Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN

Warm-up Question

What is the Good News when there isn’t any big news?

How Do You Know?

photo: a katz / Shutterstock.com

On February 5th a construction crane collapsed in New York City, killing one person and injuring three others. The name of the person killed in the collapse was David Wichs, 38 years old.  He was sitting in a parked car at the time.  According to news stories Wichs was a brilliant mathematician who lived a life of giving.”  He had no connection to the construction site and was on his way to work at the time.

Discussion Questions

• Besides all the accidents that might befall any of us on any given day, against which we might take some preventative precautions, what sorts of freak occurrences are theoretically possible but so unlikely that we never give them the slightest thought or concern?
• What kinds of things do you suppose people might say to David Wichs’ widow in the face of her grief and loss? What would you say to her if you had the opportunity?
• If you were David Wichs’ widow, what might people say to you that you would find helpful? What might people say that you would not find helpful?

Third Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 55:1-9

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Luke 13:1-9
(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 another gospel passage (Matthew 16:13-15), Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and then, more pointedly, “Who do you say that I am?” Presumably, everyone together at the right time and the right place shared the same information about Jesus. They could all see him and the things he was doing; they could all hear him and the things he was saying. But very different interpretations of Jesus abounded. Was Jesus perhaps John the Baptist somehow come back from the dead? Was he Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets in a new appearance? People interpreted the information about Jesus in many different ways. Finally Peter said, to Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Religious skeptics claim that faith in God is a distortion of reality, an example of confirmation bias, which is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories. Confirmation bias impairs judgment and critical thinking. People of faith often make the same claims about skeptics, thereby participating in a tired and pointless argument that only manages to perpetuate itself endlessly. People of faith might ask, for example, “How can anyone look upon the grandeur of nature and not see the existence of God?’ while skeptics might ask, “How can anyone look upon the extent of suffering and not see the absence of God?” Each side engages in its own form of confirmation bias to support its claims and to denounce its detractors.

Confirmation bias, however, does not always or necessarily produce a distortion of truth and reality. The fact that our perceptions are shaped by our beliefs does not necessarily mean that our perceptions are false and unreliable. The Gospel of John deals with this matter extensively with regard to faith in Jesus. Everywhere in John (with the exception of the story about Thomas in chapter 20!) believing precedes seeing and is necessary to it. “You will see me,” Jesus promises those who believe in him.

But if belief leads to seeing, what leads to belief? Jesus answers that question in our gospel text when he talks about “keeping my commandments.” Here we have to do with the behaviors and practices that pertain to the Christian community, the church. The church is called to do as Jesus does, to do as Jesus says, to do as Jesus teaches. Such doing incubates belief, and belief incubates seeing.

Discussion Questions

• Which Christian practices and behaviors have you found to be most supportive of your faith in Jesus?
• When have you had an experience of seeing Jesus? Describe the context of that experience.
• What is your greatest challenge or obstacle to faith? How might you best meet and seek to overcome that challenge or obstacle?
• How do you help others to see Jesus? How do or how might others see Jesus in you?

Activity Suggestions

As a group, describe ways that you have seen Jesus in each person of the group or ways that each person helps others to see Jesus. What, for each person in the group, is the most surprising about what others have said?

Closing Prayer

Pray together the prayer for “Enlightenment of the Holy Spirit” on page 86 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

By: John B. Johnson IV, ELCA Advocacy Program Director, Domestic Policy

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:12-13

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those that are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! – Luke 13:34

Last Sunday we heard Paul’s letter to the Romans proclaiming that there is “no Jew and Greek … under one Lord of all” and the story of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. And this Sunday Paul invites his readers to remember that “our citizenship is in heaven” while Luke’s Gospel is the lament over Jerusalem. When I tune into the latest news about this year’s elections, I can’t help but think about the timing of this Lent’s readings and wonder, is God trying to tell us something?

What if we as Christians didn’t fall into the temptation to believe that my God is not your God? I wonder what would happen if we tried to change the conversation by rewriting the Scripture from Romans this way: For there is no distinction between Democrat and Republican; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. What if candidates began their stump speeches with recognition of the humanity and dignity of their opponent(s) and then began pitching their ideas for the future of our country?

Ok … I know. This isn’t the way we do politics, and I don’t want to be Pollyannaish, but when the rancor gets as bad as it is, I think we are called as a church to speak up. More importantly, we are called to model the notion that we are all the children of one God; that God loves us each individually and has given us each gifts and skills to be in the world. Could we simply agree on this and model it in the world in the way we each exist in the world and to everyone around us?

I had an opportunity to visit the ELCA Southeastern Synod recently for an advocacy event in Atlanta titled: “Your Voice Makes a Difference.” What struck me about this meeting is the work they had done to form an advocacy network in their synod. Rather than concentrating on what divides us, they are seeking to give voice to issues they have found agreement on. In deciding their priority advocacy issues, the leaders asked, “Where do we agree?” This is what they came up with:

~ No one should go hungry.

~ No one should be a victim of slavery.

~ We incarcerate entirely too many people.

~ All children deserve equal access to education.

~ Our current immigration system is broken.

~ All people are of equal value.

I bet if we tried, we could add to that list in some simple and meaningful ways. But these six powerful concepts for that growing network brought unity that is turning into advocacy that will turn into meaningful change.

