Dave Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Warm-up Question

Have you ever found out something that you felt morally obligated to share with someone else, even though sharing would be awkward or perhaps a breach of trust and confidentiality.  How did you decide what was right in that circumstance?

Don’t WannaCry

I hope that the name “WannaCry” is unfamiliar to you.  That’s the name of a wicked computer virus currently ransacking computers across the globe.  WannaCry is ransomware.  That means that when it infects your computer, it locks up files that you’ve saved.  In order to get those files back, you’re forced to pay hundreds of dollars to the authors of the virus.  This money has to be paid in an untraceable digital currency called BitCoin, so catching the criminal coders of the virus is very hard.

Don’t worry too much.  If your computer is running an up to date version of Windows, then you’re safe from WannaCry.  However, it almost wasn’t that way.  The National Security Agency (NSA) discovered the flaw that made WannaCry possible earlier this year.  In April the data about that flaw was stolen from the NSA.  The hackers who created WannaCry got their hands on this data and were able to craft a virus that manipulated a problem with Windows.

There’s a discussion  about whether or not the NSA had a responsibility to tell Microsoft about the vulnerability it discovered.  It appears that when the NSA found out about the flaw, it didn’t say anything to Microsoft.  Instead, it chose to hold onto that data, hoping it could use it to write programs that would break into computers used by terrorist organizations and the like.  It’s possible that the NSA could have told Microsoft earlier about the problem, allowing it to fix the vulnerability earlier.  But did it have a moral obligation to do so? Or is the NSA’s mission to fight terrorism and American enemies more important?

Discussion Questions

• Do you believe that as a government agency, the NSA had a responsibility to share what it had learned with Microsoft?
• If the NSA’s goal is to protect people, how should it handle difficult decisions like this?

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 1:6-14

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

John 17:1-11

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

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

 

Gospel Reflection

The Gospel of John is different from the other three Gospels, so much so that we call the other three by a unique name.  Together, Matthew, Mark, and Luke make up the Synoptic (from a Greek word meaning “see together”) Gospels.  The synoptics see Jesus in a similar way in the sense that they share many narrative elements and essentially the same chronology.  John, though, is different.  It just doesn’t fit the same mold as the other three.  There is no narrative of Jesus’ birth, for instance, and narrative parables are nowhere to be found.  The Jesus in John’s gospel  just doesn’t seem interested in telling stories.  Instead, there are extended narratives of Jesus’ encounters with others which point to who he is.  Jesus engages in deep conversations and speaks long soliloquies about divine knowledge and revelation.

To John, one of the most amazing things about Jesus’ story is that Jesus, though fully  man, possesses God’s nature and shares deep knowledge out of that divine identity.  As you probably noticed, this week’s passage is all about that sharing of knowledge.  Jesus specifically says about his disciples that “the words that you [the Father] gave to me I have given to them”.  Jesus is the divine revealer of truth and wisdom, and he has done more than teach the disciples.  He has opened their eyes to a truth they could never have reached on their own.

But this knowledge does not come alone.  It comes with a responsibility.  Jesus is explicitly clear about this in the passage following our reading this week.  By being the recipients of the same divine understanding that Jesus received from the Father, the disciples are inheriting Jesus’ mission and ministry.  They are not passive recipients of knowledge – they are recruits!

There is a price to the knowledge we gain about God, but it’s a wonderful price.  When we learn about God, we become a working part of God’s Kingdom, called to take an active role in crafting the Kingdom.  Our hands are called to do the work of God’s hands.  To John, this was obvious.  How could we know about God and not immediately feel the call to action?

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt the challenge of a verse or story in the Gospel? Have the words of your pastor or youth leader ever made you feel like you should act in a different or new way?
• What Gospel messages, if any, are hard for you to understand? For example, many people find some of the parables tough to work through.
• If you were confused about a Biblical text, how would you go about finding an answer to your questions?

Activity Suggestions

It’s graduation season!  Design a diploma for those who have “graduated” and gained wisdom through God’s word and teachings.  What degree would they hold? What would that diploma say?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are the source of all true wisdom.  You guide us, console us, and teach us, and for this we are always thankful.  We praise you for the protection and peace that comes through our understanding of your Word.  Bless us to continually seek to grow and study your Word and your teachings.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

Today’s post is from Jennifer Crist, Pastor Mission Developer of Communities of Hope in Harrisburg, PA.

