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December 1-7, 2010–Repentant or Just Caught

Contributed by Jose Valenzuela, Phoenix, AZ

Warm-up Question

When you  say you are sorry about something, is it generally because you are truly sorry or because you got caught?

Repentant–or Just Caught

Charles Rangel is an 80 year old Representative from the state of New York.  During a recent ethics investigation he was found by a group of his peers to have acted inappropriately related to the raising of funds for a public policy center that is being named after him. In a report that was sent out on his website for his reelection, he announced that there is “no excuse for his acts of omission” and that he apologized for the embarrassment he brought to his constituents.

At the same time, Representative Rangel said that he has done nothing wrong and he maintains his innocence. In this time of heightened political fervor, politicians have the difficult task of  admitting wrongdoing while, at the same time, maintaining that they have done nothing wrong.  In the constant battle to remain in office, the dance of accepting responsibility yet admitting nothing seems to be an appropriate strategy.

Discussion Questions

  • What does it mean to apologize?
  • When a person apologizes are they repenting?
  • The word repent means to “turn around”.  If we accept responsibility for something we did wrong, how should our actions change?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, December 5, 2010 (Second Sunday of Advent)

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 15:4-13

Matthew 3:1-12

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

632.  That is the number of rules that the Jewish community of Jesus had to live by in order to be considered “good” by standards of the law.  In the times of Jesus it was the job of the Pharisees and the Sadducees to enforce the laws and ensure that everyone followed the rules.

During the early part of his ministry John the Baptist was out preaching and teaching and inviting people to come and be baptized.  As a part of their baptism, people were asked to repent for the wrongs that they had done in their lives.  It is interesting that some of the people who were repenting and asking to be baptized were the same people who held the community responsible for breaking the laws.

Isn’t it ironic that the same people who punished others for knowingly or unknowingly breaking a rule were asking for forgiveness?  John’s reaction to this was to lift up the double standard by which people were living in at the time.  How could persons seek forgiveness when they were not able to forgive others in the midst of the current laws?  The kingdom that John the Baptist was talking about was one that allowed the people who broke the laws to live in relationship with God in spite of the laws.

The heart of Jesus’ ministry was proclaiming that purely human laws were no longer applicable and forgiveness was at hand.  The key to forgiveness is to repent for wrong you have committed and have faith that God will forgive you.  For many the trick is to truly repent.  God knows what is in our hearts.  When we are truly sorry for thinking of ourselves and putting God second, forgiveness is at hand.  No one is denied.  Repentance and faith are all that is needed to remain in relationship with God.

Discussion Questions

  • Is there any sin that God cannot forgive?
  • If God is able to forgive you, how difficult is it to forgive ourselves?
  • By accepting God’s forgiveness can we forgive others?

Activity Suggestion

Share a time when you were forgiven for something and how in turn you were able to forgive others.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you know what is in our hearts.  Some of it isn’t good, but we offer this all to you.  Take us and use us to your glory.  Open our hearts and minds to see and feel you at work in our lives.  Amen.

November 24-30, 2010–Waiting for the Second Coming

Contributed by Bill King, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Share a time when you anticipated a special day or event and were disappointed?

Waiting for the Second Coming

They believe he will some day return and are waiting patiently.  They are the tribesman of Tanna, one of 83 islands that make up Vanuatu, formerly the Anglo-French territory of the New Hebrides.  The person they are awaiting is Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II.  For reasons that are not entirely clear, the people of this South Pacific island believe Philip is a descendant of their spirit ancestors and for the past half century they have worshipped him as a god.  The adulation began in the 1960s and is believed to be a synthesis of traditional religion, the idea of a returning messiah figure introduced by Christian missionaries, and respect for the royal family dating from colonial days.

Philip’s birthday, June 10, is celebrated on the island every year, but there was special anticipation in 2010 because many believed this was the year he had promised to return.  The tribesman prepared a traditional bamboo hut, with dirt floor and thatched roof for him.  Siko Nathuan, the village chief, said, “I’ve been preparing this place for when he comes to live among us.  I know that in England he has a palace and servants. But here he will just live simply, like us.”

