Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) 2017 was an enlightening, refreshing and healing event for people of all walks of faith nationally and internationally. The theme: Confronting Chaos and Forging Community was an important theme especially for the times we are in today. It was a great opportunity to hear speakers speak and be a part of workshops that discussed Racism, Capitalism, Materialism and Militarism which could be considered the big four that work in cooperation with each other. These big four are reasons for chaos, divided community, lack of resources and broken faith within and outside our nation. We are in times of coming together to grow and speak truths to power. We have to realize what is at stake and make efforts for changing the world that we see it best for all of humanity and not just a few. After three days of intensive learning of national and international issues around the big four we lobbied. We went to our representatives and senators to compel them of funding our communities and nation that will better the condition for housing, education, poverty, immigrants, veterans, criminal system, etc., especially for black and brown bodies who are particularly in the worst conditions. I highly recommend EAD for all faiths to be the change we want to see and to continue to fulfill God’s will on Earth as it is in Heaven. #ead2017

To learn more about advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, visit http://www.elca.org/advocacy.

To learn more about Ecumenical Advocacy Days visit https://advocacydays.org/.

Kendrick Hall in Washington, D.C. visiting Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

Kendrick Hall is a first year Seminary student  at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN.  He is pursuing a Masters of Divinity and will be ordained at Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Minneapolis Synod. He currently is a member and part time worker at Redeemer Lutheran Church. He currently serves a member of the leadership committee for  the African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA) and Elisha’s Call.

– Tara Gilbert

I had the amazing opportunity to attend two Gatherings as an adult leader with our youth group at Trinity Lutheran in Marysville, Ohio: San Antonio and Detroit. There are many places where I saw Jesus at work as I reflect upon my Gathering experiences.

The biggest places I saw Jesus at work were where we witnessed to, fellowshipped with, and served those in need.  While in San Antonio, I was placed at a retired military assisted living facility where we did yard work and fellowshipped with the residents. I truly was able to see Christ at work in our youth as they did yard work in 95 degree heat without complaining, and then fellowshipped with and asked questions of a retired military general.  I was able to see God at work in our youth as they showed appreciation and respect for our elders and shared Scripture with them.

While in Detroit, my group was placed at a homeless shelter for families that had struggled and were trying to gain a second chance in life.  While  there, a bishop from Minnesota and I helped improve the facility by painting the walls in the facility and in the residents’ rooms.  I saw Jesus in every stroke that we painted as we fellowshipped with one another and with the families as they walked by us.  I saw Jesus in the kids’ smiles as we ate lunch with them and learned that everyone deserves a second chance.  Our youth learned that just because you have had a hard time in your life, that you can strive to be strong again.  The families there taught me to appreciate all the moments of life.

One of the other places where I saw Jesus at work was in worship.  I could not help but be brought to tears as I witnessed 30,000 youth praising our Lord through song and listening to speakers share their faith.  Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  As an adult, I have been inspired by these worships services to continue growing in my faith and to have my eyes opened to the different ministry needs all over our country.  Jesus can use all of us to better the kingdom.  I saw our youth grow together as one community as we sang, laughed, cried, and read Scripture together.

It all comes down to the cross, as we are reminded at the Gatherings with the big colorful cross on the stage, displayed for all to see.

I saw Jesus everywhere through these Gatherings, and I can’t help but smile as I think about Houston.

Tara Gilbert is a member at Trinity Lutheran, Marysville, Ohio

Shortly after I moved to Washington, D.C., the government shut down due to a disagreement in Congress over healthcare funding. While most of the country didn’t see an immediate change, my friends who work for organizations across the country to provide support for refugees, unaccompanied migrant children, and trafficked people did. Immediately after the budget expired, they were told they would have to halt their work if the shutdown continued for more than a couple of weeks because their organizations would not receive payment for their work.

That was when I realized just how much the federal budget impacts the most vulnerable among us. Every year, the way Congress allocates money influences in programs that impact immigrant communities across the country. Since Congress has failed to update our immigration laws through stand-alone legislation, Members of Congress have the power to stand for policies that welcome vulnerable migrants and refugees through the federal budget.

