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Fight Hunger, Work for Peace

Ryan P. Cumminig

A new United Nations-supported report offers tragic insight into the effects of the conflict in Syria.  Since the conflict broke out four years ago, rates of poverty and hunger have skyrocketed, life expectancy has fallen by nearly 20 years, and nearly 10 million people (more than half of the population) have fled their homes in search of safety.  At the end of last year, 82.5% of people in Syria were living in poverty, an increase from 64.7% in 2013.  Perhaps more startling, at the end of 2014, 30% of families and individuals were living in what the report calls “abject poverty,” meaning that they could not afford even their most basic food needs.

There are a lot of reasons for such deep and broad poverty in Syria:

  • Violence and the threat of violence have forced workers to flee their homes and jobs;
  • Destruction of land and irrigation systems has made farming very difficult;
  • Rising food prices have made it challenging for many people to afford their basic needs;
  • Crop production was hit hard by both the conflict and the long drought in Syria.  Wheat and barley production, for example, was down 25% just from 2013 to 2014;
  • Even in places not affected as much by the drought, armed conflict has made it dangerous for farmers to return to their land or to take their products to markets.

We’ve known for a long time that war is a major cause of hunger and poverty.  Threats to safety, the closing of markets, destruction of land and buildings – these sorts of things can have a long-lasting impact on the ability of people to feed themselves and their families.  While we are not currently supporting projects in Syria, ELCA World Hunger is involved in other projects that help to reduce conflict and foster peacemaking.

One ongoing project is focused on equipping youth to be leaders for peace.  With support from ELCA World Hunger, theWorld Student Christian Federation (WSCF) took twelve participants to Palestine in 2014, where they met with members of the Palestine Youth Ecumenical Movement to learn more about the realities of life in the midst of conflict there.  At a larger meeting in Jordan with other members of WSCF, the group heard from youth from other countries in the Middle East and reflected on ways to promote justice and peace throughout the region.  As one participant put it, the youth in attendance were “deeply transformed through the combination of friendship, solidarity, faith, and thinking together and are motivated to spread their voice and to take action.”  In 2015, the group is gearing up for a General Assembly and is ready to “make a bigger impact for justice and peace in the world, motivated by God’s love.”

Sometimes, ending hunger means providing a community meal or helping people facing hunger get access to training and education.  At other times, though, our work takes us to a different level, to a new root cause of hunger.  Here, among the tangles of causes, the church’s call to end hunger intersects with other vocations of people of faith – to be peacemakers, to be reconciled and reconciling, and to be passionate seekers of justice.  With faith and with each other, we, too, can “make a bigger impact” for justice, peace, and a world in which all are fed.

 

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is Program Director of Hunger Education for ELCA World Hunger.  He can be reached atRyan.Cumming@elca.org.

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April 5, 2015, Prove it!

Jay McDivitt, Waukesha, WI

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Warm-up Question

When has fear kept you from saying or doing something you know you should say or do?

Prove it!

Every year, right around Easter, someone somewhere “discovers” something “new” about Jesus – his life, his wife, his death, his resurrection, his friends, his existence… etc. It’s at least as predictable and timely as the Easter Bunny.

Not long ago, someone found an ankle bone with a nail in it, in a tomb that dates to the time of Christ. This was, apparently, a big deal. (Except, of course, for the fact that a resurrected Jesus wouldn’t leave bones behind… because…resurrection….)

2000 years later, many people are desperate to “prove” that Jesus lived, died, and was raised from the dead. At least as many other people are just as desperate to “prove” the opposite.

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The truth of the resurrection cannot be “proven” one way or the other. The very concept defies all expectations, logic, and science. It’s something that is received by faith – and experienced in daily life.

This doesn’t keep us from trying to “prove” it’s true – or prove it’s not, depending on your persuasion. But one does wonder, for those of us who want to believe the resurrection matters; couldn’t we find something else to do with our time and energy other than search for “proof”? More important, what if the “proof” is found in living the resurrection – living lives that make it clear (to others and to ourselves) that Christ is Risen?

Discussion Questions

  • What difference does it make to you whether the resurrection can be “proven” or not?
  • What would it look like to “live” the resurrection, rather than just “believe it” or “talk about it”?

Resurrection of our Lord/Easter Day

Acts 10:34-43

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Mark 16:1-8

John 20:1-18

(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

 

“…and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

These are the last words in the Gospel of Mark. (Yes, there are some more words in your Bible, but nearly every scholar in the world believes they were added much later by people who didn’t like how Mark ended his gospel.)

Let me say that again: These are the last words in the Gospel of Mark. “They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”  No wonder later Christians added to the story. This is a most alarming ending.

Jesus has been raised from the dead. All the torture and terror of Holy Week is in the past. The One Mary, Mary, and Salome thought was dead is no longer in the tomb. You’d think that would be a story worth telling. But no: “They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Why? Because “they were afraid.” Afraid of what? Afraid no one would believe them? Afraid it wasn’t really true? (After all – they didn’t see his body…) Afraid that the Romans who tried to kill Jesus would kill them, too, if they came out telling people he had survived?