One of the reasons Lutherans make such an impact on public policy, especially policies that affect our communities, is that we have found a common call to God through Jesus Christ. Our agreement on that makes possible more than we could ever imagine in a divided, broken, rancor-filled world.

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we enter the season of Lent, register yourself or your congregation for ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving! to ensure that we can continue to work for systemic change that truly supports our brothers and sisters facing poverty and hunger.

John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

If you could only have one beverage to drink for the next month, what would it be and why?

What’s in the Pipes

The last time you turned on the water to brush your teeth or wash your hands or get something to drink, were you worried about the quality of your water? Thankfully, most water systems in the United States are regularly tested and are fairly safe, but unfortunately for the residents of Flint, Michigan a series of governmental decisions and cost-cutting measures combined to create a water system with ” abnormally high levels of e. coli, trihamlomethanes, lead, and copper,” which caused severe health problems for many local residents.

  For years, Flint enjoyed excellent water pumped from Lake Huron. But under pressure from rising water costs, a shrinking tax-base, and an overwhelming debt, leaders in Michigan and Flint made the decision to begin pumping water from the Flint River. In April 2014, Flint made the switch and residents began to notice a bad taste in the water and a nasty smell. Initial tests revealed there were dangerous levels of bacteria and other compounds present. Flint issued boil orders and increased the amount of chlorine in their water to try and address the issues, but those measures didn’t resolve all the problems. While some local officials attempted to raise the alarm, the process of addressing the issues with Flint’s water was extremely slow.

As concern about the water quality grew among residents, local officials assured residents that the problem was under control, but a local mother, Lee Anne Walters, and others continued to ask questions about the quality of the water and to push for increased water testing. The initial results from the local testing agencies seemed to indicate that the level of lead in Flint’s water was acceptable, but Ms. Walters and others doubted the results of the local tests and continued to push for more and better testing. Determined to discover the truth about her water, Ms. Walters contacted an independent researcher from Virginia Tech University, Marc Edwards, who quickly discovered that Flint’s water contained extremely unsafe levels of lead. Ms. Walters and Professor Edwards contacted state and local officials and media outlets to make it clear that the danger was real. Thanks to the persistence of Ms. Walters, the research of Professor Edwards, the work of other researchers, and the pressure from the media, the water problems in Flint have finally been properly identified and the process of bringing safe drinking water back to the residents of Flint is now underway. An extensive timeline detailing all the events in the Flint, Michigan water crisis can be found here.

Discussion Questions

• The residents of Flint make up a tiny, tiny percentage of the population of the United States, so why do you think the water crisis in Flint became a major national news story?
• God calls us to be good stewards of all our gifts. What can you do to care for the gift of water?
• Ms. Walters was determined to find out the truth and would not stop asking questions until she got answers. Why do you think she was so persistent in her pursuit of the truth?

Second Sunday in Lent

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Luke 13:31-35
(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 Pharisees come to Jesus with a warning – “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you” (Lk 13:31). While you or I might be worried or intimidated by these words, Jesus seems entirely unconcerned by the threat. There is ministry to be done. There are people to heal. There are demons to be cast out. Jesus won’t be rushed. Jesus won’t be sidetracked by the threat of death. He knows that his death will not be caused by Herod’s anger. Jesus knows what awaits him in Jerusalem. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” Jesus says, “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (Lk 13:34). Jesus knows how his story will end and he accepts his impending death because he trusts that his crucifixion and resurrection will be the final step in accomplishing his mission to love, bless, and save God’s people.

Trusting in God’s power, Jesus lives without fear. He is focused on who he is called to be and what he is called to do. As powerful as Herod is, God’s power is far, far stronger. Nothing, not even mighty Herod, will prevent Jesus from helping the afflicted, teaching God’s Word and completing is ministry of salvation.

It’s easy sometimes for us to get sidetracked when we feel pressure from those in power, from our peers or from the world around us. It’s easy to doubt ourselves or the goal we are trying to accomplish, but just like Jesus, we too know how our story will end. As children of God, united to Jesus’ death and resurrection by the waters of baptism, we know the promise of hope and salvation for all God’s people. You and I may not be casting out demons or healing people in the same way that Jesus was doing, but just like Jesus, we too can live without fear and focus on our calling to be God’s heart and hands and voices in the world. Using our gifts to take part in Jesus’ mission to love and bless the world.

Discussion Questions

• How do you think the Pharisees expected Jesus to respond when they told him about Herod’s threat? How do you think the Pharisees responded when Jesus basically ignored their warning?
• Fear is a powerful emotion. Name a resource (scripture verse, friend, mentor, music, book, blog, twitter feed, etc) that helps you know that God is with you when you are afraid?
• What is one way that you can participate in God’s mission to love and bless the world?

Activity Suggestion

Use some of the activities in the ELCA World Hunger: Water and Hunger toolkit to learn more about water we use on a daily basis without realizing it and to raise awareness of the gift of water.

http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Water_and_Hunger.pdf?_ga=1.26250941.1043638550.1454503920

Closing Prayer

O God, you are a source of help and strength in times of trouble. Comfort us with your Spirit in our times of fear and trouble. Inspire us by Jesus’ example and by your powerful love to care for creation, to love our neighbor and to be your hearts and hands and voices in the world. Amen.

