Today’s post is from Krehl Stringer, pastor at New Salem Lutheran in Turtle River, MN. It is the first in a two part series on why and how to celebrate a Season of Creation in congregational worship.

 

In a little drawer atop my dresser, there’s a post-it note on which I had written (some time ago I can’t remember when) two Hebrew words:  abad and shamar.  These two little words contain the essence of humanity’s purpose according to Genesis 2:15—“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”  At least that’s how most all of our English translations render this passage, but the words abad and shamar have a much richer, deeper meaning than what “till” and “keep” convey. Better is “serve” and “preserve,” which translation places humanity in extreme subservience to all that God has made, not in the more dignified dominion-bearing role we might prefer for creatures esteemed to be created “in God’s image” (Genesis 1:27), and “a little lower than God” (Psalm 8:5). Were we to allow subservience to capture the essence of what it means for us to be created in God’s image, how might this better conform us to Christ who was “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), and “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many?” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45) Celebrating a Season of Creation can be an inspirational season of creativity when people learn to write abad and shamar in their own hand, allowing these words of Christ day by day to dwell in them richly (Colossians 3:16), and so remember their baptisms when they were clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27), and born anew in the image of their creator (Colossians 3:10).

So how might a congregation begin to embrace and reflect the image of a church fully engaged in Christ’s mission: reconciling all things to God?  (Colossians 1:20) A congregation might proceed with its perceived strengths in ministry (focusing, for example, on adopting earth-friendly practices in the work of Stewardship, Pastoral Care, Social Justice, Education, Fellowship, or Property).  But my recommendation would be for a congregation to start with Worship, recognizing that for Lutherans, “worship stands at the center of our life of faith. Through God’s word, water, bread and prayer we are nurtured in faith and sent out into the world.” (www.ELCA.org/worship)  Imagine how a congregation’s core identity might be shaped and its gospel mission expanded by liturgical choices that honored the diversity of ecological relationships in which the triune God has placed human beings as created co-creators, co-healers, and co-sustainers with God.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post which will offer concrete ideas for celebrating a Season of Creation in your congregational setting.

 

Lutherans are taking action across the country! Below you will find our monthly State Advocacy Newsletter. Share with your friends!

---

ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS: The October day of fasting and action is Saturday, Oct. 21. As the seasons transition and the days become colder, we answer the call this month by supporting action for people facing homelessness, unaffordable heating bills, and extreme housing insecurity. Only a quarter of the poorest households eligible for relief ever receive any assistance–creating barriers to success and stability for millions of households across the country. Christians have a long history of assisting people without housing by providing shelter and can offer a compelling voice in the public sphere through advocacy. Check out this month’s advocacy resource by visiting ELCA.org/prayfastact and look out for action alerts in upcoming weeks.  

HURRICANE RELIEF ADVOCACY: In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria, key lawmakers in Congress are calling for an immediate disaster-aid bill to help communities rebuild. Legislators hope to provide recovery assistance to recently hit regions like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while also offering longer-term aid for states like Texas and Florida. ELCA Advocacy sent an action alert at the start of October in collaboration with Lutheran Disaster Response. Our message to Congress: Quickly take up a relief bill to ensure that low-income households are included in any assistance package.

GOD’S WORK. OUR HANDS.: Lutheran churches and volunteers sent in over a thousand letters to Congress last month during the “God’s work. Our hands. Sunday” day of service. The letters came as Congress negotiates critical decisions for programs that affect people facing poverty. Community leaders can help continue the conversations and find more advocacy resources at in the ELCA Advocacy Network!

HEALTH CARE UPDATE: On Saturday, Sept. 30, the mechanism that would allow the Senate to pass repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expired. ELCA Advocacy’s efforts now focus on bi-partisan efforts to improve insurance markets and stabilize access to health care in the United States. We will remain vigilant, however, as a new budget reconciliation proposal to address tax reform in fiscal year 2018 could include efforts focused on repeal of the ACA. On Sept. 30, Congress also failed to reauthorize the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP). We will continue to urge congressional action and are assessing ramifications in the short-term and long-term.

GLOBAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING: The Department of State and the United Kingdom’s government have announced matching awards of $25 million to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery. Established by legislation in 2016, the fund is a grant-making, public-private foundation that will support international civil societies working to end human trafficking. The initiative seeks to raise a total of $1.5 billion from both governments and the private sector over several years.

UN FOUNDATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE: ELCA Advocacy participated in a roundtable discussion on “Could a new U.S. fund help support the international climate effort?” held at the UN Foundation. The roundtable included NGOs; faith-based organizations; state and city government officials; and financial institutions.  In the wake of the current administration’s decision not to fund entities like the Green Climate Fund (which was an ELCA priority matter); and the stepping up of sub-nationals and private entities — a mechanism is needed to be able get funding to those vulnerable populations that need assistance in adaptation and mitigation efforts in response to climate change.

Fund development is in its infancy, as numerous legal and  logistical issues must be resolved before moving forward.

---

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

Dennis Frado, director

PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN CONFLICT: At a side event titled “Protection of Religious Minorities in Conflict” held during the opening debate at the 72nd session of the U.N. General Assembly, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for the Holy See’s relations with states, outlined seven essential elements needed to protect religious minorities, including: the need for action, interreligious dialogue, education and more. ZENIT has the full story.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR REFUGEES: In September 2016 the United Nations agreed to develop a comprehensive refugee response plan and a program of action in 2018. Among the objectives is addressing the educational needs of refugee children. At a meeting during the general debate at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21, David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, reflected on the need to advance these pledges by calling for changes in fundamental mindsets, institutional relationships and policy.

A former refugee on the panel pointed out the plight of refugees is not just overseas as refugee children are living in New York City and other relocated communities. Others noted that education is the key to the future for these children. The thing refugee children report missing most is school, yet for every month out of school, their chance of returning diminishes

THE OCEANS – A WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITIES:  Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, stressed the need to raise awareness of work to protect, conserve and use oceans in a sustainable manner in her keynote address at a U.N. “High-level dialogue: The Oceans – A Wealth of Opportunities” on Sept. 20. More than 3 billion people depend on the oceans, which generate $3 trillion to $6 trillion in trade annually. Bachelet called for a stronger national framework regarding Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 14, enhanced conservation and sustainable use, and a change in consumption and production patterns.

Other speakers included Thomas Esang Remengesau Jr., president of Palau, who urged reversal of failed existing approaches to ocean warming and acidification and called on the U.N. to take a stronger role as a conduit for smaller developing countries, and Erna Solberg, prime minister of Norway, who stressed that a U.N. convention of law of the sea is essential and encouraged scientific development and common understanding. She noted the appointment of a U.S. special envoy.

