Photo credit Faith Kagwiria/LWF

In northeast Kenya, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) helps manage the largest cluster of refugee camps in the world. At their peak, the Dadaab camps were home to nearly 500,000 people, most of whom are children, women, elderly and people with disabilities who have fled conflict in Somalia, one of the countries included in President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Today, 240,000 refugees remain at the camps, though Dadaab is slated by Kenya for closure later this year. For many young people, the camp is the only home they have known. It is safer than their countries of origin, but like other refugee camps, Dadaab was not meant to be a permanent home.

LWF, with support from members like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is working with other agencies to provide sufficient, equitable education, food and health care at the camp, but many residents still struggle to meet their needs. While the care they receive is critical, many refugees still long for a permanent home of their own. Refugees often spend years in Dadaab waiting for resettlement in a new country or repatriation to their country of origin. Resettlement is a lengthy ordeal, with numerous background checks, interviews, and delays. Some refugees at Dadaab have been in the process for up to nine years.

Abroon*, a refugee from the Dagahaley camp in Dadaab, has been working toward his family’s resettlement since 2008. The news of the executive order was a significant blow to his hard work and hope.

“Finally, I had completed all the processes and was waiting for flight confirmation,” he says. “The ban simply means that the United States of America does not want refugees, and I am very demoralized. If someone stops you from going to his house, then you have no option but to go away and look for where you will be accepted and you can belong.”

Shire, a refugee in Kambioos camp, was also disheartened.

“The ban by the USA has just made me make a decision to withdraw my resettlement case,” he says. “It has been a long and tiresome process, but now I concede defeat.”

The President’s executive order for suspension of admission of refugees into the United States sent shockwaves through Dadaab. The immediate effects reverberated around the world as officials struggled to understand the order’s implications for enforcement. But in Dadaab, the effects were not merely confusing but dispiriting. Bashiir, a refugee from Ifo camp in Dadaab remarked,

“I had just finished the whole resettlement process and was only waiting for flight confirmation. Now my case is unknown. After the announcement, I could not sleep and it feels like my dreams and aspirations have been shattered.”

When the executive order was implemented, refugees awaiting travel were sent back to the camps to wait for more information. Because they were planning for resettlement, some had quit their jobs in the camps or sold their possessions to other refugees. Asad, from Ifo camp, had a flight confirmed for January 29, 2017. He notes with frustration,

“I was already in the USA in my mind, and I had finally been able to get this opportunity to belong. When I return to the camp, where do I start from? I had sold and given out all my belongings and even said goodbye to my friends. What does a human being do? I even have the ticket in my hand.”

Culan, a single mother with a disability and three children was also left in a serious lurch.

“I had bought items for my travel and back at the camp I have nothing to go back to but the many problems that exist,” she says.

While some commentators in the United States downplay the significance of the refugee ban because of its intended 120-day duration, those three months put refugees in Dadaab ever-closer to the closing of the camps. For many, it closes one possible avenue away from the violence they fled. Representatives of the LWF note that Somali refugees in Dadaab fear returning to the conflict they once escaped. Dubad, a Somali refugee, had been trained for work in motor vehicle maintenance at Dadaab, with support from LWF. “I passed my exams and even secured a job in Somalia, but due to threats on my life and family problems, I had to return to Kenya to seek refuge,” he says. Being from a minority clan in Somalia leaves Dubad at risk from ethnic violence.

“The announcement has left me hopeless since it feels like every time I seek an opportunity to get better life for me, my family and children, I get a challenge.” Unlike Asad, Dubad had not yet sold his belongings or purchased a plane ticket. But the emotional and psychological cost of Trump’s executive order have been difficult to bear. “My life is still at a threat, and I do hope things get better and that President Trump stops this discrimination and rejection.”

Even those who were not in the process of being resettled are confused and afraid. Lennart Hernander, LWF World Service’s program representative in Kenya-Djibouti, notes that young people were particularly disheartened, losing hope in the resettlement process entirely. Other refugees with family already living in the United States are fearful that their resettled relatives will be deported. These same relatives are often a vital form of assistance, sending remittances to their family back in the camp so they can buy the essentials they need to survive in Dadaab.

