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December 24, 2017–How Can this Be?

Bryan Jaster, Winchester, VA

 

Warm-up Question

What is something surprising you were asked to do in the past week?  What did you do in response to being asked?

How Can This Be?

Washington, D. C.  You likely know it as America’s capital and the place where our national government has its home.  Many visit to see the Smithsonian, explore the monuments, and go to plays or sports events.

However, not as well known is the large population of people who continue to live in parks, shelters, or moving back and forth between housing and the streets.   Thankfully, according to the DC Department of Human Services, the number of adults and children who experience homelessness has dropped 34% from 2009 to 2017.  One night earlier this year, there were 7,473 people unsheltered in an emergency shelter or in a transitional housing facility.

Recently youth from our community met two men in Washington D.C. who help lead an organization called Teens Opposing Poverty.  They told stories of living on streets for 10-12 years each. A small number of teenagers chose not to ignore them.  The teens fed them, brought clean, white socks, and got to know them as human beings.  They blessed them and the new homeless friends blessed back.

One day the teens asked “How can this be that you have to live on the streets and under benches?”  Hearing answers, these youth continued to stick around, offering hope and small steps toward living fuller lives.   As a result of the blessing from teenagers who loved them, these two men are both off the streets. They are employed and have families.  They are proud to lead groups of teenagers through Teen Opposing Poverty.  Youth get to know others who live on the streets trapped in the cycle of poverty.

Be sure to check out Teens Opposing Poverty at http://teensopposingpoverty.org.  Their mission is to empower youth to meet physical needs and offer hope, friendship, opportunity and encouragement to the poor, not just as an annual event, but as a regular part of their lives.  They know that teenagers have a unique voice give from God to transform lives!

Discussion Questions

  • Do you know anyone who is affected by homelessness? Why do people in our country not have adequate shelter, food, or employment?
  • How is daily life different for those who live on streets each day?
  • What are some unique gifts that teenagers have to help transform poverty? How do you or teenagers you know share them?

Fourth Sunday in 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 B at Lectionary Readings

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

Gospel Reflection

“How can this be?”

It’s a reasonable question which Mary asks.  As this story begins in Luke we hear conversation between a messenger of God named Gabriel and a virgin whose name is Mary.  The angel messenger finds Mary in Nazareth and says, “Do not be afraid.”  Mary is perplexed by the words of this messenger.

Next, Gabriel tells Mary, that although she is an unwed virgin, her soon to be born son Jesus “will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign and his reign will be forever.”

This is an unexpected blessing from Gabriel to Mary!  Mary is blessed before she says yes.

To understand the surprising power of this blessing it helps to know that she would have been familiar with the titles being given to her unborn son.   The titles now given to Jesus (“Son of God,” “Savior of the World,” and “Messiah/Christ”) were previously given to Caesar.  Before Jesus was conceived, Caesar Augustus had already been proclaimed by Roman imperial theology as “Son of God” and “Savior of the World.”  Mary lives in the middle of the powerful Pax Romana reign where Caesar is given these titles and everyone knows them just as we might know the name of a president or king today.  Imagine her surprise when this visiting angel proclaims that her soon to be born son is the actual ruler and king to be given these titles, and not only of this land, but of the whole world.

Mary says, “How can this be?” Indeed!  How CAN this be?!?

The angel is persistent and says God the Most High and Holy Spirit will take over all of this.  And, oh by the way, your cousin also quite unexpectedly will have a son too because with God nothing is impossible.

Finally, Mary says, “Yes” and honors the gift of bringing this Son of God into the world.

Discussion Questions

  • Read the story again. What parts now get your attention?
  • When have you, liked Mary, said, “How can this be?” Was it in a moment like that of the teenagers in DC who encountered hurting lives and wanted to make a difference?  Or was it a time when you received an unexpected blessing?   Share stories with each other.
  • What messages do you think God is trying to communicate to the world now, in December 2017, as we practice Advent together and listen carefully to God? Mary responded with “Yes, I’m a servant of God; let it come to me as you have said.”   Share some responses to what you think God may be saying now to grow God’s reign on earth today.

Activity Suggestions

Pull out your phones and research local organizations which respond to those who encounter homelessness in some way.   Perhaps find a place where food is given out and give food.  Find a way to offer help to those in transitional or relief housing.  See if there is some unmet need to which you can respond.  If you’re on Christmas break today, take time to help in the next few days if needed.  Perhaps you will find something in your community that grabs your attention when you ask “How can this be?” Be alert for something that blesses you and invites you to respond.

Once you have found a way to serve that fits your gifts, contact the leaders, schedule a time and show up and serve.

Closing Prayer

O God we, with your servant, Mary ask “How can this be?” in a world that is filled both with crushing poverty and unexpected blessing.  Help us to receive your messengers openly and be messengers of your great news and kingdom today.  May we respond with “yes” to your gifts and serve humbly.  Amen.

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The Augustana College Campus Kitchen – One Year In

Witticisms about college students surviving on cheap noodles and coffee abound, but hunger on campus and off campus is no laughing matter. Just ask the student leaders at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

With support from an ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking grant, students at Augustana, an ELCA-affiliated institution, launched a new effort to address hunger on campus and in the surrounding community in 2016. The Augustana College Campus Kitchen is affiliated with The Campus Kitchens Project, a national nonprofit and partner of ELCA World Hunger. CKP facilitates student-led initiatives on campuses across the country to target food waste and hunger. Students provide a way for excess food from dining services and other on-campus sources to be distributed to people in need.

