Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA

 Warm-up Question

Would it bother you if there was no more chocolate?

A World Without Chocolate?

Business Insider alarmed chocolate lovers around the globe recently with a New Year’s Eve story claiming chocolate would become extinct on earth by the year 2050. The claim was based on a 2016 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a 2014 report of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It suggested that climate change would result in increased temperatures in cacao growing regions, making them unsuitable for the plants necessary for chocolate production.

Much of the Business Insider story focused on research, a collaboration of Mars, Inc. (producer of Snickers, M&Ms and other chocolate candies) and the University of California, Berkeley, to genetically modify cacao to thrive in the new climate conditions.

Many news outlets repeated the story, causing panic among chocolate lovers worldwide. However, subsequent articles in a number of other outlets have taken the edge off the alarm caused by the original report. They point out that, although climate change may make it harder to grow cacao in Ghana and Ivory Coast, where more than half the world’s chocolate originates, there are other regions in the world capable of growing the plants. Some point out that a scientific finding of extinction means there have been no sightings of the plant for at least 50 years. That won’t happen for a while, perhaps not in our lifetimes.

So perhaps, while there is cause for serious concern – and need for action to avoid disaster – you will likely still be able to find Snickers bars for some time to come.

Discussion Questions

• How concerned are you about the affects of climate change on crops like chocolate?
• Think about all the people who work to bring chocolate to your local store. How would the absence of chocolate affect their lives?
• Does the fact that the original article was published by an outlet that focuses on business, and that it devotes most of the story to the actions of Mars, Inc., affect how you think about it?
• What can you do to improve chocolate’s chances of survival? What does God call us to do as stewards of this planet?
• Does being called as a disciple of Jesus make any difference in how you reads this article and how you might respond?

Third Sunday of Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

(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

Jesus’ choice of disciples was a very important one. These were the men he relied on to support him and his ministry. And after his ascension, they were the essential apostles, spreading the good news of the gospel, sharing his teachings and establishing Christian communities far beyond Galilee.

Given all this, it is a little surprising how spontaneously Jesus apparently calls Simon, Andrew, James and John. In our modern understanding, recruitment involves a carefully crafted advertisement and often multiple rounds of interviews and testing to ensure the best candidate is identified. Applicants today are also advised to do their research to make sure they understand their prospective employers’ expectations, that they’re being offered a reasonable career promotion and salary, and that they will be compatible with the organization’s culture.

What qualification did these fishermen, struggling daily to make a living, have to offer? And how did Jesus convince them to leave what was familiar to them and do something that had never been done before?

Mark’s focus on Jesus’ simple call and the disciples’ immediate, unquestioning response invites us to consider two important realities of our own relationships with Christ. First, when he calls us to ministry, he already knows that we are uniquely qualified to fulfill his plan. Second, when we hear God’s call, we can step forward confidently in faith, knowing that – even if we don’t fully understand his vision – he has invited us to experience the glory of serving him.

Discussion Questions

• Based on your understanding of the New Testament, what were the disciples’ qualifications for their roles?
• Was there anything they could have done earlier in their lives to prepare them for their ministry?
• What are some of the questions and doubts in your mind when you try to discern God’s purpose in your life?
• How can your community – your friends and family, your school and church – help or hinder your ability to hear and answer God’s call?

Activity Suggestions

Working individually or in small groups, create an ad for the job of disciple, then share it with the group. (For inspiration, think of any job ads you may have seen – for the Army, for McDonald’s, any employer.)

For a television ad, write a script and act it out. For a radio ad, write and then read the ad like a radio announcer. For a newspaper or magazine ad, write the copy, ad images if necessary, and present the layout. Typical radio and television ads are 30 seconds. For newspaper or magazine, imagine you are creating a full-page ad.

Each ad should answer these questions:

• What is the organization’s mission?
• What are the job duties?
• What are the benefits?
• What type of person should apply?

As each group makes its presentation, discuss which aspects of their ads are most compelling? Is this a job you would apply for?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the many blessings and gifts you have given each of us. Give us ears to hear your call, and hearts for service to do your will. We are here, Lord, we are listening, and we are ready to say, “Yes!” Amen.

 

Issue 56 of Administration Matters

Submit your parochial report!

2017 parochial reports are due on Feb. 15. These reports are vital to the ELCA’s commitment to improving its efforts to spread the good news and are used in allocating the ELCA’s resources to synods and congregations. Did you know that the information you submit (or do not submit) in your parochial report goes into your congregation’s trend report, which is publicly available online? Seekers looking for your congregation can see not only the information you submit but also whether the congregation has submitted parochial reports. Please submit the report so that visitors can learn more about you. >More

Portico introduces more objective way to assess physical health

Portico has kicked off its 11th annual wellness challenge, inviting members and spouses with ELCA-Primary health benefits to earn wellness dollars for working to strengthen their physical and financial health. New this year, as part of its stepped-up commitment to give members more personalized health support, Portico is offering a biometric screening instead of an online health assessment. For their effort, participants will also receive $200 wellness dollars, half of the $400 available in 2018. >More

Preventing a hostile work environment

A hostile work environment may be defined as a workplace where an employee is subjected to harassment or unfair treatment, creating an environment where the employee feels threatened or intimidated. Prevention is the best means toward a safe and welcoming workplace. >More

Armed intruder

While it may never happen to you, it is important to prepare for an armed intruder situation just as you prepare for other types of emergencies. These situations evolve very rapidly and require individuals to make decisions very quickly. This resource kit will give you some tools to prepare for this type of emergency. >More

IRS 2018 standard mileage rates for business, medical and moving announced

The Internal Revenue Service has issued the 2018 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 54.5 cents for every mile of business travel driven, up 1 cent from the rate for 2017.
  • The ELCA uses the business travel rate to reimburse travel expenses.
• 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, up 1 cent from the rate for 2017.
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

“Sweet dreams.”Uttered almost like an extension of bedtime prayers, whispered and spoken with a gentleness intended to comfort, these two words invoking the gift, “sweet dreams.”

