Advent is a season of anticipation, of waiting and of preparation. In faith, we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Christ, joining the sacred journey of the holy family to the manger where the Savior will be born. Unlike the innkeeper in the Gospel of Luke, we know the guest who is coming, and prayerfully, we prepare for the Christmas morning arrival.

In the midst of this spiritual preparation, many families will be making the practical preparations for the arrival of kith and kin in their homes for the holiday festivities. The season is marked by careful planning — and lots of work! — to ready our homes for guests from near and far.

The hosting of guests in the home and at the table is a recurring event in the Bible. In one of the earliest stories, Abraham is cooling himself in the shade of the oak trees in Mamre when three strangers approach. Abraham immediately goes to meet them and invites them to stay and dine with him and Sarah. The three strangers — messengers of God on their way to Sodom — accept the invitation with a promise: Sarah, despite her advanced age, will bear a son.

It isn’t clear from the story in Genesis 18 whether Abraham knew from the start the identity of the guests he invited to his tent. For Martin Luther, the question isn’t significant. What is significant for Luther is that Abraham’s invitation is a central example of the distinctive hospitality of the people of God. Abraham’s ancestors, wanderers themselves as God brought them to the promised land, “treated all guests rather respectfully and hoped for occasions on which they themselves would associate with angels.” Luther saw in Abraham’s example a lesson for the church in all ages: In love, we are called to attend to the needs of strangers with “generous and bounteous” hospitality. To be church, for Luther, is to be “like some refuge of the exiles and the poor,” those whose well-being depends on the hospitality of others.

The uninvited guest at holiday celebrations can throw a wrench in the best-laid plans. Another place at the table must be set, another plate must be prepared. Sometimes their presence is a welcome surprise. Often, their presence is a problem that must be addressed.

How often do we treat the unexpected stranger as a problem to address rather than as a welcome surprise? Much of the rhetoric about neighbors in need makes it easy to miss the humanity of the stranger in our midst. A neighbor living in poverty becomes a statistic, a member of “the poor” whose poverty must be managed. A family seeking refuge in a new country becomes yet one more set of “migrants,” the growing numbers of which must be “dealt with.”

Around some tables this holiday season, guests will find their names written on handcrafted cards indicating their place at the table. This seemingly simple act is a powerful symbol of welcome. Here, at this table, you have an identity. You have a place. Crafting and displaying nametags is a simple yet profound act of hospitality. Hospitality, at its root, is a witness to the identity and inclusion of each person at the table. Wanderers at Mamre become “lords” at Abraham’s table. “Exiles” in Luther’s Germany become guests worth serving and protecting in the refuge of the church.

Luther links Abraham’s hospitality with the well-known line from Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). By showing radical, abundant hospitality to the three strangers, Abraham and Sarah opened themselves up to the strangers’ revelation of their full identity as messengers of God — and to the promise of God they bring. We may not encounter angels in our community this season, but by remaining open to the strangers God sends into our midst, by keeping our spiritual “inns” open to the guests who come to our door, we can prepare for God to be revealed in the unexpected neighbors we encounter.

Hospitality means more than being polite. It means remaining open to what God is revealing to us through our neighbors — and it is a witness to the world that every neighbor is welcome at our table.

Questions for reflection

• How does Abraham’s story shape our understanding of hospitality?
• In what ways do our church and our larger community show hospitality toward strangers? do our neighbors experience our church as a refuge welcoming them in or as a fortress keeping them out?
• How can the practice of hospitality be a witness to the value and dignity of all our neighbors?

Prayer

Loving God,

you welcomed people into relationship with you while we were still sinners, stranger to your promise. Guide us to show hospitality to the neighbors in our midst, that our church may reflect the grace and love you first showed us. Let out open table give rise to open hearts that witness to the dignity and worth of all of your creation. In your gracious name, we pray.

Amen.

Learn

To download this entire study, or to see some of our other congregational resources, please visit www.elca.org/Resources/ELCA-World-Hunger.

Give

Gifts to ELCA World Hunger are acts of love towards our neighbors living with hunger and poverty both here and around the world. Together, we are creatively and courageously working toward a just world where all are fed.

Give now

Connect

Sign up here and receive news, information and the latest resources from ELCA World Hunger.

Kris Litman-Koon, Isle 0f Palms, SC

Warm-up Questions

• What are some topics of conversation in which you are able to adequately participate based on your experience or knowledge (e.g. politics, sports analysis, music reviews, comic books)?
• Conversely, are there topics of conversation that you avoid because you feel your contributions would be inadequate?

Stay in Your Lane

There are many viewpoints on the topic of gun safety in the United States. The arguments continue to rage about who-is-at-fault when violence occurs, about whether there is an appropriate legislative response to help limit future shootings, and about whether any government health agencies should study gun violence in America.

On November 7, the National Rifle Association (NRA) tweeted, “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves.” (www.cbsnews.com/news/stay-in-your-lane-doctors-fire-back-at-the-nra-guns/) The NRA’s tweet implies that doctors should stick to being doctors and not wade into discussions of gun control. Of course many doctors publicly disagreed, especially those who have had to care for victims of shootings. These doctors have often used the hashtag #ThisIsOurLane in their comments to claim that they certainly have a place in this conversation. At the time of this writing, the debate has heated up even more due to the shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago that left four people dead: a doctor, a pharmacy resident, a police officer, and the shooter.