 

Communities of Hope, a synodically authorized worshipping community, began as an experiment to gather those unfamiliar with church and those who haven’t been to church in a long time. From the beginning, we made an intentional decision to include advocacy in our liturgy. In exploring how to do this, we realized advocacy could be expressed in our liturgy in many ways.  I want to emphasize three of these examples.

First, we practice Advocacy as offering.  We often take a minute during our offering time to speak about the latest updates and action alerts from ELCA Advocacy.  We have letters and computers available on site for those who want to write or take 20-30 seconds to fill out the action alerts online and send them at any point throughout our gathering.

Second, we practice Advocacy as prayer.  During our prayer time, we provide paper and coloring supplies for both adults and children to creatively offer their prayers.  Prompts are written on paper that relating advocacy efforts to current events.  Later, we collect and share these in a variety of formats.

Third, we practice Advocacy as service.   We often end our worship time with service that can include advocacy as well.  During this time, we have put together refugee kits for LIRS; gathered for events in our community that promote advocacy; and organized fundraisers.

You might have noticed that I intentionally referenced that we PRACTICE Advocacy.  One of my daughters studied the violin using the Suzuki method.  And one of the phrases we repeated over and over throughout her years of study was, “PRACTICE MAKES EASY.”  This is very different from Practice Makes Perfect. So we practice advocacy frequently to make it EASIER to live and do advocacy.  Advocacy is a skill that needs to be practiced in order to make it part of our being.

Today, our first gathered missional community has now multiplied into three missional communities that all gather in public places outside of church buildings.  Though these communities appear very different from one another, the expressions of these Communities of Hope are similar focusing on advocacy as a means of loving our neighbors.

Advocacy is not a topic for certain occasions or special events. We consider advocacy essential to our liturgy; part of who we are as God’s children gathered to do God’s work through us for the sake of the world.

 

By: Rev. Rebecca Seely

This past March, a group of college and graduate students from the Lutheran and ecumenical campus ministry, which I serve in New York City, travelled to Washington, D.C. on a spring break “faith in action” pilgrimage. While most of our students were familiar with putting their faith into action through direct service to neighbors, our purpose on this trip was to affect change in a different way – through advocacy to elected officials. We are grateful to ELCA Advocacy Washington, D.C. office, who hosted us, taught us about their work, trained us as advocates and set up meetings for us with the offices of our senators from New York. While in Washington, we were able to learn about and advocate for legislation on immigration and food insecurity that would affect millions of people across our country.

Advocacy is not a new concept for our campus ministry. We have regular teach-ins around justice issues, have hosted phone banks to call our elected officials, written letters and signed petitions. Meeting face to face with policy makers on this trip was a first, however, and our students went into this pilgrimage both nervous and excited to make their voices heard for the sake of their neighbors.

Our time in D.C. began with an orientation meeting with Nathan Detweiler at the ELCA Advocacy office. In retrospect, I think the group’s general expectation was that it would be a “training” – that Nathan would equip us with statistics and facts and a script that we would take into our meetings with policy makers, not unlike the form letters that one signs on the internet. We were a little surprised, therefore, when he encouraged us to look inward instead and figure out how these issues impacted our lives and our communities. He told us that our own stories were our most powerful gifts for advocacy and set us to work figuring out what stories God was calling us to share.

As a result, some of the most meaningful work of our trip was the work of reflecting on the human stories – our own, those of our neighbors and those of Scripture – those incarnate “issues” for us. One student shared that a good friend may have to leave her college education behind to take care of her siblings if her mother is deported. Another student talked about his peers routinely going hungry during exam times when they can’t work as many shifts at their jobs. Students reread familiar biblical narratives as “immigration stories” and discovered the humanity of the biblical characters anew.  Most affecting of all, at least for me, was that each student in our group discovered that he or she had a unique story or experience to offer that was vital to shaping our collective witness when we spoke to Senate staffers. Everyone’s voice made a difference.

Reflecting on their advocacy work after the fact, students said that this sharing of stories gave them hope for healing and change in the midst of bitterly divided political landscape. Sitting down and having a real conversation with someone of different political convictions is something that almost never happens among college students today. With the heated rhetoric that flies around social media, students, like many of us, are often afraid to engage with those they assume will disagree. During this trip, however, students had the chance to do just that and it was powerful for them.

