Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church.

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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

Ponder Anew: a continuing education conference for church musicians, pastors and worship leaders
July 22-25, 2024 at Valparaiso University

With an emphasis on practical skill-building, you will be able to attend workshops and in-depth learning sessions on a variety of topics. This conference will also celebrate the 300th anniversary of the St. John Passion by J.S. Bach, which will be sung by the Bach Collegium Valparaiso and led by Christopher M. Cock, artistic director and conductor.

Additional information about the conference, including pricing, scholarships, and accommodations, is available on the ALCM website.

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Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

Introducing two FREE compositions from Lutheran Summer Music 2023 by Anne Krentz Organ: Holy Manna, for solo instrument with keyboard accompaniment, and Be Thankful, for SATB chorus, descant, keyboard accompaniment, optional: assembly, handbells (full or condensed). You can download the free sheet music at LSMacademy.org/resources.

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Institute of Liturgical Studies

An ecumenical conference on liturgical renewal for the church today.

In its 75^th year, the Institute will turn its attention to “Creation, Not Commodity: The Church’s Liturgy in a Consumer Culture” and will be held April 9-11, 2024 (note start date is one day later than usual).  Sign up for registration updates and other news from ILS.

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Journey to Baptismal Living (JBL)

JBL announces the launch of its new website journeytobaptism.org on Nov. 15. Founded as the North American Association for the Catechumenate in 1993, JBL remains an organization committed to providing training and resources for those who guide formation in Christian discipleship with individuals both unbaptized and baptized. The redesigned website offers insights and strategies for facilitating discernment, worship, instruction, and reflection, as well as advice on how to form a team and mentor sponsors. Primarily, the new website is a place to connect: to arrange for practitioner training and for ongoing development through monthly blogs and frequent community chats.

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Music that Makes Community

Music that Makes Community (MMC) practices communal song-sharing that inspires deep spiritual connection, brave shared leadership, and sparks the possibility of transformation in our world.

As church pastors and staff move towards gatherings of gratitude and the busy seasons of Advent and Christmas, Music that Makes Community pauses its in-person programming.  If you’re still looking for ideas, songs, and resources for the upcoming season, you can purchase the recording from this year’s Advent Worship Planning workshop from September here and review past posts for Advent I (Hope), II (Peace), III (Joy), and IV (Love) on our blog.

Our hearts continue to ache hearing the news in Palestine and Israel and how it is affecting our friends, family, and community.  Here’s a couple of MMC blog posts from past Board members Nancy McLaren and now-saint Scott Weidler about their past experiences with paperless music in the Holy Land.

In December, Music that Makes Community is offering two online gatherings.  Monday Morning Grounding meets every week through December 11 and is a touchstone that includes singing, silence, sacred text, and community connection.  On Thursday evening, December 21, MMC Board members Revs. Breen Sipes and Nancy Willbanks will be hosting a Winter Solstice SING.

Programming for 2024 is getting finalized now so keep watch on the calendar page of our website for workshops, practice groups, and community events in your area.

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Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

Augsburg Fortress is an imprint of 1517 Media, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Sundays and Seasons: Preaching, Year B 2024

Sundays and Seasons: Preaching is an annual resource in the Sundays and Seasons family that considers the sermon in the context of the assembly gathered around word and sacrament on a particular day and within a particular season of the church year. Sundays and Seasons: Preaching provides new commentary and ideas for proclamation, contributed by practicing preachers as well as scholars, together with succinct notes on each day and its readings.

Call to Allyship

How can churches do the work of becoming allies for the leaders they call? In belonging to a predominantly white denomination, ELCA members are called to listen and learn from its leaders of color to recognize the assumptions, biases, and harmful actions that result when congregations don’t do the work to become allies. Authors offer wisdom, storytelling, and concrete suggestions for churches preparing to call a leader of color. Call to Allyship is a must-read for call committees, church councils, social justice teams, and anyone prepared to do the work of understanding, welcoming, and celebrating these leaders.

Ashes to Action

After the world witnessed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a passionate uprising erupted, with the intersection of 38th and Chicago at its epicenter. One block away stood Calvary Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation whose members had engaged in racial justice work for years.

In Ashes to Action, Shari Seifert provides her riveting first-person account of the events following May 25, 2020. Shari joined others in the Calvary community to show up, listen, and ask what was needed in the moment. As the lines between her congregation and neighborhood blurred, the way toward a faithful response because clearer. This personal narrative stays rooted in the context of community, immersing readers in the days, weeks, and months following the uprising.

Unscheduled Grace: 40 Reflections and Prayers for College Students

A collection of devotions and prayers. This book can accompany students through the changes, challenges, and joys of college living, including homework, relationships, stress, vocation, and more. Through all its entries, the authors assure readers that no matter what they face, their lives are blessed by the unscheduled grace of God. Authors Matt Marohl and Katie Fick are campus pastors at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

 

Remind Me Again Facilitator Guide

Rev. Jia Starr Brown has developed 41 lessons based on Joe Davis’s poems in Remind Me Again. Each lesson helps you have meaningful discussions about Joe’s poetry as well as helping guide you to form more meaningful connections with your own community.

 

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Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

An interdisciplinary study and ministry center that promotes the scholarly study of the theology, history, and practice of Christian worship and the renewal of worship in worshiping communities across North America and beyond.

The Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants Program at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is designed to foster, strengthen and sustain well-grounded worship in congregations Grants to worshiping communities stimulate thoughtful and energetic work that will result in worship services that exhibit renewed creativity, theological integrity, and relevance. Learn more about Worshiping Communities Grants. Future dates for submissions include Feb. 15 and June 15, 2024.

Grounded in hope for a world where all of creation may flourish, 24 passionate young adults from Hawaii to New York and many places in between (including 15 synods!) turned to one other and resourced themselves with ELCA social teaching, storytelling and action planning to (as phrased by one participant) “see how these brilliant minds continue to make this Earth a better place.” Following is a reflection presented during worship at the close of the ELCA Fall Climate Summit held in October 2023. In it Savannah Jorgensen – who brings gifts including training in meteorology and faith-based advocacy practice – found in Isaiah 43 room to explore lament, God’s presence, and a spark for hope and action.

 

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New Thing in Climate Justice

By guest blogger Savannah Jorgensen, Legislative Coordinator,
Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California

NOT DIMINISHING LAMENT

The first overarching theme I hear when I read Isaiah 43 is one of lament.

Isaiah 43 takes place within the context of the Israelites exile and captivity in Egypt. In the extensive exile period, people were understandably losing their faith and their way, which is pointed out near the end of the chapter in verse 22: “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!” After enduring such hardships and strife, I can’t say that I blame them for losing their faith in some ways. The past few years have definitely tested my own faith.

Despite being here and talking with you all about faith in action, I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s still a struggle sometimes to see God moving in the world, in my life. Maybe you have felt that way too.