In 1963 on a national stage, a 35-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. was about to take his seat when Mahalia Jackson urged him go further. “Tell them about the dream. Tell them.” Two months prior to his historic sermon at the march on Washington, Dr. King had spoken passionately begun to speak of his dream for our country. It was in Detroit that King began to echo the refrain, “I have a dream.”

It is the perspective of some, looking back, that Dr. King was not sure about sharing, there in Washington, the outline of what the dream called for. Without the urging of Mahalia Jackson, “tell them about the dream” what has been heralded as one of, if not King’s most memorable sermons, would have ended quite differently.

Dr. King reminded those gathered for the Great March on Detroit in 1963, that we were standing about a hundred years from the Emancipation Proclamation, dismantling of legalized enslavement of Africans in the United States. King lamented that one hundred years later the Negro in America was still not free, “But now more than ever before, America is forced to grapple with this problem, for the shape of the world today does not afford us the luxury of an anemic democracy. The price that this nation must pay for the continued oppression and exploitation of the Negro or any other minority group is the price of its own destruction. For the hour is late. The clock of destiny is ticking out, and we must act now before it is too late.”

There are many who now remember very little of Dr. King’s historic sermon beyond, “I have a dream.” In that sermon, both in Detroit and in Washington, he spoke of an urgency that was demanding  that we as a nation move with intent and purpose, and an energy “an anemic democracy” could not and cannot render.

In the three years that followed, Dr. King, his messages and the movement became clearly more unaccepting of any notion of gradualism. His writings from a Birmingham jail were gathered to become the basis of his book under the title “Why We Can’t Wait.”

As he spoke more openly about the intersectionality of poverty and the pattern of poor people being pitted against one another by the manipulative hands of empire, the more he lost favor with European Americans who had once at least claimed to be allies. King’s speaking against the global injustices of war and poverty were met by powerful voices insisting that he stay in his lane.

In 1967 in an interview with NBC news correspondent Sander Vanocur, Dr. King spoke of the dream he preached about in 1963 now becoming in many ways a nightmare. By 1968 when he ventured into the hostility of Memphis Tennessee to stand in solidarity with striking sanitation workers, he spoke not so much about the dream but resolutely about “the difficult days ahead.” Surely it remains even more evident that “we cannot afford the luxury of an anemic democracy.” We are well within the challenge of the difficult days King envisioned, that demand of us more than superficial notions of cross cultural relations and justice only on the terms of brutal empire.

Our beloved prophetic drum major never abandoned the sweet dream.

 

Action Item
April 4, 2018 marks 50 years since Reverend Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated. The National Council of Churches, an umbrella organization of mainline Protestant, historic black and Orthodox denominations, is leading “Act Now! United to End Racism.” People of faith will come together on April 4th to commit to realizing Dr. King’s dream to resolve to end racism. Events include an April 3 ecumenical service at a Greek Orthodox cathedral, an interfaith prayer service and rally on the National Mall on April 4, and a lobby day on Capitol Hill on April 5. Visit the National Council of Churches Facebook page to learn more : https://www.facebook.com/nationalcouncilofchurches/.

 

Bio
In August 2014, Pastor Starr began work as ELCA Director for Ethnic Specific, Multicultural Ministries and Racial Justice Team of the ELCA–after serving as Director for African Descent Ministries  since 2009. As a pastor /teacher he takes great delight and special joy in helping to lift up and engage the gifts and talents of people of African descent and others, celebrating their capacity for building a stronger church and a better world to the glory of God through Jesus Christ. He was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus Ohio. Pastor Starr and his wife Judith have two adult children and two grandchildren. He is the first of seven children born to Albert and Eunice Starr of Durham, N.C.

 

 

 

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ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director                                                           ELCA.org/advocacy

#FOR SUCH A TIME: The January day to #PrayFastAct is Sunday, Jan. 21! This month, we are mindful of major programs that help curb poverty, namely Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, and the good they provide for those in the greatest need. People of faith have been champions and voices of support for anti-poverty programs for decades, which continue to serve as a backstop to ensure a minimum level quality of life and security. Be on the lookout for a shared statement from ELCA Advocacy and the Episcopal Church later this month!

HUNGER AND THE FARM BILL: Lutherans from across the country will travel to Washington, D.C., in January for the annual ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering to discuss and take action to address the impact of hunger in communities.. The event occurs as lawmakers begin to discuss reauthorizing the Farm Bill, legislation that sets critical agricultural, conservation, energy, rural and hunger policies. While hunger leaders meet with their lawmakers on January 23, ELCA Advocacy will encourage our national advocacy network to stand in solidarity with these advocates by contacting Congress via the Advocacy Action Center.

