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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2022

GLOBAL MALNUTRITION PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT PASSES!  |  DACA-RELATED DECISION STILL INDICATES NEED OF PERMANENT PROTECTIONS  |  INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND CHURCH BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE  |  ACUTE AWARENESS OF DISASTER RESPONSE NEEDS  |  ELECTION DAY IS ALMOST HERE

GLOBAL MALNUTRITION PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT PASSES: We celebrate that the bipartisan Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act recently passed the Senate following spring passage by the House and thank the many Lutherans who used their voices to encourage this action!

The bill directs USAID to implement activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally. The legislation provides better strategic vision and improves coordination and effectiveness of existing U.S. global nutrition programs. An Action Alert and other ELCA activity advocated for passage of this bill which doesn’t turn away from global malnutrition. #untilallarefed

DACA-RELATED DECISION STILL INDICATES NEED OF PERMANENT PROTECTIONS: On October 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit made a major decision impacting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Touching the lives of 600,000 current beneficiaries, the decision also impacts thousands of young adults who were locked out while litigation has played out.

The court sided with an earlier ruling by a judge finding that DACA violated the Administrative Procedure Act, but in light of a new regulation, which takes effect on October 31, they have returned the case to U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen for further consideration. The fifth circuit decision maintains the freeze on all new applications, but renewals can continue. “For the time being, this semblance of protection is significant to the hundreds of thousands who depend on it to maintain their jobs, carry on their studies, and support their families. But there’s more to this decision. This is unresolved, leaving Congress with an unmistakable call to action. Congress should heed the call of advocates, amplified by DACA recipients and supporters across the political spectrum, to pass permanent protections now,” said Giovana Oaxaca, ELCA Program Director for Migration Policy. Oaxaca will be among panelists at “Faith Voices Call: Citizenship For All,” a webinar hosted by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition on Thursday, October 27 at 8 p.m. ET. Learn more from www.facebook.com/events/1066432484071714/

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND CHURCH BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE:  Through the Inflation Reduction Act, faith-based and community-based organizations are eligible for new grant programs that the law will create to address pollution, incentivize the use of clean energy sources and mobilize certain places that commit to their communities to advance climate-benefitting solutions.

With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, non-profits and houses of worship now have easier access to clean energy funds and tax credits through a program called “direct pay.” Interfaith Power and Light wrote, “Before the IRA, only homeowners and commercial entities with some tax liability could claim tax credits when installing solar panels, wind turbines, or other eligible technologies on an eligible property. Now, the ‘direct pay’ option means non-taxable entities can also benefit from these credits.” Although incentives and monies will become available, reach and distribution specifics are unrolling. However, it is anticipated that churches will not experience up-front costs to participate in infrastructure updates; rather they will operate through participant agreements. Our ELCA advocacy staff will continue to monitor these aspects of the law and their interface with faith communities.

ACUTE AWARENESS OF DISASTER RESPONSE NEEDS Lawmakers in Congress, who are currently in their home state districts and not expected to return to Washington, D.C. until after Election Day, will be discussing what additional resources hurricane-impacted states will need in the coming days and weeks following Hurricane Ian.

Several members of the GOP Florida delegation have called on legislators to reconvene in D.C. to pass a “clean” supplemental relief bill before Election Day. ELCA advocacy staff will be working with affected synods and ministries to advocate for an adequate response to be procured in Congress. Use the Action Alert to give your input on disaster response needs in U.S. policy

ELECTION DAY IS ALMOST HERE As Lutherans, we live out our mutual responsibility for one another by guaranteeing our neighbor’s right to vote and supporting free and full participation in elections. As various election deadlines near in states across the country in the coming days, and Election Day arrives on Tuesday, November 8, encourage one another including with @ELCAadvocacy socials and #ELCAvotes resources. ELCA advocacy staff are monitoring mid-term election impacts.

Resources to explore what is on your local ballot include ballotready.org and vote411.org/. Consider congregation and other action like taking someone to the polls, setting up a booth to look up polling locations and other innovative ways to be there for our neighbors and neighborhoods. More from https://ELCA.org/civicengagement.

“Energy blackmail”

The European Union is a world leader when it comes to replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. The World Economic Forum reported early in 2022 that the EU had “passed another milestone in the race towards a zero-carbon future,” sourcing 22 percent of its energy from renewables in 2020 – ahead of the 20% target the bloc had set in 2009.

But that won’t be enough to keep Europe warm this winter, as a fuel crisis the likes of which hasn’t been seen since World War II grips the continent.

Officials have warned of potential rolling blackouts, manufacturing disruptions and economic fallout from the natural gas shortage, a direct consequence of the war in Ukraine. Prior to the war, Russia supplied around 40 percent of the natural gas used to heat European homes, businesses and houses of worship. In response to Western sanctions, Russia has severely slowed delivery of natural gas to the continent in a move some have called “energy blackmail.”

