In honor of National Day of Racial Healing, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited The Reverend Jennifer Thomas to share some thoughts about this topic with our readers.

 

As a person of faith, I am called to love God and my neighbor as myself. Because of this, I’m committed to learning how white supremacy culture and my own complicity in it cause harm to my global neighbors near and far — and when I know better, to do better. As a seminarian, I attended anti-racism training in the late ’90s. But my journey didn’t stop there. Even last month I learned a new term: “global majority,” a collective term for non-white people of African, Asian and Latin American descent, who constitute approximately 85% of the global population. It has been used as an alternative to terms that are seen as racialized, such as “ethnic minority” and “person of color,” or more regional terms across the globe. It roughly corresponds to people whose heritage can be traced back to nations of the Global South.  

I’m a board member of the European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice and a member of the Central States Synod Racial Justice Team. As a member of both organizations, I’m interested in building a network of racial justice advocates and organizers across the ELCA. I also participate in #Reformation2022, a movement to reform the ELCA. Most of the work I do as a board and team member is amplifying the voices of the global majority community, whether it be an individual or an association within our church. 

When I was invited to blog this month for the “National Day of Racial Healing,” I had to look it up because it was new to me. The National Day of Racial Healing is a call to action for racial healing for all people. It is a time for contemplating our shared values and engaging together on #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism. It’s a day to come together in a shared commitment to building relationships. Launched on Jan. 17, 2017, it is an opportunity to bring people together in their common humanity and inspire collective action to create a more equitable world. The day is observed every year on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

You can’t change what you don’t know. So how much do you know about the impact of colonization on the global majority community?  

When we know the truth and embrace it, we begin the process of building and strengthening right relationships with our global majority neighbors. In 2023 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) launched the Truth and Healing Movement. Many resources are available to assist you and your congregation as you work on your responsibilities. 

The ELCA also has ethnic associations for Ethnic Specific and Multicultural Ministries. For even more resources, visit the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge page. 

If you are of European descent within the ELCA and passionate about anti-racism and dismantling white supremacy, we invite you to join our partner list. 

And plan to attend the European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice Triennial Assembly, March 1-3, in Minneapolis. The registration deadline is Jan. 15.  

 

The Rev. Jennifer Thomas is an ELCA pastor, ordained in 1998. She’s served congregations in Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas. Her current call is as associate director for Mission Funding in the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop. She resides in Kansas with her husband Vance, their almost adult children, Peder and Solveig, and two adorable rescue dogs, Rose and Dumplin’. In addition to organizing, advocacy, fundraising and proclamation of the good news, Jen enjoys cooking, baking, swimming, reading and binge–watching her favorite TV shows. 

 

 

Issue 91 of Administration Matters

Registration for the 2024 Gathering, MYLE, the tAble, and Young Adult Gathering is currently open!

The ELCA Youth Gathering and Young Adult Gathering will take place in New Orleans on July 16-20, with MYLE and the tAble taking place immediately before on July 13-16. We’re thrilled to be back in such a vibrant city filled with history, great food and inspiring music. We’re also excited to share that the first 1,000 people to register for the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the first 200 to register for the tAble, our pre-event for youth living with disabilities, will receive a waived registration fee for those events. To learn more, visit elca.org/Gathering. If you have any questions, email gathering@elca.org. We’ll see you in the bayou!

January: New year checklist from Portico

What steps should administrative personnel take in January to ensure a smooth transition into 2024? Three things to check are that your withholdings are up to date, that compensation changes are recorded, and that your January bill is closely reviewed and is accurate. Church administrators can find detailed information on how to be prepared and record and pay bills with accuracy at EmployerLink.

Together we create Stories of Faith in Action

Across the ELCA we are connected through the stories we tell, hear and experience in ministry with, among and for one another. Our ELCA Stories of Faith in Action (SOFIA) are available to everyone at SOFIA (livinglutheran.org). Here you will experience a number of stories in action that lift up some of the vital ministries made possible by the generous Mission Support shared by the many ELCA congregations. Mission Support, which funds the ministries of your synod and churchwide organization, is available only because of the faith-filled regular offerings that individuals give to their congregations. This site also includes resources on how Mission Support funds ministry, as well as a devotion that can be used with SOFIA in council meetings, annual gatherings, Bible studies and wherever you gather to tell stories. We also encourage you check out, in the Mission Support tab, a monthly Mission Support Memo that includes additional stories, offers ways to engage and shares gratefulness! We are church together.