The United States, once the source of hope for many refugees seeking resettlement, safety and a new start, has become for some a symbol of exclusion and rejection. Ishaar, a refugee in Hagadera camp and also from a minority clan in Somalia, echoes Dubad’s sentiments:

“I had already been confirmed [for resettlement] and told that my process was successful and to travel on February 28, 2017, to the USA. I thought I was going to be safe, but now the USA has rejected me. Where do I belong since I cannot go back to Somalia for I fear for my life?”

For some, a sliver of hope remains that as borders against resettlement seal and the date to close Dadaab grows closer, new possibilities will be opened by welcoming communities around the globe. But in the wake of the executive order from the United States, the fearful prospect of returning to the places they fought so hard to escape draws closer to reality.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton released a statement yesterday that affirmed the ELCA’s commitment “to continuing ministries of welcome that support and build communities around the country” and to “stand firmly against any policies that result in scaling back the refugee resettlement program.”  Read the full statement here.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the persons quoted in the article. Quotes are courtesy of LWF World Service, Kenya-Djibouti.

Scott Mims–Virginia Beach, VA

Warm-up Question

• On a scale from 1 to 10 – with 1 being totally pessimistic and 10 being totally optimistic – how do you see the world today?
• Using the same scale, how do you view the possibilities for your future?
• Do you think that our present vision of reality – how we “see” things today – impacts the future we will experience? Why or why not?

Vision for the Future

On Friday, January 20, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 45^th President of the United States.  In his inaugural address, President Trump laid out an assessment of our nation’s current situation, as well as a vision of the challenges that his administration will overcome as part of a “great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.”  With stirring images that evoke solidarity, unity of purpose, and a focus on America first, President Trump presented, in broad, bold strokes, a plan to “make America great again.”

Naturally, reactions to the President’s speech have been mixed.  His words have met with great approval among many Americans. They have found this address “revolutionary,” “memorable,” and “inspiring.”[1]  Others have characterized the speech as “dark and defiant,” both in terms of the current picture it paints of our nation, and the path that it lays before us.[2]  We will all have to wait and see how President Trump’s vision for America actually unfolds in the coming years, but, for the moment, his first address to the nation as President has provided much for people to think about and discuss.

A full transcript of President Trump’s speech can be found online:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/trump-inaugural-address/

Discussion Questions

• Did you watch the inauguration or a replay of the President’s speech? If so, what do you think about his address? How do you feel about the vision it presents?(Note: if your group is particularly divided in opinion, of if there are strong feelings present, practice the discipline of listening to one another in love by giving each person an opportunity to simply share their feelings or opinions without rebuttal, debate, or any need to convince others.)
• Using a piece of paper, a dry erase board, or some way of making a list, record your group’s answers to the following two questions:
  1. When you think about your community, our nation, and the world today, what is the “darkness” that you see? That is, what are some of the issues, situations, or problems that make you most worried, fearful or anxious about the future?
  2. What “light” is there for you? What makes you hopeful, encouraged, or inspired?

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 58:1-9a [9b-12]

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 [13-16]

Matthew 5:13-20

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

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

Gospel Reflection

This week’s gospel lesson is from a collection of Jesus’ teaching that we call The Sermon on the Mount.  Though the crowds are listening in on this “sermon”, Jesus’ is speaking primarily to his disciples.  And so, his teachings today are especially for all who would seek to follow him.

Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth….” Jesus often took ordinary things and turned them into lessons that explained deeper realities, and that is exactly what he is doing in verses 13-16. To begin with, salt was a very precious commodity in the Ancient world.  It was used to preserve food as well as to season it.  There is a distinctive “flavor” that Jesus’ followers are to bring to the world as we seek to impact things for good. Even so, salt back then often wasn’t pure.  It could lose its saltiness, leaving behind the impurities in the form of a useless white residue.  In a similar fashion, those who claim to follow Jesus, but whose lives are not characterized by service, care for others, self-discipline and mutual love, are like this “non-salt” – empty of any real flavor.

“You are the light of the world….”  Like salt, even a little light in a darkened room can make a big difference. It lights up the way, exposes the shadows for what they really are; it brings direction, help, clarity, comfort. According to the Prophet Isaiah, part of Israel’s calling from God was to be a “light to the nations.” (Isa. 42:6; 49:6)  They were to be light-bearers to shine God’s light and love into all of the dark corners of the world.  Like a lamp giving light to all in the house, their lives were not just to show evil up for what it really is, but to allow people to find their way out by coming to know God. In the same way, our good works are not to be hidden.  We, too, are called by God in baptism to be light-bearers as we reflect the light of Christ into our world.  As we say when we hand a candle to those who have just been baptized, we are to let the light within us shine, that people may see our good works and give God praise and glory.

