Prepare (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the group.)

In this passage, we find the Israelites deep in the Babylonian Exile. The Assyrians had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. The southern kingdom, Judah, held out a little longer. However, the Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, came along and conquered the Assyrian territory and the remaining Israelite lands. This was a huge blow to the Israelites. The temple was destroyed, the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins, and the people were forced to leave the promised land.

As the years dragged on in exile, the generation that remembered Jerusalem was getting older. The people had been waiting for deliverance a long time. They were hoping for a leader like Moses to come and lead them back to the promised land. They were waiting for God to punish the Babylonian king like Pharaoh with the 10 plagues. But it still hadn’t happened. Those who remembered Jerusalem were fading. The community was wondering if God was still with them, or even strong enough to save them.

These words from Jeremiah were reassurance that God was watching over them right where they were, even in exile. God wanted them to thrive right where they were – building homes, starting families, growing gardens. This did not mean they should stop longing for or expecting liberation, which would one day come. But thriving in exile was itself an act of resistance and faith; preparation for the liberation for which they longed.

Opening Exercise

Think of a time when you were impatient for something to happen. Has it happened? How long did it take?

Text Read Aloud

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Thriving in Exile

The people of Israel were tired of living in Babylon. They had been forced to leave the promised land behind when King Nebuchadnezzar swept through with his army. Babylon was a wealthy kingdom, but the Israelites lived on the margins: powerless, poor, and heavily taxed. They wanted to go home.

Jeremiah was a prophet, a messenger sent to take God’s words to God’s people. When they received his letter, they probably hoped for news like Moses once gave their enslaved ancestors in Egypt—news like, “Liberation is at hand! Keep your shoes on, don’t bother baking raised bread, be ready to go!”

But what does Jeremiah tell them? Build houses—and make them homes. Plant seeds and watch them grow. Create families and new generations. Even pray for the city where they live!

This message of putting roots down in Babylon probably felt jarring, like a betrayal of the God who brought them to the promised land, or a concession to the oppressor who had taken it away. Yet God isn’t telling them to give in or become Babylonians. God wants them to thrive as Israelites, investing in their community so that when liberation comes, they will be ready to take their place as God’s beloved people.

Thriving in exile is an act of faith, and that same faith shows up today in communities still fighting to belong. Here in the U.S., October 11th is National Coming Out Day. In Atlanta, where I live, this is also Pride weekend. There will be parades, festivals, and marches celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. As an ally, I feel lucky that the parade passes right by our church’s front doors. We get to support our queer members and neighbors as they celebrate who they are.

However, this year feels different. Local organizations remain enthusiastic, but we expect fewer floats with corporate sponsors amid increasing political pressure. While some leaders stay supportive, others are pushing for laws that would harm our queer neighbors, especially those in the trans community. Even as the trans community grows in strength and visibility, so too does the backlash.

I don’t know what it feels like to come out, but after listening to the stories of queer friends, authors, and speakers, I know it takes courage, even in a supportive environment. And it’s only the beginning of learning how to embody your truest self in public. Finding safety, community, and family can be a lifelong journey.

Hopefully this backlash will be short-lived, and our society will continue toward full rights for all people. Still, this kind of ‘exile’ can feel endless to our neighbors experiencing oppression, much like the Israelites in Babylon. The good news, as Jeremiah reminds us, is that God’s faithfulness doesn’t dependent on the whims of empire. God has not forgotten God’s promises, and the future is in God’s hands.

This doesn’t mean we stop longing or working for liberation. Thriving itself is an act of resistance. Even when the promise of a world where all people are equally valued, supported, and celebrated feels far away, build community wherever you can. Create a home and fill it with family, biological or chosen. Invest in your education or training in the field of your dreams. Plant seeds and watch them grow. Live into God’s vision for your life, regardless of what the society says you deserve.

And, if you’re an ally like me, keep learning about the issues your queer family members, friends, and neighbors face. Ask them how you can help make God’s promises real, so that together we’re ready to take our places as God’s beloved people.

Reflection Questions

• In the Jeremiah passage, what are the ways God tells the Israelites to invest in their future in Babylon?
• Why would Jeremiah’s words be difficult for the Israelites to hear?
• This reflection focused on Queer communities in the US. What other groups do you know of today who are experiencing oppression? What barriers do they face to living the full lives God intends for them?
• The last, and perhaps most difficult, instruction God gives the Israelites is to pray for their oppressors. As our society feels increasingly divided by political issues, how does it feel to pray for the ‘other side’? Why do you think God wants us to?

Closing Activity

Jeremiah’s letter wasn’t exactly what the Israelites wanted to hear, but it gave them a vision of a brighter future despite their current situation. Sometimes, that vision can give us the peace and hope we need to keep going.

• Sit comfortably. Then close your eyes, or keep them open, whatever is comfortable for you. Next, take three deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you inhale, silently recite the words ‘come Holy Spirit’.
•  Return your breathing to a normal rhythm. Imagine a thriving future for yourself as the person God created you to be:
  • Where do you live- in a city, town, rural area?
  • Who’s in your family? Your community?
  • What does your daily life look like?
  • What are your goals?