Clearly, there is vehement disagreement. Yet this recent debate on social media is not even about the issues of our nation’s gun violence; it is about who is allowed to even weigh in on the matter.

Discussion Questions

• Do you feel that the medical community should have a place in this conversation?
• Can you think of other examples where people have been told to “stay in their lane?”

Second Sunday of Advent

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

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

Gospel Reflection

The gospel lesson today begins with a roll call of important figures: Roman rulers (the emperor and several regional officials) and two high priests (only one could be high priest at a time, so this is likely an indication that both held some power that was sanctioned by Rome). This list is a who’s-who of all the major players that had power over the Judean region. Yet their power came to them through the Roman occupation of the land, not because the Judean people wanted them. If anything of importance happened in Judea, it happened through these men.

During the time of these rulers “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” In other words, God is up to something of great importance through an unknown prophet named John in the wilderness, not through the rulers on their thrones. This introduction of John displays him as a prophetic figure who ushers in this new redemptive work of God. This work gives priority to the dispossessed and poor (see Mary’s Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55) and is available for all flesh to see the salvation of God (3:6).

To lift up the lowly and to bring down the powerful from their thrones (1:52) is inherently a political act, not just a sentimental statement that Mary makes. To prepare the way of the true Lord is inherently a political act (3:4) against those occupiers who were known to demand this special treatment upon entering communities; it is not just a sentimental statement that John makes. God is ushering in a value system that will impact how people will conduct their day-to-day lives. People’s highest loyalty will no longer be to those who rule over them, but to the God who came to serve them. This will have ramifications across societies. If the rulers named at the start of chapter 3 knew what God was up to, they would have demanded of God, “Stay in your lane! You handle the heavenly stuff, and we will handle the earthly stuff!”

The truth is that our God is not one who will be relegated to the heavens. Our God audaciously enters this creation, lifts up the lowly, unseats rulers, and offers a new reign for all people. As the one called to announce all that, John becomes the prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness, “This IS God’s lane!”

Discussion Questions

• Read again verses 4-6 of today’s lesson. Does the scope of the work to be done imply an individual effort or a communal effort? How does visualizing those two answers impact our hearing of John’s message?
• If our highest loyalty ultimately is placed in God, then how do you respond to other demands for your loyalty?

Activity Suggestions

This is a fun game that involves two lanes of people. The more people you have, the more interesting this game is. Divide into two evenly numbered teams that form parallel lines (standing or sitting), and have the members of each team hold hands. At one end of the two lines will be a coin to toss or spin (if you have an odd number of people, designate one individual to do the coin toss). At the other end will sit an object between the two final people; they should be able to easily grasp the object (it could be anything, but let’s say it’s a tennis ball).

Except for each team’s person who is closest to the coin toss, everyone else should face the tennis ball. No one should talk. Flip the coin (or spin it). If it lands on heads, you do nothing and you flip the coin again. If it lands on tails, the individuals watching the coin will squeeze the hand of the next person on their team. This squeeze is passed to the other end of the line, and the final person there tries to grab the tennis ball before the other team does (gaining one point). If there is a false grab, then that team loses a point. Rotate positions within each team to keep the game lively.

Closing Prayer

Servant God, you came to us to lift up the poor and to offer salvation to all people. Help us to be thankful that you care for us all and that you seek to extend your reign to us and through us. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

December 1 is World AIDS Day, an important occasion to remember those who have died because of this disease, to re-commit ourselves and our church to accompanying people living with HIV or AIDS, and to raise awareness to continue the fight against HIV. This World AIDS Day, Pastor Joe Larson of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dak., shares his story of hope in the midst of darkness and the congregation’s ministry among neighbors living with HIV and AIDS in Minnesota and North Dakota. Their work is supported by a grant from ELCA World Hunger.

“Bringing Hope into a Dark World”

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a favorite Advent hymn that puts into words the feelings that many of us face this time of year:

O Come, O Dayspring, come and cheer

   our spirits by your Advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

   and death’s dark shadows put to flight;

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

   shall come to thee O Israel.

This is an old hymn. Back in the Middle Ages, an unknown monk penned these words during a dark time. Humanity was threatened by the Black Death, wars and ignorance. Yet, out of the darkness came a beautiful song. Its haunting melody and poetic verses convey the mixture of sadness and hope that go hand-in-hand with a disease like HIV/AIDS.

I know what it’s like to create hope out of darkness. Thirty years ago, I lost a partner to AIDS. Since then, I’ve spent most of my career with programs for people living with HIV/AIDS. For 14 years, I served as executive director of the Aliveness Project, an AIDS service organization in Minneapolis that provides hot meals, a food shelf program, integrative therapies and other supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

When I started serving St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fargo nearly three years ago, I felt God’s call to continue in ministry among people living with HIV, so I reached out to Minnkota Health Project, a volunteer-led program that offers support groups and food assistance to HIV-positive individuals living in rural Minnesota and North Dakota.

Many of the group participants struggle daily with isolation, depression and chemical dependency. Some mourn loved ones who have died. Others have been rejected by their families because of their HIV status and sexual orientation. They come to the monthly meetings for the support and compassion that they cannot find anywhere else.

This year, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church received a Domestic Hunger Grant from ELCA World Hunger to provide grocery gift cards for Minnkota group members. Many of the group members lack the resources needed to cover the cost of rent, food, utilities, and medical expenses. For them, the assistance makes a tangible difference.