IRS issues standard mileage rates for 2024

In December the Internal Revenue Service issued the 2024 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) are:
• 67 cents per mile driven for business use, up 1.5 cents from 2023.
• 21 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the armed forces, a decrease of 1 cent from 2023.
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2023.
These rates apply to electric and hybrid-electric automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

Bring results to your doctor at your preventive appointment

Many of us use January as a time to take inventory of our well-being. Based on research by the American Medical Association, “arranging for tests to be completed before the next visit” saves time, saves money and improves care. You can schedule any recurrent or necessary tests, draws or scans a couple of months before your preventive exam (such as a mammogram, blood draw or bone density scan). This gives your doctor information ahead of time and may save you an extra appointment.

Why do you need a finance committee?

Does your house of worship have an active finance committee? Or is there one person who takes on the task of managing your money and the responsibility of paying your bills? Here are five reasons why it’s important that a finance committee plays an active role in deciding what happens to money your members contribute. >More

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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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.

Music that Makes Community announced a leadership transition in November.  After 8 years of serving as MMC’s Executive Director, Paul Vasile discerned it was time for a new adventure. We are grateful for his service and all the ways he grew this community of practice and shared resources so generously. To succeed him, the Board of Trustees hired Conie Borchardt, a long time MMC practitioner and facilitator. Please join us for Coffee Hour (10a ET) and Happy Hour (5p ET) on Monday, Jan. 15 to meet Conie.

To support you in planning your Lenten experiences this year, MMC is offering three virtual gatherings.  On Friday, Jan. 15, 3:30p ET, there will be a hybrid Lenten Resource workshop offered live from Albuquerque, N.M. (1:30p MT) which will be recorded and available for later purchase.  (If you’re local to ABQ, please join us in person!)  On Thursday, Feb. 1 (2:30p ET) and Monday, March 4, (4p ET) there will be Drop-In spaces with MMC leaders to explore and envision meaningful experiences for the Lent arc from Ash Wednesday to Easter.  The latter will specifically focus on Holy Week and Easter.  As always, our facebook group is an ever present place to start and continue conversations about creative liturgical music practices.

Our facilitators, Breen Sipes, ELCA pastor, and Charles Murphy will be leading music and offering a plenary at the Messy Church conference in Chicago in April.  Charles will be leading a 1/2 day workshop in Birmingham, AL on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 4. Practice groups continue in Chicago and Albuquerque and monthly community sing/song circles are starting in central Washington state and Indianapolis.  In addition to these in-person events, Monday Morning Grounding is currently meeting on Zoom at 10a ET until March 4.  Please visit our website calendar for more details!

May the Song support and nourish you during this little green time between Advent and Lent.  Please be in touch at hello@musicthatmakescommunity.org and keep singing.

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Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

It’s time to nominate students for Lutheran Summer Music
Each year, the primary way that music students find their way to LSM is through the encouragement of their church musician! LSM offers opportunities for musicians of all kinds: brass, winds, strings, percussion, piano, organ, voice, harp, guitar, handbells, and more! Students receive advanced musical instruction through large ensembles (Festival Choir, Band and Orchestra), chamber music, private lessons with collegiate-level faculty, and elective classes (such as conducting, composition, church music, intro to the pipe organ, jazz band, musical theatre, music therapy). In the evenings, students attend recitals and Evening Prayer services, and social events with their friends.

LSM 2024 takes place at Valparaiso University in Indiana from June 30-July 28 (Full Session) or June 30-July 14 (Half Session) and is open to students who have completed grades 8-12. Know a musical young person who would thrive at LSM? Nominate them today.

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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 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. Early registration closes March 19. Additional information about the conference, including pricing, scholarships, and accommodations, is available on the ALCM website.

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Institute of Liturgical Studies

An ecumenical conference on liturgical renewal for the church today.

Creation, Not Commodity: The Church’s Liturgy in a Consumer Culture
Consumer or market culture’s role in our lives is so ubiquitous that we frequently fail to recognize its presence and influence over us. Even committed church folk will talk about “church shopping” when they move to a new location.

