Maggie Falenschek, St. Peter, MN

Warm-up Question

If you live in a cold weather climate, what are some things that you look forward to doing in the spring? If you live in a warmer climate, do you do anything to mark or prepare for the change in seasons? 

Planting for the Future

One way that many prepare for warmer weather is to plan out summer vegetable and flower gardens. The growing season in colder climates is much shorter than in other places of the world. The soil in many places is still too frozen, and the days too short, to sustain and grow seeds if they were planted in the ground. So, a common practice is to plant seeds indoors with grow lights and warm temperatures, with the hope and expectation that they can be transplanted into the ground and flourish when the weather is more hospitable.

To plan and plant a garden is an act of faithful preparation. We press seeds into tiny pots of soil and believe in the process of growth, even if we do not fully know the ins and outs of photosynthesis. To nurture and tend to tiny stems is to have hope for a time when those same stems may grow into something large enough to nourish another being. There is something innately spiritual to this spring-tide practice. It’s a practice that can bring us closer to the divine. 

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever helped plant a garden? What was that experience like for you? What did you learn?
• Do you sense God in the natural world? Share about a place or practice that helps you feel close to God.
• A lot of things in our life require preparation! Brainstorm some things you do in the present to help you prepare for the future (i.e., practicing together as a team for a big game, studying for a test, planning for a road trip).

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 43:16-21

Philippians 3:4b-14

John 12:1-8

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

In this story Mary exemplifies what it means to be a disciple, even though what she does may seem insignificant, even wasteful. Mary demonstrates her devotion to Jesus not through her words but through her simple actions, actions which actually have big implications. Anointing, the act of applying oil or other ointment, was a common ritual practice at this time. This ritual was used especially after death to prepare a body for burial. 

When Mary anoints Jesus she anticipates his coming death, something his disciples have not yet caught onto. Mary, with Judas as witness, is the one who prepares Jesus for his final days on earth.  The very next day, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem while those who eventual betray him cheer. 

Mary anoints Jesus with abundant belief that what she does matters. She prepares Jesus for something for which she herself is not yet prepared. Mary anoints Jesus in the midst of a world that will kill him. She chooses abundance in a world of violence and scarcity. Mary chooses healing in a world that was and is broken. 

It is an act of faith to tend to small, seemingly insignificant things in fervent hope that God can turn them into something life giving. It is an act of love to gather up elements like anointing oil—perhaps soil, seed, and water—and repurpose them for new life. It’s a reminder that God can take our small acts and turn them into something redemptive and healing, even if we don’t always understand how or why. 

Discussion Questions

• Do you think Mary knew understood the significance of what she was doing? Why or why not? 
• Why do you think it was Mary, and not the other disciples, who engaged in the special act of anointing?
• What is one small way that you can cultivate hope in a world that can often scary and violent? 

Activity Suggestions

• Research native plants in your area and plant some seed starters you can transplant later this spring or summer. 
• In this gospel story Mary’s perfumed oil invokes our sense of smell. Dream up your own anointing oil by thinking of all of your favorite smells. 
• The newly baptized are often anointed with oil in the sign of the cross.  We can regularly continue this practice to remember our baptisms. Take turns making the sign of the cross on a friend’s forehead and remind each other that you are beloved children of God. 

Closing Prayer

Loving God, you anoint us as your beloved in the midst of a broken world. When our world feels scary, help us to plant seeds of hope. When we feel insignificant, remind us that nothing done in love is ever wasteful. Guide us so that our small acts might add up to something redemptive and healing, so that all might know your love. Amen. 

 

ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving

Lent 2022

In English and en Espanol

Week 4: Transformed in the Wilderness

“They ate the crops of the land” (Joshua 5:12)

Read

• Joshua 5:9-12
• Psalm 32
• 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
• Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Reflect

The reading from Joshua for this week is brief, but it recounts the time the Hebrews, who left Egypt under God’s care, had so longed to see: the end of their exodus and the beginning of their life in the Promised Land of Canaan. No longer would their food rain down from the heavens; now, they would be fed by their own produce:

The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year (Joshua 5:12).

Certainly, the people’s entrance into the Promised Land is not the end of their dependence on God. Their food may no longer miraculously fall from the sky, but a new miracle springs from the land God created and is nurtured by farmers who embody God’s creative care. Settling in Canaan is just the beginning of the story of God’s people — not the end.

But there is a transformation in the now-settled people, evident in the difference between manna from heaven and “the crops of the land.” In the common language of today’s world, we might call this the difference between charity and self-sufficiency.

The church has been involved in responding to human need, especially hunger, since its very beginning. The sacrament of Holy Communion began as a full meal in the Christian community, particularly for those who otherwise might not have been able to feed themselves. By the second and third centuries, care for people who were hungry or poor was so central to the church’s identity that bishops, whose roles included managing the church’s social ministries, were sometimes called “lovers of the poor.”

Feeding people who hunger is still crucial to the church’s identity. Our latest survey data show that well over 70% of ELCA congregations participate in direct-feeding ministries. Early numbers indicate that over 95% of congregations participate in some form of response to hunger. Feeding ministries can be crucial lifelines for the more than 38 million people in the United States who are uncertain of their next meal. During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with sudden job loss and supply chain shortages, feeding ministries such as these swiftly adapted to meet the exploding need. This was critical support, particularly for those neighbors unable to access social safety-net programs such as SNAP or the federal stimulus payments.

Feeding ministries stand at the forefront of hunger work, providing opportunities for neighbors to build relationships and for communities to draw together toward effective solutions. But ending hunger requires more. As theologian Samuel Torvend has written, “In addition to charitable response is discerning why people … are suffering in the first place. And that moves us from charitable giving … into asking the larger question, which is, ‘Why is there injustice? What is it within the larger system in which people live that produces this kind of suffering?’”

Behind the long lines at food pantries and the pallets of goods at food banks lies the reality that ending hunger will require more than food. There are some times when we must focus our efforts together on meeting immediate need. But at all times, the church is called to something more.

The church’s work in hunger responds not only to a problem but to a promise. We know by faith that hunger is not what God intends, that the One who created and sustains us is leading us to a future in which all will be fed, as surely as God led our ancestors through the desert to the Promised Land. The response of the church is rooted in the larger witness of faith holding that the systems and conditions that create scarcity are wrong, and that we can still create a life of security and sufficiency, even on this side of the fullness of God’s reign.

In Pueblo County, Colo., Posada accompanies neighbors who experience homelessness as they work together toward this vision. With support from ELCA World Hunger, Posada aspires to provide for the immediate needs of people who lack stable housing while enabling them to address the problems that have led to their situation. Daniel is one of many people Posada has worked with to secure housing. Assisted by Posada, Daniel was able to transition from a long-term care facility to stable housing that he can call his own. Posada continues to work with him so that he can pay for utilities.

Posada helps neighbors meet their most immediate needs, connecting them to programs that offer funds for food and shelter. But the work doesn’t stop there; Posada works with neighbors to secure the housing, support and stability they will need to thrive in the future.

As Moses and the Hebrews left Egypt, they were sustained by God’s gift of manna. This food from heaven satisfied their hunger and helped them survive their time in the wilderness. But God had more in store for them — not just an end to their hunger but a new life and hope, a future as a people renewed in their relationship to God, to each other and to a land
they could call their own. Eating their fill of manna was not the end but the means, allowing them to reach a place where they would thrive on “the crops of the land.”

Amid our own trial and challenge during a pandemic that stretched our food systems and charitable ministries to near-capacity, we might forget the vision that inspires the church’s hunger ministries in the first place. But during Lent, a season of self-reflection and renewal, the crossing over of the Hebrews from the wilderness to Gilgal, where they would become the nation Israel, reminds us of that vision. We cling to this promise that God will provide not just manna today but “crops of the land” tomorrow, granting us a new opportunity to build community and share in God’s journey toward a just world where all are fed.

This is the vision that inspires, motivates and shapes the many ways this church is active in the world, responding not just to the problem of hunger but to the promise of God for a future in which all who are weary — from journeying, from struggling, from working, from waiting — will find rest.

