Dave Delaney, Roanoke, VA

Warm-up Question

1. What are the most important qualities you look for in your friends? Sharing common interests or values? Sticking by you no matter what? Agreeing with almost everything you say? Keeping you honest by telling you when you’re being annoying or about to do something dumb? 

2. A simple choice question with no right or wrong answer: Would you rather have just a few very close friends or a lot of casual friends?

3. 3. Since the pandemic lockdown, some young people report that it has been more difficult to build good and reliable relationships that it was before. Is that true for you or not so much? 

Social (Dis)Connection

Social researchers of adolescents have been measuring the amount of time teens spend with each other in person and noticed a significant drop between 2010 and the present. Although some attribute this to the pandemic lockdown, the trend was already starting before 2020 and has not rebounded since public gatherings once again became the norm. There is a great deal of speculation about what is behind this, and it includes many social theorists who assign a fair amount of blame to the prevalence of social media and electronic communication. Others disagree, pointing instead to societal tensions and increased anxiety among the adults who are supposed to be providing guidance for growing young people. Either way, most researchers are concluding that there is a connection between this lack of personal relationships (or the substitution of screen relationships) and the dramatic rise in teen depression and identity crises. Furthermore, it is well-known (and easily confirmed by even casual conversations with teens) that the Zoom gathering platform is no substitute for being together, to the point where students will beg for in-person experiences over an online option, even if it is more time-consuming and inconvenient.  

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4037619-teens-are-spending-less-time-than-ever-with-friends/ 

Discussion Questions

1. Not every single American teenager is experiencing either a personal crisis of identity and meaning or starvation of relationships. What is your experience? 

2. Do you ever think about your church family as a place where stable and nurturing relationships can happen, even with those outside of your age group? What would it take for your church community to provide such an environment?

3. As sophisticated as our FaceTime and other apps are, do you find that they are effective ways of staying in touch with your friends and building relationships? Why or why not?

The Holy Trinity

Isaiah 6:1-8  

Psalm 29  

Romans 8:12-17  

John 3:1-17 

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 at Lectionary Readings.

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

The Holy Trinity

The Festival of the Holy Trinity is famous for being the only Sunday in the church year that is based on a theological doctrine rather than on an event in the life of Jesus or one of the saints or apostles. And many Christians get hung up on the seeming contradiction implied by the “3-in-1, 1-in-3.” In the end, however, the story of the Trinity is the story of God’s own self and relationships. It is more story than doctrine: we believe that from all eternity, the Father and the Son have been locked together in a relationship of creative love through the sharing of their mutual Spirit. The absolute closeness between them is what makes them “one God” and even defines what it means to be God. We might even say that God *is* relationship! And this mutual love between them is so powerful that it flows over into creating all things in the universe, including us! 

Since we are made in the image of God, we too are made for the experience of relationship, first within ourselves, and then – creatively and lovingly – with others!  

With this ongoing crisis of teens’ internal struggles and drop-off of peer interactions, there is almost no time in history when we have more needed a God who embodies unity of self and love for others. Everything that God is and does points us to putting together and repairing things that are broken, uniting people that are at odds with themselves and others. The Spirit of the one God is God’s gift to us to powerfully bring this about, and since God is one and we are one with God, we can bring God’s gift of healing to the world – the small world around us, and the big world that seems so often to be in so much conflict.  

Discussion Questions

1. Go through the gospel passage and note all the words or phrases that are related to relationships: “being born,” “loved” etc. What does this tell us about the nature and the will of God? Is the word “believe” (esp. vss. 11-16) more about acknowledging facts or about entering into a relationship? 

2. Christians have argued for centuries over the meaning of John 3:16-17, the meaning of the word “saved,” and what mechanism is required for salvation to happen. Is it possible that (rather than referring so much to life after death) salvation means experiencing the repairing and restoring love of God in the here and now and sharing God’s life and love with others?

3. When Nicodemus asks his implied question about whether Jesus is for real or not, Jesus says “You must be born *anew*.” In that word, Nicodemus hears “born *again*” as in a repeat of physical human birth, when what Jesus meant was “born *from above*” or “born in a different way.” How does knowing and following Jesus bring you new life each day?

Bonus question: What about Jesus’ life and work and nature do you find confusing? What question would you most like to ask Jesus? 

 Activity Suggestions

1. As Lutherans our whole pattern of daily faith is based on believing that being “born anew” happens every day, not just once. Find a copy of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism and look at the section on Baptism, where Luther asks and answers the question “What does baptism with water signify?” by encouraging a daily dying and rising by remembrance of baptism. Also, look at Luther’s morning prayer, which begins with making of the sign of the cross in baptismal remembrance, doing so with the invocation of the Holy Trinity. Can your group commit to undertaking this practice together for each day of this coming week? 

2. God’s great love spills over to us not just for our own sakes, but the for the sake of everyone around us who needs a loving relationship. Give each member of your group a card on which to list people they know who are in need of the kind of love that only God and God’s people can give. Pledge to carry this card around all week, as a reminder that we are bearers of God’s love.