RENEWING CHIP HEALTH CARE: On Sept. 30, 2017, Congress failed to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which helps provide critical medical care for children in low-income families. With reserves running low, states are beginning to limit coverage to basic, quality health insurance coverage, putting some 9 million children across our country at risk. Shortly before Christmas, ELCA Advocacy shared an action alert encouraging lawmakers to renew the program and sustain health care for the many children who need essential care. As Congress continues to debate a final spending extension, this month is a critical time for advocates to reach out to their lawmakers.

TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS: The Administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS), an immigration status meant to protect citizens from other countries present in the U.S. when a tragedy strikes in their country, for Salvadorans in early January. This decision affects over 200,000 TPS holders, many with U.S. citizen children, who have lived legally in the U.S. for years. ELCA Advocacy released a statement highlighting our deep disappointment with the decision and calling on Congress to pass legislation to protect TPS holders. We are concerned that TPS for Honduran citizens will also be taken away in May.

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Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Dennis Frado, director

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ITS MAIN WORK ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES FOR 72ND SESSION: This past autumn the Third Committee of the United Nations discussed human rights issues that included protection of religious minorities; responsibility for the education of refugee children; people with disabilities; racial discrimination and intolerance, especially increased racist rhetoric and Nazism; promoting self-determination; the public trust and “fake news;” all reported on in previous ELCA Advocacy Updates.

Once the committee concluded its session in November, it approved 63 resolutions, which were then recommended for consideration and adoption by the General Assembly in its plenary session  on Dec. 19. The Assembly occasionally took a recorded vote on several resolutions at a member state’s request, considered several amendments, and adopted all the resolutions that had cleared budgetary consideration. They included reports on social development, the advancement of women, questions relating to refugees and humanitarian questions; promotion of the rights of children; rights of indigenous peoples; elimination of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia; the right of peoples to self-determination; promotion and protection of human rights; implementation of human rights instruments including enjoyment of rights and fundamental freedoms; specific human rights situations in North Korea, Iran, Crimea and Syria; implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration; crime prevention and criminal justice; and international drug control.

SECURITY COUNCIL AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY TAKE UP STATUS OF JERUSALEM:

President Trump’s announcement in early December that his government recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and would soon move the U.S. Embassy there prompted discussions in both the Security Council and the General Assembly. In the Security Council, an Egyptian-sponsored draft resolution was vetoed by the U.S.on Dec. 18 with all other Security Council members voting in favor.  Citing negative trends that are imperiling the two-state solution, the draft resolution would have affirmed that any decisions and actions that purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect are null and void and must be rescinded and called upon all states to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem.   The General Assembly took up a similarly worded draft resolution on Dec. 21, and it was adopted by a vote of 128 in favor to 9 against with 35 abstentions and 21 not present.

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California

Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy                                                     loppca.org

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – CARE FOR CREATION: The Legislature returned on Jan. 3, roiled by allegations of sexual harassment and abuse and focused on honoring the memories of fire victims (including Cory Iverson, a CalFire engineer whose paternal grandparents are members of San Marcos Lutheran Church), and law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty since adjournment in September. Oversight hearings are scheduled on California’s recently enacted and updated cap-and-trade carbon reduction and air quality improvement plans, supported by LOPP-CA. We have signed onto, and circulated to others, a faith-based organization letter in support of SB 100, which seeks to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electrical energy by 2050. The Southwest California Synod Green Faith Team is one group that added its name. LOPP-CA is participating in a January conference “to launch a movement to make California the first trauma-informed human resilience enhancing state in the U.S. for climate traumas and stresses!”

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson will be attending the legislative reception hosted by Stronger Together, a women-led coalition of groups concerned with economic and other gender justice issues. The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence rallied at the Capitol to support doubling the state budget for domestic violence programs from its current $21 million, a modest amount given a $125 billion General Fund budget and a projected multibillion-dollar surplus. LOPP-CA will be looking to support that effort. Carlson attended a community interfaith service at an Islamic center for 9- and 12-year-old sisters killed by their father in a murder-suicide on New Year’s Eve. Gov. Jerry Brown releases his budget proposal later in January.

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Colorado

Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–Colorado                                                  lam-co.org

LEGISLATIVE SESSION KICKS OFF: The second regular session of the 71^st Colorado General Assembly convened on Jan. 10. Lawmakers will be in session for 120 calendar days, a four-month session concluding in early May.

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado is already monitoring legislation that will be introduced soon, including bills related to disability benefits, driver’s license access, workforce development, family leave, and housing stability for low-income renters. Colorado has an open hearing law, which means that every bill introduced must receive at least one public hearing, so we anticipate opportunities to speak to each of these issues.

LUTHERAN DAY AT THE LEGISLATURE: Registration is now open for Colorado Lutheran Day at the Legislature! Join us on Feb. 15 for a morning of learning, equipping and action. Participants will learn what Lutheran Advocacy is working on in the current session, be equipped to use the tools of citizen lobbying, and meet their legislators at the Capitol. It promises to be a great day, so register now at lam-co.org.

United Methodist Bishop Karen Oliveto speaks at a Together Colorado news conference related to SB 13-251.