In its 75^th year, the Institute will turn its attention to this phenomenon. It 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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Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

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

Gathered into One: Devotions for Lent 2024

Gathered into One provides daily devotions for each day from Ash Wednesday to the Resurrection of Our Lord/Vigil of Easter (traditionally known as Holy Saturday). Devotions begin with an evocative image and a brief passage from First Corinthians. The writers then bring their diverse voices and pastoral wisdom to the texts with quotations to ponder, reflections, and prayers. The apostle Paul writes First Corinthians after hearing of quarreling and divisions among the people, emphasizing a theme of unity amid diversity is as timely now as it was when Paul was writing.

Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days

An essential companion resource to the Worship Guidebook, this collection greatly expands the repertoire of resources for the song of the assembly and its leaders during the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Most materials are reproducible and newly composed in a broad range of styles. Spiral-bound, includes a CD-ROM with assembly and instrumental parts.

Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days

This guidebook is a treasure trove of insights, images, and practical tips to help deepen your congregation’s worship life during the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. An essential companion to the guidebook is the Music Sourcebook.

 

New Music for Lent, Easter, and Spring

Check out new music for Lent, Easter, and Spring from Augsburg Fortress. A piece that may become a new favorite is “Dust, Remember You Are Splendor.” Susan Palo Cherwien’s poetry brings new imagery and depth to the traditional Ash Wednesday themes of dust and repentance. In this setting for SAB choir, composer Anne Krentz Organ beautifully writes original music which underscores the hopeful and contemplative text. The assembly can be invited to join on the last stanza as well.

Save the Date for Augsburg Fortress Summer Music Clinics

Join clinicians David Cherwien and Mark Sedio for Augsburg Fortress’ free summer music clinics this summer in any of our five locations! Registration information is still forthcoming, but now is the time to save the date:
July 16-17 in St. Paul, Minn
July 19-20 in Columbia, S.C.
August 1-2 in Philadelphia, Pa.
August 5-6 in Columbus, Ohio
August 9-10 in Chicago, Ill.

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Luther Seminary: Faith + Lead

Who plans worship in your congregation? Perhaps roles are shifting, and a common framework would be helpful. Or you’re trying a new worship service but want to keep the essential elements centered. Luther Seminary’s Faith+Lead has a new on-demand course A Lay Leader’s Guide to Planning Worship Experiences ideal for equipping individuals or groups to faithfully design worship that grows along with your community’s needs. Integrating multiple learning styles, this course will help you connect your understanding and hopes for worship.

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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. The deadline for this round of proposals is October 15. Future dates for submissions include Feb. 15 and June 15, 2024.

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Journey to Baptismal Living

Journey to Baptismal Living (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.

As you are planning for Lent, the Three Days, and Easter, All Creation Sings provides several resources for your assembly’s worship.

Lent

Explore the collection of “short songs” in All Creation Sings. These could be incorporated into a weekly Service of Word and Prayer (ACS pp. 42-45) for a Lenten midweek service or during communion, gathering, or other times in Sunday worship. This blog post provides video links and tips for using these songs in ACS. 

Enrich your use of Setting 12 in All Creation Sings with the Ensemble Setting arranged by Anne Krentz Organ. You don’t need a full orchestra; even a single instrumentalist or a few handbells would be a lovely addition. Read this blog post for one congregation’s experience using this setting.  Watch the composer share more about Setting 12. 

Pray using several of the new prayers in All Creation Sings. Several collects, laments, and thanksgivings are offered. This video gives a very brief introduction to this content.  

Holy Week and The Three Days 

Teach a “paperless” setting for the procession with palms. Both “Pave the Way with Branches” (ACS 928) and “Blessed is the One” (ACS 929) could be taught and sung by rote, with harmonies being added as it becomes more familiar. Children could lead these as well. 

Sing from All Creation Sings as part of your Easter Vigil service. This blog post provides several ideas. If you are considering “Earth Is Full of Wit and Wisdom” as an assembly response to the creation story, this video offers a brief introduction. Do you have a children’s or unison choir? See this setting in ChildrenSing Creation.  

Consult the Indexes to Evangelical Lutheran Worship and All Creation Sings to see several suggestions from ACS for this week and throughout the year. 

