As we continue to celebrate Black history month we invite you to watch episode 2 of the series, Talks at the Desk, season 2:

In this episode we travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands and visit several of the oldest Lutheran churches in the Western hemisphere. This episode explores the history and impact of colonialism both past and present. We meet wise and courageous people of faith who remind us about sacred struggles of the past and the presence of God and ancestors today in the work that remains to be done.

African Descent Ministries of the ELCA celebrates Black History Month Talks at the Desk, a four-part video series that will explore diverse expressions of the church.

A new video will premiere each Wednesday in February at 7:30 pm Central time. Watch them live on YouTube or download them here.

For information on how you can assist the relief effort for the latest earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, connect to the work of Lutheran Disaster Response.

Prayers of Intercession 

These petitions may be added to the assembly’s prayers of intercession. 

God, our refuge, come to the aid of all in need following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Give strength to those who search and wait, heal the injured, and soothe with your tender care all who cry out in grief. Merciful God,
receive our prayer. 

For those who have suffered loss of home and loved ones in Syria and Turkey; for medical personnel tending all who are wounded; for rescue workers risking safety to help others; for children left without parents and parents mourning the death of children, for all attending to basic survival, especially the work of Lutheran Disaster Response. God, in your mercy,
receive our prayer. 

Prayers 

Praying for those suffering 

Loving God,
in the communion of Christ, we are joined with the trials and sufferings of all.  
Be with those who endure the effects of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Protect those in the path of danger.
Open the pathway of evacuations.
Help loved ones find one another in the chaos.
Provide assistance to those who need help.
Ease the fears of all and make your presence known in the stillness of your peace;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 

National distress 

Eternal God,
amid all the turmoil and changes of the world 
your love is steadfast and your strength never fails.
In this time of danger and trouble, be to us a sure guardian.
Guide the leaders of the nations with your wisdom,
comfort those in distress,
and grant courage and hope to face the future;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
(Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 76) 

Time of community mourning 

Our help comes from you, O Lord, you who made heaven and earth. In the midst of grief, you are our comfort. In the face of uncertainty, you are our rock. In the wake of tragedy, you are our hope. So even as we weep, we praise you, and place our trust in you. We pray in the name of the one who suffered and died and was raised for us, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
(from Service after a Violent Event, All Creation Sings, page 66) 

God our creator,
through whose providing care we enjoy all goodness and life,
turn our eyes to your mercy in this time of confusion and loss.
Comfort those who mourn the loss of loved ones because of the earthquake;
shine your light on those whose only companion is darkness;
and teach us all so to number our days that we may apply our hearts to your wisdom; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
(Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 77) 

O God, 
who in Jesus stills the storm and soothes the troubled heart,
bring hope and courage to all who are affected by this earthquake as we wait in uncertainty.
Bring assurance that you will be with us in whatever lies ahead.
Give us courage to endure all that we now face,
for you are our refuge and strength.
You are God, and we need you.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
(Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship Pastoral Care, page 174) 

Prayer after disaster  

Especially for those in areas that were not directly impacted by the earthquake. 

Gracious God,
your word of peace stills the storms that rage in our world.
Bring hope to places that know devastation in the calm after the earthquake.
Bring comfort to those who grieve the loss of loved ones and property.
Let your love be known through those who work to bring order in the chaos.
Help us to shoulder the burden of suffering
and make us bearers of the hope that can be found in you
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. 

Especially for those who were directly impacted by the earthquake. 

Merciful God,
Hear our cry for mercy in the wake of the earthquake.
Reveal your presence in the midst of our suffering.
Help us to trust in your promises of hope and life
so that desperation and grief will not overtake us.
Come quickly to our aid that we may know peace and joy again.
Strengthen us in this time of trial 
with the assurance of hope we know in the death and resurrection 
of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Dear Friends in Christ,

We had an AMAZING response to our most recent opportunity to receive a grant from ELCA Disability Ministries! Soon you will be notified of your application status. Unfortunately, we could not take all requests or applications. Please be patient as we get messages out to everyone who registered or applied.

After that, our review team will soon begin the process of narrowing down the first 30 applications we received to the top 5 that will receive grants of up to $10,000. This process takes time, so again we ask that you be patient as this is a pretty big (and very important!) task.

In other awesome news, we wanted to share that the Youth Gathering will waive fees for the first 200 registrants who attend the tAble! Check out updates with the Youth Gathering team for more information. This is a great opportunity for ELCA youth with disabilities!