Whenever Philip returns (he did visit the New Hebrides on the royal yacht in 1974) the islanders anticipate amazing events.  Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist familiar with the cult writes about the expectations, “At the very moment that he sets foot ashore, mature kava plants [from which an intoxicating spirit is brewed] will sprout all over the island; all the old people will shed their skins like snakes and become young again; there will no more sickness and no more death … a man will be able to take any woman he wants.”

For more on this story

Discussion Questions

  • What is the difference between the inhabitants of Tanna’s expectations and the Christian hope of a “Second Coming” of Christ?
  • How do you the think the inhabitants reacted when June 10, 2010 came and went without the return of Philip to Vanuatu?
  • The return of a hero is a common motif in both religion and literature (think The Return of the King); why do you think we find that hope across many faiths and cultures?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 28, 2010 (The First Sunday of Advent)

Isaiah 2:1-5

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Did Jesus expect a “second coming” to occur before the first generation of Christians had died?  That is a question which provokes lively discussion among biblical scholars.  What is not debatable is that popular culture tends to get the priorities of this week’s text exactly reversed.  Matthew’s Jesus calls us to focus on faithfulness in the here and now, but too often we get distracted by pointless pondering about what the last days will be like.

Jesus could not make it any clearer, “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”  But that does not keep bad literature such as the Left Behind novels from promoting lurid, morbid obsession with the final days.  The problem with focusing on the last days is that we become pessimistic spectators to the world’s pain rather than engaged disciples of Jesus who are concerned with easing that suffering.

We periodically read about a small group of fanatics who believe they have discerned the date the world will end.  They gather on a mountain top and wait for the cosmic fireworks to begin.  Such folks are simply the most bizarre example of an attitude which can take root in any Christian community, an attitude which says, “This world is so bad, let’s just hunker down in our holy bunker—safely apart from the sinful corruption of society—and wait for God to make everything right.”

Such thinking is 180 degrees from what Jesus desires from his disciples.  In God’s good time all will be made right, but in the mean time our calling is not speculation about the future, but faithful ministry in the spirit of Jesus.  If we are serious about following Christ, our concern is not just who will be “left behind” on a distant judgment day, but who gets “left behind” every day as the despairing fail to hear of God’s love in Christ, the poor go to bed hungry, students are bullied because they are somehow different, and good educational opportunities go only to those lucky enough to live in affluent suburbs.

There is no need for us to worry about the specifics of the last days.  If we live faithfully in each present moment the future will take care of itself.

Discussion Questions

  • Why do you think novels such as the Left Behind series are so popular; what longings or fears do they tap into?
  • If you knew the “second coming” was tomorrow, how would it change how you spend today?
  • Jesus says we must be ready at all times, what would being ready look like in your daily life?
  • Who are the people most likely to be left behind in our world—out of sight, out of mind?

Activity Suggestions

Look at the list of those who are most likely to be “left behind” which you generated in response to the last discussion question.   Plan an action which you can do within one week which will show Christ’s concern—then do it.

Closing Prayer

Lord of History, all time is in your hands; the future belongs to you.  Preserve us from fears which lead us to despair, apathy which saps our resolve, and speculations which have no purpose.  Instead, focus our eyes on the example of our Lord Jesus Christ that we, like him,   may bear witness to your abiding love in all we say and do.  Amen

November 17-23, 2010–Sentenced to Die

Contributed by Brian Hiortdahl, Resurrection Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL

Warm-up Question

What is the worst punishment you ever received?  Did you deserve it?

Sentenced to Die

Justin Wolfe has spent most of his twenties on death row in Virginia. Just before his 21st birthday, he was convicted of the murder of Daniel Petrole, Jr. and sentenced to die.  Wolfe did not kill Petrole, however, the man who fired the gun, Owen Barber IV, claims that he was hired by Wolfe to do it.  All three young men were heavily involved in the buying and selling of illegal drugs, and the surface story of Petrole’s murder reads like a mafia hit.