For our government to function, a federal budget must be approved by Congress every fiscal year (FY). Over the last few years, Congress has been unable to pass a substantial new budget by the deadline, opting instead to pass shorter-term temporary Continuing Resolutions (CR). A CR only authorizes the federal government to operate with the same funding levels as the previous year. If more money is needed for specific purposes not already in the existing year’s budget, Congress decides whether to consider the funding increase.

In January, President Trump signed multiple executive orders that severely limited the ability of individuals to seek asylum, increased the detention of migrants, actively separated children and families, and expanded border enforcement. These executive orders are already being implemented, but continuing to do so in the future will be prohibitively expensive and require cuts to other important domestic or international programs to pay for them.

Members of Congress now have the power ensure funds do not go toward policies that are neither practical nor honor the God given dignity in all of us. As citizens and disciples of Jesus Christ we seek the common good by holding our leaders accountable to good stewardship of public funds.

The budget process is complicated, here are some important things you should know right now:

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE FEDERAL BUDGET?

For FY17, Congress passed a short-term Continuing Resolution that funds the government until April 28^th. This means Congress must either approve a budget to pay for the rest of this year by that deadline or pass another short-term resolution to avoid a shutdown at midnight.

At the same time as Congress is trying to approve this year’s budget, they are also beginning the process of figuring out the budget for next year; FY18. The process formally begins when the White House sends Congress its budget “wish list.” Earlier this year, the White House sent a short summary of their budget wish list.

HOW IS IMMIGRATION INVOLVED IN NEGOTIATIONS?

President Trump has requested an additional $3 billion this year (FY17) to build a border wall and increase detentions and deportations, which Congress is considering in their negotiations. Churches and faith-based organizations, including ELCA Advocacy, have urged Congress have stood together against approving these funds.

The White House’s wish list for next fiscal year (FY18) outlines its intention to cut funding for poverty-focused programs in the U.S. and abroad while continuing to indiscriminately increase migration enforcement. For example, it includes a 7 percent increase to the Department of Homeland Security’s budget while reducing funding for the Department of State by 28 percent. These requested changes are very concerning because the Department of State houses programs dedicated to addressing the root cause of migration. (The Washington Post put together an overview of all cuts and increases in the White House’s budget request.) People of faith across the country continue to urge Members of Congress approve a moral budget that reflects our values and advances the common good.

WHERE DOES THE ELCA STAND?

As a church called to be a serving presence in society, we serve when we “hold power accountable, advocate justice, stand with those who are poor and vulnerable, provide sanctuary, and meets human need.” (ELCA social statement: “For Peace in God’s World”) We stand firmly against inflicting harm in all communities by cutting funds for programs that serve vulnerable people or defund programs that better the conditions that force people to flee their home countries. We stand for a moral budget that reflects God’s given dignity in all of us.

Last month, Lutherans visited over 130 Congressional offices and urged them to continue investing in programs that address the factors displacing children and families, and to adequately fund the U.S.’s refugee resettlement program.

WHAT CAN I DO?

1. Keep up with what is going on!
   • Join our ELCA Advocacy Network to receive updated information and action alerts!
2. Call your Member of Congress now and urge them to reject additional funding aimed at separating families
   • Take action through the Interfaith Immigration Coalition
3. Pray every day for all legislators that shape policy and the communities that see its effects.

I WANT TO FIND OUT MORE:

Read the Reuters article highlighting the cost of building a wall

Read about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service’s Alternative to Detention programs

Read Politico’s article the costs of hiring more border patrol

Read about the ELCA’s strategy to accompany migrant children and their families

As we celebrate World Malaria Day, I cannot forget the words of Ryunosuke Satoro who said, “Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean” Together we can end malaria for good.