The Russian supply of natural gas to Europe has fallen nearly 90 percent since this time last year. The shortage, coupled with inflation, rising costs for electricity, and a shortage of hydroelectric power due to drought, creates something of a perfect storm as temperatures fall and demand rises. There have even been reports of people hoarding wood to burn for warmth.

The church prays for warmth

Pastor Lukasz Ostruszka and his family with Svetlana (left), one of the refugees from Ukraine who is staying in the Lutheran parish in Krakow.

For churches and others hosting refugees from Ukraine – some 7 million have left the country to find safety elsewhere in Europe – the impact will be compounded. In Krakow, Poland, for example, a Lutheran congregation has had a dozen families living in its parish hall for more than six months. Their utilities costs had already increased significantly due to the additional use of water, electricity and natural gas. Pastor Lukasz Ostruszka says he’s praying for a warm winter.

“Our government says everything will be okay, we will have gas, we have a plan,” he says. He laughs a bit. “They don’t have gas. They don’t have a plan. Warm winter, that’s the only hope.” Pr. Lukasz says he tries not to worry about it, though, since he has so many other things to worry about. “I hope God will help us,” he says.

“It will be a big problem,” says the Rev. Marta Bolba, pastor of Mandak House, a Lutheran congregation in Budapest, Hungary. “They’re saying the bills for heating will be seven times higher than normal. It’s not a poor people’s problem, it’s really the whole society; how can we pay our own bills?”

A sustainable future

Wind turbines in Slovakia.

European leaders met in early October to begin discussing possible mitigation strategies and will meet again later this month.

The crisis, says the United Nations, “underscores the urgency of transitioning away from fossil fuels.”

“As long as energy security is tied to oil and gas, it will remain susceptible to market volatility and price shocks,” says a recent report from UN Women. “And the role of fossil fuels in agricultural production and distribution—for example, natural gas’s role in the production of nitrogen-based fertilizers—means that oil price shocks also drive increased volatility in food prices.” This means it’s not just the Europeans trying to stay warm through the winter months who are suffering the consequences of the shortage. Its effects are being felt around the world, most acutely in the poorest nations.

While this church would welcome an increased sense of urgency globally to break our collective reliance on fossil fuels, we also recognize that such a change won’t come quickly. As we pray for, and work toward, a more sustainable future, we walk alongside our partners in Europe as they face a difficult winter.

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. 

Steve Peterson, Saulk Rapids, MN

Warm-up Question

Has there been a time in your life when you longed for someone, or God, to have a little mercy on you?  

Lord Have Mercy

Sometimes we experience a tension in life.  We want to see ourselves in a position of superiority, thinking of ourselves as better than “other kinds of people”.  But we also feel a pull toward humility and a stance of shared humanity with all people.  Resentment may come into play.  We are tempted to dehumanize those we resent, maybe even punish them. We think ourselves justified in considering them “less than.” We want to punish them because of behavior we see as unacceptable.  Perhaps we simply put “bad people” out of our consciousness, relegating them to permanent insignificance and inferiority.  We do this as individuals and as a society.

For example, in a September 27 article in Scientific American  Sara Novak writes that 

dementia in prison is turning into an epidemic.  The number of older inmates has increased 200% in the last 20 years and will make up a third of the prison population in a decade.  Many of these older inmates will develop dementia, which makes them difficult to care for and more vulnerable to victimization in a number of ways.   

Prison staff often are ill-trained and equipped, or simply not inclined, to provide humane and appropriate care.  Only a small number of prisons are experimenting with humane and caring ways to address this need.  One way to address this growing crisis is compassionate release, sometimes called “geriatric parole” but this option is very much underutilized.    

Prison is a place where human beings live, yet it may be hard for us to look at a prison and the people who live there in that way.  Mass incarceration in the United States seems to indicate we want to lock up the people we consider bad and forget about them.  Even when some are released, we may permanently label theless than human beings who deserve to be given every opportunity to thrive.  Maybe we as a society could be a little more just and merciful in our approach to incarceration, rehabilitation, and end of life compassion for those in prison.

Discussion Questions

• We all have a tendency to think of  certain persons or kinds of people as less than fully human.   Are there people or groups of people whom you see being treated this way?
• What can you and people you know do to humanize people relegated to a lesser status and treated as less than God’s precious children?

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Luke 18:9-14

(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

What I like about Jesus’ story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is that it gives me the chance to feel superior.   I may not be the best God follower, but at least I am a much better prayer than the Pharisee!  I am much better in my humility than he is. Or, at least now that I know that is what Jesus wants, I can try to be better than the Pharisee, so Jesus will approve of me more.  You see what I am doing here, right?  This story so easily becomes a trap for us.  

