Contributed by John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

What is your favorite animal?  Why?

Blessing of the Animals

According to the Humane Society, there are over 164.6 million cats and dogs living as household pets in the United States. For many, pets are a beloved member of the family.  Today, on the Sunday closest to October 4, churches around the country will hold Blessing of the Animals services as a way for Christians to give thanks to God for the joy and love that pets bring to the lives of their owners.

The love of pets and animals is neither new nor exclusive to the United States.  People have loved and cared for animals as a part of God’s creation for centuries.  One of the most famous animal lovers was St. Francis of Assisi who referred to the animals as his brothers and sisters.  Once, according tradition, Francis was once traveling with some companions and they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions, “Wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds.”   On another occasion, Francis supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf. Given Francis’ connection to animals and the fact that the church commemorates (remembers) Francis of Assisi on October 4, the Sunday closest to October 4 seems like a perfect time to celebrate the Blessing of the Animals.

In addition to his love of animals and all of creation, Francis was known for his devotion to the poor.  Though born into a wealthy family, he gave up his inheritance to serve the poor and founded the Franciscans, a monastic order. Francis believed that it was important for his faith to bear fruit in the world, so he took a vow of poverty, worked with lepers, acted as a peacemaker, and inspired others to adopt a way of life focused on serving God and others.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think people participate in a Blessing of the Animals Service?  What do you think a Blessing of the Animals Service says about our relationship to creation?
• Francis of Assisi famously said, “Go and preach the Gospel.  Use words if necessary.”  Can you think of a time when you or someone else shared the Gospel—the good news about God’s love for the world in Jesus Christ—without using words?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 2, 2011 (Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost)

Isaiah 5:1-7

Philippians 3:4b-14

Matthew 21:33-46

(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

For Francis of Assisi, it wasn’t enough to study about God.  He wanted to bear the fruit of God’s love by living out his faith through his actions in the world.  Francis took seriously the call to serve others.  He devoted his life to caring for the sick and those in need.  He rejected the world’s obsession with stuff and chose a path of simplicity and poverty.  He cared about creation and loved the world around him.  “Go and preach the Gospel.  Use words if necessary.” was not simply a slogan, it was a way of life.

For some people, there is a disconnect between what they say that they believe and how they act in their daily lives.  They may speak about the importance of loving their neighbor, but when their neighbor is in need, they turn their back.  They may talk about following Jesus’ example, but somehow they never manage to move beyond fulfilling their own selfish desires.  According to our reading from Matthew, the chief priests and the Pharisees are just this type of person.  They know the story of God’s relationship with God’s people, but it doesn’t seem to influence how they treat others and the world around them.  They appear to be more concerned about themselves than about bearing the fruit of God’s love in the world.

In an effort to help the chief priests and the Pharisees understand the gap between what God does for them and their actions, Jesus shares this parable of the vineyard.  In the parable, the tenants disobey their Lord, murder his messengers, and ultimately reject and kill his son.  Upon hearing the story, the Chief Priests and Pharisees are enraged.  How could anyone act this way toward their master?  They quickly declare that these disobedient tenants should be punished and that the punishment should be death. As Jesus continues to speak, the Chief Priests and the Pharisees begin to understand that this is not a random story, but a story about them and the way they are living as God’s people in the world.

Now, in fairness to the chief priests and the Pharisees, I imagine that they truly believed that they were acting faithfully and that Jesus was the one being unfaithful to God.   As we look back, however, it appears that these men failed to grasp that they, like all of God’s children, are caretakers of the gifts God has given us, and that we are all called to use those gifts in God’s service in the world, not simply to hoard them for themselves.

A great deal has changed in the centuries since Jesus first shared this parable, but the call for God’s people remains to build our lives on the cornerstone of Jesus, to bear fruit, to live out our faith in daily life, and to do God’s work with our hands.   What will the fruit you bear look like? Only you can know the answer to that question, but God has given you a variety of gifts and the key is to claim the gifts God has given you and to look for ways to use those gifts to help others know the good news of God’s love.

Discussion Questions

• How do you think the chief priests and the Pharisees felt when Jesus finished sharing the parable?
• Instead of learning from Jesus and admitting their mistake, the chief priests and the Pharisees get more angry and more upset with Jesus.  Why do you think they refused to learn and change?
• What is a cornerstone?  What does it mean to have Jesus as a cornerstone in our lives?
• Name one gift or talent God has given you.  How can you use that gift in God’s service in the world?