-Yeukai Muzezewa (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, Malaria Project coordinator)

From 2011 to 2015, the ELCA Malaria Campaign raised both awareness about malaria and gifts to support companion churches and partners in fourteen countries to combat this disease. These gifts continue to support projects in countries faced with the daunting challenges posed by malaria. This World Malaria Day, we celebrate this important work that continues through the ELCA’s companion churches. We especially give thanks for Shoni Ngobeni, the Malaria Coordinator for the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA), who compiled this post from reports from LUCSA member churches.

Since 2011, the ELCA has been accompanying six member churches of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA) as they respond to malaria in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Since 2011, there has been a remarkable decline in morbidity and mortality related to malaria, particularly in these six countries.

The churches of LUCSA have played a role in that decline, and the work supported by the ELCA Malaria Campaign continues.

Yet, malaria continues to affect household livelihoods and education, especially because working adults and schoolchildren affected by malaria are often absent from work or school. In Malawi, malaria is still one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality, especially in children under five years of age, pregnant women and people living with HIV. There are approximately six million suspected cases treated annually, and malaria is responsible for 40% of all the hospitalizations of children under five years old and 34% of all outpatient visits across all ages.

Much work remains, but the success of LUCSA’s malaria programs so far is encouraging.

Strategies employed to achieve the success thus far include:

• Institutional Capacity Building
• Malaria Prevention and Control
• Malaria Case Management
• Sustainable Livelihood

The committed staff at the LUCSA secretariat office and of the member churches worked hard to build the capacity of the churches, congregations and surrounding communities through basic malaria awareness and education. This has enabled participants to take charge of their own health by preventing themselves from contracting malaria. The gap in knowledge was addressed, myths about malaria were dispelled, attitudes and behavior were remarkably changed, and participants laid the foundation for sustainable livelihoods to protect against future risk. Below are reflections and updates from two LUCSA member churches – the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM).

Yeukai Muzezewa, ELCZ Malaria Program Coordinator:

The ELCZ cannot fold its hands and retreat from fighting malaria; I also cannot do that, when outbreaks are reported every rainy season, when children under five years are still suffering bouts of convulsions, when communities are not able to plow their fields because of sickness due to malaria. It is not over until we completely eradicate malaria. The ELCZ malaria project has declared war against the malaria-causing mosquito, and our weapons are mosquito nets, awareness-raising, indoor residual spraying and early treatment options.

For a number of years now, the project has been working with more than 45,000 households in two dioceses. The project has been divided into four strategic pillars: institutional capacity building, malaria prevention and control, treatment, and sustainable livelihoods.

The first strategic pillar is based on the realization that communities are able to solve their own problems. It, therefore, aims at working with church and community structures to build their capacity to prevent and control malaria as well as reduce its effects. The project works with schools, churches, community volunteers, community leaders, health facilities and other community organizations.

A vegetable garden initiated by Burure community to improve food security and household income.

A Village Health Worker demonstrating how to hang a net on a reed mat.

Mr and Mrs Tazviona from Gokwe joyfully receiving their share amount from their saving group.

Judith Jere, ELCM Malaria Coordinator:

With support from the ELCA, the ELCM Malaria Program contributed to the reduction of morbidity and mortality due to malaria, particularly among pregnant women and children under five years old, as well as among particularly vulnerable population groups. Congregations and surrounding communities are empowered to reduce the risk and vulnerability to malaria infection and to alleviate the impact of the disease on the affected households, with a strong focus on children under five years, pregnant women and disadvantaged people from the hard-to-reach areas, based on the four strategic pillars (see above.)

Major achievements from the program include:

• Behavior change: Many achievements have been recorded from the community in terms of increased knowledge, changes in behavior, and an awareness of the myths and misconceptions about the diseases.
• Net distribution: Use of nets for children has increased from 55.1% in 2011 to 88% in 2015, and from 33% in 2011 to 84% in 2014 for the general population.
• Treatment support: The proportion of pregnant women who received two or more doses of intermittent preventive treatment has increased from 41% in 2011 to 73% in 2014, indicating that more pregnant women are protected from malaria during pregnancy.
• Advocacy: When the program started, the government had not yet rolled out Rapid Diagnostic Tests (MRDTs) in the village clinics because Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs), who are in charge of these clinics, had not yet been trained. Following a solidarity walk by the ELCM to advocate for training and use of MRDTs, it is pleasing to note that more than 80% of the HSAs are now able to diagnose malaria using the MRDT and are no longer treating malaria patients based solely on clinical symptoms. This was a great experience of effective advocacy creating meaningful change!