Michelle, a sophomore at Columbia University, met with her home state senator’s office to talk about immigration and marveled that, “With empowerment from a great group, I was able to work up the courage to have a meaningful and potentially impactful discussion with someone who probably didn’t agree with me.” In our divided nation, that’s a big deal. Moreover, the students reflected that hearing each other’s stories, building connections across difference and rediscovering each other’s shared humanity and belovedness in the eyes of God is a simple, profound way to begin healing our brokenness and building a better world.

One of the most surprising things that students discovered on our advocacy pilgrimage is that faith can be the means of positive connection with strangers. Christian, a sophomore at NYU, reflected that before this trip, he would intentionally avoid mentioning his faith when he talked about social issues because not everyone believes in God.  Bringing faith into the conversation in Washington, D.C. helped him and other students to realize that talking about faith is not something to be afraid of. In fact, speaking up for justice explicitly as people of faith can be a powerful way to build bridges with others and find points of connection with others, whatever their faith convictions.

Thank you to the ELCA Advocacy for making this empowering, transformational experience possible. In the months and years to come, we look forward to continuing to find ways to serve our neighbors, seek justice and bear witness to God’s love for the whole world through the holy work of advocacy.

 

 

There is a Time for Everything, and a Season for Every Activity Under Heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

In the first post in this series on planning your garden, we named the 5 P’s of gardening:

Planning

Planting

Perspiring

Picking, and

Putting to bed.

So what time is it now? It is time to plant your garden!

Pointing Forward

What I love about planting is that planting seeds is really a metaphor of our lives as Children of God. As Children of God, we have the opportunity to plant seeds of love and hope in those around us. In many cases we have no idea how that planted seed will develop. Here is a link to an uplifting song about planting seeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AmqYcWjBmc.

You may select to plant your garden at your home, or perhaps you are considering a community garden.  If a community garden doesn’t currently exist, or it exists but it is too far away, you might consider starting your own. Take a look at ELCA World Hunger’s Community Gardens How-To Guide to get started: http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/WH_GardeningResource.pdf.  This resource provides guidance on how to go about pulling together the resources for the community to use.

As stated in this resource, gardening is a beautiful expression of God’s diversity because gardens come in all sorts of sizes, shapes, and scales, from urban plots to rural fields.  In almost any circumstance, a person may be able to have a garden because of the diversity of gardens.

The last few years, we have opted to plant our tomatoes in pots on our patio. We did this for several reasons, but largely to make the process more contained and easier to manage. We could see the status of the plants more easily than previously because the tomatoes were right outside our back door, where we go in and out many times a day. Checking the tomatoes became part of going into and out of the house. Pots could even be part of an indoor garden, if you so choose.  Personally, I love the appearance and aromas associated with new growth of plants so an indoor garden plot is certainly something to consider, especially if you have limited space outdoors.

Once you’ve decided where to plant, some preparation is required. You want to give the fetal plants the best chance of surviving and flourishing so that you can harvest a great abundance later in the Summer or Fall.

Planting a garden reminds me of Mark 4:3-8, where the farmer scatters seed in four different locations. First, he scattered the seed along the path, then in rocky places, and then among the thorns. Of course, none of these seeds produced much of anything because the place of the planting did not support the growth of the plant.

Finally, the farmer got it right and sowed the seeds on good soil. And that is what we want to do. How do we ensure that the soil is good and will support growth and development of the plants?

There are several options to enrich the soil with nutrients to enhance plant growth. Composting is a great way of using your own yard and kitchen wastes to develop your soil. There are many good websites to use for composting instructions. Try Composting Junkie at http://www.compostjunkie.com/how-to-compost.html.

Composting is about taking the nutrients that are found in yard waste—such as leaves—and kitchen waste—such as onion skins, potato skins, and other vegetable wastes—and ‘digesting’ these wastes using billions of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) found in the soils. The structure of the leaves is broken down by the microorganisms into smaller substances that the germinating seeds and sprouts can use for nourishment and growth.

Composting can be done simply by mixing the wastes with soil and adding water in bins or in piles. Many people use rotating bins so that the mixture of wastes can be rotated to increase the rate of breakdown of the waste products.