Easter 

Teach a new Easter hymn such as “Woman, Weeping in the Garden.”  This video provides background on the text and a singing of the tune. 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 Easter hymns through choral settings. “Touch That Soothes and Heals” by Thomas Keesecker offers a more meditative expression of Easter and is especially suitable for Easter 2. With its beautiful piano accompaniment and setting for SAB choir, a choir could introduce the assembly to this new hymn. Take a listen. Curious about what other ACS hymns and songs have anthem arrangements? This listing would be a great help to church musicians.  

Discover All Creation Sings outside of worship with an intergenerational event using Gather Together: 8 Intergenerational Events to Explore All Creation Sings. Perhaps you have a session close to Earth Day and use the Creation Care event or Climate Justice event. You could have a “kick off” session in Easter and plan other sessions throughout the year.

 

by Quentin Bernhard, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Pennsylvania [about the author]

Praying for our leaders, especially those in elected office, came up in conversation during a fall 2023 meeting of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) Policy Council. Several people mentioned that it was difficult for members of congregations to do this in front of their fellow churchgoers, especially when it involved naming specific leaders and offices. Mere mention of an elected official’s name can elicit a sharp response, especially in our times of political polarization. It is at play in our expressly political institutions as well as in our families, our communities and our church.

This polarization, and how to begin to depolarize both ourselves and our interpersonal relationships, was the topic of a LAMPa fall workshop on depolarization as an act of discipleship in a democracy. While the conversation did not linger on prayers for elected leaders and the role of these prayers in worship, it did bring to the surface the challenges we all face in embracing others in their fullness and complexity – across our sense of division, brokenness, and different understandings of our values. That fullness and complexity is at the heart of our common humanity and yet is so often overlooked in our world. This happens in part because of polarization but also because of the harms and injustices of colonialism, white supremacy and other dehumanizing modes of oppression.

For me, praying for elected officials and candidates—and for all our leaders and community members, regardless of title or status—is a call for them to bring open hearts and minds, to open to the “mystery” of God, and to be open to be changed by it through Christ. It is also an act of hope, that peace and justice might be made real and that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will allow our leaders to see our neighbors as they really are, fully human and fully loved by God.

Caring about what our leaders do, and acting on that care, is an expression of our love for our neighbors and our faith in a future, transformed by Christ, that we are part of bringing about. When officials and candidates belittle our neighbors here and around the world, consider them deserving of unending bombardments and military assaults, and name them as threats to the United States and its supposed way of life, often defined in Christian nationalist terms, we fall short of seeing that humanity.

Our prayers are important. And our actions make our witness known to our leaders—as disciples and agents of change for God’s world.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Quentin Bernhard (he/him), ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow, is serving with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) – an ELCA state public policy office – with Penn. roots and global perspective. After graduating from Muhlenberg College where he majored in history and political science and minored in Spanish, Berhard spent a year in Senegal through ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission. He has worked with community and advocacy organizations including the Allentown School District Foundation, the Lehigh Valley Zoo and the Climate Action Campaign, and is a member of New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Tripoli, Penn.

 

Scott Moore, Erfurt, Germany

Warm-up Question

When have you ever seen an image or video and suspected it was a fake? 

Is Seeing Really Believing?

Since the advent of A.I.-generated images, we have experienced fascinating examples of creativity. Mash ups of unlikely images, inspiring universes beyond the wildest imagination, and quite unnerving and even nefarious examples. We have seen people we respect and people we don’t displayed doing the things we are either shocked to see or confirmed in our biases about them. Quite often, though these images are not of something that really happened, they are presented as the news. 

With a few clever commands and maybe some raw images or video, one can simulate natural disasters or scenes of war. The various stock photo sites are scrambling to adjust. Do they refuse to share and sell uploads of events that have been faked, or do they share them and label them as A.I.-generated and fake? 

The average viewer is now faced with the challenge of what to do once they have seen these images the first time. Was it real? How does it support or challenge my existing views? Can I get the images out of my mind? What are my options in today’s fast-paced news cycle filled with powerful images, which may be legitimate or not. 

Discussion Questions

• Where do you see advantages in A.I. generated visual content?
• When is art generated by A.I. still art?
• What kind of guidelines do we need as we evolve along with A.I.?
• Which one of these images was created with A.I.?