Peace,

Rev. Lisa Heffernan, coordinator, ELCA Disability Ministries

Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

Would you say you are proud to live in America? If not, where would you like to live instead?

From the Heart

A new poll by Morning Consult, released in January, showed that only 16% of Generation Z adults (ages 18-25) said they were proud to live in America. 

Looking at all adult age groups, 52% said they were proud to live in America and 73% of the oldest generation, Baby Boomers, said they were proud to live in the U.S. Even millennials, the next closest age group to Gen Z, saw 20% more of its members saying they were proud to live in America, although still a minority at 36%. 

Pollsters cited COVID-19 lockdowns, social unrest, and a focus on inequality and police brutality as some possible reasons why our youngest generation might have lost a sense of what they call American Exceptionalism, or the feeling that America is a country that they can be proud of.

Many in the younger generation now seem to group America with other nations that “regularly repress civil rights,” and they have a lower degree of trust in U.S. government institutions than older generations. 

This change has taken place in only about the last ten years. In 2013, 85% of Americans said they were “extremely or very” proud to be American. It was only in 2016—7 years ago—that the percentage dropped below 80%. 

It is possible that most young people just don’t know what the rest of the world is like. They may not realize how good most people have it here in the U.S., despite its problems.

It’s also possible that they hold an impossibly high standard for the kind of country that could earn their patriotism. Perhaps the youth of today are simply absorbing too many of the negative messages put out by the media, their teachers, and some of their parents about America, and have decided that it’s not such a great place after all.

Discussion Questions

• Is the media too negative in how it portrays the news? Do you think negative news is bringing people’s opinions about America down?
• What kinds of positive news stories would you like to see covered in the place of the negative stories? How might stories about people helping others or doing what is right help Gen Z feel better about their country?
• In what ways can America still be seen as a beacon of light to other countries? What more could America as a country do to help people around the world?

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Matthew 5:21-37

(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

In this Gospel lesson, The Sermon on the Mount moves from the hopeful-sounding Beatitudes into a more difficult portion of teaching. The Ten Commandments are hard enough to keep—does Jesus really have to make them harder? 

Jesus has two main goals with his teachings about the requirements of the law, which state that even thinking about doing something wrong to another person is just as bad as doing it.  First, he wants to relate the law to people’s hearts. If you feel malice (anger, bitterness, jealously, or any negative emotion) toward someone but you don’t act on it, what does that do to your heart? What does it show about your heart?  Jesus’ point is that there’s often something wrong with our hearts even if our outer actions seem okay.  Our negative feelings can alert us that we have more work to do before the love in our hearts can be the dominant force in the the way we act toward others. 

Second, Jesus wants to show everyone that they need God’s grace and forgiveness, because they can’t keep God’s laws perfectly. Jesus is not just imposing an impossibly high standard here, he’s exposing the truth about why God gave laws to the Israelites in the first place. 

He wants us to know that we can never please God by merely keeping the letter of the law, because, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). 

As in so many of Jesus’ teachings, he is showing people that God doesn’t just desire obedience, God desires to be known by us, and for us to know God at a heart level. 

We follow God’s laws imperfectly like all who have come before us, all the way back to Adam and Eve. God knew this would happen. In Jesus, God makes a way for us to be reconciled and transformed by focusing on what’s happening in our hearts and how that impacts what we say and do.

Discussion Questions

• What was the hardest part of this teaching by Jesus? Why was it so hard for you to hear?
• Think about a time when you had negative emotions in your heart toward someone else. What happened as a result? 
• Choose one of the following responses to Jesus’s teaching in these verses and explain to your group why you reacted that way:

1. 1. I give up. It’s impossible to keep the 10 Commandments the way Jesus describes, so I’m not even going to try. 
   2. My heart isn’t always in the right place, and I’m going to pay more attention to that as I follow Jesus. 
   3. As long as I don’t get angry with anyone or wish them harm, I’m doing everything right. 
   4. I reject all rules and laws; I’m just going to live life my way. 

Activity Suggestions

• Choose an activity your group can do to support your country in some way. For example, attend a parade together, bake cookies for a military veteran, or offer to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at a local sporting event. You don’t have to love everything about America to show support for your homeland. 

• Write a short prayer of confession you can say when the state of your heart isn’t what you know Jesus wants it to be. Don’t forget to thank Jesus for forgiving you and ask him to help you change your heart to be more loving to others. 