At Augustana, the Campus Kitchen student leadership team saw early on that hunger is not just a problem off-campus. Many students themselves face food insecurity and often find it difficult to access the nutritious food they need to get through school and work. In fact, a 2016 study by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness found 48 percent of respondents reported being food insecure in the 30 days prior to being surveyed.

The Augustana College Campus Kitchen began their work by hosting community meals for fellow students. But they didn’t stop there. Below is an update from Lauren Clapp, a member of the leadership team, detailing some of the great work they have been doing the past year. Lauren is a junior majoring in Art History and Communication Studies and is the Education Coordinator for the Augustana College Campus Kitchen. Next year, she will be President of the chapter. Lauren designed and launched the Sticker Program with the help of the leadership team and advisory board and the support of faculty and staff on campus.

Hello from the Augustana College Campus Kitchen!

Community Meals

The meals we offer have been a great success so far and have made a big impact on campus. We have heard from some students that these meals are one of the few times they have access to healthy, sufficient food. We have had two already this year and are amping up for a third very soon. During our second meal we served a record number of 233 meals to students on campus, bringing our total number of meals served to 888 meals since our launch November 2016. Of those 888 meals served, 830 pounds of the food was recovered from our campus dining center! This next meal we are looking forward to hopefully breaking our previous record of 233 meals!

Campus Cupboard

This past term the student leadership team at Augustana launched our Campus Cupboard in collaboration with another organization on campus. So far the Cupboard has received 3,611 of pounds in food donations and given out 2,290 pounds. The cupboard is open 4 hours a week and averages about 36 students per week. As the cupboard’s presence on campus continues to grow we are excited to see what the future will look like!

#starvethestigma

We also know that the stigma about hunger on campus is significant, so we launched a Sticker Program to help raise awareness and reduce stigma. The sticker program is a 45-minute training program for faculty and staff of Augustana College. The program addresses what food insecurity is, what it looks like in the community and on campus, how to address the issue among students, and how to be a resource for those seeking help. Upon completion of the program the faculty or staff member receives a sticker to put on the outside of their office space to let students know they have been through the training and are dedicated to addressing the issue of food insecurity on campus.

The Augustana Sticker Program helps train faculty and staff in hunger awareness.

This year, while studying abroad in England, I was able to take my Campus Kitchens Sticker Program sticker along and get some wonderful pictures in different locations that our team was able to use on social media and in advertising for the program.

Outside Buckingham Palace

 

The sticker program makes it to Amsterdam.

In terms of the future, the Augustana College Campus Kitchens will be presenting the Sticker Program two more times this year to educate our faculty and staff on what food insecurity is, what it looks like on our campus and how they can be resources for the students. We are also looking into attending CKP’s Food Waste and Hunger Summit again this year in March and are hoping to send more than one of our leadership team members. After attending last year with ELCA World Hunger, I returned with enough enthusiasm and information that our entire leadership team is hoping to go and experience the fun!

Thanks to Lauren for sharing this update with us, and to the team at Augustana for their hard work in ending hunger! Check back for more updates to follow their work. 

Follow the Augustana College Campus Kitchen on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/CampusKitchenatAugustana/

 

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La Posada, Searching for Shelter

 

Today’s post is from Patrick Cabello Hansel, co-pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran in Minneapolis, MN.

The first Baby Jesus at our church is now 11 years old.  He’s the goalie on our soccer team, which finished runner-up this year.  The year he was baby Jesus, his mom and dad were Maria y José (Mary and Joseph), and his six-year-old sister was an angel.  The now not-so-little boy was born here and holds the rights of U.S. citizenship. The rest of his family members are immigrants, who have not always found the welcome they came looking for.

La Posada is a traditional Mexican and Central American Christmas procession, in which the congregation walks with María and José looking for Posada, or shelter for the baby Jesus.  People walk from house to house singing Christmas carols, often carrying candles.  José sings a song at each house they stop at.  The English version goes something like this:

Lodging, I beg you, in the name of heaven.

My beloved wife is weary, she can’t walk anymore.

We line up the houses ahead of time, and the people who meet us at the door are coached to be mean innkeepers.  They sing back to the congregation something like this:

We don’t take people like you, you’re too poor.

Leave us alone, go away!

So the pilgrims continue walking. Depending on the weather, we visit a few more houses, then end up back at the church, where this time, the pilgrims are welcomed in. We sing carols in candlelight, then onto the fiesta: food, music, piñata.

No matter the cold, there is joy in walking outside in a winter night. There is mystery, there is danger, there is hope that someone will welcome us.

Today, there are more refugees in the world than any time since World War II, and immigrants are demonized across our land.  What if each of those families was Mary and Joseph?  What if each of those children was the Holy Child, the one bringing peace? What if each of us was the shelter, the posada?

 

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Advent Study Series: Movers and Shakers (Week 3)

 

Week 3: Movers and Shakers

 

Have you ever thought of the “movers and shakers” in your community? This is one collective term we often use to describe the people we think of as powerful, important or effective in their leadership. Perhaps they have enough money to buy whatever they want or need. Perhaps they have a seat at important tables where decisions are made. Perhaps they have friends in high places or are in positions of influence.

These are the people who “keep the world turning.” At least, that’s what most of us think.

The Gospel reading this week describes John the Baptist encountering people sent by the Pharisees as a sort of screening committee, checking his references and reviewing his qualifications for ministry. “Are you Elijah?” they ask. “Are you the prophet?” (John 1:21). John the Baptist replies in the negative. He is simply a camel-hair wearing, locust-eating “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (John 1:23). Yet, this “voice” is one of the most important the people can hear at that moment. The questioners go away dissatisfied; clearly, this crazed man does not have the pedigree it takes to be baptizing and preaching.