At their monthly meetings, I try to offer a sympathetic ear and a personal connection to St. Mark’s community. This Christmas season, congregation members are providing gifts to individuals in the group. When I asked our congregation for help, their response was immediate.

December 1, 2018, marks the thirtieth year of observing World AIDS Day, a day to remember those who have lost their lives, celebrate the progress that has been made in addressing HIV and AIDS, and to re-commit ourselves to the work that still needs to be done to reduce the prevalence of HIV and AIDS and accompany our neighbors who are living with HIV and AIDS. The people of St. Mark’s and the participants and volunteers in the Minnkota Health Project, work together to find light in the midst of the darkest nights. Their faces reflect the light of God that shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it.

Worship

Consider including pieces from the World AIDS Day worship resource in your liturgy on Sunday, December 2. You can find the ELCA World AIDS Day worship resource, bulletin inserts and more at ELCA. org/HIV.

Advocate

You can advocate for policies and programs that support prevention, testing, treatment and other important services for people living with HIV. Take action today to advocate for programs that support global health, including PEPFAR and the Global Fund.

Give

Through your gifts, ELCA World Hunger provides crucial support to ministries like St. Mark’s grocery gift card program for Minnkota members. You can support this important work by making a gift for HIV and AIDS ministries through ELCA World Hunger.

 

 

Alppha Banda, Irene Banda, Kristina Stephano, Dorothy Ngamira and Martha Kamphata all have children attending the Chibothel Lutheran Nursery School, operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi. This school has 42 students and, with support from ELCA World Hunger, is the base for a feeding center for children.

Every school day, Alppha, Kristina, Dorothy, Irene and Martha show up as volunteers to cook for nearly 70 children aged 6 months to 5 years who travel to Chibothel from the surrounding 10 villages. Pooling resources, the women prepare food that has been donated, cup by cup, from the families of the children.

Whether it’s daily meals of sustenance or occasional feasts of celebration, there is something special, something intrinsically communal about preparing a meal. In the 1987 film “Babette’s Feast,” the title character is a French refugee as a live-in maid and cook for two sisters. Dutifully, she prepares their austere, simple meals day-in and day-out, until one day, Babette learns she has won a lottery, making her a wealthy woman. In celebration of her newfound fortune and in thanks to her two hostesses, she prepares an elaborate meal featuring the complex and sophisticated dishes of her native French cuisine. The meal itself is almost comical, as the modest diners nervously try turtle soup, quail and caviar.

The meal is the climax of the film, but the story is as much about the preparation as the eating. Gathering the ingredients requires substantial planning and expense, including arranging for shipments of meats and cheeses from Paris. Babette has labored in the sisters’ kitchen for months, but the work she puts into preparing the feast is different. It is a performance of art, a labor of love and a pouring out of herself. Each dish reflects an aspect of the life she left behind and an element of her history that she will share with the dinner guests.

To prepare a meal is to conjure elements of our own selves and our history of family recipes and cultural tastes and to share these in the creation of something new — a new table, a new experience for guests. It is to invite them into our past, to experience our memories of family dinners from years gone by, and into our present, to see part of who we are. Sharing a meal is sharing a piece of our stories as a gift to others.

For the fictional character Babette, the meal is an invitation into her past and an expression of love and welcome to the other characters in the film. For the women of Chibothel Lutheran Nursery School, the pooling of ingredients from across the community and the careful preparation of the students’ repast is a witness to the love for and support of the students. As Dorothy describes it, “Each and every child here is everyone’s child through the bond of love.”

For many of us, Babette’s feast is a luxury we cannot afford. Juggling unpredictable work schedules and limited finances often means family dinners are more functional than formal. Without access to the food we want, we must use what we have — or what we are given. Meals eaten in the many households facing food insecurity may  meet caloric needs, but they often leave other needs unfulfilled — the need for self-expression through cooking, the need to share and to share in our own history, and the need to pass on our traditions.

The privilege of making meaningful choices about our food is one way hunger affects more than just nutrition. Without adequate access to food, we lose a key avenue for sharing part of our history and our story. On the other hand, by supporting ministries to end hunger with an eye toward the importance of food as a symbol of our history and community, we can create opportunities for real feasting.

The women at Chibothel Lutheran Nursery School know this. Their morning routine meets the nutritional needs of the children, but as anthropologist Pat Caplan points out, “food is never ‘just food.'” The meals at the nursery school are a symbol of the care, love and concern of the community for its youngest members. The promise of God for the day when we will all feast together at the banquet is more than a promise of adequate nutrition. It is a promise of a time when God will reconcile our stories, our histories and our communities together.

As we anticipate the coming of the Christ-child this season, with all the opportunities it carries for preparing food together, we look forward to this day, preparing family recipes, mixing familiar ingredients, and plating dishes for a meal whose “significance can never just be nutritional.”

Questions for reflection:

• What types of food or meals bring up special memories for you? How do they reflect part of your “story”?
• What other needs — besides nutrition — can meals shared with others help fulfill?
• How can ministries responding to hunger address needs beyond physical hunger?

Prayer

Gracious God,

in your loving care, you bring forth good things from the earth to sustain and nourish your people. We give you thanks for these gifts and for the community that you gather to feast together this season. Open our hearts to our neighbors facing hunger that we may with love remember both those at the table and those absent from it. Preserve us and accompany us this Advent season as we await with eager anticipation the salvation of the world.

In your name,

Amen.