NEWS CONFERENCE: Lutheran Advocacy joined ecumenical partners at a news conference on Jan. 4 in support of bipartisan upcoming legislation to improve access to driver’s licenses for undocumented residents. The program was curtailed two years ago, making it very difficult to renew a license or get a new appointment, but a broad ecumenical coalition is working together to expand the program again.

 

 

 

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Minnesota

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy–Minnesota                                                tammy@lcppm.org

FAITH AND CLEAN ENERGY CAMPAIGN: The campaign started with a great October introductory event. Since then, LA-MN and its partners have met and strategized with bipartisan lead House and Senate authors of Renewable Energy Standard (RES) legislation. It would modify the current state RES (25 percent renewable energy by 2025), to 50 percent by 2030 (Minnesota is already at 23-24 percent). Join the campaign and help build new champions of clean energy! How many signers can you get from your congregation on the faith campaign letter to legislators?

Upcoming event:   Faith & Clean Energy Campaign Legislative Visit Basics – Thursday, Feb. 8, 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (St. Paul) RSVP: goo.gl/forms/B2A3H6lwOkF7Rm352

OTHER CLEAN ENERGY EFFORTS: Tammy Walhof continues to chair the Energy & Climate Cluster of Minnesota Environmental Partnership and was elected to a leadership team of the State Climate Table. Fall was full of meetings to coordinate many groups, find common ground, and collaborate on main messages. Despite the RES modification focus, defensive action will be needed to protect clean energy programs and accomplishments. (Significant fossil fuel money found its way to Minnesota in recent electoral campaigns).

HOMES FOR ALL: LA-MN participates in the Policy, Communications and Community Engagement teams of the statewide coalition. Tammy Walhof and Kendrick Hall have been deeply engaged in the long deliberative process to decide 2018 legislative proposals (affordable housing bonds/appropriations). Kendrick is helping create messaging and educational materials for the coalition’s proposed legislation. LA-MN also joined the new Protect Our Homes coalition to address disturbing proposed cuts and changes in federal housing programs.

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New Mexico

Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico     lutheranadvocacynm.org

LAUNCHING OF THE LAM-NM ADVOCATING CONGREGATION OPPORTUNITY:  The latter part of 2017 saw the launching of our new Advocating Congregation program. The LAM-NM Policy Committee approved the launch of the program and the information about the program was sent out to the LAM-NM Advocacy Network. Congregations are asked to participate in at least six advocacy education activities or actions. By the end of 2017 six congregations had submitted applications and two certificates had been presented by LAM-NM director, Ruth Hoffman. Fittingly, the first Advocating Congregation to be recognized was St. Paul Lutheran in Albuquerque. Several members of St. Paul were instrumental in the formation of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in New Mexico in 1984. The second congregation recognized was 1^st Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe which has been an ecumenical partner in advocacy for more than 20 years.

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Ohio

Nick Bates, The Faith Coalition for the Common Good                          Nick@HungerNetOhio.org

ADVENT ADVOCACY DAY: Ohio advocates ended 2017 with an Advent Advocacy Day. Attendees began the day reflecting on the Advent’s season strong call for justice.

“He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”  (Luke 1:51-53).

Pastors Leonard Killings and Larry Novak talk about the importance of nutrition in food assistance

 

Advocates began the day with a briefing on poverty and how it intersects with a wide array of issues, including education, infant mortality, health care, hunger and much more. Too often we treat those who are struggling economically as “other.” Instead, it is time that we honor the dignity of the children of God who are unable to make ends meet. Poverty is not caused by a moral failing but by a lack of resources and decent pay. Currently, 1 in 3 Ohio households is unable to make ends meet, even though more than 80 percent of these households are working.

 

 

Pastors Glen Bengson, Libby Buuk and Leanne Reat talk about the long-term effects of poverty on children.

In 2018, HNO will engage congregations and legislators in a more comprehensive understanding of poverty and its causes and effects.

Other updates:

• Without a long-term funding solution to CHIP at the federal level, 200,000 kids in Ohio are at risk of losing health insurance.
• The Legislature continues to work toward redistricting solutions. Advocates continue to gather signatures for a ballot issue in November to force a redistricting fix.
• Ohio’s unemployment compensation system needs to improve to guarantee the resources are there to help families in need. The Legislature has been unable to improve this important work support.

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Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy–Pennsylvania     lutheranadvocacypa.org

Alleviating hunger, poverty and injustice while addressing their root causes remains central to the work of LAMPa in 2018. On Dec. 7, LAMPa’s Policy Council adopted a broad agenda that encourages disciples to act where they are called, lifting their ministry context, lived experiences, vocations and gifts for public witness.

“The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures call God’s people to care for widows, orphans and sojourners,” said LAMPa’s newly elected chair, the Rev. William Snyder. “As we look forward, let us join them in lifting up the song of abundant life for all people.”

In addition to informing LAMPa’s work by sharing their ministries and communities in every synod, the Policy Council elected new officers and continued to refine a restructuring that reflects a closer relationship with the ELCA churchwide organization while seeking to give voice to the work of the church in Pennsylvania.  The deliberation affirmed LAMPa’s mission to advocate for wise and just public policies in Pennsylvania that promote the common good in response to God’s love in Jesus Christ. Read more.