Activity Suggestions

• Invite the group to identify two gifts or talents that God has given each person who is present.  Work together to discover ways that those talents can be used to bear the fruit of God’s love in the world.
• Make a banner or art display that depicts a tree bearing fruit.  Give each worshiper (or participant in your group) a slip of paper shaped like a piece of fruit and invite them to identify one gift or talent God has given them and write it on their fruit.  Collect all the ‘fruits’ and hang them on the tree.
• As a group, volunteer at a local animal shelter.

Closing Prayer

Loving God, through your teaching you help us to understand more fully how you want us to live as your people in the world.  Inspire us to claim the gifts and talents you have given us and to use those blessings to bear the fruit of your love through our words and our actions.  Amen.

Contributed by Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

When would you rather be last at something, rather than first?

It’s Not Fair–Thank God

My father-in-law passed away over the summer. He was only 63, and our family was not ready for a leaky heart valve which led to a lengthy hospital stay, followed by strokes which left him comatose and unable to respond.

But in the weeks before the strokes, while he sat in the hospital waiting for his kidney function to stabilize, an amazing thing happened. His heart toward God changed.

A previous church had judged his family for the behavior of another family member instead of offering help or support. This unchrist-like behavior had turned him off to churches—we thought, for good. He was a loving father, grandfather and husband. He helped many people and treated others better than they deserved in many cases. He just didn’t want to get involved with churches anymore, and held God at a distance because of the way God’s people had treated him.

But when he landed in the hospital, he started talking to our pastor. People from church, many of whom he did not know, called and visited. They became the hands and feet of God to him, and he began to see, through this caring and through talks with the pastor, that God loved him. He expressed his wishes to join the church when he recovered, not knowing that the expected recovery would not take place.

At his funeral, the pastor was able to share this story of a man who discovered God’s love and salvation at the end of his life. What an inspiration to those who heard that story!

 Discussion Questions

• Do you know anyone who is “turned off” to church because of a bad experience? What do you think might change someone’s mind once they’ve had an experience like this?
• What can churches do to minister to people who have been mistreated in the past?
• Do you think it matters to God whether someone comes to faith early in life or at the end of their earthly life? Why or why not?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, September 18, 2011 (Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

 
Jonah 3:10-4:11

Philippians 1:21-30

Matthew 20:1-16

(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

Wouldn’t it be great to work one hour and get paid the same as people who have worked an entire day? Absolutely, it would. However, would you like to be the person who worked all day and had to watch someone who only worked an hour get paid the same as you? Not likely.

Unfortunately, people who have followed Christ for many years can take the same attitude as these day-long laborers did in this week’s scriptures. According to these verses and others (such as Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross that he would be with Jesus in Paradise on that same day), those who come to Christ at the end of their lives are promised the same reward: eternity with God in heaven.

Is that fair? Well, Jesus cautions, we may not want to be so focused on what’s fair. After all, let’s consider that Jesus’ payment on the cross for our sins wasn’t fair to him, was it? If things were really fair, we would all be in trouble! This parable reminds us that God is in charge, and it’s up to God to decide what happens to people. If God decides to give people every opportunity to find faith and salvation, even with their dying breaths (and it seems that God has), what is that to us?

I would add that there are many blessings in following Christ here on earth, so even grumbling about fairness is not really justified. In God’s economy, glorifying God also benefits us in many ways. Go figure!

I don’t know if you grew up like I did, hearing my parents use verse 16 of this scripture as a life lesson. Whenever my sister and I clamored to be the first to get or do anything, we heard, “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” And although we got tired of hearing these words, they were a good reminder that being first is not necessarily best in God’s eyes. God takes everything into account; even the last and least are important to God, and they should be important to God’s followers as well.

Discussion Questions

•  Do you consider yourself to be a long-time follower of Christ or a new believer—or someone who is still seeking faith?
• If you consider yourself a long-time follower, how do you feel about those who come to faith at the very end of their lives?
• What special opportunities belong to those who are last (think about being last in line, last to do something)?
• Does your view of what’s fair change when you consider that no person deserves salvation or even God’s love?

Activity Suggestions

As a group or individually, commit to visiting at least one person who is in the hospital. It could be a church member, or a non-member that someone in the class knows. The purpose of the visit is not to evangelize, but to show love and concern. Pray out loud for the hospitalized person during the visit (ask first to make sure they are open to it).

Brainstorm other ideas for how to show God’s love to others in a non-judgmental way. There are many ways for students to do this in their daily lives—sitting with someone at the lunch table who normally sits alone, offering to help carry an injured student’s books, helping a struggling student with homework, treating brothers and sisters the way they would want to be treated, etc. It is so sad that so many people miss out on church (and God) because they have not experienced the love of God’s people! We as a church need to make sure we are reversing this trend, not reinforcing it.