Learn

To download this entire study, or to see some of our other congregational resources, please visit www.elca.org/Resources/ELCA-World-Hunger.

Give

Gifts to ELCA World Hunger are acts of love towards our neighbors living with hunger and poverty both here and around the world. Together, we are creatively and courageously working toward a just world where all are fed.

Give now

Connect

Sign up here and receive news, information and the latest resources from ELCA World Hunger.

Danny Stone, Marion, IA

Warm-up Question

Who are your heroes?  What makes someone a hero?

Heroes Redeemed

On Monday, November 12 a flurry of text messages spread through the high schools of Marion, Iowa.  Maybe at your high school too.

“Did you hear?”

“I am heartbroken.”

“He’s dead.”

“I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“Stan Lee died.”

Marvel Comics co-creator and hero to generations, Stan Lee, died on November 12^th at the age of 95.   Stanley Martin Lieber was born in Manhattan, New York City on December 28, 1922.  After graduating from high school at 16 ½, he began his comic book career at Timely Comics in 1939.  By the age of 19, he moved up from filling ink wells and erasing pencil marks to be interim editor.  Timely Comics eventually became Marvel Comics, and Stan Lee served as Editor-in-Chief for 31 years.  He left comics to serve in World War II, but returned to help make Marvel an international sensation.

Stan and his collaborators gave the world a pantheon of heroes and villains.  The cineplex would be quiet without Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, Loki, Thanos . . .

Marvel breathed new life in the industry with flawed characters who bickered, had bloated egos,  and acted out of anger.  Instead of secret identities and changing in phone booths, heroes like Tony Stark openly declared, “I am Iron Man.” Ant-Man is an ex-con, behind on child support payments.  Thor behaved like an immortal man-child.  Spider Man struggled with girls and guilt.  Doctor Strange was an ego driven surgeon.  If one of the X-Men sneezed wrong or threw a tantrum, cities could be destroyed.  Hulk SMASH – enough said.

Instead of wallowing excess and vices, Tony Stark changed and created a hero driven to protect the weak and end war.  Thor grew from the braggart son be a leader willing to sacrifice for the greater good.  Bruce Banner found how to use his Hulk side to SMASH, when appropriate.

Discussion Questions

• How did you and your friends react to the news of Stan Lee death?
• Who are your favorite Marvel characters?  DC?  Star Wars and Star Trek?  Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings?
• Many of the heroes overcome the mistakes or follies of their youth.  Do you think it is fair that “the youth” are portrayed as having flaws?  Are there older adults in our world who need to reform and be redeemed?
• Who are some of the flawed Bible heroes who sought redemption?
• From the news and history, what are your favorite stories of redemption – people who has overcome obstacles or their own flaws?

First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 33:14-16

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Luke 21:25-36

(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

Readings like this gospel lesson have agitated the faithful since Luke documented Jesus’ pronouncement.  We obsessively look for the signs and say that our current political turmoil must be THE foreboding events.  Black Death spreads through Europe – the end is at hand!. King George loses the colonies – repent!  Hitler rises in Europe – looks like it’s the antichrist!  Y2K (you’ll have to explain this one) – we’re all going to die!

To counter the hysteria, think of the camp song, “I’ve Been Redeemed”  (Versions vary):

I’ve been redeemed . . . I’ve been redeemed.

By the blood of the Jesus . . .by the blood of the Jesus.

I’ve been set free . . . I’ve been set free.

By the blood of the Lamb . . . by the blood of the Lamb.

How good it is . . . how good it is.

How sweet it is . . . how sweet it is.

To know that I’m a child of God, and I’ve been washed as clean as snow.

Ooo – oo – ooo-oo.

This simple call and response song should be a mantra that we keep on the tips of our tongues.  As Lutherans, we do not need to obsess about the end seen in obscure signs.  We need to be willing to take action.  We need to be God’s hands at work in the world.  Don’t watch the fire.  Organize and put it out.  Feed the homeless.  Go on a mission trip.  Make friends with some with different beliefs and learn to talk about those differences with dignity and respect.

Harvard Professor, Dr. Steven Pinker, preaches with zeal a message that exclaims, “It’s not that bad out there!”  According to Pinker, American homicide rates are down from 20 years ago.  Fewer of us live in poverty.  Sulfur dioxide emissions are down, too. In 2018, 238 Western Europeans dies in terrorist attacks – 440 people died in 1998.   What’s the take-away?  Every age is a victim of pessimism and fixates on the negative.  Jesus knew it and warns us to “not be weighed down.”

Worries are a trap.  They can build anxiety, foster division and lead to isolation.  Jesus is with us.  He is our redemption.  Go with a light heart and be a positive force of change.

Discussion Questions

• Earthquakes, fires and civil unrest!  Why do you think the network news leads with bad news and closes with good news?
• Why do rumors of salacious trouble spread faster that stories of triumph and joy?
• What is the good news in your community?  What is the good news in the world?
• What local causes can you serve to better your community?

Activity Suggestions

•  Either as a large group or in small groups, brainstorm on large sheets of paper lists of comic book heroes with their positive and negative traits.  Discuss results.  In round two, allow students to use phones to brainstorm lists of historic heroes with their positive and negative traits – Winston Churchill, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher . . . Discuss results.  In round three, allow students to list on a small sheet their own positive and negative traits.  Ask, “Did you find it difficult to list our own faults and talents?  Is self-examination a normal part of your life?”
•  Invite students to share their favorite scenes (either description or video) favorite scenes from heroic movies and literature.  Yes, comics and graphic novels are literature.
•  Since Stan Lee’s death, his 1968 article about racism and been shared and re-shared.  Read and discuss the article.