Some speakers stressed the promotion of sustainable development for sustainable economies and called for a global effort to reduce plastic by 75 percent. Others called for long-term commitments in the public, private, and international sectors, with attention to strategies for off-coast tourism, biomedical research, and recognition of zone-based fishing.

---

Hunger Advocacy Fellowship Program 

WELCOME TO OUR 2017-2018 ELCA HUNGER ADVOCACY FELLOWS

The ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellowship, a program made possible by ELCA World Hunger, is a year-long transformative experience that combines leadership development and faith formation with impactful advocacy that moves us toward an end to hunger and a just world where all are fed.   In September, the ELCA welcomed four fellows to this new program:

Amanda Silcox, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Amanda Silcox is the inaugural ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Prior to joining the Interfaith Center, she worked as an ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission in Cambodia for one year, where she worked with a rural development organization and taught English. Amanda is native of Ohio and a recent graduate of the University of Dayton, where she studied Economics and Finance.

Kendrick Hall, Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota – Minneapolis

Kendrick Hall is a 2014 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and he currently attends Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN pursuing ordination. For the past three years, he worked for Redeemer Lutheran Church as a lay worker and mechanic, as well as was the Fellowship leader for one year. Kendrick’s passion for justice started in his undergrad years and his life between St. Peter, Min. and North Minneapolis, however, it truly stemmed from spending fifteen of the eighteen days occupying the fourth precinct after the killing of Jamar Clark in Nov. 2015; and has only grown deeper in justice work through Philando Castile and now Charlottesville.

Rebecca Schneider, Texas Impact – Austin 

Rebecca Schneider grew up in Katy, Texas. She attended Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and graduated with a degree in Social Work in the Spring of 2017. While in college she developed a love of traveling, spending time in Costa Rica, Guatemala, London, and Ecuador. Through her experiences in these countries and her classes she became passionate about fighting for social justice for all people and spreading cultural awareness. She is currently as Hunger Advocacy Fellow at Texas Impact.

Elena Robles, ELCA Advocacy Washington, D.C. office – D.C.

Elena Robles was raised in the Washington, D.C. area and is a recent Guilford College Graduate. In college, she studied Political Science and Religious Studies. She’s passionate about justice work that upholds marginalized communities. Elena is happy that she will be spending the next eleven months serving the ELCA Advocacy unit in Washington DC as a Hunger Advocacy Fellow.

 

---

California

Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy loppca.org

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The Legislature concluded its consideration of bills for the year on Sept. 15, sending about 700 bills to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. He signed a package of bills to address homelessness and to increase the supply of affordable housing. LOPP-CA, as well as some members and congregations, supported SB 2, a fee on property recordings, which creates a permanent source of funding for development. It replaces a modest portion of the $1 billion annual loss when redevelopment funding was eliminated in the Great Recession. SB 3 places a $4 billion housing bond on the 2018 ballot. Supporting its passage will be a priority for us. 

Other bills still pending and supported by LOPP-CA include protections for immigrants, campaign finance reform, environmental protection and criminal justice. Bills to move California toward 100 percent carbon-free electrical energy by 2045, and to create a small fee on water bills to fund cleanup of contaminated drinking water supplies and support affordable access to safe water in low-income, disadvantaged communities, came up short and will likely be on our agenda in 2018.

EVENTS: LOPP-CA participated in the annual summit of the California Alcohol Policy Alliance in Los Angeles, joined by two Lutheran leaders from the Southwest California Synod. LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson is on the steering committee.  LOPP-CA co-sponsored the Community Water Center’s annual Water Justice Celebration in Visalia, Tulare County, a county with a very high poverty rate that includes drought-stricken East Porterville, site of an ELCA delegation visit two years ago.

 

---

Colorado

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

HEALTH CARE ADVOCACY: The Rocky Mountain Synod Theological Conference was Sept. 18-21 in Colorado Springs. Leaders from ministries around the synod were asked to make phone calls to Washington regarding the proposed Graham-Cassidy health care bill. We requested that senators consider the drastic cuts in Medicaid and the proposed caps, which would severely impact the services available to many people, including the elderly, children, and people with disabilities. Thanks to all who called!

DREAM ACT: Theological Conference attendees were also asked to write letters to their members of Congress in support of the Dream Act (S. 1615), a bill to give young people who were previously protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program a pathway to legal residency. Colorado’s two senators are already among the bipartisan cosponsors of this act, and we continue to encourage leaders to speak out.

SPECIAL SESSION: The Colorado General Assembly will reconvene on Monday, Oct. 2, for a special session to address some of the unintended fiscal impacts of Senate Bill 17-267. We will be monitoring the session, but all signs indicate that a compromise will be reached by chamber leadership and the governor’s office prior to the convening, which would make the session a short one.

OCTOBER VISITS: We look forward to visiting a congregation in Broomfield and the campus ministry at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley!

SAVE THE DATE: Colorado Lutheran Lobby Day will be Thursday, Feb. 15. Registration opens Dec. 1.

---

Minnesota

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy–Minnesota  tammy@lcppm.org

FAITH AND CLEAN ENERGY CAMPAIGN KICKOFF EVENT (OCT. 24): Be sure to join this downtown Minneapolis event in person 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (including lunch and news conference) or via livestream beginning at noon. Location will be announced soon! Click here to RSVP!

Also, be sure to sign a letter and add a note for legislators in support of an improved Renewable Energy Standard (RES). Since the Legislature passed its current bipartisan RES 10 years ago for 25 percent renewably sourced energy by 2025 (which we are on track to exceed), most legislators in the House and many in the Senate are new and know little about clean, renewable energy. It’s time to educate leaders in our churches so that church people help develop legislative champions!

HUNGER ADVOCACY FELLOWS: The Hunger Advocacy Fellowship is a new program made possible by ELCA World Hunger. Lutheran Advocacy-MN is blessed this year to have Kendrick Hall as our Minnesota Fellow! Kendrick is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, a leader at Redeemer Lutheran in North Minneapolis where he has also worked over the last few years, a community-oriented entrepreneur who started a coffee/bike shop near the church with friends, and a full-time Luther Seminary student. Kendrick says the police shootings of Jamar Clark in North Minneapolis and Philando Castile near St. Paul helped turn him into a vocal advocate in the political and policy arenas.

STATEWIDE HOUSING CONFERENCE: Kendrick represented Lutheran Advocacy-MN at the annual Coalition for the Homeless statewide housing conference. Check out his summary on Facebook and our website!