Closing Prayer

God of grace, you care about our hearts because you know they lead us to you and to loving others. Thank you for forgiving us when we fall short of your holy standard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The African Descent Ministries of the ELCA is celebrating Black History Month with season two of Talks at the Desk, a video series that explores diverse expressions of the church. A new video will premiere each Wednesday in February at 7:30 pm Central time. Watch them live on YouTube or  Click here to watch now.

Join us to hear youth, young adults, rostered leaders, elders and friends of our communities share their own sacred stories.

For more updates, follow @ELCAADM on Twitter and Instagram or check out facebook.com/elcaadm.

Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, Ohio

Warm-up Question

Describe your favorite food as best you can without naming any of the ingredients.

A Matter of Taste

The science of taste is fascinating, perhaps because food is a universal part of our daily lives. We eat to live and, for many of us, sharing a meal with others brings a whole new sense of joy to our daily lives. Food tells stories and we use the flavors of food to experience it in all sorts of different ways.

The five most common flavors detected by humans are salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. Once it was thought that these flavors were only tasted in specific parts of our tongue, but that myth has been debunked through science. Our tastebuds are covered in receptors that receive multiple messages and help us to enjoy some flavors and dislike others.

While every flavor may not appeal to us, most of us are drawn to at least a couple of flavor profiles.  Salt is particularly interesting because it is a naturally occurring element that helps our bodies do the daily work of living. Salt does multiple jobs, but when it comes to food, the main work is preserving food and enhancing flavor. Though basic in its make-up, it is pivotal in its power.

Discussion Questions

• What flavors are you drawn to? What is it about that certain kind of food that you love?
• What are some ways that adding salt (or other flavors) makes a recipe better?

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

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

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

Matthew 5:13-20

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

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

Gospel Reflection

In Matthew 5:13-20, Jesus preaches his famous Sermon on the Mount.  Many of Jesus’ most famous teachings come from this part of scripture-– think the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and teachings on adultery, divorce, and other aspects of the law. What is interesting about this particular section of the Sermon on the Mount is that it is just as much about how we are to be as it is about what we are to do. We are not just called to be followers of the law – we are called to be SALT and LIGHT (descriptors of our identity in Jesus).  

What does it mean to be salt?  In Jesus’ time salt was an everyday commodity which had more importance than just being in a shaker on the table.  It was used to preserve foods and keep them safe for consumption.  Salt was common, but also special and necessary. People hearing Jesus preach knew that he was calling them to preserve, protect, and enhance the world around them. 

What it means to be light is even more obvious.  All of us have experienced some sort of darkness and felt a sense of relief when a light came on. Our fear of the dark is innate; darkness may hide the dangers around us. When he calls us to be the light of the world, Jesus reminds us that we are to bring goodness and truth to dark places. 

We are light and salt when we live out  God’s life-saving mission in the world. We are called to be people who illuminate, enhance, and preserve the world – not darken, decrease, and destroy that which is around us. When we are in the light and when we are living with “saltiness,” we are bringing God’s kingdom into the world.

Discussion Questions

• If Jesus were telling parables to us today, he would surely use recognizable elements like salt and light. What images might he use instead of salt and light?
• When Jesus calls us to be salt and light for the world, he reminds us of our identity (what makes us us). How do we live out that identity today?

Activity Suggestions

• Research food from Jesus’ era and culture and try them out. Describe their tastes.
• Take a night hike with your youth group. Describe how it feels to be in the dark and how it feels to enter back into the light. Consider times when you have felt darkness all around you, but received light from someone else.

Closing Prayer

God of light, you have called us, your children, to be bearers of the light and salt of the earth. Help us to follow your commandments in ways that bring glory to you through our very being. Protect us from darkness and help us enhance the world around us with your flavor. Guide us as we seek to follow your laws and rejoice in the saving power of Jesus. Amen.

Issue 85 of Administration Matters

Stories of Faith in Action

We are pleased to share with you the latest version of “Stories of Faith in Action,” filled with inspiring stories from this past year. “Stories of Faith in Action” connects us as church and illustrates how, through your generosity, God is at work across the ELCA. It highlights how a portion of your offering, called Mission Support, advances the ministry of our church, helping the ELCA nurture Christian community, raise up leaders, serve our neighbors and strive for justice. Most importantly, it’s one way to thank you for your faithful generosity to your congregation, your synod and the churchwide organization ― by showing your offering at work. The stories and resources can be found at LivingLutheran.org/SOFIA.

