National policies can and should both reflect our Christian value of welcome and protect U.S. citizens. These two principles are not mutually exclusive. Our leaders do us all a disservice when they fail to acknowledge and honor this truth.

This week, the Administration signaled it would expand its policy to return some asylum seekers to Mexico while they await a decision on their case, known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Additionally, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the border to fund a physical barrier.

Children and families continue to flee their communities, and many are stuck at the northern border of Mexico due to changes in U.S. policy. Both the emergency declaration and expansion of Remain in Mexico policy will further traumatize them by increasing animosity and backlogs to the asylum system.

The national emergency declaration seeks to obtain $8 billion dollars for a wall by transferring funds from a Treasury Department drug forfeiture fund, Defense Department drug interdiction program, and the military construction fund, among other sources. At a time when apprehensions at the southern border are at a historic low, the transfer of funds from other programs to the southern border is unnecessary.

A wall is not the solution to fixing immigration or addressing border security. We urge the President and Congress to work together for immigration reform that protects the rights and well-being of those who seek asylum here.

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To learn more about a Lutheran understanding of immigration issues, read the ELCA social message on “Immigration.”

To learn more about the policy to send asylum seekers to Mexico while awaiting their case, also known as Remain in Mexico, read this Catholic Legal Immigration Network analysis.

To review a letter in which ELCA Advocacy joined over 50 other organizations outlining our specific concerns and asking Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of the Department of Homeland Security to terminate the Remain in Mexico policy, see post from the Latin America Working Group.

Tim Jacobsen, West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

Have you ever tried to make yourself above others? Have you ever felt like you were forced below others?If Everyone Had That…If Everyone Had That…

If Everyone Had That…

Riley loved to spend the night at friends’ houses! When he and his friends were together, they would stay up late playing games, talking about life and relationships, eating food, and just having fun. This group of friends just loved these nights and would look forward to them as they would happen quite often.

There was one friend’s house that Riley loved in particular, Jordan had a great house for sleepovers. Jordan’s parents had many big TVs with sound systems, a pool, hot tub, game room, a huge selection of movies, and games to play. One night over some really good food, Jordan asked Riley when their parents were going to host a party.

Riley’s heart sank and tried to get their mom to say no. But Riley’s mom was so excited to host! In the weeks leading up to when the friend group was going to be over Riley was trying to get their parents to buy a bigger TV and have more things to make a night over even better, like at Jordan’s. Riley’s parents were ok with some additions, but not all of them. As Riley was arguing, Riley’s mom had the most mom comment, “If everyone had the same things and lived the same, we would live in a boring world, wouldn’t we?”. Ugh…not the answer that Riley was hoping for…

Discussion Questions

• Are there ways you can relate to Riley’s story? Jordan’s?
• Have you heard the phrase, if everyone had ____ or was the same, the world would be boring? What are your thoughts/feelings?
• What are some things that need to be more equal in our world? What do you think that would that look like? Do you see any problems?

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Jeremiah 17:5-10

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Luke 6:17-26

(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

“That’s not fair!”, I would say, and my dad would respond with, “well the fair is in August.”. What a comeback that is, I plan to use that comeback with my own children. It’s just so perfect in so many ways. First off, how many things in our life do we say aren’t fair? Yes, there is the unfairness of a sibling getting the bigger piece of cake or friend getting something better than you. But zoom out and look at the bigger things in our world that don’t seem fair. Yes, these occurrences seem too big for us to fix on our own or do anything about. So, what are we to do?

The task may seem daunting, and in many cases it is. When something seems unfair, we need to remember that there are two sides. One side may feel the situation is fair because they benefit, so why level the playing field so that fairness would prevail? It’s so easy to want all or none, but the real work comes in the task of compromise.

Jesus is talking about just this in a really long (his longest, in fact) sermon. This sermon is called the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, but in Luke this sermon occurs on a level place. We aren’t completely sure where the sermon occurred, but the message still prevails. This is not just a sermon to the haves and have nots which is full of shame for the ones who have.

This is a sermon that addresses emotional and physical realties. Those who are poor, lack food, or weep, will inherit the Kingdom of God, be given food, and have joy. Yet, those who have money, fed, and like, will be poor, hungry, and hated. This seems backwards, and it kind of is. The issue is not having money, food, or being liked. The issue Luke is addressing is a heart issue. Those who have money, food, and joy shouldn’t just keep that to themselves. We are called to share our blessings and gifts with others. 

If we were all the same and had the same way of living, I don’t think the world would be boring. Even with a leveled playing field, we still would live in a broken world. In this world people would still long to hold power over others or have more than others. I encourage you to do as Jesus is saying in Luke:  Look at your heart and ask how you can use what you have (money, time, strength, knowledge) to serve your neighbor.

Discussion Questions

• How do the “blessed be’s” make you feel? What about the “woe’s”?
• Can you relate to who Jesus is talking about?
• This sermon seems so upside down, why is that?
• Does Jesus’ message still apply today?
• Upon reflection what needs to change in your heart, or intentions about how you use what you are blessed with?

Activity Suggestions

• Write Your Own Story: We have our own lens and see different things in our world/community. If you were to write your own sermon on the mount type sermon, what would you say? 
• Bridge Building: What are some ways that your group can reach out to other communities? As you reach out to these communities, look for what you can learn from them as you build relationships. As you are building relationships, be looking for ways that your group may be able to meet this groups needs. 

Closing Prayer

Good and Gracious God, we thank you for your presence with us and love that you have for us. We ask that you open our eyes to those around us who need to feel your love. Work through us as we go out to be your hands and feet. We have been blessed with much and long for much, help us to be content and willing to share our blessings with others.  Amen

Today’s post is by Miriam Schmidt, pastor/priest of All Saints in Big Sky, a shared ministry of the Episcopal and Lutheran (ELCA) Churches in Big Sky, Montana. 

Children know about death. More than we give them credit for. Many kids by the age of 5 or 7 have experienced at least the death of a beloved pet, or even a family member or friend. They know what it is like one day to be able to burrow their face in a cat’s fur, hold their grandfather’s hand, hear the voice of an auntie calling their name, smell the vanilla scent of Nana; then the next day, to feel the sudden wretched absence that comes with death. There is no longer any way to touch or smell or hear or see the physical body of the one who has died.

Children know about death, the aching hole it leaves behind; and if they do not know about it yet, they will soon enough.

So it is important for us, as adults, to find ways to include our children in Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is a gift of the church to us all. The day’s simple and stark ritual of ashes speaks honestly of death. We take dirt, ashes of palms, and press them onto each other’s foreheads. We say the old words: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

This act might be straight-up depressing, did we not mark the ashes in the shape of a cross. The same cross is marked on the foreheads of the newly baptized. The same cross is inscribed on every Christian forever. With Ash Wednesday’s cross of ashes, we are saying that even in the face of death, our loving God is as close as our skin. Jesus is smudged on us, rubbed into our flesh, so that when we weep with all our hearts for those who have died, we are not alone. God is this close – a cross on our foreheads. So we can live in hope that a God so close will carry us through every death, even our own.