Few experiences produce anxiety much like washing your hands in water that you know can poison you.  I’m watching a natural resource come natural hazard spill over my hands from a tap in Salem Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Flint, Michigan.  Like many other buildings and homes, the church has lead in its water — water it has used for drinking, cooking and baptizing infants.  Before my meeting with Pastor Monica Villarreal of Salem, I had stopped by a downtown coffeeshop for an iced tea, something I do far too often in my own city without batting an eye.  But here in Flint, even this simple act carries with it pit-of-the-gut worry.  It’s one thing to trust that your barista has put enough milk in your latte.  It’s quite another to trust her when she tells you the water is safe.

Flint bears all the marks of any number of Midwestern towns abandoned by manufacturing firms in search of cheap labor.  Liquor stores dot barren blocks.  Once-proud homes loom in disrepair from untended lots. Violent crime is a regular experience. And a river runs through it.  A river filled with bacteria and, now, so corrosive it can damage pipes and car parts.

In politics as in war, the first casualty is truth.  Finding reliable information on the water crisis is difficult, even from reputable news sources.  What we do know is this: people in power gambled with the lives of people in poverty and lost.  When residents complained about the water, state officials from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality responded with “aggressive dismissal, belittlement and attempts to discredit these efforts and the individuals involved,” insisting that the water was safe.

The first “strategic goal” of the MDEQ is to “protect public health.” They failed. Miserably.  But no apology  from state officials, no number of resignations will be enough.  Those officials get to go home and drink clean, cheap water from their taps.  The people of Flint are stuck paying for poison in their homes.  The state leadership in Michigan was as corrosive as the Flint River, eroding trust and sowing fear as quickly as the water they provided corroded pipes and spread lead.  This water was given to babies, infants, and children because people in power said it was safe.

My work with ELCA World Hunger has carried me to places of rural poverty in Iowa, drought-stricken neighborhoods in Central California, and the corrugated metal-covered homes of displaced people in Colombia in search of answers to the same two questions: Where is God? and Where is the Church?

As I sit in Pastor Villarreal’s office holding a bottle of murky brown water drawn from the taps at Salem Lutheran, she tells me about the deep pain resonating throughout her neighborhood.  She describes the guilt of parents who gave their children lead-filled water to drink, of the frustratingly slow state response, of the opportunistic lawyers and media now spilling into Flint.

But she also shows me a list of the congregations and individuals that have reached out to her with donations of time, money, water, and filters.  She describes a young girl who was so moved by what she learned about access to water at the ELCA Youth Gathering in 2015 that when she heard about Flint, she felt called to help.  I hear about churches working together to prepare truckloads of water to ship to Flint, plumbers and pipe-fitters offering their services pro bono.

Pastor Villarreal describes interfaith groups and ecumenical groups coming together to support the community, of Muslims, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, and others in conversation and in partnership. Last week, ELCA World Hunger joined that list, by providing $5,000 to the Southeast Michigan Synod for Salem Lutheran Church.  This support will help Salem purchase bottled water to distribute to people in need.  It will also provide support to Salem’s food pantry, so that they can purchase food that meets the nutritional needs of people affected by lead.

And I have my answer.  We may not be eating bread and wine at an altar or singing hymns, but here, in this office, this is Church in its most basic form — a site of relief for those in need, a safe space to share dangerous stories of guilt and pain, and a place to unite to hold our leaders accountable when they fail to protect the well-being of all citizens.

Here, too, we are surrounded by weighty symbols — the brown water and corroded pipes that symbolize injustice, and the donated water from across the state and letters of support from all over the nation that symbolize a community committed to not let that injustice stand. The icons here represent a community of neighbors that transcend boundaries to accompany one another.

It is impossible to miss the sacramental volatility of water, that medium that gives life and takes life. It encapsulates the irony of living in the Great Lake State without clean water to drink. It symbolizes both the life-giving grace of the created world and the death-dealing abuses of power that come when we silence and marginalize our neighbors.  It is the touchpoint that knits together people across the spectrum of faiths and no-faith. It has become a rallying point for a community to come together.

Long after the media has left, Flint will still be dealing with this catastrophe.  The lead will still be in the pipes, and the chemicals and bacteria will still be in the river.  But people of faith and people of goodwill will still be here, too, to accompany one another and to hold government accountable.  ELCA World Hunger will continue to be present, too, and to accompany our brothers and sisters in the area with prayer, conversation and financial support.  As we learn more about the shape that this accompaniment will take, we will provide updates both here on the ELCA World Hunger blog and on social media.

What can you do to support Flint?

Pray – Include the people of Flint in your personal prayers and during worship with your congregation this Lenten season.

Advocate – This is a federal issue, and ELCA Advocacy recently released an advocacy alert related to the crisis.

Give – ELCA World Hunger will continue to support the community of Flint and Salem Lutheran Church through the long-term work that will be needed to find a “new normal” after this catatstrophe.  Prayerfully consider supporting this long-term work by making a gift to ELCA World Hunger.

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is the program director of hunger education for ELCA World Hunger.  He can be reached at Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

By: The Rev. Amy Reumann, Director, Advocacy

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1).