All this – and more. Jesus told them this would happen (the resurrection). And the young man in white at the tomb told them to “go, tell…” But “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

And you know what: Me too. I’m afraid of what Jesus would say if he saw my life for what it really is. I’m afraid of what Jesus would ask me to do if I let go of all my assumptions and plans and other priorities and let Jesus “take the wheel.” I’m afraid of offending people. I’m afraid of sounding silly – talking about resurrection (seriously?!? Dead men stay dead…). I’m afraid of putting my time and energy into something that may not actually be real. I’m afraid of spiders, too… but that’s another story.

Maybe you’re afraid, too.

But here’s the deal: Mark is the oldest Gospel we have. It’s the first canonical story of Jesus written and preserved. And it ends with “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

And yet… someone told someone. Obviously – otherwise, there would be no Gospel of Mark. Or any other Gospel, for that matter – because the other Gospel writers used Mark as their source.

Somehow, the Word got out. Somehow, the Word of Resurrection Life escaped the fear of the women and the other disciples and got out. Somehow, God found a way to make sure that the whole world would know that Jesus had conquered death.

Somehow, this story grew and grew until it came to unlikely losers like me and you. Somehow, their fear and our fear were no match for God’s Word of Life.

This gift cannot be proven. God got rid of the evidence. No body, no bones. Probably because God knew that even the most air-tight, scientific, logical case would still be hard for some folks to believe.

But this gift is told and shared and lived – Every. Single. Day. By people who are afraid, but still open to the idea that God might do something new. By people who thought they had given up hope, but God showed up and made a way out of no-way. By people who dare to whisper or shout about the good things God has done. This story is being told and lived and experienced – and has been for nearly 2000 years. Despite fear’s best attempts at keeping it all under wraps.

And thanks be to God for that.

Discussion Questions

  • Why do you think the women “said nothing to anyone”? What were they afraid of?
  • Tell a story of a time when you were afraid to say something important. Did you overcome your fear – or not? How did it feel? How did others react?
  •  If someone asked you to tell a “resurrection story” from your own life (or from something you’ve read or heard), what story would you tell?

Activity Suggestions

Prepare a poster board (or other large piece of paper/foam board/etc.) with a rough sketch of an empty tomb (make sure there is lots of room inside the tomb). Using markers/pens/[colored] pencils/crayons and/or magazines/newspapers/scissors/glue, invite the youth to fill in the empty space in the tomb with pictures, words, stories of “resurrection.” Signs of hope and life – especially when it is surprising or unexpected. Help them find words and images to illustrate the gift of an empty tomb and a story to share. Write (or collage with letters) “Alleluia!” all around the edges.

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus: You died and rose again so that we might always know that nothing will ever separate us from you and your love. Help us to be confident and bold in telling the story of your undying love and life. When we are afraid, strengthen us, for you know more than we do about everything. Help us trust you. Amen.

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Storm Shelter Pilot Project: Providing physical and emotional security in Tornado Alley

Megan Brandsrud

​The sky turns green, then black. Heavy rains subside and there is calm before the sudden shift in wind. The severe weather sirens start sounding as an approaching tornado is spotted. People quickly move to their basements or windowless rooms as they wait for the tornado to pass.

This scene is not out of the ordinary for people living in Tornado Alley, a term coined in 1952 that is used to describe the region of the U.S. where tornadoes are most frequent. However, sometimes basements and windowless rooms do not provide the peace of mind and safety desired against tornadoes, especially those ranking high on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale.

In an effort to provide the security that people who live in Tornado Alley need, Lutheran Disaster Response has partnered with the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) and our affiliate, Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSS/S), to provide storm shelters for people in the Oklahoma City area.

Safe room 2

Pictured: A storm shelter is installed on a slab in a family’s backyard.

One community that knows the effects of tornadoes too well is Moore, Okla. On May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado hit Moore, killing 24 people and injuring more than 300. The storm caused severe damage, and clean-up and rebuilding are still continuing today. Over the years, the area around Oklahoma City, including Moore, has been hit with numerous tornadoes. The emotional toll tornadoes have on people in this area leave many fearful this time of year.

To date, 145 storm shelters have been installed in the Lutheran Disaster Response and FLASH joint-Pilot Program. Coordinators in the region have been working with long-term recovery groups in the Oklahoma City area to connect with the most vulnerable families who need a storm shelter.

The storm shelters are installed on families’ properties so they can have peace of mind and safety from tornadoes right at home. For the pilot program, the selected storm shelters have either been made of concrete or steel and have been installed in garages, under garage floors with an access panel, outside in the yard, or as fixtures in new homes that are currently being constructed.