How does your congregation do at involving children in Ash Wednesday? Many children – not to mention their parents – will benefit from some preparation. Perhaps the children can help burn last year’s palms into Ash Wednesday’s ashes after worship on Transfiguration Sunday. On the day itself, maybe children can be invited forward before the Imposition of Ashes to see and touch the ashes for themselves? Can they be allowed to mark their own cross? Or cross another child? Afterwards, on the first Sunday in Lent, can Ash Wednesday’s leftover ashes be brought out again and shown to those who forgot it even was Ash Wednesday, so they can see for themselves.

 This is what we did a few days ago: We traced ashes on foreheads in the shape of the cross. God is as close as the skin on our foreheads. Even in the face of death.

 

U.N. | California | Colorado | Minnesota | North Carolina | New Mexico | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Southeastern Synod | Virginia | Washington | Wisconsin

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Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Dennis Frado, director

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST: On January 28^th, the United Nations commemorated the Holocaust in the General Assembly Hall.  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces addressed the international community, especially the Holocaust survivors and veterans of World War II, who attended the ceremony.

Inge Auerbacher shares her account of being a child survivor of the Teresienstadt concentration camp and ghetto during the Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony on the theme “Demand and Defend Your Human Rights”. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

They each stressed the necessity to speak out against antisemitism and to stand together with all nations. The victims of the recent Pittsburgh massacre at the synagogue “Tree of Life” were also commemorated.

Chargé d’affaires of the US mission to the UN, Jonathan R. Cohen, reminded the audience of the other genocides which happened and still happen around the world. He called people to action and to defend human rights around the world.

The Youth choir “P22 Chorus” performed the piece “Who am I?” with lyrics written by Inge Auerbacher. As a Holocaust survivor, Ms. Auerbacher stressed in the lyrics and in her testimony that all people are part of the human family. Marian Turski, also a Holocaust survivor, emphasized in his speech that the most important thing in life is compassion and empathy. These values have to come with a willingness to understand other people who differ from us.

During the ceremony Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky recited memorial prayers for those killed during Holocaust.

Sara J. Bloomfield, Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, was the keynote speaker at the event and warned of the politicization of the Holocaust. “The unthinkable is always possible”, she said and asked the audience to think about their role in society.

Sandro de Bernhardin, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, described the work of that intergovernmental body, which is formally committed to Holocaust remembrance.

Find more information about the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme here

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California

Regina Banks, Lutheran Office of Public Policy (LOPP-CA)                                                                                      loppca.org

LOPP-CA HAS A NEW DIRECTOR: The Policy Council of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy – CA is pleased to announce that Regina Q. Banks, JD has begun as LOPP-CA Director! She succeeds Mark Carlson whose successful tenure as Director sunsets January 31^st.

ADVOCATING FOR IMPOVERISHED CHILDREN: LOPP-CA acted with its partners in the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force in participating in the End Child Poverty in California Advocacy Day at the state capitol January 22nd. The event was very well received with over 90 legislator visits and a standing-room-only press conference with democratic state lawmakers.  Over 40 organizations came together for the event to support the final report and recommendations of the task force. Among the recommendations are a welfare grant increase beyond the governor’s budget proposal and targeted child tax credit that would also function as a rental subsidy.

LUTHERAN LOBBY DAY PLANNED: LOPP-CA held its first policy council meeting of 2019 on February 2 at the Southwest California Synod offices in Glendale. Many new and exciting initiatives were planned and will be announced soon. But please mark your calendars now for Lutheran Lobby Day: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 in Sacramento. Issues discussed will include policy council issue priorities for 2019: Deep Childhood Poverty, Immigration and Water Justice.

 

 

 

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Colorado

Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–Colorado                                                                                             lam-co.org

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: We have been active on legislation introduced since the start of the session on January 4. Bills we support include:

• House Bill 1013, Low Income Child Care Expenses Tax Credit, seeks to make permanent a state tax credit for
  

  Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser speaks at a press conference on January 31, 2019, to mark the implementation date for Proposition 111, which will cap payday loan interest rates at 36%. In November, Colorado voters approved Prop 111 by a 77-23% margin.

  families who make less than $25,000 in annual income. Although the committee inserted an 8-year sunset, we continue to support the bill. It passed Finance 10-1.

• House Bill 1025, Limits on Job Applicant Criminal History, would prevent employers from asking if an applicant has a criminal record on an initial job application. Formerly incarcerated persons and advocates shared stories during testimony, and the bill passed Judiciary 8-3.

In addition, we are monitoring bills related to investigating a state health insurance option, exemptions from wage garnishment for medical debt, and rental application fees. Many other bills on which we expect to take positions are yet to be introduced. This year’s legislative session will continue through May 3.

DAY AT THE CAPITOL: We invite all Coloradans and people of faith to join us at the State Capitol for Lutheran Day on February 21! Meet your legislators and get the inside scoop on what’s going on under the gold dome. Register now at lam-co.org.

CONGREGATIONAL VISITS: Thanks to the good people of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Boulder, and Nativity Lutheran Church, Commerce City, for hosting visits from LAM-CO Director Peter Severson in January!

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Minnesota

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy–Minnesota                                                                    www.lutheranadvocacymn.org

HOMES FOR ALL: Lutheran Advocacy-MN (LA-MN) continues to be deeply engaged in the Homes for All

Tammy speaking with Rep. Hausman at H4A Legislative Kickoff

Coalition (H4A), since high housing costs and lack of affordable housing are primary causes of hunger. The coalition includes 215+ endorsing organizations. We are part of smaller group that work on the nuts and bolts of the legislative agenda. Tammy Walhof (LA-MN Director) meets 1-3x/week with the H4A Policy Team to discuss strategy, while Amy Shebeck (our Communication/Administration Coordinator) meets regularly with the H4A Communications Team and manages coalition social media.

On January 17, H4A held a Legislative Kickoff which included awards for House and Senate Housing Champions. H4A presented our ambitious agenda to the Housing Finance & Policy Division, chaired by Rep. Alice Hausman, and held a press conference with Rep. Hausmann (DFL) and Sen. Carla Nelson (R). Check our website for links to the H4A agenda, 1-pagers, & updates, as well as our LA-MN sample letter to legislators.

 CREATION CARE: Check out Green Tips on our Facebook page every Friday! (Thanks for providing that great information Laura Raedeke, Nisswa). At the legislature, the Energy & Climate Division (committee) have been holding hearings 2x/week to lay the groundwork and educate for upcoming legislation. We’re working closely with partners and legislators on various clean energy ideas – Your action will be needed soon!

Upcoming events that LA-MN helps sponsor:

• Feb. 7 – Day on the Hill with JRLC (Joint Religious Legislative Coalition)
• March 13 – Clean Energy & Climate Action Day at the Capitol

Please watch Facebook & our website for action & updates!