Second Sunday after Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:43-51

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

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

Gospel Reflection

“In the beginning was the Word.” This is how John’s gospel starts. No shepherds, magi, donkeys, sheep, mangers, and the like. The gospel goes on to talk about this eternal Word that has become flesh,  and this flesh that was also a light. Sound, material, and photons: a mystical mix of life and energy that our senses can detect. The Gospel of John has the theme of light and darkness.  It also speaks of seeing, which is our sense which most readily detects light. This theme of seeing and faith that comes from seeing is woven throughout the gospel. (Work through the Gospel of John looking for themes of seeing/light/faith and bearing witness or testifying. It’s all over the place.)  

The gospel text for this week has a lot of seeing going on. “Come and see!”, “You will see greater things than this.”, “You will see heaven opened….”  The invitation to know who Jesus is comes with a simple, excited “Come and see!” The Word of God is now flesh and is a light for the world. Come and see! 

If the Gospel of John wants us to see Jesus for who he is, how does that translate into our world today? Is it enough to read a story about others who see God in Jesus? Does it suffice to hear someone tell about their experiences with God? What does the world need to have its eyes opened to the potential of God’s love, made known in Jesus and made known in our lives? If we have become so jaded by the twisting of words and images, where do we find our ability to share something authentic about our faith? 

Perhaps the answer lies in taking a look at our own experiences with God’s love, revealed in Christ, and sharing it. Others trusted Philip. He didn’t ask people who didn’t know him to “come and see!” He’d already created a  relationship  a foundation of trust. Maybe the gospel’s word for us today is to start with what we know and invite others to experience that with us. 

It isn’t, “Hey check that out,” but “come and see!” We bring others into our experiences of God and God’s love. That is authentic. It’s inviting. That is encouraging. This is what Philip models for us and Jesus promises Philip that he will see much more than he bargained for. That isn’t fake news. That is good news. 

Discussion Questions

• When did you most feel God’s presence or working in your life?
• When have you questioned your faith?
• Who has invited you into a deeper relationship with God/Jesus?
• When do you feel most authentic? And, where do you see a connection with that to your faith?

Activity Suggestion

Take a walk around your church and look for signs (with or without words) that are inviting or make you want to learn or know more about your church community or about God. Conversely, are there signs (with or without words) that are not inviting or even risk driving people away. 

Closing Prayer

God of light and love, open our eyes to see your beauty and grace the world around us. Inspire us to be our most authentic selves and let us be a beacon of light for those who are looking for you. Help us to embody a spirit of welcome and empower us to be voices of encouragement wherever we go. We ask this in the name of the Word made flesh, the light of the world. Jesus the Christ. Amen 

 

Alex Zuber, Harrisonburg, VA

Warm-up Question

What is the most urgent or pressing thing in your life right now?  (It could be a good thing or a challenge)

Tear It Open!

For all the build-up, Christmas just flies by too fast!  Some of us (me included) may have been singing along with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” since November 1, but Christmas is still over too soon.

I know I could slow down and savor the moment more, but I’m always far too delighted by the frenzied rush of Christmas morning.  It doesn’t seem to matter what age I am, when I get a package wrapped in bright, shiny, joyful paper, I just want to tear it open as fast as I can!  Whether you’re in a family that has everyone open their presents all at once, or one where. you patiently wait to open one present at a time, while everyone watches, there’s a magical thrill to tearing open the wrapping paper.

As joyful as this practice is each year, I always feel a bit of sadness as I carry huge garbage bags loaded with Christmas wrapping paper out to the street for the trash collection.  Not just because Christmas is over, but because this joyful tradition is inherently wasteful.  The site Brightly says, “The U.S. is estimated to produce 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper every year, and half of that—approximately 2.3 million pounds—winds up in landfills.”

And it’s not just the paper in those trash bags! “Ribbons and bows are a problem, too: If every family reused two feet of ribbon, it would save enough to tie a bow around the planet.”  It pulls at my heart to balance  this joyful tradition of tearing open presents with the deep call I feel to better steward creation.  Perhaps we can have both.  We can all take simple steps to find eco-friendly paper, reuse some paper and bags, wrap more creatively with repurposed paper, and look into reusable cloth alternatives.