Wolfe claims innocence, at least on the charge of murder.  His claim is supported by many other people and by evidence not included in his trial, including a dramatic change in Barber’s story about what really happened on the night of Petrole’s death–a change that Barber later changed again.  Wolfe now has new legal representation and an appeal currently in process in the Virginia justice system, which rarely overturns a death sentence.  His case reopens questions about the justice of the death penalty, particularly given the possibility of executing an innocent person.

For a very detailed account of this story, read “An Innocent Man on Death Row?” at http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/11712.html 

Discussion Questions

  • After reading the story, do you believe that Justin Wolfe should be executed?  If you are not sure, what questions remain unanswered?
  • Under what circumstances, if any, do you support the death penalty?  Why or why not?
  • In your experience or opinion, how trustworthy is the justice system of the United States?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 21, 2010 (Christ the King Sunday)

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Colossians 1:11-20

Luke 23:33-43

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Jesus was also sentenced to die.  His trial and execution all took place in less than 24 hours.  Of all the gospel writers who present this story, Luke most emphasizes Jesus’ innocence.  Only in Luke do we hear the words of the two criminals crucified with Jesus, and one of them says, “this man has done nothing wrong.” When the centurion speaks after his death, he does not name Jesus “Son of God,” as in Matthew and Mark, but says, “Certainly this man was innocent.”  Luke wants us to see that Jesus’ death penalty is a grotesque injustice.

This sense is amplified by the stark contrast Luke presents between the attitudes of those surrounding Jesus and Jesus himself.  In a swirl of false accusations, physical attacks, games of chance for his meager possessions, and nasty insults, Jesus consistently shows compassion, even for his executioners.  He consoles the women who accompany him to the cross (Luke 23:27-31) and then prays for those who are persecuting him:  “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Our reading ends with Jesus offering a startling, beautiful word of promise to the criminal who asked only to be remembered.

It is no coincidence that we read this gospel on Christ the King Sunday.  In the reading, Jesus is identified with imperial irony as “the king of the Jews” and the criminal asks to be remembered when Jesus comes “into [his] kingdom.”  Jesus’ gracious response underlines the sharp contrast between two political realities:  the kingdom of God, which Jesus lives and proclaims, and the violent, threatened empire which crucifies him.  Sentenced to death, Jesus’ own “death sentences”–“Father, forgive them” and “today you will be with me in Paradise”–are really sentences conferring life 

Discussion Questions

  • Why was Jesus given the death penalty?  How was he considered such a threat to society that he had to be executed so quickly on a verdict from a shoddy trial?
  • In what ways are the kingdom of God and the government of the United States similar?  In what ways are they different, and what should we do about it?
  •  Who has wronged you, and how?  What and how much are you able to forgive?  How do you balance justice with mercy?
  • How has Jesus given you life?

Activity Suggestions

  • Investigate the position of your political representatives (governor, state representative and senator, House representative and state senators, etc.) on the death penalty and write them a letter outlining your agreement and/or disagreement with their stance.
  • Study/discuss painter Marc Chagall’s “White Crucifixion” and its historical  context.  (http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico249474-5325.html).  If possible, invite a rabbi and a pastor to join you.  What are the parallels and differences between Jesus’ death, the Holocaust of Nazi Germany, and political injustices happening today?

Closing Prayer

Christ our King, you respond to violence with peace and bring new life in the midst of death.  Share your forgiveness and faithfulness with us, that we also might bless our troubled world with your courageous compassion and resilient grace.  Amen

November 10-16, 2010–Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Contributed by Jocelyn Breeland, Fairfax, VA

Warm-up Question

Have you ever found yourself in a tough situation with  no good choices?

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

LoHud.com recently reported the suicides of Nejla Akkoc, 71, and her 31-year-old daughter Ayshe who were found dead in their White Plains home.  Ayshe had cerebral palsy and needed a wheelchair.  Nejla, Ayshe’s sole care giver, had recently learned she had terminal cancer.  A note the pair left indicated it had become increasingly difficult for Nejla to care for her daughter, so the two decided to leave the world together.