Fasting, prayer and almsgiving are the traditional disciplines of Lent. In the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Jesus addresses these three acts of piety already well known in rabbinic teaching. Two thousand years later they continue to top the list of Lenten disciplines: refraining from certain food or drink, being more prayerful or making an extra donation to charity.

Jesus is never content to let tradition be. Just when you think you’ve got prayer, fasting and donating down, he puts his own spin on things. Fasting? Don’t complain, but put on a happy face. More prayer? Yes, please, but shut the door so no one sees you at it. Almsgiving? By all means, just don’t let anybody know. When you put your faith into action, Jesus asks you to keep it a secret. Shhhhh. Don’t let anyone know!

His “tell no one” instructions run into immediate obstacles. If this was a tall order in his day, it’s even more challenging in an age when we post, tweet and selfie our every moment. Increasingly, it seems that anything worth doing (and many things that are not) is made public on social media immediately. It follows then that if no one sees it, then why DO it?

Another implication of this text troubles me. Jesus’ admonition to act out piety in secret has helped reinforce the unfortunate belief that acts of faith belong in the private sphere of life.  Prayer, fasting, charity and anything else that has to do with living our faith gets defined as a personal matter between me and God, to the point where a public faith may be denounced as going against Jesus’ own instructions.

Applied too broadly, this interpretation can implant a spirit of timidity that makes Lutherans reticent to speak their faith in public. It dampens our efforts to offer public testimony in the two ways that matter most: the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbor and by witness to Christ through advocacy that lifts up a faithful voice with and on behalf of our neighbor’s needs.

But what if we are not the center of what’s going on in Matthew 6?  What if the word on Ash Wednesday, before it is a warning against being spiritual show-offs, is a theological statement about the God who “sees in secret”? This is the God who sees the best and the worst that we have to offer and still showers us with grace and mercy. This God offers us a promise: Our most holy actions won’t save us but neither will our most cowardly or selfish condemn us. God knows our secrets, including that we are often afraid to speak out as witnesses to Christ, but calls us nonetheless and promises to give us the words when we need them.

Martin Luther famously said, “God doesn’t want our good works. But our neighbor does.” He didn’t keep silent in the face of injustice but wrote hundreds of letters advocating for compassionate policies and structural change. He taught that faith is not a secret but a mystery about a God who sees, loves, forgives, heals our sin sick souls, and as a consequence, we are called to do the same, particularly on behalf of the people and the places that are broken and hurting.

Of course, inner disciplines nurture and ground our outward witness. We need both. But if Lent, more than any other time of the Christian calendar, asks us to tend to and focus on our own sin, confession and renewal, how much more could it become a time for nurturing the same practices in public?

What if this Lent we fasted from inwardly focused piety to outwardly motivated action, from prayer in private to public lament and truth-telling, from almsgiving that that goes beyond charity to raising of voices and action for greater justice?

It’s strange that we kick off Lent marked by ashes as an external sign of faith, but can spend the season focused only on internal attitudes. How about living Lent out loud this year? The leaders of your ELCA advocacy ministries will accompany you through the next weeks with blog posts and alerts to point to the places where we can and are moving as church together from private to public, from self-regard to neighbor-love, from focus on individual sin to calling out societal transgressions, from secret faith to public proclamation of the hope that comes at Easter. I wish you a blessed and holy Lent.

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we enter the season of Lent, register yourself or your congregation for ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving! to ensure that we can continue to work for systemic change that truly supports our brothers and sisters facing poverty and hunger.

Erik Ullestad, Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without for a month?

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

The hit television show The Biggest Loser is wrapping up its 17th season. The premise of the show is simple – a group of people compete in a contest to lose weight. Different challenges and mini-contests are introduced throughout a given season. Most often the group is secluded in a boot-camp setting, removed from the distractions and bad habits of their normal life. This season’s theme is temptation, which means contestants will spend more time off-campus than in previous seasons. They will learn to deal with temptations and indulgences of daily life, ranging from food to money to electronic devices.

  Critics of the show throughout the years have expressed concern that the producers put entertainment ahead of health. Former contestants, like season three winner Kai Hibbard, did not appreciate some of the tactics employed by the show. “It was the biggest mistake of my life,” Hibbard confessed. Another former contestant, Suzanne Mendonca from season two, believes some of the style-over-substance approaches don’t help contestants in the long run. “We’re all fat again,” she lamented. The producers of Season 17 hope that bringing the gap between the Biggest Loser gym and the real world will help contestants navigate the many challenges that can be stumbling blocks to living a healthy lifestyle.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser? What do you think of the show?
• In 2014, Gallup indicated that 27.7% of adults in the U.S. are obese. What factors do you think contribute to such a high obesity rate?
• The people on The Biggest Loser face significant temptation to eat unhealthy amounts of food. What unhealthy habits tempt you to do things you know are unhelpful?

First Sunday of Lent

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Romans 10:8b-13

Luke 4:1-13

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

Jesus begins his ministry in a rather strange way. After he was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days. Throughout those six weeks, he was tempted by the devil. At the very end of this fast, the devil tried to take advantage of Jesus’ extreme hunger. The devil poses three tests — turn a stone into bread, worship the devil, throw himself down from the temple — as an attempt to demonstrate his power. Jesus rebukes the devil each time. So the devil goes away. And Jesus returns to Galilee.