Ask

1. What does “home” mean to you? What do you think it meant for the Israelites to settle in their new home and to eat the crops of their own land?
2. How might uncertainty about housing impact other aspects of someone’s life?
3. What might Posada’s ministry say about what it means to be the people of God? How does addressing housing insecurity reflect the church’s calling to be the people of God?
4. Consider your community. What housing issues do you and your neighbors face? How might your congregation be part of addressing these issues?

Pray

God of our wanderings and our settling, you guided your people through the wilderness with gifts of manna and water to sustain them. Be with us in our own times of uncertainty and fear. Send your Spirit among us, that your church may be a sign of welcome in the world. When we are comfortable, open our hearts to our neighbors’ discomfort. When we are uncomfortable, sustain us with hope and courage. Bless us, that we may be blessings to one another. In your name we pray, amen.

 

SEMANA 4: Transformados en el desierto

“El pueblo se alimentó de los frutos de la tierra” (Josué 5:12).
Lecturas: Josué 5:9-12; Salmo 32; 2 Corintios 5:16-21; Lucas 15:1-3, 11b-32.

La lectura de Josué para esta semana es breve, pero relata el tiempo que los hebreos, que salieron de Egipto bajo el cuidado de Dios, habían anhelado ver: el fin de su éxodo y el comienzo de su vida en la Tierra Prometida de Canaán. Su alimento ya no iba a llover más de los cielos; ahora iban a ser alimentados por sus propios productos:

Desde ese momento dejó de caer maná, y durante todo ese año el pueblo se alimentó de los frutos de la tierra (Josué 5:12).

Ciertamente, la entrada de la gente en la Tierra Prometida no es el fin de su dependencia de Dios. Tal vez su comida ya no cae milagrosamente del cielo, pero un nuevo milagro brota de la tierra que Dios creó y es cultivado por agricultores que encarnan el cuidado creativo de Dios. Establecerse en Canaán es sólo el comienzo de la historia del pueblo de Dios —no el final.

Pero hay una transformación en la gente ahora asentada, evidente en la diferencia entre el maná del cielo y “los frutos de la tierra”. En el lenguaje común del mundo de hoy, podríamos llamar a esto la diferencia entre caridad y autosuficiencia.

Desde sus inicios, la iglesia ha estado involucrada en responder a las necesidades humanas, especialmente al hambre. El sacramento de la Sagrada Comunión comenzó como una comida completa en la comunidad cristiana, particularmente para aquellos que de otra manera no habrían podido alimentarse. En los siglos II y III, el cuidado de las personas que tenían hambre o eran pobres era tan central para la identidad de la iglesia que los obispos, cuyos roles incluían la gestión de los ministerios sociales de la iglesia, a veces se llamaban “amantes de los pobres”.

Alimentar a las personas que tienen hambre sigue siendo crucial para la identidad de la iglesia. Los últimos datos de nuestra encuesta muestran que más del 70% de las congregaciones de la ELCA participan en ministerios de alimentación directa. Las primeras cifras indican que más del 95% de las congregaciones participan en alguna forma de respuesta al hambre. Los ministerios de alimentación pueden ser líneas de vida cruciales para los más de 38 millones de personas en los Estados Unidos que no están seguras de su próxima comida. Durante los primeros meses de la pandemia de COVID-19 en 2020, con la pérdida repentina de empleos y la escasez en la cadena de abastecimiento, los ministerios de alimentación como estos se adaptaron rápidamente para satisfacer la creciente necesidad. Este fue un apoyo crucial, particularmente para aquellos vecinos que no pueden acceder a programas de redes de seguridad social como SNAP o los pagos de estímulo federal.

Los ministerios de alimentación están a la vanguardia del trabajo contra el hambre, brindando oportunidades para que los vecinos construyan relaciones y para que las comunidades se unan a favor de soluciones efectivas. Pero acabar con el hambre requiere más. Como ha escrito el teólogo Samuel Torvend: “Además de la respuesta caritativa, es discernir por qué las personas … están sufriendo en primer lugar. Y eso nos mueve de las donaciones caritativas… a hacer la pregunta más amplia, que es: ‘¿Por qué hay injusticia? ¿Qué cosa dentro del sistema más amplio en el que la gente vive es lo que produce este tipo de sufrimiento?’”

Detrás de las largas filas en las despensas de alimentos y las paletas de mercancías en los bancos de alimentos se encuentra la realidad de que acabar con el hambre requerirá más que alimentos. Hay ocasiones en las que debemos centrar nuestros esfuerzos juntos en satisfacer las necesidades inmediatas. Pero en todo momento, la iglesia está llamada a hacer algo más.

El trabajo de la iglesia en relación con el hambre responde, no sólo a un problema, sino también a una promesa. Sabemos por fe que el hambre no es lo que Dios quiere, que Aquel que nos creó y nos sostiene nos está llevando a un futuro en el que todos serán alimentados, tan seguramente como cuando guiaba a nuestros antepasados a través del desierto hacia la Tierra Prometida. La respuesta de la iglesia está enraizada en el testimonio más amplio de la fe que sostiene que los sistemas y las condiciones que crean escasez son incorrectos, y que todavía podemos crear una vida de seguridad y suficiencia, incluso en este lado de la plenitud del reino de Dios.

En el condado de Pueblo, Colorado, Posada acompaña a los vecinos que experimentan la falta de vivienda mientras trabajan juntos por esta visión. Con el apoyo de ELCA World Hunger, Posada aspira a satisfacer las necesidades inmediatas de las personas que carecen de vivienda estable, al tiempo que les permite abordar los problemas que han causado su situación. Daniel es una de las muchas personas con las que Posada ha trabajado para asegurar una vivienda. Con la ayuda de Posada, Daniel pudo hacer la transición de un centro de atención a largo plazo a una vivienda estable que puede llamar suya. Posada continúa trabajando con él para que pueda pagar los servicios públicos.

Posada ayuda a los vecinos a satisfacer sus necesidades más inmediatas, conectándolos con programas que ofrecen fondos para techo y comida. Pero el trabajo no se detiene ahí; Posada trabaja con los vecinos para asegurar la vivienda, el apoyo y la estabilidad que necesitarán para prosperar en el futuro.

Cuando Moisés y los hebreos salieron de Egipto fueron sustentados por el regalo de Dios llamado maná. Este alimento del cielo satisfizo su hambre y les ayudó a sobrevivir su tiempo en el desierto. Pero Dios tenía más cosas reservadas para ellos —no solo poner fin a su hambre, sino también una nueva vida y esperanza, un futuro como pueblo renovado en su relación con Dios, de los unos con los otros y con una tierra que podrían llamar suya. Comer maná hasta saciarse no era el fin sino el medio, lo que les permitía llegar a un lugar donde florecerían con “los frutos de la tierra”. En medio de nuestra propia prueba y desafío durante una pandemia que estiró a casi su capacidad nuestros sistemas alimentarios y ministerios caritativos, pudiéramos olvidar la visión que inspira los ministerios de hambre de la iglesia en primer lugar.

Pero, durante la Cuaresma, una temporada de autorreflexión y renovación, el paso de los hebreos desde el desierto hasta Gilgal, donde se convertirían en la nación de Israel, nos recuerda esa visión. Nos aferramos a esta promesa de que Dios proveerá no solo maná hoy, sino también “frutos de la tierra” mañana, otorgándonos una nueva oportunidad para construir comunidad y participar en la jornada de Dios hacia un mundo justo donde todos sean alimentados.

Esta es la visión que inspira, motiva y moldea las muchas formas en que esta iglesia está activa en el mundo, respondiendo no solamente al problema del hambre, sino también a la promesa de Dios para un futuro en el que todos los que están cansados —de la jornada, la lucha, el trabajo, la espera— encontrarán descanso.

Preguntas para la reflexión

1. ¿Qué significa “hogar” para usted? ¿Qué cree que significaba para los israelitas establecerse en su nuevo hogar y comer los frutos de su propia tierra?
2. ¿Cómo podría la incertidumbre sobre la vivienda afectar otros aspectos de la vida de alguien?
3. ¿De qué manera abordar la inseguridad de la vivienda refleja el llamado de la iglesia a ser el pueblo de Dios?
4. Considere su comunidad. ¿Qué problemas de vivienda enfrentan usted y sus vecinos? ¿Cómo podría su congregación ser parte de la solución de estos temas?