The introduction of the fourth strategy, the sustainable livelihood pillar of the malaria program, has brought a remarkable change to the income status and livelihood of the Lutheran congregants and surrounding communities. It improved the capacity of people in poverty to earn and save income.

Christina M’bwana, a participant in the Mwaiwathu Village Savings and Loan Association (Malawi), stands with her goats. “I am very happy that through my membership in the savings group, my family has attained our long-term goal,” she says. “These goats will help my family in very critical situations, such as hunger, illness and school fees for children.”

Conclusion: Shoni Ngobeni LUCSA Malaria Coordinator:

Looking back at where the journey started, LUCSA and the member churches really appreciate the financial support and the technical support offered by our faithful and committed partners at the ELCA. We would really appreciate more support in the form of funds and accompaniment as we harness the lessons learned and build our capacity to raise funds locally to continue with the journey towards the elimination of malaria. The Communion Office of LUCSA continues to facilitate the member churches to further invest in the strengthening of community support structures and organizations as part of the transition from the campaign phase.

ELCA World Hunger thanks Judith, Yeukai, and Shoni for sharing their hard work with us for this blog post. Photos are courtesy of ELCZ (credit: M. Ndlovu) and ELCM.

Dave Delaney, Salem, VA

Warm-up Question

• We live in a time when chatting with strangers is considered dangerous, especially for young people. What is your reaction to a stranger who tries to talk to you? If you found yourself seated on a plane next to a stranger who seemed interested in talking, what would you say to start a conversation?  Or if someone just walked up to you and said hello?  Or what would you say if that stranger wondered why you looked sad (or happy).  Would you tell him or her your story?
• Long walks or runs are some people’s very favorite way to clear the mind; everything just calms down and a sense of ease takes over.  For other people, long walks or runs just provide more opportunity for the brain to run wild, either in good ways or bad.  Some people get their best ideas on a long walk, while other people find that the vacuum just allows old painful memories to fill the space.  Which are you?  What happens to your mind when you’re on a long walk?
• If you have ever experienced an especially painful or discouraging loss – death of a close friend or loved one – what kind of conversations did you have with people right after it happened? Where did you look for comfort?  Were any of those conversations or encounters less than helpful?  What was the most or least helpful thing someone said or did during your time of grief?

Kindness of Strangers

A story about encountering strangers:  A new app called VizEat lets travelers book interesting food experiences in 110 different countries around the world. Two French entrepreneurs developed the program after returning from a series of international vacation trips. They realized that, because they always ate in restaurants while traveling, they weren’t sure that they had experienced the daily authentic cuisine of a country’s people.  VizEat has been called the AirBnB for food because it allows people to visit the homes of strangers who will prepare a meal for them.   Like AirBnB and Uber, the hosts set their own prices or agree on a price and a menu with the guest, and payment is electronic, so that when the guests arrive, the entire group can concentrate just on the meal.  As this story reveals, though, those who have tried this service have found themselves just as interested in the hosts and their homes and stories than in the food.

It is encouraging to realize that there is no shortage of “kindness of strangers” stories, even in unpleasant times.  A recent story concerned a man named Eugene Yoon who, in the words of the story, “felt called to do  … one really big random act of kindness. He didn’t know who he was supposed to help or how, all he knew was that he had to help someone and it had to be life-altering.”

Discussion Questions

• Everyone has encountered a stranger at some point in their life.  But have you ever had a truly extraordinary encounter with a stranger that you did not expect?  These two stories are interesting in that they involve people who actually set out to have new encounters with strangers and find that the experiences are far beyond what they anticipated.
• Are you the kind of person who would try any of these things?  What kind of setting or circumstance would inspire you to go seek out a stranger?