2018 is a both a legislative and gubernatorial election year, making the outlook for legislative action even more partisan, especially given the announcement that House Speaker Mike Turzai is one of several candidates, including state Sen. Scott Wagner, seeking the Republican nomination for governor. Current governor, Tom Wolf, a Democrat, faces overwhelming Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.

 

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Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network     fanwa.org

2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: Washington’s legislative session begins on Jan. 8 and will last 60 days. FAN will be working on critical bills like Breakfast After the Bell, which would give students access to breakfast as they begin their school day. During the session, FAN will have three part-time lobbyists pushing for the issues on our Legislative Agenda while working in conjunction with key partners: the Racial Equity Team, the Welfare Anti-Poverty Advocates Group, the Revenue Coalition, the Farmworker Coalition, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the Alliance for Jobs & Clean Energy, and many more. FAN will also be hosting and facilitating our annual meeting with the governor later this month.

FAN is also gearing up for Interfaith Advocacy Day in the state capitol. We hope to bring 300-400 advocates from at least 40 of our 49 legislative districts to engage with speakers, workshops and caucuses by legislative district. Advocates will meet with their legislators and/or their staff and hear key legislators speak about current, critical issues in the Legislature.

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu was our Annual Dinner keynote speaker, and leaders at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound were honored for their work to combat Islamophobia.

STAFF UPDATE: In 2017, FAN expanded our staff capacity by hiring a full-time statewide organizer. Amber Dickson now focuses on engaging with faith communities in South King County, an area especially affected by the issues on our Legislative Agenda, and not yet well represented within our network. Amber will also be the staff lead for our criminal justice work group, as well as FAN’s community organizer representative to the Racial Equity Team.

FAN’s 2017 ANNUAL DINNER: Last November, over 450 FAN advcocates from 20 faith traditions gathered to celebrate our movement for justice and to raise funds. At the dinner, FAN honored faith leaders, communities and justice activists, including ecumenical faith leaders who signed a 1987 apology letter to Northwest trib

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Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin     loppw.org

ADVOCACY DAYS:

• LOPPW’s director joined two Wisconsin bishops and a grass-roots leader to advocate for refugees and immigrants at the ELCA Advocacy Convening in D.C.
• LOPPW helped organize People of Faith United for Justice Advocacy Day to advocate on issues related to hunger and poverty in the proposed state budget.

INVOLVING VOLUNTEERS:

• Three members of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin/LOPPW Care for God’s Creation Team led workshops on climate change; one leads workshops frequently.
• A Northwest Synod of Wisconsin volunteer traveled to La Crosse to be a key speaker on anti-sex trafficking.
• Two Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Synod Council members led a workshop and two other council members co-led a workshop with the director in the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin.
• Two members of Women of the ELCA and a council member of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin testified at a hearing on anti-sex trafficking.
• The La Crosse Hunger Team has begun educating others about the farm bill.

NEW AND GOOD IN 2017:

• “Called into the World” – devotional on the social statements by LOPPW Advisory Council:
• New workshops: Luther and Economic Justice and Anti-trafficking and Healthy Relationships for youth (the latter led for first time in the Northern Great Lakes Synod)
• Monday quotes – weekly devotions: https://www.loppw.org/resources/
• Overnight advocacy retreat for college students organized with Lutheran Campus Ministry

COMING UP IN 2018:

• Updated Advocacy Manual and trainings, beginning with two advocacy conferences in the East Central Synod of Wisconsin
• Regular communication on legislation to synods with a Greater Milwaukee Synod volunteer

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Bethlehem, 10 January 2018 – Glowing tributes of the foundation that Bishop Younan established at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) matched the glow of friends, family, Jerusalem and international leaders, and dignitaries from Palestine and Jordan, as they celebrated the third Bishop of the ELCJHL.

For the full story and a gallery of photos check out the ELCJHL blog here.

– Todd Buegler

My first experience bringing a group to the ELCA Youth Gathering was in San Antonio in 1988. I brought a group of nine young people, along with one other adult leader.

Our experience in San Antonio was okay. Good. Fine. Not great, but good.

After the event, I talked with our young people about their experience. I compared notes with colleagues from other congregations who brought groups to the Gathering and heard about their great experiences. I came to realize something after these conversations: the good and decent experience we had in San Antonio wasn’t the fault of the Gathering planners and organizers. It was my fault.

It was my fault because our group wasn’t prepared to receive what the Gathering offered and to recognize how God was at work. I just wasn’t prepared.

The Gathering isn’t meant to stand alone as an event. It is intended to be contextualized for your community.

Everything experienced from the main stage, the interaction center, and the service opportunities are intended to be interpreted for your unique youth group. And you… we… the adult leaders… are the interpreters.

I’ve been a part of every ELCA Youth Gathering since 1988: as a pastor bringing a group, as a planning team member, and as a team leader.  These experiences have affirmed for me that our group’s experiences are still dependent on how well we are prepared to receive what God brings through the Gathering. Pressure? Yeah, maybe some.  But here’s words of hope: you are not alone in this.

We have a Network.  The ELCA Youth Ministry Network is the organization that supports adults who work with children, youth, and families in ELCA congregations, The Network focuses on renewal, education and networking.  We connect with each other to create a culture of learning and support, so that the work we do as interpreters of the Gathering, of other ministry experiences, and of God’s work in the lives of young people can be transformative for those we are called to serve.

From January 26th to the 29th, almost 1,000 adult leaders will gather for the annual Extravaganza in Houston for worship, learning, and to connect with each other.

