum wage bill would increase the minimum wage to $12 in four years.

Education for inmates: Lifting the state prohibition on the Department of Corrections to use public funds for post-secondary educational programming. Currently our state cannot educate inmates beyond a GED.

Immigration: Establish a “bright line” between federal immigration enforcement and local law agencies (county sheriffs and municipal police chiefs). The goal is to reduce federal detentions and deportations – called the Family Unity Act.

Building our networks: FAN is busy with legislative and advocacy forums in eastern and central Washington and the Capital. Our staff will be hosting guest sermons and educational forums at churches in Seattle, Pullman and Spokane, as well as at the ELCA Bishop’s Southwestern Washington Synod Convocation.

​———————————————

Wisconsin
Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin 

Bishops and LOPPW: At the beginning of this biennial budget season, all Wisconsin bishops and LOPPW sent a letter to the governor and to each state Senate and Assembly member.

Letter writing on prison reform: At the annual Epiphany Celebration at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Stevens Point, LOPPW gave a presentation and organized a letter-writing table (focus on prison reform for 17-year-old youth). Check out a great letter written by one of Redeemer’s high school students.

6Human trafficking: LOPPW/Cherish All Children’s kickoff event for our Safe Harbor Campaign on Feb. 7 in Menomonie received Eau Claire television coverage. Our task force members, Robbie Joern and the Rev. Diane House (also LOPPW council member) were interviewed. Also, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Wisconsin Council of Churches and Fierce Freedom are now sponsoring our March rally.

FoodShare and minimum wage: The director is in dialogue with members of the ELCA who work directly with FoodShare recipients who have lost benefits and is planning meetings with representatives to make the problems known and to share our concerns about further barriers placed in front of FoodShare recipients. We will also discuss a drafted bill on minimum wage.

Share

The grace of a new beginning

In his poem “For a New Beginning,” John O. Donohue writes:

Though your destination is not clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is one with your life’s desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

I recognize that everyone has a comfort zone. How hard (and how often) are you willing to work to get out of it? Many who have chosen to come to Detroit this summer chose to do so because something – someone – was urging them forward to experience new ground. The “destination is not [always] clear” but, as Donohue reminds us, we can “trust the promise.”

To the nearly 30,000 people who have already registered for the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering, thank you for being willing to “unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning.” And, with Donohue, I pray that you are awakened to the Spirit of adventure in you, that you hold nothing back, that you discover the new rhythm that awaits you in Detroit and join your soul to the world you will experience there.

Share

Ebola Outbreak: Ebola at Christmas and plans for long-term recovery

Megan Brandsrud

​children in Morabie community showing food from distribution

Pictured: Children of Morabie Community in Sierra Leone show food they received. Photo courtesy of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone.

Christmas is usually a time for parties and a time when families travel from all corners to gather together to celebrate. It is a time to join together in worship to celebrate the birth of the newborn king. However, Christmas was different this year in Liberia and Sierra Leone, two countries that continue to fight against Ebola.

In Liberia, even though the number of new cases of Ebola had been declining, large gatherings in the capital city of Monrovia were banned to help prevent people from gathering together and potentially spreading the virus.

Sierra Leone at Christmas had – and continues to have – a higher number of Ebola cases than Liberia. Parts of the country were on total lockdown over the holiday, quarantining people to their homes. Transportation was restricted and shops were closed. The only exception to the lockdown was the permission for Christians to gather at churches for Christmas Day services.

Lutheran Disaster Response, working with our global companion churches, activated food distributions to assist households with food security for the Christmas holiday.

  • Working with the Lutheran Church in Liberia, Lutheran Disaster Response assisted with food distribution in six territories, providing one month’s supply of oil, rice and fish to approximately 1,000 households.
  • Partnering with the Northern Texas – Northern Louisiana Synod, Lutheran Disaster Response worked with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone to provide food assistance for 275 households in five districts and for approximately 600 children in quarantined homes across six communities.