There are many factors that come into play when families select which storm shelter is right for them. Tim Smail, senior vice president of engineering and technical programs for FLASH, explains that a flowchart is used to help families choose their storm shelter. The flowchart includes considerations such as the number of people the storm shelter will need to hold, if the storm shelter has to be handicap accessible and what kind of space is available in potential install locations.

Lutheran Disaster Response and FLASH have partnered with the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) to make certain that the safe rooms being installed in the pilot program are of the highest quality and have passed standard testing.

“The association works hand-in-hand with our point of contacts on the ground to ensure client needs are met and that the shelters are installed properly,” Smail says.

While people who live in tornado-prone areas know the importance of having a safe place to go in times of severe weather, knowing who to work with and having the resources to install a storm shelter can be daunting. The average cost to install a safe room is approximately $4,700, but can range from $4,000 to $10,000, depending on the size and accommodations needed for the family.

“Whatever the situation, most of the people we have worked with are not in a position to afford a storm shelter,” says Grant Gatschet, program director with LSS/S for the Storm Shelter Pilot Program. “Across the board, they have all expressed sincere thanks for the program for helping them feel safe and secure in their homes.”

As the pilot program wraps up, Lutheran Disaster Response and FLASH are working to make storm shelter installation an embedded part of tornado disaster recovery.  With guaranteed safety and peace of mind, storm shelters are life-saving and life-changing.

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Lenten Reflection: Creating something from nothing

Stacy Martin, Director for Advocacy

“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”

Mark 6:42-44 (NRSV)

Like Thomas Jefferson, I’ve never seemed to have much patience for the Bible’s miracle stories. They’re difficult to deal with. To my modern mind, it’s hard to imagine that seas can part, food can appear from nowhere and that the dead can be raised.

stacy headshotIt’s so tempting for me, in my very modern way, to domesticate miracles – like reducing the feeding of the 5,000 miracle to an idyllic picnic or desert potluck. Not that thousands of human beings sharing isn’t miraculous. It is. In the four Gospels, there are six accounts of this miracle. Six! It must be too important a story for it to be about people sharing their lunches. Miracles are tricky that way.

In the Gospel of John account of the miracle of feeding the crowd, the disciples estimate that the crowd is so large that not even six months’ worth of paychecks would be enough money to feed the mass of people assembled. By expressing the amount in such stark terms, what I think the disciples are really saying is, “We don’t have enough money to feed all these people.” And Jesus is saying, “Exactly. Isn’t that great?”
Isn’t that just like Jesus?

One disciple retorts with what I hear as screaming sarcasm. “There’s a boy with five loaves and two fish,” he says. Imagine! Five thousand hungry people on the side of a mountain, and only five loaves and two fish in sight to feed them with. But it seems that this is exactly what Jesus wanted. The funny thing about God is that we are called to be God’s hands in the world at precisely those times when there’s a whole lot of nothing to work with; which is to say, God calls us all of the time.God even sets God’s communion table so that we come with nothing. It seems that God likes it best that way.

God also likes to turn things on their heads. Jesus’ disciples, who expected to be the ones to provide what was needed, found themselves surprisingly dependent upon the generosity of a small child. The Gospels’ accounts of this miracle indicate that the boy gave over his lunch with the kind of abandon and generosity that we only associate with God. It is just the kind of juxtaposition that God seems to enjoy best. Jesus’ faith is placed in a little child to stave off what might become a riot if the crowd is not fed. This is the same kind of juxtaposition we find ourselves in as church when we advocate in the halls of power in Washington, D.C.

This story about feeding 5,000 with so little is, among other things, a story about perspective. The disciples’ main mistake in this story, I think, is that they have no idea what it is that they have. Namely, they have a God who can feed many on nothing. A God who created the universe out of nothing. A God who put flesh on the nothingness of dry bones. “Nothing” is God’s favorite material to work with. Perhaps God looks upon that which we dismiss as “nothing,” “insignificant,” “worthless,” and says, “HA! Now THAT is something I can work with!”

It is our poverty that we are asked to bring to God, not our treasure, because whether we think we have it all or we think we have nothing, we are all of us beggars fed at the table of God’s mercy. What do we have? Five loaves, a couple of fish? Not much. We believe that even when we want to make a difference in the world, we have to arrive fully prepared, fully equipped and fully funded.

I hear often from church folk and non-church folk alike that Lutherans, any faith community for that matter, can make no real difference in Washington. “Why bother?” I’m asked. Compared to big lobbying firms and corporations, they have a point. By comparison, we don’t have money, or connections, or power, or, often, technical expertise. What do we have? Five loves, a couple of fish? Only a smidge shy of nothing even on our most prosperous days.

It’s on the darkest of days when even bishops suggest that all is hopeless in the halls of power, when I’m dismissed by a member of Congress because I don’t come with deep pockets, when I’m ridiculed by a think tank because I attend to this work from a place of faith and not a place of “real” expertise, when I’ve received the tenth angry letter from a fellow Lutheran who is frustrated with me for even considering advocacy as a legitimate vocation, when I feel that we as the church simply don’t have enough power to change things for the better. It’s on those darkest days that I re-read this miracle story.