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

1 Peter 1:17-23

Luke 24:13-35

(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 gospel writers make assumptions about their readers that may not be as true now as they were when they were written.  Luke presumes that his readers are very aware of the geographical settings in which the stories are placed, which would not be as true for us today.  Events from the Old Testament that had previously occurred in the location where the New Testament event is set are often important to the background of a particular story.

In the case of the Emmaus Road story (even though the location of Emmaus in Jesus’ day is disputed), what takes only one verse to tell – “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures” – actually reflects a walk of perhaps 6-8 hours, in which there is a lot of time to talk about things.  Moreover, the route from Jerusalem to Emmaus cuts east-to-west through a part of Judea that recalls events from nearly every stage of Israel’s long history, starting with Abraham.  As each site was passed on the road, Jesus could simply point to it and invite the disciples to recall Israel’s many attempts to  live out God’s covenant with them – some of them very faithful and others not at all.  In each case, Jesus could point to the hope that Israel had for God to be present among them, guiding and guarding, as they would strive to live out their call to be a blessing to the world.

As they came toward the end of their journey, Luke says that Jesus “appeared to be going further” – on to the world, perhaps?  But the two disciples persuade him to stay for dinner, in which he breaks bread and thus reveals himself to them.  Here we might notice the same pattern of “word and sacrament” that is part of our Sunday worship service.  In the first part of our service, we hear the scriptures opened up as someone interprets for us the things concerning Jesus.  Then in the latter part of our service, the bread is broken and we are reminded that in this meal of the gathered community is where Jesus is most truly revealed to us.  The hope is always that we too will experience our hearts burning within us as we hear God’s word and that Christ will be made known to us in the breaking of the bread.

Discussion Questions

• The two disciples do not recognize Jesus on their walk, apparently neither his voice nor his appearance.  If they did not recognize him, how much more might we think of Jesus as a stranger.  The long tradition of the Christian faith has taught that Christ comes to us both in ways we can trust and in ways we might not expect.  We believe that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, but Matthew 25:31-46 makes it clear that Jesus considers himself to be present also in the lives of those most in need in the world.  How can we, as disciples, grow in the practice of watching for the presence of Jesus in others we meet?  How do we live our lives knowing that we could meet him at any time?
• When the disciples realize that they have had an encounter with Christ, their first instinct is to hurry back to Jerusalem to the apostles.  If you had an encounter with someone who you were sure was Jesus, what would be your first instinct?  Who would be the first person you would go find and tell?
• Cleopas had a companion on the walk whose name we don’t know, although many people have tried to identify him or her through the centuries.  Who is your “go-to” person for conversations about faith, troubles, questions, or even joys and new insights about life and faith?

Activity Suggestions

• Get your group into pairs or threes and send them on a short walk – maybe 10-20 minutes – either around your church building or outside and invite them to share with each other the same kinds of things the two Emmaus Road disciples discussed:  What are their favorite stories of Jesus from the gospels?  What are their hopes for themselves and their church?  How will they begin to look for Jesus in their lives over the next week?
• If your group would benefit from reviewing the long history of ancient Israel’s life with God before Christ, print out strips of paper or cards with Old Testament events or personalities and invite the group to put them back into chronological order on a table or on the floor.  Then see how they might tell the whole story of God working through the people to bring blessing and good news to the world as things led up to the coming of Christ.
• “Their eyes were opened” occurs several places in the Bible, not always for good.  In Genesis 3 it happens when the man and woman disobey God and eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.  In Isaiah 35 and John 9 and some other places, though, it refers to someone who is literally blind being given new sight.  In still other places (such as Ephesians 1) it is refers figuratively to realizing something for the first time.  If you have a group that learns best via craft or other activity, prepare a paper blindfold for each person.  On the outside, have them write things that people in the world believe about God and Jesus that are false, and on the inside have them write things that are true about God and Jesus.  Conclude that activity with a conversation about the best ways to help others see the love of God in Christ.