Closing Prayer

Holy God, you can do anything in this world, but you choose to work through flawed people. Give us strength and willingness to be your hands and feet to the people around us, especially those who are hurting and need your love. Thank you for being unfair to us and forgiving our sins when we didn’t deserve it. In Jesus’name, Amen.

Contributed by Sylvia Alloway, Granada Hills, CA

Warm-up Question

If you found out about a terrible injustice done to a friend or family member what would you do? If the injustice was done to a stranger, what would you do?

Demonstrations Rock Cairo

Protests continue in Cairo, Egypt, where thousands of demonstrators have assembled in Tahir square to call to account the oppressive government of Hosni Mubarak, the country’s sole leader for 30 years. Shouting and waving signs, protestors call for democracy and demand that the leader step down.

Mubarak has appointed a Vice President, fired his cabinet, said that he will not run for re-election, and agreed to talk with representatives of the opposition, but the unrest has not died down. Tents have appeared in the square, giving the impression that the rebels are in for the long haul.

The government has cut off Internet and phone services, but pictures and descriptions of the violence between the police and the opposition have leaked out. The United Nations estimates that 300 have died and a thousand more have been wounded.

The arrival of government troops is not bad news. The army is seen as neutral and even sympathetic towards the protestors’ cause, unlike the police, who represent the Mubarak leadership exclusively.

Older members of the resistance suggest that a slow transition might be best for the country as a whole. But the young people who began the protest want Mubarak to leave immediately. There seems to be no doubt that Mubarak will leave office. The only question is when.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think so many of the protestors are young people? If you were a young Egyptian would you join the demonstrators? Why or why not?
• How might a democratically elected leader (rather than a leader for life) change the country for the better?
• Read over today’s Gospel lesson again. Could a Christian join in a demonstration like the one going on in Egypt without violating the principles Jesus outlines here?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, February 20, 2011 (Seventh Sunday after Epiphany)

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Matthew 5:38-48

(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

“Do not resist an evildoer.” What, never? “Give to everyone who begs from you.” Surely not everyone. “Love your enemy.” What enemy? Just who is Jesus talking about here? In the historical context he is talking about representatives of the Roman Empire: governors, officials and soldiers.

Any Jew of that time would have understood this. The Romans were keeping them from the Great Kingdom God had promised them, a peaceful, prosperous Israel ruled by a descendant of King David. If it weren’t for those lousy Romans, the Jews would be fulfilling their destiny in the Promised Land. This was the attitude to which Jesus was speaking.

Imagine how shocked his Jewish listeners were when he told them, not how great and deserving they were, but how humble and giving they should be. His uncompromising words (“Be perfect… as your heavenly Father is perfect”) were meant to wake up God’s chosen ones to what they were actually chosen to do – set an example of humility, generosity and love to the world.

As Christians of today, we don’t like to hear this any more than the people of Jesus’ day did. The world rejects the virtues our Lord describes. Which, of course, is all the more reason to practice them.

In a world full of selfishness, unrest and injustice His words still apply – “Do not resist…Give to everyone… Love your enemy.”

Discussion Questions

• As a class, discuss the absolute quality of Jesus’ words:   do this, period. Is this a just a way of speaking, or are we literally to do these things all the time?
• Give examples of the way the world (TV, advertising, education, games) encourages us to think of ourselves as great and deserving. How can we combat these influences and practice Christ-like humility instead?
• What would the Egyptian conflict look like if the rebels practiced “love your enemy”?
• What would your life look like if you practiced the words of Jesus in the Gospel lesson?

Activity Suggestions

• Take an example from history in which Christians engaged in peaceful protest (for example the Civil Rights Movement). Discuss what the result of this participation was.

• Invent a modern scenario in which a Christian could/should participate in peaceful protest. Discuss what the result might be.

Suggested songs: Onward, Christian Soldiers, Take My Life and Let It Be

Closing Prayer

Lord, we give thanks and praise that you are the God of justice and peace, of courage and humility. You call us to action against evil, yet bid us to practice gentleness and love. When we question how these things can be, remind us to be imitators of Christ in all things. Only through Him and His words to us can we fulfill His commands. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen

Contributed by Bob Chell, Lutheran Campus Pastor, South Dakota State University

Warm-up Question

What’s your favorite reality show? Why?

Schadenfreude

Google “why we love reality TV” and you will get 50,500,000 results in 0.24 seconds. Type in “list of reality TV shows” and you’ll find 500+ shows in 13 categories encompassing life from cradle (Toddlers in Tiaras) to teens (My Super Sweet Sixteen) young adults (Cribs) dating, (the Bachelor) marriage (Bridezilla) and the aftermath (Cheaters). The last is only one of the twenty two ‘hidden camera’ reality shows.