“The Christmas food distribution was a lifeline for many desperate and needy brothers and sisters in the communities served,” Bishop Thomas Barnett of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone said. “It brought the Church to the people and enlivened for many the message of love and hope. In short, I am humbly proud to say that our [relationship] with the ELCA continues to be our most empowering and effective tool of evangelism.”

According to a Jan. 30, 2015, report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that week there were fewer than 100 new confirmed Ebola cases for the first time since June 29, 2014. While the number of new cases of Ebola is declining, Lutheran Disaster Response is still walking with our global companion churches in the affected region as we pray for health and continued prevention. Lutheran Disaster Response is also shifting its focus from immediate response to long-term recovery in Liberia and Sierra Leone by helping strengthen health systems, providing support to orphans and youth affected by Ebola, promoting hygiene and assisting with job creation.

Join us in praying for people in West Africa who have been and continue to be affected by Ebola. We pray for those who have lost loved ones and those who have lost jobs. We also say prayers of thanks for the declining number of new Ebola cases and the recovery work that is being done.

If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in the fight against Ebola, please visit the giving page.

Share

February 8, 2015–Too Tired to Care

Warm-up Question

  • Set up an imaginary scale across the room where you are meeting, ranging from 0 to 10.  Ask people to stand in various places on the imaginary scale based on this series of questions:  1. How tired are you right now, today? (0 = exhausted, need to go back to bed for a whole day;  10 = most energetic ever) 2. How tired are you usually, on average?  (same scale) 3. How confident are you that when you are stressed or exhausted that you will be able to set aside time to get the rest you need?  (0 = can’t count on that at all, it’s out of my control;  10 = I can rest whenever I need to)
  • How important do you think rest is to doing well in school, family, work, other relationships, life in general?
  • Finally, an opinion question:  Of the ten commandments (can anyone name them, by the way?) a number of them are commands that involve ways we contribute to our own communities and the world around us, but only the third commandment (by the Roman Catholic and Lutheran numbering;  it’s number 4 in Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, and other Protestant traditions) commands us to observe a Sabbath rest.  If there doesn’t seem to be enough time in life to honor both aspects of the commandments, should one be sacrificed in favor of the other?  Does God consider one to be more important than the other?

Too Tired to Care?

The January 15, 2015 issue of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services carried an in-depth article on the potentially dangerous effects of fatigue on those who work in emergency services. For decades, the 24-hour work shift (2-3 times a week) has been the norm in the industry of emergency medicine and other emergency response professions such as firefighting, so that it is common for everyone from ER doctors and surgeons to ambulance drivers to pharmacists to work shifts that start at 6am one day and do not end until 6am the next day.

shutterstock_202169833editThis pattern persists largely because it is believed that giving people a full day’s break between the strains of trauma response is better for them, plus it’s also apparently cost-effective.  It’s also simply the way things have been for a while and it would be a lot of work to change them.  However, experts in the field of emergency medical care as well as those who are responsible for oversight and evaluation of the medical providers – insurance and government entities especially – are starting to pay attention to the risks that are present when someone who has had no sleep for nearly a whole day is trying to make complex decisions about things like evaluating patient vital signs or measuring dosages of medicine.

The phenomenon of “burnout,” where people in caregiving professions work so hard and absorb so many emotional demands that they run out of energy and lose their ability to perform effectively, has led to frequent early resignations among emergency care workers.  This has long been recognized and has for many years been attributed to the stress of dealing with injury and death on a regular basis.  But now fresh studies are starting to reveal what must surely be obvious to many people outside the medical profession – that simply being awake for a straight 24 hours with no attention to mental rejuvenation, let alone physical rejuvenation, may be the real culprit in early burnout, not to mention increasing the risk of some very serious errors in emergency treatment.  As a result, emergency care providers are rethinking the risks involved with long shifts of caregiving to the point of exhaustion.