Prepare yourself and your group for the Gathering.
Strengthen your ministry.
Learn all you can learn.
Know the material.
Ask questions.
Wonder about what God is up to.

I invite you to join the Network!  We are a community centered around faith formation for the young, and our belief that God calls us to serve. Thanks be to God!

 

Rev. Todd Buegler is the senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, and also serves as the Executive Director of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network.

Dennis Sepper, Burnsville, MN

 

Warm-up Question

Can you name one famous person (or more) who came from your hometown?

From Small Beginnings Come Great Things

Can anything good come out of Swartekill, New York?  That was the birthplace of Isabella Baumfree who became known as Sojourner Truth.  Sojourner Truth was sold into slavery at the age of nine for $100, which included a flock of sheep.  Later she escaped with her infant daughter and went on to be a prominent abolitionist and an advocate for women’s rights.

Can anything good come out of Hodgenville, Kentucky?  On February 12, 1809 Abraham Lincoln was born there.  Abraham’s father was a determined pioneer who worked the land.  The family was forced to move several times eventually ending up in Illinois.  Lincoln was elected to the state government of Illinois and then as the 16^th President of the United States.  President Lincoln is best known for the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves in the north and for his Gettysburg Address where he declared that the United States was “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Can anything good come out of Tuskegee, Alabama?  Rosa Parks was born there in 1913.  One day, weary from work, Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery Alabama bus.  Rosa Parks was arrested and her act of defiance sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.  Participating in that boycott was a preacher by the name of Martin Luther King Jr whose day we celebrate this weekend and Monday, January 15^th.

So often our perceptions and geographical prejudices can make us believe that nothing good can come out of certain towns, regions of our country or the world.  However, there are hundreds upon hundreds of examples of people being called by God to change society and the world.  The vast majority of them come from places we’ve never heard of or believe to be a place which could not produce a world changing personality.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever underestimated the abilities of someone because of where they were born or based on what their parent did for a living?  Why do you think that happens?
• Have you ever experienced someone underestimating you because of where you are from, or what high school you attend, or what your parents do for a living?  How did that make you feel?
• What can we do to stop ourselves from judging people without really knowing them?

	1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20] 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 John 1:43-51

 (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

In today’s gospel text Nathanael is a bit like you and me (if we are honest with ourselves).  Philip had an encounter with Jesus and had answered Jesus’ call to “follow me”.  Excited that Jesus was the Messiah of God, Philip shared the news with his friend Nathanael.  However when Philip shared that the Messiah was “Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth” (vs 45) Nathanael was not so sure.  In essence Nathanael responded by saying “Nazareth?  Really?  Can anything good come out of Nowheresville?  Son of Joseph, the carpenter?  Really?”

Nathanael’s sight was obscured by the expectation that the Messiah should come from an important city like Jerusalem and from an important family.  How else would the world take notice of this Messiah?  What kind of political power would Jesus have coming from such a small town?  But let’s give Nathanael some credit; when Philip invited him to “come and see” Nathanael went to see and meet Jesus.

What happened in verses 47-48 we can’t be sure.  Perhaps Nathanael was doing something under that fig tree that caused Jesus to say “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”  Whatever happened, once Nathanael encounters Jesus, face to face, his opinion of Jesus and where Jesus came from changed radically.  Nathanael becomes the first disciple to recognize Jesus as the Child of God and King of Israel.

Inviting Nathanael to come and see Jesus for himself was the best thing Philip could have done. So often our misconceptions about people fade once we meet them and engage them.  It is in that relationship that we come to see people for who they really are and what their lives are really about.  As followers of Jesus we are called to welcome all people and treat them with compassion, mercy and love.  Further Jesus teaches us to lift up the downtrodden and let each person know that they are loved and valued by God.  This Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend is an appropriate time for us to remember and recommit ourselves to these specific teachings of Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever had your opinion of someone change once you met them face to face?  What happened?  What caused the change?
• Think about who invited you to come and see Jesus.  Was it your parents?   A friend?  Your Pastor?  How did they put out that invitation?  What happened when you heard the call to come and see?
• Has your experience of who Jesus is changed as you have grown in faith or read Scripture?  In what way?

Activity Suggestion

Think of someone you admire and google their name.  Where were they born?  What was their background growing up?  Share what you learn with others in your group.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, understanding Savior, send your Holy Spirit upon us that we may see others through your eyes and come to know them for whom they are called to be.  As your faithful disciples may we be lights to the nations inviting all we meet to come and see you and there to find acceptance, forgiveness and hope.  We ask this in your most holy name.  Amen.

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On January 8, the Administration announced that it will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 200,000 Salvadorans. TPS is a legal immigration status that allows citizens from other countries who are present in the U.S. during a catastrophe in their country to remain in the U.S. until it is safe to return home. As a church that affirms earthly peace built on the dignity and well-being of every person, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is disappointed by the Administration’s decision that will separate families and harm communities in the U.S. and El Salvador.

Through the AMMPARO Strategy, the ELCA strengthened our commitment to walk alongside children and families who are forced to flee their homes in Central America. We did this to respond to the suffering of thousands of unaccompanied children and families that are displaced from their communities due to violence, lack of opportunities and environmental issues.