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a25022397/stan-lee-marvel-racism-1968-essay/

•  Watch and discuss Dr. Pinker’s TED Talk, “Is the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers.”

https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_is_the_world_getting_better_or_worse_a_look_at_the_numbers/transcript?language=en

Closing Prayer (inspired by Psalm 22)

To you, dear Lord, we lift our souls.  We trust you.  Help us to be brave in the face of failure.  Lead us and teach us the ways of truth.  You are our salvation and you forgive our youthful transgressions.  Forgive us our sins and show us your merciful path.  Pull us out of our distress and let integrity be our guide.  In your name we pray, amen.

Today’s post is by Pastor Janelle Rozek Hooper, Program Director for Ministry with Children, ELCA.

I often hear that children participating in the Christmas story, whether rehearsed or spontaneous, holds strong emotions and memories for family, friends and especially grandparents. The time, energy and availability of children, family and youth leaders has changed over the years but the desire to have children participate in worship during the Advent/Christmas season has not. We can’t even fathom only hearing the Christmas story with words; we want to see donkeys in fur and angels with glitter piping. We can’t imagine not using as many of our senses as possible or the beauty of the imperfect perfect telling of the Good News that happens when real people tell this amazing story.

So why not the rest of the year?  How come we can only handle kids voices leading worship or acting out scripture once a year? Were the kids engaged in worship of God? Yes! Were the adults? Yes!

How can we involve children in such leadership throughout the church year, trusting the Holy Spirit is imparting spiritual gifts at all times? Not every Sunday has to have the same high production value. If our places of worship would commit to even one more way of engaging young people in worship over the course of a church season and then be open to another way the next season, I truly believe the engagement of all ages would double.

Here are seven suggestions to get you prayerfully thinking about what might be the “one thing” to continue past the Advent/Christmas season for engaging young people in worship.

• Songs accessible for children who can’t read, such as repetitive choruses, Taizé, camp songs.
• Scripture reading geared toward children’s learning style, such as a children’s Bible with lots of verbs
• A senior and a young person co-reading a lesson or leading the prayers
• Experiential aspects of worship, such as a youth pouring water into the font
• Children’s artwork for slideshows, bulletin covers, or other places in the worship space
• Adults and youth working together on Audio/Visual (AV) ministry
• Congregations with SundaysandSeasons.com can download and print “pre-reader” and “reader” versions of children’s bulletins

And many more! I offer a whole host of ideas about how to offer intergenerational worship and engage young people in worship at www.ministrylinks.online. In fact under the tab “Ministry” there is a drop down for “Seasonal Resources” that begins with the liturgical calendar. Wonderful and yet easy Christmas Plays can be found there. As Program Director for Ministry with Children for the ELCA, I’m also available to chat about your specific needs in your context. Janelle.Hooper@ELCA.org. Please be in touch!

Angie Larson, Clive, IA

 Warm-up Question

Who is your favorite king or queen,  real or fictional? What qualities do they have?

What Kind of King?

Immediately following the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, PA, Tarek El-Messidi took to Launch Good to raise funds for the Synagogue and the victims’ families. The interesting thing  is not that funds were raised, but that a Muslim organization, Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue, did it.  Muslim and Jewish groups have not always cooperated in the past and are often in conflict in the Middle East.

However, El-Messidi had a different vision. He hoped to raise over $25,000 to take the financial burden of funerals off of families affected by the shooting.  “We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action,” he wrote on the organization’s webpage. Through his faith lens he talks about the recipients as fellow human beings being impacted by hate and tragedy. He led the Muslim community to see commonality with their Jewish brothers and sisters in their shared Abrahamic roots. His Launch Good effort has now raised over $238,000 for the victim’s families. “I think it says that there’s a lot more good in humanity than there is bad and evil and hatred,” said El-Messidi in a radio interview.

Discussion Questions

• What is your initial reaction to Tarek El-Messidi’s plan? What did he risk to lead this effort?
• How else could El-Messidi have responded to this tragedy? Do you think there are others who would disagree with El-Messidi’s plan?
• Do you agree with the final statement? Do you think there is more good in humanity than bad, evil, and hatred?

Christ the King Sunday

(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

“What kind of king are you?” Pontius Pilate seems genuinely interested in why the Jews seem to hate Jesus so much. Pilate wants to see if he has a political rebellion on his hands; it’s his job to get to the bottom of this mess between Jesus and the religious leadership. Jesus questions back, asking why Pilate is posing his question:  How did you hear of me? What have you heard?

Pilates’ curiosity is peaked. He wants to know what Jesus has done that is so bad that his own people have pushed him towards this moment. Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

This world tells us that power comes from might, that kingdoms are made by threatening military force and coercion. The Jewish leaders, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus knew this.  The Roman Empire ruled with power and might. They kept people in line by violence and crucifixion. They thwarted conflict by killing of those who disagreed. It was clear who ruled in this kingdom.

Jesus tells us that his kingdom looks different. His kingdom is in many ways the opposite of the Roman Empire. Jesus’ kingdom lifts up the least, the lost, the lowest, and the lonely. His kingdom sees leadership as service to others, not pushing others around. His kingdom seeks healing and love, not force and pain. His kingdom seeks to persuade, not to coerce. Jesus’ kingdom is different.

