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June 1, 2014–Last Words

Contributed by Bob Chell, Brookings, SD

 

Warm-up Question

1)      “Last words” can convey rage, love or meaning. If you knew your life were ending and you wanted to convey your deepest insight about life to guide and inspire others what would you say? 

Last Words

A recent news article noted that the last words of a rabid fan were of his beloved football (soccer) team, Leeds United.  Roy Embling had only missed one home game in twenty years—and that was because of his wedding. He loved talking about his team and had even attended its awards dinner.

Discussion Questions

  •  If you were a friend or family member of Rory would you take comfort that his last words were about his beloved team, or would this sharpen your pain and sense of loss?
  • As someone reading about a stranger does your opinion differ? How and why?
  • If the last words spoken by the people with you now were about that which gives meaning, purpose and direction to their life what would they say?  What would your words be?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, June 1, 2014 (Seventh Sunday of Easter)

Acts 1:6-14

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

John 17:1-11

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

 

Gospel Reflection

shutterstock_99288080“Matthew, Mark and Luke are what Jesus said, John is what the church said about Jesus…” So said one of my professors. Contemporary scholarship might say that is a little too simplistic, but there is no doubt John is unique. Only in John does Jesus claim to be the messiah, the son of God, sent to redeem the world. Oh, there are cryptic allusions in the other gospels but nothing remotely close to Jesus’ claims in John’s gospel. The reading from John comes from what scholars call Jesus’ “Farewell discourse.” Think “after dinner speech.” Following the meal with his disciples Jesus is saying goodbye to his disciples. Like a first year college student, who went overboard on research, the author of the gospel puts in everything Jesus said—with explanations. The author wants to be certain we know and understand Jesus is God’s son, sent to give us life.

I don’t know why God chose to give us four gospels instead of one. I don’t know why Jesus‘ sermon on the mount goes on for five chapters in Matthew and is moved to the plain and shortened to one chapter in Luke. I don’t know why Jesus didn’t address the issues we struggle with. Why didn’t Jesus speak definitively about abortion or homosexuality?

It would be wonderful if God’s word and God’s will were crystal clear so we always knew the right thing to say, do, or believe. At least we think it would, although it is in those places where Jesus speaks most clearly we have the most difficulty: Love your enemies, pick up your cross, follow me.  Perhaps Jesus left things murky for a reason, so that others would not be able to twist his words and his message to fit the political climate of the day, providing simple answers to complex questions.

Still, he is clear in this farewell to his disciples. They had listened to his stories telling how God loved them and how they were to treat others. They watched Jesus reach out with a word of healing and forgiveness to those marginalized and left out.  Jesus told them how to live and he showed them how to live.  Now, as he prepares to depart from them, he hammers home the point again and again: Love one another.

Jesus wants us to have lives rich with meaning, lives which are rewarding and fulfilling. This is different than being happy or having fun. Placing our trust, our energy, our lives themselves in that which can bear the weight of loving one another is one of life’s great challenges.

Jesus’ words point us in the direction of serving others. The words are paradoxically both vague and specific. They are specific in that it is clear what Jesus asks of us, vague in that nearly any career can allow us to do what he asks. The question at the end of the day is this:  Does the way I live enrich the lives of others or impoverish them? That is different from asking whether a chosen career will bring us high salary, status, or approval from others.

Jesus’ words are not intended as a burden but as a blessing. “What should I do with my life?” is an oppressive question. “What can I do with my life?” is liberating.

Jesus changed the world by touching people’s lives—a family celebrating a wedding, a blind man sitting by the road, a Roman soldier with a sick child, a woman consumed by guilt and shame.  Jesus is touching our lives too, healing our hurts, giving us direction, easing our burdens. Jesus invites us to do this for others, enriching their lives and our own.

Psychologists tell us that “acting as if” is a way of developing a new behavior, knowing we are more likely to act ourselves into a new way of feeling than feel ourselves into a new way of acting. Act as if you are going to nail that final Tuesday afternoon you’ll do better than if you go in expecting to fail. Guaranteed.

Act as if you are God’s presence in the world and you will grow in faith and into the person you and God both want you to become. Also guaranteed.

Discussion Questions

  •  How do we know we are doing what God wants us to do?
  • What questions are useful when considering career options?
  • Does vocation have to mean a job or career?