Another point to make about these verses is that the “you” in them is plural, not singular. Or, as we would say where I grew up, “All y’all are the salt of the earth….” The point being that it is the community of Jesus’ followers as whole that is being challenged to live as salt and light together.  We cannot accomplish these things all on our own, we need one another and a community of faith.

And finally, being salt and light is based on who we already are in Christ.  Jesus says, “You are salt…you are light,” not that doing certain things will make us salt and light.  As Lutherans, we understand that it is God’s love and grace in our lives that saves us and makes us God’s own. Our good works, our living out our “saltiness” and sharing the light of Christ with the world, come as our response to what God, in Christ, has first done for us.

The Law and the Prophets

There has been much scholarly debate over the second part of our gospel lesson, and what exactly it means for Jesus to fulfill the law and the prophets.  That is, what does it mean that the whole story of Israel – all of the commands and promises of the scriptures – are to come true in him?  Is it Jesus’ own personal keeping of Torah?  Is it, as Matthew often points out, the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus’ life?  Is it Jesus’ own authority, and his teaching as expressed in the love-commandment (22:40) from which the other commandments take their meaning? Is it all of these and more? Many possibilities are discussed.

Yet, whatever Jesus’ fulfillment of the law and prophets ultimately means, it is clear that he does not throw out the Hebrew Scriptures – what we call our Old Testament.  Even though Jesus does reinterpret key passages at later points in Matthew’s gospel, the law and the prophets are still important for followers of Jesus.

It is also clear, from the final verse of this passage, that the sort of righteousness – that is, right behavior and actions – that Jesus is looking for is the righteousness which comes from hearts and minds that are guided by his teachings and example.  In short, we are to “practice what we preach.”  This will become even more apparent as we continue through the Sermon on the Mount over the next several Sundays.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think it means to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world?” Can you think of specific attitudes, actions, values or beliefs that go along with being salt and light?
• What are some of your favorite verses from the Bible? How do you experience God speaking to you through these scriptures?
• How might you be “light” to one another? What are some ways you can support one another in your daily walk of faith?
• Revisit your list of “darkness” and “light” from the current events discussion. How might you bring the light of Christ into some of the areas of darkness you have listed? Can you choose an issue or two and brainstorm some individual or group actions that you could possibly take?  Don’t underestimate the power of small acts.  Remember, it only takes a little salt to season a dish; it only takes one candle to pierce the darkness.
• Vision is a powerful thing. The pictures we hold in our minds have great impact, not only on how things turn out, but on who we are.  Talk together about Jesus’ vision for his followers – his vision for the church. As we approach the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation, where do you think we need to be re-formed today?  What might that mean for you personally?

Activity Suggestions

• How could you be “salt” together in your own community? Are there needs or issues that you could address in even small ways?  How might your group serve together?

• For a more active take on the above question, split into groups of 3-4 participants. Give each group a large, blank sheet of paper some markers.  Have them draw a picture of a “salty Christian,” depicting / labeling specific attitudes, actions, or values. For instance, they might draw a “heart of faith,” “hands for serving,” etc.

For further ideas on being “salt” and “light” in regards to some of the larger issues faced by our nation and world, check out the article “Advocacy as witness: A voice for common good” in the October 2016 edition of Living Lutheran.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you name us your own and call us to reflect your love into the world.   Help us to do so.  Give us eyes to see the many opportunities for sharing and experiencing grace that you give to us day by day.  Give us feet to walk in your way, and catch us when we stumble.  And give us hands to reach out in love and action that we may bring your light to dark places. This we pray in your holy name.  Amen

This story is also available as a bulletin insert as part of ELCA World Hunger’s newest “reproducible stories” series. Click here to download a copy.

Yohannes (not pictured) was 16 when he arrived in Cairo, Egypt, alone. He made his way to Egypt from Eritrea, in East Africa. It was an arduous journey from Eritrea, through Sudan and, finally, to Egypt.  Along the way, food was hard to come by. Yohannes had lost weight and was not well.