Discussion Questions

• How is Jesus’ kingdom different from the Roman Empire?
• What are some ways our world is like Jesus’ kingdom? What are some ways it’s more like the Roman Empire?
• Are there ways that your church, school, or youth group is more like one kingdom or the other?

Activity Suggestions

Bring in pictures or names of famous leaders, fictional or real.  Examples include Pharaoh, King Arthur, Lord Voldemort, Queen Victoria, T’Challa (Black Panther), Adolf Hitler, King Wenceslas, King David, King Henry the 8^th, King Tut, Genghis Khan, Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth, Moses, Martin Luther King Jr.  Ask students to think about the leadership style of each person. Did they rule in a Christ-like manner? Did they rule with force and dominance? What results did these leaders achieve? What were the challenges?

Closing Prayer

Blessed Savior, We thank you that your kingdom comes. Help us to see ways to bring your kingdom to earth in service of our neighbors. Forgive us when we err and guide us to care for the least, the lost, the lowest, and the lonely in our communities. Direct us to be servant leaders like your son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.  Amen.

 

With so much information out there, it can be difficult to know the most accurate statistics for measuring hunger and poverty. But knowing the data about what is happening can go a long way to helping us talk about the issues accurately and craft effective, forward-looking responses. For those who share with their congregation information about hunger and poverty, these numbers can also be helpful in putting together presentations or workshops.

Below, we have compiled the data from the most reliable sources we have for official numbers on poverty and hunger in the United States and around the world. You can download the slides to put directly into a presentation or use the numbers in your communications and work. You can also download the entire Power Point presentation at the link at the end.

ELCA World Hunger relies on several sources for data:

• US Poverty – the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, compiled annually;
• US Food Security – the US Department of Agriculture’s annual “Food Security in the US” report;
• Global Hunger – the “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report compiled annually by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;
• Global Poverty – the World Bank’s reports on poverty worldwide

*One important note before we get started is that data are always for previous years. Below, we’ve indicated what years are being measured by the data. These are the most up-to-date statistics available from the sources. All statistics, graphs and charts come from the respective sources listed above.

U.S. Poverty

We’ll start off with data about the United States. Here are the thresholds used to measure poverty in 2017:

The poverty thresholds are reported here as averages for households by number of people. The Census Bureau takes into account the age of householders and the number of children to determine the threshold. So, for example, for a household of four, the average poverty threshold is $25,094. The range, though, is $24,944-$25,283, depending on the characteristics of the household. You can see another example in the slide under the household of a single person.

Another important point here is that the poverty thresholds differ from the poverty guidelines.

The guidelines are used to determine eligibility for certain government programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly food stamps). The guidelines don’t vary based on age or number of children. The thresholds are used to measure poverty. The thresholds are based on three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963, adjusted for inflation.

To be considered “in poverty” in the US, a household’s income must be below the threshold.

To be considered eligible for some government assistance programs, a household’s income must be below (or below a certain multiple) of the poverty guideline.

The economy in the US has been growing in terms of employment and median income, but the data seem to point to some contradictions in this growth. Median household income has grown from 2016 to 2017, but real median earnings (wages) have declined. What explains the difference? It would seem that either people are working more hours or more people in the household are working. Both would make the household income increase while wages are decreasing.

One of the other worrisome trends is that there appears to be a good number of folks spending more money than they are making. The table above shows income before taxes, income after taxes and average annual expenditures. The red arrows indicate the comparison between income after taxes and expenditures for all households. It appears that for all income groups making less than $50,000 after taxes, their expenditures exceed their income. It isn’t until we reach the big red arrow (under the group making between $50,000 and $69,999) that the income starts to exceed expenditures.

It could be that people are misreporting their income, leaving off sources of income like government assistance. Or, it could be that people are drawing on more credit. But either way, it would appear that a great many Americans are unable to sustain their expenditures on their own income.

Here are the official numbers of people in the US with incomes below the poverty threshold:

We see a slight decrease nationally, though the number is still really high – about 39.7 million people living in poverty in 2017.

When we look at the education level of people in poverty, interestingly, the only group that saw an increase was people with at least a bachelor’s degree, though they still have the lowest rate of all people based on educational level.

U.S. Food Insecurity

Turning to food security in the United States, we can see a slight decrease from 2016 to 2017. The USDA uses the term “food insecurity” instead of “hunger” to capture more accurately the situation for most people in the US. Food insecurity means that at some point during the year, a household lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. Chronic hunger, the kind we’ll get to when we turn to global hunger, is relatively rare in the US. The phrase the USDA uses is “recurrent not chronic,” which means that households experience periods of food insecurity throughout the year, but this is usually not persistent day-to-day. For many, periods of food insecurity come at the end of the month (when benefits run out) or during seasons when work is harder to come by.

Child food insecurity in the US is really hard to measure for a couple reasons. First, children, especially young children, are usually the last people in a household to experience food insecurity. Often, adults or older children will give up their food to ensure the younger ones have enough to eat. There are also some programs specifically geared toward school-age children that can help, like the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. Because of the difficulty in measuring child food insecurity, the notes on the slide are carefully phrased. We can say how many children lived in households where children and adults faced food insecurity, though the data from the USDA don’t allow us to say for sure that every child in that household was food insecure.