Pharisees often get a bad rap in Christian Scripture and history, though they were devout Jews, who believed sincerely in God’s law and God’s promises. Until the middle of the first century, they were known for their ministry among the people in what might have been called the working class of Palestine. Like John the Baptist and other Jews, they knew what Isaiah has prophesied about “good news to the oppressed” (61:1) and “the year of the Lord’s favor” (61:2).

The problem wasn’t that they didn’t believe, or worse, that they didn’t want release for those held captive. The problem was that they didn’t believe God would choose to announce this through a person who wasn’t a “mover or shaker” in the Jewish world.

Yet, the people God chooses to work through in Scripture are often not the people we see as successful, powerful and important. They are tax collectors, shepherds, fishermen, women, craftspeople and even former criminals who would barely merit a second glance in the temple – unless of course, the temple authorities wanted to throw them out.

Yet God lifts them up as disciples, prophets, rulers and priests.

So often, our attention is focused in the wrong places, and we miss what God is working on in our midst. Our eyes are on people with wealth, power and influence – at least, the kind of wealth, power and influence our culture deems worthwhile – and we can fail to see the transformation God is enacting in the overlooked spots in our communities. While the Pharisees were looking for salvation in other places, a poor young woman from an unimportant town was carrying a child that would announce the Advent of Isaiah’s promise.

As many of us look to the traditional centers of power for signs that the world is turning, the world is already turning in our communities. In Minneapolis, youth participating in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church’s Young Leaders Program are taking part in the transformation of their community through art, gardening and entrepreneurship. The word “youth” often implies negative stereotypes – too young, too unruly, too childish. But at St. Paul’s, the community knows that “youth” often means creative, intelligent and motivated leadership – the kind of leadership that can change a community for the better.

Their world is turning because God is working through youth and adults who know that real power is not always found in the places we expect. Their work is supported in part by ELCA World Hunger.

While Advent is a season of waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises, the Gospel of John, the prophecy of Isaiah and the song of Mary (Luke 1:46b-55) invite us to recognize that God is already at work, “moving and shaking,” in communities our stereotypes about power might make us overlook.

Reflection questions

  1. What does it mean to have power? Who has power in your community?
  2. How have we acted as “screening committees,” denying the worth of the people God might work through in our community or church? How can we remain open to God at work among and through everyone we meet?
  3. What are some ways that our congregation can be part (or is part!) of the transformation God is enacting in our community?

Prayer

God of all our hopes, we wait with expectation for the coming of your son into the world. Forgive us for the ways in which we have been blinded to your presence by worldly wealth and success. As we long for Christmas Day, keep our eyes open to your presence in our midst – in one another, in our neighbors, in the people at our doors. Open our hearts to receive the promise you reveal to us through each other and all creation. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Hymn suggestions

Unexpected and Mysterious ELW 258

All Earth is Hopeful ELW 266

My Soul Does Magnify the Lord ELW 882

 

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

Advent Study 2017

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Advent Reflection: Rejoice

By Lynn S. Fry, Program Director, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa)


Sometimes it’s difficult to find things to rejoice in. We listen to the news; we see the hungry; we walk alongside those who are oppressed; we sit with the lonely in heart and spirit; we advocate for those whose voices are lost in bureaucratic minutia; and yet we move forward in hope as witnesses to the light of Christ. Though the night often seems interminably long, the promised light comes in the morning.  That same light that John the Baptist lifts in the Gospel of John. We, like John, as covenanted in our baptism, testify to the true light, the light of Christ. Even in the darkness, the light of Christ dwells within us.

During this season of preparation, I invite you to reflect on the road of Mary, a young teenager who embraces her prophetic place. Her world was turned upside down with the unexpected visit of Gabriel; yet she accepts her role and “magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… “Luke 1:46-47. In her song of praise, also known as the Magnificat found in the Gospel of Luke, Mary acknowledges God will put down the powerful, feed the hungry and send away the rich empty handed.

Mary’s life is not easy. She travels pregnant, by donkey, 80 miles to Bethlehem with her betrothed to be registered in accordance with the decree sent out from Emperor Augustus. She’s a pregnant teenager in a foreign land ready to give birth, and still she rejoices! Mary was our neighbor. As we continue to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, may we be more mindful of our neighbors locally and globally.

We ask for your guidance, Lord, to be more open-minded with our neighbors. Help us to look inward and identify our passions in serving our neighbors. Stir our hearts, O Lord, to assist one another tangibly throughout the year sharing your light and witness through our lives. 

We rejoice in the never-ending love and omniscient presence of God in this broken world as we strive to be Christ’s hands and feet loving our neighbors as ourselves. God for whom we wait, stir up our hearts, to witness to your light and love to all the world. 

Help us find our true passion in assisting neighbors locally and globally. Comfort the broken hearted and oppressed. May your Holy Spirit guide us in helping to fix broken systems.

We rejoice in your abiding presence with us and with all the saints. May we continue to prepare the way of the Lord.

Amen.

I invite you to reflect on an uplifting Youtube video of The Magnificat presented by Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Worcester, MA .


In response to God’s love in Jesus Christ, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) advocate for wise and just public policies in Pennsylvania that promote the common good. Learn more about their work at LutheranAdvocacyPA.org.

Art: “The Canticle of Mary” by Jen Norton

Read more ELCA Advocacy Advent Reflections by visiting blogs.ELCA.org/Advocacy.

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“I Love to Tell the Story” sermon by Rev. Jaime Dubon

Sermon delivered to the Lutheran Center, Chicago, IL December 13, 2017

Text: Mark 1:1-8; Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Pet 3:8-14. 2nd Week of Advent

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and form our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true; It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

This is one of my favorite traditional church songs. I wouldn’t do it at a church service full of young people.