Upon arriving in Cairo, Yohannes came to St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) seeking help. He had not eaten for two days, so the first thing StARS provided was a warm, home-cooked meal. StARS, a program supported by gifts to ELCA World Hunger, offers unaccompanied refugee children food, education and psychosocial support.

Through gifts to ELCA World Hunger, StARS feeds 350 refugee children two meals a day, four days a week. And, with the help of the program, Yohannes has learned about nutrition, budgeting, and services available to him in Cairo.

Unaccompanied children in Cairo often live together in overcrowded apartments so that they can afford the rent. Some receive a small amount of financial support from the United Nations once they register, but most find it very difficult to make ends meet. Financial support from the ELCA and other partners allows StARS to employ a refugee as a chef and to provide part-time work to six young refugees as kitchen assistants and cleaners. Without this work, they would have no means to support themselves as they struggle to survive in Cairo.

For Yohannes and other unaccompanied refugee youth, StARS provides something else that is crucial to well-being – the chance to be children. The program provides food, education and, importantly, a safe space for playing sports and building friendships. “If StARS did not exist, I would go without food for the entire day,” Yohannes said. “Nobody can study with an empty stomach.”

“And here I get the chance to learn and to be with my friends.”

According to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, over half of the world’s refugees are children. Many have experienced or witnessed violence, exploitation, trafficking and abuse. Yet, the children’s resilience helps them cope in new communities, if they are given the support they need to make new friends, learn and play.  Faith-based organizations like StARS help make this possible.

Today, Yohannes is attending school. He has a brighter future thanks to the support of ELCA World Hunger and St. Andrew’s Refugee Service.

(For more on Lutherans and refugees, see here. Visit ELCA World Hunger on Vimeo for “The Kafley Family” story to hear one family’s story of finding a new home in Chicago, with the support of ELCA World Hunger and RefugeeOne.  To learn more about refugees and resettlement, visit Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service at www.lirs.org, a long-time partner of ELCA World Hunger.)

 
Today’s blog post is from Ashley Dellagiacoma, Restart Pastor at KINDRED in Houston, TX.

+KINDRED is a one year old Restart Congregation that gathers weekly for dinner church in Houston, TX.  We meet in a historic building among a vibrant urban neighborhood that boasts some of the best restaurants in the city. Our people know good food, but still hunger for something more.

Preparation for worship starts early in the afternoon as one of our own chefs fire up anything from chicken tikka masala to collard greens and ham hocks. Our “altar guild” consists of 4-year-olds who help fold napkins and people sleeping on the streets who fill the communion cups. The truth is that worship has already begun. From setting the table to loading the dishwasher and everything between, we are proclaiming God’s presence and praise in this assembly and beyond it.

As +KINDRED, we understand the sacramental table to be a very long one. It starts at the cross and goes all the way out the doors to the church building.  We ring the old church bell, light our candles, and then immediately bless and break the bread of Holy Communion. We hear the invitation “this is God’s table and all are welcome – children and skeptic, sinner and saint – we are ready to begin the meal.” The bread is whatever would normally accompany the meal – corn tortillas, croissants, or even red-velvet cake on Pentecost. It still holds a special place in the liturgy, but leads us into a sacramental way of being. As we fill our plates and share lively conversation across the table, we discover Christ meeting us in the ordinary.  We learn to see Jesus in ordinary bread that goes beyond the sanctuary walls.  So during the rest of the week when someone sits down for a taco with a friend, the tortillas on their table reminds and connects them to something bigger. After engaging scripture, prayer, and song we end our time together with the blessing of the cup just as Jesus and the first followers did. Everyone serves and everyone is served, as we share this simple wine around the table.

When people walk in for the first time, they are delightfully surprised that a space can retain its beautiful stained glass window and dark wood-worked ceilings while also accommodate rough-hewn tables and eclectic chairs.  The ancient and modern elements come together to reflect that this is something sacred and also accessible, familiar, and inviting.  They leave having been fed, body and soul.

It’s game time!

While you are cheering on your team and celebrating with family and friends— let’s help tackle hunger together!