The challenge of older parents caring for their children with disabilities is not uncommon.  Nationwide, 62 percent of people with disabilities live with family members; more than 700,000 of them live with parents or family members over the age of 60. At the same time, state budget cuts have made it more difficult for families to find services for their loved ones with disabilities.

In Indiana, families report that state workers have suggested they leave people with severe disabilities at homeless shelters.  A spokesman for the Family and Social Services Administration said this is not state policy and the individuals who made this suggestion have been disciplined.

Still, the situation is critical for families in a state where waiting lists for disability services contain more than 20,000 names.  Some of those on the list have been waiting more than 10 years, and 2,000 slots were eliminated in the most recent round of state budget cuts.  A similar story is playing out in just about every state.

“It’s heart-wrenching,as a parent, to watch it.  We are people and they are people,” said one parent, speaking of her son and others with disabilities.  “They have lives that are worth something.”

Discussion Questions

  • Put yourself in Nejla and Ayshe Akkoc’s place.  What emotions do you think they felt?
  • A common observation by those who work to prevent suicide is that “suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem.”  What might make someone believe suicide is the best of several bad options?  Do you think suicide can ever the best choice in times of crisis?
  • Most of Nejla and Ayshe’s family lived in Turkey.  What role might separation from family have played in their feelings about their situation?
  • What resources can Christian faith and community offer to people in situations like the Akkocs’?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 14, 2010 (Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

Malachi 4:1-2a

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Luke 21:5-19

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

The Jews of Jesus’ time could be forgiven if they thought that after the coming of the promised Messiah things would get much better, both in the immediate future and for the long-term. In today’s gospel Jesus tells his hearers that not only is the end not coming right away, but there are going to be countless trials before that time.  Jesus anticipates many terrors: wars between nations, natural disasters, persecution in the synagogues, and even division within families.

With nearly 2,000 years of hindsight, we can certainly say these predictions have come true, and we have to expect that these trials will continue throughout our lifetimes.  But despite the certainty of persecution and even death, Jesus does not want us to despair.  “But not a hair of your head will perish,” he says.  “By standing firm you will gain life.”

No matter how difficult a situation, or how limited our choices, we know that Jesus is with us.  In the face of every hardship and disaster, Jesus’ promise of eternal life remains.  He is always with us; in the end, his victory is sure. Knowing this makes our hard choices easier.

Discussion Questions

  • Who are the deceivers Jesus refers to in verse 8?
  • Do you think knowing that difficulties are inevitable makes it easier to accept and cope with problems when they arise?
  • What challenges do you face which are most difficult for you?  How does today’s gospel lesson speak to those challenges?

Activity Suggestion

Sometimes God’s answer to a desperate prayer is us.  Scan your local newspaper for stories of individuals and families faced with difficult choices and consider two questions:

  • How is your congregation already engaged in supporting those who face the difficult choices noted in the stories?
  • Are there specific ways you, your youth group, or congregation might be help those in these situations?

Offer a prayer, lifting up, by name, the persons mentioned  in the stories you identified.  Ask for God’s intervention in each situation and for the willingness and wisdom to be part of that intervention.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for the many blessings you offer us every day.  When times are tough, help us to remember your steadfast promise of eternal life.  Give us the wisdom and strength to always choose your will, your way.  In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, our rock and our deliverer.  Amen.

November 3-9, 2010–Doing More Harm Than Good?

Contributed by Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

How do you decide whether to help someone?

Doing More Harm Than Good?

Nine months after a devastating earthquake killed over 250,000 people, many Haitians and international experts say that the millions of dollars given in aid has actually caused infrastructure and business shutdowns, and may be hurting the nation more than it has helped.

After the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, food, shelter and medical assistance poured into the already poor country.  American and French doctors came and treated thousands of injuries.  Although many Haitians still live in tents after their shacks and cement brick homes were destroyed, most people now have access to food, clean water and basic medical care.

The unfortunate and unforeseen drawback of all this generosity, however, is that existing hospitals, stores and pharmacies have had to shut down because there is much less demand for their products and services. Some fear that the aid will actually leave the country worse off than it was before.

