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December 1, 2013–Swords, Ploughshares, and John Lennon: War is Over?

Contributed by Jay McDivett, Mequon, WI

 

Warm-up Question

How have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan affected your family or friends?

Swords, Ploughshares, and John Lennon: War is Over?”

The U.S. has been engaged in active conflict in Afghanistan since October 7, 2001. While the country’s leaders have been working to bring troops home, with a hoped for deadline of December 31, 2014, recently an agreement was reached to extend an active presence of at least 10,000 U.S. troops long past that date.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, the U.S. departure has been followed by an accelerated slide into civil war, which is one major factor shaping plans to stay in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future: We don’t want that country to go down the road that Iraq seems to be on.

shutterstock_74186410editRight next door, the international community is working to find peaceful solutions for what seems to be an escalating and open-ended civil war in Syria. If things continue to deteriorate and heat up, it remains to be seen whether the U.S. will be able to avoid participating in yet another war in this divided region of the world.

Back at home, gun violence continues to weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of people all over the country. In the midst of violence abroad and at home, some are trying to find ways to open up space for peace. In Newburyport, MA, pastor Christopher Ney of Kids as Peacemakers and Central Congregational Church is urging people to take a week off from violent video games. Especially in this holiday season, as every gaming system is coming out with their newest games and consoles – nearly all of which include violent imagery – Ney is wondering if it might be time to take a break.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Most of you probably do not remember a time when the U.S. was not engaged in active conflict/war. How does it feel – and how does it matter to you – to grow up during a time of war? How hopeful are you that there will ever be peace?
  • How do you feel about Pr Ney’s suggestion of taking a week off from violent video games? What difference would it make?
  • How often do you talk about the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else, in your household? What do you think explains how much – or how little – these things are on your minds as a family?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, December 1, 2013 (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.

 

Biblical Reflection

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Advent is a season that is often overlooked in the midst of the Christmas rush. Christmas shopping and frivolity aside, frankly: not a lot of people want to hear the kinds of things that this season asks us to think about. Advent is not “business as usual.” Advent seeks to turn the world upside down. Advent says: “Pay attention! The way things are is not the way things should – or could – or will be.” More than anything, Advent is a reminder that nothing lasts forever. All things – people, countries, fortunes, trials – all things will come to an end.

This is both great and difficult news. It’s difficult because no one wants to talk about how all the good things we enjoy – family, friends, stuff, etc. – will not last forever. But it is also great news – because there is plenty of stuff that we have gotten accustomed to, things that are a part of “just the way things are,” that are not the way things ought to be.

For example: War.

The U.S. engagement in Afghanistan will soon become the longest war in this nation’s history. Especially for those who were born during or after 2001, war is simply a fact of life, especially for those who have family and friends in the armed services. This has been true for many of our brothers and sisters around the world, at many different times in history (just ask anyone from Afghanistan.  This isn’t the first time they’ve raised up a generation or more in the midst of war).

This was also true of our ancestors, the children of Israel. The prophet Isaiah lived during one of the longest stretches of war and international anxiety in the history of God’s people. The book begins around the time that the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian empire. Isaiah lived in the southern kingdom (Judah), but he and his friends had lots of family in the north. Everyone in Judah and Jerusalem (the capital) lived in constant fear that they were next. Indeed, the southern kingdom met its doom 140 years later. That means the people of Judah lived in a heightened state of anxiety and conflict for several generations. They knew nothing but “wars and rumors of wars.” A strange time to raise your kids, to be sure.

Into this anxious and dangerous time, God sent Isaiah with a vision of massive transformation: The time of war will come to an end. All the weapons of war will be pounded into implements for farming. As my favorite Old Testament professor, Dr Ralph Klein, likes to say (and I’m paraphrasing his own paraphrase): “They shall pound their rifles into lawn mowers, and their tanks into John Deere tractors.” There will come a time when we will have no more use for the stuff that kills – only for the things that help us grow and live.

Lots will have to change in order for this vision to become a reality. Some of that is our work to do. But ultimately, in a world that loves war and violence as much as we do, this Advent vision of soldiers-turned-farmers is something only God can bring to birth. In the meantime, as we wait and watch, we hold onto the promise that someday we will be raising children in a time of peace – here and everywhere. Someday, the fields of Afghanistan will be full of waves of grain, not laced with landmines. Someday, by God’s grace, all the bloodstained clothes will be bleached and sparkling white. Someday, the old John Lennon carol (surely you’ve heard it at Target in the last few days) will actually ring true: “Happy Christmas: War is Over.”

This is what Advent is all about: We sing and pray as if the world is becoming something other than what it is today. And by God’s grace alone – it is.