From kickoff to final whistle, Team Atlanta and Team New England will seek to outdo one another for the sake of the gospel. The fans that donate the most through their team page to ELCA World Hunger by midnight Central time on February 5 will help their synod take home the title of ELCA World Hunger Champion — regardless of the outcome on the field. Whether your favorite formation is 3-4, 4-3, or 3:16, you can send your nickels and dimes to support your team!

Team New England and Team Atlanta are currently neck-and-neck and asking for your support!

Check out New England Synod Bishop Jim Hazelwood’s video of encouragement! (Direct link – goo.gl/3AwWdc).

And not to “deflate” the competition, but the Southeastern Synod Facebook page notes some attractive incentives for “super” gifts, starting at just $100 for an autographed picture of Bishop Julian Gordy!

In last year’s challenge, Team Denver and Team Carolina came together to raise over $75,000 for the cause! So come off the sidelines to join the fight against hunger. We can truly do more together.

Be sure to send us your game day photos, and may the best team win — so we can all tackle hunger together! #gameon #ELCABigGame #ELCAWorldHunger

(Thanks to Lizzy Croghan at Creative Coworking, Evanston, Ill., for the image of Martin Luther)

David Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Warm-up Question

If you could have a conversation with anyone you wanted, living or dead, who would it be with?

Take the Stage

On January 8^th, the 2017 Golden Globes aired across the nation.  It was a night of awards for films and television of all sorts.  In any other year, the big headline after the awards ceremony would have likely been about the biggest winners.  After all, this year saw the film “La La Land” earn a record-breaking seven Golden Globes.  This year, though, that was overshadowed by one speech given by 67-year-old actress Meryl Streep.

Streep took the stage after winning the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award, an honorary Golden Globe awarded only once each year to the entertainer who made the most “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”.  It was an honor for Streep, who joined the ranks of such film giants as Judy Garland, Sidney Poiter, and Walt Disney.

As she took the stage, though, Streep surprised the crowd by her speech.  It wasn’t about her film experience or her cinematic triumph.  Instead, Streep made a speech about culture, diversity, and rhetoric.  Though she didn’t mention him by name, this speech was seen by most to be a criticism of President-Elect Donald Trump (specifically of his comments about a disabled reporter while Mr. Trump was campaigning).

Reactions to Streep’s speech ranged from admiration to anger.  One Twitter user commented, “Thank you Meryl Streep. Bravery, poise, eloquence, and speaking for many rather than just for herself, and for what is right.”  However, others were angry at how Streep chose to spend her time on the stage.  Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, said she was “concerned that somebody with a platform like Meryl Streep’s is inciting people’s worst instincts.”

Regardless of our feelings about Mrs. Streep’s speech, the reality is simple enough: When given a chance to speak at the podium of a broadly-televised and popular event, she chose to speak about an issue that she saw as gravely important.

Discussion Questions

• If you had the attention of your entire school for two minutes, what would you talk about? What about if you had the attention of the whole nation?
• One of the phrases Mrs. Streep stated was “Disrespect invites disrespect”. What does this statement mean – and is it correct?

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Micah 6:1-8

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Matthew 5:1-12

(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 Beatitudes form the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.  Matthew 5 begins by saying that, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them…”  The context of this Sermon is quite important.  Jesus has just begun his ministry and has called the first apostles.  The Sermon on the Mount represents, as far as we know, his first major address to a huge crowd of people.  There will certainly be more, but it all starts here!

In Jesus’ first address to his first huge crowd, it’s reasonable to assume that he’d start with something incredibly important to his mission and ministry.  After all, wouldn’t he have wanted to make the most of this chance to communicate to the masses?

It’s really important, then, to note that Jesus’ very first words in this pivotal Sermon target those who are traditionally marginalized or considered weak.  The first three Beatitudes target those who are shown in a state of weakness, turning their very weakness into power.  The next four promise the fulfillment of those who seek virtue and goodness.  Finally, the last two promise the fullness of God’s kingdom to those who encounter trials because of their devotion to God.

As Lutherans, we encounter another beautiful truth in these words.  Luther taught that God’s Word is more than just information.  God’s Word is actual creative power.  In the beginning, God said, “Let there be…” and there was.  God’s Word doesn’t just describe reality – it creates reality.