This tricky little miracle story – the one told six times over in the Bible – says otherwise to the “why bothers” of the world. In this story we glimpse God’s inverted economy of free bread and fish paid for by, you guessed it, nothing. This is part of the juxtaposition I mentioned earlier. It is out of nothing that God will create something, even something as big as justice and peace. It is a tricky little miracle for sure.

In the last days before Easter, as we await the biggest miracle of them all – the bringing forth of life from the vast nothingness of death – may we remember that our nothingness is all that God asks or needs.

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Tres formas de ahondar en los asuntos de inmigración

​Como muchos de ustedes saben, la llegada a los Estados Unidos no hace que la vida de los inmigrantes se vuelva fácil de repente. Se necesita valor para dejar atrás todo lo conocido, y se necesita valentía para navegar por nuestro sistema tan complicado. El Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) [Servicio Luterano para Inmigrantes y Refugiados] ha elaborado una guía para ayudar a los inmigrantes, y a los que caminan junto a ellos, a navegar por esos complicados sistemas. La guía titulada en inglés “First Steps: A LIRS Guide for Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Migrants Released from Detention” [Primeros pasos: Guía de LIRS para refugiados, buscadores de asilo, y migrantes liberados de detención], ofrece información vital para que los inmigrantes puedan rehacer con éxito su vida.  Este recurso será de utilidad especial para aquellos pastores que tienen nuevos norteamericanos en sus congregaciones o un ministerio de visitación.

Suplementos específicos para estatus separados ofrecen detalles para buscadores de asilo y residentes permanentes legales. Posteriormente en 2015 habrá suplementos adicionales. Visite lirs.org/FirstSteps para descargar “First Steps” [Primeros pasos] en inglés o en español. Para hacer pedidos de copias impresas de la guía, escriba a firststeps@lirs.org.

Video para discutir acerca de los niños inmigrantes no acompañados

Las cámaras de los medios noticiosos pueden haber desviado su enfoque de los niños centroamericanos en su largo recorrido por varios países y a través del desierto en busca de seguridad, pero esto no significa que los niños han dejado de seguir huyendo. Nuestro nuevo video “El viaje” explora los motivos por los que estos niños han huido de sus hogares, las esperanzas de ellos para el futuro, y cómo la gente de fe puede protegerlos y fortalecerlos como hijos de Dios.

Vea “El viaje“ con los miembros de su congregación para educarlos sobre este tema y mostrarles cómo los luteranos a lo largo del país están dando la bienvenida a estos niños.  El video incluye sugerencias de cómo las congregaciones pueden hacer algo para crear un cambio perdurable en la vida de nuevos norteamericanos. Estas sugerencias incluyen: apoyo activo a través del Centro de Acción del Servicio Luterano para Inmigrantes y Refugiados, el inicio de un ministerio de visitación a los detenidos de inmigración, y oración durante el Domingo del Refugiado. Visite lirs.org/TheJourney para ver “El viaje” y descargar nuestra guía de discusión. Todos los materiales están disponibles en inglés y en español.

Domingo del Refugiado 2015

El Servicio de Inmigración para Inmigrantes y Refugiados se enorgullece en celebrar durante del Domingo del Refugiado las habilidades y dones que los nuevos norteamericanos traen a los Estados Unidos. Después del Domingo del Refugiado del año pasado, un pastor nos dijo: “Los recursos fueron perfectos, pero quisiera que hubiéramos podido celebrar el Domingo del Refugiado cualquier domingo”. De modo que, este año, cualquier domingo es Domingo del Refugiado. Elija el domingo que mejor le convenga a su congregación para celebrar este día.

Hay a su disposición paquetes de recursos, incluyendo el afiche y el folleto en el boletín para que el culto sea interactivo y educacional. Los paquetes también incluyen una petición al Presidente Obama para que permita que más refugiados sirios puedan rehacer su vida en los Estados Unidos. Hoy más que nunca los luteranos deben ayudar a la gente desarraigada. Vaya a lirs.org/RefugeeSunday para recibir un paquete y comience a planear su Domingo del Refugiado. Si tiene preguntas, comuníquese por correo electrónico con Matt Herzberg, Director de Alcance Congregacional de LIRS, a mherzberg@lirs.org.

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Faith, Hunger & Justice: The ELCA Young Adult Cohort at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

Gina Tonn

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March 24, 2015

Looking at a picture of the ELCA Young Adult Cohort, one might think we look like quite the random conglomeration of people – 3 men, 12 women; 13 young adults, 2 not-quite-as-young adults; 5 ELCA networks. What brings this group together, particularly around the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) and gender justice?