Oración

Dios de nuestras andanzas y nuestro asentamiento, guiaste a tu pueblo a través del desierto con regalos de maná y agua para sustentarlos. Quédate con nosotros en nuestros propios tiempos de incertidumbre y temor. Envía tu Espíritu entre nosotros para que tu iglesia sea una señal de bienvenida en el mundo. Cuando estemos cómodos, abre nuestros corazones a la incomodidad de nuestros vecinos. Cuando nos sintamos incómodos, sostennos con esperanza y valor. Bendícenos, para que seamos bendiciones los unos para los otros. En tu nombre oramos, amén.

Today’s post is written by Julie Grindle, Assistant to the Bishop for Candidacy and Mobility in the Upstate New York Synod of the ELCA. A past president of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM), Julie also served on the Hymnody Working Group for All Creation Sings.

This post was previously published in February 2021. It has been updated by the author to reflect our context in March 2022.

New Fire. Easter Proclamation. Ancient stories. Baptismal waters. Bread and wine. This is the night. As you plan worship for the Vigil of Easter, All Creation Sings offers many and various ways for us to sing the centrality of our faith.

We are now two years into the pandemic, and it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Many churches are lifting mask restrictions and singing fully as an assembly, while others are only just now coming back together in person, with masks and no singing, except perhaps by a select few musical leaders. Despite these challenges this remains fertile ground for exploring the new resources in All Creation Sings.

The resource is still new to many, and because the assembly is only now coming back together regularly, I strongly suggest that instead of choosing a lot of new material for this year’s Vigil, you select one or two of the new songs and hymns highlighted, and spend some time introducing it/them to the assembly, in whatever form it/they will be used at your Vigil. Perhaps short videos at the beginning or end of Sunday worship can begin acquainting worshippers with the new material. You could discuss the text in depth in a forum then listen to the melody played by an instrument or sung by a soloist, or possibly use the hymn during the upcoming Easter season, preparing the congregation now for next year’s Vigil, while taking advantage of the richness of the texts and themes this year. With those caveats in place, and the health of your congregation as your priority, I join you in looking forward to the time when we join all creation in singing together again, both now as the assembled people of God, and when we are gathered with all the saints at the great feast of the Lamb.

Once the new fire is lit and the Easter Proclamation has been sung, we gather to proclaim the ancient stories. Many hymns and songs in All Creation Sings align with the suggested sung responses found in Sundays and Seasons. The Creation story (Gen. 1:1-2:4a) has at least three possibilities, all in differing styles. The first, “Earth is full of wit and wisdom” (#1064), explores God’s love of the creatures created under God’s discerning eye, including the roly-poly, the penguin and the platypus. “Before the waters nourished earth” (#1049) explores God’s love and lament for creation, and God’s intention to bring restoration to it. Finally, with “In sacred manner” (#1071) we are reminded that we are to love God’s creation as God loves it and treat it accordingly.

The other readings have excellent offerings to choose from for musical responses. Just a few possibilities are:

Reading 4 (Exod. 14:10-31; 15:20-21): “Who is like our God /Quién como Jehová” (#1098)

Reading 5 (Isa. 55:1-11): “Surely God is my salvation” (#926)

Reading 6 (Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6): “Come and seek the ways of wisdom” (#971)

Reading 9 (Zeph. 3:14-20): “The earth adorned in verdant robe” (#1068)

For the Procession to the Font, there are many possibilities depending on how much liturgical movement there is and what style of music you would like. If you are celebrating baptisms, “Take me to the water,” an African American spiritual (#957) and “God of promise, let these signs of grace”, a new composition from Paul Damico-Carper (#959), are excellent possibilities. If there are Affirmations of Baptism or a Thanksgiving at the Font, “Come to the water of life” (#955) has a beautiful text reminding us that the font is where we should look to find justice, mercy, and love.

When it is time for the Setting of the Table, there are texts that are perfect for an evening liturgy, especially the Vigil, because they reflect the joyousness of God’s salvific yet unseen work in darkness. Hymns that reflect this include “Womb of life and source of being” (#948) and “In a deep unbounded darkness” (#1093). A hymn that helps us move liturgically from baptism to Paschal eucharist is “To Christ belong, in Christ behold” (#958). Susan Briehl’s text reminds us that “the buried grain springs forth again with fruit one hundred-fold.” And in the second stanza we sing of this night when, “the binding shroud is here released, the veil of sin and grief, and in their place a wreath of grace and robes of joy and peace.”

During communion I encourage you to use other new hymns that combine the elements of story, water and meal that make this liturgy so unique and central to the liturgical life of the church. “Woman, weeping in the garden” (#935) is a lovely response to John’s Easter gospel. “Lift up your heads” (#1032), while originally written for Easter 2, works beautifully on this night – “O taste and see what once was lost rising in this feast of love.” Finally, “Joyful is the dark” (#1096) is a tremendous text that recounts God’s redeeming work over many different nights. The last stanza sings: “Joyful is the dark, depth of love divine, roaring, looming thundercloud of glory, holy, haunting beauty, living, loving God. Hallelujah! Sing and tell the story!”

Finally, as we are joyfully sent we may sing “Day of delight and beauty unbounded” (#933): ”Sing now of fasting turned into feasting; sing the Lord’s favor lasting forever; sing, all things living, alleluia!”

To learn more about All Creation Sings, visit www.augsburgfortress.org/AllCreationSings.

Elizabeth Hood, Palo Alto, CA

Warm-up Question

Have you ever felt lost? Lost something really important to you?

Lost and Found

After 106 years of searching, a ship lost miles below the icy water near Antartica was recently found! Explorer Ernest Shackleford’s ship, Endurance, was exploring these frigid waters when it became trapped by ice and could no longer move. Miraculously, most of the crew survived by making camp on a smaller boat on the ice, living there for months before they were rescued.  The Endurance sank and researchers have been looking for the ship ever since. Scientists say that because it sank in such cold water the ship is almost perfectly intact, as if it sunk yesterday! Such a discovery!

Discussion Questions

Would you search as long for something as scientists did for the Endurance? At what point would you give up? What make it worth the search?

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Joshua 5:9-12

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

In this text we hear about things lost and then found. Jesus tells us several parables, stories which help us understand a lesson. The three stories in Luke 15 focus on a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son—all lost and all found at a cost. We often call the third story the parable of the prodigal son.  Prodigal means one who spends or gives lavishly or foolishly.

The father has two sons, the younger one asks for his inheritance, goes away from home, and spends it all.  The older son stays and works hard on the farm. One day the younger son comes home poor, planning to beg forgiveness and ask that he be treated as a servant.  But the father sees him coming and runs to greet him.  He gives him a robe and plans a large feast to welcome him home. The older son is angry with his father, feeling this is unfair, as he has been working this whole time, while his younger brother spent his inheritance.

The father responds that everything he owns has been available to his older son all along.  He invites his angry son to let go of his bitterness and embrace the celebration.  “This is your brother,” the father says; “he was lost and dead, but now he’s home!  Don’t sulk in the darkness. Come in, join the party, and rejoice!

Discussion Questions

• Why does Jesus tell parables?
• What does this parable of the prodigal son suggest about God’s attitude toward those who make mistakes?
• If we take this parable seriously, how does it change how we relate to others?
• Imagine yourself as the younger brother welcomed home; how would you feel?  How would you feel as the older brother who had worked for years?

Activity Suggestions

This is a the classic game of Spoons, but with an element of Hide and Seek thrown in the mix. You will need a deck of playing cards and some spoons. Instead of placing the spoons on the table, hide one less spoon than players in the game in various places around the room.  Then you try to get four of kind, just as in regular Spoons. Once players have four of a kind they get up and try to find a spoon.  If you are not familiar with Spoons, here is link to the rules of the basic game.

Feel free to create your own variations.