 

---

New Jersey

The Rev, Sara Lilja, Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry of N.J.  leamnj.org

Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry of New Jersey hosted the first Justice Gathering. Almost 200 people of faith from all over New Jersey gathered to listen, learn, collaborate and worship. The event was at Cross Roads Camp on Sept. 16.

The Rev Dr. Traci West and the Rev Sara Lilja at the Justice Gathering

The Justice Gathering began with a key note address from the Rev. Dr. Traci West, “We do this work because we live and embody the heart of the gospel,” she said and reminded those gathered, “Advocacy is not about making friends. It’s about loving our enemies and being God’s very agents.”

Following the address, participants moved into small groups. Led by issue experts and members of the LEAMNJ Policy Board, sessions focused on immigration, criminal justice, hunger, economic justice, environmental justice and violence prevention. Each group covenanted together to form a network of support for ongoing consultation and cooperation.

Bishop Mark Beckwith of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark declared during the closing worship, those gathered are “love-bearers and power bears” he also urged participants to continually use our power to advocate and organize and also to rely on the inexhaustible power of prayer.

 

 

---

Ohio

Nick Bates, Hunger Network in Ohio  www.hungernetohio.com

In Sunday, Sept. 24, the Hunger Network hosted its first Faith & Advocacy Summit in Columbus. The event opened with a panel discussion with judicatory leaders including Bishop Daniel Beaudoin from the Northwestern Ohio Synod, the Rev. D’Anieri (Episcopal Canon for Mission), the Rev. Stickley-Miner (Methodist Connectional Ministries), and the Rev. Tollefson (director, Ohio Council of Churches). They shared their growth and understanding of advocacy and justice as a ministry and faith issue. The panelists lifted up the importance of relationship with people in the community and shared the importance of stories to illustrate the need for justice in our world. Attendees were inspired by the personal stories of leaders in our denominations growing in their understanding of multiple issues and the complexities of the world in which we live.

The second half of the event was the official release of our “Advocacy Guidebook for the Faith Community,” which can be read online or downloaded at hungernetohio.com/Guidebook. This guidebook will help congregations, pastors, deacons and lay leaders identify “the next step” they can take in their ministries toward justice. Whether the next step is incorporating learning into service projects or organizing a letter-writing campaign to Congress, this guidebook has simple steps and starting places to consider. If you would like additional copies designed to be workbooks for trainings, please let us know!

---

Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy–Pennsylvania Lutheranadvocacypa.org

Pennsylvania Lutherans added their voices to “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday, writing hundreds of letters to both state and federal lawmakers on the churchwide dedicated day of service on Sunday, Sept. 10. Among the issues addressed, participants spoke up against rollbacks of protections for waterways and on behalf of expanding protections of victims of child sex trafficking in Pennsylvania. Federal lawmakers received letters urging them not to eliminate the Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections for young immigrants and cutbacks in environmental protections. Advocates also thanked lawmakers whose record included support for our most vulnerable neighbors.

Also in September, LAMPa’s Policy Council met for its annual retreat, with learning centered on the health of the state’s thousands of miles of waterways (more than any of the other lower 48 states). Prior to the meeting, members gathered water from a water source in their region, praying for it and for the people who affect and are affected by it. The water and those stories were lifted up in devotions on Sunday night.

LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale, along with colleagues in the Washington Advocacy Office, traveled to the Lutheran Center in Chicago to participate in the Domestic Mission Unit’s discussion around development of the churchwide organization’s operational plan and was gratified to hear so much desire for collaboration.

---

Southeastern Synod

Hilton Austin, Director

The real excitement this month was in Nashville, Tenn., at The Inn at Opryland for the Women of the ELCA’s 30th Annual convention. We were there for the whole convention, which was fantastic. I set up our Advocacy/World Hunger exhibit and had great conversations about the importance of state advocacy. We continue to focus on developing congregational advocacy teams. After talking to Bishop Julian Gordy and Women of the ELCA Synodical President Louise Iconis, we have decided to add a representative from Women of the ELCA to our Advocacy Policy Council.

---

Virginia

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

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy met the threat of a white supremacy gathering in Richmond on Sept. 16 with a series of counter events, which turned out to draw exponentially more people than the original rally, planned for the statue of Robert E. Lee on the city’s Monument Avenue. Only about a half-dozen pro-Confederate demonstrators showed up, while many hundreds came to the VICPP-sponsored prayer services, rally and march. On the same day, VICPP sponsored two lectures by Dr. Nancy McLean, author of the book “Democracy in Chains.” All this, of course, was a follow-up to the tragic events in Charlottesville on Aug. 11-12, something that the people of Virginia continue to process and pray about.

Our “Welcoming All” efforts have been busy, as VICPP has been organizing the Central Virginia Sanctuary Network as well as asking supporters to help with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal application efforts and to visit prisoners at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Farmville, Va. The White House’s decision to end DACA in six months has sent waves of fear and concern across Virginia’s 12,000 “Dreamers” and their families and friends.

VICPP also asked its supporters to voice their opinions on the latest “repeal and replace” legislation for the Affordable Care Act, a bad bill that was thankfully pulled before a vote. We remain sure that the effort to scrap the act instead of improving it will continue. And while the act remains the law of the land, VICPP continues to advocate for Medicaid expansion in Virginia.

 

---

Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network   fanwa.org

POLICY: FAN’s main policy issues are now at the federal level. FAN celebrates the defeat of the Affordable Care Act repeal bill in the U.S. Senate and now focuses on the House budget resolution that will include the president’s tax plan. FAN will be asking our advocates in rural, Republican districts to urge our four Republican House members to vote no to protect vulnerable households and individuals from sinking further into poverty. FAN is also engaged on the two bipartisan DACA bills that provide a pathway to citizenship for the “Dreamers” and their parents. We are also watching the Second Chance Act and the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, both “smart on crime” bipartisan efforts in the House and Senate.

FAN recently co-sponsored an event called “No Human Being is Illegal: An Interfaith Response Supporting DACA.”

EVENTS: We are in the midst of our annual fall cluster gatherings across our state. These 22 geographic clusters meet to deepen relations with FAN advocates and friends and strengthen our advocacy efforts to make the social changes that we all desire. FAN’s Annual Fundraising Dinner will be on Nov. 19, when we will celebrate with 400 advocates and friends from different faith traditions. Our main speaker will be a state Supreme Court justice who is the first Asian American and openly gay person to serve on the court.

NEW STAFF: For the 16th consecutive year, we are excited to welcome a new ELCA seminary intern, Sarah Derrick, from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. We are also eager to have our new full-time organizer, Amber Dickson, start this month.