Discussion Questions

  • How does your family observe the season of Advent? How could you observe this season more intentionally?
  • What are some things about “the way things are” that you wish could change? What are some things about “the way things are” that you hope will stay the same?
  • When you think about things you hope will change, how do you think that will happen? What role do you play in that? What part belongs to others? What part belongs only to God?
  • How long do you think it will take for us to live in a world without war and violence? What will make that day come faster or slower?

Activity Suggestions

Activity #1: “Swords into ploughshares”

Grab a stack of newspapers, magazines, catalogs, whatever. Invite the youth to find images of violence – movie/video game ads, images of fake (or real) guns, etc. Cut them into pieces and turn them into images of peace, growth, life, and love (crops, food, peace sign, tractors/shovels, dinner tables, etc.). Hang these up somewhere in the church, with a sign/banner that reads: “Swords into ploughshares.”

Activity #2: “A world without war”

Get a map of the world.  (Google image search “world map”; you get things like this: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/world_physical_2012.pdf)

Circle places in the world where you know there are conflicts, wars, etc.

Gather around the map and invite participants to lay their hands/fingers on a place in the world where there is conflict (and, really, that could be anywhere). Invite them to pray about those places – and particularly children who are growing up there – that those kids and those places might know peace. You may or may not want to listen to John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas: War is Over” while you do this J.

Closing Prayer

God, this world is in love with war. We, however, are not – and neither are you. Help us look for signs of hope, work for moments of peace, and continue to dream about a world without war and violence. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” In the meantime, as much as you are able, keep us safe. Amen

November 24, 2013–It’s Good to be Remembered

Contributed by Lindean Barnett Christenson, Bozeman, MT

 

Warm-up Question

  • How do you hope to be remembered at the end of your high school (college/current) career?
  • How do you hope to be remembered at the end of your life? By whom?

It’s Good to be Remembered

Friday, November 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For much of this month there have been special editions of news magazines on the stands, special segments on the nightly radio and television news, and hours of TV specials replaying highlights from Kennedy’s life, footage from his presidency, and endless talk of conspiracy theories regarding his death. Remembering JFK and his death is evidently important in the US on this 50th anniversary.

At the same time, the news is full of images and stories coming from the Philippines after super-typhoon Haiyan. The storm system killed hundreds, if not thousands, most of whose names we in the US will never know. Millions have been affected in some way, and the relief and rebuilding efforts will undoubtedly take years – and continue even after the next disaster or tragedy takes over the airwaves. For many people around the world, the devastation of the typhoon will be “old news,” and largely forgotten, sooner than later.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Do you think it’s important for students today to study mid-twentieth century events? Why or why not?
  • Do you think it’s important for students today to study current events? Why or why not?
  • What do you feel like you should do to remember JFK? Or those suffering in the Philippines? Why?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 24, 2013 (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

shutterstock_113005723edit“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The request from one of the criminals crucified alongside Jesus sounds so different from all the other words hurled at Jesus on his way to death on the cross.

The religious leaders, the Roman soldiers, and even the other criminal being executed by crucifixion all mocked Jesus and scoffed at him. IF you are the Messiah, then SAVE yourself, they said, assuming that of course if Jesus had the power to save himself, he would. But Jesus is a Messiah who saves others only by not saving himself, demonstrating what sort of king he really is.

Somehow, the second criminal saw the truth of what was happening: that he had been rightly condemned for his guilt, but Jesus was innocent. He didn’t demand to be rescued from his fate. He asked to be remembered, not to be forgotten, perhaps perceiving that Jesus would enter his glory not by coming down from the cross but by dying on it. And Jesus promised him a place in paradise.

In baptism we, too, are promised life with God, now and forever – because Jesus died and was raised again. Jesus will remember you, too.

Discussion Questions

  • What do you make of the second criminal’s request that Jesus remember him? Is it surprising? Not surprising?
  • When you are desperate, do you pray? What words do you use?
  • How is “remembering” part of your life of faith? What other Bible stories/verses can you think of that talk about remembering? (“Do this in remembrance of me…”; Remember your creator in the days of your youth (Eccl 12); Remember the Sabbath day, etc.) How does what you remember determine who you become?
  • How are the promises of baptism meaningful to you in your day to day life? How does it feel to know Jesus remembers you?

Activity Suggestions

  • Ask several people who are old enough to remember where they were when JFK was assassinated, and what they remember about that day and subsequent events. If there are other dates important in your community, ask about those as well (the Challenger explosion, 9/11, etc.).
  • Using online resources, learn about ongoing relief/repair efforts in places affected by tragedy in the past few years. (Haiti post-earthquake, Japan post-tsunami, Gulf Coast post-Katrina and post-Deepwater Horizon oil-spill, might be places to start). Discuss the leadership and support of those efforts.  Who’s there? Where and how do you see the kingdom of God in those places?
  • Create a list of those who might feel “forgotten” in your community and around the world. Brainstorm ways you can remember them (perhaps an ongoing prayer list, sending notes, visiting, collecting resources for disaster victims). Choose one or two and make a plan to follow through.