Closing Prayer 

Compassionate God, thank you for seeking us, even when we feel really lost. Thank you for not giving up on us.  Help us to help others who might feel lost or alone. Help us to share your love and compassion with all we meet. Let us lift up each other in prayer… who should we pray for (invite youth to go around in a circle and prayer for something or someone who might feel lost)… we pray all this in your sons name. Amen.

ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving

Lent 2022

In English and en Espanol

Week 3: Vulnerable in the Wilderness

“O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1)

Read

• Isaiah 55:1-9
• Psalm 63:1-8
• I Corinthians 10:1-13
• Luke 13:1-9

Reflect

The Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Lent is challenging. Jesus is speaking at a large gathering (of “thousands,” we read in Luke 12) and is covering a lot of theological ground. In Chapter 13, a group from the crowd shares with him news of “the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices” (13:1). The event warrants no further description from Luke, but the picture the Gospel writer paints in just a few words is horrific. While performing a religious ceremony, a group of Galilean Jews have been slaughtered by Pilate’s soldiers.

We have no record of the event in other sources, but we do know that, tragically, it would not have been out of character for Pilate. Indeed, the end of Pilate’s rule in Judea came about from a similar incident, when Pilate ordered his soldiers to massacre a group of Samaritans on Mount Gerizim as they gathered for a religious ceremony.

Perhaps by naming the event to Jesus, the people were trying to trick him, as so many others had tried before. Or perhaps they were feeling him out, seeing if Jesus would say anything rebellious against Pilate or Rome. Either way, Jesus doesn’t take the bait. As we see so often in the Gospels, Jesus instead uses the opportunity to challenge what the people think they know about God and themselves.

At the time, the people believed that tragedies such as the massacre of the Galileans or the deadly collapse of “the tower of Siloam” (v. 4) that killed 18 people were not mere accidents; they were, as one biblical scholar writes, “the wages of sin.” The violence of tyrants, the human cost of disasters, the ravages of disease — all these were viewed as the intentional consequences meted out by God because the victims had sinned. In short, they believed those who died had gotten what they deserved.

That same theological mentality persists today. A 2017 survey of Americans found Christians to be nearly twice as likely to believe that poverty results from the personal moral failings of individuals.

The biblical witness in Luke paints a different perspective. Jesus pointedly asks the crowd if the Galileans killed by Pilate and the people killed by the falling tower were worse sinners or offenders than others. It’s a rhetorical question that Jesus turns to his audience. Of course, they were neither worse sinners nor more egregious offenders. The unjust rule of tyrants is not reserved for the worst of sinners, nor do disasters wait until the most immoral people are at risk.

Thus far in this season of Lent, we have been reflecting on what it means to be in the wilderness, journeying toward the promise God has in store. This encounter between Jesus and the crowd, which began in Luke 12 and continues in Luke 13, is a poignant opportunity to continue this reflection.
Jesus’ rhetorical questions about violence and disaster challenge us to consider our own vulnerability and responsibility as we make our way in the world.

Jesus’ question reminds the crowd that tragedy and trauma don’t wait for morally upright people to get out of harm’s way; we are all vulnerable as we traverse a wilderness fraught with injustice, violence, hunger and poverty. The superiority we may feel over others is neither true nor significant. In Luke,
Jesus reminds us that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And, importantly, neither Pilate nor the tower of Siloam waited to make sure the most unworthy were at risk before dealing death to the crowd.

We might say the same about hunger and poverty today: no amount of hard work can ultimately overcome an unjust system. As research has shown, even the most qualified candidates for jobs can find themselves locked out by systems rooted in prejudice. Neither moral purity nor a clean conscience can undo the damaging impact of housing discrimination that leaves some communities more vulnerable to flooding or storms than others. Hunger is not the result of personal moral failings but a risk we all
take in a world still yearning for God to fulfill the promise that all will be fed.

Yet research shows clear patterns in the distribution of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. The reality is that not all of us are equally vulnerable to hunger or poverty, nor are we vulnerable in the same ways. Employment discrimination makes securing jobs harder for candidates of color, even if they are more qualified than candidates who are white. Gender discrimination makes controlling land and securing loans to start a business harder for women. Public funding is often diverted to communities that are already financially secure and away from communities that are at risk. Each of these inequities deepens a person’s vulnerability, shifting hunger from an incidental situation to an entrenched reality.

As we reflect on our vulnerability in the wilderness, Jesus’ message in the Gospel reading drives us to reflect on our own responsibility, calling us to examine what “fruit,” if any, we are producing. Is the work we do in the world reducing our shared vulnerability or increasing it? How are our laws, policies and practices making the “wilderness” a less dangerous place for ourselves and our neighbors?

The teachings Jesus offers in Luke 12 and 13 are grounded in themes of anticipation and watchfulness. The practices of repentance and reconciliation he encourages (see Luke 12:13-15 and 57-58) are part of the identity of a people looking to the coming reign of God, preparing for a world that is no longer a wilderness but a full expression of God’s promise.

As the church, we are called to anticipate this promised future. In our confession, we confront the distance between where and who we are now and where and who we are called to be. In our commission, we bear witness to what we know by faith: that the death-dealing realities of a violent Pilate, crashing towers and hunger-causing injustices ought not to be. These realities are no more part of God’s plan for us now than they are part of God’s plan for our future.

As we journey together in the wilderness this Lent, Jesus’ words remind us of what it means to be vulnerable, to be responsible and to bear witness to the future we know God has in store.

Ask

1. What situations or circumstances have left you or your community feeling vulnerable? How does faith in God help you navigate times when you feel powerless or at risk?
2. Consider some of the observations about hunger and poverty in the study session for this week. What are some of the factors that make us and our neighbors vulnerable to hunger and poverty?
3. In this week’s readings, what is Jesus saying about what it means to be the people of God? As Lutherans, we believe we are saved by grace despite our own sin.
4. How does the truth of grace change how we relate to our neighbors, especially our neighbors facing hunger or poverty?

Pray

Loving God, you sent your Son to save us when we could not save ourselves. Yet we still strive to save ourselves. Forgive us for the ways we have divided your world of grace according to our own false ideas of worth. Remind us of the gracious love that creates, saves and sustains us. Move us to be witnesses of your grace in the world and to seek new ways of sharing that with our neighbors. In your loving name we pray, amen.

 

SEMANA 3: Vulnerables en el desierto

“Oh Dios, tú eres mi Dios; yo te busco intensamente. Mi alma tiene sed de ti; todo mi ser te anhela, cual tierra seca, extenuada y sedienta” (Salmo 63:1).
Lecturas: Isaías 55:1-9; Salmo 63:1-8; 1 Corintios 10:1-13; Lucas 13:1-9

La lectura del Evangelio para el tercer domingo de Cuaresma es un desafío. Jesús está hablando en una gran reunión (de “miles”, como leemos en Lucas 12) y está abarcando mucho terreno teológico. En el capítulo 13, un grupo de la multitud comparte con él noticias de “cómo Pilato había dado muerte a unos galileos cuando ellos ofrecían sus sacrificios” (13:1). El acontecimiento no merece que Lucas lo describa con más detalle, pero la imagen que el escritor del Evangelio pinta en solo unas pocas palabras es horrible. Mientras realizaban una ceremonia religiosa, un grupo de judíos galileos habían sido masacrados por los soldados de Pilato.

No tenemos registro de este suceso en otras fuentes, pero sí sabemos que, trágicamente, no habría sido extraño al carácter de Pilato. De hecho, el fin del gobierno de Pilato en Judea se produjo a partir de un incidente similar, cuando Pilato ordenó a sus soldados que masacraran a un grupo de samaritanos en el Monte Gerizim mientras se reunían para una ceremonia religiosa.

Tal vez la gente le mencionó a Jesús el acontecimiento para tratar de engañarlo, como muchos otros lo habían intentado antes. O tal vez estaban tratando de averiguar lo que Jesús pensaba, a ver si decía algo rebelde contra Pilato o Roma. De cualquier manera, Jesús no muerde el anzuelo. Como vemos tan a menudo en los Evangelios, Jesús en cambio usa la oportunidad para desafiar lo que la gente cree que sabe acerca de Dios y de sí mismos.