Discussion Questions

• What is your practice of present opening on Christmas morning? Do you tear into presents with urgency or not?
• Before reading this post have you ever considered the waste that is created by the holidays?
• What can you and your family do to take a more sustainable approach to the holidays next year?

Baptism of our Lord

Genesis 1:1-5

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

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

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

Gospel Reflection

Particularly as we read the Gospel of Mark, I can’t help but think of the urgency of tearing open gifts on Christmas, because Mark is a gospel that gets down to business quickly!  Christmas? Nope.  Magi and a star? No. Jesus as a child in the temple? Nah.  Mark doesn’t have time for such things!  Our gospel writer launches into the gospel with urgency, saying simply “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ,” and then doesn’t let up for 16 chapters.  (Even the Easter story includes  no original post-resurrection appearances by Jesus!  It just ends.)

In Mark, Jesus is on the move, and Jesus is in action.  He’s teaching, healing, casting out demons, and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near!  Before this happens, John the Baptizer appears, offering a baptism of repentance  and proclaiming the coming of one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus comes to John and receives this baptism for himself in solidarity with the people, and just as he emerges from the water, the heavens are “torn apart and the Spirit descends like a dove upon him.” Did you hear that?  The heavens are “torn apart”, not merely “opened” as they are in Matthew and Luke.  This is a dramatic and urgent scene!

Jesus is always getting into the action, and Mark is particular about showing that God—just like a kid of any age on Christmas morning—is tearing open the heavens like wrapping paper to declare the belovedness of Jesus.  And you too, are beloved!

As John offered a baptism of repentance, we receive the forgiveness of sins through our baptisms.  We are washed in the Holy Spirit through the love of Jesus.  God proclaims over the waters of our baptism that we are beloved as well.  God is indeed pleased to call us God’s children.  And this baptized life calls us to walk with both a spirit of repentance,  which transforms our hearts, and  a spirit of  joy and hope for all creation.  Just as we can rethink the joyful practice of Christmas paper to better care for our world, so our baptism calls us to live into our belovedness by tearing apart the ways of sin which divide us from one another, and obscure the presence of God.

God is urgently, joyfully tearing open the heavens to be among us, to proclaim belovedness over creation through the joy and hope we share in loving one another.  Dear one, YOU are God’s beloved, and with YOU God is well pleased!

Discussion Questions

• Baptismal candidates declare “I renounce them!” to the powers of evil. What evil(s) do you renounce? (Mark 1:9-11)
• Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of his ministry; how was your baptism the beginning of yours? (Mark 1:10-11)

Activity Suggestions

• Make a to-do list this week, and then sort it by what is most urgent.  Then read the five points of the Baptismal Covenant, below.  Discuss with a friend how these things can be done through each of the urgent tasks you’ve identified.  If it’s hard to imagine these things reflecting your baptismal covenant, how can you reprioritize, or reimagine these activities as an extension of your baptismal calling?  (Covenant: to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth)
• Baptism is our adoption into God’s family as God’s child, and God is “very pleased” (Mark 1:11) that this is so.  As a way of testing how your life would be affected if you always had a reminder of that gracious truth, take an index card and write the words of verse 11, starting with your own first name, “_____, You are my beloved child;  with you I am well pleased.”  Fold this index card and carry it around with you all week, in a pocket or purse where you will come across it often.  Then pay attention to how hearing this word from God – a reminder of your adoption – changes the way you think about yourself and the world around you. (Credit: Dave Delaney, VA Synod, ELCA)

Closing Prayer 

We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give us new birth, cleanse us from sin, and raise us to eternal life. Stir up in us the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen. (From the “Affirmation of Baptism” liturgy in Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

There is no Faith Lens post this week

 

“He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.

But to all who received him he gave power to become the children of God” (RSV)

 

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day [God] rested from all his work.

 

Here in Genesis 2:1, we learn about the continuing of creation, flora and fauna, rest from the six days God created the skies and the earth and humanity.  

 

We’ve heard this Scripture countless times, in pithy sentences, in expectation for an abstract time in the future where we would pause and reflect. But, when the appointed time comes, many of us continue ticking things off the to-do list, doing one last thing before rest, continuing the cycle until we realized we haven’t actually rested. We admire the Creator for building this seventh day into our default weekly flow, a pause, a hiatus from production. Production is fruitful for our humanity and society as we work together to address hunger and inequalities, as God made creation to work together. But what if we thought of rest not as mutually exclusive from this week of creation, but an essential part of the weekly rhythm? 