---

Wisconsin

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

WORKSHOPS AND ADVOCACY ACTIONS: LOPPW’s director preached and led workshops on advocacy and poverty at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Eau Claire and Kingo Lutheran Church in Milwaukee; participants filled out advocacy letters on protecting SNAP and child nutrition that LOPPW sent to our D.C. office. The director showed “ELCA Advocacy: Set free to do justice” during her sermon on “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday in Eau Claire; the service was taped for a television broadcast.

The director also led a workshop on advocacy and anti-sex trafficking to adults and another workshop on advocacy, healthy versus unhealthy dating relationships, and anti-sex trafficking to youth at First Lutheran Church in Gladstone, Mich. The adults filled out letters to their senators and representatives in Congress to support the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which has passed in the U.S. Senate.

STRATEGIZING WITH LOPPW ADVISORY COUNCIL: The Advisory Council had an overnight retreat in September and decided to keep our same priorities, unless with new council members or other volunteers manage we can add an additional priority.

 

 

Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

 

Warm-up Questions

• What are some of the most important symbols or images of the Christian faith to you and what do they communicate? (For example, what meanings does the cross convey?)
• Think about your worship service, what symbolic actions, gestures, or postures do you notice? What do they “say?”
• Can you think of any other important symbols at work in our daily lives? What do they communicate – what “stories” do they tell? Do they draw people together or push them apart?

Taking a Knee or Making a Stand?

Some stood.  Some knelt.  Some remained in the locker rooms or stood together in the tunnel, as an unprecedented collective action unfolded prior to the kickoff of all 14 NFL games on Sunday, September 24.  During the pregame ceremonies, in which the American flag is displayed as the national anthem is sung, players, coaches, staff, and

even some team owners locked arms with each other on the sidelines in response to comments made earlier in the weekend by President Donald Trump. The President had called for team owners to “fire or suspend” players who kneel during the national anthem.  As the acts of solidarity among NFL teams played out throughout Sunday’s events, President Trump continued to weigh in against those who knelt via Twitter, encouraging fans to boycott games if the protests continued.  The national conversation that was sparked by these events is ongoing.

At the heart of the issue is the meaning and power of important symbols, and of the postures one assumes regarding those symbols. Do you stand or take a knee?  Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers originally decided to kneel during the anthem as a protest to what they understand to be issues of systemic racial injustice.  You can read a recent opinion piece by Eric Reid outlining their reasons and intentions here: https://nyti.ms/2yoJqPU.

On the other side of the debate are those who believe that the players’ refusal to stand during the national anthem shows great disrespect for the flag, and, therefore, for America, itself.  This is the President’s stated objection, also tying the symbol of the flag to the service of those in our military, and to their sacrifices on our nation’s behalf.  For President Trump, the issue is not about race.  (You can read one of many articles outlining the President’s position here: http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-trump-on-his-role-in-kneeling-protest-1506289872-htmlstory.html)

So, what is this moment in our national conversation really about?  Is it about confronting injustice or disrespect for the flag?  Is it about standing with those who have given of themselves to create a nation characterized by values such as freedom, justice, and equality?  Or is it about taking a knee in critique of how far we have yet to go in the struggle to make those values a reality in the lives of many people of color?  How can our interpretation of certain postures be so different? And finally, who gets to decide what the real issues are?  Perhaps it is the symbols that are in play, and the power they have, that make it hard for us to know.

Discussion Questions

• Flags are potent national symbols, and can impact us at deep, emotional levels. Have you ever experienced a time when the sight or use of the American flag stirred you emotionally?
• How would you answer the questions in the final paragraph above?
• What issues have threatened to destroy our unity as a nation in the past? What issues divide people today?  How are these issues the same?  How are they different?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 5:1-7

Philippians 3:4b-14

Matthew 21:33-46

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

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

Gospel Reflection

In our gospel lesson for today, Jesus is also dealing in some very powerful symbols.  Jesus’ “Parable of the Wicked Tenants” follows his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event we celebrate on Palm/Passion Sunday as the beginning of Holy Week.  The

 

donkey and the route that Jesus takes in this procession are not accidental.  Jesus makes use of potent national symbols to make a statement about himself, as the gospel writer makes clear in Matthew 21:1-11.  Jesus then attacks the powers that be through “cleansing the Temple,” itself a central symbol for the Jewish people. Among other things, Jesus’ actions lead to the setting of this story, a series of confrontations with the Jewish religious leaders and authorities. Last week’s gospel reading (Matt. 22:23-32) presented the first part of the conversation we rejoin today.  In this conversation, the Jewish leaders challenge Jesus’ legitimacy and authority to do the things he is doing.  He, in turn, calls into question not only their legitimacy as leaders of the true Israel, but also their loyalties and motives concerning God and God’s purposes and desires for the people.

One of the well-known symbols that Jesus uses in these confrontations is that of a vineyard, long an image for Israel and Israel’s special relationship as God’s people.  The prophet Isaiah’s “Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard” in today’s first lesson (Isaiah 5:1-7) is but one example of this symbol’s use in Scripture, and is well worth reading over.  The point of Isaiah’s message is Israel’s unfaithfulness.  What more could God have done?  God prepared in the very best ways, planting and cultivating a people through whom a harvest of faithfulness, justice and righteousness was expected.  What God received was something else altogether.

Jesus’ parable follows a very similar plot.  Here a landowner prepares a vineyard and leases the vineyard to tenant farmers, expecting to receive his due – a share of the harvest.  They in turn are not faithful to their responsibilities, but instead treat the landowner’s representatives (and therefore the landowner, himself) with great contempt and violence.  Now given that Jesus’ opponents were also experts in the Scriptures, it is easy to imagine that they made the connections right off the bat.  The landowner is God, of course, and the tenants are the leadership of Israel.  The long-string of servants which the tenants mistreat are the prophets who were beaten, stoned, even killed for declaring the word of the Lord and pointing Israel back to her true purpose and vocation.  But who then is the landowner’s son in the story?  That is the question.

Lest we think the answer to this question is obvious – Jesus, of course – remember that the whole issue behind these confrontations and the increasing animosity towards Jesus centers around his true identity and by what authority and power he is doing the things he is doing.  In answer, Jesus points them to two places in the Scriptures, Psalm 118:22-23 (Matt. 21:42) and Daniel 2:44-45 (Matt. 21:44).  In the first, Jesus makes use of a play on words in the Hebrew language between the word for “son,” ben, and the word for “stone,” eben.  Though they are rejecting Jesus and his message, and indeed will ultimately reject him through the cross, God has something else in mind and will vindicate Jesus in the end.  The second passage from Daniel serves to underscore Jesus’ point.  Here again the image of a stone is used, but this time from an important passage in terms of the hope of a time – a messianic age – in which God would defeat all the opposing kingdoms and restore Israel.  God is doing that, Jesus claims, but not in the way that many, including his opponents, were expecting.

