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“Reflection” at CSW61

Sophia Chung reflects on her time at the 61st Commission on the Status of Women. Sophia is originally from Kota Kinabulu, Malaysia, and is a member of the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia. She is a member of the ELCA’s International Women Leaders initiative and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. 

I truly appreciated the opportunity to attend CSW in New York not only because it was a chance to expand my horizon, but also because it helped me to see more possibilities and responsibilities now and in future. Everything I experienced and learned throughout those five days is more than I could list down or express through words. I am thankful for all the meaningful conversations I had with people I met or with my teammates during meal times because they helped me developed my thoughts with much more depth. Through all these conversations, God reminds me of His plan for me, His promises, and His grace which never leaves me. Through the preparation for CSW, I learned how shallow my knowledge was, and I realized I had stayed in a comfort zone for such a long time. I thought that I knew what was going on in my country, but I realized I was unaware of a lot the issues going on there. I realized that my country women’s status in the family is the second worst in Southeast Asia, it has the second highest “discriminatory family code” in the region (meaning women’s status are undervalued), women have less than 10% political representation, marital rape is not considered a crime in my country, and the government has no plans to change it. Not only that, according to the WEF Global Gender Gap study in 2014 shows that my country has the worst gender gap in Southeast Asia, and perhaps a lot of this stems from the country’s view of women. I realized that things like marital rape and other major issues may not be happening in my community, all the aforementioned issues are happening in my country. So, this left me with the question: what can I do?

This trip has helped me reflect and start thinking what my church back home can do so that we can reach both indigenous and Muslim women and young girls. These are sensitive topics in a Muslim majority country because of the many legal restrictions and limitations enforced by the government. So, providing government funded education, expecting new government policy, or giving out resources are not likely to happen. Also, it isn’t efficient or a long-term solution for the church back in Malaysia to simply supply economic resources in cases where the government care for women might be lacking. It’s easier to say that I’m going to be a part of changing the status quo than to actually take steps to make it happen, but attending the conference has motivated me to start planning so that this is not just a unilateral resource assistance, but a two-sided cooperation and management, that ensures a healthy relationship between church and community that can last to the next generations. This is a never-ending-learning process, and I wish that I could have stayed a few more days to learn and absorb. But I think it is more valuable to begin implementing the knowledge I do have in my church and community, and to begin writing down a real plan and share it with my pastors and church leaders.

Lastly, I am reminded of a quote from Thomas King, “Don’t say in the years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You’ve heard it now.” We are each confronted by pressing issues within our culture and society, instead of simply turning a blind eye, we must each identify our role in shaping the future and the change we hope to see.

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April 9, 2017–Mob Consciousness

Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN

 

Warm-up Question

Was Jesus the victim of mob violence?

Mob Consciousness

Sometimes, when people act together in groups they multiply the effective force of their courage, their principles, and their resolve.  Individuals acting together in groups have the capacity to become a movement able to realize higher aspirations of the human heart and mind.  At other times, however, when people act together in groups, they multiply the effective force of their fears, their prejudices and their resentment.  Protected within the relative anonymity of the group, individuals can become a mob capable of acting out the lower impulses of the human heart and mind.

An ABC news story of recent violence at rallies in response to policies of President Trump illustrates the fact that group behavior often becomes mob behavior, regardless of the “side” the group represents.  The story noted that violence was committed by members of both groups, the supporters and protesters alike.  When people regard one another merely as representatives of an opposing side in some conflict, they surrender the capacity to engage one another as human beings with value and dignity and voice and story.

Contrast that ABC news story about violence at political rallies with the News One story about the efforts of some senators to try to heal racial divisions by agreeing to meet in table fellowship over a meal.  Whether or not those efforts can effectively help to heal racism, the fact remains that when people sincerely start to know each other as people it becomes increasingly difficult for them to regard each other as merely  representatives of some “other” group.  Certainly, sharing a meal with someone does not guarantee that unity and harmony will emerge in place of previous divisions or disagreements, but the investment of time and effort that people make in truly knowing one another can transform their lives.

Discussion Questions

If you have access to a computer in your class, look at this picture of an orthodox priest during a protest in Kiev, Ukraine, in 2014. The foreground of the photograph shows two people encountering one another in a moment of interpersonal fellowship, while the background of the photograph shows the presence of a larger group.