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North Carolina

GeoRene Jones, North Carolina Synod Social Justice & Advocacy Ministries (SJAM)

 

Lutherans will gather on March 26 to at the NC Legislative Building in Raleigh to advocate with elected officials for affordable housing.

LUTHERANS AT THE LEGISLATURE, MARCH 26, 2019: Beginning with a Prayer Breakfast hosted by Rev. Dr. Timothy M. Smith, Bishop of the NC Synod, ELCA Lutherans will spend a day engaged in advocacy efforts with legislators. The event will focus on affordable housing, an issue magnified by the recent hurricanes along North Carolina’s coast last fall. After Hurricane Florence, FEMA identified this state’s absence of affordable housing as a major impediment to long-term recovery after disaster.

Members of our Social Justice & Advocacy Team are engaged with several agencies to develop education and talking points for attendees at the education session at Holy Trinity (Raleigh) during the morning. Good Shepherd (Raleigh) will provide multi-passenger vehicle transport from Holy Trinity to the Legislative Building for afternoon visits with legislators and their staffers. Educational partners include the North Carolina Housing Coalition, the North Carolina Coalition for Homelessness.

Participants will return to Holy Trinity for debriefing and collaboration about what’s next.  Plans include participation in North Carolina’s annual conference for providers of services to the homeless, May 21-22.  This year’s theme is, Bringing It Home: Ending Homelessness in 2019.

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New Mexico

Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry- New Mexico (LAM-NM)                                        lutheranadvocacynm.org

2019 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: The 2019 session of the New Mexico legislature convened on January 15 at noon

LAM-NM Director, Ruth Hoffman, with Rep. Abbas Akhil

in Santa Fe.  LAM-NM is hard at work in support of the issues on our 2019 Advocacy Agenda. Legislation enacting an increase in the state minimum wage to $12, improving the state TANF program, and providing significant funding increases for early childhood education have already passed their first committees. LAM-NM continues to focus its work on issues related to poverty and hunger.

The NM House of Representatives membership of seventy includes twenty freshman, including the first ever Muslim-American representative, Abbas Akhil, from Albuquerque. Currently, the majority of the New Mexico House are people of color.

 

Bill sponsors listen to advocates’ testimony, including LAM-NM Director Ruth Hoffman, in support of significant funding increases for early childhood education.

Workers from Somos un Pueblo Unido and El Centro appear with HB31 sponsors, Rep. Joanne Ferrary and Rep. Miguel Garcia, in support of increasing the state minimum wage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Southeastern Synod

Hilton Austin, Director

4TH ANNUAL SOUTHEASTERN SYNOD ADVOCACY GATHERING: While watching three legislatures during the month and communicating to our advocates, we have been preparing for our Annual Advocacy Gathering at St John’s Atlanta on Fegruary 2, Super Bowl weekend; and it is in Atlanta; and there is no room at the inn. We have managed to find host families for the people traveling from other states.

Our theme this year is ‘Walking Wet’

Walking Wet is all about whom God has called us to be as He claims us in the waters of baptism. Walking Wet means we know where we belong and to whom we belong.

Walking Wet is to know without a doubt that through the waters of baptism, God promises to always love us, to forgive us, to support us, and to always be by our side.

Walking Wet is about confidence and trust.

Walking Wet implies we are part of a large group, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Walking Wet gives us a new perspective from which to love and serve our neighbor.

Four years ago, five of us, including Bishop Gordy, met to talk about creating a Georgia Public Policy Office in Atlanta. We had a call; and we had a vision.

Looking back, I guess you might say, we had a small vision.

God was doing a new thing and His Vision was much grander than we could perceive.

Over the past four years, thanks to you, our advocacy partners, and God’s ever present guidance, we have changed the lives of many people in Georgia by advocating for value-based Public Policies in Criminal Justice Reform, Human Trafficking laws. We successfully opposed anti-refugee legislation. We’ve marched to protest Stewart County Detention Center and we’ve marched at the Nation’s Capital. We have been present numerous times at the Tennessee Capital. Some have even been arrested. We’ve called more attention to Care for Creation. Last year, we had the most success with 9 out of 10 bills passed and 1 successfully opposed. At the same time, we began to organize our advocacy in Alabama and Mississippi.

God is good!

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Ohio

Nick Bates, The Hunger Network  Ohio (HNO)                                                                                 www.hungernetohio.com

WE ARE NOT BARGAINING CHIPS:  The Hunger Network was pleased to join with our friends at the United Methodist Church for all People in Columbus to participate in a ‘Shutdown Townhall’. With coverage by local media, members of the community share stories about the role SNAP, housing assistance, treatment programs, and other public services play in their lives. Director Nick Bates framed the stories for legislators and the media with an overview of the policy details of what is going on. SNAP benefits were released early, and local food pantries remain concerned that the changes will disrupt household budgets and increase the strain on pantries.

TRI-SYNOD LEADERS RETREAT: HNO was excited to attend the tri-Synod Professional Leaders retreat at Sawmill Resort in Huron, Ohio. We appreciate the number of people who stopped by our table to say hi, take an advocacy guidebook, or sign a postcard! If you didn’t get a chance to stop by our table or connect with YOUR state public policy office, send us an email at Nick@hungernetohio.com .

THE BUDGET IS COMING! THE BUDGET IS COMING!: Be on the lookout for opportunities to learn and engage on Ohio’s next budget, because our state budget is a moral document. From school funding, investments in children, drug treatment and much more will be topics of conversation. Our legislators will have an opportunity to invest in Ohio’s future and strengthen our state. As people of faith, we have an opportunity to support smart investments that will build a stronger Ohio for families.

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Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy – Pennsylvania (LAMPa)                                               lutheranadvocacypa.org

LAMPA HELPS LAUNCH ANTI-TRAFFFICKING BILLS: LAMPa staff  joined Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, and Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, as they announced their intent to introduce legislation to increase fines and prison sentences for criminals convicted of human trafficking. Read more.

LEGISLATORS LEARN ABOUT HUNGER: Alongside PA Hunger Free Coalition colleagues, LAMPa staff participated in a Legislative Lunch and Learn at the State Capitol on February 4. More than 100 legislators and staff participated in the interactive educational hunger stations and enjoyed a lunch as is served in the child nutrition summer feeding program.

LIVING LUTHERAN FEATURES ANTI-TRAFFICKING ARTICLE:  The work of Pennsylvania Lutheran advocates to secure legislation to protect child sex trafficking victims was featured in the February issue of Living Lutheran.  The passage of “Safe Harbor” in the fall of 2018 was a huge victory for victims and advocates who worked on this bill for many years.

STAFF MEETS WITH INTERIM SEMINARY PRESIDENT: Tracey and Lynn recently met with United Lutheran Seminary Interim President Dr. Richard Green. They discussed additional ways LAMPa and the seminary community can continue to grow in relationship.