En aquel tiempo, la gente creía que tragedias como la masacre de los galileos o el colapso mortal de “la torre de Siloé” (v. 4) que mató a 18 personas no habían sido meros accidentes; eran, como escribe un erudito bíblico, “la paga del pecado”. La violencia de los tiranos, el costo humano de los desastres, los estragos de las enfermedades —todo esto era visto como las consecuencias intencionales impuestas por Dios porque las víctimas habían pecado. En pocas palabras, ellos creían que los que morían habían recibido lo que merecían.

Esa misma mentalidad teológica persiste hoy. Una encuesta de estadounidenses de 2017 encontró que los cristianos tienen casi el doble de probabilidades de creer que la pobreza es el resultado de las fallas morales personales de los individuos.

El testimonio bíblico en Lucas pinta una perspectiva diferente. Jesús pregunta deliberadamente a la multitud si los galileos asesinados por Pilato y las personas que murieron por el colapso de la torre eran peores pecadores u ofensores que otra gente. Es una pregunta retórica que Jesús dirige a su audiencia. Por supuesto, no eran ni peores pecadores ni ofensores más atroces. El gobierno injusto de los tiranos no está reservado para los peores pecadores, ni los desastres esperan hasta que las personas más inmorales estén en riesgo.

Hasta ahora, en esta temporada de Cuaresma, hemos estado reflexionando sobre lo que significa estar en el desierto, caminando hacia la promesa que Dios tiene reservada. Este encuentro entre Jesús y la multitud, que comenzó en Lucas 12 y continúa en Lucas 13, es una oportunidad conmovedora para continuar esta reflexión. Las preguntas retóricas de Jesús sobre la violencia y el desastre nos desafían a considerar nuestra propia vulnerabilidad y responsabilidad a medida que nos abrimos camino en el mundo.

La pregunta de Jesús le recuerda a la multitud que la tragedia y el trauma no esperan a que las personas moralmente rectas salgan del peligro; todos somos vulnerables mientras atravesamos un desierto plagado de injusticia, violencia, hambre y pobreza. La superioridad que podemos sentir sobre los demás no es ni verdadera ni significativa. En Lucas, Jesús nos recuerda que todos hemos pecado y hemos sido privados de la gloria de Dios. Y, lo que es más importante, ni Pilato ni la torre de Siloé esperaron para asegurarse de que los más indignos estuvieran en riesgo antes de matar a la multitud.

Podríamos decir lo mismo sobre el hambre y la pobreza hoy: ninguna cantidad de trabajo duro puede superar en última instancia un sistema injusto. Como han demostrado los estudios, incluso los candidatos más calificados para puestos de trabajo pueden verse bloqueados por sistemas arraigados en prejuicios. Ni la pureza moral ni una conciencia limpia pueden deshacer el impacto dañino de la discriminación en la vivienda que deja a algunas comunidades más vulnerables a las inundaciones o tormentas que otras. El hambre no es el resultado de fallas morales personales, sino un riesgo que todos corremos en un mundo que todavía anhela que Dios cumpla la promesa de que todos serán alimentados.

Sin embargo, los estudios muestran patrones claros en la distribución del hambre y la pobreza en los Estados Unidos y en todo el mundo. La realidad es que no todos somos igualmente vulnerables al hambre o la pobreza, ni somos vulnerables de la misma manera. La discriminación en el empleo hace que asegurar empleos sea más difícil para los candidatos de color, incluso si están más calificados que los candidatos que son blancos. La discriminación de género hace que controlar la tierra y obtener préstamos para iniciar un negocio sea más difícil para las mujeres. A menudo el financiamiento público es desviado hacia comunidades que ya son financieramente seguras y lejos de las comunidades que están en riesgo. Cada una de estas inequidades aumenta la vulnerabilidad de una persona, y el hambre cambia de una situación incidental a una realidad arraigada.

Mientras reflexionamos en nuestra vulnerabilidad en el desierto, el mensaje de Jesús en la lectura del Evangelio nos impulsa a reflexionar en nuestra propia responsabilidad, llamándonos a examinar qué “fruto”, si es que hay alguno, estamos produciendo. ¿Está el trabajo que hacemos en el mundo reduciendo nuestra vulnerabilidad compartida o aumentándola? ¿Cómo están nuestras leyes, políticas y prácticas haciendo del “desierto” un lugar menos peligroso para nosotros y nuestro prójimo?

Las enseñanzas que Jesús ofrece en Lucas 12 y 13 se basan en temas de anticipación y vigilancia. Las prácticas de arrepentimiento y reconciliación que él promueve (ver Lucas 12:13-15 y 57-58) son parte de la identidad de un pueblo que mira hacia el reino venidero de Dios, preparándose para un mundo que ya no es un desierto, sino una expresión plena de la promesa de Dios.

Como iglesia estamos llamados a anticipar este futuro prometido. En nuestra confesión nos enfrentamos a la distancia que hay entre dónde estamos y quiénes somos ahora, y dónde estamos llamados a estar y quiénes estamos llamados a ser. En nuestra comisión damos testimonio de lo que sabemos por fe: que las realidades mortíferas de un Pilato violento, torres que se caen e injusticias que causan hambre no deben existir. Estas realidades no son más parte del plan de Dios para nosotros ahora de lo que son parte de su plan para nuestro futuro.

Mientras caminamos juntos en el desierto esta Cuaresma, las palabras de Jesús nos recuerdan lo que significa ser vulnerables, ser responsables y dar testimonio del futuro que sabemos que Dios tiene reservado.

Preguntas para la reflexión

1. ¿Qué situaciones o circunstancias han dejado a su comunidad sintiéndose vulnerable? ¿Cómo le ayuda la fe en Dios a navegar los momentos en que se siente impotente o en riesgo?
2. Considere algunas de las observaciones acerca del hambre y la pobreza de la sesión de estudio de esta semana. ¿Cuáles son algunos de los factores que hacen que nuestro prójimo y nosotros nos volvamos vulnerables al hambre y la pobreza?
3. En las lecturas de esta semana, ¿qué dice Jesús sobre lo que significa ser el pueblo de Dios?
4. Como luteranos creemos que somos salvados por gracia a pesar de nuestro propio pecado. ¿Cómo la verdad de la gracia cambia la forma en que nos relacionamos con nuestros vecinos, especialmente los que enfrentan el hambre y la pobreza?

Oración

Amoroso Dios, enviaste a tu Hijo para salvarnos cuando no podíamos salvarnos a nosotros mismos. Sin embargo, todavía luchamos por salvarnos a nosotros mismos. Perdónanos por las maneras en que hemos dividido tu mundo de gracia según nuestras propias falsas ideas de mérito o valor. Recuérdanos el amor misericordioso que nos crea, salva y sustenta. Muévenos a ser testigos de tu gracia en el mundo y a buscar nuevas formas de compartirla con nuestro prójimo. Oramos en tu amoroso nombre, amén.

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 | Colorado | Kansas | Minnesota | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin

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U.N.

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc

Dennis Frado, Director

The International Migration Review Forum (IMRF):

• was created by the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
• is a Member State forum, with the participation of stakeholder including civil society, to discuss and review implementation of the GCM and guide the work of the United Nations on migration.
• will take place every four years starting in 2022. The first session of the IMRF will be held from 17 – 20 May 2022 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for four days.
• will be convened under the auspices of the General Assembly.
• will consist of four interactive multi-stakeholder round tables, a policy dialogue, and a plenary, and result in an agreed Progress Declaration.
  

 

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Arizona

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) – lamaz.org

Solveig Muus, Director

LAMA met for the first time with Arizona hunger advocates including Bread for the World, World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task-Force (WHEAT), Arizona Food Bank Network and Arizona Food Systems Network to discuss hunger advocacy legislation for the 2023 legislative session. This new hunger advocacy work group is excited about the possibilities for state-wide collaboration in the future. LAMA attended Arizona Food Bank Network’s Food Day at the Capitol on March 10 in support of our hunger coalition partners.

Voting integrity and access to the ballot are major concerns in Arizona, so it stands to reason that LAMA’s Policy Council determined Civic Engagement would be a policy priority for 2022. After nearly 130 voting-related bills were introduced in the Arizona legislature, dozens survived crossover week and have had or will have hearings this session. LAMA is partnering with Arizona Faith Network (formerly Arizona Ecumenical Council) on voter legislation and registration this year.