The Spanish translation doesn’t have the same emphasis. It says:

Grato es contar historia del celestial favor,

de Cristo y de su gloria, de Cristo y de su amor.

Me agrada repetirla, pues se que es la verdad;

y nada satisface cual ella mi ansiedad.

It’s like saying, it is nice to tell the story.” I love its emphasis in English.  I love to tell the story

There is a person in this very building who firmly believes that ministry is about relationships so he starts almost every public speech with the following statement:

Relationships, relationships, relationships.

Ministry is about relationships.

Relationship with God, relationship with one another, and relationship with the community.”

And I agree with him, not only because relationships are in the heart of ministry, but also because it’s very true when it comes to our Global Mission work.

Oct the 2nd was my very first day in this position. So RMP (Rafael Malpica Padilla, E.D. of Global Mission for the ELCA) took me out to lunch; We all know who RMP is, don’t we? Sorry Rafael, I’m piking on you. My friends, in this building, we have a reputation about the use of acronyms. After two and a half months, I’m still working on them.

Anyway, Rafael took me out to lunch, and at the end of our conversation he told me: At the end of the day, the work of Global Mission (GM)  is not about what we can teach or the financial resources we can share, but it is about the relationships we develop with our companion churches.”

 I do believe in the importance of relationships. In Fact, as we, people of GM, are having this week our “2017 In-House Week” we went out yesterday to bowling, not only as an opportunity to have some fun and relaxation but most importantly as a chance to develop relationships among us. Jesus’ ministry is based on the development of relationships with those people he would encounter.

However, I also believe in the importance of telling the story as we do ministry. That’s why I love the song I love to tell the story. In this sense, ministry is about relationships, but also about telling the story.

During this time of Advent, John the Baptist with all his prophetic and messianic identity came to tell the story. He came to tell the story of one who was coming after him to baptize with the Holy Spirit, the one who came down to show us God’s love and mercy.

During this season everyone and everything tell the story: from the Christmas tree, the lights and poinsettias to nature, music, food, business, and of course churches. Even the traditional Mexican posadas and the rosca de reyes (circular bread).

Mexican and many other Latina American countries celebrated yesterday the Virgin of Guadalupe Day on December, 12,  “Today is the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, one of the most important religious holidays in Mexico. The story of her appearance to the indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, is the story of God’s love for the poor and oppressed. May she inspire us to that same kind of love today” (Facebook post from my friend Heidi).

Since everyone and everything tell the story of Jesus and his love; please allow me to tell you a little a story of conviction and commitment:

As a Salvadoran, I had the privilege of being baptized by Father Rutilio Grande, confirmed by Archbishop Oscar Romero, and ordained by Bishop Medardo Gomez. Those who are familiar with the Salvadoran history know what I’m talking about.

Oscar Romero was archbishop of San Salvador from 1977 to 1980. He was assassinated while celebrating the Eucharist in the chapel of the Divine Providence Hospital on March 24 of 1980. The day before his assassination he pronounced the following words, as a calling to the army in the middle of a cruel civil war:

“The law of God should prevail that says: you shall not kill. No soldier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God…. We want the government to seriously consider that reforms mean nothing when they come bathed in so much blood. Therefore, in the name of God and in the name of this long-suffering people, whose laments rise to heaven every day more tumultuous, I beseech you, I beg you, I command you in the name of God: stop the repression!” (Mar 23, 1980).  

So, the story we need to tell is the one that shows God love and mercy, on one hand, but also that of God’s demand for peace and justice.

It is the story of a God who “has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:52-53).

It is the story of a God who does not tolerate rejection, marginalization, racism, violence and bigotry.

John the Baptist came to announce the coming of the Son of God, but also to call for repentance, conversion and transformation of all structures that promotes suffering and death.

So, my brothers and sisters, ministry is about relationships, it’s about telling the story, and finally, it’s about commitment.

We are a baptized people committed to following Jesus, committed to edify the reign of God and its justice.  In the middle of a reality of political unrest in our country, we need to call for accountability and respect. In the midst of threats and drums of war, we need to call out for peace and justice.

And in our own house, as Christians who claim to be Lutherans and heirs of the reformation we need to honor the principle of being a reformed church always reforming.

Many things need to be reformed in our lives, our church, our country and in our world. As ML King said: I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

During this season of advent, I invite you to be intentional in developing relationships, in telling the story of Jesus and his love, and in reaffirming our commitment of working and fighting for a better world for our people, the people of God, and for  generations to come. Amen.

 

Jaime Dubon is of Salvadoran origin. He has served in different capacities: as congregational pastor in El Salvador and within the ELCA, and as Assistant to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission in the Florida-Bahamas Synod. Currently he serves as the ELCA’s Global Mission Area Desk Director for Latin America and the Caribbean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Advent 4 with Hymns from Around the World

 

Today’s post is from Lydia Posselt, Pastor at Family of God in in Buckingham, PA. This is the second of two posts about how congregations will be worshipping this year when the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas Eve.

 

I’m coming to the end of my first year as pastor in my congregation, and Christmas is the last “first” of the list. This also happens to be the year when Advent 4 is Christmas Eve. Since the day is so full, I decided to concentrate on Christmas Eve and to adapt an “Advent Lessons and Carols” service from Sundays and Seasons for the morning service. The result is a relaxed service that recognizes Advent 4. Since I know that many of my members will likely come to both the morning service and also one of the two Christmas Eve services we offer (at 4 and 8p.m.), this is a way we can give attention to both celebrations.