In the end, the chief priests and the Pharisees who have come to confront Jesus get the point.  They are the tenants in the story and Jesus is the son.  Enraged by such a challenge to their legitimacy and authority, they want to arrest Jesus – and will eventually – but for now they can only stand by helpless because of the crowds around them.

It is easy, of course, to read this passage from the perspective of being on the right side of things.  After all, we know who Jesus is.  We believe in him, “unlike those stubborn, hard-hearted people who put him on the cross.”  Sadly, the history of the church has been to do just that, to read such passages and find in them a reason to hate and persecute our Jewish brothers and sisters as “Christ killers.”  Yet if we are to listen carefully to our own experiences – to conversations such as the ones we are having now around taking a knee or making a stand – then perhaps we can come to a deeper understanding of what is happening in this passage, especially in light of its  use of powerful symbols of faith and national identity.

One final thought concerning the ending of this parable: if Jesus is indeed the Messiah (and I believe that he is), and if we are “joint heirs” with him of God’s kingdom as Paul says (Romans 8:15-17), then are we not also accountable to God for producing the “fruits” God expects to see?  Perhaps then another issue this passage calls us to think about is this, if we, as followers of Jesus, have been given the kingdom as Matthew declares (Matt. 21:43), then what sorts of “fruit” is God looking for from us?  What sort of “kingdom” is God calling us to be?

Discussion Questions

• When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” what do you think we are asking? What does God’s kingdom look like to you? What pictures or images come to mind?
• What is the “harvest” that you think God wants/expects to see from God’s “kingdom people?” Perhaps make a list together.  Some passages you might investigate for ideas include: Isaiah 58:1-14; Micah 6:6-8; the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7).  What other verses, stories, or parables come to mind?
• If you talked above about the issues that divide people today, what do you think would be a Christian response(s) to some of the things you discussed? Or if there are other issues, anxieties, or needs particular to your group or community, talk about how you might respond in ways which bring God’s love and light to bear.  What is one small step…one small action that you could take today to make a difference?

Activity Suggestion

Take a tour your worship space together. What symbols do you notice? If your space has stained glass windows depicting biblical people or stories, for instance, why do you think those themes were chosen?  Does the shape of your worship space or the way that the altar is arranged communicate something?  For example, many older sanctuaries are built in the shape of a cross, and altars are often placed in the round.  What are the messages?

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, in the waters of baptism you name us and claim us and make us your very own.  Thank you for the gift of faith, and for your relentless love that will not let us go, no matter what.  Empower us by your Spirit to be the kingdom-people you call us to be, and lead us to be living signs of your grace in the lives of those around us.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

New Free Resource on Race Relations

The Journey to Right Relationships … a Christian Response

 

When it comes to race relations, those of us who follow Christ have a responsibility and calling to be engaged with others in significant conversations about race relations. But where do we begin?

 

Race Relations: The Journey to Right Relationships is a new, free online resource which promotes change—a re-formation of heart, mind, attitude, and behavior. Designed for facilitator-led small groups, the 4 Bible-based conversations can be used in a weekly series or a 4-hour mini-retreat.  Go to ELCA.org/RaceRelations to find this free resource.

What’s the approach?

As Christians, we confess God has created every person in God’s image. No matter the color of our skin, you and I are made in the very image of God.  That core Christian belief is intended to shape how we treat others. Jesus himself taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

 

Imagine if all Christians would treat others—no matter the color of their skin—with respect and dignity. Imagine the ripple effect if this core belief became lived out in daily behavior.  Imagine the impact on our policies and practices.

 

We do not know what we do not know

This resource also begins with another simple reality.  We do not know what we do not know. We do not know what it is like to experience life with a different color of skin.  We do not know what doors might open or be closed—all because of the color of skin. And so we listen.

 

Greek Orthodox priest Rev. Anthony Monteleon believes the section titled Entering into the Lament is the heart of the conversation. After finishing the series, his question was simple, “How did you think to invite people into the lament? That seems to be the core of everything!” As the author, I replied, “The question seems to be, ‘Do I love God enough to enter into someone else’s lament?’ Just as God is present in my lament, am I willing to be present with others in their lament?”

 

In regards to the lament concerning race, there are questions to ask.  Is the lament too loud? Is it not loud enough? How might God be stirring each of us to enter into the lament of race relations? What are the opportunities to show up, learn more, network, speak the truth to power, challenge institutional racism, and advocate for change of policies?

 

Field tested in Baton Rouge

Over 150 people from over 22 different Baton Rouge congregations have tested this resource. Participants have included Baptists, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Unitarians, Greek Orthodox Christians and others. People are hungry to be part of a significant faith-based conversation.  There is a deep cry to better understand each other. There is a fervent desire for talk which leads to action and change.

 

Writer: Rev. Robin McCullough-Bade serves as Executive Director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge. For over 30 years, the Interfaith Federation has been cultivating unity, justice, and peace.  She and her husband Rev. John McCullough Bade have written over 300 lectionary-based Bible Studies for the ELCA using a small-group conversation format.  All these resources are free and online.  See below for more information:

Resources:            Journey to Right Relationships:        ELCA.org/RaceRelations

Bible Studies on Gospel Lesson:           ELCA.org/DailyDiscipleship

Bible Studies on Second Lesson:      ELCA.org/DailyFaithPractices

 

Today’s post is from Ben Blobaum, Program Director at the Inside Out Network in Chicago, IL.

 

Prisons are places where profound spiritual growth is occurring. In fact, many men and women in prison are thriving spiritually, their faith tested and forged in the crucible of incarceration. For those inmates who allow the experience to pierce their illusions of self-sufficiency, incarceration holds up a mirror, exposing one’s truest and deepest need: mercy. Many turn to Jesus with that explicit plea.

By its announcement of God’s mercy, the gospel of Jesus Christ sets the captives free. Paradoxically, some of the freest people I have ever met are currently locked in prison cells. Though physically confined, their hearts and spirits soar, weightless, into the unending expanse of the infinite God. Doxological worship is the natural expression of one who has been set free.

Who, having received of the riches of God’s grace, can keep from singing?

Worship is not only a response to freedom in Christ; it is a necessary condition for it, if freedom is to be sustained. Volunteers from local congregations can play a vital role in the life of the church “on the inside,” by leading even simple elements of worship, incorporating Scripture, prayer, and song. The principle aim is to develop a format that nearly anyone in your congregation is capable to lead. Musical instruments can be a nice touch, but they are optional (it’s easier to clear security without them anyway). Leading songs a cappella in call-and-response fashion is really quite effective, and, logistically efficient, as it eliminates the need for distribution of lyric sheets.