The ELCA networks from which individuals come to the ELCA Young Adult Cohort include the Justice for Women Program, Young Adult Ministry, Strategy on HIV and AIDS, Young Adults in Global Mission alumni and ELCA World Hunger. All of these groups bring their respective priorities and goals to the cohort, but more importantly, each of us comes to the table with a commitment to and interest in the intersection of faith and justice. Gender justice, or rather gender injustice, is prevalent in the work of each of these networks. As the ELCA World Hunger network, we are aware that hunger and poverty disproportionately affect women and their children. Anthony Mell shared this example from a session hosted by The Hunger Project in Bangladesh and the UN Zero Hunger Challenge in his post on the ELCA Young Adult Cohort blog:

In Bangladesh family life it is typical for the husband and other men to be given a larger portion of food relative to the rest of the family. This simple patriarchal cultural norm has profound consequences. Because of the state of poverty in which most Bangladeshi families live, the extra food taken by the husbands leads both their wives and their children to malnutrition. The injustice does not end there. The children also often suffer these nutritional deficiencies during key periods of cognitive development, the negative results of which can greatly affect them for the rest of their lives.

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Women’s equality and empowerment are prerequisites for development and eradication of hunger and poverty. Through the ELCA Young Adult Cohort and our presence at the UN CSW, ELCA World Hunger connects with other faith-based groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) committed to relief, advocacy, sustainable development, and grassroots organizing around the issues of hunger and poverty.

From my perspective, playing double-duty as cohort member from the ELCA World Hunger network and an ELCA World Hunger staff person, one of the most impactful aspects of the trip was witnessing and experiencing the ways in which the spirit of ELCA World Hunger’s message and mission touches people. The ELCA Young Adult Cohort did not only attend sessions; we also hosted several events. Over 100 members of the New York and New Jersey attended a “Meet & Greet” to learn about the cohort and its networks. We brought young people of faith together for conversation about justice and culture. We created space for dialogue about the church’s role in perpetuating and ending sexism and gender-based violence. Through all three of these events, and in all our interactions, I witnessed the spirit of our work to remain even as the specific content or presentation style varies to fit the setting. I believe this spirit endures because our work is firmly and clearly rooted in our identity as the church.

The ELCA Young Adult Cohort engages at the intersection of faith and justice. We also engage with the building up of young leaders in our church. These words shared during the March ELCA World Hunger Network Webinar by cohort member, seminary student and Hunger Leader Jessica Obrecht capture the connections between faith, work with ELCA World Hunger and membership in the ELCA Young Adult Cohort, and development as a leader in the church:

As I am new to the World Hunger network, it was really stark to me how connected World Hunger and the experience at the Commission on the Status of Women was…If we truly want to eradicate poverty and hunger we really need to empower women and look at how women are oppressed in different ways and the reality that 1 in 3 women has experienced gender based violence. We need to look at how that affects not only our economy, but how we function as a world interpersonally.

The fact that so many young adults participated in the experience raises the question: How do we empower young adults and pass the torch? As we listened to men and women speak about how we need to work together in the world, it was powerful to feel that we are at the table and that we are welcome to become leaders as well.

While the presentations and information sessions I attended during the UN CSW were fascinating and energizing, the time I spent with my fellow members of the ELCA Young Adult Cohort was inspiring and gives me so much joy and hope to be part of our church and have the privilege to be part of a group of convicted and passionate leaders for justice.

I will end my comments about the experience and takeaways of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women here, and allow the words of my peers shared on the ELCA Young Adult Cohort blog during and after the UN CSW witness to the change ahead – within the church and around the world.

As a church, how do we measure gender justice? At the very least, we need sex-disaggregated data about our leadership, members, communities, institutions, and the lives the church touches. We also need qualitative data to understand how women, girls, and LGBTQ persons are viewed and valued in all areas of ministry and church life. It is assumed that having females in leadership roles or educating girls will lead to empowered women….In Bible studies and other spiritual formation, may we learn to directly address detrimental inequalities in our hearts, families, churches, communities, and world. We need to partner with others to build gender justice. Gender experts emphasize that gender is found in all sectors of life and that complicated gender issues – such as gender-based violence – must take a multi-sectoral approach. This means you can look for or assess gender in EVERY context!  – Crystal Corman – Young Adults in Global Mission Alumni

Men are needed to break this silence, and the first thing to do is to become aware, a problem can’t be solved if you don’t even know it exists.  – Richard Adkins – Young Adult Ministry & Strategy on HIV and AIDS

I am a youth, children, and family minister within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I have returned home inspired with a renewed commitment to not only exemplify what it means to be a Christian feminist, but to be an active participant in creating a church culture that speaks about and practices taking up the cross. Within my sphere of influence, I wish to live out a theology of the cross by naming the reality and pervasiveness of sin as it is exemplified in the oppression of patriarchy and acts of gender-based violence. I will continue to recognize Christ in our midst, who bears the wounds of death, but is no longer fettered by death. I will remember the grace of the cross; that it is not our will or perfect abilities that will change the oppression of this age, but the transformative power of Christ within each of us. It is the power of Christ that strengthens us to step forward together, speak out against the reality of sin, practice forgiveness, and live remembering that the kingdom of God is among us. – Casey Cross – Young Adult Ministry