In other news, LAMA continues to introduce LAMA and the importance of Lutheran advocacy to our Grand Canyon Synod congregations. This month included kickoff events at Desert Cross Lutheran in Gilbert, AZ and Esperanza Lutheran in Ahwatukee, AZ. LAMA also participated in a forum on Refugee Resettlement with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest at Ascension Lutheran in Paradise Valley, AZ where, in addition to the presentation, panelists fielded many questions about the refugee crisis in Ukraine.

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Colorado

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

Peter Severson, Director

LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN FULL SWING: As the Colorado General Assembly moves ahead to the midway point of its 2022 session, Lutheran Advocacy is actively working on a host of bills related to our 2022 Advocacy Agenda. Among our top priorities this session:

• HB 1259, Modifications to Colorado Works Program (Duran/Jodeh). This bill will offer badly needed updates to our state’s Basic Cash Assistance program, which is funded through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. It will remove some key barriers to eligibility and increase baseline assistance.
• SB 087, Healthy Meals for All Public School Students (Pettersen/Fields). The bill continues a program initiated through Colorado’s federal COVID-19 relief funds, covering the cost of school meals for all children in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program.
• SB 099, Sealing Criminal Records (Hisey/Rodriguez). Also known as “Clean Slate,” the bill automates the record-sealing process for certain non-violent offenses, for which over 1 million Coloradans are already eligible.

LUTHERAN DAY AT THE CAPITOL A SUCCESS: Despite a winter storm hitting the Front Range the night before, we still carried off our Lutheran Day at the Capitol on February 17 with a successful hybrid event. In-person attendees braved the slick roads to gather at St. Paul Lutheran Church in downtown Denver, while even more attendees joined on Zoom, to hear theological grounding for our advocacy, a briefing on the issues confronting the legislature this year, and training for citizen lobbying & advocacy.

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Kansas

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) – kansasinterfaithaaction.org

Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director

Kansas’ legislative session opened on January 10. Our priorities included:

• Working with Teach The Truth, to push back against efforts to restrict the teaching of America’s racial history in schools (a coalition KIFA put together and leads);
• Supporting the repeal of the state food sales tax, among the highest in the nation;
• Addressing some of the injustices caused by Kansas’ 2015/2016 “welfare reform” law;
• Protecting the right to vote in Kansas and supporting fair redistricting;
• Supporting Medicaid expansion and payday loan reform; and
• Protecting Kansas’ clean energy strides.

We held our annual Interfaith Invocation the morning of January 13 – this was our first in-person event since 2020.

KIFA Advocacy Days were held Feb. 15-17; the first day was in-person and the second two were virtual. Thirty-five people (mostly clergy) attended the in-person day. Highlights included legislative meetings and a “Teach the Truth” rally at noon, which got excellent media coverage. Highlights of the virtual days included a keynote address by Rev. Jacqui Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church in New York, as well as an evening “Prayer Vigil for Grief, Justice and Hope.”

We have testified on over 10 bills and have sent out five action alerts to our supporters (so far!). We are part of coalitions on voting rights, redistricting and clean energy, as well as the Teach the Truth coalition that KIFA leads.

The session will adjourn on March 31.

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Minnesota

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

Tammy Walhof, Director

Legislative Session: Bills are moving quickly through House committee hearings. In the Senate, leadership has been slow to offer budget targets to committee chairs. Being so far behind could result in little time for Senate hearings and mean most big items get negotiated by a small group of House, Senate and Administration leaders.

Surplus Uses: Opinions differ radically, even within parties. Proposals include:

• a wide range of tax cuts (large/permanent, moderate, one-time “rebates”),
• various investments (housing options/help, infrastructure, education priorities, health costs, climate mitigation/adaptation, etc.),
• “winner-decide-all” following fall election outcomes (assumes a single party could take the House, Senate & governorship AND be of one mind on priorities),
• pet projects of individual legislators.

LA-MN believes well-being for the whole state, while addressing our greatest human needs, are most important. Tax changes should be temporary, to prevent the structural deficit and cuts that plagued Minnesota for years following previous permanent tax cuts. Those deficits hurt everyone – rural, urban, small town, suburban; the very young to the old. Infrastructure wasn’t maintained, budget gaps were filled with “borrowed” education funding, and Minnesota was left unprepared for the economic downturn. Housing/ affordable housing are still recovering 15 years later.

LA-MN Staff: Director Tammy Walhof and Hunger Advocacy Fellow Rachel Wyffels have been busy with coalition partners, hearings, conversations with advocates and more. Wyffels has been engaged with the Northeast Minnesota Synod EcoFaith Team in producing creation care trainings. She is cohosting the weekly Zoom trainings with Kali Kadelbach, a Youth Pastor in Princeton.

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Ohio

Hunger Network Ohio (HNO) – hungernetwork.org

Deacon Nick Bates, Director

Last month HNO hosted a conversation on education and hunger in our communities. Our local school cafeterias are the frontlines against childhood hunger, and our schools are vital in preparing students for the challenges of a constantly changing economy of the future. You can watch that webinar here. You can also watch the short video we put together of educators talking about our schools and the needs that they see.

We are excited to host this month’s webinar on “Caring for Creation to End Hunger”. You can join us on Wednesday March 23rd at 1pm EDT by clicking here to register!

Redistricting takes center stage in Ohio. The majority party continues to pass maps without minority party support that continue to be rejected by the Supreme Court of Ohio for unfairly gerrymandering districts to guarantee safe majorities and super-majorities for the next four to 10 years. Districts need to be fairly drawn to reflect the needs of our communities and not extremist out-of-state interests that can repeatedly dominate district priorities.

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Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania (LAMPa) lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

Budget advocacy took shape in February as the legislature was occupied with related hearings. LAMPa began planning legislative meetings and hunger network action on the State Food Purchase Program, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System and a proposed increase in the minimum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on our anti-hunger agenda.

In good news on food security and equity, LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale participated in a meeting of the state Emergency Food Assistance Advisory Committee, where it was announced that an increase in the income eligibility threshold for The Emergency Food Assistance Program should be in place by early summer, allowing people with incomes of up to 185 percent of poverty to qualify. In addition, the Department of Agriculture announced plans to focus on socially disadvantaged farmers in a new federally funded local food purchasing program that will distribute food through the charitable network.

Food security, sustainability and equity were also themes of the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference, which DePasquale attended, connecting with farmers and coalition partners in preparation for work on the federal Farm Bill.

As part of LAMPa’s focus on sustainability, staff worked with colleagues in ELCA federal and U.N. offices to advance work with Pennsylvania congregations and institutions striving to meet climate goals and to support the church’s witness at the sixty-sixth session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, focused on climate change.

LAMPa staff and policy council members worked to prepare for an April hybrid learning and advocacy event focusing on housing and homelessness.

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Texas

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org

Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

In response to the Texas Legislature’s voter suppression efforts in 2021, Texas Impact is working with partner congregations to equip Texans of faith to support democracy by participating in local elections – from registering voters to recruiting election workers. In addition, Texas Impact joined the Brennan Center’s lawsuit against the Texas voting bill.

ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow Isa Peterson is leading an effort to complete a report on Texas’ Public Utility Commission sunset process, which will be released in March.

Texas Impact’s weekly podcast “Weekly Witness” relaunched in January with a new producer and new format. This will allow even higher quality content to equip Texans of faith to participate in justice and advocacy work.

The Texas Impact Board of Directors is beginning a project to compile social statements from member judicatories.

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Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Director

We launched our work in 2022 with the 60-day Wash. State Legislative Session that began on January 10 and ended March 10. Our new Policy Engagement Director Kristin Ang is off to a great start – she quickly learned from Paul Benz and our many coalition partners and helped prioritize an ambitious Legislative Agenda.

To get our network ready for the 2022 session, FAN hosted two “Preparing for the 2022 State Legislative Session Trainings”. Advocates joined us to get an overview of our legislative agenda, hear from legislators on how and why to advocate, learn about the important websites to visit while advocating in a virtual setting, and meet in breakout rooms by issue topic to delve deeper into the bills on our agenda.