Once the waste has degraded to a rich, soil-like consistency, it may be added to your growing area as a type of natural fertilizer.

Linking Back

In the last post, we used some of the crops we had stored over the winter to make a mashed potato soup, using potatoes, onions and some garlic and herbs.

In today’s recipe, we will still rely on last year’s root crops while adding some diversity to the offerings. Roasted Root Vegetables are a favorite of our family and can be prepared at any time of the year. Because the bulk of the recipe ingredients come from root vegetables, these may come from last year’s crop that you have stored in cool, dry places over the winter.

It is also easy to add variety to this recipe because you can throw in almost any of your favorite veggies to mix it up a bit. In the recipe below, we use all root vegetables, yet you could add squash or brussel sprouts or any other substantial vegetable for color, flavor and variety.

Until next time, remember,

There is a Time for Everything, and a Season for Every Activity Under Heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze

This dish is vegan and gluten-free and originally appeared in Cooking Light.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) slices carrot

1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) slices parsnip

1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled turnip

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, tossing well to coat. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Stir in syrup. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until tender and golden, stirring after 10 minutes.

Yield:

4 servings (1/2 cup)

Nutritional information (per serving)

Calories 150 (30% from fat)

Fat 4.9 g

Saturated fat 0.7 g

Monounsaturated fat 3.3 g

Polyunsaturated fat 0.6 g

Protein 1.7 g

Carbohydrate 26.1 g

Fiber 3.8 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Iron 0.8 mg

Sodium 379 mg

Calcium 63 mg

 

In this series by guest writer Ethan Bergman, we will consider the 5 P’s of gardening – planning, planting, perspiring, picking, and putting to bed – over the course of the next few months. Ethan is a Master of Divinity student in the Distributive Learning program at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Bergman is also the associate dean in the College of Education and Professional Studies and professor of food science and nutrition at Central Washington University, Ellensburg. He was named CWU Distinguished University Professor in 2001-2002 and was named by the Washington State Dietetic Association as Outstanding Registered Dietitian of the Year in 2000. He is a past delegate and past President of the American Dietetic Association as well as speaker of the Academy’s House of Delegates. He has served on the Academy’s Educator’s Task Force on Education Reform in Dietetics Education and on the Evidence-Based Practice Committee. Bergman earned his doctorate from Washington State University.

 

Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA

 

Warm-up Question

What are you going to do this summer?

Building a Legacy

Barack and Michelle Obama have pledged $2 million to summer youth job program in Chicago. The donation comes in the form of $1 million gifts to each of two organizations – One Summer Chicago and the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance. These programs offer jobs, apprenticeships, mentoring and recreation to thousands of young people in Chicago’s South Side.

One goal of these programs is to provide at risk youth something constructive to do during the summer, part of an effort to counter the violence that has plagued that city. But President Obama pointed to another important purpose of these programs.

His presidential library will be built in that community and the former president has stated one goal of the center will be to boost employment in the area, during and after construction. The former president is quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying, “We want to make sure that some of those young people can get trained so people don’t say, ‘Why didn’t you hire anybody from the neighborhood?’ And the contractor says, ‘We didn’t have anybody who was trained.’”

The presidential center and museum are scheduled to open in 2021.

Discussion Questions

• Do you have a summer job?
• Are summer employment programs important for young people?
• How will this donation affect President Obama’s legacy?
• How does your summer plan – whether it includes work, studies, or just hanging out – prepare you for the future?

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 17:22-31

1 Peter 3:13-22

John 14:15-21

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

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

Gospel Reflection

Today we see Jesus trying to leave a lasting impression with his disciples. He’s trying to prepare them for their lives after his crucifixion and resurrection – events that, at this point, the disciples can’t even imagine. Perhaps because he understands the confusion and emotion that will follow, he’s kept the message as simple as possible: Love me. Keep my commandments.

It sounds simple enough, but we know it isn’t. Living a life of faith is challenging.  Discerning God’s purpose for our lives – discerning that greater purpose and also navigating the many smaller moment – is hard. Resisting the temptations and distractions of the world is difficult.

In verse 8, Phillip says what many of us think, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” It would be a lot simpler to maintain the conviction of our faith if we had physical, tactile certainty of God’s presence before us. But then we wouldn’t need faith.