Closing Prayer

God of life and resurrection, we are thankful that your Son, our Savior Jesus, has been revealed to us in word and sacrament.  Give us burning hearts when he speaks to us and clear eyes when we receive his body and blood, so that we too may hurry to others and share with them the good news that he lives and meets us on whatever road we travel.  In his holy name we pray, Amen.

Today’s post is from Marissa Sotos, mission developer at Tree of Life in Minneapolis, MN.

I was 22 when I took communion for the first time. The church I grew up in only communed once a year, and by the time I was old enough to partake, I was also old enough to be skeptical.

Then a year after college I found myself sitting in a Lutheran church. Working in the congregation’s office had started out as just a job, but soon I got curious, and once I experienced worship, it drew me back like gravity. Intellectually I was still an atheist, but on Sunday mornings I just couldn’t help myself. There I’d be again, stumbling through the liturgy, and there God would be again at the back of my mind saying, “Just talk to me. Please.”

I didn’t though, and I also didn’t take communion. Each week the ushers would come by and each week I would shake my head. I knew communion meant eating Jesus’ body and drinking his blood. That seemed like something I shouldn’t do unless I was willing to let God be a part of my life.

Over the weeks I started to change though. That God-voice in the corner of my mind wasn’t going away, and I began to look at the people taking communion with less trepidation and more longing. One day, the balance finally shifted. Instead of hunkering down when the ushers came by, I stood up and followed the congregation. The pastor recognized me, “This is the body of Christ given for you, Marissa.” I took it and ate, I drank the wine, and then as I turned to go back to my seat, I completely panicked. What had I just done? Had I eaten God? How would that change me? I rushed back to my pew, lightheaded and with my heart pounding.

The rest of the service was a blur and I left as soon as I could. Outside I tried to clear my head, but it was no use. That God-voice was there, more insistent than ever, “Just talk to me. Please.” Having just eaten Jesus’ body, I felt that I could no longer refuse. “OK God, yes, I’ll talk to you.”

I was right to wonder how communion would change me. It did, and it does. These days I approach the table with more love and less fear, but as I stretch out my hands I still wonder, “How will this change me?”

The LWF Jerusalem Program 2016 Annual Report is printed and ready to be sent out! The report details the activities of the LWF Jerusalem Program, highlighting news and updates from Augusta Victoria Hospital and the Vocational Training Program.

How do I get a copy?

Are you, your church, or your organization interested in reading about what we have been up to? We will happily send you a printed copy (or ten!) of the 2016 Annual Report by mail. Click below to submit your contact information.

Order a print copy here

Read it online here

– Sessen Stephanos

I first found out about MYLE in 2012. My youth director, Brianna pitched the idea to me when I was 14 and I was adamant that I did not want to attend. Looking back on it, I think my attitude towards it was rooted in fear. Fear of acknowledging that my experience as a first generation African-American woman was different from many of my peers at school and at church. I did not attend MYLE in 2012, but the feeling lingered over the next few years. By the time 2015 came around, I was 17 and had just graduated high school. When Bri asked me this time, I said yes. I had spent a lot of time researching about race relations in the United States and I was ready to explore my identity that I had spent so much time trying to suppress.

MYLE definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was a drastically new experience for me.

I think the biggest thing that I took away from MYLE is that our differences are not something that should be ignored. So often I hear people say things like “I don’t see race” or “I don’t see color,” and while those statements come from a well intentioned places, I think it in some ways they are still invalidating. Being black is part of who I am, being from Ethiopia is part of who I am. It is not all that I am, but it is a lens through which I see the world and experience God.

MYLE helped show me that different communities and cultures feel God’s love and express it in different ways.

I was surrounded by people who had really similar upbringings and also drastically different ones. MYLE gave me the opportunity to engage in some of the most honest discussions about topics that I never really thought I would be able to have in my faith communities, and it was a really valuable and precious experience.