We co-sponsored the Eastern Washington Legislative Conference on January 22, with the theme “Mobilizing for Our Future,” featuring Fr. Pat Conroy, SJ, former chaplain to Congress. Hosted online, advocates heard from an interfaith panel on mobilizing faith communities for justice, workshops on critical issues facing their communities, and a legislative briefing. Our signature event, Interfaith Advocacy Day (IFAD) 2022, was held on Zoom February 10. From Bellingham, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Ellensburg, Vancouver, the Olympic Peninsula, and across the Puget Sound region, 150 advocates representing 39 legislative districts attended more than 80 meetings with legislators and their aides. Workshops were offered by FAN volunteers and our coalition partners, and legislators and faith leaders encouraged attendees’ advocacy. Next month, we will share the recap of some great bill victories, and what will need more work in the year ahead.

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Wisconsin

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

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

Legislative Bills Supported: The Wisconsin Legislative session is ending. In last month’s update, we listed the bills we supported. In our advocacy for clean groundwater, we also supported Assembly Bill 727, which creates “a commercial nitrogen optimization pilot program, providing crop insurance rebates for cover crops, creating a hydrogeologist position, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.”

Wednesday Noon Live: The Rev. Peter Jonas shared his experience working with other clergy and lay leaders advocating against Trempealeau County becoming a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary. The Rev. Jeff Wild discussed his work blacksmithing and peacemaking. Gun control is not one of LOPPW’s priorities, but we can still offer guidance on how to advocate.

New on LOPPW’s Website: Under Resources, Reflections & Tools we added a “Youth Advocacy” section and “Hunger Leaders WI/UP” section. The latter is to assist a group of ELCA Hunger Leaders from Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in their efforts to network within our six synods. They have included advocacy in their three recent sessions.

Connecting: LOPPW had an in-person presence at synod events in the Greater Milwaukee Synod and South-Central Synod of Wisconsin. LOPPW Director Cindy Crane has been meeting with all six bishops individually to update them and receive input. Crane also attended an interfaith anti-sex trafficking event at a Catholic church and has met with leadership teams for anti-sex trafficking, climate justice and juvenile justice.

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2022

VAWA REAUTHORIZATION READY FOR SIGNATURE  |  FAITH NETWORKS AND STATE OF THE UNION  |  LEARN MORE ABOUT FAITH AND REPARATORY JUSTICE  |  GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINES ACCESS  |  TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS DESIGNATIONS

 

VAWA REAUTHORIZATION READY FOR SIGNATURE:  Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is ready for the president’s signature, and we thank the many Lutherans who expressed support using the ELCA Action Alert! Both Vance Blackfox (Cherokee), Director, Indigenous Ministries & Tribal Relations, and Dr. Mary J. Streufert, Director, Justice for Women, in the ELCA commented on this policy development.

“Indigenous women have always been the center of our villages and communities, and the systematic attempts by the U.S. federal government and others to de-center and eliminate them have been egregious and criminal. This latest passage of VAWA that contains expanded protections for Indigenous women and children brings to light the lack of protection offered all these years and finally elevates the standard for the level of justice and care our women have always deserved,” said Blackfox.

“[VAWA] serves neighbors—people in need because they have been targeted with violence based on gender and race. The ELCA as a church is expressly in support of laws that stem these kinds of violence. We trust that God works through us to create safety and flourishing for others, including through laws and policies. We also trust that God works through us to challenge sexist and racist beliefs that make gender-based violence seem like it is normal,” said Streufert.

 

HUNGER AND THE STATE OF THE UNION:  President Biden named the Child Tax Credit as a priority in his State of the Union speech, which is also a priority of our anti-hunger advocacy shared by partners from Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations. The ELCA is addressing priorities in additional legislation that would have been in Build Back Better legislation.

Collaboratively, our advocacy is working with legislative opportunities with maternal health in Black women, heath care for all, as well as Child Tax Credit potentials. An interfaith webinar on Mar 16 at 1 p.m. ET, cosponsored by the ELCA, will explain changes to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and how you can help spread the word in our communities about these tax credits. More at https://bit.ly/FaithfulTaxFilers

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT FAITH AND REPARATORY JUSTICE:  The ELCA continues cohosting a monthly faith series examining reparations for people of African Descent. The March 16 session will focus on the global and international aspects of the reparations movement; April 20 on housing, land and debt; and May 1 on health.

Event registration and access to previously recorded sessions is available from the National Council of Churches website at https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/reparatory-justice-series/. The March 16 session includes partners speaking about involvement in Haiti and other nations, and study of the rich theology and history developed around the issue.

 

GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINES ACCESS:  The ELCA continues to advocate to U.S. government and global multilateral entities to ensure better ways to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and other resources–especially for low-and-middle income countries.

The Biden administration announced that it will increase its coronavirus vaccine assistance to 11 African countries—based on COVID burden on their populations, capacity of their health systems to quickly administer vaccine doses and ability to effectively deploy additional U.S. investments. The goal is to provide intensive financial, technical, and diplomatic support, including bolstering cold chain supply and logistics, service delivery, vaccine confidence and demand, human resources, data and analytics, local planning, and vaccine safety and effectiveness.

 

TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS DESIGNATIONS:  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is to be commended for designating Sudan and Extending and Redesignating South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to dire country conditions. In response to the continued conflict in Eastern Europe, Ukraine was also designated for TPS.

TPS offers relief for eligible community members with protection from deportation, work permits and the possibility to live their day-to-day lives without the overbearing fear of being separated from their loved ones. It has been a tool employed by both Republican and Democratic administrations to protect community members in the United States while their home country conditions remain unstable. Other countries the United States should consider designating for TPS include Cameroon and Guatemala, and “redesignating” Honduras and El Salvador.

 

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Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

 

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the immediate, deadly consequences are starkly visible in Western media – an as-yet uncounted number of dead soldiers and civilians, millions forced to flee from their homes and seek safety in other countries or regions, and the devastation of homes, hospitals and critical infrastructure. Less vivid but no less significant, are the long-term consequences the war will have for food security in Ukraine and around the globe.

While other causes of hunger, such as climate change, migration or economic poverty, may seem to receive more attention, the single biggest driver of food crises around the world is conflict. As António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, wrote in 2021, “Conflict and hunger are mutually reinforcing. We need to tackle hunger and conflict together to solve either.” As the World Food Programme (WFP) notes nearly every year in its annual Global Report on Food Crises, conflict often leads to food crises[1] (especially when it occurs at the same time as climate events or economic downturns) and food crises can exacerbate conflict.

Food security depends on the adequacy of four things: food production, food access, food utilization and stability. In simpler terms:

• Is enough food being produced or supplied?
• Is the food available to consumers in safe, reliable ways?
• Are people able to meet their nutritional needs with the food?
• Is access to food reliable, even during crises?

Over a series of posts, we’ll take a brief dive into each of these. Follow the links to read more:

• Conflict and Hunger Part II: Food Production
• Conflict and Hunger Part III: Food Access
• Conflict and Hunger Part IV: Food Utilization
• Conflict and Hunger Part V: Stability

 

Reading through each of these posts will give a picture of some of the ways violent conflict impacts hunger, as well as some of the long-term effects that may come from the war in Ukraine. Even as we pray for and take action to support neighbors in Ukraine, we need to remember that this conflict could have devastating and far-reaching consequences that may not go away the moment a ceasefire agreement is signed. Our globalized food system, while so efficient and effective when operating well, also leaves each of us vulnerable to destabilizing shocks around the world.

This is one of the reasons why the complementary responses of Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger through partners and companion churches are so important. Lutheran Disaster Response, working through companions in Eastern Europe, is helping to meet the most immediate needs created by the crisis, while also drawing on years of experience to plan long-term support for refugees, internally displaced persons, and other victims of the war.