 

For a little while, especially since the beginning of this global COVID-19 pandemic, the distraction of social media, the news cycle, and the endless doom scrolling impeded my rest. Bad news penetrates my phone and computer and even when I try to take a break, the convenience of my phone sending alerts makes it difficult. Constant production and consumption have eclipsed my daily rhythms, leaving no room for true rest. It is addictive to contribute to or learn more about the people and communities, using the ruse of being connected and informed, but this type of connection is not supposed to be constant.  

 

Back in October, I had the opportunity to attend Blue Mountain Center, a residency in upstate New York to give artists and activists time to rest. The location of the center was rest in itself, there was no Wi-Fi or cell service, so my usual distractions – email, social media, streaming – were eliminated and I was able to meditate, share meals and create. There were hours, days sometimes, where I cleared my brain of both production and consumption, and allowed my mind to wander. It was a reset. 

 

Our newsfeeds report constant disaster, from the recent tornadoes in Tennessee, the ongoing water crisis in Mississippi, and international humanitarian crises, especially the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan. With news like this, rest feels like a luxury, not essential. How can we rest when the global community needs support from each other? 

 

Rest, however, is one of the ways we cultivate resilience in our work as disaster workers. Our work often does not allow us to rest, because disasters and their fallout are unpredictable. That’s when we lean on our community and solidarity we’ve built so we can take time to rest. Our partnerships with ELCA synods, community organizations and disaster coordinators are essential to fit into our rhythms of work and rest. Resilience in disaster works when there are many people and organizations who play specific roles. 

 

When God created the seventh day, God did not rest because God did all the work of creation in the six days prior. God rested because rest is intrinsically built in the rhythm of life. That means, if we choose Sunday to be the seventh day, then no matter what happened the past week, whether we fall to illness, or lose track of time, or projects and schedules fail in the many ways they often do, we still must rest. Rest allows us to be human, understanding that production may not work the way we need it to, but days of work will always come back around.  

 

We’ve built the December holidays as a regular rhythm of rest. We reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, slow down a little at work, make plans to visit family, even arriving a few days early to help pick up turkeys and hams, hang Christmas lights and place snowmen around the house, share old recipes and create with family and friends we may not see. Or for others of us, we may take the time out to reflect alone by catching up on reading or television shows we’ve missed. No matter how we choose to spend the time, we are, like God, creating this time to rest our minds and hearts from production and consumption. 

 

I hope we take this time to truly rest, whether it is a few hours away from the phone, a few more minutes spent in meditation, or taking a few days from meetings and emails to reset our human rhythm. 

 

 

 

 

Emma Akpan (she/her) is the regional representative for the Southeastern region on the Lutheran Disaster Response Initiatives team. Emma was inspired to dedicate her career to public service after graduating seminary and organized and advocated for women’s reproductive rights, voting access and racial justice. Just prior to joining the LDR team, she worked in political technology and helped advocacy organizations to use creative ways to reach people impacted the most by changing policy decisions with technology. 

Linnea Peterson, Minneapolis, MN

Warm-up Questions

• Have you ever tried to talk about something that happened to you and had someone refuse to believe you? 
• Do you think some people are believed more than others when they talk about their experiences? What do you think leads to that difference? 

Believe Me

A couple of months ago, pop star Britney Spears released a memoir, The Woman in Me, bringing her back into the national spotlight. Though her most popular songs came out over 20 years ago, Spears has received attention in recent years with the #FreeBritney movement, which was an effort by Spears and her supporters to end the conservatorship that gave Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, legal control over Britney Spears’ life, medical options, and finances. 

As with movements such as #MeToo, the #FreeBritney movement had at its heart a commitment to believing women. In this context, the title of Spears’ memoir seems deliberate, particularly the use of the word woman. She could have titled the book something like The Adult in Me or The Grownup in Me to signal that she is no longer a teen sensation and has matured. Focusing on her womanhood, rather than just her adulthood, indicates not only that she is now an adult but also that her gender is important to her. Perhaps it serves to remind readers that her gender has played a significant role in how others treat her, as well. 