Global Poverty

Global extreme poverty is defined as income below $1.90 per day. The numbers point to some tremendous progress since 1990, when about 35 percent of people worldwide were experiencing extreme poverty. The biggest contributor to this decline, according to the World Bank, has been economic growth, particularly in Asia. On the last slide above, you can see the poverty rate by region of the world shifting pretty drastically. In East Asia and the Pacific, the rate of poverty has gone from 60 percent in 1990 to less than 3 percent in 2015 (the most recent year.)

This has led the World Bank to conclude that “extreme poverty is increasingly becoming a Sub-Saharan African problem,” since  Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of extreme poverty and is the only region where poverty seems to be increasing.

This does tend to miss another trend in global poverty, though. Fewer and fewer people are living today in what might be called “low-income” countries. What this means is that there needs to be more of an emphasis on poverty within middle- and high-income countries. It also means that governments and organizations can no longer focus solely on “poor countries.” For the World Bank, this shift has signaled the need to measure poverty from a higher line, since participation in a labor market in a middle-income or high-income is more expensive than in a low-income country.

As an example, to get a job in a low-income country, a worker might only need food and clothing. In order to get a job in a middle-income or high-income country, however, the same worker might need internet access, a cell phone or transportation. For this reason, the World Bank has also started measuring poverty at $3.20 per day and $5.50 per day. At these lines, the global poverty rate jumps to 26.3 percent (at $3.20) and 46.0 percent (at $5.50 per day.) An important note: these lines have not replaced the $1.90 per day threshold by which global poverty is still currently measured.

Global Food Security

Global undernourishment is where we see some very concerning trends. After years of decline, we have seen a rise in global hunger over the last couple years, as the data show. The growth is slight – about 0.1 percent between 2016 and 2017 – it’s still a big shift after so much progress. There has been a much greater increase in severe hunger over the same time, from 8.9 percent in 2016 to 10.2 percent in 2017.

One of the biggest drivers of this, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) is climate change.

Climate change impacts hunger in several ways. The FAO discusses four of these. Climate change decreases:

• Food availability – When droughts and floods destroy crops, there is less food to harvest;
• Food access – When agricultural workers lose their jobs because of climactic changes, they cannot afford the little food that is available in the market;
• Food utilization – When supplies become low (see food availability), costs go up at the same time incomes of farmers are going down. Moreover, with floods and warmer weather, the conditions are ripe for increased growth of mold and bacteria;
• Stability – The health and welfare of people is deeply affected by the climate. A lack of water due to drought can exacerbate kidney problems and increase the risk of heatstroke. With a limited variety of foods available, the nutritional needs of children and adults may not be met. And when resources are scarce, people may feel the need to migrate to other areas (making them vulnerable to hunger) or conflict can erupt between communities competing for the same resources (again, making hunger more likely.)

Finally, the FAO last year started measuring nutritional outcomes of wasting and stunting, which are defined on the slide. Stunting is more closely linked to long-term undernourishment, while wasting is more closely linked to immediate spikes in undernourishment, so they are a bit different. Both are serious outcomes, though, and can indicate immediate and future needs for children who are undernourished.

Together, the statistics point to some good news, like the continued decrease in poverty both worldwide and in the US, and some challenging news, like the rise in global hunger and the millions of children still affected by stunting or wasting. But the main message to take away from this is that great progress can and has been made over the years against poverty and hunger. Now, there is a need to re-focus energies and attention to continue this progress and, especially, to prevent the rise in global hunger from continuing.

Follow this link to download the full PowerPoint presentation.

Thank you for all that we do together to respond to poverty and hunger in our world!

If you have any questions about the data presented here, please contact Ryan Cumming, program director for hunger education with ELCA World Hunger, at Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

Today’s post is by Linnéa Clark, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania.

One of my favorite features of Evangelical Lutheran Worship is its “End Time” section (#s 433-441). When the end of the lectionary year arrives, I find myself turning to beautiful, timeless hymns that long for the fulfillment of God’s reign and the coming of Jesus. Many of the “End Times” hymns hold longing in tension with joy as they celebrate God’s promises and proclaim that God’s reign is already at hand.

Lately, I have been drawn to “On Jordan’s stormy bank I stand” (ELW 437). The text, drawn from a longer hymn written in 1787, describes the contrast between where we are – waiting on “Jordan’s stormy bank” – and God’s promised kingdom, where there is no sickness, sorrow, pain, or death. The text refuses to resolve: with a pair of questions, the final stanza voices a deep yearning to see the face of Christ. Each stanza of the hymn culminates in a refrain that empowers us to join in God’s work ourselves: “Oh, who will come and go with me? I am bound for the promised land.”

This hymn lives a parallel life outside the pages of hymnals like Evangelical Lutheran Worship in the Sacred Harp community which sings traditional a cappella American shape-note music. Originally developed in North America and England in the late 1700s, shaped notation was intended to help congregations sight-read hymns and sing well in harmony. Shape-note “singing schools” quickly acquired a life of their own outside the church. Today, Sacred Harp groups can be found around the world, and they welcome first-time participants.* “On Jordan’s Stormy Bank I Stand” appears as “The Promised Land” (128) in the 1991 revision of The Sacred Harp.

In Sacred Harp performance practice, the melody of this song is carried by the tenor part, a mixture of high and low voices. It is surrounded by bass (low), alto (high), and treble (mixed low and high) voices. When sung, the melody weaves in and out of the six-part harmony. The most striking feature of the song is its minor key, a sharp contrast to the major key printed in ELW and other hymnals. When Sacred Harp singers sing “The Promised Land” in its customary minor key, they tend to sing it quickly. It has a powerful forward energy, as though the singers are already pressing onward through the storm toward the promised land. You can listen here to a video from the singing community in Cork, Ireland.