There is a lot happening beneath the surface of this war of words between Jesus and the devil. One of the fascinating aspects of their duel is that they both quote Scripture. Jesus references Deuteronomy in Luke 4:4 and 4:8, and the devil invokes Psalm 91 in Luke 4:10-11. This is a cunning attempt on the part of the devil to bait Jesus into doing something he shouldn’t do. It seems that Luke wants us to know that there’s more to knowing Scripture than simply reciting it. The devil uses Scripture for an inward, selfish purpose, whereas Jesus realizes that Scripture compels us to a life of obedience and self-sacrifice.

This story ushers lectionary-minded Christians into the season of Lent. It is no accident that Lent is forty days long; the same number of days Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. People often observe a Lenten discipline by fasting from something (candy, soda, social media, etc.) or by starting a new habit (writing a daily thank-you card or giving money to a good cause). Sometimes people refer to this as “giving something up for Lent.” The purpose of these disciplines is not to show how holy a person is or to draw attention to oneself. The goal of a Lenten discipline is to follow Christ’s example of humility, self-denial, and reflection.

Discussion Questions

• What’s the hungriest you’ve ever been?
• How did the devil try to tempt Jesus?
• Have you ever gotten into a Scripture-quoting argument with someone? How did it end up?
• What do you think is the purpose of a Lenten discipline?

Activity Suggestions

Develop a Lenten discipline for your group. Solicit input from everyone to come up with something that will be attainable and meaningful for everyone. Perhaps you’ll all decide to read from the Bible every day. (There are lots of good Lenten reading plans online.) or encourage daily prayer. The group may want to commit to giving time or money to a local organization that fights hunger. Whatever you decide, encourage everyone in the group to participate earnestly and honestly. Having this kind of accountability can add a sense of camaraderie among your group and may help breathe new life into the season of Lent.

You know about Advent calendars, right? How about making a Lenten calendar. The season of Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, not counting Sundays. Individuals can make their own Lenten calendar by using two pieces of cardstock, an exacto-knife, and a glue stick. This simple craft will help people observe a ritual of daily walking through the journey of Lent. It might help them with a Lenten discipline as well.

Closing Prayer

Holy God, we give you thanks for the witness of your son, Jesus. Help us to fix our eyes on him as we journey to the cross. Turn our thoughts from selfish desires toward your will for our lives. Help us to love others as you have loved us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Lent is around the corner, and I am considering how to spend my forty days. There is a tradition of giving up something during Lent and marking the time by abstaining from indulgences, like sweets or meat. Then there is another newer tradition of taking on a new discipline like journaling or an attitude change to mark the six weeks. The questions remains: how do we mark the penitent time of Jesus venturing to the cross? Do I give up my favorite treat? Do I take to heart, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”?

ELCA World Hunger invites congregations to participate in “40 Days of Giving” and spend this penitent season with a focus on generosity. When your congregation registers to participate they can choose to get a daily devotion sent to their email created by thought-leaders throughout the church. There are also six weekly sessions that accompany the devotions that dive deeper into the themes of Lent that are perfect for adult study.

Bethany Lutheran Church in Colorado has taken a familial approach to Lent with an intergenerational devotional. This congregation places hunger relief at the top of their outreach ministry, so when they were asked to participate in the ELCA World Hunger “40 Days of Giving” challenge they answered with a resounding YES! Alongside the resources offered by ELCA World Hunger Bethany created a supplemental household devotion that brings families together to read scripture and discuss reflection questions throughout the six weeks of Lent.

The devotional walks the participants through Lent with reflection questions, Bible verses, prayers, blessings, and service opportunities. There are four aspects to this devotional and each provide a different emphasis: “Faith + Connect” is about connecting the scripture to daily life, “Faith + Serve” provides an opportunity of service, “Faith + Pray” presents a prayer for the week, and “Faith + Bless” offers a blessing for the week. Each aspect of the devotional is grounded in the scripture that guides the congregation through Jesus’ journey to the cross. The “Faith + Connect” section lifts up a couple of the readings from the previous Sunday to focus their attention on a few verses each day. The structure is easy to follow with reflection questions and small activities each week.

In the first week, the household is given a central theme for the six weeks of Lent: generosity. The participants are asked to consider generosity in terms of their relationships with others and with God. “Where did you experience generosity today? How did you offer generosity today? Where did you see God’s generosity?” We do not usually think about generosity during a season of restraint, but it provides the opportunity to consider Lent in a new light. Bethany has embraced the idea behind ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving by asking the question: what does it mean to be generous?

This central idea of generosity is the undercurrent of this devotional, but the foundation is centered on faith. Connecting faith to our reality is the daily reflection and Bible passage, but faith also grounds the weekly service in “Faith + Serve”. Faith is undoubtedly the basis for the weekly blessing and prayer in “Faith + Bless” and “Faith + Pray”. Yet placing the word “faith” before each of these components is a constant reminder that faith encompasses all of these aspects. Each person has a different faith journey and awakens their faith through different practices.

Bethany is providing a way to explore faith intentionally with our households throughout a season that can become very individualistic. We find what we each want to give up and go through Lent relying on God and willpower. Yet many churches like Bethany are finding ways to create community during this somber time alongside ELCA World Hunger.