So when Jesus climbs a mountain, turns, and addresses the people, he’s doing something profound.  In the opening to his profoundly important Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks and changes the world.  Jesus speaks the creative power of God’s Word, creating a world in which traditional authority cannot stand against the power of humble, the meek, the persecuted, and the oppressed.  Jesus issue the words that change our world.  Amen!

Discussion Questions

• What examples do you know from history or your own life of humble or peaceful figures effecting great change?
• Do we generally value peacefulness, meekness, purity, and persecution?

Activity Suggestions

There are many images of Moses on Mount Sinai holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments (it turns out the Bible is big on stories of revelation happening on mountaintops).  Create a parallel of this image by make a poster, depicting the Beatitudes as a series of numbered revelations, similar to the Ten Commandments.  After all, like the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes teach us how to live and what to value!

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, your Word shapes our world, lifting up the oppressed, comforting the afflicted, and challenging the comfortable.  Show us how to mirror your love to the world.  Help us to value those virtues your Son taught on the mountaintop.  Be with us and teach us to find strength in weakness.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

On January 20, our nation marked the peaceful transition of power from one president to the next. As this new era begins, the ELCA Advocacy network is already engaging with our nation’s elected leaders on important issues affecting our communities.

The ELCA ministry of advocacy is rooted in faith that is active in love; love calls for justice in the relationships and structures of society. (The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, 1991) This affirmation grounds the ELCA Advocacy priorities for engagement with the 115^thCongress and Trump administration. Look for upcoming alerts and opportunities to participate in faithful witness and action to advance greater justice, peace, and care of creation.

ELCA ADVOCACY’S MAJOR PRIORITIES IN 2017:

CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION

• Protect God’s creation from the impacts of climate change, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring a just transition to renewable energy occurs and all Americans have access to clean water.

PROVIDING HOSPITALITY TO OUR NEIGHBORS

• Address the urgent need for protection of vulnerable migrant children and families from Central America while also focusing on long-term solutions that create safe, sufficient and sustainable livelihoods for all.

CONCERN FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS LIVING IN POVERTY AND STRUGGLING WITH HUNGER

• Maintain and expand federal programs that provide food assistance to children and families in need as a first step toward ending hunger in the United States. 

• Act to ensure all people have access to affordable, accessible and quality healthcare.

• Increase support for programs that seek to end homelessness and focus on uplifting community members who are most heavily impacted, including seniors, rural residents, LGBTQ youth, ex-offenders seeking re-entry, and low-income families. 

• Ensure the U.S. government continues to fund humanitarian relief and development programs that address extreme hunger and poverty across the globe.

SEEKING JUSTICE AND PEACE FOR ALL PEOPLE

• Prevent gender-based violence in the United States and around the world. 

• Address unjust systems of mass incarceration as part of our commitment to challenge systems of racial and economic injustice. 

• Call for a peaceful and lasting negotiated resolution to the Palestinian Israeli conflict.

ELCA Advocacy’s 2017 priorities reflect the ELCA’s deep commitment to act and speak for a hunger-free world where all God’s children can thrive. In addition to these primary areas of engagement, ELCA Advocacy will monitor and work on ongoing priorities and remain flexible in response to legislative opportunities as they arise.

In shepherding our 2017 priorities, your advocacy staff will initiate and steward relationships on Capitol Hill, provide education and timely opportunities for action through e-alerts, coordinate with interfaith and ecumenical partner organizations and work with ELCA ministries and Bishops to maximize their voices for impact in the new session of Congress.

How does ELCA Advocacy determine our priority issues?

ELCA Advocacy priorities are grounded in the experience and concerns of ministries and synods and are framed by our social teaching documents and theological commitments. Top tier issues are evaluated for their connection to the goals of ELCA World Hunger, examined for potential to further racial and gender justice and assessed according for the potential for action by the ELCA Advocacy Network, Bishops’ Ready Benches.

Visit our ELCA Advocacy Action Center or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on all our advocacy priorities. 

Today’s blog post is from Kevin Strickland, Assistant to the Presiding Bishop and Executive for Worship for the ELCA, and is the longer form of the Worship E-news greeting for January 2017.

 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant^[e] in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

In this season after Epiphany, how can Simeon’s song continue to carry us through the cadences of life’s darkness and bring hopeful light? Simeon’s “song”, has become one of our own. Many know these words well in the Latin, Nunc Dimittis, which means, “now send away,” the hymn that is sometimes sung after Communion or interestingly it is also what we sing as part of the service of Compline—the “going to bed” liturgy.