As television mirrors real life, real life returns the favor with the recent posting of a Duke University student’s web power point of her sexual partners titled “An Education Beyond the Classroom: Excelling in the Realm of Horizontal Academics” listing names and evaluating the sexual prowess of those with whom she shared her body.

It doesn’t stop there. Much like the twenty two “hidden camera” shows, a  Rutgers University student thought it would be funny to leave his webcam on when his roommate had a romantic encounter, twittering other friends to ‘tune in.’

His roommate, the unwitting star of the video, Tyler Clementi, took his life the next day, jumping off the George Washington Bridge.

YouTube now has a video about “the two worst people in the world” meaning, of course, those who posted the webcast on the internet…and, as day follows night, articles, video’s and, of course, Facebook groups condemning or defending all of those listed above. One cannot tell the victims from the victimizers.

Discussion Questions

• How do you feel about yourself when you find yourself delighting in the misfortune of others?
•  Why do people consent to be on a reality TV show. What does it say about them?
• What does the proliferation of internet sites devoted to the misfortune of others say about our culture? About you and me?
• Will you surf the net differently for having read this article?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 24, 2010 (Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost)

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Luke 18:9-14

(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

I love words and this text calls to mind two of my favorites; “supercilious” (soo-per-sil-ee-uh s) meaning “disdainful: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy” and the German word, “schadenfreude” (\ˈshä-d^ən-ˌfrȯi-də\), meaning pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

It is easy to see the Pharisee as supercilious. I love the word because pronounced aloud it contains the word ‘silly.’  And how silly for one person to think they are better than another, right? (Do not answer this question aloud.  I, like Jesus, am setting a trap for the unwary.)  Schadenfreude is the feeling we get when the trap is sprung.  Surely you’ve had the feeling, haven’t you? If you’ve ever been passed by a reckless driver going 30 miles over the speed limit only to see them pulled over by the state trooper five miles later, I know you have.

To be a Pharisee one had to be devout, taking faith seriously and working to live as God would have one live. Tax collectors did, in fact, impoverish others as they enriched themselves.  Both can be, and were, scoundrel or saint in different contexts.

Jesus didn’t come to tell bad people to be good people. When my children were young I remember driving by the county jail one day with them when one of them pointed to the jail saying, “That’s where they keep the bad people.” I wouldn’t have thought much of it if I hadn’t spent the previous afternoon visiting a student there. “No,” I said, “that’s where they keep good people who make bad choices.” Don’t get me wrong. I, like you, know there is evil in the world. Only a dolt would believe otherwise. Yet, at the end of the day there is only one kind of people not two. Jesus didn’t come to tell bad people to be good people, Jesus came to forgive sin and call us into discipleship.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can and do play both parts in Jesus’ parable.

Discussion Questions

• Would you answer the warm up question differently after having read the news article and reflection?
• Do you know people who, because they are smarter than others, believe they are better than others? How many words can you substitute for “smarter” in the above sentence?
• What does it say about us when we find ourselves delighting in the misfortune of others?
• Martin Luther said we were simul justus et peccator, both saint and sinner. What does this mean in the context of this parable?
• Have you ever gone to a pastor, teacher, or someone else in authority to take responsibility for having hurt another? Did that ease or add to your burden? Why?
• What is the significance of Jesus forgiving sin and calling us into discipleship versus calling us into discipleship and forgiving sin. 

Activity Suggestions

• Read what this Wikipedia article says about simul justus et peccator, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theology_of_Martin_Luther, and discuss whether you agree with Martin Luther.  Why or why not?
• Keep a log of the time you spend watching reality shows this week, and another of the time you spend texting, chatting via the internet and on facebook. Next week talk about how these activities  enrich and impoverish your life.
• Identify those places where things contrary to God’s way of living are portrayed as glamorous on TV and in your school or workplace.
• Pray for the saints and scoundrels you see on TV, in your school or workplace, and in your homes. Include yourself.

Closing Prayer

Forgiving God, I have mocked and teased others and relished their misfortune. Forgive me and break open my heart so I can feel the pain of another. Healing God, I know the pain of my brokenness and work to hide it from others, from you, and from myself. Help me face my pain and give me the courage to share it with someone of trust, that your grace and forgiveness may become real in my life. Amen.

Contributed by Scott Moore, ELCA Representative for the Luther Decade and Coordinator of Wittenberg Center Activities.

Warm-up Question

What would it mean to you to give away half of everything you have?