  • What do you imagine the kneeling man is seeking or requesting?  What do you imagine the priest is offering or bestowing?  What do you imagine each of them is thinking and feeling?  Do you think the larger crowd notices what is going on between the priest and the kneeling man?  What would you think if you were part of the larger crowd and noticed the man kneeling before the priest?
  • Discuss the two stories from ABC and News One.  Imagine that some of the Trump supporters and some of the Trump protesters were persuaded to share an occasion of table fellowship over a meal together.  What might be said or done to encourage conversation in place of conflict, and understanding in place of violence?  How do the two opposing groups in the ABC news story inhibit their capacity to see each other (or to be seen by each other) as human beings with value and dignity and voice and story?

Sunday of the Passion

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Matthew 27:11-54

(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

Matthew’s account of the Passion of Jesus is simultaneously a story about group behavior and about interpersonal fellowship.  On the one hand, the story is propelled forward by the insistent clamor of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion.  On the other hand, the actions of the crowd repeatedly place various individuals in situations of interpersonal fellowship with Jesus.

Consider Pilate, the Roman governor responsible for administrating Roman imperial rule in and around Jerusalem.  Matthew never suggests that Pilate was moved to faith by his encounter with Jesus, but he and Jesus nevertheless share a significant occasion of interpersonal fellowship when they are forced together by the demands of the crowd.  Clearly Pilate is troubled in conscience by the crowd’s insistence that he order the execution of Jesus, a man whom he finds to be innocent.  We are left to wonder how Pilate’s life might have been changed by his encounter with Jesus.

Matthew tells us even less about Simon of Cyrene, the passer-by who was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross to the place of crucifixion.  Whether Simon was chosen entirely at random or for some particular reason, he came to share intimately in the Passion of Jesus that day, and it is reasonable to imagine that the experience had a profound and lasting impact on his life.

The most explicit indication of personal transformation occurs in Matthew’s mention of the centurion (a Roman military officer) who stood near the cross of Jesus; Matthew tells us that the centurion was moved by what he had witnessed to confess with others, “Truly this man was God’s Son” – an indication of personal faith.

Matthew’s account makes it clear that the ministry of Jesus does not stop when he is arrested and bound.  Instead, all along the way to his crucifixion Jesus continues to do what he has always done – moving people to amazement and wonder, providing occasions to walk with him in his way of the cross, and prompting faith’s perception that his ministry is the ministry of God.  The crowd that clamored for Jesus’ crucifixion wanted to end Jesus’ ministry of transforming lives; instead, their actions resulted in the continuation and extension of that ministry.

The crowd behaved like a mob, but the actions of the crowd also carried forward the ministry of Jesus.  However unintentionally, however unwittingly, the insistence of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion became part of the movement by which people were brought to fellowship with Jesus.  While the crowd eventually got what it demanded – the death of Jesus – God’s ministry of transforming lives was nevertheless unfolding, even within the clamor and conflict of mob behavior.

Discussion Questions

  • Which person or people in Matthew’s account of the Passion of Jesus do you find to be the most interesting and fascinating?  Why?
  • With which person in the story do you identify most closely?  Why?
  • What about the centurion’s experience do you think moved him to confess Jesus as God’s Son?
  • How do you experience interpersonal fellowship with Jesus?

Activity Suggestions

An altar or table is one of the most essential furnishings of Christian worship, for it is upon that altar or table that the bread and wine of Holy Communion are prepared as the Lord’s Supper with and for the people.  In Holy Communion, the people are invited to table fellowship with Jesus so that they might grow closely together.  Jesus endured his Passion so that he might enter into fellowship with all people, in all times, places, and circumstances.  In this way, his cross becomes the primary “table” for interpersonal fellowship with people.

Go into the worship space where your congregation worships, and also into the space where the items and appointments used in Holy Communion are stored.  What associations do you see between Holy Communion and the cross?  In what ways is Holy Communion related to the cross in your congregation’s worship?