Activity Suggestions

  •  Ask someone you trust and respect how they chose their career and what they would do differently.
  • Ask an elder in you congregation or family what gives meaning to their life.
  • Spend an hour this week ‘Acting as If’ you were sent by God to be with other people. Later discuss what in your behavior changed, and what didn’t change.

Closing Prayer

God you have gifted us with talents and interests. Be with us as we consider and explore how to invest these gifts and our lives in the world. Give us peace when we are anxious and keep us mindful that you will guide us, sustain us, and call us back to your path when we wander.  Amen

 

 

May 25, 2014–Can You Confirm That?

Contributed by Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN

 

Warm-up Question

Is seeing believing, or is it the other way around?

Can You Confirm That?

shutterstock_173179094editPsychologists use the term “confirmation bias” to describe a behavior common to all people: the way we perceive and interpret information depends upon and tends to confirm what we already believe.  We tend to notice and endorse information that confirms our beliefs, while disregarding and denying information that contradicts our beliefs.  Examples of confirmation bias abound in our everyday lives and in contemporary society.  Think of the arguments surrounding global warming and climate change, or the arguments surrounding standardized testing in schools.  Think of how differently a person’s behavior will be interpreted by those who love and admire that person compared to those who despise that person.

In an article published earlier this month, one writer contends that confirmation bias not only affects the interpretation of information but also the availability and reliability of information – especially the information burgeoning on the internet.  Here is a link to that article: http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/may/13/internet-confirmation-bias

Discussion Questions

  • Look up a few definitions of “confirmation bias” on the internet to share and discuss within your group.  What examples of confirmation bias can you point to in today’s society?
  • What examples of confirmation bias can you point to in your own behavior?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, May 25, 2014 (Sixth Sunday of Easter)

Acts 17:22-31

1 Peter 3:13-22

John 14:15-21

(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

In another gospel passage (Matthew 16:13-15), Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and then, more pointedly, “Who do you say that I am?”  Presumably, everyone together at the right time and the right place shared the same information about Jesus; they could all see him and the things he was doing, they could all hear him and the things he was saying.  But very different interpretations of Jesus abounded. Was Jesus perhaps John the Baptist come back from the dead?  Was he Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets in a new appearance?  People interpreted the information about Jesus in many different ways.  Finally Peter said, to Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Religious skeptics claim that faith in God is a distortion of reality, an example of confirmation bias that impairs judgment and critical thinking.  People of faith often make the same claims about skeptics, thereby participating in a tired and pointless argument that only manages to perpetuate itself endlessly.  People of faith might ask, for example, “How can anyone look upon the grandeur of nature and not see the existence of God?’ Skeptics might ask, “How can anyone look upon the extent of suffering and not see the absence of God?”  Each side engages in its own form of confirmation bias to support its claims and to denounce its detractors.

Confirmation bias, however, does not always or necessarily produce a distortion of truth and reality.  The fact that our perceptions are shaped by our beliefs does not necessarily mean that our perceptions are false and unreliable.  The Gospel of John deals with this matter extensively with regard to faith in Jesus.  Everywhere in John (with the exception of the story about Thomas in chapter 20!) believing precedes seeing and is necessary to it.  “You will see me,” Jesus promises those who believe in him.

But if belief leads to seeing, what leads to belief?  Jesus answers that question in our gospel text when he talks about “keeping my commandments.”  Here we have to do with the behaviors and practices that pertain to the Christian community, the church.  The church is called to do as Jesus does, to do as Jesus says, to do as Jesus teaches.  Such doing incubates belief and belief incubates seeing.

Discussion Questions

  • Which Christian practices and behaviors have you found to be most supportive of your faith in Jesus?
  • When have you had an experience of seeing Jesus?  Describe the context of that experience.
  • What is your greatest challenge or obstacle to faith?  How might you best meet and seek to overcome that challenge or obstacle?
  • How do you help others to see Jesus?  How do or how might others see Jesus in you?

Activity Suggestions

As a group, describe ways that you have seen Jesus in each person of the group or ways that each person helps others to see Jesus.  What, for each person in the group, is the most surprising about what others have said?