The “40 Days of Giving” challenge provides the opportunity to participate in a community effort to end hunger. We know that 1 in 9 people go to bed hungry, and that it seems as though hunger is an insurmountable evil to overcome, but the resurrection teaches us that nothing, not even death, gets the final word. Lent provides us time to consider Christ’s journey to the cross and meditate upon on our mortality as we begin this season with ashes on our forehead. Yet we continue to see the resurrection and the shining light of resurrection throughout this season, so we know that hunger, despair, and even death, do not have the final word.

If you would like to participate in ELCA World Hunger’s “40 Days of Giving” challenge visit elca.org/40days to sign up. Due to popularity the flip calendar devotional are no longer available, we encourage you to sign up for the daily e-version of the devotional and downloadable version is available upon request by emailing ELCA World Hunger at hunger@elca.org. If you would like the Bethany Lutheran Church’s household devotional, follow this link to download a copy.

Es una cuestión cultural, para nada la alegría de encontrarse en el Cristo crucificado.

En su libro Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World (Sonríe o muere: sobre cómo el pensamiento positivo engañó a América y el mundo) Barbara Ehrenreich escribió sobre la incansable presión que enfrentaba para ser optimista mientras se sometía a un tratamiento contra el cáncer. Cualquier interrupción de la actitud positiva proporcionaría ayuda y consuelo a las células cancerígenas que atacaban su cuerpo y ella sería, de alguna manera, responsable del fracaso de su tratamiento. ¡El pensamiento positivo conduce a resultados positivos que, inexorablemente, llevan a la felicidad!

La búsqueda de la felicidad se ha vuelto obsesión en la cultura estadounidense. La incomodidad, la intranquilidad y la enfermedad deben evitarse si es posible y debe lidiarse con ellas de manera firme con la ayuda del analgésico apropiado —ya sea médico, emocional, social o religioso— si es necesario. No se debe tolerar la tensión en las relaciones o dentro de uno mismo. El alivio se convierte en el bien mayor.

Nos hemos convertido en una sociedad que no soporta el dolor, anestesiada. Creemos que todo es justo y tal como es. O, al menos, creemos que todos los demás llevan una vida modelada en una familia perfecta, y encuentran la felicidad y la plenitud en una vida profesional increíble mientras hacen trabajo voluntario merecedor del premio Nobel de la Paz, investigaciones aptas para una disertación en su afición por estudiar la historia rural de la Francia del siglo 19 y trabajan en un huerto orgánico sustentable en su tiempo libre. Todo ello sin esfuerzo. Y si no estamos viviendo esa visión de la buena vida, entonces necesitamos ponernos las pilas.

En este sentido, la felicidad, tal como se define en nuestra cultura, está sobrevalorada.

Hay momentos en nuestras vidas en los que debemos pasar por el dolor. Hay momentos en los que la tensión no se debe solucionar con demasiada rapidez. Hay momentos en los que debemos de pasar por dificultades. No estoy defendiendo la dureza de “cuando tenía tu edad caminábamos cuesta arriba para ir y volver de la escuela entre la nieve mientras masticábamos pintura y nos envolvíamos en asbestos”. Al contrario, lo que externo es la posibilidad de que esa “felicidad” que evita toda incomodidad es una ilusión desesperada y estéril. Amortigua la vida y puede convertirse en una especie de cautividad, una búsqueda agotadora de un alivio que, significativamente, lleva a una vida en la que nos consumimos. Acabamos siendo desesperadamente felices.

La vida en Cristo ofrece una alternativa. El gozo. Ésta es una participación activa, viva, en el amor misericordioso de Dios, demostrado en la muerte y resurrección de Cristo. La crucifixión no fue un evento carente de dolor. La Pasión fue el intento deliberado de Jesús de desligarse de cualquier cosa que mitigara o suavizara la agonía del pecado y la muerte que atacan a la vida y el amor.

“La actitud de ustedes debe ser como la de Cristo Jesús, quien, siendo por naturaleza Dios, no consideró el ser igual a Dios como algo a qué aferrarse. Por el contrario, se rebajó voluntariamente, tomando la naturaleza de siervo y haciéndose semejante a los seres humanos. Y al manifestarse como hombre, se humilló a sí mismo y se hizo obediente hasta la muerte, ¡y muerte de cruz!” (Filipenses 2:5-8).

Este acto supremo de presencia y vulnerabilidad radicales por parte de un Dios apasionado nos da vida, esperanza y un futuro, incluso y especialmente, frente a todas las cosas feas y mortales que la vida nos lanza a la cara. Esto se opone diametralmente a una “felicidad” que nos encierra en una comodidad vacía. Éste es el verdadero gozo.

Resulta extraño y difícil que la cruz sea un símbolo de alegría. Podría resultar aún más extraño y difícil creer y confiar en que una vida conformada al sufrimiento, servicio y muerte de Jesús sea, de hecho, la buena vida. El mundo ofrece “felicidad”; Cristo da gozo. El mundo quiere lo “fácil”; nuestra vida en Cristo da simplicidad. El mundo promueve una vida anestesiada; la vida cruciforme hace posible que estemos completamente presentes. El mundo pregona el pensamiento positivo; nosotros estamos invitados a ser del mismo pensamiento que encontramos en Cristo.