I am reminded that patriarchy is a pervasive, systemic, and viciously subtle force. It moves us and in us in ways that we struggle to conceptualize and combat. However this is not meant to be defeatist. Rather it has served to me remind of the diligence and creativity required to overcome these obstacles. Simply put combating patriarchy cannot be a part time job. – Anthony Mell – Justice for Women Program

I get overwhelmed as I learn more about the realities of women and girls in the world.  And then Jesus puts it in perspective: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”(Matthew 22:37-39) – Fern Lee Hagedorn – Justice for Women Program

I understand that my sisters all around the world are being raped, beaten, oppressed, silenced and ignored every single day.  I understand that this problem is not just somewhere else, it is in my own country, my own state, city, community, and church.  And I have a seat at this great table, amongst great minds, warm hearts, and beautiful souls. What an honor, what a privilege, what a joy, and what a responsibility that holds. – Jessica Obrecht – ELCA World Hunger & Young Adults in Global Mission Alumni

 

Gina Tonn is a Program Assistant for ELCA World Hunger Education & Constituent Engagement through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. She graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN with a BA in Economics and Religion in 2014. She lives in Chicago, IL with four other Lutheran Volunteer Corps members.

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March 29, 2015 How Can We Help?

Seth Moland-Kovash, Palatine, IL

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Warm-up Question

With whom do you feel closest? Is it your family, your friends?

How Can We Help?

There are many reasons that we can feel divided as people. We sometimes divide people into groups and separate based on gender, or on race, or on class, age, or sexual orientation. Some separations can be healthy – you are not a member of family. That is not a judgement; it’s just a simple fact. But often, separations and divisions keep us all from being the people we can be and that God created us to be. One of the most enduring and powerful ways in which people are separated is based on race. We have recently watched events surrounding the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma as well as divisions in our society based on the events in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, and elsewhere.

Recently, the national coffee chain Starbucks has begun to promote a “Race Together” conversation guide and encouraged baristas to write “Race Together” on customers’ coffee cups on March 20. The goal, as Starbucks states, is to get customers and employees talking together about race in our society and about how these things have affected them personally.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Which types of divisions do you feel at work in your life in a negative way?
  • Do you feel as though divisions based on race are at work in your school? What about in your church?

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 14:1-15:47; Mark 15:1-39 [40-47] (alternate)

(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

We often say that Jesus came into the world to break down divisions. Jesus came to bring people together. He ate with those who other would not. He touched lepers who were shunned by others. He reached out to Samaritans and commissioned his disciples to go “into all nations” with God’s message of reconciliation and forgiveness.

As we enter Holy Week we contemplate the ultimate way in which Jesus broke down barriers. Not only did Jesus come to break down barriers between people, but Jesus came to break down barriers that keep us as people separated from God. Mark 15:38 says that “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” at the moment that Jesus died. That curtain symbolized the separation between humanity and God. In Jesus’ death, the separation was broken down.

Discussion Questions

  • What would it feel like to feel as close to God as you do to the person sitting next to you right now?
  • How do you think Jesus’ death brings us together with God?
  • How do you think Jesus’ death brings us together with other people?

Activity Suggestion

Participate in your congregation’s full slate of worship services this week. Walk the journey and experience the whole story. Let it bring you closer to God.

Closing Prayer

Good and gracious God, in this Holy Week bring us together. Bring us together with others and bring us together before your throne. Amen.

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Living Earth Reflections: ​Water for the City

Mary Minette, Director for Environmental Education and Advocacy

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.”

Revelation 22:1-2

Just as the crystal water of the river of life is central to the shining city of New Jerusalem, clean and abundant water is a critical component of economic development and fruitful life in communities around the world. Each week an estimated one million people move into the world’s cities. This places an increased demand on water supplies and infrastructure such as pipes, sewers and treatment plants. Many cities, even cities in our wealthy country, have inadequate water systems: old pipes that can easily break, aging treatment plants that put water quality at risk, and sewer systems that pollute water supplies during heavy rains. Increased demand from new urban dwellers only adds to this problem. The addition of earth’s changing climate, with its floods, droughts, rising seas and melting glaciers, adds another layer of complexity.

To meet the needs of growing populations now and in the future, cities will need to build more sustainable, and more weather resilient water systems.

The large and sprawling city of Los Angeles is facing water infrastructure challenges that are exacerbated by California’slong term drought, now in its third year. L. A. has dramatically reduced water consumption per capita over the last 40 years, with the city using around the same amount of water now as it did then but with a much larger population. Los Angeles uses less water per capita than any other large U.S. city—about 123 gallons per person per day. Recent mandatory restrictions and price increases have reduced water usage 23 percent since 2009.