3. Listening for the Holy Spirit to share the love of the Trinity in the midst of so many other voices in our world can be extremely hard! Get a volunteer to be blindfolded in the middle of your group and have one person read from John 3 while all others just talk constantly and try to throw the blindfolded person off. Can the blindfolded person pick out the words of John 3? How do you make that distinction in daily life?

(If the group is ambitious, look at the other lessons for the day that have historically been read by Christians to understand God’s trinitarian life – Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17) 

Closing prayer:  

God, we ask you to bring to us the powerful and healing unity that you have within yourself. Allow us to be part of your purpose to bring restoration and reconciliation to the whole world every day and let others see the peace you have given us within ourselves. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Josh Kestner, Clemson, SC

Warm Up Questions

1. How often do you interact with someone who is different from you? For example, how often do you interact with someone from a different neighborhood? Someone from a different school? Someone with a different racial identity or whose primary language is one other than English?
2. Have you ever entered into a new community? Maybe you moved to a new town or started going to a new school or joined a new sports team. How did you feel? What kinds of things made you feel comfortable and welcome? What kinds of things made you feel uneasy and disoriented?

Borders and Walls

Ask anyone what they think about the US-Mexico border and odds are they’ll have an opinion to share. The border is a hot topic and it’s difficult to ignore the conversations that politicians, family members, and strangers are having about it.

There are countless beliefs about what should and should not be legal regarding immigration. And there are differing viewpoints about how to handle the crowds of people who want to become citizens – what the process should be, what to do with them while they wait, how to handle families that are split, etc.

There are no easy answers when it comes to immigration and border policies. The U.S. cannot effectively or sustainably let everyone in, but they also cannot in good faith keep everyone out. The problem with social issues like this one is that humanity often gets lost in the midst of the numbers and logistics.

Our ministry took a recent trip to the border and spent time with a local organization that facilitates programs to support the people who live there. We met folks who call the border towns home and others who are just passing through, hoping to transition from one home to another. The key was that we met actual human beings who are living with the real consequences of current immigration practices and policies.

We were blessed to walk with these strangers who graciously welcomed us into their lives. And for a few days we listened to stories. These were stories not about what should or should not happen, but instead about what is happening in their lives. These stories also included hopes of how the world should respond to properly care for the people who are caught up in the realities of immigration.

Conversations like this usually spiral into hypothetical guesses as to who or what Jesus might have voted for. A more faithful response, though, could be to open ourselves up to curiosity and care. We are called to listen deeply to the stories of the people around us and to build meaningful relationships. Then, we might finally be able to develop policies for things like immigration that are less harmful and more life-giving to the community as a whole.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the general purpose of building a wall (e.g. a wall in the middle of a home)? When are walls useful? When might they have a negative effect? What are the effects that a wall might have at the US-Mexico border?
2. Have you ever met someone from a different country? How did you interact with each other? How did you communicate? What did you do to try to get to know them?
3. Have you ever been to a foreign country? How did you feel when you were there? Did you have to speak a different language? Did you try any new foods? Did you get lost?

Festival of Pentecost

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

Acts 2:1-21

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

The gospel passage for this week is about the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Jesus’ friends and followers. After Jesus rose from the dead and spent some time with his people in person, he left to be with God. While he was no longer going to be in their midst, he promised that the Spirit would come to provide the same kind of comfort, love, and guidance in their lives that he had given them for so long.

One of the other stories we read this week is from the book of Acts. It is a portrayal of the Holy Spirit showing up in the community on Pentecost. On that day, the Spirit rushed into the room like a mighty wind and appeared like a flame on the heads of the people who were there. Next, they all started to speak. Even though they were speaking different languages, each of them could understand the other.

There are so many things that we could take from the passages this week. One of the things that sticks out is how indiscriminate the Holy Spirit is. The Spirit did not only come to a few of the people in the crowd, but it came to all of them. It didn’t matter whether or not the people were from one region or another. It didn’t matter what language they spoke. It didn’t matter how they dressed or how intelligent they were. It didn’t matter what they looked like. The Holy Spirit showed up and put on a show for them.

This is a message that we can take with us. The very first thing that the Holy Spirit did in the community was tie them together. It did not separate them into groups of bad and good, then better and best. It pulled them together into a group of equals. Everyone had a role. Everyone had a purpose. Everyone had a place.

How empowering is that? Can we let ourselves believe that we, too, have the same kind of role, purpose, and place in the world? Can we feel the different ways that the Spirit is pulling us together instead of tearing us apart?

On this Pentecost, I hope that we can all take a deep breath and allow the Spirit of God to be a part of our lives. Perhaps it’s not as dramatic and spectacular as that day when tongues of fire appeared on the heads of the believers. But we, too, can find ways that the Spirit moves in our lives and guides us to do big things in the world around us.