Y por lo tanto, querida iglesia, ¿qué forma podría adoptar este gozo? Unidos en el bautismo hasta la muerte y resurrección de Cristo, podemos estar plenamente conscientes del sufrimiento —el nuestro y el de los demás— y no alejarnos. Al reconocer el dolor, nos vemos impulsados a llevar la sanación. Vivir en la tensión entre la misericordiosa voluntad de Dios y la desolación causada por el pecado humano para el que la cruz aporta un mayor alivio, podemos señalar la victoria de Dios al final, aunque tengamos dificultad para darnos cuenta en nuestras comunidades.

Jesús no murió para hacernos felices. Jesús murió para que su alegría pueda encontrarse en nosotros y que esa alegría sea completa.

Mensaje mensual de la obispa presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América. Esta columna apareció por primera vez en la edición de noviembre de 2015 de la revista en inglés The Lutheran. Reimpreso con permiso.

Tenemos una forma particular de entender la historia de Jesús.

Durante los dos últimos años, he organizado mi trabajo alrededor de estos cuatro énfasis: somos iglesia, somos luteranos y luteranas, somos una iglesia unida y somos iglesia para bien del mundo.

Deseo dedicar un poco de tiempo a pensar con ustedes lo que significa ser luteranos en el siglo 21. ¿Qué queremos decir cuando afirmamos que somos luteranos?

Un buen lugar para comenzar quizás sea preguntar por qué es importante y útil tener una identidad luterana. Algunos dirán que las denominaciones y la lealtad a las mismas son cosas del pasado. Tienen algo de razón, especialmente si nuestra denominación se define por la etnia y la cultura, y si nuestra lealtad se dirige principalmente a la denominación y no a nuestro Señor.

Hubo una campaña durante el movimiento por expandir la iglesia en la década de 1980 para deshacerse de cualquier señal que identificara a la denominación. Se suponía que la iglesia luterana St. Paul, en su imperturbable abandono, pasaría a llamarse algo así como “The Church at Pheasant Run” (la iglesia en la senda del faisán) ¡Qué evocador! ¡Qué maravilloso! Un simple cambio de nombre mataría dos pájaros de un solo tiro: dejar de espantar a los que se oponían a las denominaciones y atraer montones de gente. No lo hizo.

En un intento por ser más atractiva, se volvió genérica. Tener una idea clara de quiénes somos y en qué creemos no es un lastre, es un activo. Si estamos bien definidos y bien diferenciados, tenemos una mayor capacidad para participar en el diálogo ecuménico e interreligioso y podemos ser una voz clara en la plaza pública.

Pero, ¿qué es ser “luterano”? Nos reímos con la cariñosa caricatura que hace el autor Garrison Keillor de los luteranos. Sí, nos describe a muchos de nosotros, pero no a todos. Nunca repudiaría la herencia occidental y del norte de Europa de miles de los nuestros. Forma parte de nuestra historia. Pero también tenemos a miles de hermanos y hermanas de origen africano, asiático, latino, nativo americano y árabe y de Medio Oriente, algunos de los cuales llevan generaciones enteras siendo luteranos.

Y la iglesia luterana está experimentando su mayor crecimiento en el “sur global” (África, América Central y Latinoamérica y la mayor parte de Asia). Hay más luteranos en Indonesia que en la ELCA. Hay más luteranos en Etiopía y Tanzania que en los EE.UU. Hay más luteranos en El Salvador, en Japón, en India, en México, en Palestina, en Jordania, en China y en Irlanda. La iglesia luterana más reciente se está formando en el país más joven del mundo. Estamos trabajando con pastores luteranos sudaneses para establecer una iglesia luterana en Sudán del Sur. Las gelatinas en polvo Jell-O no suelen aparecer en las comidas de traje de estos luteranos. El factor fundamental de ser luterano no es la etnia.

Si la cultura y la cocina no nos definen, entonces debe hacerlo nuestra teología. Los luteranos tienen una forma muy particular de entender la historia de Jesús. No es un movimiento que transita de la libertad desenfrenada a la sumisión. Es, más bien, la historia de cómo Dios nos redime del pecado, la muerte y el diablo, liberándonos de las cadenas que nos atan al pecado de manera que, liberados y vivos, podamos servir a Dios al servir a nuestro prójimo. Y no es cuestión de nuestro esfuerzo, bondad o ardua labor. Es la bondadosa voluntad de Dios para ser misericordioso.

Pruébenlo en casa: pregunten a sus familiares o amigos qué deben hacer para tener una buena relación con Dios. Después del asombro ante esta pregunta, adivino que hablarán de guardar los mandamientos, ser una mejor persona, leer más la Biblia. No. El amor de Dios en acción en el Cristo crucificado crea una buena relación. Nuestra parte es recibir este don con fe.

Esto es una inversión sorprendente de la forma en que siempre ha funcionado todo. No tenemos una relación transaccional con Dios: si hacemos esto, entonces Dios hará esto otro. Es una relación de transformación. Nosotros, que estábamos muertos en el pecado, hemos sido renovados. Somos libres de responder a ese amor profundamente vinculante. Lo que comemos, los himnos que cantamos, los chistes que contamos, nuestros países de procedencia, el color de nuestra piel, las prendas que vestimos, nada de eso nos une o nos hace luteranos. Es la gracia de Dios. Y eso es una buena nueva en cualquier idioma.