LUTHERAN DAYS IN THE CAPITAL FEATURE INTERFAITH ACTIVITIES: On May 20, LAMPa’s Lutheran Day of Advocacy focuses on the theme “Set A Welcome Table.” Featured speaker is ELCA Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations Kathryn Lohre. LAMPa joins interfaith partners, May 19 for service and learning, including a blessing of waters, service projects, arts performances and a community meal, concluding with teaching and preparation for advocacy on climate change.

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Virginia

Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP)                                              virginiainterfaithcenter.org

January was a busy month for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy because Virginia’s state General Assembly began on January 9th!  VICPP is working on over 30 pieces of legislation this year.  These bills include:

• removing the Jim Crow language from Virginia’s Minimum Wage Act
  

  Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax addresses VICPP advocates during the Day for All People

• removing the exemption for piece work from the minimum wage
• cover all workers under the minimum wage, regardless of the size of the business
• providing paystubs to all workers
• protecting workers against retaliation for filing a wage complaint
• let workers take their wage complaints to court
• create a driver’s privilege card for immigrants
• establish in-state tuition for all Virginian students, regardless of immigration status
• codifying the Governor’s Advisory Council on Environmental Justice
• safe closure of coal ash ponds
• increase access to clean solar energy for homes, congregations, and communities
• end the suspension of driver’s licenses for nonpayment of fines and fees
• raise the minimum wage
  

  constituents meeting with Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R- Richmond City) at VICPP’s Day for All People

• decriminalize disorderly conduct in schools
• reducing evictions
• making Virginia’s Earned Income Credit refundable, like it is at the federal level

Hopefully, when the session ends on February 23, 2019, at least a handful of those bills will pass the legislature and will be sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

VICPP also hosted our annual Day for All People Lobby Day on January 22nd.  Over 250 people came to Richmond to learn about VICPP’s priority issues, meet with their legislators, and hear from Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.  You can see more pictures here.

 

 

 

 

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Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network (FAN)                                                                                                                      fanwa.org

LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGINS: Our 2019 Washington State Legislative Session officially began on January 14! Close to 30 new legislators were sworn in. They represent the greatest diversity we’ve had at the state level, including two new firsts: Rep. Debra Lekanoff, the first Native American woman in the House; and Rep. My-Linh Thai, the first refugee state legislator. After just the first week, the legislature introduced 408 bills in the House and 461 bills in the Senate! This has kept us very busy keeping up with bills. If you are interested in where the bills on our legislative agenda are in the legislature, check out the bill tracker on our website that we update regularly.

INTERFAITH ADVOCACY DAYS: We are in the midst of our three yearly Interfaith Advocacy Days. These opportunities allow us to share with our elected leaders our voices of compassion and justice. These events include workshops on FAN’s 2019 Legislative Agenda, advocacy tools, and planning meetings with legislative districts. In Olympia, at our State Capitol Campus, attendees also meet with legislators. We are looking forward to our Advocacy Day in Yakima on February 9, and our Olympia Advocacy Day on February 14.

On January 26 we held our Eastern Washington Legislative Advocacy Day in Spokane. Over 120 advocates joined us from the eastern side of the state to learn and work together. There were times of worship and prayer, sharing meals together, learning about ways to get involved, and workshops on legislative priorities. Paul led a workshop on Health Care and Nutrition priorities, and other workshops included bills on tax reform, the environment, affordable housing, gun safety, and immigration. Pictured is a panel of faith leaders and Paul discussing FAN’s legislative priorities.

As we are busy preparing for our other advocacy days, Paul also attended the Statewide Ecumenical Executives Annual Meeting in Houston in early January.

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Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW)                                                                  loppw.org

ANTI-SEX TRAFFICKING RALLY: We held a rally on a freezing cold day in between a major snowstorm and polar vortex.  We are thankful to Bishop Jim Arends of the La Crosse Area Synod; Jan Miyazaki, JD, of Project Respect in Madison, Morgan Meadows, M.Ed., survivor and educator of Door County, Representative Jodi Emerson of Eau Claire, and Bishop Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld of the South-Central Synod for their words of wisdom and inspiration.  The Safe Harbor bill has gone from being on the back burner to being passed out of committee in both houses.  We want to make a final push to pass it this legislative session.  We were covered in an article in the Cap Times.   

Video of the event.

Hunger Fellow Kelsey Johnson took major leadership in co-organizing the rally and arranged all of the legislative visits.  As a result of her contacts, she was invited to meet with a legislative staff on a separate day.  One of the several highlights was that a participant from the Green Bay area influenced her representative, the Republican majority leader, to co-sponsor the bill.

CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION: LOPPW staff participated in a day long Wisconsin Climate Table meeting, where we heard from the new Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes about the governor’s agenda related to climate change.  LOPPW staff suggested forming a committee to explore actions the new governor can take with executive orders to protect the environment.

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God is calling us into the world to serve together. Shaped by the ELCA’s social teaching documents and experiences of its congregations, ministries and partners, the ELCA advocates to end world hunger and stands up for policies that create opportunities to overcome poverty, promote peace and dignity, and preserve God’s creation. Introduced by the ELCA Advocacy director, the following policy priorities focus ELCA Advocacy activity on current central issues.

On Tuesday, February 5, President Donald Trump addressed our nation and introduced this administration’s major priorities for 2019. The annual State of the Union speech provides an opportunity for citizens of the United States to learn about the policies our elected leaders hope to focus on in the upcoming legislative year.

In this important moment, ELCA Advocacy presents our public policy priorities for 2019. This policy action agenda focuses the work of the ELCA in Washington, D.C. on actions that will reduce poverty and hunger, promote safe and healthy communities and care for our environment. ELCA Advocacy invites you to live out your baptismal identity by serving your neighbor through participation in the ELCA Advocacy network.

~ The Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director, Advocacy

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Formative ELCA social teaching documents impacting domestic policy include the social statements Economic Life: Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All and Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries, and the social message “Homelessness: A Renewal of Commitment.”

AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

Secure shelter is a critical component of the foundation of the human person, the absence of which can contribute to hunger and challenges in healthcare, education, job prospects and more.

• In 2019, we will work with state, national and interfaith partners to strengthen policies that reinforce housing affordability for low-income households. We will accomplish this through: • Strengthening funding levels and access to housing programs in the federal budget; • Advocating for structural housing reform through vital investments in infrastructure and programs such as the National Housing Trust; • Opposing efforts to increase rent or work eligibility requirements on low-income households, which could significantly impact seniors and people with disabilities.

CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

God richly provides for daily bread — the earth can produce enough food for everyone. Yet, many of our sisters and brothers still go hungry.