 

Closing Prayer

Christ our King, in love you chose to save others by not saving yourself. Remind us again that your kingdom is coming, and that it is among us.  Remind us that in your kingdom the lowly are lifted up, the lost are found, and the last are first. Help us remember you and the life to which you call us. In your holy name we pray, Amen

November 17, 2013–Tick, Tick, BOOM!

Contributed by David Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL

 

Warm-up Question

What natural disasters and dangers exist where you live?  How do you prepare for an emergency situation at home and at school?

Tick, Tick, BOOM!

shutterstock_118088911editThe National Geographic Channel show “Doomsday Preppers” chronicles the lives and practices of “survivalists,” people who put a great deal of thought and effort into preparing for major catastrophes.  These survivalists are concerned about a wide range of disasters, anything from natural disasters to the end of the world.  Their preparations can include anything from the construction of survival bunkers to planting self-sustaining gardens, storing fuel, and hoarding food.

Braxton and Kara Southwick of Salt Lake City were the first “Preppers” to be profiled on the show.  In an interview, the Southwicks offered some insight into their motivation for all of this preparation.  While Braxton doesn’t believe in any specific doomsday scenario, he says that he is generally concerned about changes he perceives in the world.  And while he doesn’t think that the world is going to be ending any minute, he doesn’t regret being prepared.  As he puts it, if you’re preparing for a doomsday scenario, “you’re just as prepared for a hurricane or an economic collapse or a nuclear weapon.”

The Southwicks admit that their prepping may strike others as “kooky”, but they plan to keep at it.  Even if no disaster strikes, they say that they enjoy “prepping” as a hobby.  As Braxton says, “It’s our little pet project. Some people collect China and trinkets. We collect food and other things. We’ll use all our food and fuel eventually.”

(The full interview can be found at http://www.livescience.com/24685-doomsday-preppers-interview.html)

 

Discussion Questions

  •  What would you think about the Southwicks if they were your neighbors?
  • Is there such a thing as being “too prepared”?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 17, 2013 (Twenty-sixth 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

A “doomsday prepper” would certainly be riled up by Jesus’ words in the Gospel!  In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives his followers quite an apocalyptic view, warning them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.”

Sounds frightening, indeed!  But Jesus isn’t trying to scare his followers.  In fact, he points out that even before any of those things happen, his disciples will find themselves persecuted for following Jesus and proclaiming the Good News of God to the entire world.

Despite these predictions, Jesus doesn’t advise his followers to hoard food or hide from the authorities.  He even tells them “not to prepare [their] defense in advance”.  Those who want to follow the will of God should not try to prepare for every possibility, but to simply trust God and do God’s work from day-to-day.  Imagine living that way!  What would it be like to live each day as if it could be the last chance you have to do God’s work?  What would you do differently?

In the book of Acts, we find that the early Church did live very differently after hearing Jesus’ words.  In Acts 2:44-47, we find, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

Living for God today can change our priorities.  We value people more than things.  We spend more time with God and less time by ourselves.  We treasure our families – both at home and in our church.  And what’s more, God richly blesses us and gives us more and more to be thankful for.

And so, remember:  Jesus is coming – look busy!

Discussion Questions

  •  How does your family set aside time to spend together?  What about your youth group?
  • What would you say is the most important thing you did last week?  Why would you consider it important?

Activity Suggestions

Ephesians 6: 13-17 lists the Armor of God, including such things as the Breastplate of Righteousness and the Sword of the Spirit.  Write your own list: God’s Emergency Kit.  Use Ephesians as a model for crafting an allegory or series of images which describes how we are to live each day.

Closing Prayer

God our Protector and Provider, we thank you for the rich blessings you bestow upon our families, our church, and our world.  We are grateful for all that you provide us on a daily basis and we know that we often become too comfortable with your gifts.  Please help us to remember to be your hands to a world in need and guide us to do your will today.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

November 10, 2013–There Are No Zombies in Heaven (But God would love them if they existed)

Contributed by Dennis Sepper, Tacoma, WA

 

Warm-up Question

What do you think happens after a person dies?  What do you think heaven will be like?

Zombies Everywhere

shutterstock_59728765editIt seems these days you cannot walk six feet without running into a zombie!  The Walking Dead set a record recently for the largest viewing audience watching a season opening television show (and it was the fourth season).  The Internet Movie Database lists some 53 (yes…53!) movies released or about to be released in 2013 alone that have zombies as characters in the movie.  The list goes from World War Z (which got the most hype because of Brad Pitt) to, I am not making this up, A Zombie Love Song.  Finally, at the university where I work the student body just participated in Zombie Zumba (It seems even the undead need to keep fit).