However, L.A.’s water infrastructure is in need of crucial repairs— a problem it shares with other cities across the U.S. that contributes significantly to wasted water nationwide. With about one million feet of pipes that are a century old, L.A.’s water utility is currently replacing them at a rate of once every 300 years due, in large part, to the high cost and difficulty of replacing underground infrastructure. And L.A. is not an isolated example of aging infrastructure. In 2013 the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our country’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructures “D” grades, noting that without significant investment now, we risk water quality for our communities in the future.

Other cities around the world face similar problems, but may lack the means to tackle them. Lima, Peru is one of the driest world capitals, with a large and growing population and average annual rainfall of less than half an inch. Lacking its own water resources, the city depends on diverse sources that include rain and glacier melt from the mountains and water transfers from the Amazon basin. As a result of climate change, all these water sources are under threat.

But Lima’s water faces other challenges. Once water reaches the city, it is often used in inefficient ways. For example, potable water is routinely used to irrigate green spaces, and only 10% of the city’s treated wastewater is reused for irrigation. The city lacks sufficient infrastructure to serve its population; about a million people don’t have access to running water, while another million residents have their supply cut off periodically. Observers estimate that 30% to 40% of water is lost in the system through leaks and theft. Despite being in a desert, the per capita use of water in Lima is double that of some European capitals in part due to this waste and inefficiency.

If both Los Angeles and Lima are to grow and thrive, they will need to replace and build water systems that not only meet current needs for water, but also ensure a sufficient supply of clean water for future needs. The water system of the future will not just need to deliver water to homes and businesses— it will need to be resilient to a changing climate by better managing wastewater, preventing waste throughout the system, and adopting new technologies to meet and reduce demand.

Meeting these goals comes with a hefty price tag, but in Lima and L.A. leaders are already planning to invest in new systems. Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown and the state legislature announced that they are setting aside $1 billion to tackle the state’s drought-related water problems, including infrastructure challenges like those in L.A. Lima’s water system is planning to spend $2.3 billion in the next five years to replace aging infrastructure and expanding services to residents that don’t have access to running water. As these changes take shape, advocates for low income citizens in both cities will be challenged to ensure that the costs of necessary innovations do not put clean water out of the reach of those with the least means.

Yesterday, on March 22, the U.N. celebrated World Water Day, and this year’s theme is Water and Sustainable Development. On this World Water Day, let us give thanks to God, our creator, for the gift of water, but also pray that our communities take the time to think about how to manage this precious gift sustainably and equitably so that it continues to bless our communities well into the future.

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World Water Day – March 22, 2015

Gina Tonn

How many times a day do I turn on the faucet in the kitchen or bathroom to fill a glass, wash my hands, brush my teeth, or fill a pot with water to cook pasta? How many times a day do I flush a toilet? How many times a day do I stop and think about the privilege of my easy access to clean, potable water? The answer to the former questions is “many,” the answer to the latter is “too few.”

This Sunday, March 22nd is World Water Day. This year’s World Water Day also marks the conclusion of the UN-Water’s Decade for Action “Water for Life.” Last week, while in New York City with the ELCA Young Adult Cohort attending theUnited Nations 59th Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) I took some time to explore an exhibit in the entrance hall of United Nations Headquarters commemorating the progress of the Decade for Action and looking ahead to the unmet needs for water access and sanitation around the world that call for action in the future.

Knowing I would have the opportunity to share both my experience at the UN CSW and call attention to World Water Day through the ELCA World Hunger blog, I made sure to pick up the exhibit brochure and snap some photos of the exhibit on my phone. Now, a week removed from the throes of the UN CSW and my perusal of the “Water for Life: Voices” exhibit, I realize that my experience in New York, the opportunity to research and promote World Water Day, and my position with ELCA World Hunger aren’t just happy, coincidental life experiences, but that working for gender justice, water rights, and solutions to hunger and poverty are inextricably linked. Women bear much of the burden for collecting water for their families in Sub-Saharan Africa and other areas of the world. The many hours women and girls spend collecting water are hours not spent in school or participating in economic activity, earning money or growing food to feed their families, or contributing to their community.

Over the summer, thousands of youth will converge on Detroit, Michigan for the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering. ELCA World Hunger’s Walk for Water at the gathering has a goal to raise $500,000 through fundraising efforts, to be matched dollar by dollar through the gift of very generous donors. If we meet our goal, $1 million of water-related projects will be funded around the world. You can read about ELCA World Hunger’s Walk for Water, including the types of projects the initiative will fund, fundraising ideas, and statistics about the water crisis, at www.ELCA.org/walk4water.

A point that was raised frequently at the UN Commission on the Status of Women is that, too often, when we throw phrases like “internationally” or “around the world” out into conversation, we forget that the United States is included. At UN CSW this was usually in regards to oppression and discrimination against women; no nation in the world, the United States included, has succeeded in establishing gender equality in legislation, in sentiment or in practice.