There are indeed many injustices in the world today: racial, gender, and in our context at the summit, environmental. Reading Isaiah 43 for the first time, I thought that the writer was telling us that God was angry at the Israelites for not turning to their faith and to God. However, after reflecting on the chapter further, I think that God is instead lamenting what they are enduring, the sins of the world, and that the injustices they’re witnessing and experiencing have caused them to lose hope and faith. We are certainly in a period of lament at this moment in history. We lament ongoing environmental injustices, pollution, the degradation of natural and cultural spaces, extreme weather, habitat decline and the continued denial of these realities by world leaders and their inaction.

Lamentation, grief and anxiety are normal emotions to be feeling right now. Let’s not diminish our emotions and our lived experiences, but rather, let’s move to the second major theme in Isaiah 43. Lament, but remember…

 

PROMISE OF PRESENCE

That God is with us even now, even through this, even when we forget and cannot see God. Verses 1 and 5 ask us not to fear. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” and “Do not be fear, for I am with you”. These verses are reminding us of who we are as God’s children. We are loved, and God walks with us in times of distress. Verse 4 emphasizes this point when it opens, “Because you are precious in my sight and honored and I love you…”

In the context of Isaiah 43, the author is telling the Israelites that God loves them and hears their prayers. God will bring their people together, and exile will end for them eventually. In our context, these verses can act as a balm for our anxieties.

Once again, we can’t dismiss the realities of climate change and the real concerns we have surrounding it. However, we can lean on each other and remind ourselves of our faith that God is in our corner and working through us to strive for justice.

Isaiah 43 also points out not to dwell on the past. This goes back to the first theme of lament and takes us to the third theme of my reflection this morning. We lament, but remember our faith and hope, so that…

 

SPARKED BY FAITH

We ignite a new spark and look forward to what can be! “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?” (v. 19). Friends, I’ve got news for you; we are all part of that new thing! The climate movement is part of that new thing. Young adult and youth advocacy is part of that new thing.

Our faith at its core is one that longs for justice, which includes the stewardship of creation and mending of historical environmental injustices done to our neighbors. I think that’s what makes faith-based organizing and advocacy so exciting and so unique. We are driven deep down by that faith that things can get better, and that this is not how the world is supposed to be.

Through our faith we can speak and lead with love, compassion and hope. As verses 8 and 9 say in Isaiah 43, “Bring forth the people who are blind yet have eyes, who are deaf yet have ears! Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble.” I view these verses as the biblical version of a call to action. They’re basically saying to organize, and later in this passage, to be witnesses, which all connect to being a part of the new “thing” that God is doing.

Bring people together. It’s going to take all of us here, across the country, and across the globe working together to help adapt to and mitigate further climate change. I’m not saying it will be easy, but neither is Isaiah 43. We have the foundation, our faith and theology; we have each other; we have the tools; we have the lived experiences; we have hope.

 

DOING A NEW THING

That was a lot pieced together yet reflecting on Isaiah 43 is rich.

We should acknowledge the hurt and grief tied up in climate change and environmental injustices, but we can’t get caught in the quicksand of our lamentation. Remember our faith and the calling to strive for justice in all capacities. God is with us even in this. Remember and lean into it so that we can spark change and do the new thing that God is creating.

Take the conversations you’ve had at this summit with you, along with the tools and connections to make that movement a reality. Use your fear and anger and fuel it into collective action and advocacy for justice. Cling to hope.

 

PRAYER

Please pray with me:

God, our Creator,
Thank you for the gift of creation in all its forms, from the animals and plants to the oceans and our weather. It is indeed fearfully and wonderfully made.
Thank you for the charge you have given us to be stewards together of this beautiful planet and the life on it.
Help us to see and embrace that call to be stewards of Your creation.
Give us grace as we repent for our sins against our neighbors and our planet.
Send Your Holy Spirit among us and into our hearts as we look ahead with hope and determination to strive for justice as carers of creation and organizers of action.
In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

Josh Kestner, Clemson, SC

Warm-up Questions

• What are some of the ways that you respond to difficult news stories? Do you pray? Do you research the context more deeply? Is it easier to try to ignore the news altogether?
• Where do you find hope in the world? How do you re-energize yourself when you’re exhausted? Who is someone in your life you turn to when you’re feeling weary?

Listening for Hope

There is no simple reaction or response to the terrifying stories that we’ve been watching regarding the war between Israel and Hamas. There are no easy answers to the questions we have about such a complex past and present situation. 

What is certain, though, is the pain and grief that accompany so much death and devastation. While it may be difficult to fully understand the who, what, when, where, how, and why of this war, it is necessary to condemn hatred and violence when we see it. We cry out with lament for those who have lost their lives, their livelihoods, their homes, their families, and their futures.

War is polarizing. Folks feel as though they must make instinctual choices to back one side or the other. We’re tempted to choose a “good guy” and a “bad guy”. But when it comes down to it, the evils of war are indiscriminate.

When we are faced with difficult news stories and discord in our societies, it is helpful to listen. Perhaps it is easier or quicker to demonize some and distance ourselves from what is going on. But listening to real stories from real people, who are directly impacted by war, creates empathy and enables us to respond in a meaningful way.  What has happened in their lives? How are they feeling? What are they afraid of? Do they have any hope?

Listening leads us to better understand the causes and consequences of conflict. And opening one’s ears before opening one’s mouth allows us to focus primarily on humanity of those involved and the ways that we can go about healing the wounds of war.

Discussion Questions

• What do you know about the history of the Holy Land? Where do you get most of your information and news? Do you have any personal connections to people who have been affected by the most recent war?
• What kinds of questions do you ask to better understand a difficult topic? 
• What does justice mean to you? What are some actions that you take to pursue justice?
• Evil is such an amorphous word and idea. What does evil mean to you? What does your faith teach you about dealing with evil?

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 5:18-24

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Matthew 25:1-13

(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

The gospel for this week includes a parable. Jesus’ teachings often come in the form of a parable. Perhaps it was easier to explain things using stories and images like this. Folks often say that they resonate with sermons and other educational moments in church when they include relatable stories.

The story that Jesus tells in this passage conjures up some fears and anxieties. How would you feel if you missed out on a long-anticipated wedding banquet and were left on the outside? One of the most pertinent feelings the bridesmaids express in this story is exhaustion. 

Have you felt exhausted recently? Maybe from all of the things on your to-do list. Perhaps from all of the things you’ve been hearing and reading in the news. Maybe from a newly broken relationship or a disappointing experience at work or in class.

The messages we hear in our communities of faith are often sprinkled with hope and love. However, our daily experiences in the life of faith can make us feel hopeless and lonely. We, like the ten bridesmaids in this story, find ourselves overwhelmed by exhaustion. Our eyes get droopy as we search for glimpses and signs of God’s hope and love in our lives.

How can we stay ready, even with tired bodies, minds, and souls? 