Discussion Questions

  • What are some of the strains on caregivers that might be associated with long shifts or lack of rest in general?
  • How does lack of rest or too much mental/emotional strain affect you personally?  If you are a student, what effect does being tired or overstressed have on the quality of your school work or your relationships?
  • Many people, when they hear for the first time about 24-hour shifts, are shocked and can’t imagine how anyone does this, but others say that you’re just cut out for it or you’re not.  Do you think you could be one of those emergency workers who works on a schedule like that?  Or do you need your sleep on a really regular schedule?

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 40:21-31

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Mark 1:29-39

(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 B at Lectionary Readings

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

 

Gospel Reflection

For a long time, commentators on Mark’s gospel have noticed that Jesus’ work in the first half of the gospel is characterized by three major activities that signal the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God:  preaching, teaching, and healing.  In this story we are still in the very first chapter Mark, near the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, but already we see all three of these activities represented, with Jesus emerging from teaching in the synagogue (vs. 29), healing Simon’s mother-in-law (vs. 31), and moving on to preach in the rest of Galilee (vs. 39).

The fourth activity represented here that is often overlooked as a “kingdom-oriented” activity is that of resting and praying.  It is mentioned specifically again with respect to Jesus and his disciples in chapter 6 and hinted at in many other places all the way through Jesus’ arrest at Gethsemane in chapter 14.  In several other places we are told that Jesus was overwhelmed by the size and volume of the crowd that was facing him, sometimes even asking his disciples to plan an escape route (3:9).

We should not fail to notice that even Jesus rested and took time for private prayer and communion with God.  Particularly in Mark, where so much happens so fast and the word “immediately” appears more than 40 times, it is refreshing to see Jesus take time out to care for his human capacity for fatigue.  We should also note that this attentiveness to resting when tired or overburdened was connected not only to his physical or emotional needs, but just as much to the life of the spirit.

Another dimension of life in the Kingdom of God is illustrated by the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law.  As with so many characters in Mark’s gospel, she receives Jesus’ miraculous grace and then at once starts engaging in the very activities to which Jesus’ followers are called as they take their places as ministers of God’s kingdom.  In this case, she begins serving them.  On one level, it could just mean that she brings them snacks, but the deeper meaning is that she now becomes a servant to others, which is what we are all called to do, just as the man delivered of a demon in chapter 5 will immediately become a witness and Bartimaeus in chapter 9 will immediately become a disciple after being healed of blindness.

The command to the demons that they should be silent may come as a puzzling feature in this passage.  One of the interesting literary tricks in Mark is that the very ones who are religious insiders (including the disciples!) tend not to recognize who Jesus is, or at least they can’t seem to figure him out; only those who are on the fringe or outsiders (the physically injured, unclean spirits, the Roman centurion) know him for who he is – the Son of God.  As we read along, it’s as if Mark wants the disciples and other onlookers to recognize Jesus’ divine identity because of what’s happening and not because they heard someone (even a demonic spirit) say so.

We’re supposed to get frustrated with those who should be catching on to this immediately and then should be actively, excitedly proclaiming this truth.  But then, Mark perhaps wants us to wonder, why do we ourselves not do that?  So the frustration we might experience because of the characters in the gospel can be turned back on ourselves and transformed into inspiration for us to notice when Jesus is present in our own lives but we do not recognize him because we aren’t paying attention or we’re looking for something different.