Closing Prayer

O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son.  By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, that more and more we will give you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

— Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 65

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A Time for Everything: Planning Your Garden

 

In this new series by guest writer Ethan Bergman, we will consider the 5 P’s of gardening – planning, planting, perspiring, picking, and putting to bed – over the course of the next few months. Ethan is a Master of Divinity student in the Distributive Learning program at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Bergman is also the associate dean in the College of Education and Professional Studies and professor of food science and nutrition at Central Washington University, Ellensburg. He was named CWU Distinguished University Professor in 2001-2002 and was named by the Washington State Dietetic Association as Outstanding Registered Dietitian of the Year in 2000. He is a past delegate and past President of the American Dietetic Association as well as speaker of the Academy’s House of Delegates. He has served on the Academy’s Educator’s Task Force on Education Reform in Dietetics Education and on the Evidence-Based Practice Committee. Bergman earned his doctorate from Washington State University.

Pointing Forward

I’ve always loved Ecclesiastes 3. Maybe that is because I am a big Simon and Garfunkel fan. Or, maybe I am a Simon and Garfunkel fan because I love Ecclesiastes 3. In any case, by quoting Ecclesiastes 3 in their cover of the Pete Seeger song “Turn, Turn, Turn,” Simon and Garfunkel point out that there is a time for everything. That includes planting and harvesting. Seeds are planted, and the fruits of those seeds are harvested. But there is a lot of time leading up to that planting; and there is a lot of time between planting and harvesting. And there is time after the harvest.

So let’s consider the 5 P’s of gardening:

Planning

Planting

Perspiring

Picking, and

Putting to bed

So what time is it now? It is time to plan your garden!

Independent seeds professional Ed Merrell has offered his seasonal tips for gardening on the ELCA World Hunger blog for Fall and Spring.  Building on Ed’s work, here are some more questions to help guide your gardening.

Why do I want to grow a garden?

It takes a lot of time. You hear people say, if you factored in the time it takes, it is much cheaper to buy produce in the store. But then you hear others say, it is so great to get your hands in the dirt and help make things grow. From a spiritual perspective, it is wonderful to participate in growing food that helps meet the needs of those around us.  It is always awe-inspiring for me to participate in the miraculous rhythm of plant and garden growth.

What is the growing season in my area?

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has a wonderful website that provides you with specific information for your growing season that is precise and detailed.

When should I start seeds inside or plant outside?

Check out what I discovered about planting dates for Ellensburg, Washington. If you don’t live in Ellensburg, not to worry. It specializes the information for your local climate.  Here’s the link: http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/WA/Ellensburg. This site provides exact information about when I should plant different produce. For example, if I wanted to plant Swiss chard in Ellensburg, Washington (and who doesn’t want to plant Swiss Chard!), I could get it started inside in mid-April, plant it outside the first of May, and harvest it throughout the winter.

What grows well in my area/climate?

Every climate has limits related to what grows well. I live in a dry climate in central Washington state. I have apple, cherry, pear, and prune trees in my yard. The neighbors would laugh if I planted an orange tree. It gets too cold in the winter. See the site above for more detailed information.

How much space do I have?

When you consider early, indoor starts, you will need to determine how much indoor space you might want to dedicate to indoor planting, germination, and early growth.  Also, keep in mind how much space you have outdoors and how you can best use that space. You may want to think of crops that work well together, as well as what crops may be planted multiple times during the growing season.

What am I growing for my own use and what will I plan to donate to a local food bank or pantry?

Call your local food bank to determine what produce they distribute well to their customers before you plan and plant your garden. That way, you can set aside enough space for the well-distributed produce that you plan to donate. If your church has a food pantry, ask some of the participants in that ministry what fresh produce they would like to see on the shelves.

Linking Back

Now let’s link back to what we produced from last year. As Ecclesiastes 3 and Simon and Garfunkel remind us, there is a time to harvest. If we had a good harvest of potatoes and onions from last season, how might we use that in our meal preparations today? We could store our potatoes and onions in a cool dark closet throughout the winter.

If you are looking for a recipe, here is an idea from the publication, Cooking Light: Mashed Potato Soup!  It is healthy and nourishing, tastes great and is quick to make. It takes about 30 minutes to produce from beginning to end. You can also specialize it with toppings, such as green onions or grated cheese. Hold the bacon and substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock for lacto-ovo vegetarians, and substitute pureed silken tofu for the yogurt for those who follow a vegan diet. See the full recipe below.

If you grew garlic and thyme in your garden, you could also use those in this recipe. We grow our herbs in pots on our patio. We also arrange them in a fashion that reminds us of another Simon and Garfunkel song, “Scarborough Fair” – “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme!”