This particular Sundays and Seasons template we’re using is called “Savior of the Nations Come” and highlights Advent hymns from around the world.  For the most part I’m using the hymns S&S recommends, like “Come Now, O Prince of Peace” (ELW 247) and “He Came Down” (ELW 253), but I made a few small changes to the liturgy: I took out the opening dialogue so that we can still light the 4th candle on the Advent wreath and do our usual lighting liturgy, and I added where each of the hymns come from next to where they are listed in the bulletin. I also swapped out “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came” (ELW 265) for the “Canticle of the Turning” (ELW 723) which happens right after the annunciation reading from Luke 1:26-38. That way we hear the text of the annunciation and then we get to sing a version of the Magnificat “along with” Mary.

After I came back from a trip to Namibia in May to preach at the Lutheran World Federation Assembly, I have been introducing a few of the hymns I learned while there in our worship, and my congregation has enjoyed learning them. I think it’s important to highlight that Lutherans come from all over the world, as do great hymns. There are just too many good Advent hymns to include during any given Advent season, and I think this service is a great way to enjoy ones that might not otherwise make it into the rotation this year. Even though they may not be all that familiar to my congregation, they are catchy tunes that are easy to learn and very singable. If this goes over well, it will be something we can keep “in our back pocket” whenever the next time Advent 4 is also Christmas Eve… or really at any point during Advent we want to do something a little different!

Pictures are of members of Family of God painting the back glass wall of our sanctuary, which separates the sanctuary from the narthex (above) and the finished painting all ready for Advent (below).

 

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December 17, 2017–A Light in the Darkness

Andrew Karrmann, Bellevue, NE

 Warm-up Questions

  • Many people are afraid of the dark and have anxiety about the time between turning off the light and getting into bed. What do you do when you have to turn off a light switch and then walk across the room to the safety of your bed?
  • Where else have you experienced darkness in your own world?

A Light in the Darkness

Daniela Schiller is an Israeli Professor of Neuroscience who runs her own research lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York City.On June 3rd, 2010 she told a story about a darkness in her own life.  

Daniela grew up in Israel with a father who survived the Holocaust in Germany

before settling in Israel to raise his family. Daniela visits her father once a year and often her visit coincides with Holocaust Memorial Day. On this day at 10 am, Israeli citizens hear a siren across the country which signals the time to stop everything you are doing and stand at attention for one minute of silent reflection on the horrors faced by Jewish people during World War II. But Daniela noticed that while this national moment of silence was happening, her father (who she thought would want to participate in this national moment more than anyone else) would remain seated at the table, sipping his coffee, and reading his newspaper as if nothing were going on. She always thought this was strange, but didn’t have the type of relationship with her father where she could ask him about his feelings. 

Schiller was inspired by a movie called, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” in which the main character tries to remove the painful memory of his ex-girlfriend through a radical medical procedure. Schiller’s experience growing up with a father who couldn’t seem to acknowledge his most painful memories caused her to research a little bit more about the possibility of such a procedure. It turned out that the movie was based on actual science and there was a lab in New York City working on that specific idea. She immediately signed up and received a grant to study in the lab.

 Schiller’s new colleagues had discovered that the simple act of recalling a memory left it vulnerable to influence while it was being loaded in the brain. They imagined allowing people to recall traumatic memories and while the memory was vulnerable, injecting a drug to block the memory from being formed once again, effectively erasing the memory permanently. This had been shown in mice, but now it was Schiller’s job to prove that it was possible in human beings.

 Schiller began her experiments by using classical (or Pavlovian) conditioning to force her human subjects to associate seeing a blue square with receiving an electric shock. After a few trials, she was successful and she was able to measure a physiological response of fear in her subjects whenever they saw a blue square. Unfortunately, the US Government was far more lenient regarding the use of electric shocks on humans than with experimental drugs, so she had to come up with a new way to remove the association of fear with the blue square in her subjects.

 While reviewing a similar study with mice, which seemed to fail, Daniela noticed that there was something different about this study. After implanting the negative memory in the mice, by mistake the mice were allowed to experience something pleasant in the subsequent iterations of the experiment. This seemed to alter the painful memory over time, and without the use of any drugs, the mice were cured of their irrational fear. So, Daniela began to try this in the people she was studying. By changing from an electric shock to the feeling of winning a prize, she was able to alleviate her subjects’ fear of blue squares.

 The next year, while visiting her father, Daniela once again heard the sirens for Holocaust Memorial Day going off. As she looked over at her father, she began to understand what he was doing for the first time. The siren was his blue square and he was was doing something pleasant while his memory was vulnerable. So she poured herself a cup of coffee, borrowed a section of her dad’s newspaper, and sat down next to him.

Discussion Questions

  • What darkness do you think was being triggered in Daniela’s father’s mind when the sirens sounded on Holocaust Memorial Day?
  • What sorts of things trigger you to think about the darkness in your own world?
  • What did Daniela’s father do to shine a little light on his dark memories?
  • What can you do to shine light on your own dark memories?

Third Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

John 1:6-8, 19-28

(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 the first couple of verses we find out who this John the Baptist character is. We are told very plainly that he is not the light (Christ is!), but that he is simply here to tell us all about the light so we can recognize it when it shows up.

 This turns out to be very important because while John is going around telling people about Christ, there is clearly some confusion about who is doing what. The leaders of the Jewish community at the time have trouble keeping John and Jesus separate as they are hearing stories about the two of them. So, they bring John in to ask him a few questions. They want to know just who John thinks he is, causing all this confusion by baptizing people even though he claims not to be Christ, or Elijah, or a prophet. John let’s them know that he is just someone out in the world telling people what they already know: that they should follow the path of God just like Isaiah said and that they needn’t be worried about what he is doing because there is someone coming who even John wouldn’t be worthy of untying his shoe.