As we close our day, we sing, “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”

What have our eyes seen before going to bed? It’s usually the common ordinary stuff of life: dirty dishes, endless e-mails, which kid forgot to do their science experiment and waits until bedtime to tell you, paper work, bills, dirty clothes that seem to never end, aging parents that require more attention, etc, etc, etc.

What have our eyes seen before going to bed?

Is it the news that once again someone has been shot, or another terror attack, or another political slam made from one side of the aisle to the other.

What have our eyes seen before going to bed?

Is it the test results that reveal cancer, or the loved one who has to go into assistance because her memory is no more, or have our eyes looked into the eyes of another for the last time, as in peace and joy they now depart?

Is God’s salvation to be seen in such common, ordinary, even mundane things of life? As well, is God’s salvation to be seen in all of life’s good and bad, joy and sadness, celebration and mourning?

What have eyes seen when we gather as the assembly of God in worship? There are people who are vast and different. People who bring with them into this space a host of issues and yet in our brokenness as a body we are made whole by Christ own. Is God’s salvation to be seen in our gathering?

What have eyes seen in sacrament of Holy Communion? It is around simple things that we gather: bread and wine with one another. Is God’s salvation to be seen in this?

What have eyes seen in the sacrament of Holy Baptism? It is around simple things like water that we gather with one another? Is God’s salvation to be seen in this?

God is indeed present in an infant, in bread and wine, in water, in each other, in our gathering, in the ordinary and extra-ordinary events of every day life. Where God is present, there salvation is for those with the faith to see more than just the obvious or what is transparent.

Could it be that Simeon sings the starting notes of the canticle of all of our lives? Could it be that Simeon reminds us that we behold God’s salvation each and every time we behold the face of another that God created and each and every time we gather to watch over as another saint of God’s departs in peace?

Let us continue to sing with Simeon. Let us continue seeing the salvation of God that is before our very eyes each and every day with each and every person, until at our last we sing and we rejoice with Simeon and all the saints: “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”

May it be so! Amen.

Bob Chell, Sioux Falls, SD

Warm-up Question

Who were you hoping would be inaugurated President this week? What did he or she say or do that led you to believe they could be a force for justice and good in our country and the world?

Hope for Healing

The big news story this week is, of course, the inauguration of a new president of the United States.  The day is greeted with rejoicing by many and despair by others.  A constant theme throughout the election and run up to the transition of power has been the division of the country along racial, economic, and cultural lines.  There is little agreement on why we are divided, who is to blame, but everyone expresses the need for “healing” after a brutal election.  Everyone professes a desire for reconciliation, but it is not at all clear how that can happen.

Discussion Questions

• If you are discussing this in a group, have each person make the best case possible for a candidate, they did NOT support.
• How involved were you in the presidential campaign? What got you involved or what would have a candidate had to do or say for you to become involved?
• Who do you admire as a leader? Why?

Third Sunday After Epiphany

Isaiah 9:1-4

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Matthew 4:12-23

(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

I want to tell you some true stories which I made up.

First, let me explain. I want you to know I made them up because I am always honored when people trust me as their pastor with pain and problems and decisions about intimate and significant parts of their lives. I don’t violate that trust by using those stories as sermon illustrations.

Even so, I think you will sense the truth these stories point to.  Anne’s counselor told her it wasn’t her fault yet the guilt remained.  “I shouldn’t have gone back to his dorm with him,” she said.   “At first acted like he was fooling around, and when I realized he wasn’t he scared me. I thought I could calm him down, I should’ve screamed, I don’t know… I was… Anyway, afterwards he told me if I said anything he would just deny it and no one would believe me anyway, and it’s true. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have gone home with him.”

The counselor listened patiently, knowing that victims of assault often blame themselves for things they have no control over.  Anne was haunted by guilt and shame, and over & over the same words came back, “… my own fault… I should have… I don’t know why…I just wish…”

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“It’s my Grandpa Stan.”  Stan the man, everybody calls him that. He’s a great guy. He knows everybody in town Always a smile—everybody in the coffee crowd at the cafe seemed to perk up when Grandpa showed up.  That was before Grandma Betsy’s death. …49 years. They were so excited about their 50th anniversary. The whole family was going to be there, even Uncle Jim from Japan.