Mensaje mensual de la obispa presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América. Esta columna apareció por primera vez en la edición de octubre de 2015 de la revista en inglés The Lutheran. Reimpreso con permiso.

Podemos liberarnos del apego a nuestros planes, voluntades y éxitos.

De vez en cuando me invitan a celebrar el aniversario de alguna congregación. Es maravilloso ver a la iglesia en acción y conocer a miembros de diferentes partes del país.

También es interesante ver la variedad de tamaños y estilos arquitectónicos de nuestros templos. Mirar las edificaciones que se agregan a las iglesias es como estudiar los anillos de crecimiento en los árboles: se pueden apreciar los periodos de crecimiento rápido y de contracción. Por lo general, la primera unidad se construyó hace uno o dos siglos, la ampliación del santuario se levantó cuando el original se quedó chico y el ala dedicado a la educación se añadió a fines de las décadas de 1950 ó 1960. He visto docenas de iglesias así y recuerdo que mi última parroquia mostraba un patrón de crecimiento similar.

Con mucha frecuencia, sin embargo, la membresía de estas congregaciones se ha reducido. Un santuario construido para acoger a 400 personas, ahora sólo recibe a 50 los domingos. Las salas dedicadas a escuela dominical y gimnasio, en las que en otro tiempo resonaban las voces de los niños, ahora se encuentran vacías o, en congregaciones más emprendedoras, han sido rentadas a grupos comunitarios y organizaciones de servicio social.

En estas congregaciones, la celebración del aniversario tiene un gusto agridulce: durante un glorioso domingo, el santuario se llena de miembros actuales y exmiembros acompañados de sus hijos y nietos; se comparten historias de la época dorada de la congregación; hay energía y entusiasmo, y luego todo el mundo se marcha a casa. Al siguiente domingo, las 50 almas afables que quedan se reunirán en un santuario cuya soledad es ahora aún más obvia.

Se oye el sonido de un lamento en muchas partes de nuestra iglesia. Las poblaciones han cambiado y las personas se han alejado. Han cambiado las actitudes sobre la religión y la iglesia tiene un estatus menor en nuestra cultura. Eso nos llena de ansiedad y, en algunos casos, de desesperación. ¿Cómo podemos detener la decadencia? ¿Dónde está la siguiente generación? ¿Qué sucedió? ¿Qué significa todo esto?

Tengo una teoría. Estamos experimentando el juicio de Dios. No como si fuera una plaga de langostas acompañada de un fuego infernal, sino como una llamada tenaz, imponente y amorosa que nos lanza Dios a todos nosotros. La iglesia no nos pertenece. La iglesia no es un vehículo para nuestra conveniencia, estatus, éxito o consuelo. La iglesia es el cuerpo vivo de Cristo, al que le ha insuflado vida el Espíritu y que está llamado a una profunda comunión con Dios. Todo lo demás es, en el mejor de los casos, complementario y, en el peor, una distracción.

Dios podría estar llamando al pueblo de Dios a examinar qué es lo que merece nuestra atención. ¿De dónde se extrae nuestra energía?

Si la respuesta a nuestras preguntas desesperadas es cualquier otra cosa que no sea el amor íntimo y completo de Dios como se demuestra en Cristo crucificado y resucitado, entonces es que nos estamos apartando de la fuente de nuestra vida como pueblo y como iglesia.

Había un artículo provocador en la edición de diciembre de 2012 de la revista Christian Century sobre la “noche oscura de la iglesia”. Los autores del artículo sugerían que lo que yo estoy llamando un tiempo de juicio es, en realidad, la acción de Dios que nos libera del apego a nuestros planes, nuestra voluntad, nuestro éxito.

Los autores preguntaban: “¿Que está volviendo a aprender la iglesia sobre sí misma en su noche oscura? La iglesia está volviendo a aprender que su esencia no se encuentra en sus programas y logros, ni en sus actividades y las alabanzas que recibe, sino en la verdad de que ‘de toda la tierra, es ella la que tiene unión con el Dios Trino’ y que Dios es suficiente. Alcanzar este conocimiento significa desconectarse de la glamorosa cultura americana orientada a los resultados, con su producción, medición y crecimiento sin límites”.

Así que, amada iglesia, ¿es Dios suficiente? Si no lo es, entonces estamos condenados a seguir una travesía interminable, agotadora y vacía en busca del significado, la importancia y el propósito. Si Dios es suficiente, entonces tenemos todo lo que necesitamos. Si Dios es suficiente, somos libres para regresar el amor recibido y entregar nuestras vidas en aras del Evangelio y en servicio al prójimo. Si Dios es suficiente, podemos abrir nuestras manos y nuestras vidas. Si Dios es suficiente, entonces podemos soltar las riendas de la iglesia sabiendo que es la iglesia de Cristo, que no es nuestra.

Y si es la voluntad de Dios que haya un testimonio del Evangelio por parte de la ELCA, no existe fuerza sobre la Tierra, ni siquiera la nuestra, que lo pueda impedir.

Mensaje mensual de la obispa presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América. Esta columna apareció por primera vez en la edición de septiembre de 2015 de la revista en inglés The Lutheran. Reimpreso con permiso.