The same is true of the water crisis. Because of the effects of climate change, failing economies, or corporate negligence, there are people in the United States who would answer the questions I posed at the outset of this post rather differently. In fact, right in the ELCA Youth Gathering’s backyard are people experiencing the effects of a water crisis – the Detroit water shut-offs. Ryan Cumming, Director for Hunger Education, drew attention to this problem back in August in his post “Myths and Realities about Water Shutoffs in Detroit.” Water shutoffs continue to loom in Detroit, even as the city and suburbs justapproved an increase in water utility rates.

As Lutherans, we proclaim that all people, all around the world, are created in the image of God, are privy to equal rights and protection and inherent dignity. Gender justice affirms that no one should suffer discrimination, oppression, or exploitation on account of their sex or gender. Working to end hunger and poverty affirms that we live in a world of abundance that has been perverted by broken relationships and greed. The Water for Live: Voices Exhibition brochure voices invites visitors to the exhibit to add their voice to those featured because “humankind is notable for its rich diversity; yet we are all the same in our need for water and sanitation.”

This World Water Day, I invite you to add your voice with mine in prayers for strength for my sisters around the world who walk for water each day and the mothers who struggle to feed their families, prayers of rejoicing for the progress made during the Decade for Action and potential impact through ELCA World Hunger’s Walk for Water, and mindful prayers of thanksgiving for the life-giving gift of water…

We pray for people who don’t have access to clean water to drink. We pray for people who must walk long distances to collect water. We pray for people, especially children, who face disease and death because of unclean water. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for areas of our world impacted by drought and chronic water insecurity. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for areas of our world that are impacted by frequent floods, severe storms and other natural disasters.  Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We give you thanks that through water and the Holy Spirit you give us new birth, cleanse us from sin, and raise us to eternal life.  Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Amen.

 

Prayer & Litany for World Water Day written by Pastor Annie Edison-Albright of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  

Gina Tonn

Program Assistant, ELCA World Hunger

Lutheran Volunteer Corps

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Lenten Reflection: Walking with our brothers and sisters in Central Americas

Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, Assistant Director, Migration Policy and Advocacy

“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.”

– Deuteronomy 31:6

Alaide Headshot 1For many Christians, Lent is a time of spiritual renewal and preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My preparation had to do with being a witness to the causes of migration in Central America. A few weeks ago, I traveled with ELCA leaders to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to learn more about the reasons why children and families are fleeing their countries of origin and to better understand what happens when they are deported. What we saw and heard continues to stay with me – not only because the violence faced in these countries is worse than I imagined, but also because many of those we met stood with strength and boldness through incredibly difficult situations. We heard over and over how faith and belief that God is with them provides this strength.

As we listened to stories, met with government and non-government officials and prayed with people in these communities, I kept thinking about my favorite song about Latin America (watch the amazing video here) that includes the line “un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina,” which translates to “a community without legs but that still walks.” I have always thought that this line the best way to summarize the communities in Latin America that I grew up in. They were communities where many people went hungry or didn’t have proper housing or running water, where many felt their voice didn’t count. But still, people helped each other and many worked to fix what they saw was broken. They walked.

In the communities we visited, I witnessed similar experiences. People face violence from gang members, military, police and other government forces that work with criminals or narco-traffickers. Many of the members in their communities also live in poverty and are forced to pay an ongoing fee to gangs to avoid being targeted. Yet many of the people we heard from also highlighted the beauty of their countries and their appreciation for the people. Many were also working to reform the systems that keep violence and poverty alive or the corruption that feeds those same systems. They walk.

It always troubles me when I write about the strength of communities without also pointing out that there are many people who feel defeated. We also met with people who weren’t sure what they could do, and the toll of the violence weighed on them heavily. We prayed with them and I, at times, still feel defeated with them when I think of all of the forces that work together to push people out of their communities of origin while also working to strip them from their rights as they journey.

All the people we met knew someone who had migrated and many knew people who left their home because they were going to be killed if they didn’t. These people left their communities and sometimes their countries to survive. They left in the middle of the night and many walked through areas controlled by narco-traffickers. Some knew of the dangers that would face them in Mexico, and some didn’t. They had hopes of a better life, but also a safe life. Many of them were returned, most from Mexico, but continued to face the same country they had to leave.

Let us walk together, and with God, for positive change.

I left with a sense that we all need to walk together in order to change these conditions that force people to migrate and cause governments to ignore human dignity. I am driven to learn from experts, service providers and people in these countries and help amplify the voices of my brothers and sisters. Our travel to Central America was a time of preparation to be bold in our witness to the stories. Please join us in bearing witness by signing up for updates from our network, where you will hear more about the work that came out of our trip. Also, please continue to pray with your congregation and community for the women and children who are forced to migrate.

May God walk with us as we continue letting decision-makers know the stories we heard. May God walk with those we met as they continue to fight for safer countries and dignity for all people. May we all be strong and bold.  

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