If you choose to sing “On Jordan’s Stormy Bank I Stand” this season, I invite you to lean into its longing for God’s coming reign by experimenting with your interpretation. Alternate interpretations help to illuminate different aspects of the text. Try singing it faster, interpreting its time signature as 2/2 rather than 4/4. You might even choose to read its key signature as E minor instead of E-flat major, adding an air of conviction and resolve. The stormy bank, the wide extended plains, the longing, and the journey toward the promised land come vividly to life.

As Advent approaches, may love and longing for God’s promised reign of justice and peace enrich your shared song.

*Interested in exploring this hymn in its Sacred Harp context? Visit fasola.org to find a regular singing near you. No experience is necessary, and people of all ages, abilities, and experiences are welcome to sing and lead songs.

Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, OH

Warm-up Question

What are some of the things going on in the world that worry you? How do you picture the end of the world?

Birth Pangs

When we turn on our smartphones these days, the news can be overwhelming. Whether you see articles on Twitter or a news site, there is always something major happening to cause concern. Political divide, natural disaster, war-torn countries in crumbles – there is no shortage of bad news. We can become overwhelmed with current events and want to tune it all out and just go on living without being informed. While this can be attractive and necessary at times (unplugging is good!); we are not called to be people who shut off our ears, eyes, brains, and hearts from current events. We are called to understand the overarching story of God’s love for God’s people and God’s desire that the Kingdom of God may come.

Recently, the United Nations released a study about climate change which might have a lot of us worrying. Summarizing the report, this article about the danger of doing nothing about this impending disaster warns that “‘rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society’ are required to ward off the worst impacts of global warming.”  This language is intimidating and can make us feel powerless in caring for God’s creation.

When we think about our first call to be stewards of creation (Genesis 1:26-28), we remember we are partners with God in caring for creation. That is a hard job! Instead of ending on a note of negativity, the article closes with a quote from one of the report’s authors, Natalie Mahowald “We have a monumental task in front of us, but it is not impossible, this is our chance to decide what the world is going to look like.” It is not too late to care for our world.

Discussion Questions

• When you think about current events, what makes you worry about the future? What are stories that give you hope?
• What do you think God sees when God looks at how we care for creation? How might we do better?
• Think of a time when you’ve needed to unplug from the news. What was that like for you? Did it help the problem go away? Why or why not?
• What actions can we take to make the world a better place? What are some practical steps you can take today?

Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Daniel 12:1-3

Hebrews 10:11-25

Mark 13:1-8

(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

When we reach this point in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ days are numbered. He has already ministered to many across the countryside and miracles have been done in God’s name. Before this chapter, Jesus answers many questions and shares parables with his followers. Jesus’ teaching ministry is coming to an end and it seems like he is trying his best to pass along a lot of nuggets of wisdom to his disciples.

It is no wonder that Jesus starts the teaching in today’s lesson by talking about how the physical things we’ve  built on this earth will not endure. Jesus walks with his disciples at the Temple and they point out the vastness of the things all around them. Jesus seems a bit frustrated;  They are looking at impressive structures dedicated to God and missing the point of God’s true power.

Jesus knows that the times to come will not be peaceful until the Kingdom of God is fulfilled. He warns his disciples about some of the upcoming threats, many of which we are still familiar with today: wars, political strife, natural disasters, and more. He prepares them by saying “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs”.

While this language and these images can bring stress and worry, they are really  pointing us to is the hope of the New Creation that God’s Kingdom will bring. When we think about ‘birth pangs’, we acknowledge there is pain and stress in labor, but the new creation – the baby’s life – makes it all worth it.

Our days are full of stress.  Many of us do not experience the immediate effects of warfare or environmental danger, but we do know many other kinds of pain—depression, worry, insecurity, judgementalism. We are called to look beyond the right now to the what’s to come. Jesus did not ignore the current reality of the world in which he lived.  Even though he knew that the things of this world would pass away, he taught, performed miracles, served, loved, and cared. In the same way, we are called to act, caring for the world we have inherited and the one we will pass on.  But we do this knowing we have a secure hope in eternal life because of Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• When you read the list of what is to come before the coming of God’s kingdom, what worries you most? What have you personally experienced? How has that changed your life?
• Are there times in your life where you’ve been led astray? What is that like in retrospect? How have you helped lead others to a life of hope instead of a life of fear?
• What is it about Jesus that gives you hope, even in the midst of difficult times?

Activity Suggestions

• Pick out a service project to do that benefits creation at your congregation. Ideas include starting a weekly recycling group, working with your property stewards to commit to using less electricity, speaking to your council about converting to LED light bulbs or something else.
• Take a big sheet of paper and write down current events that have you worried about our world, our nation, your community, school, home, and yourself. Then, starting with the world, nation, community, school, home and ending with yourself, pray your way through the list asking God to help take care of all of your concerns. Brainstorm ways you can help with your neighbors’ concerns.

Closing Prayer

Loving, mighty, and powerful God, you remind us that even the strongest edifices will crumble someday. Remind us also that our hope remains in your eternal promise given through Jesus, not in the things we create for ourselves. Make us stewards of your creation, reminding us to care for all you have made and one another. Hold us close when we worry and send us out to do your will. Amen.