• In 2019, we will • Advocate to fund, improve and strengthen child nutrition programs through measures that adequately fund and promote access to School Breakfast Programs; National School Lunch Programs and after school snack programs; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and other vital nutrition assistance programs; • Support keeping these programs in the federal safety net rather than state block grants to prevent long-term erosion of access.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

The ELCA is prompted to speak and to act because so many cries of suffering and despair emerge from the criminal justice system — from victims, the incarcerated, their families, communities, those wrongly convicted, they who work in the system — and have not been heard.

• Building on the momentum of recent improvements in criminal justice and sentencing reform, in 2019 we will: • Advocate to restore judges’ discretion in sentencing decisions and decriminalize addiction; • Promote greater economic and racial justice by allowing thousands of federal prisoners to seek fairer punishments than those they are currently serving; • Support criminal justice funding that focuses on crime prevention and recidivism reduction which will better serve all our communities; • Promote programs that improve the dignity of women in prison populations.

HEALTHCARE

Health is central to our well-being, vital to relationships, and helps us live out our vocations in family, work and community. Each person bears some responsibility for his or her own health, but health and healthcare also depend upon other people and conditions in society and our communities.

• Our commitment to ensuring the availability of quality and affordable health insurance remains a priority for many across our country. In 2019, we will: • Advocate to improve and strengthen the Affordable Care Act and expand where possible access to vulnerable populations at the edges of poverty who lack access to affordable health care insurance; • Protect and strengthen Medicaid, Medicare and disability programs to ensure the health of persons with low-incomes, seniors and those living with disabilities.

 

Formative ELCA social teaching documents impacting environment policy include the social statement Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice.

ENVIRONMENT AND CARING FOR ALL CREATION

As stewards of this world, we are called to care for the earth and examine our behaviors toward creation. While we need to take from the land for food and sustainability, we also need to be careful that we maintain good stewardship and do not exploit the wonderful things the earth provides.

• In 2019 we will: • Advocate with Congress and the Administration for strong environmental protection regulation to protect all of creation; • Support climate finance measures that reduce emissions and enhance resilience to negative climate change impacts; • Prepare educational materials making connections between the common thread of the environment with hunger, poverty, health concerns, migration, disaster response and national security concerns; • Support Lutheran Disaster Response with climate change and disaster connections as well as stewarship of the land; • Work with Lutheran Restoring Creation and ELCA Stewardship on starting Creation Care Coaches Training; • Work with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on federal lead policy, starting with urban areas; • Work with EPA on promoting public gardens; • Work with associations and faith-based entities on just transition issues in areas where renewable energy technologies are expanding.

 

Formative ELCA social teaching documents impacting international policy include the social statement For Peace in God’s World and the social messages “Human Rights” and “Gender-based Violence.”

CONFLICT PREVENTION, PEACEBUILDING, HUMAN RIGHTS

Concern for the well-being of others lies at the very heart of Christian faith. Christians have a variety of social identifications through their nation of origin, race, ethnicity or political affiliation, but all Christians have a common identity as children of a loving creator.

• In addition to promoting and advancing human rights, we will work to increase capacity and support for U.S. and multilateral initiatives/programs that aim to build peace and prevent conflicts around the world. Specifically, we will: • Advocate for passage of the Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act; • Ensure Congress allocates funds for the Complex Crisis Fund in the FY2020 budget; • Encourage continued U.S. engagement in South Sudan, especially in the peace process as well as humanitarian and development assistance; • Monitor U.S. Cuba policy and encourage the Administration to take positive and mutually beneficial steps that will help move the two countries toward normal relations; • Work with foreign policy staff in the Administration and Congress to promote values of good governance and inclusive participation in the electoral processes.

FOREIGN ASSISTANCE

“For all” in the title of the ELCA social statement on economic life refers to the whole household of God—all people and creation throughout the world. We should assess economic activities in terms of how they affect “all,” especially people living in poverty.

• In 2019, we will work to build broad support for international development and humanitarian aid in Congress. Specifically, we will: • Advocate to bolster funding levels to international poverty-focused programs as appropriate in the International Affairs budget; • Oppose efforts by Administration or Congress to cut funds to these programs; • Work to improve ways some programs are administered or implemented to ensure programmatic efficiencies and accountability; • Monitor the Administration’s review of foreign assistance and respond accordingly; and • Advocate for passage of legislation that focuses on improving specific poverty-focused programs, such as those enhancing child and maternal health.

GENDER JUSTICE

The ELCA is committed to the continual work of prayer, learning, reflection, discernment, and action to resist patriarchy and sexism as we live together in community into the promised abundant life God intends for all.

• In 2019, we will work to ensure that prevention of gender-based violence becomes a priority in U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic engagement. In addition, we will promote gender integration throughout development and humanitarian programs. In doing so, we will: • Advocate for passage of legislation that seeks to improve the quality of life for women and girls globally, such as the International Violence Against Women Act; • Oppose efforts to dismantle the Office of Global Women’s Issues, housed in the Department of State; and • Monitor and analyze the U.S. government’s gender-focused program activities and provide feedback to appropriate entities.

 

Formative ELCA social teaching documents impacting migration policy include the social messages “Immigration” and “Human Rights.”

ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES OF MIGRATIONS

Thousands of children and families from Central America continue to flee their communities and search for safety in the U.S. As a church, we envision a world in which children and families do not have to leave their communities in order to live a safe and sufficient life.

• In 2019, we can help address this goal with advocacy and AMMPARO measures through: • Strengthening funds from the U.S. government to anti-corruption mechanisms and development programs that are culturally appropriate for Central American communities; • Opposing US. Foreign policies that support the militarization of Central American countries or prevent people from seeking protection in a country where they feel safe.

PROTECTING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHO FLEE THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THOSE WHO ARE LONG-TERM U.S. RESIDENTS

Our faith calls Lutherans to see our neighbors as ourselves. As people flee their communities, the ELCA will continue to celebrate and stand alongside our immigrant neighbors.

• In 2019, we can help address this goal through: • Support of robust asylum and trafficking prevention laws alongside laws that provide a pathway to citizenship to long-term residents of the U.S.; • Opposition to attempts to weaken asylum laws or other laws that protect vulnerable children and families fleeing their communities.

 

Formative ELCA social teaching documents impacting this policy focus include the social statement Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity & Culture.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE VOTER PROTECTIONS

We are called to conversation and prayer around our role as U.S. residents and as people of faith in ensuring our election systems promote dignity and respect for all.

• In 2019, we will • Advocate to ensure access to voting by the broadest number of eligible voters in our nation; • Promote laws and regulations that prevent efforts to disenfranchise voters on election day or create burdens to eligible voters in voter registration process; • Support efforts to keep money out of politics and to oppose repeal of the Johnson Amendment; • Support strong funding for the Census to ensure that the whole population is adequately represented in Congress.

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Become part of the ELCA Advocacy network from elca.org/advocacy/signup to receive updates and notifications at moments when action is most impactful. Find social teaching documents from ELCA.org/faith/faith-and-society . Find a downloadable copy of the 2019 ELCA Advocacy Policy Priorities at elca.org/resources/advocacy and share.

Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

Warm-up Question

Who are some of the people who have had a positive influence on your life?  What was it about them that was so meaningful to you?

A Time for Leadership

On Friday, January 25, President Trump signed a bill temporarily re-opening the federal government after a partial shutdown.  The 35-day shutdown – the longest yet in U.S. history – not only dominated recent news headlines but has negatively impacted the lives of many in our country, most especially the 800,000 federal workers who were either furloughed or required to work without being paid.  Initial estimates by the Congressional Budget Office indicate that the permanent cost to the U.S. Economy will be around $3 billion. 

Leadership will figure heavily in the days ahead when it comes to how, or if, this issue will be resolved.  Congressional leaders have until February 15 to reach a compromise on the Republicans request billions of dollars to be allocated for a border wall which, up until this point, Democrats have refused to fund.  Failure on the part of these leaders to work together to successfully navigate competing priorities and the current political landscape could potentially lead to another shutdown.

Discussion Questions

• What is leadership?  How do you define it?
• Who would you say are some of the greatest leaders in modern history?  Why?
• When it comes to choosing who to follow, what qualities do you look for in a leader?
• Who inspires you?

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 6:1-8 [9-13]

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

(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

Recently, my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.  Like most everyone we know, we had no idea exactly what we were getting into when we said, “I do.”  We only knew that from that moment on our lives would never be the same.  There would be new demands and challenges, new joys and surprises, and a journey together filled with moments we’d never even dreamed of.  I wonder if, somehow, Simon Peter and the other fishermen-turned-disciples of Jesus didn’t also feel the same.

We are by the Lake of Gennesaret this week, also known as the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and acts of power have begun to draw large crowds.  People are pressing in on him, so, making the most of the geography and the water’s effect of providing natural amplification, Jesus has a couple of local fishermen, including one Simon, take him out in their boat.  What did Jesus say to the crowd?  Were the fishermen hanging on his every word?  Luke doesn’t say.  Yet, whatever their experience of Jesus, it must have made an impression because, despite their knowing better, they follow his next request to put out into the deep water and let their nets down for a catch.

Now just imagine the scene.  Simon Peter is initially reluctant to even bother because he knows that this isn’t the right time of day for fishing.  Not only that, but, when Jesus first showed up, they were right in the middle of cleaning their equipment after a long, fruitless night of catching nothing. What Jesus’ asks seems pointless, but perhaps we are meant to hear echoes of other stories Luke has already told about the intersection of human impossibility and divine power, stories like that of Mary and of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  For, in their obedience to Jesus’ word, Simon and his partners find themselves knee deep in such a huge catch of fish that their boats begin to sink.

It is clear this is no ordinary moment.  Shocked and amazed by what he has just experienced, Simon Peter’s response to being in the presence of the Holy is to beg Jesus to leave him, for he knows that he is not worthy.  Yet the good news for Simon Peter, and for us, is that his lack of holiness does not disqualify him.   For the same power that brought him to his knees now lifts him and the other fishermen up.  “Do not be afraid,” Jesus says to them, “from now on you will be catching people.”

In the end, Peter and his companions leave everything to follow Jesus. Their lives will never be the same. They have no idea where this journey will lead. They only know that, if Jesus isn’t worth following, then nobody is!  

Discussion Questions

• Read through this passage again.  Along with the miraculous catch of fish, one of the big surprises is who Jesus calls to be his disciples – uneducated fishermen.  What are some of the other surprises that you see?
• How do you feel about Simon Peter and his companions’ response? Why do you think these men dropped everything to follow Jesus?  
• What do you think it means to follow Jesus today?  What does it look like to be a disciple?  Is it difficult to follow Jesus? Why/why not? What might we need to leave behind?
• When it comes to “catching people,” what do you think the church/your congregation/your small group needs to be doing at this point in time?

Activity Suggestions

Video: For further discussion on the sheer grace of being called to follow Jesus, watch Rob Bell’s short video, Dust (Nooma series).  Though not specifically about this passage, he presents a great take on what being called by a rabbi to “follow me” meant in Jesus’ day, and how Jesus’ invitation to Peter, James, John, and the rest would have been most unusual.  Talk together about what it means that Jesus calls us to be his followers.  What does it mean to you that Jesus believes in you?  Does this change the way you see yourself as a disciple?

Remember Your Baptism: As part of your concluding prayer this session, invite participants to remember their baptisms as a connection to the calling we receive to be followers and disciples of Jesus.  This could be as simple as having a small bowl of water in which you invite them to dip a finger and make the sign of the cross on their own forehead.  Or perhaps have them bless one another.  Especially instructive are these words from Evangelical Lutheran  Worship (pg. 227) with which the presiding minister addresses the assembly during a baptism:

In baptism our gracious heavenly Father frees us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are born children of a fallen humanity; by water and the Holy Spirit we are reborn children of God and made members of the church, the body of Christ.  Living with Christ and in the communion of saints, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God.

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, before we could even think to seek you, you have come seeking us. As your Son was revealed to Simon Peter and the others through a miraculous catch of fish, help us to see the many ways that you act in our lives, and to praise you for the grace that you give to us day by day.  Empower us by your Spirit to follow, lead us to be living signs of your love, and give us the courage to invite others.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

Herb Wounded Head, Brookings SD

Warm-up Question

Would you consider yourself an honest person? Would you say that your friends are honest people? 

Who Are You?

A young man was caught using Alexa to cheat on his homework. The mother caught him using Alexa to do his math homework and posted a video on social media to show what he was doing. The boy simply asked Alexa, “What is 5 minus 3?”  The boy seemed unaware that he was doing anything wrong.  He was simply using a tool with which he was very familiar.  The incident raises the deeper questions of how we learn right from wrong and where we are to draw the line between cheating and simply using a new technology well.

A lot of this has to do with our sense of identity and integrity. Identity is your understanding of who you are and what you’re about. Integrity is that you do what you say you’re going to do. It’s important for us to know who we are in order to have a sense of what’s right and wrong. Usually, we are taught at a young age our sense of ethic and the difference between right and wrong. 

When we get older, we often have to re-evaluate what this sense of ethic is depending on circumstances and depending on the situation we find ourselves in. If we don’t constantly evaluate our sense of right and wrong, we may do things that are unethical, even though they may seem harmless decisions, they can change our sense of identity and integrity. So we have to ask ourselves who we are and whose we are from time to time in order to enter our baptismal lives with a sense of integrity and a solid sense of identity.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever cheated at anything? What was it? Did you get caught?
• How did you feel after cheating?

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Jeremiah 1:4-10

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Luke 4:21-30

(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

Oh how things can change when we’re honest and prophetic with people. Jesus starts out in this passage in a positive light and ends the passage with the people willing to throw him off a cliff. All because he interpreted scripture for them in light of revealing his own identity to them. Jesus knows his prophetic and honest words to them will be met with rejection. Jesus has a very clear sense of who he is and how expansive his ministry will be. Jesus is rejected because he announces that his ministry is meant for outsiders, not those who feel a sense of entitlement or privilege just for being on the inside. 