This parable does not necessarily leave us with a happy ending. But it does get us thinking about how we cope with some of the realities we face. We might find ourselves frustrated by the lack of control we have over what happens around us – but we can find some solace in the fact that we believe in a God who hears our cries and works alongside us to bring love, joy, and peace into the world.

Discussion Questions

• What are the things that drain your energy the most right now? What fills you with energy?
• What kind of world do you hope for? What does it look like? What does it feel like? How might we make that world a reality?
• What do you do when faith is hard? What do you do when you feel like you have no hope?
• Do you ever get mad at God? Do you ever ask God, “Why?”

Activity Suggestions

Do you pray before you go to bed? Sleep and rest are reminders of our human vulnerability. We cannot do it all, and while we sleep we have to surrender at least a few hours of control in our lives. We have to trust that God continues to work, even while we are asleep.

Write a prayer to keep in your pillowcase. Find meaningful words to convey to God some of your fears and anxieties, things that are causing you stress, things that exhaust you. Write them down and ask God to give you peace while you sleep. 

On the other side you can write a prayer to read in the morning when you wake up. Find meaningful words to ask God to empower you and give you the courage to take on the tasks set before you that day. Write them down and read them when you get out of bed.

Closing Prayer

God of hope, we are tired. While we lean into the faith and love we have from you, we are exhausted by the realities that surround us. Heal our pain. End our neighbors’ suffering. Strengthen our bodies. Empower us by your Spirit. Move us to work with you to bring justice and peace to all of your creation. Amen.

 

This month we celebrate the third anniversary of All Creation Sings, the worship and song supplement to Evangelical Lutheran Worship. As you look ahead to the incarnation cycle of the church year (Advent, Christmas, Time after Epiphany), consider these resources to support your new or continued exploration of All Creation Sings.

Advent

Looking for a simple framework for your Advent midweek service? The basic outline of Service of Word and Prayer (ACS pp. 42-45) can be contextualized to fit your needs. This video gives help for using the service. If you are a Sundays and Seasons subscriber, visit the SSCOM library (Sundays and Seasons Resources/Seasonal Rites/Seasonal Rites for Advent) for Advent midweek services based on the ACS Service of Word and Prayer, including “Holy Darkness: A service of Word and Prayer for Advent” and “Pause, Prepare, Ponder: An Advent Midweek Series.”

Listen to “Filled with Hope and Gratitude,” a new setting of the Magnificat by Paul Damico-Carper.

Christmas

Teach a new Christmas hymn such as “Night Long Awaited/Noche Anunciada.” In addition to this blog post, there is a short description of this and every hymn/song in All Creation Sings through Sundays and Seasons. This Augsburg Fortress blog post describes the value of these brief descriptions.

Introduce your congregation to other new Christmas hymns through choral settings. “We Are Waiting” by John Helgen would be a great way to have the assembly learn this new hymn. Curious about what other ACS hymns and songs have anthem arrangements? This listing is a great help to church musicians.

Time after Epiphany

Incorporate “Lamenting Racism” into worship as the church recognizes Christ’s transforming presence for all peoples and nations (ACS p. 62-63).  This video gives context around the use of the rite.

Explore a new setting of the liturgy as you plan for the Sundays after Epiphany. A webinar from Augsburg Fortress is a good place to start learning about Settings 11 and 12. If you desire a briefer video snapshot of the liturgy settings, see these 5-minute videos. Audio recordings of Setting 11 and Setting 12 are also available to support your introduction process.

 

Several more teaching resources for many times and seasons are available at www.augsburgfortress.org/allcreationsings

 

For many U.S. residents reading this blog post, our ability to think soundly about the Israel-Hamas conflict has been consistently interrupted by waves of conflicting images and emotions: stories of trauma and grief from Israelis impacted by the Hamas attacks on their homes, followed almost immediately by accounts from Gaza of deaths; both moments of horror followed quickly by a outrage and ambivalence gestated over decades by a binary debate over U.S. involvement in the conflict. We can certainly feel tired to act when we pile onto these emotions the ways social media and cable news saturate our lives with every world event.

When, on the edge of exhaustion, it can be difficult to consider a Christian response, but Bishop Eaton has laid down a challenge to Lutherans: “God has called us to be a people who stand with others amid suffering.” From the Hunger Education desk, this notion boils down to two key words: scarcity and abundance. Indeed, confronted with death around the world we often turn to comfort in distractions. This is scarcity, the limitation of our own opportunity to seek justice for the other. But to see and read about 2 million people imprisoned and besieged in a warzone, while we as Western Christians have the ability to turn away? This is indeed a sign that we have the resources to participate in full, abundant life with and for our neighbors.

Both concepts have found voice for me in John 4:1-26, a moment in our Christian story when political divisions over who belongs momentarily paralyze recognition of basic human needs for sustenance and care. Both the current political discourse in the U.S. and the historical conflict between ancient Jews and Samaritans, start from an understanding that the neighbor should be mistrusted. And a mistrustful stance toward others means accepting that they don’t deserve our resources, that our abundance is, in fact, scarcity. But here, in John’s Gospel and in Gaza, we find an opportunity to view the need of the other as precisely the moment to act in accordance with our abundant life.

Mistrust, Scarcity, and Abundance in John 4:1-26

John 4:1-26’s relation here is not incidental: while on a much smaller in scale to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza, Jesus has a need for water—he had been traveling a long way and was thirsty (vv. 1-4). He asks a Samaritan woman approaching the well to draw water and she immediately draws the political battleline with a mistrustful interrogation: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria”; and the narrator puts the difference in bold, with, “Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans” (v. 9). Jesus is in need here and this woman has what he needs. Political differences allow her to defer or even avoid sharing the resources of her home in a moment of scarcity. Helpfully, though, this narrative opens with Jesus exposing his own vulnerability and need, and the woman eventually showing hers, making space for a gift of life-giving water, water that will end all thirst (v. 10-15).

Without a moment of vulnerability and tension, one that allows for the painful past and power politics to be exposed, we can lose sight of the real issue: abundant water. To this end, Bishop Eaton’s challenge to Lutherans to hold “tension between two truths” highlights the actual need for those of us with the privilege of resources, voice, and time: “God has called us to be a people who stand with others amid suffering.” The Samaritan woman faces a choice, as someone in need is before her face, at her very well—her home—in need of merely a drink. She can reinforce the scarcity illusion or she can stand in solidarity with another created person who needs sustenance as much as she does.

Partisan back-and-forth, “both sides are to blame” narratives, and public vitriol benefit people in power, because these things require little material resources of us as citizens: we can protect our common good(s) while blaming the other. Complaint and blame demand little of us, as Christians, while advocacy and activism require use of our resources and focus. Retreating to traditional lines of difference and tired tropes can feel easy, like reciting a script, but doing so also prevents those with privilege from seeing and treating the needs of the marginalized, the thirsty, and the hungry.

In moments of tension and discomfort, as John’s Gospel shows, we find opportunities for justice where those truly in need are seen, where myths of scarcity are banished in favor of abundance.