 As we wait in the season of Advent, we often struggle with balancing “The Christmas Spirit” and the idea that we should be waiting for the light of Christ to shine in our world on Christmas Day. John is very careful to make a distinction between himself and the light. So, are we supposed to see ourselves as John, pointing to the light of Christ in the midst of a broken world? Or are we supposed to be the light ourselves, by being “little Christs” as Luther said in his Theology of the Cross? Is there room for both?

 Advent is a season which reminds us that although we live in a world full of darkness and sadness, there is a light and that light comes every year on Christmas Day. Although we look forward to a day when Christ returns and fulfills his Kingdom, we must reconcile this idea with the fact that we live in a world unfulfilled. Can we still point to evidence of Christ in a broken world? Can we tell ourselves and others about the coming Kingdom, even if we can’t see it ourselves? Can we point to God’s light even in the darkest parts of our own lives? Can we take it a step further and be that light to others in their darkest moments?

 As Lutheran Christians, we are daily forgiven and washed of our sins. This gives us the freedom to relive the darkest moments of our lives over and over without the fear that we might be forced to be stuck in the darkness. Each time we call on our own fearful and scared memories they are left vulnerable to God’s Word (which is Christ) saying, “I love you and forgive you not in spite of what you’ve done, but because of it.” Christ can keep shining that light through the actions of others (like friends, family, and church members), into our personal darkness. Eventually, this light shines so bright that others can see it in us, despite our own darkness and we become the little Christs that Luther talked about.

Discussion Questions

  • Can you point to evidence of Christ even in the broken world we live in today?
  • Can you see yourself as a little Christ even if you cannot be sinless like Christ?
  • How can you point to Christ in your own world like John the Baptist pointed to Christ in his?

Activity Suggestions

Make your own little Christ by drawing something that represents Christ to you. It could be a cross, a dove, a flame, a light bulb, a dude in a robe with a beard, or anything else you can think of. Then take your little Christ with you to a place where you see the light of Christ shining in our broken world. Take a selfie with you pointing to the little Christ and share it on social media with the hashtag #PointingToChrist. Try this more than once throughout your week and don’t forget to search your favorite social media platform for the hashtag to see how others have found the light of Christ in their lives.

Closing Prayer

Father, God, Lord,

Thank you for this chance to come together to learn more about you and your Word. Thanks, also for your willingness to enter into the darkest parts of our lives to shine your light and help us heal. Please walk with us in the weeks, months, and years ahead as we seek out the cracks in the darkness of our world where your light shines through. Allow us to point to that light so that others can see it as well. We lift up the darkness and light in our own lives and know that you hear our prayers, whether we shout them with joy from the mountaintops or hold them inside with sighs to deep for words. Thank you for listening.  Amen.

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Advent Study Series: Our Baptismal Calling (Week 2)

 

Week 2 | Our baptismal calling

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.”

(Isaiah 40:3-4)

 

A voice cries out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord!”

What does baptism look like in your congregation? How is it celebrated? What rites are practiced? Without consulting an official survey, it’s probably a safe bet that most baptisms don’t involve camelhair vestments, locusts during the after-service meal, or much crying out (except, perhaps, for an infant who just got doused).

Perhaps this wasn’t even what most folks reading Isaiah envisioned when they first encountered John the Baptist, the strange messenger assembling a following from “the whole Judean countryside” (Mark 1:5). But the Gospel makes clear the link between John and the one prophesied in Isaiah, the one who would announce the coming of God’s salvation in the form of the Messiah.

The voice crying out, the one Mark identifies as John the Baptist, “calls for a radical transformation of earthly topography in prelude to a mind-blowing revelation of the glory of the Lord to all people.”

The very natural landscape of the earth will be changed by the arrival of the One who is to come. The author of 2 Peter keeps up this theme, proclaiming that “the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed” on the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:10).

The world is about to turn, mightily, and that transformation is coming.

Mark’s brief but powerful introduction to John the Baptist is a prelude to Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of his ministry. Voices crying out, the transformation of the earth proclaimed, and release to captive Jerusalem is announced (Isaiah 40:1). It is quite the scene!

So, again, the question – what does baptism look like in your congregation?

In baptism, we are made children of God, “sealed by the cross of Christ forever.” In the covenant of baptism, Lutherans believe we are claimed by the power of grace, gathered into community with one another, and send by God’s grace into the world. When we affirm our baptism, we affirm our identity as part of the body of Christ with a solemn vocation to:

  • live among God’s faithful people;
  • hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper;
  • proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed;
  • serve all people, following the example of Jesus; and
  • strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

In baptism, we are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, but we are also baptized into the transformation of the world that God is enacting, a transformation that heralds “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:13) in which “God’s glory may dwell in our land” (Psalm 85:9).

John’s pronouncement, drawing on Isaiah’s prophecy, is “comfort” to the people who wait with eager longing for redemption and a word of warning to their oppressors: the world is about to turn, make straight the paths.

Change is coming, and that right soon.

We, the people of God, are called to be part of that chance. In baptism, we are commissioned to increasingly live, hear, proclaim, serve and strive for the transformation of the world. As it was in Jesus’ time, the baptismal announcement today should be joyous news to those anxiously awaiting transformation and terrible news for those who would perpetuate an oppressive and unjust status quo.

What would it look like for the pronouncement of Isaiah and John the Baptist to shape our own practices of baptism, to see the sacrament as the sacred calling, gathering and sending of one who will be part of the very transformation of the world? “I introduce you to the newest member of the body of Christ!” would be words that would shake the foundations of community, for they would announce the re-birth of a person into the work of God “who is turning the world around!”