Many prisoners know both their deep need for mercy and the extravagant abundance of which they have received.

Experience and know-how are not essential (both will develop over time); the key imperative is a willing heart. Worship is our response (prayer and song) to God’s Word (Scripture). Music, especially, is uniquely able to invoke and elevate the human spirit, expressing what is beyond the reach of spoken words. Many prisoners know both their deep need for mercy and the extravagant abundance of which they have received. Should you have the privilege of participating in, or leading, worship with prisoners, just wait ‘til you hear them sing!

If you or others from your congregation are interested in the opportunity to lead worship in a correctional setting, or if you would like to learn more about prison ministry and visitation, please feel free to contact Ben Blobaum or Pastor Fred Nelson of Inside Out Network (ION). Inside Out Network is a congregation-based prison and re-entry ministry in Chicago that seeks to address the missed connection between “returning citizens” and the local church. Or, to connect with a prison ministry in your area, contact your synod office, or your local Prison Fellowship representative.

 

 

Drew Tucker, Radford, VA

 

Warm-up Question

Who has authority in your life? What are the limits to that authority?

By Whose Authority?

Eminent domain is a hot button political issue for many people. If you’re not familiar with the term, eminent domain means the government’s right to purchase private property from citizens regardless of the citizen’s desire to sell that property. In the United States, the property must be intended for public use to qualify for eminent domain. For instance, the President couldn’t just take all of your family’s land to create a private hunting reserve, but the state can make you sell a portion of the yard in front of your house if they need to widen the street for the increased amount of traffic in your neighborhood. The government has the authority of eminent domain, but it has limits and must be used properly.

That’s what the Fraternal Order of Eagles local aerie (“aerie” is the term they use for their lodges) discovered recently in Puyallup, WA. As the city continues to grow along with its neighbors Tacoma and Seattle, Puyallup is also expanding their public transportation. That new development requires the space currently owned by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. It’s a touchy situation for aerie members, as it would likely be for church members selling a sanctuary or families selling a home. Even though they didn’t want to give up their home of nearly eight decades, the Eagles don’t view the needs of eminent domain as entirely negative.

It’s the amount offered that’s absolutely unacceptable.

Sound Transit, the public transportation authority, offered an amount well below the market value determined by a private appraiser. The Eagles hope to work out a solution with Puyallup’s city council and Sound Transit that affords them a fair price for the space and helps them locate a new building from which they can continue their philanthropic work. They haven’t necessarily challenged the government’s authority; instead, they’re arguing that they’re not using that authority well. You can read more about the Eagles hopes here (http://komonews.com/news/local/eminent-domain-cost-puyallup-eagles-their-home-now-theyre-asking-city-for-help) and see why Sound Transit wants the property here (https://www.soundtransit.org/puyallupimprovements).

While property law isn’t the most interesting subject for some, it brings up some important questions about authority.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think the government should have this authority? Why/why not?
• How would you react if you were a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Puyallup?
• Imagine you need public transit everyday from Puyallup into Seattle. How would you feel about the expansion project then?
• How can a good use of authority benefit the Eagles and public transit users?

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

Philippians 2:1-13

Matthew 21:23-32

(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

This confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees hinges upon authority: John’s authority, Jesus’s authority, and the authority of the Pharisees. They ask a question not only to challenge John’s leadership and to scuttle Jesus’s influence. They ask in the hopes to reassert their own authority. This is because both John and Jesus challenged the control of the Pharisees in 1^st century Israel. Pharisees view authority as something of a limited commodity, a thing that they had that others shouldn’t possess.

In his famously subversive fashion, Jesus flips the script and challenges their authority, first confounding them with a simple question and then a parable. Their answer to the question reveals that the Pharisees lacked the courage to lead. They didn’t want to anger the crowds, nor did they want to enter additional conversation with Jesus. If they chose an answer, there was a risk. Option 1 means they might lose their influence over the people right away. Option 2 brings the chance of further public humiliation when confronted by Jesus. Their lack of an answer is answer enough about their own authority: they don’t have the courage to lead.

The parable pushes even deeper into the meaning of authority. We hear that authority is revealed by obedience. The father had authority over both children, but only one recognized it enough to follow the father’s will into the vineyard. In effect, Jesus tells the Pharisees that those whose lives don’t reflect the will of God don’t truly comprehend God’s authority. And if you can’t understand God’s authority, you surely can’t be trusted with much authority yourself.

Deeds of the leader (John and Jesus) and deeds of the follower (the first son) confirm true authority. That’s what makes Jesus such a unique leader. His deeds of healing the sick, forgiving sinners, feeding the hungry, and giving justice to the oppressed reveal his integrity as a leader. They reveal that he deserves authority. More than that, the obedience of those who follow him reveal the contagious nature of his leadership. His authority is recognized and actualized by those under his authority. That his disciples attempt to do his will – succeeding at times and failing epically at others – shows us that Jesus carries a unique authority, one that identifies him as more than a king, smarter than a teacher, more powerful than a magician. The authority by which Jesus does–well, everything in his life–that’s God’s authority.

Discussion Questions

• What stands out to you about this passage?
• How does Jesus’s subversive approach reveal his authority even as it confuses those who question him?
• Why were the Pharisees so challenged by the presence of teachers like John and Jesus?
• Why doesn’t Jesus tell them who gave him his authority?

Activity Suggestions

• Play “Reverse Simon (or Samantha or Sam) Says” but with a twist. Add a purpose to the game beyond winning. Perhaps have youth set the table for a meal together or put together school kits for Lutheran World Relief. Regardless, the goal isn’t to see who messes up the least. The goal is to highlight the difficulty of authority by ensuring that the person giving directions gives every direction. “Sam says walk to the table. Sam says pick up the fork with your right hand it and put it to the left of the plate.” Perhaps prompt Sam to say something silly to display the problems of displaced authority, like “fill the pitchers with thumb tacks.” Eventually, you may point out that good leadership might see someone with talent or skills and pass a level of authority on to them.
• Plan worship together as a group. Talk about the different kinds of authority we experience. The authority of scripture as the foundation for worship. The authority of the pastor to forgive sins. The authority of the hymns, songs, and prayers to shape our doctrine. Of course, remind everyone that these are all expressions of God’s authority shown through human means.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, you gave all authority on heaven and earth to your only child Jesus. He used that authority to heal, to liberate, to forgive, and to commission, all signs of your good will. Send your Holy Spirit to help us recognize your authority in all the ways that you come to us. Tune our hearts especially to those places where we don’t expect to find you. Help us to rely, not on our own authority, but on your gracious will. In the name of Jesus Christ, our savior and friend, we pray: Amen.