Abundance, Imagination, and Faith

In times and places like Israel and Palestine at this moment, belonging and hope can feel scarce. Israeli families killed in the private and public comforts of their daily lives or meant to feel fear in the very places they find routine; Palestinians killed from miles away, already imprisoned in a patch of land, under occupation, and invisible to those of us who fund Israeli bombs leveling their neighborhoods. Like many of us, I have come to understand home as something more complicated than the walls of a building—it has something more to do with the relationships, memories, and meaning that form around a particular place.

As Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, president of Dar al-Kalima University of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem, reminds us, to call a place like Palestine home is fraught with mourning in this “battlefield for competing empires.”[1] That is, the bombs dropped on Gaza neighborhoods is both nothing new and the result of millennia of colonial ambitions in this area. Certainly, for those of us who live in relative peace and privilege, unconscious of the violence meted out by nation-states—even our own, funding decades of war in the Middle East—Rev. Dr. Raheb’s call might seem, at first, fatalistic and a call to give into scarcity.

Instead, Rev. Dr. Raheb calls back to the faithful imagination necessary to break out of the U.S.’s current stance of “managing conflict” in Israel and Palestine through Israeli military aid,[2] to the imagination called for by faith “to have life and have it abundantly.”[3] The current stance that prizes national security over the abundant life demanded by Palestinians under occupation is the same one that makes it acceptable to cut of 2 million Gazans from food, water, and energy—while killing thousands of people in Gaza. Scarcity means rocket attacks, terrorist killings, airstrikes, ground invasions, and imprisonment.

“Security” and its accompanying violence are parts of a scarcity value system, while belonging, memory, love, and care can exist only with abundant, imaginative, faithful life. There is always room for home. Ancestors “can worship on this mountain” and “in Jerusalem” (John 4:19). We can give water from a well and “water from a spring gushing up to eternal life” (4:14). When world leaders tell us, “Security first!” our Christian response must always start with life, and life abundantly.

And I hope you and your community can respond to the crisis emerging in Israel and Gaza with abundance—whatever that looks like. Here are some places to start:

The ELCA is curating opportunities to act with your abundance here. On this page, among other things, you can…

• Support Lutheran Disaster Response’ work on the ground with your financial gifts
• Join with other ELCA members and write to your representatives in Washington (head to this link), urging:
  • A cease-fire, de-escalation and restraint from all parties
  • That all parties to abide by the laws of war, including the Geneva Conventions, customary international law and international human rights law
  • Steps to secure immediate release of hostages and international protection for civilians.

Learning. We have numerous opportunities and a strong network of partners available to support your congregation’s reflection, discussion, and growth.

• Check out resources from the ELCA’s Peace not Walls network and begin the discussion about human rights and dignity in Palestine and Israel.
• Explore the work of our partner church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).
• Start a conversation with your congregation about adopting an abundance stance toward the economy and hunger with ELCA World Hunger’s “Hungering for Justice” study guide on Luther and the economy.
• Check out Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb’s book, Faith in the Face of Empire (the text I referenced above). It’s well-suited for congregational reading groups. Despite being written in 2014, reflecting on the Arab Spring, the book provides a prescient voice out of Palestine in this

 

Dr. Peter N. McLellan is the Program Director, Hunger Education with the ELCA’s Building Resilient Communities team.

 

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[1] Mitri Raheb, Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes (New York: Orbis, 2014), 5.

[2] Raheb, Faith, 125. The 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly resolved that all military aid to Israel must be conditioned on the observance of human rights (CA16.05.15).

[3] Raheb, Faith, 129.

Alyssa Kaplan, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Questions

• What does it mean to be blessed?
• When have you felt most blessed?
• What are the biggest blessings in your life?

More Than Merely Inspiring

Stella Young, in her TED Talk, challenges the common perception of disability and its relation to inspiration. She shares her own experiences, growing up in a small town and later becoming a teacher. Stella discusses how people often view disabled individuals as objects of inspiration rather than recognizing their everyday lives and challenges.

She introduces the concept of “inspiration porn,” where images and messages are created to inspire non-disabled people by showcasing disabled individuals accomplishing ordinary tasks. Stella argues that this approach objectifies disabled people for the benefit of others and perpetuates the idea that disability is a “bad thing.”

In line with the reflection on Matthew 5:1-12, or the Beatitudes, Stella’s message resonates with the principle of recognizing the intrinsic value of every individual, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Matthew 5:1-12 emphasizes qualities like mercy, humility, and seeking justice, which can apply to how we perceive and treat disabled individuals. Just as Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5 urge us to challenge societal norms and values, Stella encourages us to question our preconceived notions about disability.

She emphasizes that disability is not what makes a person exceptional, but rather it’s their resilience, strength, and their ability to navigate a world that often fails to accommodate their needs. She advocates for a world where disability is seen as part of the norm, and where disabled individuals are valued for their genuine achievements, rather than being objectified for inspiration.

Stella’s message aligns with the idea that recognizing God’s presence and justice means seeing the value in every individual, regardless of their circumstances. It reminds us to challenge stereotypes and prejudices, and to treat disabled individuals with the respect and dignity they deserve, consistent with the Christ’s  call for empathy and compassion.

Transcript of Stella Young’s TED Talk

Discussion Questions

• Most of us have been inspired by stories of folks overcoming physical challenges.  So why does Stella Young say that these stories are “inspiration porn” and what does she mean by that term? 
• When you think of disability, what comes to mind?  Should we expand our concept to include unhelpful attitudes toward those said to have a disability?
• What will it take to change the way we think of persons with a disability?

All Saints Sunday

Revelation 7:9-17

1 John 3:1-3

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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

At the start of Matthew 5, we witness a pivotal moment in Jesus’s ministry. He has become known far and wide for his teachings, the Good News he preaches, and his miraculous healings. People from all walks of life are drawn to him, seeking solace for their souls, understanding for their minds, and healing for their bodies. As Chapter 5 begins, Jesus takes his disciples up a mountain, likely contemplating the needs, hopes, and fears of the crowds that have been flocking to him.

Imagine the weight on Jesus’s heart as he encountered countless stories of suffering, saw the depths of loss etched on people’s faces, and felt the collective longing for liberation, love, and community. These interactions left Jesus and his disciples deeply moved and likely filled with questions.

As they ascended the mountain, perhaps they wondered about the possibilities and challenges that lay ahead. The crowds were growing, suffering was pervasive, and the yearning for a better world was tangible. This was just the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, and the journey ahead was uncertain.

No doubt, their hearts carried dreams of transformation, concerns about expectations, and a profound empathy for the pain surrounding them. In that moment, Jesus sat down with his disciples and shared valuable teachings on how to navigate days when the world seemed overrun by the weight of injustice and suffering.

Even when we intellectually understand that God favors the suffering, the oppressed, and the marginalized, it can be hard to feel it when faced with the world’s pain. It can appear that God has forsaken those in poverty, turned away from cycles of retributive violence, or abandoned the earth to our disregard.