Closing Prayer

Pray together the prayer for “Enlightenment of the Holy Spirit”:

God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:  Grant us, we pray, to be grounded and settled in your truth by the coming of the Holy Spirit into our hearts.  That which we know not, reveal; that which is wanting in us, fill up; that which we know, confirm; and keep us blameless in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [page 86, Evangelical Lutheran Worship]

 

 

May 18, 2014–Keep the Secret

Contributed by Seth Moland-Kovash, Palatine, IL

Warm-up Question

Who are the people you trust most?

Keep the Secret

shutterstock_94008607editThe effort to keep those who know too much quiet is a common theme in books, television, and movies. From gangster movies to Cold War spy novels to fantasy dramas, secrets must be kept at any cost. The stories get very dramatic based on the lengths to which the “bad guys” go to keep the witnesses from telling the secret. In Alfred Hitchcock’s 1934 aptly-titled movie “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” a girl is kidnapped to keep her parents from revealing an upcoming plot.

One of the biggest book and television phenomena of recent years has been the HBO series “Game of Thrones,” based on the books by George R.R. Martin. In the very first episode of this series, a young boy, Bran Stark sees something powerful people don’t want him to see. In order to keep him quiet, he is thrown from a castle tower. He does not die as his silencers hoped, but he is paralyzed and cannot remember the events leading up to his fall. Many of the events of the series that follows stem from this incident, from the attempt to keep the secret that Bran saw and to find out what really happened to him on that tower.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Have you ever been asked to keep a secret that you felt uncomfortable keeping?
  • What are your limits to keeping secrets for friends? How do you decide when you need to break a confidence?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, May 18, 2014 (Fifth Sunday of Easter)

Acts 7:55-60

1 Peter 2:2-10

John 14:1-14

(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 raising of Lazarus was not a secret. Many people knew about it. People had been there to watch him die; people had helped to bury him, and then they talked with him after Jesus raised him from the dead. But still, Jesus’ opponents thought that perhaps they could make it a secret once again. They plotted to kill Lazarus to stop people from talking about how he had been raised from the dead.

Lazarus was not killed by these opponents, at least as far as we know from the biblical record. And his story is still told 2000 years later. But even if he had been killed, his story would have been told. Some things just cannot stay secret. The life and hope that Jesus brings to the world cannot be kept secret. Even if Lazarus had been killed, even if all those who had seen him had been killed, the gospel light overpowers darkness.

Discussion Questions

  • How can you help to not keep the secret of Jesus’ life and the resurrection promise that is for all of us?
  • What do you most want to tell about what Jesus has done for you or for the world?

Activity Suggestions

Make a poster that shows how Jesus has touched the lives of your youth group. Post it in your church to tell the story. Don’t keep it secret.

Closing Prayer

Good and gracious God, help us not to keep your life and love a secret. Help us to tell the story with boldness and love. Amen.

May 11, 2014–Which Voice Do You Listen To?

Contributed by Jay McDivett, Waukesha, WI

 

Warm-up Question

How do you know who you should listen to in a world full of sounds and voices? What voices matter or mean more than others?

Which Voice Do You Listen To?

On Tuesday, April 29, Donald Sterling, the owner of the LA Clippers NBA team, was banned from the NBA for life, after the recording of a private conversation containing what virtually everyone considers racist comments became public.   The firestorm over these comments led to a silent protest by his own players, calls to boycott his team, and then these proposed sanctions.  The sanctions, which await only the rubber stamp of the rest of the owners, would likely force him out of the league.   Most agree that the owners will  move quickly to distance themselves from Sterling and his racist views. This is only the latest in a long line of racist comments and actions in Sterling’s life (all of which are part of the public record), but it is likely to have the longest lasting impact on him and the NBA.

Sterling now joins the growing ranks of folks who have probably always harbored racist views, but only get in trouble when their private thoughts become known by an ill-timed public rant or, in this case, a private conversation becoming public. In the wake of this most recent display of racism, it remains to be seen if this incident will provoke any lasting dialog regarding race and racism in the U.S.

History suggests that by the time this issue of Faith Lens is published, this incident  and any fruitful conversation about race arising from it  may well  be ancient history—until someone else lets his or her racist self out of the closet and stirs up the news cycle for 24-48 hours again.