Until next time, remember,

There is a Time for Everything, and a Season for Every Activity Under Heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Mashed Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients

Cooking spray

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 thyme sprig

1 (25-ounce) package unsalted chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (24-ounce) package refrigerated mashed potatoes

1/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/3 cup sliced green onion tops

1.5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/3 cup)

3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preparation

  1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and thyme; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock; simmer 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprig. Place half of stock mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining stock mixture.
  2. Return stock mixture to pan; add pepper and potatoes, stirring with a whisk until combined. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in yogurt and dill. Ladle into serving bowls; top with green onions, cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Yield: 

Serves 6 (serving size: 1 cup soup, about 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons bacon, and about 2 1/2 teaspoons green onions)

Total time: 30 Minutes

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Calories 200

Fat 9.7 g

Saturated fat 5.8 g

Monounsaturated fat 1.4 g

Polyunsaturated fat 0.3 g

Protein 10 g

Carbohydrate 19 g

Fiber 2 g

Cholesterol 31 mg

Iron 1 mg

Sodium 588 mg

Calcium 117 mg

 

 

 

 

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“God’s Someones” at CSW61

This is roughly the sermon preached by the Rev. Meredith Harber during the Lutheran-led worship for the 61st session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women Ecumenical Women’s worship on March 14, 2017. Since sermons are lived experiences where the Holy Spirit shows up in her glorious and gracious way, these words aren’t verbatim. This sermon is based on Esther 4:16.

When I was 22 years old, I worked for an elementary school. One of my kids from the school invited me to come have dinner with her family. While her mother was working in the kitchen to finish dinner, I sat with my student’s grandma. In our general introductions, grandma learned my name and then asked me if I had a husband. I generally use humor in these situations, so I said, “No, no. Husbands are a LOT of work and I don’t want to deal with that!” She laughed and agreed, but she persisted. “Why don’t you have a husband?” she asked, with concern painted across her face. I said, “Well, I’m young and I don’t want to rush into anything.” She said, “Yes, you’re young, but you’re fat. And no man is going to want a fat wife. And really, you’re not that young.”

This moment has stuck with me over the last eight years, because this moment captured a feeling that I and many other women experience on a regular basis. My identity was attached to a husband – or my lack of a husband – and to my age and to my weight and to any other outside factor. Anyone else ever have that experience of being reduced to labels and property, rather than to be seen for your whole personhood?

This morning, we heard a bit of the story from Esther, specifically Esther 4:16 that says, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” If you haven’t spent time with Esther, I invite you to do so, because she is a fierce woman. This one verse may not seem like much, but this one verse is the turning point in Esther’s story from powerless to powerful.

See, Esther was as powerless as she could possibly be. She was born a girl, to parents who both died in her childhood, leaving her as an orphan. When her uncle, Mordechai, adopted her, she became a tool for him to accomplish his political goals. She was also prejudiced against for her religion and culture as a Jew. King Ahasuerus, the ruler of the land, put out a call for the prettiest virgins to come present themselves to be considered for the king’s harem. Mordechai sent Esther to be reviewed for her beauty and virginity, and she was eventually chosen. She was sent by a man to be chosen by a man to be a sex slave.

Esther was labeled as property by the men in her life. Girl, orphan, Jew, sex slave. She was as powerless as she could be.

But see, Esther wasn’t just someone’s ward or someone’s sex toy. Esther was someone. She worked her way up through the harem, building relationships with those in power, to become the queen of the whole land. She was always powerful, despite the labels placed on her that tried to tell the world – and Esther – that she was worthless.

She was God’s someone.

The beauty of Esther’s story is that while she had harsh words from those around her about who she was and was not, the ultimate word from our God is that we are God’s someone.

YOU, dear friends, are God’s someones.

YOU are powerful beyond belief.

YOU, whether you’re …
old
young
skinny
fat
unmarried
divorced
widowed
married to your husband or wife or partner
a mother
an auntie
a stepmother
painfully childless
happily childless

YOU, no matter your …
race
socio-economic status
religion or denomination
gender identity
assigned place in society

YOU, dear friends, are God’s someones. And YOU, as God’s someones, are powerful beyond belief. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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“I Carry Her with Me” at CSW61

Jennifer Kirkby is a member of the ELCA Young Adult Cohort and Eben Ezer Lutheran Church in Oaks, Oklahoma. 