Our culture shapes our perception of what is valuable and what is not. Yet, God offers a different set of values that challenge these cultural norms. It’s natural to be confused by these conflicting messages, as we must unlearn the ideas ingrained by ableism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and other corrupt systems.

From an early age, we are shown or even explicitly told that money equals happiness, power is the path to meaning and security, societal rejection implies worthlessness, self-interest prevails over collective well-being, conformity is best, and differences are threats. These narratives  maintain power structures, perpetuate shame, hinder transformation, and have been passed down through generations.

Our faith equips us to see beyond these illusions, to recognize the emptiness of excess, the deadening impact of participating in evil, and the false promises of power. Jesus offers us these teachings, known as the Beatitudes, as a counter-cultural guide to living with God’s perspective.

The Beatitudes affirm what we need to hear repeatedly: God’s favor, closeness, justice, presence, and love are always working to restore balance in the world. When we look around and see evidence of the world’s injustices, the Beatitudes guide us to perceive, live, and relate differently. They help us recognize that when crowds gather in pursuit of justice or to mourn the world’s pain, it’s a sign of the Kingdom drawing near—a testament to God’s presence and a source of hope for all.

Discussion Questions

Jesus’ beatitudes and Stella’s reflections serve to flip on our traditional understandings of blessedness and blessings on their heads.

• What do you think the ‘Beatitudes’ from Matthew 5:1-12 are trying to teach us about how we should live our lives? Are there any of the Beatitudes that stand out to you in particular?
• How do you see the principles outlined in the Beatitudes aligning with or differing from the values and expectations you encounter in your daily life and in society?
• In the context of the reflection we discussed earlier, how can we apply the teachings of the Beatitudes to address issues of suffering, injustice, and the treatment of marginalized individuals, including those with disabilities or other challenges?

Activity Suggestion

Stella Young uses a wheelchair. Walk around your worship space, fellowship halls, youth group space etc. Note which spaces she, or other wheelchair, users would have access to or not. Would Stella be able to participate fully in your worshipping community? How is ableism hidden in our worship spaces? What about your home or school? How could your youth group improve awareness of the limitations of our worshipping communities? What about folks whose disabilities are less immediately visible? How can we grow in relationship and justice for all members of our communities?

Closing Prayer

Dear Creator,

As we conclude our time together, we gather with gratitude for the wisdom found in your Word and the insights shared in our reflections. Thank you for your teachings that call us to recognize your presence amid suffering and injustice. We acknowledge the importance of embracing these principles of mercy, compassion, and justice. We also reflect on the issue of ableism, which can be a barrier to understanding the unique abilities and worth of each individual. Help us break down these barriers and challenge the biases that perpetuate injustice. Guide us, O Creator, to be agents of change, promoting justice, inclusion, and compassion. As we depart from this gathering, may we carry the light of the Beatitudes and awareness of ableism into our daily lives. May our actions align with your teachings and may we be beacons of hope and love in a world in need. In your name, we pray. Amen.

 

 

For fifty years, we have stood together as Lutherans, taking action to address root causes of hunger and poverty around the world through ELCA World Hunger, grounded in God’s promise of a time when we will hunger and thirst no more. As part of the long tradition of the church meeting human needs, ELCA World Hunger is a testament to our hope and our commitment for this church to be part of God’s transformation of the world.

Today, we invite you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ELCA World Hunger at the 2024 ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering. The Mary and Howie Wennes Hunger Leadership Endowment supports the gathering, established by the Wennes Family in 2016.

This signature event gathers ELCA World Hunger’s leaders for a time of networking, idea sharing, learning, and planning for our shared ministry to address hunger and its root causes in our local and global communities. Next year’s event, February 1-4, 2024, will center on 1 Peter 4:10 and the theme Embracing Hope – Taking Action – Moving Forward! We celebrate 50th years of God’s faithfulness!

Who is invited?

· Each synod is invited to bring up to three participants to the event.

· To reflect the diversity of our church, synods bringing three participants must ensure that at least one participant is a youth, young adult or person of color. A discounted registration rate will apply for the third representative.

· Former Hunger Advocacy Fellows.

· Big Dream Ministry Partners.

· Invited ELCA World Hunger ministry partners.

 

What is the cost?

All registrations include airfare, all event costs, and room and board for four days, three nights. Rates below are for synod representatives. Ministry partners, Big Dream ministry partners and former Hunger Advocacy Fellows will receive information about their rates in separate email invitations.

 

Standard Registration: $450 | Discounted Rate (for Third Hunger Leader): $250

Registration is NOW OPEN at this link.

Questions? Contact us at hunger@elca.org

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.

 

U.N. | ARIZONA | CALIFORNIA | COLORADO |KANSAS | MINNESOTA | WASHINGTON |WISCONSIN

 

New York

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), U.N. – ELCA.org/lowc

Christine Mangale, Director

• LWF Assembly: Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) director Christine Mangale joined more than a thousand participants from around the global Lutheran communion who gathered in Krakow, Poland for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Thirteenth Assembly. It took place from 13 to 19 September 2023 under the theme “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope.” The theme is drawn from Ephesians 4:4 (NRSV). The Assembly was hosted by the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland (ECACP). The Assembly is the LWF’s highest decision-making body which elects a new president and Council and sets directions for the global communion over the coming years. Danish Bishop Henrik Stubkjær was elected as the new president of the LWF.  Mangale took part in the Assembly with LWF Action for Justice (AfJ) Unit and ELCA Service and Justice colleagues, and supported several events held, including co-leading a session at the LWF Women’s Pre-Assembly in Wroclaw and a Jarmark workshop at the Assembly.  
• U.N. General Assembly: The United Nations General Assembly – High Level Week 2023 marked “a crucial milestone in the journey towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.” LOWC staff were presence and monitored elements including 
• • SDG Action Weekend (Sept. 16-17) – A call for inclusive collaboration and partnership was a recurring theme. Many stakeholders pointed out the impossibility of progress if specific groups continue to be targeted and excluded. Women, children, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people migrating are at risk of being left behind. 
  • March to End Fossil Fuels (Sept. 17)  
  • SDG Summit (Sept. 18-20) – The year 2023 is the halfway point for the SDGs. Only 15% of the SDG’s targets have been achieved. Covid19, conflict and climate change were named the leading contributing factors for failure to date. While Member States reiterated their commitment to sustainable development, enormous shortfalls remain in funding and actionable political will. Without concrete actions and commitment there is a risk that many will be left behind.  