Alongside the Salvadoran Lutheran Church (ILS, its acronym in Spanish), the ELCA has called on the Administration to renew TPS for Salvadorans because we know people still cannot live safely in El Salvador In fact, the ILS has witnessed the displacement of thousands of children and entire families from their homes. The Administration has already rescinded TPS for people from Haiti, Sudan and Nicaragua, and due to today’s decision, thousands more now face an uncertain future.

Children and family members of TPS holders, many of whom are U.S. citizens, will bear the brunt of this Administrative decision. We pray today for all who are suffering due to this decision and ask members of our church to join us in prayer and action. At the same time, we urge Congress to pass timely legislation that protects all TPS holders.

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La oficina de Incidencia Política de la ELCA está profundamente decepcionada por la decisión de la Administración de terminar TPS para Salvadoreños

El 8 de enero, la Administración anuncio que terminara el Estatus Temporal de Protección (TPS, por sus siglas en Ingles) para más de 200,000 Salvadoreños. TPS es un estatus legal de inmigración que da la oportunidad a ciudadanos de otros países que están en EE.UU. durante una crisis en sus países de quedarse en EE.UU hasta que sea seguro regresar a su país. Como una iglesia que afirma la paz terrenal construida a través de la dignidad y bienestar de cada persona, la Iglesia Luterana Evangélica de America (ELCA, por sus siglas en inglés) está profundamente decepcionada por la decisión de la Administración que separa a familias y daña a comunidades en EE.UU y en El Salvador.

Con la estrategia AMMPARO, la ELCA fortifico nuestro compromiso de caminar junto a niños(as) y familias que son forzados a huir de sus casas en Centroamérica. Lo hicimos respondiendo al sufrimiento de miles de niños(as) no acompañados(as) y familias que son desplazados de sus comunidades por violencia, falta de oportunidades, o circunstancias ambientales.

Al lado de la Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña (ILS), la ELCA hizo un llamado a la Administración a renovar TPS para Salvadoreños porque sabemos que todavía no pueden vivir seguiros en El Salvador. De hecho, la ILS ha sido testigo del desplazamiento de miles de niños(as) y familias enteras de sus casas. La Administración ya rescindió TPS para personas de Haití, Sudan y Nicaragua, y por la decisión de hoy, miles mas ahora se enfrentan a un futuro incierto.

Niños(as) y familiares de las personas con TPS, muchos quienes son ciudadanos estadounidenses, serán los más afectados por esta decisión. Hoy rezamos por todos los que sufren por esta decisión y le pedimos a miembros de nuestra iglesia que nos acompañen rezando y tomando acción. Al mismo tiempo, le insistimos al Congreso a que pasen legislación oportuna para proteger a todas las personas con TPS.

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Learn more and join the ELCA Advocacy network by visiting ELCA.org/Advocacy

– Andrea Martínez

My name is Andrea Martínez, and I serve as the Team Leader for the Communications Team for the 2018 Gathering.

What exactly does this team do, you may wonder? This is the team that is joyfully responsible for the 24-hour infoline, social media, photography, livestream, videography, mobile app, printed guide, and of course, the amazing blog. We are also well connected to the important work of other Gathering teams, supporting their communication needs.

Through our work, we help tell the story of the Gathering to those who might attend, those who do attend, and those who support participants in Houston.

Though I never had the privilege to attend as a participant, this is my third Gathering—the first was in New Orleans in 2012 with Service Learning and the second was in Detroit in 2015 in Interactive Learning.

I currently work in marketing and outreach with Habitat for Humanity International. I am also pursuing a Master in Public Health from Emory University—almost half way through. Prior to my work with Habitat, I had the pleasure of serving as the Director of Communications with the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod—the Gathering’s host synod for 2018.

I look forward to connecting with you in the coming months and in June 2018 in Houston—be that through Instagram stories, snaps, tweets, photographs, videos, or face-to-face. #ELCAYG2018

John Hougen, Elkins Park PA

 Warm-up Question

At the moment, questioning what is true and what is false, what is real news and what is fake news, dominates political and moral analysis in the United States. Let’s turn these questions inward and ask: what is the truth about who I am and who God is? For the warm-up, discuss this question: What do you believe is true in the Bible stories of Jesus’ birth; what do you doubt; and what do you not believe?

The Truth, the whole Truth … 

January 6 was the Christian holy day Epiphany, which literally means a revealing, an unveiling, a manifestation. Epiphany (aka Three Kings Day) commemorates the visit of the Wise Men (aka Magi) to the infant Jesus (aka the Messiah). God revealed His Son to the Magi. A truth was unveiled as they knelt before the manifestation of God’s Self on earth.

The Day of Epiphany is the beginning of the season of Epiphany, a season of discovery during which we are invited to open ourselves to revelations about Jesus and revelations about ourselves. Maybe we won’t get to the whole truth; but, during Epiphany, our goal can be to get as close to the whole truth as possible.

Having a confidant can help you discover more of the truth about yourself and your beliefs. A confidant is someone to whom you can reveal the truth as you know it. If you don’t have a confidant, I hope you find that someone or that group sooner rather than later. You will know you’ve found trusted confidants when you are sure they will affirm the best about you and not reject you or judge you harshly for the worst. And, trusted confidants only reveal to others what you want them to reveal. Your secrets are safe with them.