In feeling superior to the Pharisee who feels superior, we ourselves are like him..  We miss what Jesus really wants us to get out of this story, that God loves everyone. Everyone.  And that love is never dependent on how good we manage to be.  We share a common humanity; each of us is a treasure of God’s creation, even as we struggle to live as God intends,  in ways that are most life-giving for ourselves and others.   God loves us all, all the time, even when our behavior is less than we or God would wish.  God is full of grace and mercy and wants us to know the joy of being bathed in God’s love, no matter what.

Americana singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier in her book, Saved By A Song, The Art and Healing of Songwriting, writes about the process she went through in writing “A Little Mercy Now.”  It started out as a song about her father, as he lay fragile at the end of his troubled life, and ended up also being a song about her troubled brother and all people and a whole world in need of mercy.  A few lines from Mary Gauthier’s song “A Little Mercy Now”:

My father could use a little mercy now
The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground
His work is almost over it won’t be long, he won’t be around
I love my father, he could use some mercy now

My brother could use a little mercy now
He’s a stranger to freedom, he’s shackled to his fear and his doubt
The pain that he lives in it’s almost more than living will allow
I love my brother, he could use a little mercy now

My church and my country could use a little mercy now…
Every living thing could use a little mercy now…
Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don’t deserve it but we need it anyhow

And every single one of us could use a little mercy now…

In writing about how this song came to be created, Gauthier remembers an encounter with her AA sponsor.  She describes sharing with him her anger in response to a record label that was not treating her in a way she felt like she deserved to be treated.  Her sponsor’s response was to laugh and say with a smile in his voice, “Given some of the behaviors you’ve exhibited in your life, you should thank God each and every day for NOT getting what you truly deserve.”

That is true for us all.  It’s Jesus’s point in this story about the Pharisee and the tax collector.  What good news!  God’s mercy is big enough for us all.  May we embrace that relief and joy for ourselves and for all of humanity!

Discussion Questions

• Do you ever feel superior to others?  Do you every feel like you are at least not as bad as that person, those kinds of people?  Do you every thank God for that?  If so, how do you feel about that in light of this story about the Pharisee and the tax collector?
• Are there times you would like to put limits on God’s mercy?  What would those limits be?
• How does it make you feel to know that God looks upon you and all people with grace and mercy?  That God places no limits on God’s grace and mercy?

Activity Suggestions

• Make a list of people or situations in need of God’s mercy, trying to be as broad and deep in your list as you think God might be in light of this story told by Jesus.  Talk about this list with someone else.   Pray this list, imagining each of these people and situations bathed in the light and warmth of God’s mercy, God’s unbounded love.
• Now make a list of all the ways you are unworthy of God’s love.  Pray this prayer, “Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”.  Prayer it over and over with your breathing.  Feel God’s merciful response of mercy and love deep in your bones.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, we thank you for your love and mercy for each one of us, for all of us.   Please give us the humility and courage to see ourselves and others honestly, warts and all, and then to see ourselves and others as you see us, with spectacular and unlimited favor and delight.  Help us to trust that this is true and to live humbly and boldly in your love.    Amen.

Situation:

Since June 2022, Pakistan has experienced historic monsoon weather, with rainfall leading to torrential flooding. The flooding is causing a widespread humanitarian crisis, with people losing homes, crops and livestock. Millions of people are displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance, such as food, temporary shelter, health services and other supplies.

A makeshift shelter in Pakistan. Photo: Community World Service Asia

Response:

Lutheran Disaster Response is contributing to an appeal from ACT Alliance to address the monsoon flooding in Pakistan. The implementing partner, Community World Service Asia (CWSA) will provide cash assistance so impacted families can buy food and other needs. CWSA is also setting up mobile health clinics to address health needs and will help communities build the capacity to construct flood-resilient homes. The homes are being built by local laborers involved as part of a cash for work program.

Be part of the response:

Pray
Please pray for people who have been affected by the flooding in Pakistan. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.

Give
Thanks to generous donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response (Lutheran Disaster Response-International) will be used to assist survivors of the flooding and other disasters around the world.

To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:

• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook, follow @ELCALDR on Twitter, and follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.
• Download the situation report and share as a PDF.

CeCee Mills, Greensboro, NC

Warm-up Questions

• What is the difference between being persistent and being annoying?
• How do you decide when to push harder and when to pull back?

Persistence

I keep thinking about the people’s determination in the Ukraine. It has been nearly eight months since the invasion began. Ukraine’s population is forty-four million compared to Russia’s one hundred forty-four million. I watch President Volodymyr Zelensky and I feel inspired. I am sure it was not a surprise that they were attacked – but I wonder what the citizens feel. I assume they feel displaced, angry, scared, and untethered. I imagine they also feel determined and proud. This giant has attacked them, and it has not been as easy as Russia had hoped. Russian reservists have had to be called up and draft age men are running for the border. What makes the Ukrainians continue to resist?

I imagine they are aware of the danger. From media reports, we clearly see that the threat is both tangible and imminent. Still, they have hope. They are convinced that they can stand. I imagine a lot of their confidence comes from the strength of their allies. They know that they have support beyond their borders from countries with plenty of resources and strong militaries. There is something noble in standing your ground and in standing with an ally.

 I wonder most about those who are displaced – especially those who had to leave family and friends behind. They know that their world will never be the same. I wonder how their tenacity helps them adapt. I imagine there are many brave steps that they have taken into an unfamiliar world. The images of the youth captured in these photos shows both the pain and possibility of their resilience . 

Discussion Questions

• What are the stories you have heard or seen about young people from the Ukraine? 
• What are there different opinions about refugees and migrants in your congregation and community? What do you perceive is the role of Christians in helping these neighbors?
• How have you seen or aided in welcoming refugees or migrants in your local area? 

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 32:22-31

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Luke 18:1-8

(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

This text focuses on the persistence of the widow. The writer invites us to see the power available through repeated asking. It’s not mystical or divine but simple human tenacity. God wants us to understand that persistent prayer is important. Jesus uses a determined widow and unwilling judge to show the possibilities with even unsympathetic listeners are high if you are persistent. To that point, Jesus recognizes that we are loved by a caring God, and if an unsympathetic listener will cave to persistent asking, how much more will God who loves us?

God desires a deep relationship with each of us. God knows that in that relationship we will have clarity on how-to walk-in righteousness. Jesus wants us to understand that God is with us and ready to give us what we need to accomplish God’s mission. We have the greatest, strongest, and the most loving ally in all of creation.

Discussion Questions

• When in your life have you experienced an abrupt permanent change? 
• What did you lose in the change? 
• How did the change draw out the best in who you were at the time? 
• How did you heal from the difficult parts of the change? 
• In what ways were you resilient and/or persistent? 
• How did God use what happened to help you mature in faith?

Activity Suggestions

• On a poster, using sticky notes, invite youth to write words that describes what it means to be a persistent disciple. Have a discussion about why a disciple needs to be persistent and what helps them be persistent. At the end of the time, invite youth to take a word with them that will help them be a persistent disciple.
• Invite the youth to imagine that they had to permanently leave their home and only could take three possessions with them. Have them discuss what they would choose and why in triads. Close with asking them how they can support youth who are new, immigrants, or refugees in a way that helped their feeling of loss.
• For seven days have the group offer the same prayer (two or three sentences) on an issue of their choosing, ten times a day, out loud and in the presence of at least one other person. Use the time in youth group to decide what should they be praying about over those seven days. The only requirement is that it is a prayer Jesus would be pleased to hear being prayed.

Closing Prayer

God, help us to be persistent disciples. Give us the passion, determination, and excitement to daily ask for all that we need to complete your mission. Amen.

It is my prayer that each of you had a wonderful Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and that as you looked around you saw more and more non-Indigenous people observing this holiday in ways that lifted up the gifts and beauty of the Indigenous people in what is presently known as the United States.

For those of you who are not counting, it has been just over a year since the position titled Director of Indigenous Ministry and Tribal Relations for the ELCA was created.  And while it is positioned in the Service and Justice home area, it is no longer considered an ethnic specific ministry and is now aligned with the international ministries of Service and Justice.  This move was requested by the leaders of American Indian and Alaska Native communities many years ago, and finally in this last re-organization of the ELCA the change was made.

This change helps the ELCA better understand its relationship with tribal sovereign nations, Native organizations throughout the United States, and Indigenous people globally.  This while continuing to journey with the 24 Indigenous ministries in the ELCA.

In 2016 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly memorialized the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery claiming this action for implementation across all expressions of the church. While some congregations and several synods worked hard to learn about and live out what it means to be a church repudiated, there was very little initiated by churchwide or comprehensively.  In 2021, at the insistence of Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo and Rev. Jessica Crist, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton appointed the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery Task Force, and the work on living as church repudiated officially began.

The efforts include:

1. Sub-task force groups: Churchwide Assembly, Settler Narrative, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and Declaration of the ELCA to American Indian and Alaska Native People.  Sub-task force groups will change and develop responsively as the work continues.
2. In September of 2021, the ELCA Church Council adopted the Declaration of the ELCA to American Indian and Alaska Native People and announced it on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  It can be read at www.elca.org/Indigenous.
3. The ritual and practice of Land Acknowledgement is being developed and initiated by many congregations and synods across the ELCA.  We are encouraging all synods, congregations, and churchwide leaders to begin practicing this important ritual at the beginning of every church meeting or gathering.
4. The Director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations is working with churchwide and synod staffs to care for Native congregations and ministries and innovate new ways to ensure appropriate support and right relationships with Indigenous siblings who are citizens of sovereign tribal nations.
5. The Director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations is collaborating with the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation to learn how best to support the growing epidemic of homeless, houseless, and displacement on the reservation.  To address this tragic growth and build new relationships, ELCA World Hunger has committed $2M to address the needs of the tribe and its people.  An initial portion of the funds will be used to design a homeless shelter that will be constructed with 3-D technology and complete within a year.

This is only a brief list of all the work happening over the past year.  Further, I hope that each of you are ready for the work ahead, as the work does not just belong to me, Bishop Eaton, the Task Force, or churchwide staff, this work belongs to each of us who confess our love for Christ and who confess as members of the ELCA our commitment to justice.  Here is our chance once again to lead in building better, right, and just relationships with Indigenous peoples.

BIO: Vance Blackfox is an Indigenous Theologian and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is the founder and director of Other+Wise, a multi-site cultural education and cultural immersion program for youth and student groups from across the country. He serves the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as the Director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations.

When the ELCA signed a request of President Biden to host a White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health, the group of organizations stated: “We can end hunger in America, and a public commitment to a White House Conference, with ending hunger as a key priority, is an essential step in accomplishing this goal” (March 14, 2022 Letter). The conference sponsored by the White House on September 28 became the second of its kind in over half a century. Tackling hunger, nutrition and health in America was the theme, accompanied by the announced Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

Hunger in the United States

According to the White House data on hunger, nutrition and health, 1 in 10 American households experience food insecurity. Additionally, diet-related diseases are some of the leading causes of death in the United States of America: 10% of Americans have diabetes, 1 in 3 Americans will have cancer in their lifetime, and more than 40% of Americans suffer from high blood pressure. These grim statistics disproportionately affect communities of color, people living in rural areas, people living in U.S. territories, people with disabilities, older adults, LGBT community members, military families and veterans. It is with this landscape that the work being done by government programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); school meals and Child Tax Credits (CTC) is important for meeting basic needs. Among ELCA federal policy prioritization is supporting the strength and reach of these programs.

White House Conference and Strategy Highlights

Over 500 elected officials, advocates and activists, and leaders of business, faith and philanthropy groups from across the United States convened in Washington D.C. as well as virtually to discuss the Administration’s goal of “ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity in the U.S. by 2030.” The first step toward achieving this goal was announced by President Biden: the commitment of $8 billion by public and private sectors toward helping to provide more food and better nutrition by 2030.

It is through the release of the 44-page Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health that the White House gave a direct and detailed plan. This strategy calls for a “whole-of-government” approach that is pursued across five pillars.

1. Improve food access and affordability – approach includes goals to increase access to free and nourishing school meals, provision of Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) benefits to more children, and expansion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility to more underserved populations. This pillar in the strategy names helping all Americans become economically secure as a critical step to reduce hunger and associated disparities toward “making it easier for everyone—including individuals in urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities, and territories—to access and afford food.”
2. Integrate nutrition and health – approach includes pilot coverage of medically tailored meals in Medicare, testing Medicaid coverage of nutrition education, and expanding Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries’ access to nutrition and obesity counseling.
3. Empower all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices – approach proposes a front-of-package labeling scheme for food packages, an update the nutrition criteria for the “healthy” claim on food packages, expansion of incentives for fruits and vegetables in SNAP, and facilitation of sodium reduction in the food supply by issuing longer-term, voluntary sodium targets for industry.
4. Support physical activity for all – approach includes expanding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program to all states and territories, investing in efforts to connect people to parks and other outdoor spaces, and funding regular updates to and promotion of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
5. Enhance nutrition and food security research – approach includes bolstering funding to improve metrics, data collection and research to inform nutrition and food security policy, particularly on issues of equity and access; and implementing a vision for advancing nutrition science.

This Strategy and Our Convictions

Non-governmental programs were highlighted by President Biden during the conference, and he expressed that “everyone has an important role to play”. This includes private and non-profit efforts, to which ELCA congregations, social ministries and ELCA World Hunger initiatives are deeply committed.

The Alliance to End Hunger, in which the ELCA is a member, noted the significance in the White House plan of intending to end hunger for millions by reducing the number of households defined as having a very low food security to less than 1% and by cutting the number of households defined as food insecure by 50% by 2030. “The White House laudably built its strategy based on feedback from stakeholders, the general public and those with lived experience of poverty and hunger… We now look forward to working with our diverse network to determine the action steps that will bring the plan to fruition.”

“The vision of ELCA World Hunger is nothing short of a just world where all are fed,” says Ryan Cumming, ELCA Program Director for Hunger Education. “Congregations, social ministries and local partners have a key role to play in this work. They are on the frontlines of responding to hunger and connecting neighbors to public support, but just as importantly, they are building the relationships rooted in justice, love and hope that will be needed to end hunger for good, together. The White House’s national strategy is a key step to that future.”

Recordings of panel sessions and plenary sessions are available online.

Kris Litman-Koon, Mount Pleasant, SC

Warm-up Question

What determines the borders of the space where you are now gathered? For instance, if you are in a room, the answer would  be the walls.  What about beyond that? What determines the borders of the property on which you are located? The municipality?

Borderlands

Many physical places serve as a transition between two other spaces. In locations where outdoor temperatures can be frigid, some homes have a vestibule, which is an enclosed entryway that serves as a buffer between the warm interior and the cold exterior. (In South Carolina, with its moderately warm winters, I have never seen a vestibule in a home.) Architects and other designers will often refer to transitional zones as “liminal spaces,” which means being at the threshold of something new but not quite there yet.

In nature, a common transition is the riparian zone. This is the space that has land on one side and water on the other; think of the space where cattails and inland sea oats naturally grow at the edge of bodies of water. These zones have many benefits: filtering water, curbing encroaching floods, preventing erosion, and providing the most suitable habitat for many amphibians and insects to thrive. When the riparian edge is eliminated (e.g. a neighborhood pond that has lawns up to the edge of water), the results are typically less wildlife, unclean water with algae blooms, and erosion. 

Recently a federal judge approved an agreement among several interested parties in Arizona because unmitigated cattle grazing “devastated streamside habitats across the Southwest and pushed a lot of vulnerable plants and animals closer to extinction,” said Chris Bugbee, an advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Now consider the transitions around borders. I was raised in a city on the border between West Virginia and Ohio. It was common for adults to live on one side and work on the other, I had friends and activities on both sides, and there was a common culture that was uniquely both Appalachian (WV) and Midwestern (OH). Often the areas alongside national borders are referred to as borderlands. In these transition zones, it is common to find the exchange of goods, employment, languages, and cultures from one side to the other. When the border becomes “harder,” these exchanges are reduced, in both human and ecological terms. 

Discussion Questions

• As a group, name some of the riparian zones in your area. Are there other ecological transition zones present where you are located? (e.g. dunes are the transition zone between land and sea)
• What are some transition zones common to your area that humans created? Are there designed transitions (like the vestibule) that are common, or social transitions (like a border between state, towns, or districts) that someone can find there?
• What exchanges take place in all of these transition zones you’ve named?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

(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

The gospel reading tells us that Jesus is traveling through the region between Samaria and Galilee while on his way to Jerusalem. [Locate this region on a map in the back of a Bible, or by searching online, “1st Century Palestine map.”] Borders often designate, from the perspective of a particular group, what is considered safe and what is forbidden. Jesus is in a borderland.  It’s difficult to distinguish between the two sides. Perhaps that is why these ten men with leprosy are located here: neither side wants them. So they are in this borderland, although this space socially isolates them and economically relegates them to meager living.

The leprosy discussed in the Bible is a catch-all term for any number of skin ailments. Some of these ailments are contagious after long exposure, but some cannot be passed to other people. Regardless, once someone was labeled a leper, they were removed from the community out of fear, though caring individuals would periodically visit or offer supplies. 

Yet it is in this borderland, a forbidden zone that neither Samaria nor Galilee desires, that Jesus does something special: he makes it holy. By bringing healing to those ten men, Jesus allows them to return and be fully engaged in their communities. This borderland that once symbolized their hopelessness becomes the symbol of God’s action.

The story ends with one of the ten – a Samaritan – returning to Jesus to give thanks. To be honest, if I were in their position, the first thing I would likely do is bolt to my loved ones to embrace them. Yet this one Samaritan returns to Jesus, and Jesus points out that there were nine others. He then tells the one, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” 

One clear takeaway is that we should give thanks to God, but I believe this lesson has more to say than that. First, it tells us that people on both sides of a border bear the image of God. Second, the story shows us how God is often revealed in places of human hopelessness. Combining all this, we see that God is at work in the borderlands, among all people, often bringing hope where they have lost hope, doing so regardless of whether they stop to give thanks. That is because love is the nature of God.

Discussion Questions

• If someone wanted you to teach them how to give thanks to God, what would you instruct them to do?
• How do you find comfort in the idea that love is the nature of God? (In other words, love is simply what God does, and there is no beginning or end to God’s continuous nature to love.)

Activity Suggestions

Situate yourselves into a circle and designate a spot that will be like the 12 at the top of the clock. That spot is January 1, and moving clockwise around the clock are the days of the year, finishing with December 31 next to January 1. Without talking, have the group get in order by the date of their birth (the year doesn’t matter). Once in position, everyone can speak to determine how well the group did.

Have everyone note who is to their right (if introductions need to be made, please do so). Then – perhaps writing it down – have everyone think of something that they give thanks to God for about the person to their right. Share your affirmations. 

Closing Prayer

Loving God, you encounter us in places that we often think are off-limits to love. Yet, it is in those places that your love sprouts new life and hope. Help us to acknowledge that love and to give thanks to you. Amen.

Joshua Serraro, San Carlos, CA

Warm-up Questions

• What does duty mean? 
• Do you believe that you have any duties as a child, sibling, student, or citizen?

Duty!

John Stewart is an actor, comedian, and talk show host. He is probably most famous for hosting  The Daily Show, a comedy news show, for many years. Stewart is also a well known advocate for 9/11 first responders and the military. 

Recently he did an episode on his Apple Tv show, The Problem with John Stewart, talking about toxic burn pits from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  The military dug large holes in the ground and put anything that they didn’t want anymore in them.  They then burned the contents with jet fuel.  Soldiers reported that the thick black smoke made its way into the camps when the wind shifted.  Many soldiers have developed health problems including respiratory issues and cancers, which they claim comes from exposure to the pits. 

John told a crowd that Congress agreeing to take care of our military should be the lowest hanging fruit in the legislative agenda. But, for some unknown reason, many lawmakers decided not to support the legislation to care for the military.  During each interview Stewart gave he repeated that the soldiers did their jobs and now it’s time for congress to do its job.  After much media attention and public support the bill eventually passed after many of the those who voted against the bill changed their minds and voted for it.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think that our society and our lawmakers have a duty to our military and first responders to help take care of their health care issues resulting from what they did on the job? 
• What duties do you think we have to each other in our country?

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Luke 17:5-10

(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

Today’s gospel reading can be broken up into two parts:  the disciples asking Jesus for more faith (Luke 17:5) and Jesus’ responses to that request (Luke 17:6-10).

When the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith they do so because Jesus has just told them to avoid causing little ones in the faith to stumble.  This follows Jesus command to be quick to forgive. He says in verse 4, “And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”  This causes the disciples to exclaim, “Increase our faith!” requesting increased desire to do their duty.

Jesus says, “If you had faith the size of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be rooted up’ and be planted in the see’, and it would obey you.” Scholars hotly debate the meaning of these words! Fred Craddock believes Jesus is saying, “If you had faith the size of the mustard seed (and you do)…” Luke Timothy Johnson believes that Jesus implies that they don’t actually have faith and that they need just a bit the size of a mustard seed.  Nonetheless, in verses 7-10 Jesus brings the conversation back to the disciples’ duties as Christians. 

Jesus uses the master/slave imagery relevant in his time, but we should sober reflect on the implications of that image, considering the United States’ brutal history and lingering affects of slavery today.  Some translations of the Bible have tried to soften this image by translating it as servant/master.  In Luke’s gospel Jesus uses the master/slave dynamic in a few other places. 

The slave in Jesus’ example has two jobs, out in the field and in the household. He seems to be pulling double duty, just as the disciples are being asked to continue in their duties to rebuke sin and forgive those who repent throughout the day.  The slave doesn’t get gratitude or praise from the master for carrying out the two jobs commanded.  Jesus says elsewhere in scripture, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Likewise, as followers of Jesus we should not expect to be served, but to serve.  Our place is doing what Jesus has called us to do.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think about what Jesus was saying in Luke 17:6? Did the disciples have faith or not?
• What duties do Christians have?
• What duties as a Christian do you feel you must do?

Activity Suggestions

Discuss the ministries of your church and reflect together on what you are doing in the community? Does the group think that you should be doing something else? Do your church’s ministries reflect the character of Jesus? 

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you forgave us of our sins, help us to forgive others.  Give us the grace to do what you have called us to do. Amen. 

“Quienes cruzan por nuestro país para llegar a un mejor lugar para vivir son seres humanos con necesidades que comen, que beben y que necesitan descansar. No permitamos que el rechazo y la xenofobia sean más visibles que los grandes actos de justicia y amor de Dios” —Moisés Pérez Espino, Estudios Bíblicos; Antiguo Testamento y Migración (page 52).

“Those who cross through our country to get to a better place to live are human beings with needs who eat, who drink and who need to rest. Let us not allow rejection and xenophobia to be more visible than God’s great acts of justice and love” —Moises Perez Espino, Biblical Studies; Old Testament and Migration (page 52).

The escalation of migrants arriving at the southern border is not new, but the evolving nature of their transportation—often without notice—to cities and communities throughout the United States is unprecedented. Migration is rooted in many familiar patterns, but it is also a symptom of the conflagration of worldwide conflicts, persecution, climate change and life-destroying violence. This recent increase in migration through the Americas has been driven by displacement in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba—but also in nations such as Haiti and Cameroon. Those who come to the border are human beings who live, breath and want, as we do, for safety and a place to rest.

We join the international and local community in condemning the dehumanizing treatment of migrants at large—those en route, at and within our border. Further, we join the international and local community in urging our elected officials to respect the dignity of human lives. This necessitates taking a holistic approach to migration while considering the migrants’ rights and the legal and human right to seek protection. We can step up to help our neighbors. We must not allow rejection and xenophobia to stand in the way of the love of God. Extending hospitality to the stranger is one of the most prudent ways that Jesus called us to extend the reach of God’s love. That’s the call to action in this moment.

“for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”(Matthew 25:35)

The governments of Texas, Arizona and Florida have sent roughly 13,000 migrants to cities including Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Chicago. Conversely, the outpouring of support for these migrants from local communities and faith organizations has been soul-uplifting and inspiring. Civil society organizations and local and state governments have quickly mobilized in response to the abrupt arrival of migrants on buses or flights organized by governors of other states. Essentials like immediate respite, medical attention, food, shelter and other services have been indiscriminately provided. This follows in the tradition of hospitality by border communities and other cities throughout the U.S. preceding the action of these governors.

The process for the arrival of migrants by way of these buses is morally reprehensible. On April 14, AMMPARO joined the Interfaith Immigration Coalition for a welcome rally in Washington, D.C., to call out this inhumane situation. On April 19, the Southwest Texas, the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana and the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast synods disseminated a letter calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to cease this cruel treatment and to instead work with faith partners and the federal government to provide access to fairness and humanity in the asylum system.

Today, immigration coalitions in prospective states have begun mobilizing for the possible arrival of buses to their sanctuary cities. The decision to send or not to send migrants must be done with the informed consent of the individuals, along with meaningful coordination of the receiving communities and the federal government’s deployment of resources, so that the welcome can come together in a way befitting this humanitarian situation.

But Aren’t These Migrants Taking Advantage of Our Laws?

These migrants–most are asylum seekers–are doing nothing wrong. They have surrendered to border officers to be screened and processed, with many hoping to lawfully pursue asylum claims pursuant to U.S. refugee law. Referring to this group as illegal is not correct, moreover, it is a harmful rhetoric device used to unfairly denigrate the character of all immigrants, in particular undocumented people. Regardless of manner of entry, an individual may remain legally in the U.S. for the asylum process. (See footnote).

After initial processing, the Department of Homeland Security may release migrants that do not pose a flight or safety risk from federal custody into Texas and Arizona so they can pursue their asylum claims. Many wish to pursue these claims in other cities, committing to meet ICE check-ins and court hearings and abide by U.S. laws.

Isn’t what happened in Martha’s Vineyard illegal?

Applying for asylum before immigration courts can take months or years. Allegedly, migrants on the specific flight to Martha’s Vineyard were misled about where they were being sent and also about the opportunities they could find, lured by false promises of employment, housing, educational opportunities and other assistance. This misrepresentation is dishonest and a dangerous prevarication that could have negative consequences on the migrants’ immigration proceedings. A lawsuit against the state of Florida has recently been filed in the Massachusetts District Court.

Where is AMMPARO showing up for bused migrants and communities?

From the very beginning of the busing, ELCA AMMPARO network members, congregations and partners, as well as staff, have been involved through local communication efforts, engagement and advocacy in cities where migrants have been bused. In addition, AMMPARO and Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) have been working to see how AMMPARO, ELCA World Hunger and LDR can support this emergency response work. A few grants have been provided to organizations and congregations engaged in assisting bused migrants, with priority given to housing, food and other essentials needs.

While we don’t know what the future will bring, ELCA members and congregations can take action by:

• Supporting local efforts to meet the buses and provide housing, food, legal orientation and other essentials for migrants.*
• Gathering with migrant community organizations and local government officials in sanctuary cities likely to be targeted for busing to assess capacity and organize an emergency plan to meet the migrants.
• Recognizing that any congregation, no matter where it is located, can sponsor asylum-seekers. If your congregation is interested in asylum-seeker sponsorship, reach out to Mary Campbell, program director for AMMPARO, at campbell@elca.org.
• Connecting local experiences and anecdotes of welcome to federal advocacy by contacting Giovana Oaxaca, ELCA program director for migration policy, at oaxaca@elca.org.

Edit: This post was updated to reflect the alleged nature of the events that transpired in Martha’s Vineyard, which are still under investigation. An explanation of how U.S. asylum can be sought regardless of manner of entry was also updated. Unauthorized entry is a violation of U.S. law. Asylum seekers who arrive at a U.S. port of entry or enter the United States without inspection generally must apply through the defensive or expedited asylum processes. (For more information: Asylum in the United States,  American Immigration Council) (9/30/2022)

*Update 2/09/2023: In light of recent developments, including state laws, be aware of local ordinances, state, and federal laws that may apply. You may need to consult a lawyer with expertise in your local area if you do have questions or concerns. If you have any general questions, please contact us by email.