• • • Finance for Development (Sept. 19) – Official development assistance (ODA) is below commitments and in trending decline. Developing states are increasingly vocal about their nearly insurmountable challenges resulting from a legacy of colonial occupation followed by cycles of increasing debt. States locked in this debt crisis have formed partnerships with increasing numbers of mild income and industrialized states calling for negotiations toward a UN Tax treaty.  
    • Annual U.N. Ecumenical Prayer Service for Children and Young People (Sept. 19) 
    • Freedom of Religion (Sept. 20-21) 
    • PEPFAR-UNAIDS Communities of Faith Initiative Breakfast (Sept. 20)  
    • Climate and Migration Workshop (Sept. 19) – ACT Alliance, Bread for the World, and Open Society Foundations co-hosted a workshop titled:  “Addressing the Protection Gap- Human Mobility and the Climate Crisis in International Frameworks.” 

 

Arizona

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) –  lamaz.org

Solveig Muus, Director

 Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) hosted the ELCA-affiliated state public policy office (SPPO) directors, D.C. advocacy staff and Hunger Advocacy Fellows at a retreat at Spirit in the Desert in September – that was an amazing opportunity for learning and sharing! 

 We welcomed our new Hunger Advocacy Fellow, Autumn Byars, to the team for a year of advocacy training, congregational engagement, faith formation and much more. Byars comes out of the Campus Ministry program at Arizona State University, and we’re delighted to have this amazing person working in our office. Thank you to ELCA World Hunger! 

 Following the unanimous vote on our Hunger Resolution at the Grand Canyon Synod Assembly in June, we continue to record congregational responses to a synod-wide Hunger Ministry Survey. To date, 100% of the congregations are involved in at least one feeding ministry. We continue legislative and congregational visits to share updates and invite new folks to join LAMA’s mission, strengthening our network of churches and advocates. 

 LAMA’s annual Summit is on November 4th. Congregational liaisons, synod hunger leaders, clergy, policy council members, staff and community members will gather to explore the theme of Advocacy as a Spiritual Practice.  

 Following a productive Policy Council retreat, LAMA identified its policy priorities for 2024:  

1. Food Insecurity and the root causes of hunger in Arizona 
2. Voting and Civic Engagement, providing education on the intersection of voting and justice and encouraging faithful voter participation 
3. Water as a precious resource in the face of droughts and population growth in Arizona 
4. Housing and Homelessness in partnership with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest

 

California

Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California (LOPP-CA) – lutheranpublicpolicyca.org

Regina Banks, Director

The deadline for Governor Newsom to sign or veto bills passed on October 14th. There were policy victories in the 2023 legislative session, but there were also notable losses. Here are the results of some bills the Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California (LOPPCA) was actively tracking and advocating around this session: 

 Signed- 

SB 4 (Wiener)- This is a huge advocacy win this year! SB 4 will allow faith institutions and non-profit colleges to build affordable housing on their lands despite previous zoning restrictions. 

SB 253 (Wiener)- One of the major climate bills this year, which was a part of the corporate accountability package, SB 253 requires large corporations to report their emissions in all phases of their manufacturing, operations, and supply chain processes. 

SB 616 (Gonzalez)- Expands the required amount of paid sick leave provided to an employee from 3 to 5 days. 

 Vetoed/Failed in Legislature- 

AB 249 (Holden)- Clean school drinking water; lead testing and infrastructure improvements. This is one of our Lobby Day bills that was unexpectedly vetoed. 

AB 1498 (Gipson)- Would have created a minimum value of $300 for the California Earned Income Tax Credit.  

AB 524 (Wicks)- Would have prohibited discrimination against employees based on their family caregiver status. 

 

Colorado

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) – lam-co.org

Peter Severson, Director

VOTER GUIDE GOES LIVE: The 2023 edition of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado’s (LAM-CO) annual Voter Guide is now available online! Check out https://www.rmselca.org/ColoradoBallot2023 to see our position and analysis for each of Colorado’s statewide ballot measures, Prop HH and Prop II. 

 CHRISTIAN UNITY GATHERING: LAM-CO Director Peter Severson attended the 2023 Christian Unity Gathering of the National Council of Churches in Nashville, Tenn., representing the ELCA on the Joint Action and Advocacy for Justice and Peace Table. The program focused on addressing the role of the church in a public square that is increasingly besieged by extremism and nationalism. The ecumenical gathering was marked by spirited worship, thoughtful conversation and joyful reconnection. 

 

Kansas

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) – KIFA.org

Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) is holding a series of panel discussions throughout the state in October and November to explore Christian nationalism: what it is, how it is affecting state and national politics and how people of faith can effectively stand against it. 
 
Christian nationalism has been called by some “the single biggest threat to religious freedom in the United States today.” It holds that the United States is defined by Christianity, and that the nation is and must remain a “Christian nation.” 
 
Called “Countering the Threat of White Christian Nationalism,” these conversations will include an academic to explain what Christian nationalism is and how it is affecting state and national politics; a pastor to talk about how it is a twisting of the teachings of Christianity and why it is important, particularly for white Christians, to stand against Christian nationalism; and Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of KIFA, who will explore how this tendency is being used to push regressive policies in a wide range of areas in Kansas and throughout the nation.  
 
The events will take place in Emporia, Wichita, Salina, Fairway, Newton and Manhattan, Kan., throughout October and early November. Visit KansasInterfaithAction.org for more information and to register.  

 

Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota (LA-MN) – lutheranadvocacymn.org

Tammy Walhof, Director

Energy Tax Credits & Rebates: As director of Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota, I recently attended a full day event to learn more about the opportunities. State programs are just getting up and running, and guidance is still coming regarding federal options. There are exciting opportunities for churches and nonprofits (tax credits for entities that don’t pay taxes). Some homeowner options are geared toward lower and

lower-middle income households so they don’t get left out of energy transitions. I’ve been in touch with colleagues from a partner organization about jointly planning an event (or series of events) to help churches learn what is available. Even before that, it helps to assess if there are actions needed first (new roof or upgraded electric panel). There is some funding to help with preparation, too. 

 COP28 UN International Climate Conference: I am honored to be one of a few people representing the ELCA in Dubai for the upcoming conference. I plan to follow the Land Use track which includes agriculture, forestry, and food issues. Trainings and other preparations are ongoing in anticipation.   

 Homes for All Planning: Our Homes for All Coalition is just beginning planning for the next session. We did get major legislation and funding in the last session, but our legislators and the public need to understand the housing/homelessness crisis was decades in the making, and will require significantly more commitments at the federal, state, and local levels. Please watch your email for federal action alerts this fall. If Congress cuts housing in budget actions, it could wipe out many of our state gains. 

 

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) – lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

The legislature returned in September to the as-yet-unfinished work of passing code bills needed to enact the spending plan signed in August after a showdown over state-funded vouchers for students to attend private and religious schools.  

 Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) welcomed Hunger Advocacy Fellow Quentin Bernhard in September. Bernhard and Director Tracey DePasquale joined ELCA-affiliated state public policy office colleagues for a convening to share legislative updates and effective practices and explore the impacts of Christian nationalism. LAMPa also welcomed four new policy council members, just in time for the annual retreat, which  focused on relationship building and understanding how they and LAMPa fit into the life of the wider church.

 LAMPa co-hosted a convening of the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition. Teams presented their priorities for our common agenda for 2024.  