Discussion Questions

1. The Holy Spirit is often portrayed as a gust of wind or a breath of air. What does that feel like to you? How does that image help you to understand the Spirit’s presence in your life?
2. Who are the people in your life that you trust the most? What makes you comfortable with them? What are the ways that you like others to show you love? How do you show love to others?
3. Are there times in your life that you have found it difficult to know what you should be doing? Are there times when you’ve had a hard time knowing what was right and wrong? How do you make decisions? Do you ever pray or try to notice how the Holy Spirit is moving in your life?

Activity Suggestion

• Do you know any other languages? Look up how to say, “You are loved,” in different languages. Write them on note cards or sticky notes or something portable to the best of your ability (especially if the alphabet is not something that you’re familiar with). Carry these with you and spread them around your church building or outside in the nearby neighborhood. Perhaps someone will come across these words and be curious enough to look up what they say.
  • The point of the story today is that God’s people are not uniform. We come from different backgrounds, we subscribe to different cultures, and we speak different languages. This activity can be a good reminder to us that children of God are beautiful and diverse. It can also be a simple way to stretch outside of our familiar lives and routines and take a step towards our neighbors in a meaningful way.

Closing Prayer

God, surround us with your love and fill us with the courage and confidence to share that love with one another. Open our hands and our hearts to truly attend to the needs of our neighbors. And empower us by your Spirit to broaden the boundaries of our communities to include all of your children. Amen.

Issue 93 of Administration Matters

Victim of embezzlement? Do you know how to proceed?

It is important to know what to do when your synod or congregation experiences embezzlement. Being prepared in some way will help you deal with a situation as difficult as this one. >More

Billions of federal dollars available for churches and nonprofits to go green

The Renew America’s Nonprofits grant aims to stimulate widespread energy improvements in the nonprofit sector to create a pipeline of energy- and cost-saving projects that will continue beyond the life of the grant. All applicants must have an active SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration in order to apply for a grant under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. You should register in these systems now if you think your congregation/organization may apply for a federal grant. >More

The warning signs of a mental health issue

According to a November 2022 blog post from Columbia Theological Seminary, the warning signs of a mental health issue include eating or sleeping too much or not enough, isolating oneself, having no joy in life or work, feeling helpless or hopeless, and increased or new alcohol or drug use. The top three things that improve pastors’ mental health are taking a sabbatical, joining a prayer or support group, and getting counseling, the post states.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Portico Benefit Services urges members to make use of their ELCA-Primary mental health benefits and support programs. The support programs include 24/7 counseling with a licensed Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselor via voice, text or video; Learn to Live, which provides coach-supported, self-paced and interactive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs; and Being Academy, which offers faith-based education on mental health and other topics.

Guidelines for purchasing insurance

The ELCA endorses Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I., but this resource can help you understand and evaluate quotes for insurance coverage. >More

How to write a vision, mission and values statement

Creating a mission, vision and values statement provides the foundation for an organization’s business practices and decision-making. It gives a long-term view of what the organization wants to achieve and where it wants to be in the future, providing a sense of purpose and direction. >More

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church.

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Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

It’s not too late to join Lutheran Summer Music 2024!

We’re looking forward to an incredible year at LSM, and we’ve been able to add extra spots for this summer! Final openings are available for the four-week Full Session (June 30-July 28) for students in grades 8-12 who play clarinet, flute, horn, oboe, trumpet, euphonium, violin, or string bass. Contact LSM Admissions for questions or to refer students: admissions@lutheransummermusic.org. For more information or to apply, visit LSMacademy.org.

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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

Ponder Anew: Serving and Leading the Church’s Song
July 22 – 25
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.

 Join us on the campus of Valparaiso University and the beautiful Chapel of the Resurrection as we Ponder Anew how to communicate God’s saving grace to all peoples in meaningful, relevant ways. Through workshops, discussions, worship, and hands-on learning opportunities, we invite you to strengthen your gifts and develop new skills in topics such as worship leadership, technology, composition, enriching assembly song and more, all the while forming connections from Generation to Generation with young musicians attending the Lutheran Summer Music Academy (LSM).

Cannot be in Valparaiso for the conference? Live Streaming Virtual Registration Now Available!

Additional information about the conference, including pricing, scholarships, and accommodations, is available on the ALCM website.

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Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

An interdisciplinary study and ministry center that promotes the scholarly study of the theology, history, and practice of Christian worship and the renewal of worship in worshiping communities across North America and beyond.

The Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is designed to foster, strengthen and sustain well-grounded worship in congregations Grants to worshiping communities stimulate thoughtful and energetic work that will result in worship services that exhibit renewed creativity, theological integrity, and relevance. Learn more about Worshiping Communities Grants. The next deadline for proposals is June 15.

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Music that Makes Community

Music that Makes Community (MMC) practices communal song-sharing that inspires deep spiritual connection, brave shared leadership, and sparks the possibility of transformation in our world.

MMC is delighted to share a number of upcoming workshops and events,

Upcoming in-person workshops!