By Ruth Ivory-Moore

“Colliding black holes, dinosaur parts in amber, potentially life-friendly planets: The year in science has at times felt almost cinematic in scope.”- National Geographic 

The year was 2016.  Phenomenal discoveries were made which may have life changing implications that range from better understanding the various forms of waves (i.e. light, x-rays) to finding new extraterrestrial objects to explore, such as the newfound potentially water bearing planet dubbed Proxima b. A global collaboration of scientists measured massive colliding black holes producing gravitational waves. This measurement validated Albert Einstein’s 1916 prediction of the existence of these waves in his General Theory of Relativity.  This collision actually occurred about 1.3 billion light-years away, but by the time the waves reached earth they spread like ripples and washed over earth in September 2016.  Scientists are using this discovery to see if there is any connection between gravitational waves and other waves such X-rays, radio, and light.    

(Photograph Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160211-gravitational-waves-found-spacetime-science/ . A computer simulation shows the gravitational waves emitted by two gigantic black holes spiraling around each other. Illustration by C. Henze, NASA)

These discoveries show the importance of science. Unfortunately, the church has not always been welcoming of science. In 1633, Galileo Galilei was convicted of heresy for his teachings on the universe being heliocentric (sun is the center of the solar system) versus being geocentric (earth is center of solar system). The latter was the belief held by the church. As a result, he spent the rest of his life under house arrest.  It took centuries to prove that his theory was correct.

Today we have a better appreciation of the value of science, knowledge, and wisdom. Divine wisdom is apparent in the created order and guides how we are to live in it. “We are called to live according to God’s wisdom in creation (Proverbs 8), which brings together God’s truth and goodness. Wisdom, God’s way of governing creation, is discerned in every culture and era in various ways. In our time, science and technology can help us to discover how to live according to God’s creative wisdom”. (Social Statement, “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice” (1993)).

Human wisdom is primary and fundamental to life.  When Solomon was given the opportunity to ask God for anything he desired, he chose wisdom (1 King 3). Wisdom synthesizes knowledge and experiences into conceptual visions and realities.  Knowledge is a tool while wisdom is the craft in which the tool is used.   God provides humankind with unique abilities compared to the rest of creation, namely to reason, research, analyze, and strategize. Wisdom allows us to make use of God’s gifts and deploy them in ways to give us a better understanding of this world; and to follow through on our mandate to be stewards of all of creation. We use wisdom in science to gather together scientific information and discoveries to further our understanding of our environment.

For example, science is the nucleus of our ability to understand the impact of the warming of the earth due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.

1. It is science that has allows humankind to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over time showing the dramatic increase since 1950. (Photograph right: graph displaying carbon dioxide increase over time. Data source: Reconstruction from ice cores. Credit: NOAA. See:  http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/.)

2. It is science that allows NASA to pictorially show the impact of the accumulation of carbon dioxide emissions globally over the entire earth. Click this link and view what NASA has been observing for in the span of one year compressed: https://youtu.be/x1SgmFa0r04.
3. It was science that allowed Tesla’s Solarcity to convert the island of Ta’u in American Samoa from diesel to 100% solar. This seven-acre solar plant now provides all the power used on Ta’u Island.¹  Photo by Daniel Lin. (Photograph below:  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/news/2017/02/22/Samoa-Island-Solar/solar-energ-samoa-2-GOPR8043.ngsversion.1487791340572.adapt.710.1.jpg)

It is through science that we find the mechanism to alert us of problems that warrant our attention.  It is through our God-given wisdom that we utilize science to be God’s stewards while we are here on earth. Value science. Embrace it. Thank God for the gift of human wisdom that enables us to use science for the benefit of all. Let us pray.

Unison Prayer

Healing God, forgive us that we see dry bones in places where you see the full vitality of life.  Help us to remember that life comes from you alone.  You alone are the Creator of the universe; you alone are the savior of the whole world.  Help to celebrate the vision of life and to tend to the needs of your world.  Amen²

 ¹http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/tau-american-samoa-solar-power-microgrid-tesla-solarcity/

²Creation Justice Ministries:  https://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/50750/images/Gods%20World-1.pdf?key=85797681.