In preparing for the trip to the 61st U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW 61), some thoughts would keep coming to mind: How will what is learned from this experience influence my work? How can I share with my church and community? How can I share with the team I work with on a daily basis? In this extraordinary space, there are signs of God’s work all around us, and as I hear the stories, it will become more clear for not just myself but also for all those in attendance what they will be led to do after this experience.

My maternal grandma’s face keeps popping up in my head when I hear the words “care giver,” “care work,” “domestic” and “economic impact of women.” As my grandma aged and was looking at how she was going to support herself in her later years, she was told she did not work enough in her lifetime to receive any Social Security benefits. The amount of money that she received was dependent on her husband’s work and the fact that she was his caregiver. Her worth in dollars was tied to her marital status and caring for him; therefore, it was deemed that she could receive an income. I remember thinking, as a kid, how could they say she has not worked enough? My grandma was always busy, working and taking care of someone else’s needs. She raised seven kids and helped raise several grandchildren, myself included. The regular income she worked for in her lifetime was for cooking, cleaning and caretaking jobs for a local school, children’s home and local people. As kids, if we wanted extra money for special events, she was the first one to tell us we needed to work for it, and she would take us to pick strawberries, wild blackberries, wild onions and walnuts to sell. Many times my grandma did those same things for extra money for gas, food or personal-care needs. Other times when she would need money, she would make pies. I would go door to door and sell the pies.

Looking back, I would give anything to have those times again, to be able to say,  Grandma, you have worked too hard, let me care for you, tell me what you need. She was a strong, Cherokee woman. She was a fighter, and she had great faith. She had faith that her Lord and Savior would provide for her family. She had faith that she would be taken care of despite her struggles, and she had faith that these values would live on in her family.

Throughout my time here, I carry her with me; I carry her spirit and her dreams of independence. There are many stories like this and many more that have not been told. Thank you to ELCA World Hunger, The Lutheran World Federation, and Ecumenical Women for advocating for women to be recognized for their work and contributions. I am honored to be here with such phenomenal women who use their gifts selflessly to make the world a better place for women and children.

In Honor of Wynona J. Fields (pictured)

 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10

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“Lessons in Lutheranism” for New and Old

 

Today’s post is from Renee Hermanson, Worship Committee member at St. Mark’s Lutheran in Aurora, CO.

 

The soaring arches in the large sanctuary of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Aurora, Colorado, reach high above the long rows of pews to focus on the chancel’s wide stone altar and brilliant stained glass window. Such elegance seems out of place in the surrounding neighborhood of modest tract homes and the nearby mini-mall, all showing their age. 

The population of this congregation, like many across the country, is also showing its age, as younger members move away or change churches, and older ones slow down and retire from active participation, then move to care centers or leave this life. The still active and able members give selflessly to help the congregation serve those whom Jesus loves and welcomes. Through providing spaces for AA meetings, offering once-a-week Food Bank distribution, serving a free Wednesday night supper and hosting special events for the neighborhood, St. Mark’s imposing building has become a symbol of service and welcome where people have found hope and belonging in a neighborhood that is home for several immigrant communities as well as people experiencing homelessness.

This outreach has brought a more diverse group of people into the congregation. For some, —perhaps most —of those who have become a part of the St. Mark’s family, the whole church culture is an entirely new experience. For others, who come from a different branch of Christianity, the message is familiar, but the form of worship is not. These people follow along as best they can, but they may wonder why we sing so many prayers and those hard-to-sing hymns.

To help these people —and others as well—the St. Mark’s worship committee decided to provide some Lessons in Lutheranism in two places — the Sunday bulletin and the monthly newsletter. Each week the Hymn Notes item in the bulletin provides both a “what” in a short history of one of the hymns and a “why” that shows its relationship to the day’s text and/or the Liturgical Calendar. The Worship Matters column that appears each month in The Messenger describes and explains the “what’s” and “whys” of the liturgical seasons, symbols, and practices of worship.

The response has been positive, as much from the established members as from newer ones. The articles are researched and written by a member of the committee, but could be done by another member or the pastor. Aside from having a general understanding of Lutheran doctrine and practice, the only requisite is a few hours a month to research and write the short items. A wealth of information can be found in books and articles on Christian/Lutheran symbols, festivals and traditions found in most church libraries, and on the Internet —on the ELCA Worship committee and hymn history sites.

As we enter into this observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this kind of review and education might help any congregation enrich its worship experience.

 

 

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