• Friday, May 31: 1-Day Community Singing Workshop in Kearney, Nebraska connected to Nebraska’s synod assembly.
• Saturday, July 13: 1-Day Community Singing Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia right before The Hymn Society conference.
• Many local practice groups and community sings are meeting monthly! Check out when Albuquerque, Chicago, Brownsburg (IN), Ellensburg (WA), and Minneapolis-St. Paul and more are meeting here!

Virtual gatherings: Monday Morning Grounding is a virtual point of connection and reflection for clergy and musicians. The current session continues until May 20, 2024. Register for the Zoom link!

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Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

Augsburg Fortress is an imprint of 1517 Media, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

We Rise Higher: Poems and Prayers for Graduates

We Rise Higher: Poems and Prayers for Graduates supports youth as they celebrate, commemorate, and reflect on graduating high school and moving on to the next phase of life. A perfect gift for congregations to give in recognition of their high school grads!

 

Unscheduled Grace: 40 Reflections and Prayers for College Students

Unscheduled Grace: 40 Reflection is a collection of devotions and prayers. This book can accompany students through the changes, challenges, and joys of college living, including homework, relationships, stress, vocation, and more. Through all its entries, the authors assure readers that no matter what they face, their lives are blessed by the unscheduled grace of God. Authors Matt Marohl and Katie Fick are campus pastors at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Confirmation Certificates

Celebrate and honor your congregation’s confirmands with these beautiful certificates. This new certificate highlights the role of the worshiping community in acknowledging a passage in an individual’s life of faith. They also are available in Spanish. 

Save the Date for Augsburg Fortress Summer Music Clinics

Join clinicians David Cherwien and Mark Sedio for Augsburg Fortress’ free summer music clinics this summer in any of our five locations! Registration information is still forthcoming, but now is the time to save the date:
July 16-17 in St. Paul, Minn
July 19-20 in Columbia, S.C.
August 1-2 in Philadelphia, Pa.
August 5-6 in Columbus, Ohio
August 9-10 in Chicago, Ill.

Sami Johnson, Jacksonville, NC

Warm-up Questions

Name a way that God blessed you this past week.

We’ll See

If you have a preschool aged child in your household, then it’s likely you’ve watched the recently-released episode of Bluey called “The Sign.” In the first week of its release, it was viewed 10.4 million times! Without giving too much away, the episode begins with all of the children in Bluey’s class hearing their teacher, Calypso, read a Taoist parable called “The Farmer.”

In this parable, a series of events happen to the Farmer. While the farmer’s neighbors comment on everything that happens by saying how lucky or unlucky he is, the farmer replies with only, “We’ll see.”

Most of us are like the neighbors in the parable. On the one hand, when good things happen to us, we are happy and we tend to accept them without questioning them. On the other hand, when bad things happen to us, we get angry, frustrated, or sad and we try to figure out why this thing happened. Was it our fault or someone else’s fault? We try to figure out how to make it better.

Discussion Questions

• Do you agree that people question things more when things go badly than when things go the way they hope?
• What impact does the way we perceive the good and bad things that happen to us have on how we think God works in the world?

Reflection

In our reading today, it seems that Matthias won the divine election as the 12^th apostle. It appears that God looked on his heart (Acts 1:24) and saw that Matthias was the chosen one. I imagine he was happy about how that turned out.

But what about Barnabas. How did he feel about how things went? Was he disappointed? Jealous? Did he question his worth? Or did he handle it more like the farmer? It’s impossible to know, but we can wonder.

Being passed over for something can be hard to cope with. Whether it’s a job, a part in the musical, a college application, or a spot on the team, being passed over feels like the end of something once hoped for. We might take some time to grieve that loss before finding a way to move on.

Did Barnabas have to take some time to cope with his disappointment? Did Barnabas confide in one of the other disciples about how he felt? Did he stay with the disciples or did he walk away, seeing his gifts weren’t needed?

While there’s no way to know how Barnabas felt, we do have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story. In Acts 15:22-39 we learn that Barnabas had a key role with Paul in sharing with the people of Antioch the good news that all are welcome in Christ’s church. While he was not chosen by lot to replace Judas as the 12^thapostle, his gifts were needed for this vital work for the sake of the world.

Discussion Questions

• How does looking back impact how we see God’s blessings in our lives?
• How can the benefit of knowing the story of God’s faithfulness in the past impact how we deal with disappointment and loss in the future?
• How can you be faithful to Jesus’s call to follow him right now, where you are?

Activity

1. Think of a story in your life that you’ve viewed as a loss or disappointment and rewrite it from God’s perspective, considering the good that might have come from it, or the good that you hope might come from it in the future.
2. Check in on someone you know who has experienced a recent loss or disappointment and tell them you are thinking about them and that you’re praying for them.
3. Make “thinking of you” cards for the grief group in your congregation or for someone you know who has lost someone in the last year.

Closing Prayer

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord: Amen.