This isn’t an anti-Semitic message, the congregation in the synagogue is not unique in feeling entitled to special favor from God.  Rather, this is also a message for us who are on the inside: the baptized and the churched. We need to understand and grasp that ministry is for those who have been shut outside the church’s walls and ignored and cast out by society. Jesus is with the widow and the leper, bringing them healing and wholeness and it’s our calling to bring healing and wholeness of God’s grace in Christ to the world outside.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus’ says his ministry is for outsiders?
• When have you felt like an outsider?
• What word of God’s grace have you heard today?
• Who are the outsiders in our world, the ones we are tempted to forget, treat as invisible, or place beyond the circle of God’s concern and care?

Activity Suggestions

Needs: A roll of toilet paper

Ask people to remove as many tissues as they think they will need (don’t tell them why) After everyone has finished, have them count the number of squares they have taken. Have them share as many fun facts about themselves as squares they have taken.

Closing Prayer

Holy and gracious God, you come to us new, each and everyday. Help us to see your face in the outcast, the downtrodden, the lonely, the poor and the sick. Give us faith to see and ears to hear your word of grace and love in our lives. Amen.

We Show Up

In November I attended the first ELCA Young Adult Discernment Retreat. This retreat was an incredible opportunity to find a rare space of reflection, prayer, and worship with peers, and a space to be ministered to. With what feels like decreasing numbers in the ELCA young adult demographic, it may be surprising that young adults have an interest in gathering together to discern in community. I have some news for you: young adults show up! With over 50 of us in attendance and the wait list in the hundreds, young adults throughout the ELCA sent a message: If you make the space, we will come.

The Word

…When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”…(Esther 4:12-14)

A Season Of Hope

When I heard this reading for the Second Sunday of Advent, I reflected on my time at the Young Adult Discernment Retreat and I was filled with so much hope. Each of us, like Esther, came to our position “for such a time as this”. And like Esther’s faith community, the young adults of the ELCA came together in support of one another in holy community for the sake of the world. The peers I was surrounded by are ready to be leaders. The space to discern our next most faithful step was vital to stewarding those gifts of leadership. If we remain silent, change will come but we won’t be part of it. We were created on purpose for this moment, in this time, in our unique positionality, and we need “Mordecais” in our life to remind of us of our call. My hope is rooted in the sound of this reminder resonating with the 50 young adults I was surrounded by and our peers around the world.

Savanna Sullivan, the Program Director for ELCA Young Adult Ministries, addressed the attendees of the retreat as “prophetic young leaders”. This was my first “Mordecai moment”. God is speaking through young people and it’s time to listen. The second came as another attendee shared her writing during our final worship together:

When I think about call, I think about Hagar
the runaway slave-girl turned single mother.
The most vulnerable in her community
When the angel of the Lord comes to call her he asks her two questions.
Where do you come from and where are you going?

So I asked myself, where do I come from?
I am standing on the shoulders of those who stood up for me.
Ancestors, mentors, teachers, friends.
I am standing on the shoulders of those who stood up for me.

So I asked myself, where am I going?
I am called to stand tall so others can stand on me
because like Hagar in Genesis 16:13,
I have seen the One who sees me.
(Claire Embil)

A Season of Action

My identity as a young person in the church has been particularly salient to me lately. It’s hard not to feel strength in identities that hold less power when reading Claire’s words. Young people need a place in our church and we need young people to be in positions of agency to create those spaces.

Last month I was nominated for a position on my congregation’s Vision Team (Church Council). This is my opportunity to ask “Who’s not at our table” and take steps to create opportunities for all people to show up as their fullest self. This doesn’t stop with age. As I looked around our retreat, I saw a room full of God’s people across all identities that are ready to be “prophetic young leaders”. I have to trust that God is preparing our church to be ready for us.

Discussion Questions:

1. How did the season of Advent bring hope into your life?
2. How can you better ask “Who’s not at our table”? What’s the best way to invite them?
3. Who are the “Mordecais” in your life? What are they saying?
4. How can you better create space to listen to young people share new ideas?

Daniel serves as a lay leader for children’s ministry at New Heights Lutheran Church and is an active member of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin – ELCA Youth & Family Ministry Network. He is a gymnastics coach, a substitute teacher and spends his spare time playing nerdy board games. Daniel has been a part of several different ministries’ strategic planning efforts and finds joy in dreaming with organizations about systemic ways to be radically welcoming.

Andrew Tucker, Columbus, OH

Warm-up Question

What does it feel like to come home after you’ve spent some time away? What does it feel like when people notice the ways that you’ve changed while you were gone?

Coming Home

Census researches report that more and more people are moving away from rural living and into urban and suburban communities. That’s true in our country, in  small town Warren, North Carolina. The reasons for such departures include the high volume of job opportunities, public services, and entertainment options in cities. The same is true of me, a child of small town Orrville, Ohio who currently lives in Columbus, Ohio and has lived in major metropolitan areas for most of the last decade. This trend extends far beyond the United States. It’s true across the globe, even as far away as Australia. Yet, as this last article details, there are people that choose to live the country life despite the trends toward metropolitan living, and even those who return home to country life after deciding to leave the daily grind of the city. While the trend is toward population centers, some are drawn to their more rustic roots to make major changes or undertake new initiatives, like beginning a new job or starting a family. 

Discussion Questions

• Would you rather live in the city, in the suburbs, in a small town, or in the country? 
  • How does that compare to where you live now?
  • Which one feels most like home to you?
• What might make you come back home after moving away? 
  • What in that is inspiring to you?
  • What in that challenges you?

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Luke 4:14-21

(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

Though the heading in your Bible might say something like, “The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth,” as it does in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the reading we’re assigned today only introduces us to Jesus’s routine, his leadership, and his decisions at the very beginning of his public ministry. Any knowledge of his rejection comes later.

In our seven verses, we see Jesus come to Galilee from Jerusalem, which is a big change. Comparing Nazareth to Jerusalem is likely comparing a town with one stoplight to Los Angeles. Nazareth was a small place, relatively insignificant to most outside observers, except we know that it was Mary’s hometown and where Jesus grew up. Now, he’s back with some new news to share. But how did he get here?

Just before this, John baptizes in the Jordan River, near the Dead Sea. Then Jesus follows the Spirit into the wilderness for temptation before he eventually lands in Jerusalem. In other words, Jesus could easily have begun his ministry in the center of religious life, among the politically powerful and socially elite, with a huge audience to hear the message of God’s reign come near. For some reason, Jesus returns home to start a movement that will change the entire world.