Reflection questions

  1. How can our celebration of baptism better reflect the commissioning of new Christians to be part of God’s transformation of the world? How does our celebration of baptism already do this?
  2. What voices do we hear “crying out” today, declaring the need for the transformation of the world? What “voices crying out” today do we hear proclaiming the transformation of the world?
  3. Re-read the baptismal covenant quoted above. What do each of these commitments mean to you? How do you live them out in your life?

Prayer

Gracious God, in baptism, you welcome us to fellowship with you and claim us as your own. Give us strength and courage to live our baptismal vocation as a sign of hope to all who await the fullness of your reign. Open our eyes and hearts to see your hands at work in our world, reconciling all creation to you. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, into whose death and resurrection we are baptized. Amen.

Hymn suggestions

There’s a Voice in the Wilderness ELW 255

Prepare the Royal Highway ELW 264

I’m Going on a Journey ELW446

 

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

 

 

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December ELCA Advocacy Update

ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director

REFLECTING ON ADVENT: Visit blogs.elca.org/advocacy each Friday of Advent to read reflections from our ELCA Advocacy staff on this Holy Season.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: The December day to #PrayFastAct is Thursday, Dec. 21! This month, we focus on our commitment to supporting Sustainable Development Goals by engaging in prayer, fasting and advocacy for a just world. During this Advent season, we are directed to God’s steadfast resolve for peace and the signs of God’s reconciling love and restoration at work in our troubled world. As we await the arrival of the Prince of Peace, Lutherans and Episcopalians around the country, alongside churches’ leadership, are praying, fasting and committing to advocate together in support of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals as part of our ecumenical For Such a Time” campaign.

TAX BILL UPDATE: The Senate passed its version of HR 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, legislation that would cut taxes for corporations and wealthy individuals. This legislation now moves to a conference committee to merge the two versions and will be back in the House and Senate for another vote. The House version includes language, opposed by the ELCA, that would permit houses of worship to engage in electioneering. The Senate version does not include this language, known as “The Johnson Amendment.” ELCA Advocacy will work to prevent inclusion of the Johnson Amendment in a conference of the two versions.

WORLD AIDS DAY: ELCA Advocacy, together with ELCA HIV and AIDS ministries, shared an action alert Dec. 1 in support of public policies and programs that address the spread of HIV and AIDs worldwide. U.S. programs and strategies have been effective in reducing the spread of HIV nationally and across the world. As Congress considers a spending bill to keep the government open after Christmas, it is critical to voice support for programs under consideration for being cut, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), prevention programs and housing for people with AIDS.

MIGRATION UPDATE: Advocates are urging Congress to pass the Dream Act, which provides a pathway to citizenship to young Americans without legal status (Dreamers), before the end of the year. The status of approximately 10,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients has already expired, and 1,000 lose their status every day that a bill is not passed. ELCA Advocacy has updated our action alert to reflect the important deadline and continue to advocate for a bill to pass.

In November, the administration announced that it would shut down the Central American Minors Program (CAM) for refugees, ending all operations by Jan. 31. It is unclear whether this arbitrary deadline will allow the review of all 3,000 pending CAM cases. The program allows children who had a legally present parent in the U.S. to apply for refugee status in their country. Children who arrive in the U.S. could avoid the dangers of traveling through Mexico to request asylum.

INTERNATIONAL GENDER JUSTICE AND HEALTH: The International Violence Against Women Act has finally been re-introduced in the Senate. This bill encompasses a few changes from the version introduced in the last Congress but keeps key pieces intact. Unlike the last time, the current version was re-introduced by a bipartisan group of senators, which increases likelihood of passage.

Another bill to improve maternal and child health outcomes in developing countries has been introduced in both chambers. The Reach Every Mother and Child Act’s goal is to ensure that the U.S. can continue its role of providing critical interventions in an efficient and strategic manner. Advocates can voice support for the bill and other international health goals at the ELCA Action Center.

ENVIRONMENT COP23: ELCA Advocacy attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 23) in Bonn last month.  Significant outcomes of the conference included: 1) approval and adoption of the Gender Action Plan (GAP); 2) approval and adoption of the Indigenous Peoples Platform; and 3) moving forward with the Talanoa dialogue for implementation of the Paris Agreement. ELCA Advocacy, as a member of the UN Gender team, participated in workshops to help shape the Gender Action Plan, and, along with LWF, hosted a table at the Gender Market Place Event on Gender Day (November 14th) at COP 23.  Find out more at the ELCA Advocacy Blog.

 

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

Dennis Frado, director

 

THIRD COMMITTEE OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ITS WORK FOR 72ND SESSION:

In late October and early November, the Third Committee of the United Nations discussed eliminating racial discrimination,xenophobia and related intolerance, and promoting self determination. Experts monitoring human rights treaties were especially concerned over increased violence, racist rhetoric and Nazism, calling for targeted efforts to address root causes of discrimination.

Sabelo Gumedze, chair of the working group of experts on peoples of African descent, reported on pervasive structural racism, with people of African descent facing extreme violence, racial bias and hate. He called for an honest debate about history and its connection to modern racism.

Gabor Rona, chair-rapporteur of the working group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human
rights, focused on the use of private security personnel, particularly in prisons and immigration-related detention
facilities. Abuses include violence, medical negligence and sexual abuse. He recommended that member states stop
outsourcing, and urged alternatives to detention for undocumented migrants.