(This prayer, “The Call of Abraham,” was written by Eric Milner-White and published in 1941.)

In May, we celebrate National AAPI Heritage Month. The Asian and Pacific Islander Ministries of the ELCA, in conjunction with the Minneapolis Area Synod, the St. Paul Area Synod, and their API leaders will be hosting a 4-person panel on Thursday, May 23 at 7pm to discuss the joys and challenges of being API. The panel will be live streamed on zoom and you can log on by clicking here.

For more information about this event contact: Pastor Jenn @ jennluong426@gmail.com

For more information on ELCA API Ministries, visit:  Asian and Pacific Islander – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org) and Association of Asians and Pacific Islanders of the ELCA

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.

 

Prayer prompts:

For justice and peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially Palestine and Israel, Iran, Myanmar, Iraq, Haiti, Russia and Ukraine, and South Sudan…
For a ceasefire in Gaza, for hostages to be freed, and for all who are engaging in diplomacy to bring this about…
For all people who must leave their homes to preserve their safety, especially in Rafah…
For safety and sensitivity in the midst of campus protests…
For the people, plants, and animals harmed by flooding in South Texas and Kenya…
For those affected by tornadoes in Oklahoma and Michigan…
For victims of an apartment building collapse in southern South Africa, and for continued recovery efforts…
For synods of the ELCA as they gather in their assemblies, that the Spirit would enliven and guide them…
For the United Methodist Church as they step into a future that embraces the gifts and leadership of LGBTQ+ clergy…
For those in our country without access to healthcare, and for those who must travel to get the care they need…

Events and observances:

May Observances: Mental Health Awareness Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)

Julian of Norwich, renewer of the church, died c. 1416, May 8
Victor the Moor, martyr, died c. 303, May 8
Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, renewer of the church, hymnwriter, died 1760, May 9
Matthais, apostle, May 14

Prayers from ELCA resources:

A prayer of Julian of Norwich (ELW, p.87)
In you, Father all-mighty, we have our preservation and our bliss. In you, Christ, we have our restoring and our saving. You are our mother, brother, and savior. In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit, is marvelous and plenteous grace. You are our clothing; for love you wrap us and embrace us. You are our maker, our lover, our keeper. Teach us to believe that by your grace all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Amen.

A prayer for refugees, migrants, immigrants (ACS p.51)
O God, as you guided the Israelites to a new land by pillars of cloud and fire, now travel alongside all people who seek safety from persecution and a better life. (Especially we pray for _______.) Provide them with what they need as they travel, and guide them to places of welcome and sanctuary. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Resources regarding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the May 5 Awareness Day are available on ELCA.org.

A set of worship resources for the crisis in the Holy Land is available on ELCA.org. Several prayers are provided that could be used during the prayers of intercession or at other times, in public worship or for devotional use at home or in other settings. PDF DOC

A set of worship resources for national elections is available on ELCA.org. Scripture readings, prayers, and assembly song suggestions are offered, to be used in settings such as prayer vigils, Morning or Evening Prayer, regular weekly worship or personal devotion in the weeks preceding or following an election. PDF DOC

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ELW = Evangelical Lutheran Worship
ACS = All Creation Sings: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Supplement

Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.

Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress. Further assistance for composing prayers of intercession can be found here: Resources for Crafting Prayers of Intercession

Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.

May 5 is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s (MMIW) Awareness Day.

In 2021, as a follow-up to the 2016 Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, the ELCA Church council adopted the Declaration to American Indian and Alaska Native People by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It reads, in part:

“…We commit to advocacy for and being in solidarity with Tribal Nations, MMIWGR organizations, families, and friends who have gone missing or who have been murdered.

“Indigenous women and girls go missing at a much higher rate than any other group in the United States. Indigenous men also disappear at a higher rate than other males. There are 2 foci in this commitment. One is advocacy. Tribes, states, and the US government can and should pass legislation to coordinate work to alleviate the problem. The second focus is relational. Synod leaders can establish relationships with Tribal Nations, express solidarity, help with prevention, with search and rescue, with comforting the anxious and bereaved. Congregations can, as well.”

How to honor MMIW Awareness Day (May 5) in your congregation:

1. Wear red (T-shirts available from the ELCA) and take pictures. Use social media to raise awareness. Use hashtags: #MMIW #NoMoreStolenSisters #TruthandHealing #ELCA
2. Organize a prayer vigil (using this resource).
3. Include MMIWGR in the prayers for the day.
4. Say the names of MMIWGR (this would be especially meaningful if you also did the research to identify locally/regionally specific MMIWGR) and light candles for them during worship.
5. Invite (and compensate) a local Indigenous expert to share on this topic as part of your educational time.
6. Invite (and compensate) local Indigenous musicians to play/sing during worship.

This new resource guide provides an extensive list of resources that you and your community can use to learn more about MMIW & ways to take action! To download, click HERE.