Nurse Beth Middleton says she has doctors handing her resumes, forced to live in tents despite their education and experience. “The healthcare that was in place before the earthquake was crippled by the relief effort,” she says. “Pharmacies closed because of all the free drugs, and doctors lost all their patients.” The middle class is finding it hard to find jobs, she says, and pay for their housing and their kids’ school fees.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, over 12,000 non-governmental organizations have provided aid. Some of these are doing good work, but it is difficult to tell what many are doing, if anything at all. Furthermore, some say these organizations are not doing very well working together or working with governmental agencies to best help the people of Haiti. Some fear  that many organizations will pull out of Haiti without making sure that the people are able to help themselves.

Dig a little deeper:  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69O2T320101025

Discussion Questions

  • Do you know anyone who has helped or donated money to the Haiti relief effort? (The ELCA has donated over 4.6 million dollars to Haiti Relief—http://www.theliberalspirit.com/?p=2177)
  • How does it feel to help someone, whether face-to-face or by giving money?
  • Have you ever seen someone get helped and be worse off afterward?
  • How can we Christians help in ways which leave others better off and ultimately independent?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 7, 2010 (All Saints Sunday)

 Daniel  7:1-3, 15-18

Ephesians 1:11-23

Luke 6:20-31

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

What a hard teaching some of this is for those of us who live in America! You might not feel rich, but the average American is in the top 1% of the world as far as income level. All those “woe to yous” could very well apply to us. That’s something to think about next time we go to the all-you-can-eat buffet, isn’t it?

Jesus isn’t saying that we will be punished for having stuff or that it’s wrong to eat a big meal. It’s when we focus on getting more stuff, or better stuff, while neglecting the really important things in life that Jesus has a problem with us. If our focus is on caring about people, taking care of our responsibilities, helping those who truly can’t help themselves, and loving God, then we will be blessed. And if we focus on material things and ourselves, then we’ve already had our reward. That’s pretty simple.

The last part of this teaching is definitely the hardest. Loving those who love us is hard enough. But loving our enemies? Doing something nice for someone who is going to turn around and stab you in the back is just about the hardest thing Jesus asks us to do. It goes against everything in us! It’s exactly the opposite of what the world does and expects us to do. Are we really supposed to just let people take our stuff and not do anything about it? Who does that?  Almost nobody.

Elsewhere in scripture Jesus makes it clear that Christians are supposed to be different from the rest of the world. (See, for example, Matthew 5:13-16) We’re supposed to go so far beyond the way the rest of the world behaves, that the world will look at us and say, “Maybe they are really about something real and special.” When we are unlike anything else in the world, people sit up and take notice. Some even get drawn in when they realize that they want what we have.

Discussion Questions

  • What part of the gospel reading seems the hardest to you? Which part do you most identify with?
  • Have you ever done something nice for an “enemy” (meaning someone you don’t like, or who doesn’t like you, or who has treated you badly in the past)? What happened, if anything, as a result?
  • As a Christian, what makes you different from other people you know?
  •  Do you think God wants us to help people even if it makes them dependent or if it makes their situation worse? Is it possible that sometimes the best way to help someone is to do nothing so that they learn to help themselves?

Activity Suggestions

One way to truly help people is to provide the resources they need to become independent—to help others help themselves. There are organizations which do this.  For example, Heifer International provides animals to families struggling with poverty. Providing something as simple as a flock of chicks or a goat enables that family to make an income from the eggs, the milk, and later the meat of those animals. Part of the agreement in receiving an animal is to share its offspring with neighbors, “passing on the gift.”

Brainstorm ways your group or class could help someone in your community or elsewhere in the world. There are probably organizations right in your community to which you can donate money or volunteer time—your leader or pastor may be able to help. Even writing letters of encouragement can be a great help to someone in need

Dear God, Thank you for hard teachings. May we have ears to hear them. Help us to be willing to do the hard things, to show love even to our enemies. We pray that others will sense your presence in our lives as we follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Closing Prayer

Dear God, Thank you for hard teachings. May we have ears to hear them. Help us to be willing to do the hard things, to show love even to our enemies. We pray that others will sense your presence in our lives as we follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.