 

Today’s post is from John Michael Longworth, OEF, Pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Rutland, VT.

 

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is nestled in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains in the small city of Rutland. Just downhill from ski areas like Killington and Pico, and a short drive from beautiful glacial lakes and the southern reaches of Lake Champlain, this picturesque community is surrounded by forest, farms and an array of wildlife. I like to imagine that it’s not that different from the hilly region that Francis of Assisi called home when he was called to rejuvenate the Church.

 

We have the good fortune of having a beautiful sanctuary, with stained glass windows celebrating the creation story, and also a peaceful outdoor chapel with a hand cut stone altar. The back drop for this worship space is an awe inspiring vista of the western slope of the Green Mountains. For several years, this outdoor chapel has been used during the summer months for a festive alternative liturgy called “Saturday Night on the Hill”. This lively outdoor service has included folk & blues music, Taize with live accompaniment, and favorite songs from our Synod’s camp.

 

Four years ago, the local Episcopal priest was not available to offer the blessing of the animals at our county Humane Society shelter and I was invited to fill in. It was a real joy. However, the following year the responsibility went to the newly arrived rector. Our worship team decided to make use of our incredible setting and the exceptional foliage that is often present at the beginning of October to host one last Saturday Night on the Hill which included a blessing of the animals.

 

In addition to the fun that barks, meows and caws add to worship, this event is a great way each year to celebrate the stewardship of creation. At the same time, it is an opportunity to share about Francis of Assisi and the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans (www.oeffranciscans.org), to which I belong. Last year we expanded the celebration by hosting this worship jointly with our brothers and sisters of the Rutland United Methodist Church. Their pastor, The Rev. Hannah K. Rogers helped to lead the worship.

 

I firmly believe that our call to preach the Gospel extends beyond the people in our pews in a typical week. A blessing of the animals is a wonderful way to share love with our neighbors, the furred and feathered ones, and the loving families who bring them.

 

 

 

 

NOTE: This post was originally published on the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.

This has been a devastating season of hurricanes for our neighbors throughout the Caribbean and the U.S. South. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have already left a path of destruction, and at the time of this writing, Hurricane Maria has made landfall in Puerto Rico. As response efforts begin and continue, Rev. Albert Starr, Jr., director of Ethnic Specific and Multicultural Ministries and program director for African Descent Ministries for the ELCA, offers this update and call for our prayers for all our neighbors affected by the storms, including those on smaller islands often given too little attention in U.S. national news.

Beloved,

Please continue to hold our sisters and brothers throughout the Caribbean in prayer.

As efforts are being made to respond to the devastating impact of hurricane Irma in the Caribbean, plans are being made in anticipation of yet another hurricane, Maria, which made landfall in Puerto Rico September 20, 2017. Residents of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico were urged to take shelter in the available emergency centers as many private homes have already been damaged and structurally compromised by previous storms and hurricane Irma. The island of Dominica and the U.S. Virgin Islands have already been devastated by Maria, a powerful storm right on the heels of Hurricane Irma.

Communications with the islands of St. Thomas, St. John in particular, have been sporadic at best over the past week. St. Croix and Puerto Rico experienced the least impact of hurricane Irma. We have limited reporting out from the ELCA churchwide offices so as not to inadvertently add to the level of anxiety with unverified or false information.

Our Lutheran Disaster Response team here at our churchwide office in Chicago has been in direct communication with Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands, with offices on the island of St. Croix and with Lutheran Social Services of Puerto Rico. For more information on the efforts of Lutheran Disaster Response, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response blog or follow Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been on the ground but may withdraw staff and return after Hurricane Maria has passed.

Ms. Junia Stryker, director for Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands has brought on an additional staff person whose work will be dedicated completely to hurricane response in the Virgin Islands. Their staff has not yet been able to make an on-the-ground assessment. Travel between the islands by both sea plane and ferry has been curtailed by continued unfavorable weather. The airport on St. Thomas was restricted to emergency and military air traffic only.  St. John does not have a commercial airport.

As of this past week here are some of the effects from Hurricane Irma:

St. Thomas and St. John

• Frederick Church sustained damages and is worshiping in the parish hall building.
• Nazareth Church on St. John island received some damage but is standing. The parsonage was destroyed. St. John is without power and running water. We have heard from Pastor Carlyle Sampson indirectly that he is well but without means of connecting and communicating with all the members across the island. This is true of the ministries and pastors on St. Thomas as well.
• The hospital on St. Thomas has been destroyed. Patients have been evacuated to St. Croix, Puerto Rico and mainland U.S.
• The main power plant on St. Thomas was destroyed. Power outages continue. Cell phone access is sporadic. When possible, texting seems to be the best opportunity for connecting.
• FEMA has set up food and water distribution centers across the island.
• An island-wide 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew is being enforced.

Please continue to hold our neighbors in prayer this season. If you would like to support the efforts of Lutheran Disaster Response, please visit their “Hurricane Relief” giving page to make a gift. 100% of gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be mobilized to support response and recovery efforts related to the hurricanes.

Additional Ways to Give

Checks or money orders can be sent to:
Lutheran Disaster Response
P.O. Box 1809
Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

Write “Hurricane Response” on your check memo line.
———————–
Give by phone at 800-638-3522

 

 

Each year, the United States Census Bureau updates the statistics on poverty, health care coverage, and the median income for Americans. This research gives us not only a glimpse into how the country is faring in terms of economic opportunity for a given year but also a broad view of historical trends year-over-year.

Around the same time, the United States Department of Agriculture releases new data on food security in the United States. These data help us see how the country is faring in terms of access to healthy, safe food for Americans.

The data for 2016 were released last week and contained few surprises. Before getting into the numbers, though, here’s a few helpful notes on the Census reports. (Many thanks to the Coalition on Human Needs, an alliance of nonprofit organizations that hosts an annual webinar on the census data.)