For more information on Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations of the ELCA, please visit:  Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org) and Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org)

*Editor’s Note: Due to a family emergency, our originally scheduled author for today needed to postpone their writing to a later date. Fortunately, Faith Lens has a long history of relevant content. The devotion below, originally shared in May 2018, is one of many that reflect on the assigned lectionary texts. You can always use the search bar at the top right of this page to look through our catalogue for content based on specific scriptures or specific topics.

Kris Litman-Koon, Mt. Pleasant, SC

Warm-up Question

Think of someone who is not a member of your immediate family yet who has influenced who you are today. How did they do this? How would you describe their style of influence? (e.g. nurturing, stern, disciplined, laissez faire, hovering, etc.)

Achtung Baby

I am the father of 18-month old twin girls. That means my life has changed significantly in the last two years, and one aspect of my life that has shifted course is the content of what I read. Our home now has an entire shelf of books (if they were not strewn about the house) that discuss how parents can survive the stages from embryo through toddler. Then there is another shelf of books (likewise scattered) that say in summary, “So you have twins? Scrap everything the other books say.”

Any healthy parent desires to raise a child or children in the best way possible. Yet, there are many opinions and studies on what the best method is, and there is no definitive answer. That doesn’t stop people from publishing their theories, nor does it stop parents from clicking on links to read a new insight. (That new insight is usually a snippet from a newly released book that the publisher hopes will be added to the disheveled bookshelves of parents.)

One of the links I recently clicked took me to an article on NBC’s website (goo.gl/9iPtzv) about a German method of raising children called Selbständigkeit (have fun pronouncing it). The translation is “self-reliance.” The first takeaway of the article is that parents shouldn’t intervene in every dispute between children; by the time children are four-years old, they can possess the vocabulary and the skills to work out their own disagreements. Of course intervention is necessary if violence is erupting, however this philosophy inherently critiques the parental methods of always interceding whenever a child has a dispute with another child.

I’m certain this method expects that a lot of work has already been done in the first three years of the child’s life. Namely, the parent has talked with the child about the benefits of getting along, modeled how to build understanding and consensus, and taught the methods to establish a mutually beneficial ceasefire. Once the child has a grasp of those skills, the parent should allow the child to use them, even if the parent thinks it would be more efficient to intervene. The point is that the parent will not always be present to settle things and force the children to hold hands, so the child needs to develop the skills to resolve their own conflicts.

Discussion Questions

• Does this method of allowing children to settle their own disputes appeal to you? Why or why not?
• Have you had an experience when you had to settle your own dispute?
• Have you had an experience when a dispute needed a third party to settle it?

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:44-48

1 John 5:1-6

John 15:9-17

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

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

Gospel Reflection

Today’s gospel passage comes from Jesus’ final discourse with his disciples before his crucifixion. This passage is actually the continuation of last week’s teaching that Jesus is the vine and his disciples are the branches. So this passage is the application of that image to the church’s way of life.

If you didn’t keep count, the word love (agape) is used nine times in this passage. Also, the word friends (philoi) is used three times. However, our English word for “friend” does not fully suit what Jesus was saying, because the word philoi also derives from another word meaning love. Although it is not commonly used in English, the word “beloveds” is the best translation of philoi. These are people outside of the family who are loved as much as family. That means Jesus uses our word “love” a total of twelve times in the passage, both to name the act of loving and to name his disciples. This re-emphasizes what he said in verse 9, that he loves his disciples to the same extent that the Father loves him. The love he has for his beloveds is witnessed in his handing himself over to death for us (v13). All of this is an immensely powerful statement, but his point doesn’t end there. There are ramifications to this enormous and infinite love that Jesus has for his disciples.

When we reach verse 17, Jesus says he gives us “these commands so that you may love one another.” What are his commands? He commands that we abide in his love (v9), that we love one another (v12), and bear fruit (v16). Bearing fruit is commonly understood as the love that is generated when a Christian community finds its identity in Jesus alone (the vine) and they live a life of kinship and concord (the branches). So verse 17 can be understood as saying, “I am telling you to love one another so that you may love one another.” That sounds a little weird, but it can be paraphrased; “If you can’t figure out how to love one another, do it.”

Love is hard, and it takes a lot of work. It is not easy to love when we instinctively want things our way and other people want things their way. This happens everywhere in the world, including in the church. Even if you haven’t seen it in your congregation, people there have butted heads in the past, and people there will butt heads again in the future.

What is supposed to make the church different is this: Christ is our source (the vine), and we are to abide in his enormous and infinite love. The vine mysteriously joins us together as one to be his indistinguishable branches who bear the fruit of our communal love. Inasmuch as the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves us, so are we to love one another (v9). In this final discourse before his crucifixion, Jesus was telling his disciples (including us) that he won’t always be physically present to settle our disputes. We are going to have to work things out, and the method to do that is by abiding together in his love.

Discussion Questions

• Can you name any beloveds in your life?
• Are you challenged by Christ’s command that we love fellow disciples to the same extent of God’s love for us?
• When we live by this standard, how are disputes within the church different than disputes outside the church?