 

Discussion Questions

  • How do you feel about the way the NBA and the media have handled the Sterling case? How could any of this be handled differently or better?
  • How often do you or your friends/family/classmates/teachers talk about race or racism in the U.S.? How comfortable are you with having a conversation about it?
  • Who do you have in your life who can help you have a meaningful conversation about racism and diversity?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, May, 11, 2014 (Fourth Sunday of Easter)

Acts 2:42-47

1 Peter 2:19-25

John 10:1-10

(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_111131864editToday, Jesus offers a powerful “figure of speech” to describe his relationship to those who belong to him.  They are like sheep who “know the voice” of the good shepherd. Sheep aren’t known for being brilliant, but they apparently are quite good at recognizing familiar voices  and they are trained to follow the voice of the one whose job is to care for them. If they follow that familiar voice, they will live. If not, chances are they will die. It’s hard out there for a sheep.

This is meaningful for us, because we live in a world where we are constantly surrounded by voices and sounds. It’s a noisy world, and some would argue that we’ve lost the ability to determine which voices are worth listening to and which are not. Parents? Friends? Teachers? Pastors and youth leaders? Authors? Politicians? Celebrities? Books? Blogs? Cable news? Who do we believe? What do these voices tell us about who we are? Who our neighbors are? What is important?

Today, Jesus both challenges and encourages us. He challenges us to pay attention to whom we pay attention. Whose voices do we act on? All of the folks listed above,  from parents to cable news, can disappoint us. Some try harder than others to be good and helpful and right, but all of us have forces inside us that come to the surface and twist our words and our world into something less than good or helpful or right. Like it or not, there’s a little bit of Donald Sterling in each of us – especially those of us who have gotten used to being in charge. And when the nasty stuff comes to the surface, it’s all too easy to wag the finger, make that guy out to be the bad guy and then move on, without taking seriously the fact that this whole system and culture and world in which we live is deeply troubled and plagued by sin and death.

But be not afraid: Jesus offers deep encouragement, too: If we can learn to listen for his voice, then his voice will lead us to life – abundant life. Listen and follow after Jesus, and you will know true life. Great news…and kind of hard to wrap our heads around.

So turn it around a little: If you want to know who and what to listen to, listen for what will lead to abundant life. Are your parents teaching you how to be safe and loving? Listen to them. Are your favorite celebrities teaching you to value the goodness inside of you and  everyone you meet? Listen to them. Are you hearing good news from your pastor or youth leader about how God loves you – and everyone – without condition or restraint? Listen to them. Are your friends leading you to do and say the things that make for joy and life? Listen to them. And follow them. Work with them to make abundant life real and possible for all people.

And when (not if’) any of those folks slips up and tell you something that makes you or anyone else less alive, less worthy, less valued, less lovable, don’t listen to them. When people you thought you admired or trusted say something stupid, hurtful, or wrong about you or anyone else, love and forgive them.  But don’t let them get away with it. You have a voice and a right to use it to help them and you become more fully alive – more loving, more encouraging, more hopeful. The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but we have a Savior who wants so much more for us and for this whole world: Real. Abundant. Life.

Discussion Questions

  • What does the voice of Jesus sound like to you? How do you know you’re hearing Jesus’ voice?
  • When have you been disappointed by someone you love and respect?
  • When have you challenged someone, especially a friend or family member, when she or he has said or done something cruel or wrong?
  • What would or could bring “abundant life” to the situation with the LA Clippers?

Activity Suggestions

You need blindfolds (or, in a pinch, they can close their eyes really tightly and promise not to open them). One person will be a “sheep” – and gets a blindfold. One person will be the “shepherd.” You also need a Leader. The “shepherd” speaks first: “I am the shepherd. Follow me.” Ask the sheep if  they heard the shepherd’s voice and can recognize it. If not, have the shepherd speak again: “I am the shepherd. Follow me.” Once the sheep knows the shepherd’s voice, spread out all over the room.

The sheep’s job is to find the shepherd. The shepherd finds one place to be and stays put. When the Leader raises her/his hand, the shepherd and all the other folks say: “I am the shepherd. Follow me” at the same time. The sheep then tries to walk towards the shepherd. All the other folks can move, but the shepherd stands still. The other folks should try and sound like the shepherd as much as possible. The Leader can turn the sheep around a few times, or help move the other folks in the way. Keep repeating the lines until the sheep finds the shepherd.

Closing Prayer

Good Shepherd Jesus, thank you for teaching us how to hear your voice and follow. help us to listen for you always. Lead us and your whole world into abundant life. Amen.