But Jesus wants his followers to know that, in him, they have seen the face of God on earth and that God would never make plans for us that we don’t have the ability and resources to fulfill. He will send the Holy Spirit, to walk with us. Though we do not have the physical presence of Jesus walking with us as he did with the disciples, the Holy Spirit is a comforter when we need healing or consolation, and a helper when we need guidance or the courage to live Christ’s radical message in the world.

Discussion Questions

• Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Is he referring to the Ten Commandments, or something else?
• Does following the commandments prove your love of God?
• As Jesus prepares to leave his disciples, what legacy has he left them? How does this prepare the disciples for their lives of witness?
• How do you see the promises Jesus made to his disciples in your life?

Activity Suggestions

• Look ahead one year and list the things you need to accomplish in that time.
• Make a list of the help you will need from others to accomplish those goals.
• Share your lists with the group. (Depending on the size of the group, it may make sense to break into smaller groups.)
• Try to identify opportunities where you can provide the help that’s on someone else’s list.
• Pray together that each of the needs will be met.

Closing Prayer

Merciful Father, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus, whose sacrifice has won our victory over death. And thank you for the many ways you bless us by providing, according to our needs, all that is necessary to fulfill your plan. Help us to listen to the voice of the Spirit of Truth and heed its divine guidance. And help us to be the voice of comfort and encouragement to one another. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen

Issue 52 Of Administration Matters

Gathering opportunities for the summer

• The ELCA will host its first Rostered Ministers Gathering in Atlanta at the Sheraton Downtown Aug. 7-10. This will be our first-ever ELCA-wide opportunity for our rostered ministers to assemble for worship, education and fellowship. Register now!
• The Tenth Triennial Gathering of the Women of the ELCA will be held July 13-16, 2017, at the Minneapolis Convention Center, in Minneapolis, Minn. “All Anew” is the theme. Register now!
• Every couple of years, men from all over the country gather together for a weekend huddle that is called the BOLD GATHERING! On July 21-23, 2017, join us in Minneapolis to be encouraged, to worship, and to connect and serve! Hundreds will be gathering in the Minneapolis Marriott City Center to celebrate being bold daring followers of Jesus Christ! Early bird pricing ends May 31. Register now!

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Congregational model Audit Committee Charter

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Today’s post is from John Weit, Program Director for Music for the ELCA.

In these last weeks of the Easter season leading into the Day of Pentecost, many congregations will sing “Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, #403). This is a somewhat unique instance of a hymn text that was written to fit an existing hymn tune. The text was commissioned for “The Hymnal 1982” of The Episcopal Church. Upon listening to the tune several times on different instruments, author Carl P. Daw, Jr. first wrote the refrain “Come, Holy Spirit, come.” This led to the stanzas forming a litany-like prayer to the Holy Spirit.

The first stanza portrays how the Spirit comes with familiar images of dove, wind, and fire. The second stanza turns to the Body of Christ assembled, identifying where and how the Spirit comes. Finally, the third stanza sings of why the spirit comes – the purpose of prayer, reconciliation, love, and peace. Since first published in 1985, this text and associated tune have appeared in several worship books, including nearly all those of the ELCA full communion partners. See the “Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship”  for more background on this hymn.

 

The flowing and reflective melody of this hymn are nicely led on organ or piano. Consider adding a solo instrument such as a flute playing the melody as an introduction. The “Musicians Guide to Evangelical Lutheran Worship” suggests when learning this hymn that first teaching the syncopated rhythm at “come, Holy Spirit” may be helpful. It is easily learned.

 

Like the murmur of the dove’s song,

like the challenge of her flight,

like the vigor of the wind’s rush,

like the new flame’s eager might:

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

 

To the members of Christ’s body,

to the branches of the Vine,

to the church in faith assembled,

to our midst as gift and sign:

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

With the healing of division,

with the ceaseless voice of prayer,

with the power to love and witness,

with the peace beyond compare:

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

 

 

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 403

Text: Carl P. Daw, Jr.

© 1982 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Contact Hope Publishing Company to make copies of this hymn, or use your OneLicense.net or CCLI License.

 

 

 

 

The application for Domestic Hunger Grants for 2018-2019 is now open! The Domestic Hunger Grants program supports ministries that accompany people who experience poverty and hunger in the communities across the United States and Caribbean. These grants do more than just give food to people who are hungry – in addition to immediate relief programs, ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants fund projects in advocacy, community development, community-based organizing and relief that strengthen the foundations of communities affected by hunger and poverty.