As our confidants respond to what we tell them, we discover new truths about ourselves. Their responses help us uncover what is below the surface in our self-understanding. As we dialogue with sensitive others, we also come to know them more completely. The way they respond to us tells us important truths about who they are.

God is the ideal confidant. God listens when we pray, when we think, when we question. God knows us fully, seeing more deeply than we do into who we are and who we might become. God not only knows us fully, God loves us completely: forgiving our sins, lifting us up when we fall, and calling us to become a better version of ourselves. As God’s love becomes real for us, we discover more of the truth about God. Our dialogue with God reveals what is holy in God and in us: caring is holy; forgiveness is holy; truth is holy; love is holy.

Discussion Questions

• Without revealing any secrets, if you have a confidant, share with the group what it is about your confidant that enables you to trust her or him with the whole truth about who you are.
• Is God one of your confidants? Do you reveal yourself in prayer either in church or privately? If so, which of God’s qualities are most real to you? Is the God to whom you pray loving? kind? merciful? understanding? all-knowing? all-powerful? judgmental? distant? close? mysterious? something else?
• If you don’t pray, what thoughts or feelings lead you to choose not praying over praying?

Baptism of our Lord/First Sunday after Epiphany

Genesis 1:1-5

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

(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

Today’s Gospel reading is about two kinds of baptism: baptism with water and baptism with the Spirit. John the Baptist proclaims that he baptizes with water, but the one coming after him (Jesus) will baptize with the Spirit. In the Lutheran tradition and many others, the two become one. God sends the Holy Spirit into the water as the promises, prayers and pronouncements of the sacrament are spoken. Spirit, Word, and Water mingle as the baptizer speaks: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” In this moment, the one baptized is blessed with water and the Spirit, and promised that the Spirit will remain with her or him forever.

Three truths are revealed in Mark 1: 4-11. Three epiphanies related to baptism are unveiled, challenging us to ask: are they as true for us as they were for those who were with John the Baptist by the River Jordan?

First, in verses four and five, we are challenged to decide whether we are like the “people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem.” They made the trip from the safety of their homes into the dangerous wilderness to see and hear John the Baptist. Why? Because John was proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John’s baptism accomplished the cleansing the people longed for. People confessed and repented.  (To repent means to be turned around to face a new future.) With water and the Word, using John the Baptist, God forgave them and gave them a new direction for their lives.

We are challenged to ask whether it is the truth that inside us is a longing to come clean, to confess the whole truth about ourselves, and to be forgiven for the parts of that truth that are unholy. Is it true that inside each of us is a longing to be fully known and fully loved, and given a fresh start, a clean slate?

A second epiphany awaits us in verses nine through eleven. These verses report that Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan.  ^“And just as (Jesus) was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’”

We are challenged to ask whether we accept as truth that Jesus is Divine, full of God’s love, and the exemplar of how to please God. The Gospels confirm these assertions as true as they go on to describe Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. At the same time, we are challenged to accept or reject the notion that we too want to please God, that Jesus is the personification of our deepest hopes for ourselves.

A third epiphany is ours if we understand that our baptisms reveal who we are as surely as Jesus’ baptism revealed who he was. As we come up out of the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on us and God speaks, “As brothers and sisters of my Son Jesus, you too are my beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

We are challenged to ask whether we accept the improbable Gospel truth that God regards us as God regards Jesus: worthy of love, worthy of intimacy, and worthy of resurrection to an eternal intimacy with the Divine.

Mark 1: 4-11 proclaims that it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth that the journey of the Christian during the season of Epiphany, (and throughout life) is marked by epiphanies of who we are:

• people who long for confession, repentance, and forgiveness,
• people invited to accept God’s love for us as his children
• and people who want to be more like Jesus;

and revelations of who God is:

• a God of infinite mercy,
• a God who loves us as much as God loves Jesus,
• a God whose Spirit empowers us to be like Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• At this time in your life, do you receive the three epiphanies identified in the Gospel reflection as true, maybe true, or false? They are
  • You long for forgiveness, a clean slate.
  • Jesus is God’s beloved Son, and you wish you were more like him.
  • God loves you as much as God loves Jesus.

• The baptisms performed by John the Baptist in the River Jordan were very dramatic. In order to be baptized, people overcame their fear of the wilderness and their shame which kept them from speaking of their sins. They were desperate to receive a baptism of forgiveness. When Jesus was baptized, the drama unfolded publicly as the Spirit of God became visible and God’s voice became audible. You can’t get more dramatic than that! How do the urgency and drama of these baptisms compare to the baptisms in your congregation? If you answer that they are similar, what makes the urgency and drama of baptism in your congregation obvious to witnesses? If you answer today’s baptisms have less urgency and drama, how might the life-changing revelations of baptism be made more obvious to those who witness them?

• The Bible teaches us that Jesus was without sin. (see e.g. Hebrews 4:15). If that is so, and John baptized people so their sins might be forgiven, and their lives turned around, why do you think Jesus wanted to be baptized by John?

Activity Suggestions

Look at the section on baptism in the hymnal your congregation uses. Copy the words that help you understand why water is used in baptism. Then, copy the words that help you understand what it means to be “baptized with the Spirit.”

Closing Prayer

Lord: help us to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.

(From the 1971 Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak musical Godspell – based on a prayer ascribed to the 13th-century English bishop Saint Richard of Chichester)