Angie Larson, Clive, IA

Warm-up Question

How did you come to believe in Jesus?

Belief, Doubt, Certainty

GlobeServe Ministries in Ghana, West Africa has been expanding at an amazing rate.  The organization has been in existence for twenty years and started out with a passion to go to villages where there are no churches and share with them the love of God.  GlobeServe started in the small town of Adidome and had five people for their first worship service. According to Rev. Samuel Kofi Dunya, the head of GlobeServe, they are now planting a church in rural northern Ghana and in the northern Volta region every four days and there is talk about moving into surrounding Burkina Faso and Togo as well. 

GlobeServe operates on the belief that, as neighboring communities see and hear about the difference a church and Christian leaders are making in one village, they will ask that it be done in their communities too.  They see the change in their neighbors even though they are not sure what is causing it. Rev. Dunya said, “The chiefs come and say to me, we want that for our community too. It’s God who opens the doors. They do not know what it means to have a church and faith in Jesus, but they invite us in and they are changed.” Each week GlobeServe churches have approximately 63,000 worshippers, most of whom had never heard of Jesus before.  “They keep asking and we keep going,” says Rev. Dunya, “it’s amazing what the Spirit can do with the unbeliever.” In Ghana many are coming to faith in Jesus and peace is growing between villages because people  see what God does in the lives of those who believe.

Discussion Questions

• Have you thought about how you came to faith?
• Do you talk to others about your faith? Why or why not? What can get in the way of sharing your faith with others?
• What gets in the way of others seeing the Spirit in you?

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

(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

Some call this text the “Doubting Thomas” passage because we often focus on Thomas unfavorably. Let’s set the scene in John’s gospel. The resurrected Jesus has appeared to Mary, but not yet to the other disciples. The disciples are hiding out in a locked house, fearful that what happened to their friend Jesus might happen to them.  This makes sense, doesn’t it? It would be scary to have watched your friend die and know that those same people are likely looking for you.  Here in the midst of their fear, Jesus shows up! Locked doors cannot keep him out!  Fear cannot keep him out.  He shows up among the disciples and offers them peace.  Then Jesus shows them his scarred hands and side. Yet, one is not with him, Thomas.

When Thomas returns his friends tell him of the risen Lord. No wonder Thomas struggles to get his head around what they are telling him. It’s not so much that he defiantly doubts.  Like all this friends, he is overcome with grief and fear. Before he can believe he wants the same thing his friends got, to see Jesus’ hands and side. When Jesus arrives the second time he offers Thomas the same thing he offered to the others a week prior.  Indeed, Jesus offers him more, the opportunity to touch his wounds.  But it seems that he does not need to touch after all; the intimate offer from one who loves him causes Thomas to exclaim, “My Lord and my God.”

Belief comes from the Holy Spirit. It moves from disciple to disciple until it spreads across the world. In rural Ghana Jesus is still walking through doors and making himself known by the visible change occurring in community after community.  In our own communities Jesus is still making himself known despite our struggles and doubts, showing how the Holy Spirit comes through our locked doors and our fears to help us.

God’s care is ever as personal as Jesus’ gentle invitation to Thomas.  When you doubt or struggle, Jesus comes, showing the marks of his cross, so that “you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

Discussion Questions

• How do you experience Jesus in your life?
• Why would you want to have life in Christ?  What does that mean?  How is that different from any other form of “life?”
• What “doors” of fear or doubt could Jesus walk through in your life?

Activity Suggestions

Ask students to write a statement of doubt. Have them list their fears, their questions, their unbeliefs on a paper.  Discuss the following quote alongside of their statements. Anne Lamott – “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is certainty.”

Closing Prayer

Blessed Savior, Use us to speak hope in your son’s name for the world.  Guide us to be able to show others so that they may want some of the peace that we have through your son.  Lord, we give you our doubts. We give you our fears. We give you the doors and barriers we put up, knowing that you will walk right through them. Thank you for bringing your son through all of them and to us.  In your name we pray, amen.