Generosity in Abundance

Once again in the news, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet have upped the ante on what it means to be generous with one’s wealth by inviting their rich peers to take the “giving pledge.”  As the home page states, “the Giving Pledge is an effort to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death.”

The first 40 wealthy individuals or families to take the Giving Pledge are setting an example of generosity when many are much more concerned about their security in uncertain economic times. If you are wondering how much wealth is at stake, here are a couple of statistics. With just the 400 billionaires in the United States alone, there is a net worth of about $1.2 trillion. That means around $600 billion for charity if all 400 took the pledge. 40 of the first approximately 75 people agreed to participate. Their net worth is about $230 billion. One of the richest men, Warren Buffett, has pledged to give more than 99% of his wealth to charity.

This pledge is just beginning. The initiators hope that the number of those willing to share from their wealth will continue to grow. 

Discussion Questions

• When was the last time you shared some of your “wealth” where it felt like a sacrifice?
• What does your congregation do with the “wealth” it has?
• What do you get out of sharing from what you have?
• When have you shared your wealth with someone, knowing there would be nothing in it for you?
• To which charity would you or do you give when you share your wealth?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, August 29, 2010 (Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Proverbs 25:6-7

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Luke 14:7-14

(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

Imagine that! Jesus eating, but this time not with ‘sinners,’ as we always like to mention. Instead Jesus is going to a respectable Sabbath dinner at the house of one of the religious leaders in town. But he was being watched to see how he would behave and what he might say. Perhaps, the other guests thought that Jesus only knew how to break bread with ‘sinners’ and ‘undesirables’.  Maybe they hoped that Jesus would be an interesting dinner guest.  After all, Jesus had just completed his teaching and preaching tour in the villages on his way to Jerusalem where some of the Pharisees warned him to stay away because Herod was after him. Jesus responds that that he will continue doing what he has been doing. (13:32-33)

Just before they all sit down to eat, Jesus takes a moment and heals someone on the Sabbath, with a questioning challenge to those gathered. (14:3)

Now Jesus turns his attention to those gathering guests, jockeying for the best seat at the table. Jesus warns them to be humble and to not assume a higher place so that they might be lifted up. Turning to the host of the dinner Jesus encourages him to not throw a party in hopes of getting something in return. Share your banquet of abundance with those who could never offer anything in return.

In our daily lives, we are surrounded with a “quid pro quo”, “tit for tat” way of surviving. We all know that you have to be savvy and crafty and do favors for those who might be able to help you out in the future. That is how we are taught to survive and succeed in school and business. We like to quote the Golden Rule, “do unto others,” often with the sense of “treat people as you hope to be treated by them.” We love films like Pay it Forward in which the main characters do something good in hope that it will spread, eventually—maybe hopefully—coming back to them.

Even the wealthy do-gooders like Gates and Buffett hope to make society better through education. If we invest in others, then it will eventually be better for all of us. All of this is certainly true, noble, and to be encouraged. Jesus radically suggests that we should share with those who cannot hope to repay us. Share from what we have because we are blessed. Give without expecting anything in return. Jesus’ promise is that there will be a reward of another kind in the time beyond time.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt like you have given and given and it hasn’t changed the person or the situation? How did that affect your attitude toward giving?
• How should we approach giving to those where it seems unlikely that our gift will make an obvious difference (alcoholics, drug addicts, etc.)?

Activity Suggestions

Learning About Local Ministries of Giving

Check out local food/clothing ministries and present the information to participants. Perhaps there is a local chapter of United Way that can help you see what kinds of organizations are near your congregation.

Other nationally based organizations that engage in feeding ministries include (but are not limited to) Bread for the World and ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

If your congregation already supports a local ministry such as a feeding program, food pantry, battered women’s shelter, homeless shelter, or literacy program, perhaps your group can participate by working with that ministry at some point in the near future.

 Half of All You Own

Anonymous giving of half of your group’s wealth…

Hand out paper and writing utensils and ask the participants to estimate their “wealth”…the value of all they personally own (how much would they have if they were to sell everything they have for cash) plus cash and savings…then ask them to cut that in half. Collect the sums (without names) and add it all together.  See how much money your group could accumulate.

Talk about whether or not they would survive giving half of what they own. What would that look like?  How would their lives change?  What could they accomplish with their combined wealth?

Discuss whether it is harder or easier to be generous when you are very wealthy.

Closing Prayer

God of grace and abundance, you have blessed your earth with the resources to meet the needs of your whole creation. Grant that we may receive with mindful thanksgiving what you have given us and then generously share it with those in need. We ask this in the name of the one who gave us his life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen