Session 4 — Psalm 23

‘“You prepare a table before me.” —Psalm 23:5

The community of Cataño, Puerto Rico, is vibrant, with residents talented in music, art and sports, yet it also faces a number of challenges. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income is about $18,600, nearly 12% lower than the average in Puerto Rico. Forty-six percent of people in Cataño live in poverty. So when Hurricane Maria passed through, the devastation compounded ongoing challenges and added new ones. Leaders of Tu Puedes, a project based at Iglesia Evangélica Luterana del Divino Salvador, recognized the increased need and responded by providing both community support for sustainable livelihoods and counseling for mental and emotional wellness. This support was crucial after the hurricane because many residents of Cataño faced the frustration and grief of life after a disaster.

To aid the community, Tu Puedes organized a support group for people who serve as caregivers to family members with Alzheimer’s disease. Providing care for a loved one is taxing work — physically, financially, mentally and emotionally. In the support group, caregivers found a safe, supportive place to voice their emotions and share experiences with others who understand what they are going through. The support group helped to create a community where the caregivers could learn from each other, be present with one another and be heard. Tu Puedes also offered relaxation workshops for caregivers and their loved ones and financial support following Hurricane Maria.

By working with community members, Tu Puedes is helping to create tables — safe spaces of welcome and support — for neighbors. These tables are central to the work of ELCA World Hunger because hunger is about not only the food we eat but also the tables at which we are welcome. The psalm for this week in Lent, Psalm 23, is one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. Its rich language offers a variety of metaphors for understanding God. Most popular, perhaps, is the first, that of the “shepherd” who provides secure rest in “green pastures” (verse 1-2). The most vivid, though, is the image of God as the perfect host, who “prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies,” with cups overflowing (verse 5). As a gracious host, God even anoints the guest with oil, a symbol of welcome and respect at ancient banquets. Even when surrounded by enemies, the psalmist experiences the abundant welcome of God, the perfect host, to a banquet table where the psalmist will be treated as an honored guest.

Being invited to the table symbolizes more than just being fed. In both Old Testament and New Testament times, to have a place at the table was to be welcomed, to be treated with respect. At banquets, specific rules governed who was invited to recline by the table and join in the meal with the host. We see this over and over again in the gospels, especially in parables that involve banquets. We also see the rigidity of these rules in the accusations leveled against Jesus for dining with people who would otherwise have been deemed unclean or unwelcome.

For the ancients as, indeed, for us, to be fed is one thing but to be welcome at the table is another.

How often in our communities do we find tables that are more exclusive than inclusive, more threatening than welcoming? Perhaps these are not dining tables but other gathering places that reflect society’s perspective on who is truly welcome and who is not. We can easily find roundtables filled with experts who talk about communities but rarely with them. Or we might find tables where the wealthy and powerful network with political decision-makers as few of us will ever be able to do. Tables are places at which relationships are built and decisions are made. When inclusive, they can be safe spaces for communities to come together. When exclusive, they can reinforce the discriminatory and stigmatizing practices that keep us apart.

Indeed, at the very heart of who we are as church stands a table: the table of Holy Communion. Martin Luther referred to Holy Communion as a “sacrament of love.” In dining at this table, he wrote, we remember our neediness before God, recall those not present at the table and commit ourselves to “tak[ing] to heart the infirmities and needs of others, as if they were [our] own.” To be at this table is to be formed by the sacrament of Holy Communion. To be the people of God is to be formed by a table where all are welcome and all are fed.

Of course, our calling goes beyond this. Worship and the sacraments take their most authentic form when they carry us back into the world, prepared not just to dine at the table but to be that table — that community of welcome, of hospitality, of safety and grace with and for our neighbors. This is a lofty goal that we aim for as church together. Ending hunger will take more than calories, water wells or sustainable jobs. It will take tables — inclusive spaces that bear witness to a new kind of community, where new relationships are formed, where each guest is welcomed and valued, and where every cup overflows with all that is made possible when God draws us together.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Think of a time when you were welcomed to a table — perhaps to dine, to communicate or to share your ideas. What did the experience feel like?

How does your congregation invite and create a hospitable place for new people at “the table” when decisions are made and visions for the future are shared?

How can creating safe spaces, such as the Tu Puedes support groups, contribute to ending hunger?

What other metaphors for God can be found in Psalm 23? How might these metaphors shape new ways of understanding the work of the church?

Sesión 4 — Salmo 23

“Dispones ante mí un banquete” — Salmo 23:5

La comunidad de Cataño, Puerto Rico, es vibrante, con residentes talentosos en música, arte y deportes, pero también enfrenta una serie de retos. Según la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos, el ingreso familiar promedio es de aproximadamente $ 18,600, casi un 12% más bajo que el promedio de Puerto Rico. El cuarenta y seis por ciento de los habitantes de Cataño vive en la pobreza. Entonces, cuando el huracán María pasó por ahí, la devastación agravó los retos que ya había y agregó unos nuevos. Los líderes de Tú Puedes, un proyecto con sede en la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana del Divino Salvador, reconocieron que las necesidades aumentaron, y respondieron a estas brindando apoyo comunitario para medios de vida sostenibles y consejería para el bienestar mental y emocional. Este apoyo fue crucial después del huracán porque muchos residentes de Cataño enfrentaban la frustración y el dolor de la vida después de un desastre.

Para ayudar a la comunidad, Tú Puedes organizó un grupo de apoyo para personas que sirven como cuidadores de familiares que padecen de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. El cuidado de un ser querido es un trabajo agotador —física, financiera, mental y emocionalmente. En el grupo de apoyo, los cuidadores encontraron un lugar seguro y solidario en el cual expresar sus emociones y compartir experiencias con otras personas que entienden lo que ellos están atravesando. El grupo de apoyo ayudó a crear una comunidad en la cual los cuidadores podían aprender unos de otros, estar presentes unos con otros y ser escuchados. Tú Puedes también ofreció talleres de relajación para cuidadores y sus seres queridos, y apoyo financiero después del huracán María.

Al trabajar con miembros de la comunidad, Tú Puedes está ayudando a crear mesas —espacios seguros de acogida y apoyo— para los vecinos. Estas mesas son fundamentales para el trabajo de ELCA World Hunger, porque el hambre no solo se trata de los alimentos que comemos, sino también de las mesas en las que somos bienvenidos. El salmo de esta semana de Cuaresma, el Salmo 23, es uno de los pasajes más conocidos de la Biblia. Su rico lenguaje ofrece una variedad de metáforas que ayudan a entender a Dios. La más popular, quizás, es la primera, la del “pastor” que da un descanso seguro en “verdes pastos” (versículos 1-2). La más vívida, sin embargo, es la imagen de Dios como el anfitrión perfecto, que “dispone ante mí un banquete en presencia de mis enemigos”, con copas rebosantes (versículo 5). Como amable anfitrión, Dios incluso unge al invitado con perfume, lo que era un símbolo de bienvenida y respeto en los banquetes antiguos. Incluso cuando está rodeado de enemigos, el salmista experimenta la abundante acogida de Dios, el anfitrión perfecto, a una mesa de banquete donde el salmista será tratado como un invitado de honor.

Ser invitado a la mesa simboliza más que simplemente ser alimentado. Tanto en el Antiguo Testamento como en los tiempos del Nuevo Testamento, tener un lugar en la mesa era ser bienvenido, ser tratado con respeto. En los banquetes, reglas específicas determinaban quién era invitado a reclinarse junto a la mesa y comer con el anfitrión. Vemos esto en los evangelios una y otra vez, especialmente en las parábolas que hablan de banquetes. También vemos la rigidez de estas reglas en las acusaciones que se le hicieron a Jesús por cenar con personas que de otro modo habrían sido consideradas impuras o no bienvenidas. Tanto para los antiguos como para nosotros, en efecto, ser alimentados es una cosa, pero ser bienvenido en la mesa es otra.

¿Con qué frecuencia en nuestras comunidades encontramos mesas que son más exclusivas que inclusivas, más amenazantes que acogedoras? Tal vez estas no son mesas de comedor, sino otros lugares de reunión que reflejan la perspectiva de la sociedad en cuanto a quién es realmente bienvenido y quién no. Podemos encontrar fácilmente mesas redondas llenas de expertos que hablan de comunidades, pero rara vez con ellas. O podemos encontrar mesas donde los ricos y poderosos se relacionan con quienes toman decisiones políticas como pocos de nosotros podremos alguna vez hacerlo. Las mesas son lugares en los que se construyen relaciones y se toman decisiones. Cuando son inclusivas, pueden ser espacios seguros para que las comunidades se unan. Cuando son excluyentes, pueden reforzar las prácticas discriminatorias y estigmatizantes que nos mantienen separados.

De hecho, en el centro mismo de lo que somos como iglesia se encuentra una mesa: la mesa de la Santa Comunión. Martín Lutero se refirió a la Santa Comunión como un “sacramento de amor”. Al cenar en esta mesa, escribió él, recordamos nuestra necesidad ante Dios, recordamos a los que no están presentes en la mesa y nos comprometemos a “tomar en serio las enfermedades y necesidades de los demás como si fueran las nuestras”. Estar en esta mesa es ser formado por el sacramento de la Santa Comunión. Ser el pueblo de Dios es ser formado por una mesa donde todos son bienvenidos y todos son alimentados.

Por supuesto, nuestro llamado se extiende más allá de esto. La adoración y los sacramentos toman su forma más auténtica cuando nos llevan de vuelta al mundo, preparados no solo para cenar en la mesa, sino para ser esa mesa —esa comunidad de acogida, de hospitalidad, de seguridad y gracia con nuestros vecinos y para ellos. Esta es una meta elevada a la que aspiramos juntos como iglesia. Acabar con el hambre requerirá más que calorías, pozos de agua o empleos sostenibles. Se necesitarán mesas —espacios inclusivos que den testimonio de un nuevo tipo de comunidad, donde se formen nuevas relaciones, donde cada invitado sea bienvenido y valorado, y donde cada copa rebose de todo lo que es posible cuando Dios nos une.

PREGUNTAS DE REFLEXIÓN

Piense en un momento en el que le dieron la bienvenida a una mesa —tal vez para cenar, comunicarse o compartir sus ideas. ¿Cómo se sintió la experiencia?

¿Cómo invita su congregación y crea un lugar hospitalario para nuevas personas en “la mesa” al tomarse decisiones y compartir visiones para el futuro?

¿Cómo puede la creación de espacios seguros, como los grupos de apoyo Tú Puedes, contribuir a acabar con el hambre?

¿Qué otras metáforas de Dios se pueden encontrar en el Salmo 23? ¿Cómo podrían estas metáforas moldear nuevas formas de entender la obra de la iglesia?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. | CALIFORNIA  | COLORADO | NEW MEXICO | PENNSYLVANIA |WASHINGTON | WISCONSIN |

 

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

Christine Mangale, Director

• Child Labor Statement: LOWC co-led the creation of the statement “A Call to Stop Stealing Children’s Lives” as part of the United Nation’s NGO Committee on Migration. Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has signed. The letter is a call to action to all UN Member States in an effort to raise the alarm and rally collaboration to put an immediate end to all forms of child labor. More information about the letter can be found here as well as sign-on link below.  
• UN Commission on Status of Women: From March 6-17, 2023, LOWC has hosted 30 Lutheran Delegates who are attending the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) in New York. The delegation includes representation from 12 countries (Columbia, Ethiopia, Finland, Indonesia, Jordan, Liberia, Mexico, Mozambique, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, USA, Zimbabwe). They represent Lutheran clergy, lay leadership, staff and issue experts from Lutheran faith-based organizations and our partners. This year’s CSW67 priority theme is “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”  
  • The group made an official statement to the Commission on the Status of Women in its 67th session. LOWC, together with LWF, planned hosting and co-hosting of eight high level events during the CSW67 including side-events, workshops and learning events, Lutheran worship and ecumenical and interfaith prayer gatherings. Additional event information is available from an ELCA Advocacy Blog post on CSW67. 
  • On March 10, 2023 LWF hosted the event, “Harnessing ICTs to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.”  
  • On March 9, 2023, LOWC co-hosted “A Phone of My Own: Sexual and Economic Empowerment in Times of Crisis”. Co-sponsors included Finland, Liberia, UNFPA, ACT Alliance, Act Church of Sweden, Bread for the World, Christian Aid, Dan Church Aid, Finn Church Aid, Lutheran World Federation, World Renew, Norwegian Church Aid, World Council of Churches, and World YWCA. Webcast can be accessed here when it is published. 

 

California

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

Regina Banks, Director

Budget negotiations are in full swing in California right now as organizations are dealing with the near $23 billion state shortfall projected for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The Lutheran Office of Public Policy in California(LOPP-CA) is working on a variety of issues with our coalitions covering child poverty, hunger, affordable housing, environmental justice, and more.  

Some key bills we’re supporting and tracking right now include AB 1128 (Santiago), which would remove age restrictions on a qualifying child for the Young Child Tax Credit, and AB 1498 (Gipson), which would create a minimum dollar amount available for the Earned Income Tax Credit. One environmental bill we’re following is the re-introduction of the Climate Corporate Leadership and Data Accountability Act, SB 253. 

Upcoming events: Join LOPP-CA in celebrating the end of the ICE contract at Yuba County Jail on Sunday, March 19th at 1 pm outside the Yuba Co. jailhouse! LOPP-CA is co-sponsoring the event and helping with some transportation costs for families of former detainees to attend the event from the San Jose and Bay Areas. Register at: www.bit.ly/YubaClosure 

Registration is also now open for our annual Lutheran Lobby Day! You’re invited to join us on Wednesday, May 17th from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm in Sacramento for a day of speakers, workshops, and legislative meetings on important state justice issues. Register here: https://lutheranpublicpolicyca.org/lutheran-lobby-day-2023 

 

 

 

Colorado

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

Peter Severson, Director

SUCCESSFUL DAY AT THE CAPITOL: Lutheran advocates joined together for our annual Day at the Capitol event on February 16. Participants engaged with Rep. Andrew Boesenecker (Fort Collins), a former ELCA pastor, and an advocacy leader from the Colorado Center on Law & Policy before moving to the Capitol to lobby for House Bill 1126 (see more below). Thanks to all who came!   

LEGISLATIVE SESSION CONTINUES: The Colorado General Assembly has reached its halfway point of the session. Some of the important bills on the Lutheran Advocacy agenda are below: 

HB 23-1126 – Consumer Reports Not Include Medical Debt Information (Reps. Naquetta Ricks & Ron Weinberg) 

Prevents medical debt from appearing on credit reports, and prevents collection agencies from falsely asserting that medical debt will impact one’s credit score. 

HB 23-1008 – Food Accessibility (Rep. Mike Weissman) 

Transfers $1 million per year for the next 7 years to the Colorado Division of Prevention Services, directing the division to partner with a statewide nonprofit organization to provide healthy eating program incentives among Colorado’s low-income populations. One purpose of the program incentives is to increase access to fresh Colorado-grown produce among these populations.  

HB 23-1186 – Remote Participation in Residential Evictions (Reps. Mandy Lindsay & Iman Jodeh) 

For residential evictions filed in county court, the bill requires the court to allow either party or any witness to choose to appear in person or remotely at any proceedings. 

You can see all the bills we’re working on at https://www.rmselca.org/CO_Bills_2023.

 

New Mexico

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry New Mexico (LAM-NM) – lutheranadvocacynm.org

Kurt Rager, Director

1st Session of the 56th Legislature races toward the finish. 

The New Mexico Legislature’s current 60-day session will come to an end at noon on March 18.  Almost 1,300 pieces of legislation have been introduced.  Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico (LAM-NM) has been tracking 90-plus bills, actively speaking in support or opposition to those identified as priority legislation through our 2023 Advocacy Agenda.  

LAM-NM Advocacy Agenda legislation highlights:  

Affordable Housing & Homelessness – Supporting legislation that would update landlord-tenant relations, for appropriations to the NM Housing Trust Fund, enabling it to greatly increase the building of low and affordable housing, and for funding of programs that can prevent and assist people experiencing homelessness.   

Family-Sustaining Income – Supporting legislation that updates monthly TANF payment amounts, work exemptions and barriers to access, and for new SNAP transitional support and senior cost-of-living support. 

Healthcare – Supporting legislation that would create Public Health and Climate Resiliency funds, that would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, that would increase Medicaid provider rate increases, legislation that supports rural healthcare options and staffing, and studying the feasibility of expanding Medicaid to all New Mexicans.  

Hunger – Supporting legislation that would provide for healthy universal breakfast and lunch meals at schools, and for full funding of the Food Initiative.  

Tax Policy – Supporting omnibus tax legislation that would revise personal income tax rates, reduce capital gains tax break, increase the state’s Child Tax Credit, cut the state’s GRT rate, and more.  

Criminal Justice – Supporting legislation that would eliminate the sentencing option of life without the possibility of parole for juveniles, would revise court fines and fees, and would prohibit private prisons from detaining asylum seekers. 

 

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania (LAMPa) lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

With more than $200 million a month in federal emergency food assistance about to expire in Pennsylvania, advocates invited lawmakers to learn about the growing rate of food insecurity and urged them to increase state supports in the face of a looming hunger cliff. Lutheran ministries were well represented at the Legislative Lunch and Learn, hosted  by the Hunger Caucus and the Pa. Hunger Action Coalition.  

 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministries in Pennsylvania(LAMPa) was on the road in February, marking a significant return to in-person events, starting with the delivery of quilt squares and site visit invitations to members of Congress from ELCA ministries in their districts with people experiencing homelessness. The invitations were a follow-up to the Homeless Remembrance Blanket Project held on the Capitol lawn in December. While in Washington, LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale participated in the Blessed Tomorrow summit for a faith-community campaign to hit 2030 climate targets. 

Closer to home, DePasquale offered in-person presentations in Southwestern, Northeastern and Lower Susquehanna synods and attended the Pasa (Sustainable Agriculture) Conference. 

In another welcome return, LAMPa and ecumenical partners marked the start of Lent by offering ashes-to-go in the state Capitol for the first time since the start of the pandemic. 

LAMPa is looking forward to our first in-person Lutheran Day in the Capitol since 2019.  The Rev. Dr. Roger Willer will keynote as we focus on a theme of Discipleship in a Democracy and progress on the new social statement. 

LAMPa is searching for a full-time communications and advocacy engagement manager.  Learn more.   

 

 

Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Director

We passed the halfway point in the 2023 Washington State Legislative Session, scheduled to last until April 23. Faith Action Network(FAN)-supported safety net protections were the first bills to pass their houses of origin, including those addressing funding for food banks, free school meals for more children, and hunger-free campuses. Other bills on our agenda that we care greatly about are moving forward, providing fixes to the Working Families Tax Credit, increasing gun safety, and removing unconstitutional statues such as the death penalty from state law. Some bills we care about that would advance economic justice are not moving forward, like a Guaranteed Basic Income and Washington Future Fund. As we move toward April, legislators will also need to come to agreement on a two-year state budget. The hybrid session has allowed for committee testimony both in-person and virtually, enabling advocates to sign in Pro or Con on bills and provide written testimony—all positive outcomes of two years of online sessions. 

FAN-supported gun responsibility bills were debated for many hours on the House floor before passage: One bill will require a comprehensive background check, safety training, and a 10-day waiting period to purchase a firearm in Washington. Another bill would ban the sale of assault weapons and prohibit the sale, manufacture, transport, and import (but not possession) of assault weapons. 

FAN Governing Board members were also involved in local leadership towards passage of an ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination in the City of Seattle, the first city in the nation to do so. 

 

Wisconsin

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

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

Wednesday Noon Live: We interviewed Julia Weibe, ELCA member and Bilingual FoodShare Outreach Specialist at Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. Extra benefits for FoodShare ended on the day of our interview. Hear about what this means, how public policies matter, and about Julia’s personal story and faith journey. 

Advocacy, Training, and Preparations:  We advocated on driver’s licenses for undocumented Wisconsinites. Wisconsin Representative James Sensenbrenner introduced the Real ID Act in 2005. But it was a state law passed in 2007 that prevented undocumented people from obtaining licenses. There is more movement now than in many years to restore licenses for our undocumented neighbors; farmers are among the most vocal advocates.  

We spoke to legislators about returning 17 year old youth to the juvenile justice system. Wisconsin is one of three states still defaulting 17-year-olds to the adult court system, and the other two, Georgia and Texas, have proposed legislation to change that in their legislative hoppers. 

In addition, we advocated on two anti-sex trafficking bills, and in the state budget, funding to support Focus on Energy and addressing the problem of PFAs in water. 

LOPPW led two workshops, one on why we advocate as people of faith and another on how to advocate at a Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Event. 

We continued planning for our Day of Advocacy: Hunger, Climate & Water with our partner, Faith in Place, and our Youth Advocacy Retreat with leaders from synods around Wisconsin and the UP.   

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2023

DEBT CEILING | BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GENDER PROGRESS REPORT | INFLATION REDUCTION ACT | BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ASYLUM POLICY CHANGES | HOUSING APPROPRIATIONS

DEBT CEILING:  The U.S. Treasury Department could default on its debt as early as June without congressional action, as the United States will exhaust its ability to pay all its bills unless the current $31.4 trillion cap on borrowing is raised or suspended. ELCA advocacy staff are very focused on several important fronts that impact hungry and vulnerable communities as debt ceiling debate develops.

In coalition with both Circle of Protection, a coalition of church bodies and related ministries representing the diversity of Christianity in the United States, and interfaith colleagues, we are receiving briefings and updates on the potential impact to poverty reduction programs should Congress fail to raise the current debt ceiling. A Feb. 27 letter from Circle of Protection leaders to President Biden and members of the 118th Congress said: “The priority we assign to reducing poverty and hunger is controversial but reflects values that are based in our Scriptures – passages such as Psalm 20:7 on trusting God rather than iron chariots, Isaiah 2:4 on beating swords into plowshares, and Matthew 25:31-46 about how God judges nations according to their response to people who are hungry and in need.”

 

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GENDER PROGRESS REPORT: The White House Gender Policy Council released its first progress report to the president on its 2021 National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality.

International program highlights include: expansion of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Engendering Industries program which advances gender equality in male-dominated industries around the world; launch of new USAID gender-based violence prevention and response programs and tools in northern Central America to promote human rights, justice, equity and equality; and launch by the State Department and USAID of the Safe from the Start ReVisioned initiative, expanding gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation, response efforts and empowering women and girls in crisis-affected countries. The Safe from the Start Act has been a gender justice priority for the ELCA.

 

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest investment in climate solutions in U.S. history. It includes provisions to promote the transition to renewable energy for individuals and for institutions, and it has a large focus on environmental justice for communities most-affected by climate change.

Among provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act could as written specifically benefit “state, local and Tribal governments, as well as nonprofit organizations and other tax-exempt entities”. While most assistance in the Inflation Reduction Act comes in the form of tax credit, this provision allows for tax-exempt entities to receive “direct pay” as incentives for their climate-friendly investments into their communities. There have been calls on both sides of the aisle (examples here and here) for oversight of the distribution of these funds.

Although additional information for federal funding for energy work to guide congregations was anticipated in Feb. 2023, right now the clearest guidance is still more broad as available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ASYLUM POLICY CHANGES: The Biden Administration is using the federal rulemaking process to usher drastic changes to U.S. asylum policy ahead of the anticipated end of Title 42, on May 11. Adopting this rule would have severe consequences on people fleeing persecution and violence. Detrimental impact on children and families, Black persons, Indigenous persons and gender-based violence survivors seeking refuge could result.

Through the new proposed rule titled “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways,” the administration seeks to impose a “presumption of asylum ineligibility” for asylum seekers unless they received parole prior to arrival, presented themselves at a port of entry at a pre-scheduled time and place, or sought protection and were denied protection in a country en route to the United States. Your public comments on the proposed rule can urge withdrawal of the proposal – see our Action Alert for details. Many have spoken out. ELCA Witness in Society staff attended a rally organized by the Welcome With Dignity Campaign and Interfaith Immigration Coalition at the White House, cautioning against severe restrictions on those seeking asylum due to the way people came to or enter the United States.

 

HOUSING APPROPRIATIONS: ELCA Witness in Society staff met with congressional staff in February and March discussing housing and homeless investment needs in the fiscal 2024 federal budget (FY24), as intent to find new cuts in discretionary spending this year has been expressed by several members of the House.

With rents and housing costs continuing to rise in many areas across the United States this year, any serious cut to Housing and Urban Development programs this year could result in a new wave of evictions, homelessness and housing insecurity. ELCA Witness in Society staff will likely be planning an Action Alert around housing needs in the budget as the president prepares to release his budget proposal to Congress in early March.

 

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Issue 86 of Administration Matters

It’s tax season: Updated tax guides are now available through Portico.

Portico Benefit Services provides ministers and congregations participating in the ELCA benefit program with no-cost access to annual tax guides. For ministers, Clergy Tax Return Preparation Guide by Richard R. Hammar gives special attention to tax-related topics most relevant to ministers. For congregations, Federal Reporting Requirements for Churches by Richard R. Hammar helps congregations understand their federal tax-reporting requirements.

Rostered Ministers Gathering – early registration ends March 31.

Let this gathering be an opportunity for you to remember, reclaim, rekindle and revive yourself. Gather with colleagues from across the church for fellowship, renewal, continuing education, worship, Bible study and refreshment for your spirit. The registration fee includes access to the plenary sessions and workshops, as well as participation in Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s opening reception and the Wednesday evening banquet and lunch each day. >More

Enjoy the ELCA Federal Credit Union ministry card, designed with your congregation in mind.

Credit cards are a necessary part of today’s world, but not all cards are the same. As a cost-effective alternative to standard corporate credit card programs, consider the ELCA Federal Credit Union’s ministry card program, and participate in a financial cooperative that supports other ministries and members of this church. Benefits for your congregation include:
• Ability to issue cards to pastors, staff and volunteers, with no minimum requirement on the number of cards.
• No impact on or relationship to the user’s personal credit or credit score.
• Low interest rate.
• No annual fee.
• Worldwide acceptance along with travel and insurance benefits.

For additional information or to apply, contact the ELCA Federal Credit Union.

Keep your building safe from wayward vehicles.

As you develop or review your organization’s risk control plan, you will likely consider many ways your property could be damaged or people injured — weather-related incidents; an armed intruder incident; vandalism, theft or arson; or child abuse. But a possible event that may never cross your mind is one that happens more often than you might think — a vehicle crashing into a building. >More

Unemployment Exemption for Churches

Nonprofit organizations enjoy special privileges under unemployment laws. Notably, churches and other religious institutions are entirely exempt from unemployment coverage. For more information on the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), review IRS Publication 1828, p. 22, and IRS Publication 15-A, p. 9.

 

Jason Fisher, Champaign, IL

Warm-up Question

Share a story of someone who pointed out the potential they saw in you. Who is someone you could help to see their own giftedness?

Seeing Possibility

Yvonne Shortt is an artist who uses grasses, clay, moss, and other natural materials to create beautiful sculptures of people’s heads.  Slowly over time Yvonne began losing her eyesight because of a rare genetic disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Her story is part of a documentary called Adapt-Ability by filmmaker James Robinson which highlights how her limitations are really a gift to her art. Not being able to see well heightens her other senses and gives her greater compassion for the people she meets. When working on a project with clay Yvonne says, “I make a face of a little girl, and I make that face for hours until I feel her breathing.”

Discussion Questions

• When have you experienced loss and how did affect the way you lived?
• How can our pain or limitations foster greater compassion for others?
• How can creating art through our struggle breathe life into other people?

Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Ephesians 5:8-14

John 9:1-41

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

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

Gospel Reflection

The disciples ask Jesus, “Who sinned?” Their focus is on the sin or what appears to be broken, instead of on the potential hope of healing that God offers. Jesus is quick to point that out: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”  He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. When meeting those who are struggling, Jesus challenges the disciples away from fault finding and towards a hope that says, “God is still at work and will be revealed through this person.”

The Pharisees and teachers of the law seem to see only broken rules instead of broken people. When the man born blind speaks the truth about what Jesus did, it doesn’t fit with the Pharisees worldview.  So they lash out at him instead of giving praise and glory of God for his healing. They were quick to point out the problem with healing on the sabbath instead of being excited this man could now see. In frustration they respond, “We know this man is a sinner.” 

This becomes a way for them to give up on the man born blind and quickly dismiss  his experience.  Jesus reminds them that God isn’t done with anyone yet and if they are so certain they know this man, then their own sin remains. Jesus teaches the disciples that presuming certainty about a person and their experience isn’t his followers’ mission. Today Jesus still calls his disciples to embrace healing that opens up endless possibilities for God’s work to be revealed in the world.

Discussion Questions

• When have you been certain of something, only to find out later you were wrong?
• How would it change your perception of the people you meet if you saw them as being born so that God’s work might be revealed through them?
• Who needs you to see past their brokenness to the hopeful possibilities God has in store for them?

Activity Suggestions

• Think of a time of loss or pain in your own life.  Create some artwork based on that experience. Create a poem, a painting, a song, or a dance related to what you felt. Then share that work with others who have had similar struggles.
• It is easy to assume that someone born blind wants to see, or that someone born unable to walk wants to walk.  That is not always the case. Get to know someone with a disability and ask them what their hopes and dreams are for the future. Then ask them what kinds of justice projects would help them feel more included in their neighborhood and in society in general.

Closing Prayer

God of all healing and wholeness, keep our eyes open to the work you are doing in each person. Keep us blind to what others can’t do and instead allow us to see like Jesus the holy potential in each person we meet. Amen.

 

Session 3 — Psalm 95

“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” —Psalm 95:3

Let’s get this out of the way: Psalm 95 is a weird psalm. It’s so odd, in fact, that choosing a single verse to use as an epigram for this session was difficult. Yet even from its most perplexing language we might still be able to glean insights that help us better understand the work of God in the world.

In The Social Visions of the Hebrew Bible: A Theological Introduction (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2000), J. David Pleins describes how many of the psalms, including Psalm 95, appear to have been used as parts of liturgy during worship and festivals. This psalm, in particular, appears to be the first in a series (95-99) grouped together as “psalms of God as king.” Each offers lofty praise of God, often in language that would have been used to praise a human king.

Psalm 95 opens with praise of God as the creator of the “depths of the earth . . . the mountains . . . the sea . . . and the dry land” (verses 4-5). The psalmist calls the people to “worship and bow down” before the Lord (verse 6). We might imagine the first half of the psalm being used to call the people to a worship ceremony celebrating the work of God the Creator and the majesty of God the King.

What’s perplexing about the psalm is that, right after these verses, the tone of the psalm changes abruptly. After this exuberant call to worship the Creator-King, the voice and theme shift. After verse 8, the speaker is no longer the psalmist but God, the tone not one of celebration and praise but of chastisement and threat. “Do not harden your hearts,” God says, or like your ancestors before you, you “shall not enter my rest” (verses 8, 11). The change is so abrupt that many scholars believe the psalm is two different pieces (verses 1-7 and 8-11) that got mashed together. The difference is so stark that one can hardly discern a single theme for the whole psalm.

Regardless of why these two pieces might have been joined, some of the psalm’s references tie it both to earlier Hebrew Scriptures and to later Christian Scriptures, such as Hebrews 3:1-4:11. One of the closest ties is its mention of the incident at Meribah or Massah, where, the psalm relates, “the people hardened their hearts against God, rupturing the relationship for forty years” (verse 10).

So, what happened there?

The story of Meribah/Massah is recounted in two places in the Bible: Exodus 17 and Numbers 20. Moses has led the people out of slavery in Egypt. In the first months, they reach the wilderness of Sin (Exodus 17:1) or Zin (Numbers 20:1), which was between Elim and Mount Sinai. From there, they journey and camp in stages. Upon arriving at one site (the Exodus and Numbers accounts differ), the people confront Moses and Aaron. They have been walking in the wilderness for weeks. They’re tired and hungry, and now there is no water. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” they complain to Moses (Exodus 17:3). Moses pleads with God, who instructs him to go ahead of the people with some of the elders of the community and, with his staff, to strike a rock, out of which water will flow.

The Hebrews in the wilderness knew then what we know today: without water, there is no life, whether they were enslaved or free. We can imagine their desperation and frustration, perhaps even their anger. What is this new “life” that they are led to, without food or water?

Scarcity of water affects nearly every aspect of a community’s life. Without water, adequate food cannot be grown. Without water, food cannot be washed or handled safely, so there is an increased risk of disease. Without adequate water nearby, people — typically women and girls — must travel miles to get what they need each day. Without water, the threat of violent conflict increases as people fight over this scarce resource. The risks of hunger, poverty, disease, conflict and death all increase when people lack access to the water they need to live. That’s one reason helping neighbors access clean, safe water is a core part of the work supported by ELCA World Hunger. We cannot end hunger without it. The complaint of the Hebrews is not unfounded.

Yet, from the book of Exodus to Psalm 95 to the book of Hebrews, the incident is used as one more example of disobedience and faithlessness. Even the two names given to the place, Meribah and Massah, reflect this. “Meribah” means “test”; “Massah” means “quarrel.” The names mark the place where the people tested and quarreled with God.

Often this type of Bible story is used to argue that we should “have more faith,” trust more fully in God or pray harder. Faith and prayer are important, but neither is going to draw water from a rock. Would that it were otherwise, but prayer didn’t even draw water from the rock for Moses.

That’s the crucial aspect of the story. It would be nonsensical to believe that none of the Hebrews prayed for water before complaining to Moses and Aaron. Anyone who has known the pangs of thirst or watched a loved one suffer the same knows that prayers for water would not have been far from the hearts and tongues of the people. The story reveals not that God will provide a miracle of water if we pray hard enough but that God will equip leaders to help the people access the resources they need to live. In response to the people’s need, God instructed Moses to gather a team of elders and lead them to a place where water would flow. God even equipped Moses with the right instrument (a staff) and directions (“strike the rock”) to make it happen. The lesson is not merely to trust that water will flow from a stone but to know that God has, first, provided enough resources through creation to meet our needs and, second, works miracles through the equipping of leaders to access those resources.

We don’t need to go back to the ancient Hebrews to see this dynamic at work when it comes to water. In Ghana, water scarcity threatens the lives and livelihoods of nearly 90% of the population. Even in urban areas, more than half the people lack access to clean, safe water. In developing countries such as Ghana, almost 80% of illnesses and deaths are caused by water-borne diseases, which in turn are driven by people needing to rely on unsafe water sources. Torgbui Agbeve, a community chief and a participant in a project of the Good News Theological Seminary in Ghana, reports, “I used to go to the River Todzie with some of my people to beg them to grant us access to their river, but they would refuse.”

With support from ELCA World Hunger, the seminary is working with community leaders such as Torgbui to increase access to safe water. The work is part of a larger project that also creates jobs through a local cottage industry producing plant-based detergent and other products. Since the project began, more than 1,000 people from more than 80 communities have participated, and the seminary plans to expand the work to even more communities.

The project is effective in large part because it focuses on equipping local leaders to work together to make change happen. It may not be as dramatic as Moses striking a rock, but the community’s work is no less a sign of God working through individuals and communities to help them live and thrive. Torgbui Agbeve’s story of begging at the river also reflects what we know about God’s provision of water. Often there is enough to go around but access is denied or restricted to a few.

That may be what connects the two parts of Psalm 95. Trusting in God’s promise doesn’t mean praying harder or being more obedient; it means knowing that God, who created the sea, the land and the mountains, creates abundantly, blessing the world with the resources we need to live. It means knowing that the same God will equip the leaders that communities need to thrive.

Working toward the promised future of a time when we “will hunger no more and thirst no more” (Revelation 7:16) does not necessarily mean praying for a miracle to come but rather bearing witness to — and investing in — the miraculous ways God is already working through leaders and communities to bring that promise to life.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

What does it mean to trust in God? When does that seem easy? When does it seem difficult?

How can faith in God the Creator shape responses to hunger, poverty or water scarcity today?

In what ways does your congregation equip new leaders to meet emerging needs?

What is the difference between abundance and scarcity? How might focusing on abundance change how we view ourselves, our world and God?

Sesión 3 — Salmo 95

“Porque el Señor es el gran Dios, el gran Rey sobre todos los dioses”. —Salmo 95:3

Quitémonos esto de en medio: el Salmo 95 es un salmo extraño. De hecho, es tan extraño, que fue difícil elegir un solo versículo para usarlo como epigrama en esta sesión. Sin embargo, incluso de sus palabras más desconcertantes podríamos obtener ideas que nos ayuden a entender mejor la obra de Dios en el mundo.

En The Social Visions of the Hebrew Bible: A Theological Introduction [Las visiones sociales de la biblia hebrea: Una introducción teológica] (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2000), J. David Pleins dice cuántos de los salmos, incluido el Salmo 95, parecen haber sido utilizados como partes de la liturgia durante la adoración y las fiestas. Este salmo, en particular, parece ser el primero de una serie (95-99), agrupados como “salmos de Dios como rey”. Cada uno ofrece una sublime alabanza a Dios, a menudo en un lenguaje que se habría utilizado para alabar a un rey humano.

El Salmo 95 comienza con alabanza a Dios como el creador de los “abismos de la tierra… los montes… el mar… y la tierra firme” (versículos 4-5). El salmista llama al pueblo diciendo “postrémonos reverentes, doblemos la rodilla” ante el Señor (versículo 6). Podríamos imaginar que la primera mitad del salmo se usa para llamar al pueblo a una ceremonia de adoración que celebra la obra de Dios el Creador y la majestad de Dios el Rey.

Lo desconcertante del salmo es que, justo después de estos versículos, su tono cambia abruptamente. Después de este llamado jubiloso a adorar al Rey Creador, la voz y el tema cambian. Después del versículo 8, el orador ya no es el salmista sino Dios, el tono no es de celebración y alabanza, sino de castigo y amenaza. Dios dice, “no endurezcan el corazón”, o, como les sucedió a sus antepasados que estuvieron antes que ustedes, “jamás entrarán en mi reposo” (versículos 8, 11). El cambio es tan abrupto, que muchos eruditos creen que el salmo consiste en dos trozos diferentes (versículos 1-7 y 8-11) que fueron combinados. La diferencia es tan marcada, que casi no se puede discernir un solo tema en todo el salmo.

Independientemente de la razón por la que pudieron haberse juntado estos dos trozos, algunas de las referencias del salmo lo vinculan tanto a Escrituras Hebreas anteriores como a Escrituras cristianas posteriores, como Hebreos 3:1-4:11. Uno de los vínculos más estrechos es su mención del incidente en Meribá o Masá, donde, según relata el salmo, “cuarenta años [Dios] estuv[o] enojado con aquella generación, y dij[o]: ‘Son un pueblo mal encaminado que no reconoce mis senderos’ (versículo 10).

Entonces, ¿qué pasó allí?

La historia de Meribá o Masá se narra en dos lugares en la Biblia: Éxodo 17 y Números 20. Moisés había sacado al pueblo de la esclavitud en Egipto. En los primeros meses llegaron al desierto de Sin (Éxodo 17:1) o Zin (Números 20:1), que estaba entre Elim y el Monte Sinaí. De ahí, viajan y acampan por etapas. Al llegar a cierto sitio (los relatos de Éxodo y Números difieren), el pueblo confronta a Moisés y Aarón. Han estado caminando en el desierto durante semanas. Están cansados y hambrientos, y ahora no hay agua. “—¿Para qué nos sacaste de Egipto? —reclamaban—. ¿Sólo para matarnos de sed a nosotros, a nuestros hijos y a nuestro ganado?”, se quejan ante Moisés (Éxodo 17:3). Moisés le suplica a Dios, quien le instruye que vaya por delante del pueblo con algunos de los ancianos de la comunidad, y que con su vara golpee una roca, de la cual fluirá agua.

Los hebreos en el desierto sabían entonces lo que sabemos hoy: sin agua, no hay vida, ya sea que fuesen esclavos o libres. Podemos imaginar la desesperación y frustración de ellos, tal vez incluso su ira. ¿A qué nueva “vida” los llevan, sin comida ni agua?

La escasez de agua afecta casi todo aspecto de la vida de una comunidad. Sin agua no se pueden cultivar alimentos adecuados. Sin agua los alimentos no se pueden lavar ni manipular de manera segura, por lo que existe un mayor riesgo de enfermedades. Sin agua potable cercana, las personas —generalmente las mujeres y niñas— deben viajar kilómetros para obtener el agua que necesitan cada día. Sin agua aumenta el peligro de conflictos violentos en lo que las personas pelean por este recurso escaso. Los riesgos de hambre, pobreza, enfermedades, conflicto y muerte aumentan cuando las personas no tienen acceso al agua que necesitan para vivir. Esa es una de las razones por las que una parte fundamental del trabajo que apoya ELCA World Hunger es ayudar a los vecinos a tener acceso a agua limpia y potable. No podemos acabar con el hambre sin ella. La queja de los hebreos no es infundada.

Sin embargo, desde el libro de Éxodo, al Salmo 95, al libro de Hebreos, el incidente se usa como un ejemplo más de desobediencia y falta de fe. Incluso los dos nombres que se le dan al lugar, Meribá y Masá, reflejan esto. “Meribá” significa “prueba”; “Masá” significa “pelea”. Los nombres marcan el lugar donde el pueblo probó a Dios y peleó con Dios.

Con frecuencia este tipo de historia bíblica se usa para alegar que debemos “tener más fe”, confiar más plenamente en Dios u orar más fervientemente. La fe y la oración son importantes, pero ninguna de las dos va a hacer salir agua de una roca. Ojalá fuera de otra manera, pero la oración ni siquiera hizo salir agua de la roca para Moisés.

Ese es el aspecto crucial de la historia. Sería absurdo creer que ninguno de los hebreos oró por agua antes de quejarse ante Moisés y Aarón. Cualquiera que haya sido devorado por la sed o haya visto a un ser querido sufrir lo mismo sabe que las oraciones por agua no habrían estado lejos de los corazones y las lenguas del pueblo. Lo que la historia revela no es que Dios proveerá un milagro de agua si oramos lo suficientemente fuerte, sino que Dios equipará a los líderes para ayudar a las personas a acceder los recursos que necesitan para vivir. En respuesta a la necesidad del pueblo, Dios ordenó a Moisés que reuniera un grupo de ancianos y los guiara a un lugar donde fluiría el agua. Dios incluso equipó a Moisés con el instrumento correcto (una vara) y las instrucciones (“golpear la roca”) para que esto sucediera. La lección no es simplemente confiar en que el agua fluirá de una piedra, sino saber que, primero, Dios ha provisto suficientes recursos a través de la creación para satisfacer nuestras necesidades y, segundo, Dios hace milagros a través del equipamiento de líderes para acceder a esos recursos.

En lo que al agua se refiere, no tenemos que volver a los antiguos hebreos para ver esta dinámica en funcionamiento. En Ghana, la escasez de agua amenaza la vida y los medios de subsistencia de casi el 90% de la población. Incluso en las zonas urbanas, más de la mitad de la población carece de acceso a agua limpia y potable. En países en desarrollo como Ghana, casi el 80% de las enfermedades y muertes son causadas por enfermedades transmitidas por el agua, que a su vez son impulsadas por personas que necesitan depender de fuentes de agua insalubres. Torgbui Agbeve, un cacique de la comunidad que participa en un proyecto de Good News Theological Seminary [Seminario Teológico Buenas Nuevas] en Ghana, relata: “Yo iba al río Todzie con algunas personas de mi pueblo para rogarles que nos permitieran el acceso a su río, pero se negaban”.

Con el apoyo de ELCA World Hunger, el seminario está trabajando con líderes comunitarios como Torgbui para facilitar el acceso a agua potable. El trabajo es parte de un proyecto más amplio que también crea empleos mediante una industria artesanal local que produce detergente a base de plantas y otros productos. Desde que comenzó el proyecto, más de 1,000 personas de más de 80 comunidades han participado, y el seminario planea expandir la obra aun a más comunidades.

El proyecto es efectivo en gran parte porque se concentra en equipar a los líderes locales a trabajar juntos para que ocurra el cambio. Puede que no sea tan dramático como cuando Moisés golpeó la roca, pero el trabajo de la comunidad no es menos signo de que Dios trabaja a través de individuos y comunidades con el fin de ayudarlos a vivir y prosperar. La historia que relata Torgbui Agbeve de rogar en el río también refleja lo que sabemos de la provisión de agua por parte de Dios. A menudo hay suficiente para todos, pero se les niega o restringe a algunos el acceso a ella.

Eso puede ser lo que conecta las dos partes del Salmo 95. Confiar en la promesa de Dios no significa que hay que orar más fuerte o ser más obediente; significa saber que Dios, quien creó el mar, la tierra y los montes, crea en abundancia, bendiciendo al mundo con los recursos que necesitamos para vivir. Significa saber que el mismo Dios equipará a los líderes con lo que las comunidades necesitan para prosperar.

Trabajamos por un tiempo en el que “ya no sufrirán hambre ni sed”. Trabajar por el futuro prometido de un tiempo en el que “ya no sufrir[emos] hambre ni sed” (Apocalipsis 7:16) no significa necesariamente orar para que venga un milagro, sino más bien dar testimonio de las formas milagrosas en que Dios ya está trabajando a través de líderes y comunidades para hacer realidad esa promesa, e invertir en ellas.

PREGUNTAS DE REFLEXIÓN

¿Qué significa confiar en Dios? ¿Cuándo parece fácil? ¿Cuándo parece difícil?

¿Cómo puede la fe en Dios el Creador dar forma a las respuestas al hambre, la pobreza o la escasez de agua hoy?

¿De qué manera su congregación equipa a los nuevos líderes para satisfacer las necesidades que surgen?

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre abundancia y escasez? ¿Cómo podría el concentrarse en la abundancia cambiar la forma en que nos vemos a nosotros mismos, y en que vemos a nuestro mundo y a Dios?

Mariia Simian, from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, is living through war for a second time. Just three years old when World War II tore across Europe in the 1940s, she says the memories haunt her.

“I remember everything,” she says. “I often remember. My mother hid our whole family from this horror wherever she could – in the basement, in fields behind the house – because the Nazis were looking for Roma.”

Simean, who is Roma, spoke at a recent remembrance ceremony for Roma victims of the Holocaust, hosted by ELCA partner organization Phiren Amenca in Budapest. As many as 500,000 Roma people were among those murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

Speaking in Ukrainian, with her granddaughter Anzhelika Bielova translating into English, Simeak continued, “I really want everyone to remember these horrors of war, the crimes against humanity, against Roma people…Evacuation, frightened people fleeing from death, mass graves of civilians, destroyed houses, all this is now in Ukraine after 80 years.…I want peace, only peace, and a better future for all of us and for new generations.”

Europe’s largest ethnic minority, the Roma people – descendants of tribes from northern India who migrated to Europe in the Middle Ages – experience a great deal of discrimination and racism. In one recent survey 95 percent of Roma youth said they have observed discriminatory words, behaviors, or gestures, and more than two-thirds reported having personally been the target of such discrimination, according to Marietta Herefort, managing director of Phiren Amenca, a Roma advocacy organization with offices in Budapest and Brussels.

Roma people often face discrimination accessing housing, employment, education and other services, Herefort added, and Roma refugees from Ukraine have been treated differently than their white counterparts across Europe.

 

“It’s a justice issue”

Thousands of Roma people are among the roughly 7 million who have fled Ukraine since the war began in February 2022, but many report that the reception in neighboring countries has been far from warm. In Hungary, ELCA works with Phiren Amenca and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH) to ensure that Roma refugees are treated with the same dignity as others arriving from Ukraine.

It’s a justice issue,” says the Rev. Rachel Eskesen, ELCA area desk director for Europe. “Anti-gypsyism, discrimination against Roma communities and individuals, remains a prevalent form of racism across Europe.”

Attila Meszaros, coordinator of the ELCH refugee response, says before the war, the church might help about 300 refugees per year. That number has more than tripled as refugees poured across the border from Ukraine, he says, and about 90 percent of those served by the church are Roma people who have had difficulty accessing services elsewhere. With support from the ELCA, they have hired additional staff to manage the increased caseload, including a social worker who is herself Ukrainian and can assist when there is a language barrier. The church helps families with rent, groceries and assistance in finding employment, and each social worker is usually in touch with about 50 families per day.

One mother of three burst into tears when she received a grocery voucher, Meszaros said. The family had lived underground for a month in Ukraine subsisting on packaged food. She rushed out to buy fresh fruits and vegetables for her children.

 

Serving Roma People

Ministry to Roma people is not new for the ELCH. Mandak House, a Lutheran congregation and social ministry in Budapest led by Pastor Márta Bolba, has a longstanding program donating food, clothing and other necessities to the most vulnerable as well as a long history of advocating for equal treatment of Roma people. In fact, Bolba said, they recently relocated the donation center to another site as the ministry had outgrown the space at the church.

While Phiren Amenca did not have previous experience in refugee assistance, Herefort said they quickly found a way to respond to the growing need as neighbors from Ukraine began arriving in Hungary last spring. Working in partnership with other organizations serving the Roma population, they delivered food, toiletries, cleaning supplies and clothing to refugee centers and transit shelters along the border, organized donation drives in 30 municipalities, and assisted families with navigating the process to register for asylum in Hungary. They even housed a family for a time in their Budapest office, until the family could find a more permanent situation.

“Anti-gypsyism is very high,” she said, referring to the slur often used against the Roma people. “They are rejected because they are Roma, and for Ukrainian Roma it’s even worse because they often have big families with lots of kids,” so it’s even more difficult to find suitable accommodations.  “Even if they are earning money they often are not able to set up a normal life because they are rejected in many ways.”

“Racism—a mix of power, privilege, and prejudice—is sin, violation of God’s intention for humanity,” wrote the authors of the ELCA’s social statement on race, ethnicity and culture. “The resulting racial, ethnic, or cultural barriers deny the truth that all people are God’s creatures and, therefore, persons of dignity.”

In simpler words, the American civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer famously stated, “no one is truly free until everyone is free.” As we continue the work of dismantling embedded racism in our own culture, facing and confessing our own sins, so too we walk alongside our European colleagues and our Roma brothers and sisters who struggle for equal treatment and equal rights.

 

 

Emily Sollie is a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and 4-year old son, and is a member of Lutheran Church of the Reformation. 

Samantha Johnson, Jacksonville, NC

Warm-up Question

Have you ever made a surprising connection with a stranger? 

Unlikely Friendship

When Detroit Police Officer Marcus Harris II got a call to check in on an individual sleeping at an abandoned gas station, he found far more than he ever expected. 

At first, Corporal Harris went through the motions, offering the man, Adrian Hugh, a bus ticket back to California. Offering one-way bus tickets is a common strategy that cities use to cut down on the number of homeless people living on the streets. 

But after taking time to talk and get to know one another, Corporal Harris and Hugh realized that there was more they could do together than apart. Hugh explained that before Corporal Harris came into his life, he was at his lowest point, ready to give up. But Corporal Harris went above and beyond, helping Hugh get the services he needed right there in Detroit, including replacing his stolen ID cards, finding emergency shelter, applying for housing, writing a resume, and even finding a job.

They found an unlikely friendship in one another, restoring hope for both men. 

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever learned something new from a police officer or a person experiencing homelessness? 
• It is easy to list the ways that Hugh benefited from his friendship with Corporal Harris. What do you think Corporal Harris might have gained from his friendship with Hugh?

Third Sunday in Lent

Exodus 17:1-7

Romans 5:1-11

John 4:5-42

(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

I think it’s safe to assume that both Jesus and the Samaritan felt unsure about how their interaction would go when they first encountered one another. 

Many of us who have heard this story before, come to it with some assumptions about the Samaritan woman. John Piper, a popular preacher and prolific author, describes her as “a worldly, sensually-minded, unspiritual harlot from Samaria.” However, a careful look at the text in its cultural context reveals that these are not among the assumptions Jesus makes. 

It is more likely, therefore, that her five husbands came and went due to factors outside of her control. Perhaps she was a widow, or maybe her husbands divorced her for being infertile. It is even possible that her husbands divorced her to marry someone else. Maybe her many marriages were the result of a combination of these possibilities. The truth is that we aren’t given an explanation for why she was married so many times, but it’s more likely that she was a victim than a harlot. 

With this fresh perspective on the woman, we can see that what Jesus recognizes in her is not a sinful past in need of redeeming. Instead, Jesus recognizes in her is a kindred openness to God’s word, determination to discover the truth, and boldness to proclaim the gospel to all who will listen.

The woman never would have found the freedom of the gospel if Jesus had maintained the status quo. But the gospel never would have reached so many Samaritan saints if the woman had not been open to Jesus’ invitation. Their unlikely friendship changed the lives of all those involved and continues to inspire us even today. 

Discussion Questions

• How do you think Jesus expected the conversation to go? Do you think it went as he expected or do you think he was surprised by the unlikely friendships he found among the woman and the people of the city?
• The woman learned about the freedom and everlasting life that Jesus promises his followers. What do you think Jesus gained from his friendship with the woman? 
• Assumptions keep us apart but conversations driven by curiosity draw us together. Whether it is a specific person or a type of person, who are you feeling called to engage in curious conversation? 

Activity Suggestions

Homelessness carries a great deal of stigma. Many people, even Christians, assume people who are experiencing homelessness are lazy or deserve to be on the streets. Challenge yourself to play this game to learn more about the difficult and risky choices people in poverty are facing every day.  

Closing Prayer

Jesus our friend, you came among us out of love in order to know us more, show us your way, and bless us with your love and grace. Empowered by your spirit, send us out with open minds and softened hearts so that we may bless others with that same love and grace you have shown us. Amen.

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

On behalf of myself and the Disability Ministries advisory team, I wanted to say “thank you!” to everyone who applied for one of our grants of up to $10,000. We were blown away by the response and interest of so many congregations, camps, and other ministries. If you remember, we said we would take the first thirty applications that came to us into consideration before ultimately choosing five to receive the funding. Well, you all got to work! We received almost double the amount we will be able to consider this time around.

While we are saddened to not be able to consider them all right now, we do encourage those whose applications came in after the cut off to apply again the next time we are receiving applications. I will be in touch soon with those applicants on what your next steps could be for the time being.

To those we will be reviewing: Please be on the lookout for an email to come from me soon indicating that you are moving along in the process. Over the next eight weeks the advisory team will be reading through your applications and making the hard decision to narrow things down to the five who will be the recipients of the funding. That means that shortly after May 1^st we will be making and announcing those decisions. For now, please keep a watch on your email and communications for any questions or needs for clarifications that the review/advisory team may need. I will follow up with the other twenty-five and look at possible next steps as well.

Again, thank you so much for your support of what we do at ELCA Disability Ministries. Especially, we thank God for you and the way the Spirit is moving you to make accessibility and equity for people with disabilities a priority in the lives of your ministries.

 

Peace,

Rev. Lisa E. Heffernan

A book review by Rev. Peter Heide on “The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me” by Keah Brown

At first, the title of this book seems presumptive, but I have come to realize that this is the courtship of one person learning to love herself amid a world that does not want to love her.

Keah Brown, a journalist, has filled this book with her essays. In each standalone essay, Ms. Brown addresses a particular issue of life as a black woman living with Cerebral Palsy in a mostly able-bodied white America. She discusses the depression that comes from internalizing the “idealized body” of the able-bodied world we live in. She explores the self-loathing that can kill when one allows the able-bodied world to dictate one’s image upon oneself when our bodies can never “measure up”. She considers the challenges of dating, of feeling loved and accepted.

In “You Can’t cure me. I Promise it’s Fine.”, the reader is challenged by how prayer can be an abusive tool that makes claims on the faithfulness of the disabled and that person’s willingness to trust in the power of God to heal. As Ms. Brown illustrates the difference between the able-bodied and the dis-abled, she also spotlights how this kind of faith/prayer isolates, demeans, and dehumanizes the person living with a disability.

Some issues are addressed multiple times which was a little exasperating until I was reminded of the similarity to reading Biblical stories: the more space given to any story raises the importance of the subject. Consider the amount of space that Nebuchadnezzar receives in an encyclopedia and then look at the space he gets in Scripture. Or maybe the story of Peter and Cornelius might be helpful. Outside the Bible no space is given it, but Scripture reports the story of the vision of the sheet coming down from heaven with unclean foods upon it three times. Such is the importance of these repeated themes.

The essay format of this book lends itself to congregation discussion.