January: New year checklist for Portico financial and health benefits

Is your congregation ready to start the new year strong? There are a handful of steps administrative personnel should take in January to ensure a smooth transition into 2023. EmployerLink users, visit Portico’s New Year Checklist to ensure that you are prepared.

January is also the time many of us set health goals. Getting an annual preventive exam, sometimes called a physical, is recommended by health care professionals for everyone but especially for those starting a new exercise program. Remind your employees who have Portico health benefits that preventive exams are covered and that the Portico Care Coordinators by Quantum Health are just a phone call away to answer questions about coverage and tests.

Risk control technologies

Every year ELCA congregations are impacted by water- and smoke-related losses to their property that severely impact their ability to conduct their various ministries. See the following for important free sensor and alarm alert technologies from our endorsed insurance partner, Church Mutual, that can help prevent such losses. >More

IRS issues standard mileage rate for 2023

The Internal Revenue Service has announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rate used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. As of Jan. 1, the standard mileage rate for business use of a car, van, pickup truck or panel truck will be 65.5 cents per mile, up 3 cents from the 2022 midyear increase. This rate applies to electric and hybrid-electric automobiles as well as gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. >More

Hello Friends!

I want to say a HUGE thank you to every person, congregation, and camp that has registered onto GrantMaker and started, even completed, their applications! With just a few weeks left, we currently have 20 applications that have been completed and submitted for review. Overall, the response has been great, and I am so encouraged by your excitement and dreams for your ministries.

If you’re still working on your application– don’t be discouraged– there is still time to complete and submit them. When we hit that benchmark of 30 completed and submitted applications, we will put out another update/notice.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

In Christ,

Rev. Lisa Heffernan

ELCA Disability Ministries coordinator

By Jillian Russell, Hunger Network Ohio [about the author]

I have always known myself to be a “self-doubter.” I am constantly doubting myself – my ability to lead, my ability to be a good friend, but especially my ability to lead God’s people. I have been a self-doubter when it has come to God’s plan for me. How was I supposed to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with my God if I didn’t even believe I could do so? As much as I have tried to change this aspect of myself in recent years, I constantly find myself being burdened by self-doubting thoughts.

Planning a gap year

I especially found this after I graduated with my undergraduate degree from Capital University in the spring of 2022. I had decided to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school but was still confused about what to do in that time. In my previous summers after college terms, I had worked at Lutheran summer camps, and I decided to do this again for one last summer, this time in Colorado at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp. I had decided to leave my beloved camp in North Carolina and stretch myself to have a new experience. And, to make things even more difficult, I decided to not be a counselor this time but take on a travel director role for the summer. A whole new camp, in a whole new state, and in a whole new position. I was terrified to say the least.

As a self-doubter, I started in on myself. Was I good enough to lead counselors? Was I even fit for this camp? Would I let people down? Could I really be a leader to these God-ly people? These thoughts and many others were constantly running through my head. I had begun to believe that this was not what God had planned for me. I was not meant to change lives and lead God’s people. This was not where I was meant to be.

While hiking

I went through many weeks severely doubting my abilities, until this one moment.

As a travel director, I was rarely on-site but was rather traveling doing day-camp ministry. But, this particular week, I was on-site helping to lead a family camp. On this particular day, my previous hike had been canceled, and I was really bummed because my new role was giving me fewer opportunities to hike. Then, out of nowhere, a family asked me to take them on a hike to a different location.

As we were hiking, I still had these self-doubting thoughts running through my head, and what made it even worse was that I actually got lost and went on a different route. I was totally bummed and disappointed in myself. I had not only failed myself, my self-doubts said, but this family I was leading. Then, the father of the family looked at me when we reached our new location and said, “I know you think you failed us, but look. If we hadn’t had made that wrong turn, my girls would have never cried looking at the beauty of God’s creation. We would never have made the memory of laughing at our wrong turns, but most importantly, I would have never admired God’s work like I am now. You showed us that.”

God’s assurance

I was stunned. But in that moment, I knew I was where I was meant to be. Even with all my mistakes and self-doubts, I was truly where God had put me. The self-doubting thoughts diminished with other guidance. God placed me in that moment to not only lead God’s people, but to do it by leading in justice, loving in kindness, and walking humbly with God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jillian Russell is currently serving with Hunger Network Ohio. Russell graduated from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio where she studied Youth Ministry and Christian Education and Psychology. As an ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow, she hopes to continue her work in building connections between people of different faiths and traditions, and expanding advocacy on state and local issues.

Lisa Hoelscher, San Antonio, TX

Warm-up Question

• Which teacher has made the biggest impact on your life, and what did they teach you? The person could be a school teacher, a parent, or someone else. 
• Do you see yourself as a teacher to anyone? What are you teaching them? 

Clash of Values

At the beginning of this month, the U.S. House of Representatives elected a new Speaker. Typically, electing a new Speaker occurs rather quickly, needing only one vote, but this time the situation was different. While Representative Kevin McCarthy (Republican from California) was the early favorite, it took fifteen votes for him to be elected Speaker. This is the first time in 100 years that the election for Speaker took more than one vote. 

What took him so long? A group of Republican members who are considered to be “far right” had a very different view of how they wanted the role of Speaker to function. Essentially, this group has different values than their peers, and they wanted to see those values become part of the regular order of business in the House. The vote to elect a Speaker became a clash of values. 

Within each of the two major political parties in the United States (Republicans and Democrats), there is a diversity of values, viewpoints, and beliefs. No one party can encapsulate the entirety of a person’s values, which is true for both voters and our elected officials. But, the difficulty seen in the most recent election for Speaker of the House of Representatives indicates that the values of elected representatives are often at odds.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever voted in an election? It could have been an election at school, in an extracurricular group, or a municipal, statewide, or national election. What was your motivation for voting or not voting?
• In the run-up to an election, did you have an opportunity to voice your opinion and ask questions of the candidate(s)? If so, what was that experience like for you? If not, how did you learn about their platform?

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Micah 6:1-8

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Matthew 5:1-12

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

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

Gospel Reflection

In the book of Matthew, Jesus’ first major teaching opportunity – known as the Sermon on the Mount – occurs in chapter five. Crowds have been following Jesus.  So he goes up a mountain, sits down, and begins to teach them. He begins his teachings with nine blessings, often called the Beatitudes.  From them we learn about Jesus’ values and the values of the kingdom of God. 

Jesus lived in a society that placed heavy meaning on actions which would bring honor or shame to your family. Things that brought honor included wealth, power, and high-status positions. Alternatively, things that brought shame included breaking social norms, illness, and poverty. Furthermore, males and females were treated differently when it came to matters of honor and shame. 

The crowds gathered around Jesus heard him speak these nine blessings and would have been shocked. Jesus was teaching them the values of the kingdom of God, but these particular values did not align with the cultural values of honor and shame in which they lived. 

The crowds grew up learning that wealth, power, and social status mattered.  They brought honor to your family’s name and were a sign of blessing. Now, they were learning that God values people who are poor in spirit and people who mourn.  God cares for the powerless (translated as “meek” in the NRSV), and those hunger for a right relationship with God, rather than for things that help them climb the social ladder. Who is Jesus that he would espouse these alternative values? 

While we have had the benefit of nearly 2,000 years to get familiar with the Beatitudes, Jesus’ audience was in a different position. How did they receive these teachings? There are no post-sermon interviews with the crowd to gauge their reactions, not even a quick five question survey to rate their satisfaction with Jesus’ teachings. 

But we do know that Jesus spoke to real people like you and me. He spoke to people who had chores and jobs and hopes and sorrows,  to people who had experienced hardship, trauma, and setbacks. He spoke to people whose minds occasionally wandered and to people thinking about their next meal or something they forgot to do. Jesus taught his alternative kingdom values to everyday people and showed them a way of life contrary to the culture of the day. 

We, too, are shaped by the culture around us, but we are also shaped by Jesus’ teachings which can be just as radical now as they were 2,000 years ago. 

Discussion Questions

• What do you think are the most important values in your community and the country as a whole?  Are they the same as those of Jesus?
• What matters most to your peers?
• Where is it hardest for you to follow the values of Jesus?

Activity Suggestions

• What’s important to you? Make a list of your top 3-5 values and make note of where you learned those values (family, church, public figures, on your own, etc.).
• Can you think of someone who is mourning the death of a loved one, someone who has been bullied on social media, or someone who is longing for a stronger relationship with God? Send them a text message or DM and let them know you are thinking about them and remind them that God loves them. 

Closing Prayer

Patient and loving God, you sent your Son Jesus to teach us the values of your kingdom. Give us hearts and minds that are open to your teachings, especially when they challenge the values of the culture around us. Help us to be life-long learners of your Word, and show us how we can teach others about you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.