As with many societies around the world and throughout history, our society has an unfortunate tendency to discount or dismiss women’s stories, even when those stories are true. In the case of Britney Spears, it took a long time and a lot of public pressure for the legal system to take seriously that she was competent to make her own decisions and that her father was misusing his control over her. 

Through the efforts and belief of many of Britney Spears’ supporters, as well as Spears’ advocacy for herself, the conservatorship was finally ended. In the time since, Spears has been able to reclaim her voice enough to write and publish a memoir. 

Yet Spears is far from the only woman who has been disregarded and disbelieved.  Many situations, from small interpersonal discussions or disagreements, to group projects and business strategy, to large, complex global conflicts, would benefit from paying more attention to the perspectives of women.  That only happens if women speak up and men create space and listen well. 

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt like your gender has affected the way other people treat you? What about other aspects of your identity? 
• Have you ever noticed yourself treating someone else differently based on something about their identity? 
• In many ways, a conservatorship locks an adult into the legal status of a minor. What might justify such an arrangement?  When should it be terminated?
• Do parents and guardians currently have too much control over the lives of their children or other minors in their care? If you think there should be changes to the balance of power between parents/guardians and minors, what should those changes look like? What is the ideal balance of freedom versus safety for those under 18? 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Romans 16:25-27

Luke 1:26-38

(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

What stands out to me in this gospel reading is that Luke does not in any way question or cast doubt upon Mary’s insistence that she is a virgin. Surely people who knew Mary during her pregnancy or during the early years of Jesus’ life must have wondered whether he was Joseph’s son, since he was born during Mary and Joseph’s betrothal. This would likely have been a topic that some people found scandalous and gossiped about, but Luke does not engage in any such speculation. 

Matthew reports that Joseph had a dream where an angel told him that Mary was still a virgin, that her child was of the Holy Spirit, and that Joseph should marry Mary, even though she was pregnant with a child that was not his. Luke does not contain this story. In Luke, the only testimony we have that Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus is Mary’s own testimony. It is significant that Luke chooses to believe Mary about her virginity at the time of Jesus’ conception. 

While Christianity sometimes fails to live up to this standard of believing women, we would have a very different religion if we did not believe Mary’s account of how she became pregnant with Jesus. The story of Jesus and our theology about him are influenced by the fact that we view Jesus to be of divine origin, something that we believe, in part, because of Mary’s account of how she became pregnant. 

The church has too often silenced women, a tradition that began with some of the New Testament epistles forbidding women from speaking in church. Such a prohibition, along with many of the ideas about what constitutes Christian behavior found in the epistles, was an effort to appear blameless to the rest of Roman society, a strategy now known as “respectability politics.” 

The ELCA and its predecessor Lutheran denominations have been ordaining women for 53 years. This is something to celebrate, and I am deeply grateful for the many female pastors I have had throughout my life. It is, however, worth noting that the first American Lutheran woman of color was ordained just 43 years ago, 10 years later than the first white American Lutheran woman, and also that women in same-sex relationships have only been eligible for ordination in the ELCA since 2009. Both LGBTQ+ women and women of color wait significantly longer, on average, for calls in the ELCA than their white, straight, male counterparts. There is still plenty of ground to cover as we strive to listen to more women in the church. 

Discussion Questions

• How do you think Christianity would look different if we chose not to believe Mary about Jesus being of divine origin? 
• Would Jesus still be special if he had been conceived in the conventional way?
• Have you heard of “respectability politics”? Can you think of other behaviors that the letters in the New Testament mandate or ban that you think fit into this pattern? 

Activity Suggestions

• The United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalists have created a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum called Our Whole Lives, which some ELCA congregations have also started to participate. Look up the Our Whole Lives curriculum and see if there is anything in it that you think would be beneficial to your congregation. 
• Gather supplies to donate to a local women’s shelter. Hygiene and menstrual products are often greatly appreciated. 
• Listen to the Britney Spears song “Stronger” and discuss how the lyrics relate to or differ from the gospel passage for today. 

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you created us in your male and female image. You know the truth, and you believe us when we tell you or others about what we have experienced. Guide us to believe others when they share the truth of their lives with us. Remind us to listen to those who might otherwise be disbelieved or ignored.  Strengthen us to keep speaking up when we are the ones in that situation. Amen.