It appears there is a cycle when the popularity of witches, vampires, werewolves and zombies rise and fall and now it is the zombies turn to be most popular.  This is true, not just in the United States, but all around the world.  Professor Sarah Lauro of Clemson University has studied Zombie Walks (basically a flash mob, but the participants dress as zombies).  Dr. Lauro has documented zombie walks in 20 countries, the largest drawing over 4,000 participants.  Dr. Lauro believes that when times are unsure and people feel more powerless about their lives for the future, zombies gain popularity.

Zombies represent death and our fears.  They are the great leveler as all people are plagued with the undead.  And we root for the movie or TV hero who has the courage, strength and wisdom to take care of the zombies as they symbolically take care of our fears and our fear of death.

Discussion Questions

  • So where do you stand on zombies?  Are you a fan?  Why or why not?
  • Why do you think zombies are so popular these days?  Do you think they symbolize our fear of things?  Why or why not?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, XXXXXX (SEASON)

 Job 19:23-27a

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Luke 20:27-38

(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

At the beginning of this week’s text, we are told that the Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection come to Jesus with a hypothetical question.  They are not people seeking knowledge from Rabbi Jesus, they are trying to make Jesus and the belief in the resurrection look foolish.  To understand their trick question we need to know a little bit about first century society.  There was an ancient Levite law that is described in verses 28.  This may sound funny to us today but it was a way that the community took care of widows who faced a very bad future if they had no family to take of them.  The Sadducees offer up the crazy scenario we read about in verses 29-33 where one women ends up the bride of seven brothers.  The Sadducees want to know whose wife she will be in the resurrection.

Jesus doesn’t take the bait.  Instead Jesus points out that in the resurrection all things will be made new and the legal structures that hold our society together will not be needed.  We will all be so close and held together in the love of God and Jesus that marriage as we know it will not be necessary.  So, says Jesus, there is no sense to the question that the Sadducees pose.

Jesus then goes on to say that even Moses spoke of the resurrection when Moses stated that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…he didn’t say that God was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The implication of the present tense instead of the past tense is that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still living and dwell in the presence of God.

For us as Christians today, we proclaim our faith in the resurrection based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  We base that faith, that trust on the words of Jesus (for example: “I am the resurrection and the life.”  John 11:25 and “because I live, you also will live.”  John 14:19) and on the testimony of those like Paul who experienced the resurrected Jesus in their lives.  We hold tight to the promise that we will be reunited with our loved ones and those who have gone before us.

Two things come of that faith in the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of our own resurrection.  First, we need not fear death for to us it is not an end but as one of the funeral prayers puts it “the gate to eternal life”.  We are free then to live a life of service to God and to our neighbor.  In that way the resurrection is not just some future hope, it is at work in our lives and in our families and in our communities this very day.

Second, in the resurrection our relationships do change and we are all reconciled to God and to each other.  For those of us who have families where there has been strife and division (sometimes family members do not even speak to one another) there is the hope and promise that those broken relationship will be reconciled and healed in the resurrection and we shall all sit before the throne of God and Jesus as one family.

As for those zombies we see everywhere…we know they do not really exist, but we can continue to enjoy being scared while watching the TV shows or movies or we can join others in the video game world fighting the zombies off.  But we do so knowing that in the end Jesus has won the victory over death, sin and evil.

Discussion Questions

  • What are some of the common images we associate with heaven?  Where do they come from? What are those images and descriptions trying to say about the Christian understanding of the afterlife?
  • What difference does it make in how you live your daily life that you believe in the Resurrection?  How would you live differently if you were absolutely convinced that there is no heaven, no afterlife?

Activity Suggestion

Materials needed:

  • Balloons for all participants (balloons strong enough to be drawn upon).
  • Sharpies to draw on the balloons.
  • Straight pins for all participants.

Pass out balloons to all participants and let them blow up the balloons.  Instruct the participants to turn their balloon into a zombie by decorating it.  When all have finished, form a circle and pray the closing prayer below.  Then all together at the count of three, have the participants burst the balloons with their pin.  Explain that the balloons represent our fears and through the grace of God and the resurrection of Jesus our fears are burst and we can freely serve God and neighbor.

Closing Prayer

All Sovereign and Loving God, you love your creation and all peoples in it.  Give us such a strong confidence in your mercy and care that we may not fear but serve you and our neighbor with joyful and grateful hearts.  You promise that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we are in your divine embrace today and for all eternity.  Help us to trust in this promise every day of our lives and proclaim that promise in word and deed.  In your most holy name we pray.  Amen.