Why did she have to die? Why couldn’t  there be a few more years, good years, happy years, healthy years?  Oh, Grandpa still smiles but it’s not the same. That’s what everybody says. “He’s just not the same,” they say, “…since Betsy’s death.”

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“ …Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.”  Every disease, every sickness, all those things which incapacitate, hold down, immobilize. and oppress.  What does it look like, what does it feel like to be sick? It looks like guilt, it feels like anger, it sounds like loneliness.  It feels the same in our lives—young or old. The list is infinite: death. fear, hurt doubt, shame, depression, illness, addiction, obsession. Choose one or a handful.

Those are the words but our pain is sharply felt in specific instances unplanned pregnancies, alcohol abuse, cancer, no relationships, broken relationships, family violence, no job, no money and more.  ...and Jesus came to heal. Why then, do we know our pain so much better than we know Jesus healing?  Where is my help, where is my healing?  Our lesson is primarily about the calling of the disciples, yet, our pain gets in the way of following. the pain of our history the pain of our present, the pain we fear awaits us.

Unlike the presidential candidates who promise to take away our pain and suffering, Jesus invites us deeper into the darkness. “You will find your life by losing it,” he once told his followers.

Some among us know the miracle of healing, of joy restored, a relationship rekindled, a healing of heart or mind or body. If God has healed your heart, cherish it, treasure it. You know in a special way the power of God’s love.

Yet, all of us know of times, and places and pains in our lives which God has not touched. Those places where the pain is so fresh, so unrelenting, so immediate that we can only sit and stare and hurt.  It is hard to reconcile our pain with God’s promises.

I can’t tell you when God’s care will break through your pain. I can’t tell you if God’s care will break through your pain. I can tell you about Peter and Andrew, James and John.  Did Simon Peter understand that responding to Jesus that day would lead to his own crucifixion? Or that Andrew would share the same fate. That James, one of the first to follow, would also be the first of the 12 to be executed for his faith. Or John, Surely John couldn’t imagine that following Jesus would mean living homeless, in exile, on the island of Patmos.

You are reading this because you have heard Jesus invitation to follow.  We want the following and the healing to come together. We follow. God heals.  Instead, God has chosen to do it differently.  God heals first. Then we follow.  The blind beggar, the woman who had bled for 12 years, the man who could not walk by the side of the pool, the woman who slept around. The Bible is full of people who healed by Jesus, turned to follow his promises.

Healing wasn’t the end for them but the beginning of their faith journey. It probably wasn’t easy for them either.  The blind man with no job skills, The woman ill for 12 years who no one remembered when she returned home, the woman who slept around whose reputation no one would forget the reformed tax collector no one would trust.

Healing is not the end of our pain, instead the pain is the beginning of our healing.   We don’t choose the shape of our healing. We don’t choose the when or the where or the how.  Not all our prayers are answered when we would like.  Not all our prayers are answered as clearly as we would like. Some say faith changes things, usually, that thing is us.

We know that. We know now that the time we were most unhappy is the time when we began determining who we were and what we were about. The time we were certain we had messed our life up beyond recovery as the time we began to get our life under control. The fight with our best friend that ended up deepening our friendship.  The problem is that growth often feels like dying. We know that, too.

Jesus looks for each of us, calls to the lost and lonely part of each of us, the part of us which is restless and unsettled. Follow me, he says.  Our lives are stories of faith continually unfolding stories of those whom God loves, whom God feeds, whom God searches out if need be, whom God heals.  In your sharpest pain and in your greatest joy, you are in God s care.

Discussion Questions

• How do politicians’ solutions to our problems differ from Jesus’ solutions?
• Why does God allow suffering?
• Can you recall a time of deep pain which was also a time of personal or spiritual growth?

Activity Suggestions

• Do something to encourage someone you know is having a tough time.
• Ask an elder in you congregation or family how God helped them through a tough time.
• Make a list of three things which will give meaning and purpose to your life. Talk about what you are doing now that reflects these values.

Closing Prayer

God, we don’t understand why innocent people suffer. We want to trust in you but it’s hard when our lives are spinning out of control. Give us patience and give us