In 2017, this program allocated a total of $691,810 to support 347 domestic projects and programs ranging from congregational food pantries to urban farms, job training and living-wage advocacy campaigns. ELCA World Hunger-funded Domestic Hunger Grants make a difference.

Domestic Hunger Grants support a wide variety of ministries connected to ELCA congregations and groups, from food pantries to job programs for youth, and from community gardens to programs addressing food waste. If you are looking to seed, grow, or nurture a new or existing program, consider applying today!

All applications must be postmarked no later than June 30, 2017, to be considered for funding in 2018 and 2019. You can find the application online at ELCA.org/domestichungergrants.

Here are just a few examples of programs supported in part by Domestic Hunger Grants in 2016 and 2017:

Manna from Heaven – Myra, Kentucky

This food pantry in the heart of Appalachia provides nutritious food and clothing to more than 250 people each month, in an area where access to food and social services is hard to come by. In partnership with Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Cincinnati, Ohio, Manna distributes 10,000-15,000 pounds of food each month. Their Domestic Hunger Grant helps fund the delivery of this food from Cincinnati to Myra.

Young Leaders Program – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

In a community marked by contrasts – the most community gardens and the highest rate of pollution in the city – St. Paul’s Young Leaders Program works with youth ages 11-15 to help them develop their skills to be the leaders of today and tomorrow. Youth work on projects ranging from city beautification to arts to community engagement. With support from the community at St. Paul’s, the Young Leaders are making their mark on their neighborhood – and experiencing a welcoming community where their talents are valued and nurtured.

Table Grace Café – Omaha, Nebraska

At Table Grace Cafe, anyone who walks through the door is served a nutritious meal, even if they don’t have the money to pay. People who eat there are asked to pay what they can or to donate their time. But more than that, the staff at Table Grace Café don’t just serve food, they listen to the people who come in, they hear their stories, and they try to help in other ways, including through their job training program.

Christ the King Deaf Church – West Chester, Pennsylvania

Christ the King Deaf Church accompanies neighbors who face vulnerability to hunger in complex, interrelated ways and yet are under-served by other agencies, including immigrants and refugees with hearing and vision impairments, people in prison who are deaf, and neighbors who are both deaf and blind. Christ the King Deaf Church offers communication and mobility assistance, case management, visits to the Graterford correctional facility, literacy and life-skills mentoring, and advocacy. In addition, the church provides the opportunity for the clients accompanied by these services to exercise their leadership of the programs through participation on an advisory committee or church council.

ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grants Also Available!

If you or your congregation, synod or organization is considering an event or program to help folks learn about hunger, poverty and how our faith calls us to respond to both, you may be eligible for an ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grant. More information can be found at blogs.ELCA.org/worldhunger/edandnetgrants.

Bob Chell, Sioux Falls, SD

 Warm-up Question

Tell about a time you were lost. Feel free to interpret being ‘lost’ in your own way.

From Lost to Seeing the Way

In 1987 20,000 boys fled the civil war in Sudan to begin a thousand mile journey to Kenya. Half of them died on the journey. The world watched these “Lost boys of

Sudan” as they came to be called.  Jacob Mach was one of those “lost boys.  He was 21 years old when he arrived in the USA. He had a harrowing experience on his journey from Africa to North America.  “We encountered a lot of difficulties,” he said. “A lot of friends died because of hunger, because of being eaten by wild animals.”  Despite all the challenges he faced, Jacob graduated from Georgia State University and recently became a police officer in Atlanta.  In a story about his experience he said, “The city has been wonderful to me. I felt that there was a need for me to give back to the people of Atlanta.”

Discussion Questions

• Do you find stories like this inspirational or sappy and sentimental? Why?
• Would it we worse to be lost with thousands of others in the same situation or alone in a new country where you didn’t even know the language?
• Is it worse to be physically lost or to be psychologically lost?
• Who is your ‘go to’ person when you are feeling lost?

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 7:55-60

1 Peter 2:2-10

John 14:1-14

(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

Thomas asks Jesus, “…how can we know the way?”