Activity Suggestion

Divide into groups of three people each (if you must, two people each). Each group will make a line, with the person in the middle holding a hand of each person next to them. Do not let go of hands. Attempt as a group to perform these common tasks:

• Untie and retie the shoes of the people in the group.
• Fold a paper airplane.
• Blow up and tie off a balloon.
• Stacking and unstacking chairs.
• Any other common tasks suitable for your space.

Processing: What was it like to do these common tasks as a group? Did your group have any disputes? Did your physical place in the group (left, center, right) impact your experience? What were the hardest and easiest tasks for you? How is this activity like the image of the vine and the branches? How does this activity connect to Christ’s command to love one another as he loves us?

Closing Prayer

Triune God, you freely share the fullness of your love with your people. Help us to not only be mindful of your infinite love, but to apply that love to our interactions with others. When we have disputes, help us to see others as you see them. Give us a full measure of your compassion and understanding, so that together we may fully abide in your love. Amen.

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network last month. Full list and map of sppos available.

U.N. | CALIFORNIA| COLORADO | MINNESOTA | PENNSYLVANIA| WASHINGTON |WISCONSIN

New York

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), U.N. – ELCA.org/lowc

Christine Mangale, Director

 

Lutheran Advocacy during CSW68: At the sixty-eighth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), 37 clergy, lay-leaders, staff and expert delegates joined the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in New York from Mar. 8-22, especially for the first week.

Delegates came from 20 countries on five continents. The priority theme was: “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

Lutherans hosted in-person and virtual side-events, parallel events, worship, orientations as both a Lutheran cohort and as part of Ecumenical Women’s network and led a workshop on promising practices to prevent sexual and gender-based violence as well as met governments both in formal mission visits and informally in ad hoc lobby meetings. Lutherans met with UN Women and submitted statements and contributed language to the commission’s agreed conclusions outcome document.

The ELCA has a long history of supporting the work of LOWC at the United Nations on behalf of the wider LWF. Gender Justice has been a pillar of this work since inception and is grounded in the LWF Gender Justice Policy as well as the social teachings of the ELCA. Further, this work matters to the ELCA as it is part of our Ubuntu identity emphasizing connectedness, our commitment to work globally with Lutherans and the ELCA companion synod commitments.

Engagement at CSW68 is about growing a movement of Lutherans who will continue the work for gender justice back in their home contexts.

 

California

Lutheran Office of Public Policy (LOPPCA) – lutheranpublicpolicyca.org

Regina Banks, Director

Many important bills are being heard across policy committees leading up to the next major deadline on our state’s legislative calendar, which requires sending any bills with financial implications to fiscal committees at the end of April.

Some additional bills that we’re advocating on this session include:

AB 2728 (Gabriel) – This bill is a follow up bill to the great housing bill, SB 4, that was passed in 2023. AB 2728 would incorporate new stakeholder feedback and add common sense accountability measures for SB 4 housing, including utilization data reporting.

AB 1851 (Holden) – This bill follows the vetoed AB 249 (Holden) from 2023, which was one of LOPPCA’s lobby day bills last year. The new attempt would create a pilot program to hire a technical assistance organization that would test all potable water system outlets in designated school districts towards the goal of remediating toxic lead levels in school drinking water.

If you’re in California, remember to register for Lutheran Lobby Day on Wed., May 15, in Sacramento! Register here. We’re working on determining our priority bills for Lobby Day. The general policy focus will be on the physical and economic health of our neighbors.

 

 Colorado

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) – lam-co.org

Peter Severson, Director

 

 LUTHERAN DAY AT THE CAPITOL: On Mar. 18, advocates gathered at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Denver to kick off Colorado Lutheran Day at the Capitol! After our morning speakers and lobby training, we walked five blocks to the Capitol to meet with our legislators. The building was buzzing with activity, but every participant got face to face with at least one of their elected officials! Below are a few great photos from the day.

 

  

 Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota (LA-MN) – lutheranadvocacymn.org

Tammy Walhof, Director

 

Legislation: Although the Senate electronic recycling bill has bipartisan support, it also has bipartisan opposition. Opposition lobbyists are calling the small upfront fee a tax increase. Action to senators is still very appropriate.

Despite the extreme need for more affordable housing, bonding this year will be relatively small. We need to keep up the pressure. Actions outlined in the Lenten letter challenge are still appropriate.

Events: Director Tammy Walhof is getting many requests for presentations and conversations (pre-pandemic levels). In March, Tammy had the opportunity to talk about her COP28 (International Climate Conference) experiences to about 75 people gathered in-person and more online, drawing participants from across the state. That same week she met with more than forty 9^th graders from a South Metro congregation. Following Walhof’s advocacy presentation, the 9^th graders wrote letters to their legislators in their small groups.