DePasquale participated on state Emergency Food Assistance Advisory Council in making recommendations to the Department of Agriculture for the upcoming budget.  

In other items, LAMPa staff: 

• Gathered reports from hunger ministries to issue an alert regarding WIC funding and collaborated with ELCA federal advocacy staff in preparing for Hill visits on the Farm Bill with Penn. synod bishops.  
• Organized depolarization training. Register here for the Nov. 8 interactive virtual event. 
• Engaged advocates in a social media campaign for Season of Creation.  
• Helped congregations add advocacy to “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday.

• Worked with partners around upcoming events on gun violence and on drivers’ licenses for all, regardless of immigration status. 

 

Washington

Faith Action Network  (FANWA) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Executive Director

 
This month we welcomed Tomo Duke as our ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow for an internship year funded by ELCA World Hunger

with our ELCA Witness in Society partners. Duke brings ecumenical and interfaith experiences to our work to address root causes of hunger.  We also welcomed a new Faith Action Network (FAN) Network Events Manager, Alex Robinson, who brings a background in theater and event production for faith communities.

 As we work on our state legislative agenda, we focused our advocacy attention on food justice this past month. We invited our network to our annual Food Week of Action (October 15-22). Leading up to the week, we compiled and shared this resource of advocacy opportunities for individuals and communities of faith and conscience to plan an action or raise awareness in their time of worship or gatherings. During the week, we also offered an Anti-Hunger Advocacy webinar where we covered anti-hunger policy efforts and the next legislative priorities. We addressed the importance of advocating for federal legislation like the Farm Bill and the WIC program for nutrition access for marginalized populations and state legislation like Free School Meals for All Students. We have earnestly invited and encouraged our network to equip their faith-driven compassion and social services for hungry communities with policy advocacy.  

FAN staff have been setting up regional cluster meetings for our network, from Spokane to Wenatchee, from the Puget Sound region to Vancouver, and listened to their concerns during this interim time between legislative sessions. It is a valuable opportunity for us to hear more about local organizing efforts and how FAN can be supportive.  

 

 

Wisconsin

The Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) – loppw.org

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

Lutheran Office of Public Policy – Wisconsin (LOPPW) interviewed Christine Moffett who is the ELCA Program Director for Environment and Energy. She discussed her work on climate change, water, and different federal efforts she is working on. She also told us about the hope she has for the future as a young adult. Learn more about the 2023 Senate Bill 312 through this action alert: Hold Polluters Responsible for Contaminants they Produce. It would adjust Senate Bill 312 to help the Department of Natural Resources to thrive in doing their work to address the insidious problem of PFAS (forever chemicals) in our water.  To learn more about PFAS, please see our issue paper from our spring advocacy day:  PFAS Issue Paper 

As was intended, there is a bill to define how the $125 million will be spent.  Senate Bill 312 unfortunately includes limiting the Department of Natural Resources’ ability to hold polluters responsible for the contaminants they produce in our water. Learn more here: 

Expand Voting Access 

Senate Bill 39 and Assembly Bill 38 expand voting access by allowing people to opt-in through email to receive updates via text about their absentee ballots as well as request their absentee ballots this way.  Support this bipartisan effort! Read the bill here: (23-1550/1) (wisconsin.gov). Learn more here.  

Mary Houck, Decatur, GA

Warm-up Question

• Name something you once believed was 100% true that you’ve since learned is untrue. 
• Do you and your friends have any “fun” things you like to argue about (e.g. sports teams or favorite players, favorite musicians, foods you like or dislike, etc.)?

A Matter of Perception

It was almost 9 years ago now, but you may remember a controversy that erupted on the internet in February of 2015. There was a picture of a dress.  Some people swore it was white and gold; others were adamant that it was black and blue. For days, people went around showing the picture to friends and acquaintances who hadn’t seen it yet, asking what color the dress was. 

Depending on the answer, debates ensued about whose perception was correct, both sides passionately certain they had it right. How could it possibly be that two people looked at the same thing and perceived it so differently? Of course, it was not possible for everyone to be correct since it was a picture of a real dress, and eventually the truth was revealed: the dress is indeed blue and black. 

It took vision scientists two years to explain what happened and confirm their findings. As it turned out, the different color schemes had to do with how each viewer perceived the photo as a whole.  Was the lighting natural or artificial? Was the dress in shadow or in light? The colors a viewer sees even correlates to whether they are typically a morning person or a night person— which affects our assumptions about light sources and shadows. Basically, our way of perceiving the world causes certain assumptions when looking at the picture, which affects what colors we see. 

Discussion Questions

• What do you do when a disagreement arises that is not just a difference in taste or opinion (country vs hip- hop), but a difference in understanding what seems to be a clear truth about the world (gravity exists).
• What sources do you go to when you want to find out the truth about something? Is it a person you trust? A news source? The Internet? How do you tell whether a source of information is trustworthy or not?
• Are all opinions equally valid?  What distinguishes “fact” from “opinion”?

Reformation Sunday

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Romans 3:19-28

John 8:31-36

(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

This week we celebrate Reformation Sunday, remembering when Martin Luther started the Reformation movement in Germany by sharing his 95 theses. At the time, the Roman Catholic church dominated all of Europe. It had turned into an organization that often used the faith of the people to accumulate power, influence, and wealth instead of walking alongside them in a life of faith. 

The church had set itself up as an unquestionable authority: anything the church said was the truth. Luther, who was teaching the Bible to men training to be priests, thought he saw discrepancies between the Bible and church teachings.  The 95 theses, based on these perceived discrepancies,  were assertions which Luther wanted to debate with other theologians. He hoped to correct errors which had crept into church teaching and practice.

Luther’s goal wasn’t freedom from the church. He first tried to reform the church from within. His primary concern was to free people from what felt like slavery to sin. Luther felt deeply oppressed by his own sin, never feeling he had confessed enough or been penitent enough. It was through God’s word that Luther found freedom in the truth that we are saved by grace received through faith, not through works (actions we take to try to make up for our sins and earn God’s forgiveness).

Today’s gospel is a perfect one for Reformation Sunday. Jesus tells the disciples that they will find the truth by continuing in his word and that the truth will set them free. In typical disciple fashion, they still don’t understand him and think he’s talking about literal slavery. (I can’t help but imagine Jesus face-palming or at least letting out a big sigh. After all he’s shown them, they still don’t get it) Jesus patiently explains that he’s talking about freedom from sin. 

However, in order for the truth to set us free, we have to be able to identify the truth. In today’s world people assert as truth all kinds crazy conspiracy theories and bigoted opinions about people who are different from themselves. Looking for a way to describe the American popular understanding of truth, comedian Stephen Colbert coined the term “truthiness” to describe “what you feel to be true, rather than what the facts will support.” Others say we are living in a “post-truth” era, when there is nothing more than opinion and appeal to emotion is more important than objective facts. 