Perhaps this was because it’s easier to start a new movement in familiar territory. Perhaps Jesus wanted to try his routine first with a smaller audience. Perhaps it’s because Jesus hoped to recruit people as disciples from among old friends and fishing buddies. We can imagine many reasons, but what the Bible tells us specifically is that Jesus came to Galilee under the power of the Holy Spirit and entered that synagogue on the Sabbath because it was his custom. Just as the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for his temptation, so too the Spirit leads Jesus into Galilee to begin his ministry. 

Jesus went home because God was there, calling him to something wonderfully new in a place that felt very familiar. Jesus, following the proclamation of Isaiah 62, proclaimed some radical changes to his family and neighbors and friends: “Good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, and the year of the Lord’s favor.” In other words, Jesus didn’t just return home for himself, but instead, followed the Spirit in a mission to bless all kinds of people, beginning with the people Jesus knew best.  

It’s important to remember that; just because Jesus knew them best doesn’t mean he liked them most. This is not a call to give good news just to your friends, to those like you. Rather, when we follow Jesus and return home with good news, we offer that gospel of liberation and divine favor to all people. Jesus’ return isn’t because of his affinity for the select few of Galilee, but because the seed of his word, planted in the Nazarene soil, will blossom with fruit that will feed all nations. 

Even though the hustle and bustle of Israel’s religious and spiritual life was centered in Jerusalem, Jesus announced the fulfillment of God’s promises in Galilee. Of course, Jesus eventually returns to Jerusalem, and sends the disciples from Jerusalem to the very ends of the earth. In other words, God’s good news is for all people, no matter where they call home.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think, according to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus chose to begin his ministry in his home region of Galilee? 
• How could you, like Jesus, do something profoundly new in the normalcy of your own home?
• In what way could you try to make a huge impact for God through a place or community that other people believe to be insignificant? 

Activity Suggestions

• Play a game with a home base, like capture the flag or kick the can, but make the home base an inconvenient or typically disadvantaged place in the game. Help the players see the value of home even if it’s not the most common or easiest choice. 
• Have participants write or draw on sticky notes what things they would like to have in life (house, family, job, recreation, and the like). Then, have them put each note on a map where it is most likely to exist in the way they imagine it. For instance, someone who loves public transportation and easy access to NBA games likely won’t find those in Idaho’s potato fields. But if someone likes stargazing, camping, easy access to ski slopes, and physical work, then rural Idaho could be just the place.  
• On your next youth group trip, whether to a church conference or serving learning trip, intentionally include rural, suburban, and urban experiences to help your people visualize the way their faith might come alive in each of these spaces.

Closing Prayer

God of our ancestors, we thank you for homes that raise us well, for homes that give us respite from abuse, dysfunction, or neglect, for homes that inspire us to journey into the great unknown, and for homes that receive us with open arms when we return. Wherever we make our home, guide us into a community that lives your favor for all people. Amen.

The third Monday in January is observed in honor of the birthday and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Efforts to designate a day to honor Dr. King began shortly after his  assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. It took an act of Congress to pass the measure– with former President Ronald Reagan signing the bill into law in 1983. Institutions such as banks, schools, post offices and non-essential government offices close in observance of the holiday. Many of us will attend worship services, community events or volunteer in acts of service. However, if you live in Alabama or Mississippi, Dr. King and Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s birthday are combined in observance of the day. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 and Lee was born on January 19, 1807.  Dr. King gave his life to bring this country together against racial divides. Lee fought to divide this nation by preserving the enslavement of blacks in southern states. Just to be clear celebrating the birthday of Robert E. Lee as a hero is about maintaining a legacy of white supremacy.   Organized efforts are underway in Mississippi to separate the two days. However, no such actions are currently planned in Alabama.

“But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24 (NRSV)

Dr. King along with the collective power of grassroots leaders and national organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the  Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the interracial Freedom Riders, challenged the legal system of racial segregation. Their campaigns of non-violent action, voter registration drives, teach-ins and sit-ins–challenged racial attitudes; broke down racial barriers in employment, housing, education; public accommodations, travel and voting. Activist of the movement placed their lives and limbs on the line to do what they had to do for justice. Their bodies in action became a spiritual meditation, born out of a love for God’s people on a quest for justice. Selma to Montgomery marcher and activist, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was quoted as saying that civil rights marchers “prayed with their feet.”  Rabbi Heschel

marched with Dr. King from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 in support of black voters’ rights.  The physical sacrifices and spiritual efforts of these movement workers were not in vain.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 signaled major progress in ending overt racist segregation politics and polices. Yet, Dr. King believed the fight for freedom rested on building an intersectional, multiracial coalition of African Americans, white Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans that worked towards bending the arc of the universe towards racial and economic justice for all people.

Concerned for the living and working conditions of poor people in the United States, Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  began to organize a campaign led by people impacted by poverty. The dream for the Poor People’s Campaign was born. The campaign was designed to take on the social structures that produced the oppression and suffering of people.  Dr. King said: ‘The dispossessed of this nation—the poor, both white and Negro—live in a cruelly unjust society. They must organize a revolution against that injustice, not against the lives of their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which the society is refusing to deal with the issues of injustice.’ Dr. King’s intersectional approach towards systems of oppression launched the vision for the Poor People’s Campaign.  Although Dr. King’s life was cut short by an assassin on April 4, 1968 — his vision for the campaign lived on. In May of 1968, the Poor People’s March was launched in Washington, D.C.

The days of racial segregation under Jim Crow laws may be over but the ills of  systemic racism and poverty are alive and well.  Racial profiling; extrajudicial killing of unarmed black and brown bodies by law enforcement; the disproportionate number of poor, people of color trapped within the criminal unjust system;  voter suppression laws and tactics that diffuse the political power of poor communities of color; the resegregation of school districts that shuttle poor Black, Latino and Native American children to under performing schools; and the gravity of nearly 41 million people in the U.S. living below the federal poverty line. A poverty line that cuts across race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, ability and geography.

Building on the dream of Dr. King and the movement makers of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign; fifty years later the vision was resurrected. The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival co-chaired by and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharris and Rev. Dr. William Barber II, is a multifaith, multiracial  nonviolent coalition of our time. The campaign seeks to hold this nation accountable to  the democratic values of liberty, equality and justice. Grassroots activist of the Poor People’s Campaign have picked up the mantel of the Civil Right era. Across this  country, community leaders are showing up, speaking out, marching together by “praying with their feet” against the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the nation’s distorted morality.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s social statement, The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective,  proclaims that “this church is committed to defend human dignity, to stand with poor and powerless people, to advocate justice, to work for peace, and to care for the earth in the processes and structures of contemporary society. Lutherans teach that we are freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor.

Disrupting and resisting the systems that dehumanize and oppress the most vulnerable within society is the work of followers of Christ. Systemic racism and poverty undermine the basic tenets of our democracy and human rights. As we remember the legacy of Dr. King, let us follow  the example of Jesus Christ by walking with our neighbors for justice and  “praying with our feet.”

Judith Roberts serves as the ELCA Program Director for Racial Justice.