In April, Walhof has been at Concordia College (Moorhead), the EcoFaith Summit in Duluth (LA-MN was again a partner), and an Apple Valley congregation for an adult forum on COP28. The energy was exciting! More than 300 people gathered in-person for the summit, and online views of the plenary sessions are well over 400. From Thursday through Sunday, Walhof did eight different presentations or group conversations. At Concordia, students also coordinated and led an “Offering of Letters” on e-waste and housing.

Renowned Christian environmental ethicist, Dr. Larry Rasmussen, keynoted the EcoFaith Summit. Twelve-year-old Gigi responded to Dr. Rasmussen’s book, The Planet You Inherit.

Concordia College students organized letter-writing to legislators on campus.

 

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) – lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

Pennsylvania Lutherans are eagerly preparing to gather in Harrisburg on May 9 to advocate for funding and policies to tackle hunger and climate change for the sake of our neighbors here and around the globe. We are excited to welcome ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton and the Rev. Khader El-Yateem, new executive director of ELCA Service and Justice, as we mark 45 years of Lutheran advocacy in Pennsylvania and 50 years of ELCA World Hunger.  We will celebrate the legacy and lean into the future as “Church Together for the Sake of the World God Loves.”

You can be part of the celebration! Artist Freiman Stoltzfus generously donated this gorgeous painting, The Table, as a beautiful representation of the ministry we share and a vision of what it can mean to “Set a Welcome Table.” You can order prints here or sign up to be part of an online auction for the orginail (24” x 36”) oil painting.

In addition to work on depolarization, voter access and election security, LAMPa is launching four statewide service and justice networks in April, gathering Lutherans from all seven synods around hunger and poverty, housing and homelessness, human and civil rights and creation care. The networks are intended for mutual support and learning, inspiration, story-gathering, resource-sharing and equipping for advocacy.

In the Capitol: LAMPa staff joined our PA Hunger Action Coalition partners on Apr. 9 to meet with legislative leaders to urge increased funding for food assistance.

 

Washington

Faith Action Network  (FANWA) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Executive Director

Washington state’s 60-day legislative session concluded on Mar. 7. Since then, our Policy Engagement Director Kristin Ang and FAN board members Dr. Jasmit Singh and Rabbi Jason Levine traveled to Olympia to join other advocates to witness Governor Inslee sign the bills we advocated for into law. We are celebrating the passage of several bills that will have tangible impacts on our communities, including the Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) bill (HB 1652) to ensure families keep 100% of their child support payments; the Bias Incidents Hotline (SB 5427) to increase and improve data collection of incidents and give more access points to existing resources and legal support for historically marginalized communities; and 100% Zero-emission School Buses (HB 1368) to protect our climate and keep children safe.

We also celebrate significant supplemental budget investments that will make a difference for our neighbors, including over $500 million for budget items FAN supported with hundreds of letters to legislators. For example, $12.23 million was allocated to launch Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer to feed hungry children during summer months and $25.25 million was allocated to the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance for services for newly arrived immigrants who do not qualify for federal resettlement programs. You can find all our successes of the bills and budgets at our website.

FAN staff are moving into what we call our Spring Outreach season. At our annual Spring Summits scheduled for May 5 and June 9, we are excited to celebrate our advocacy, hear concerns and priorities from each other, and strategize for how we might partner together in the months ahead. ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow Tomo Duke has met with Congress members and staff such as Rep. Adam Smith and the staff of Rep. Pramila Jayapal this past month and has been working on strategizing for federal legislation advocacy in the areas of the Farm Bill and immigration. Stay tuned for more advocacy opportunities on the federal level.

Wisconsin

The Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) – loppw.org

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

 

In April, we interviewed Andrew Fuller, ELCA Program Director for Economic Policy, on the Farm Bill, Child Tax Credit, and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: Wednesday Noon Live (15-minute video)

 

 

Bills LOPPW Supported: The Wisconsin legislative session has wrapped its major periods for making decisions as the election season has ramped up in the state.

Some pieces of proposed legislation that our office supported passed.  We were invited to a bill signing with the Governor on three anti-sex trafficking bills:

• AB 973 /SB 940: Relating to mandatory training regarding human trafficking for employees of community-based residential facilities and owners of certain entities and certain other employees and granting rule-making authority.
• AB 976 /SB 946: Relating to the testimony of a child in a criminal proceeding for a human trafficking crime.
• AB 978 / SB 954: Relating to creation of a Human Trafficking Council and requiring the establishment of county sex trafficking task forces.

Environmental bills – one building an Electric Vehicle infrastructure and one a deicer applicators certification program – passed. We were dismayed that some pieces of legislation related to immigration and juvenile justice that we supported did not pass.

For the Apr. 2 election we interviewed Molly Carmichael who works with the League of Women Voters on two harmful constitutional amendments: Video | Facebook

Despite advocacy by LOPPW and other organizations supporting voting rights, these amendments passed.

Lastly, we are continuing preparation for our October Youth Advocacy Retreat which will take place Oct. 4-6, 2024.