Discussion Questions

  • Dealing with people in Mark’s gospel seems to wear Jesus out.  This may be one of the most honest and authentic aspects of Jesus’ human nature.  Even the disciples exasperate him on occasion (8:21;  8:23; 9:19; 14:37).
  • In response, Jesus devotes himself to prayer and, when necessary, solitude.  How do we take care of our whole selves, not just the body and the mind, but also the spirit?
  • Many people find that a routine of prayer, possibly including simple quiet meditation, is an essential piece of self-care that not only allows them to be good stewards of their own lives, but also connects rest with growth in discerning God’s presence and purposes.  What are the faith practices represented in our own group that combine rest and self-care with nurturing faith?
  • Other people find that separating the work of restful prayer from the rest of life is an artificial division that does not leave them refreshed, so they practice what is sometimes called “noisy contemplation,” or prayer in the midst of activity.  We might imagine
    Simon’s mother-in-law, surely filled with heart-felt thanks for being healed (and maybe still even recovering from sickness?), nevertheless moving forward immediately into acts of service and finding her energy for loving and communing with God there.  What are some good examples of quick on-the-run prayers or opportunities for prayer that we can practice?

Activity Suggestions

  • Make a covenant as a group to keep a Sabbath day.  Identify a day –  either Saturday or Sunday may be a good choice – where you set aside as many of the things you do just by habit as possible and rest.  You might even try it for just a six-hour stretch.  (It might also be a good activity for a retreat or lock-in).  Start by turning off your cell phone and computer and staying away from radio and television.  As a group, come up with a set of prayers that you can say on each hour while you’re letting your mind settle down.  Then keep a brief journal of how you feel – physically, spiritually, mentally – as the time passes.  When you next re-gather as a group, share your experiences and journal notes.
  • Identify medical care givers or emergency responders in your congregation and either invite them to talk with you about how they care for themselves or what their prayer and worship lives are like, given that they often spend time with many people who are victims of injury or tragedy.

Closing Prayer

Loving God, we give you thanks for providing us with times for renewal, even as you also give us work to carry out in your kingdom.  We pray that you would reveal your Son Jesus to us in all that we do, whether we are alone or with others, whether we are overwhelmed or at rest.  And in all things, we pray that you would make us good witnesses to the healing grace that you have given to us and to the world in which we live. In Jesus’ name we pray.

 

​

Share

A Lutheran’s Guide to Methane Regulations

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. – Genesis 2:15

In January, the Obama administration announced their plan with the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce methane gas emissions from the oil and gas sector over the next ten years. The plan will result in a 40-45 percent reduction in methane emissions, and a lot of people are excited about the plan.

That may leave you wondering: What’s so exciting about methane regulations? Below, some questions about methane and the plan put forth by the White House and the EPA are answered.

1. What is methane?

Methane is the primary component of natural gas, and is also considered to be a greenhouse gas. This means that methane warms the atmosphere when it is leaked into the air before use.

2. What’s so bad about it?

While methane only accounts for about 9 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, it is far more dangerous than carbon dioxide. In fact, over a hundred-year period, when compared pound-for-pound, methane’s impact on climate change is twenty times worse than carbon dioxide.

3. Don’t methane emissions come from a lot of sources?

Yes, methane emissions come from a variety of sources, including landfills, coal mining, and even cow manure. However, the oil and gas industry is the largest contributor to methane emissions, with 29 percent coming from the industry according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The good news, though, is that there’s a lot that can be done to curb the emissions.

4. What does the plan call for?

There are a lot of components to the plan put forth by the White House and the EPA. The most important piece of the plan is its call to set new standards for methane emissions from new sources. While this piece of the plan has been criticized for only affecting new sources and not existing ones, it is still a sign of hope for change to come.

5. Why should I care?

As people of faith, we are called to care for creation. As we see in Genesis 2:15, God placed Adam in the garden to care for it. Although generations have passed since Adam’s creation, we are still called to do this work. Greenhouse gases have contributed to climate change, resulting in numerous problems like rising sea levels, extreme weather, and more frequent wildfires. The effects of climate change are most felt by vulnerable groups like children and low-income families, groups of people that we are called through faith to care for and defend. By reducing methane emissions, we answer the call to care for the earth and our communities.

This is just the beginning of the journey to reduce methane emissions. In the coming months, stay tuned for ways that you can help contribute to the conversation.

Share