As pastor of a congregation inside the state penitentiary I work with men who lost their way in life. The reasons are many and often complicated:  abusive or neglectful families, emotional or mental health issues, addiction, the list goes on and on. Yet, at the end of the day each of us is responsible for the choices and decisions we make in life.  The young man in the news story, Jacob, was inspired to success by his time in the wilderness of Sudan.

Each of us will spend time in the wilderness. The story of the Israelites wandering for forty years after fleeing slavery in Egypt is our story, whether it’s leaving home to serve in the armed forces,  pursue a trade, or go to college, we enter an unfamiliar and overwhelming place.  Leaving a relationship, quitting a job, grieving a death—all of these things push us into the wilderness. What we do when we are in the wilderness determines if we make it to the Promised Land or end up back in Egypt as slaves.

Whether it’s the psychological wilderness of discerning a career and wondering if we will ever find a life partner or the physical wilderness of seeking a place to sleep and food to eat, the wilderness is a painful place to find ourselves.  We cannot choose to not be lost. Even those whose fear keeps them from leaving home or reaching out to another will find themselves lost in loneliness in despair. We can only choose what we do when we are lost.

I tell the men I serve as pastor that it is important to determine if the place they are going is the place they need and want to be. Sometimes the lure of the familiar and the comfortable is nearly irresistible, especially when we are hurting. Yet, for those who have been incarcerated going back to the same people and doing the same things often brings them back to the same prison cell they were so eager to leave behind. On either side of the walls it’s worth reflecting on whether the place we are going is the place we want or need to be.

The other half of going somewhere is, of course, leaving somewhere. Whether one is fleeing a troubled relationship or moving away from home for the first time, complete with a going away party, it’s worth spending time reflecting on what we leaving. Many of us (me for one!)  have sought the ‘geographic cure,’ hoping a move to a different place would enable us to leave our problems and pain behind. It does not. The painful reality is that if we do not deal with our pain and problems they will deal with us. It’s easy for any of us to think of examples of this.

It is good to think about where we are going in life. It’s imperative that we deal with our pain and problems. This is good advice, the kind Thomas was looking for as he moved forward in life but this is not the advice Jesus gave him. More important than knowing where we are going, or dealing with what we hope to leave behind, is dealing with our “lostness.”  The most difficult part of being lost is not knowing where we are because without knowing that we cannot determine anything else.

Jesus does not tell Thomas and Philip how to find their way but says that he, Jesus, is the way. Like most of John’s gospel this sounds mystical and confusing. The author Henry Nouwen, reflecting on the story of the prodigal son helped me understand this when he wrote,

“For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. God wants to find me as much as, if not more than, I want to find God. …I no longer think of God as hiding out and making it as difficult as possible for me to find him, but, instead, as the one who is looking for me while I am doing the hiding.”*

The truth is that you’ve already been found by Jesus.  Some of you, before you were even able to wander. When the pastor said your name and marked the sign of the cross on your forehead, saying,  “…you have been marked with the cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit forever.”

You have been in the wilderness before and you will find yourself there again. Jesus has been in relentless pursuit of you your entire life, on your trail like a bloodhound. Jesus found you before you were ever lost. He’s found you every time you’ve wandered. He has you in his grasp and He’s never going to let you go.  This is the gospel of the Lord.

*The Return of the Prodigal Son, Image Books

Discussion Questions

• How is it we can be hiding from God when we really are trying hard to find God?
•  The author switches from giving advice (make certain the place your are going is worthwhile, deal with your pain or it will deal with you) to proclaiming the gospel: Jesus has you in his grasp.  Do you prefer good advice or gospel proclamations in sermons? Which does your pastor offer more of–advice or proclamation?
• How can we “get found” when we are lost? This is the place where advice and gospel meet.

Activity Suggestions

• Ask someone you admire to tell you about a time in life when they were in the wilderness and how they found their way out.
• What are the most tempting wilderness places today; places that promise happiness but deliver despair?
• Recall a time when you were lost and God found you. Were other people involved? the church? Looking back is it more a painful memory or an experience you cherish for what you learned.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, we do want to be your disciples but, like Thomas, we sometimes find you cryptic and confusing. We get so worried and preoccupied with where we are going and what’s ahead that we miss living life today. Give us the peace you promised your disciples so we can let go of our anxiety about the future. Amen.