Together with Lutheran Disaster Response, ELCA World Hunger accompanies communities around the world as they build resilience against these kinds of shocks. Supporting work in agriculture helps local farmers take steps to improve the productivity of their labors, which provides some security against interruptions in exports or rising prices. Working together with partners and companions in advocacy helps to ensure that social safety net programs are robust and effective in the event of a crisis. Support for healthcare workers, counselors, clinics and hospitals helps reduce vulnerability to disease and illness, care for neighbors dealing with trauma and build capacity to respond to future health crises. And by accompanying refugees and migrants around the world, we can be part of the work God is doing to foster the stability that’s needed to ensure long-term health and well-being wherever they are.

The ripple effects of the war in Ukraine could echo throughout the food system for a long time. But we find courage and hope in God who “calls us to hope, even when hope is shrouded by the pall of war” and who, even now, is at work in, among and through peacemakers, supporting neighbors in need and “striving for justice and peace in all the earth.”

For more information on Lutheran Disaster Response’s ongoing efforts to provide support in Eastern Europe, visit https://blogs.elca.org/disasterresponse/situation-report-eastern-europe-crisis/.

 

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is the program director of hunger education for ELCA World Hunger and the author of The African American Challenge to Just War Theory (Palgrave, 2013).

 

[1] A food crisis occurs when there is a sharp rise in hunger or malnutrition within a geographic region. The World Food Programme uses the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification and the Cadre Harmonise (IPC/CH) to describe levels of acute food insecurity. The classification phases range from Phase 1 (none or minimal) to Phase 5 (Catastrophe/Famine.) More information on the phases can be found in WFP’s Global Report on Food Crises. Phase 3 represents a “crisis,” during which immediate action is needed to protect livelihoods and prevent worsening hunger.

This post is Part II of a five-part series discussing the many ways that violent conflict impacts hunger. The first key aspect of food security is food production, or put another way, is enough food being produced or supplied to meet human needs? Here, we take a look at how conflict impacts this, with specific attention to the crisis in Ukraine. Read Part I and find links to the other posts here.

Violent conflict puts the entire food supply chain at risk. The immediate destruction or occupation of land and storage facilities can reduce the amount of land that is farmed and the amount of food crops harvested. The effects, though, are complex, as research into the recent conflicts in Syria and Iraq has found, since militaries can and do turn some of their energy to cultivating occupied land while local farmers also increase their production (or try to) to meet growing need.

Far more significant than control or destruction of land are the impacts on labor and inputs. Are there enough people to work a farm, and does the farm have enough supplies to keep operating? As people flee their homes in search of safety, farms are often left fallow, crops are left unharvested and livestock are left untended and vulnerable to death or theft, as has been the case in Nigeria, for example, amid the violence of the Fulani militia. Conflict can also make it hard for farmers to get shipments in or out, so obtaining seeds, new animals, machinery and other necessary supplies gets difficult and expensive, if not impossible.

This is a huge problem when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine. It’s no exaggeration to call Ukraine “the breadbasket of Europe.” Agriculture is about 9% of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP), and Ukraine is a leading producer of wheat, corn, barley, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil and soybeans. Together, Russia and Ukraine provide more than 30% of the world’s cereal[1] supplies. These cereals are essential staples for many countries around the world that rely on Ukraine’s exports – exports that are now at severe risk. As Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has pointed out, some cereal crops in Ukraine will be ready for harvest in June. The longer the conflict lasts, the greater risk that these crops won’t be harvested or shipped later this year.

That extends the crisis far beyond the borders of either Ukraine or Russia. Many of the countries dependent on importing Ukrainian grains do so because their own production can’t meet their needs. Some of these counties, such as Yemen (which imports about 700,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat each year), are already facing their own food crises. A shock like this could make famine more likely. On the other hand, because of our interconnected global food system and the widespread concern about the situation in Ukraine, we may see other producers step up to help fill the gaps through increased exports and reduced trade barriers. This, of course, doesn’t avoid other problems, as we’ll see in the next post on food access.

 

[1] “Cereals” includes a wide variety of grains used for foods, such as rye, barley, wheat, sorghum, maize or rice.

This post is Part III of a five-part series discussing the many ways that violent conflict impacts hunger. The next key aspect of food security is food access, or put another way, is food available to consumers in safe, reliable ways? Here, we take a look at how conflict impacts this, with specific attention to the crisis in Ukraine. Read Part I and find links to the other posts here.

The next key aspect of food security is food access, or put another way, is food available to consumers in safe, reliable ways? Here, we take a look at how conflict impacts this, with specific attention to the crisis in Ukraine.

Even if food is produced, conflict interrupts the transportation and infrastructure needed to get it in people’s hands. As the World Food Programme (WFP) notes, an estimated 13.5 million tons of wheat and 16 million tons of maize ready to ship from Ukraine and Russia have been “frozen” out of the food supply chain, so they won’t get to the people who need them.

Even if food does get out to stores, food prices are rising rapidly, so consumers may not be able to afford them. The COVID-19 pandemic has already driven up the prices of staple foods, and these prices are likely to continue climbing. Because of the balance between demand and supply, these costs will rise even in countries that aren’t dependent on exports. The FAO estimates that food and feed prices could soar by up to 22%, depending on the movement of prices.

But couldn’t other countries simply ramp up production to fill the gap? Perhaps, but it’s not quite that simple. There are many benefits of a global food system. We have access to a wider variety of foods, often for lower prices, which is incredibly helpful for countries that are export-dependent. But this also means that a shock anywhere can lead to cascading shocks everywhere. In the case of the war in Ukraine, this means that the countries that could step up to fill the gap in food exports are also dependent on imported fuel. Because of the role Russia and Ukraine play in producing fuel, costs to run production facilities and transportation in other countries are also rising.

On top of all of this, within the countries directly affected by violence, conflict causes stores and markets to close and the loss of jobs. Also, because roads and bridges are overrun or destroyed, trucking and rail shipments can come to a halt in conflict areas, so, food can’t get to or from processing plants or stores for consumers within the country, and it can’t get to or out of ports for export, as we have already seen with some ports on the Black Sea closed. The loss of jobs, of course, reduces consumers’ ability to pay for the scarce supplies of food that may be available.

Ukrainians and Russians are both feeling this pinch, in part because of the invasion of Ukraine and in part because of the global response to the invasion. Obviously, within Ukraine, the disruption to daily lives, transportation, jobs and stores means that those who have stayed or been internally displaced within the country may have difficulty accessing basic goods, even if they do have the money to afford them. With many routes into city centers closed, too, this compounds the challenge of getting necessities to people who need them.

For Ukrainians forced to flee to other countries, humanitarian agencies and churches have stepped in alongside governments to meet some of the need, but in terms of access, it may be irregular for quite some time.

Russians, too, may experience obstacles to food access in the near future and long-term. Some have already. Sanctions are a middle road for international governments between, on the one hand, doing nothing and, on the other hand, engaging militarily in what would likely become a global war. Sanctions allow for pressure to be applied on Russia with minimal risk of escalating armed conflict. However, sanctions are also an indiscriminate tool, meaning their effects aren’t limited to just the people engaged in the war.

Research into the effects of US sanctions have found that “it is those living in poverty who are harshly affected” by sanctions. The effects are more pronounced when the sanctions are implemented by multiple countries, as we are seeing now with Russia. Unfortunately, while the seizure of yachts from oligarchs and the freezing of wealthy individuals’ bank accounts receive the most media attention, the impact of sanctions is most likely to be felt more sharply and for a longer time by average Russians, especially those who are already at or near poverty, as they lose jobs with foreign companies or domestic companies impacted by supply shortages.

Because of the lack of reliable information, it is difficult to say what the effect of sanctions has been on unemployment in Russia, but history suggests that average Russians will be significantly impacted. Likewise, as gas and fuel costs rise in the rest of the world, the people living paycheck-to-paycheck are most impacted, including here in the United States, as a higher percentage of their income goes to heat their homes, purchase goods or fill their tanks to drive to work.

This doesn’t mean that sanctions aren’t necessary or justified; but even necessary and justified actions have a cost.

Violent conflict causes immediate obstacles to food access for many people that go far beyond food production. It isn’t enough to have enough food being produced if people cannot afford it or if there aren’t outlets to get it from producers to consumers. These obstacles to access, including the collateral damage to food access within a sanctioned country such as Russia, ultimately impact the way people utilize the food that is available, as we will see in the next post on food utilization.