So how do we figure out what the truth is? We turn to God’s word, but of course the Bible was written a long time ago and cannot speak directly about current events or issues. There are no Bible verses about whether the dress is blue or gold. And, even more confusing, the Bible can become the dress in a way.  Different people read the same words of the Bible and come to completely different conclusions about the truth.

Just as we all made unconscious assumptions when looking at that dress, our individual ways of seeing the world affect how we read the Bible. Paying attention to our unconscious assumptions about the Bible and truly listening to others with open minds as we study it helps. Martin Luther had another tip as well: Look for what “shows forth Christ.” Does this interpretation look like Jesus? How does it urge me to act like Jesus? Does it reveal to me the love and grace of god in Christ for the whole world? These are the truths that will set us free.

Discussion Questions

• Can you think of a time that the Bible answered a real-life question for you? How did you find the truth in the Bible?
• The controversy over the dress was fun because it didn’t have any bigger implications. People enjoyed arguing about it because it didn’t really matter who was right in the end. However, many disagreements about the truth have much bigger consequences for people’s lives. For example, the recent terrorist attack by Hamas and massive response by Israel has intensified the ongoing debate about Israel and Palestine. Is Israel a peaceful nation that is the victim of terrorism and violence from Hamas? Are Palestinians the victims of an oppressive Israeli government, which routinely takes away their land, homes, water, and freedom? Is there truth on both sides?  Can you think of similar controversies where each side make legitimate arguments ?
• Are there times when knowing the “truth” and being “right” are less important than finding ways to create reconciliation?  How might that preference for reconciliation be related to Reformation Sunday?  What was the great “truth” which Luther thought most important?

Activity Suggestions

• Play Two Truths and a Lie: each player states two things that are true about themselves, and one that is untrue. The rest of the group has to guess which thing is untrue. 
  • Discuss: Who gets to be the ‘authority’ on the truth about us? Does everyone hold their own truth which should be treated as valid, or do we have to fit into the story our culture tells about us? 
• World View Interviews
  • Come up with a list of questions you’d like to ask people to better understand how they see the world. 
    • Choose questions that are open-ended, and which do not pressure someone to answer a particular way. For example, don’t ask “you’re a Republican, right?” Ask, “do you identify as a member of a political party?”
    • When you ask, listen carefully and non-judgmentally. You are there to learn about the person, not judge them. If one of their answers surprises you, however, you can ask follow-up questions to learn more. 
    • Some examples might be:
      • Where were you born?
      • What was your first language?
      • How many places have you lived?
      • What did your parents teach you about money?
      • Have you or your family ever served in the military?
      • Do you have a favorite sports team?
      • What do you like to do with your free time?
      • Do you identify as a member of a political party?
      • What foods do you like to eat?
      • Have you lived through any wars? How did they affect you?
    • Interview each other, other people in your faith community, or even your own family. You are certain to learn new things, even about people you think you know well.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, we thank you for your truth which sets us free, and for the example of our brother Martin. Help us to discern the truth when the world is confusing. Open our minds and hearts when we struggle to understand someone else’s view of the world. Give us the courage to speak the truth even when it is unpopular. Amen.

 

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2023

IN A TIME OF WAR | NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING REFORMS | COUNTERING GLOBAL CORRUPTION | YOUNG ADULT MIGRATION ADVOCACY | CLIMATE WEEK NYC

 

IN A TIME OF WAR: The devastating loss of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since Oct. 7 grieve us all.
U.S. churches including the ELCA have spoken on the conflict several times (including 10/7/23 and 10/12/23); the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, issued a statement on Israel-Hamas war (10/13/23); and an Action Alert for all of us to reach out to U.S. policy makers was advanced through the Peace Not Walls network; among faith-based responses to this situation.

Corresponding to calls from Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition in which the ELCA is a member, we are calling on Congress to act in ways that will help de-escalate the violence and stop further loss of life. Specifically, we call on Congress to:

• Publicly call for ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all sides;
• Call on all parties to abide by the laws of war, including the Geneva Conventions and customary international law; and
• Prioritize steps to secure the immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians.

We implore Congress to refrain from steps that only exacerbate the violence and increase the risk of expanding war into the broader region. Any Congressional effort that is one-sided and rushes to send new weapons to Israel will only intensify the conflict, leading to further deaths and destruction. Congress must work to prevent the spread of more violence, including against Palestinian civilians in Israel and the West Bank.

Find additional resources at ELCA.org/Israel-Hamas%20War.

 

NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING REFORMS: In July, the Senate passed a reauthorized version of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA) – the main vehicle of U.S. housing assistance and funding for tribal communities.

The legislation, which has not been reauthorized since 2013, was attached as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which passed by a wide margin of 86-11. NAHASDA block grant funding to tribal communities has remained flat and not risen with inflation since its expiration over a decade ago – making renewal a core priority for many housing advocates. Final passage could be quite possible as the Senate conferences the wider bill with the House of Representatives later this year. Witness in Society staff are tracking the legislation and will be coordinating with partners on the issue in the coming weeks.

 

COUNTERING GLOBAL CORRUPTION: The Biden administration has launched the first ever U.S. strategy on countering corruption. Among other things, the new strategy aims to elevate anti-corruption work as a priority in diplomatic efforts and improve international anti-money laundering efforts.

In 2021 when coming into office, President Biden asked his national security team to take a lead on creating a comprehensive U.S. strategy to strengthen the U.S. government’s ability to fight corruption, combat illegal finance and improve accountability. This development is encouraging for priorities of the ELCA, as the ELCA social statement, The Church and Criminal Justic: Hearing the Cries, says both “This church knows that human evil is prevalent, ancient and often heinous” (p. 6) and “Drawing from the biblical witness to God’s wondrously rich forms of love and justice, we are compelled by a ‘holy yearning’ to address the need for a change in public mindset and for dramatic reforms in policies and practices” (p. 1).

 

YOUNG ADULT MIGRATION ADVOCACY: On Sept. 26 and 27, ELCA Witness and Society and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) staff provided support for the first ever Young Adult Migration Advocacy Day. Constituents met with the offices of 12 members of Congress from six states.

The day brought together 12 young adults virtually from across the nation to return to share their witness and recommendations with their elected representatives after immersing themselves in an educational trip to the border where they met with government and community stakeholders. The day of advocacy (see Facebook post) took place just as Congress was considering key federal spending bills and legislation.

 

CLIMATE WEEK NYC: In partnership with the U.N. General Assembly, Climate Week NYC was held from Sept. 17-24, 2023, and Witness in Society advocacy and Lutheran Office for World Community staff were present. Around 75,000 people took part in a March to End Fossil Fuels on Sept. 17.

Within this march, organized through GreenFaith, diverse people of varying faiths and traditions collaborated to create a “faith contingent” and host a prayer service before the March commenced. Some Lutherans visibly participated. LOWC and D.C.-based advocacy staff joined in conjunction with values of Lutherans to protect creation and promote climate justice.

 

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