• The data are collected annually through two tools: the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey (ACS). Both provide information on similar issues, but the ACS involves a much larger sample, making it possible to get statistics for smaller datasets. For example, you can use the ACS to find the rate of poverty in your state, county or congressional district.
• The rate of poverty is calculated for the previous year based on the official poverty thresholds for households based on household size. Households with annual income below the thresholds are considered to be poor. This matters a great deal, since some means-based public support – SNAP, TANF, etc. – are based on the poverty thresholds. For 2016, the year measured by the CPS and ACS in the newest data, the thresholds are:
  • 1 person, average – $12,234
  • 1 person, below 65 years old – $12,486
  • 1 person, above 65 years old – $11,511
  • 2 people – $15,585
  • 3 people – $19,109
  • 4 people – $24,563
• In addition to the official poverty rate, the Census Bureau provides data based on the “Supplemental Poverty Measure.” The Supplemental Poverty Measure has a few key differences that make it interesting. First, it includes forms of “income” that the official measure does not, for example, Social Security income, SNAP benefits, housing assistance and tax credits. It also makes adjustments in the poverty thresholds based on housing costs in a local geographic area. This makes the SPM fascinating, since it can be used to track the effect things like SNAP benefits, Social Security and medical out-of-pocket costs have on the rate of poverty in the US. For example, we can use the SPM to see what the rate of poverty might be without a program like SNAP. Or, we could use it to estimate what the rate of poverty would be if households had no medical out-of-pocket costs.
• To be statistically significant, the poverty rate has to change by at least .2 or .3 percent. For example, a change in the poverty rate from 15.5% to 15.4% is not statistically significant. For median income, the change has to be about 1 percent to be significant. (Thanks Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities for his analysis here.)

Alright, enough notes. Here’s the numbers:

Food Security – 2016

• 3 percent of Americans – about 15.6 million households – were food insecure at some point during the year. This is down, but not significantly, from 12.7 percent in 2015. It is a significant decline from 2014, though, when 14 percent of Americans reported experiencing food insecurity in 2014.
• 9 percent of people in the US – about 6.1 million households – had very low food security in 2016, which means that their food intake was reduced and their normal eating patterns were disrupted at some point during the year. This is essentially the same rate as 2015, when 5 percent of households reported low food security.
• 5 percent of households with children experienced food insecurity in 2016. One interesting note here is that in 8.5 percent of households with children, only the adults were food-insecure. This may be due to the tendency of adults to reduce their own food intake and change their eating habits to ensure that children have enough to eat. Still, in 298,000 households, children, too, experienced disruptions in their food intake due to food insecurity.
• As you can see in the graph below, the Great Recession caused spikes in food insecurity, which have since abated. But food insecurity still hasn’t declined to what it was before the recession.

Poverty

• In 2016, 12.7 percent of Americans – about 40.6 million people – were living in poverty. This is a decline from 13.5 percent in 2015.
• While still high, the new rate reflects the biggest two-year decline in poverty in nearly 50 years. 2.5 million Americans who experienced poverty in 2015 had incomes in 2016 that were above the poverty threshold (see above.) This is a tremendous positive change.
• The number of children living in poverty continues to be high, though we did see a reduction in the number of children living in impoverished households from 2015 to 2016. In 2015, 14.5 million children were living in poverty. In 2016, the number dropped to 13.2 million.
• The Supplemental Poverty Measure demonstrates the huge impact that government programs have had on the rate of poverty in the United States. For example, Social Security helped 26 million people from experiencing poverty. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reduced the number of people in poverty by almost 3.6 million.
• Higher income may be part of the reason for the decline in poverty. For the second year, the median income for American households increased, to $59,039 in 2016. This is still lower than it was before the Great Recession ($59,992 in 2007), but it shows a positive trend, at least from 2014 to 2016.
• Interestingly, this growth is not necessarily attributable to a growth in wages. Rather, the most likely reasons seem to be higher employment and the effects this has on household income. Wage growth, unfortunately, remains slow.

Altogether, the news from the US Census Bureau shows the positive effects of economic growth, as well as the importance of public programs like Social Security, SNAP, housing assistance and others. For a full report on the new data, see  https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty.html.

 

 

Today’s post is from Mike Woods, pastor at Prince of Peace in La Crescent, MN.

 

This summer we took out a couple of pews in the back of church, long wooden benches that are designed for fifty minute sitting sessions. We replaced the pews with coloring tables. They were an immediate hit. No signs were needed as to why the tables were there. Their presence just said WELCOME to a certain segment of the communion of saints.

 

One week later we heard Jesus’ story of this crazy farmer who threw seeds everywhere. A nine year old came to the communion table and with pride handed me her very accurate time lapse drawing of the life cycle of a seed that she wanted me to share with the congregation to make us all better people. I did.

 

The next week I was talking to a grown up about grown up things after church when I felt this tug my sleeve. The little one tugging was excited to show me something with such excitement that she forgot to wipe the ample supply of pumpkin bar off her hand so it now adorns my sleeve at the elbow.

 

She too needed to show what she had drawn during worship. We had heard Jesus’ story of the wheat and the weeds. I thought I was helpful when I said to consider that the kingdom of heaven like it is God’s holy ecosystem where weeds are necessary, like mosquitoes are necessary but in the end God knows what God is doing. Seemingly opposite things can co-exist in God’s church – sort of like Viking fans and Packer fans worshipping together.

 

Well she took all this in and produced a work of art that included a puppy, playing with a kitty, who was playing with a mouse who was playing with the puppy … a beloved community of play. She was probably five years old but a very good theologian. The stain would come out in the wash the next day but I am still thinking about that drawing.

 

That same morning I came face to face with a three year old artist and his interpreter (mom). I saw a series of colorful slashings on his eight and a half by eleven canvas. I was told the larger blue scribbles are the wheat. The contrasting green slashes are the weeds. Both sets of plants seemed to be thriving. Yup, I thought, the wheat was good seed, unimpeded by weeds. God will use the wheat to make blue bread and the green weeds God can bundle up to build the fire to bake the bread.

 

When I asked about the bonus picture on the back of the paper of a rhinoceros and its horn and a wheel. The interpreter just shrugged her shoulders.

I like the piece on my door where a five year old wrote: “You are God’s light” from the bottom of her paper up, so that the word “light” was like a crescendo on top of the pile of letters. It does make sense if you think about it.

 

Speaking of light – another five year old showed me her drawing of red clouds, a yellow sun, green grass and two stick people with skinny arms touching one another and a beam of yellow glowing between those arms. What is this yellow here I asked. She looked at me with all the confidence in the world and said, “That’s friendship!” Is not friendship the stuff of light, and necessary for life as yellow sunlight?

 

Then there is the toddler who makes her own kind of music every time the congregation sings a hymn. She grabs a songbook like everyone else but she only knows one song so far in her short life. So with conviction and gusto she belts out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star every single time! Last Sunday for our last song the whole congregation, a couple hundred strong, sang in one voice, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star … because her daddy is serving in the military in Saudi Arabia and he wanted to let his daughter know it’s okay to sing her own song.

 

Because when churches use the word “we,” we always mean one more.