On Nov. 21, the committee concluded its 72nd session, having debated and approved 63 draft resolutions,
including children’s rights, assistance to refugees, people with disabilities, human rights defenders, migrants, safe
drinking water, youth policies, glorification of Nazism, eliminating racism, strengthening elections, prison reform
and human trafficking.

UPDATE ON GLOBAL COMPACT ON MIGRATION STOCKTAKING PHASE: The United Nations is now in the stocktaking phase of a process to create a Global Compact for Migration. This compact, mandated by the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, is to be the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement designed to address all aspects of international migration. LOWC has been active in a subcommittee of the NGO Committee on Migration which has been focusing on the discussions during the recently completed consultation stage and will continue its activities in relation to the current stocktaking stage. These are steps on the way toward the compact being adopted by the U.N. The committee has provided input to the “Ten Acts for the Global Compact,” a document outlining the essentials for a meaningful compact. The Lutheran World Federation has endorsed it.

The stocktaking phase of the work plan to bring the compact to fruition will be followed by the negotiating and
finalization phase in early to mid-2018. Adoption of the global compact should occur in December 2018 at a special
conference to be convened in Morocco.

The special representative for the Global Compact on Migration, Louise Arbour, recently met with members of the Committee on Migration. She focused on her upcoming official report to the U.N. secretary general, which will set out criteria for safe, orderly, regular migration; look at how the United Nations can work on migration; offer recommendations and a review of the compact for the future.

California,Lutheran Office of Public Policy

Mark Carlson,Lutheran Office of Public Policy  loppca.org

POLICY COUNCIL MEETS: The Policy Council for the Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California met at the Southwest California Synod office in Glendale. Following the meeting, several members went to Palo Verde Gardens, site of a permanent supportive housing community for formerly homeless people, operated by LA Family Housing, with a courtyard named after the late ELCA pastor, the Rev. John Simmons, an original founder of LA Family Housing. A $4 billion housing bond is an LOPP-CA priority for the November 2018 ballot.

CHILDREN’S ROUNDTABLE: The quarterly meeting of advocates, held at the California Endowment, focused on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and immigration, with briefings from the state attorney general’s office, advocates and legal experts, all acutely aware that about one-fourth of DACA recipients are in California.

GREEN CALIFORNIA: The Green California network, in which LOPP-CA participates, discussed differences in advocacy styles, internal power dynamics and communication among various organizations, and diverse approaches to social change, including “inside” and “outside” advocacy, transactional and transformational work, and the spectrum of engagement from a “culture of resistance” to “pragmatic problem-solving and compromise.” Some of those tensions were on global display at the Council of Parties meeting in Bonn. Green California is looking at ways to support efforts to change the permissive culture of sexual harassment and abuse in the Capitol community, a topic that will be on the agenda of the Feb. 28, 2018, Green California Summit. #WeSaidEnough. Gov. Jerry Brown’s Sept. 12-15, 2018, globalclimateactionsummit.org in San Francisco was also discussed.

 

 

 

 

Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy–Pennsylvania Lutheranadvocacypa.org

In November, LAMPa accompanied the Rev. Jennifer Crist as she testified in support of Safe Harbor legislation that would redirect child sex trafficking victims away from the criminal justice system and toward appropriate services. Crist, a second-career pastor with a degree in neuroscience, spoke as a scientist, a mother and as a minister who works with child trauma survivors through her nonprofit orphanage in Guatemala. Read and watch her testimony here.  Lutherans across Pennsylvania, particularly Women of the ELCA, continue to write and call lawmakers to move SB554 out of the House Judiciary Committee.

LAMPa staff delivered nearly 100 paper plates drawn by children of Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill, Pa., to Gov. Tom Wolf as part of a thanksgiving offering of letters. The plates expressed gratitude to the Governor’s Food Security Partnership for progress toward making Pennsylvania hunger free. Members of Trinity spent three weeks before Thanksgiving learning about the faces of hunger and its roots, signing hundreds of letters to state and federal lawmakers in support policies that address hunger, children’s health insurance and protections of child sex-trafficking victims. Read more.

Lynn Fry dove into her new role as program director at LAMPa, taking on leadership on healthcare and immigration. Director Tracey DePasquale preached and taught at St. Bartholomew’s in Hanover on ingathering Sunday at the invitation of the congregation’s Women of the ELCA group. She also spent several days participating in the Appalachian Ministry Assembly gathered in West Virginia as the body discerned gifts and calling for public witness.

 

Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

The director accompanied five bishops to visit staff of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson to encourage him to urge the administration to extend the temporary protective services for Hondurans and El Salvadorans, to ensure the administration reaches the 45,000 refugee goal set for 2018 and to encourage him and his staff to visit local resettlement facilities.

 

LOPPW and Madison Lutheran Campus Ministry held an overnight advocacy retreat that drew students from three campuses. We heard from special speakers and delved into the civil rights movement, ELCA advocacy, and the advocacy experiences and interests among the partipants, and next steps.

 

Governance, FoodShare, Water, Trafficking:

  • Discouraged a resolution to call for a U.S. constitutional convention but the resolution passed.
  • Supported a bill that would launch a pilot program to provide discounts to households that are eligible for FoodShare benefits with discounts on fresh produce and other healthy foods. The bill passed the Assembly.
  • Supported a bill that would make it easier for public utilities to assist people with low incomes to get lead out of their pipes. The bill passed the Assembly.
  • A bill formerly called Safe Harbor to decriminalize youth under 18 caught in prostitution was voted out of committee.

Federal legislation:

  • Addressed the Farm Bill at Our Savior’s in Oshkosh, where the director preached and led a workshop, and in a workshop at First Lutheran in Janesville.
  • Addressed how the tax bill would affect hunger and healthcare in an action alert.

 

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