Final Prayer

Gracious God, you see us both as we are and as you intend us to live. Thank you for the hope of a future where all people can fully live as you created us to live. Give us the courage to thrive where we are and the vision to make your promises come true for all in our community. Amen.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated in the United States September 15- October 15, we share this message from the Associate of Latino Ministries of the ELCA.

Credit: This image is from the October 10, 2024 Living Lutheran Magazine online post entitled “Thoughts for Thursday during National Hispanic Heritage Month” which can be found here.

For more information on the Association of Latino Ministries of the ELCA:  AML de la ELCA

For more on the Latino Community of the ELCA:  Latino

For more on Hispanic Heritage Month from Living Lutheran, check out these recent articles:  2025, 2024, 2023

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

Humble and Holy: Devotions for Advent and Christmas 2025-2026

Humble and Holy continues a centuries-old Christian tradition of setting aside time to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and to anticipate his return. The Advent season of preparation then unfolds in the joy of the twelve days of Christmas and the day of Epiphany. This devotional offers daily devotions for the first Sunday of Advent (November 30, 2025) through Epiphany (January 6, 2026). These devotions explore the humble and holy in year A scripture readings (in the Revised Common Lectionary) for Advent and Christmas, as well as for the festival days and commemorations in the Advent and Christmas seasons. Available in pocket-sized, ebook, and large print versions.

Word of God, Word of Life: Understanding the Three-Year Lectionaries

Gail Ramshaw provides ten insights into the three-year lectionaries to guide all who are interested in exploring the meaning and importance of the Revised Common Lectionary and the Lectionary for Mass. Ramshaw combines deep historical, biblical, liturgical, and ecumenical knowledge with a keen perspective on the contemporary church to show us all the value and wisdom of these lectionaries.

Music Sourcebook: All Saints through Transfiguration

This second Music Sourcebook greatly expands the repertoire of resources for the song of the assembly and its leaders from All Saints through Transfiguration including the Advent and Christmas seasons. Most materials are reproducible and are newly composed in a broad range of styles.

Prepare (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the group.)

The first part of this week’s gospel lesson is a familiar passage—though most of us probably recall its counterpart in Matthew 17:20, where faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, rather than uproot a mulberry tree as we see in Luke 17. Either way, the point is not meant to be taken literally.

This chapter is full of hyperbolic language meant to drive a lesson home. In verses 1–4, Jesus says it would be better to have a heavy stone hung around your neck and be thrown into the sea than to cause one of God’s children to stumble. He then calls us to forgive others, even if they sin against us seven times in a single day, echoing his words to Peter in Matthew 18 to forgive not just seven times, but seventy-seven.

In this light, it’s clear that Jesus is leaning on exaggerated, even humorous, imagery to make his point.

That perspective also reshapes how we hear verses 7–10. At first, Jesus seems to call us slaves, even using the word “worthless.” But in John 15, he says we are no longer slaves, but friends. Again, it’s an overstatement meant to jar us. The picture of a servant demanding that the master serve them dinner is both shocking and, in a way, funny. The lesson, though, is serious: we still have work to do on Earth. Our reward will come later, but for now we are called to serve the Lord faithfully, using the gifts God has given us (as Paul reminds Timothy in 2 Timothy) and persevering even in hard and uncertain times (as reflected in Habakkuk 1 and 2).

Opening Exercise

What chores do you have to do around the house? Does your family have rules like No TV, No Video Games, or No Social Media until you finish your chores, homework, or other responsibilities? Have you ever broken those rules? What happened?

Text Read Aloud

• Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
• 2 Timothy 1:1-14
• Luke 17:5-10

The Faith to Do What Needs to Be Done

The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. Not an unreasonable request. Who among us couldn’t do with more faith?

But notice how Jesus responds. Does he say, “Sure, your faith has now been doubled”? Does he say, “Here’s what you need to do to get more faith”? No. He tells them that even the tiniest speck of faith is enough to uproot a mighty tree with just a word.

This is an exaggeration on Jesus’ part. If you started talking to trees, it’s doubtful they would do anything. So what is he trying to say?

He’s telling the disciples that they already have faith, and that what they have is enough for what God is calling them to do. The mere fact that they ask Jesus to “increase our faith” shows that they already trust God and believe Jesus is the one who can help. Do they really need more faith than that? Do we?

Then Jesus goes on to describe servants who shouldn’t expect to sit down at the master’s table before their work is done. But wait a minute… doesn’t Jesus also say we’re not servants but friends, with a place already set at God’s table? Yes, but in this moment, Jesus is stressing something else: we still have work to do.

Paul echoes this in this week’s New Testament lesson. He tells Timothy that he has great faith and comes from a long line of people with great faith. What does that mean for Timothy? It means he’s going to suffer. Jesus abolished death and brings us eternal life. But first, there will be suffering. Faith is the gift that will sustain him throughout the suffering.

Habakkuk talks about this same struggle in the Old Testament lesson. He’s been called by God to be a prophet. Yet, as he looks around, he sees nothing but violence, destruction, and injustice. He cries out to God, “How much longer?” God replies in chapter 2, giving Habakkuk a job to do: to write out the vision that God gave him on a tablet, so large and clear that even someone running past it can’t help but see the message. God then tells him that the promised end is coming—it just requires a little longer wait and some trust.

The work we are called to is difficult. Sometimes it may seem impossible—as impossible as uprooting a tree and throwing it into the sea just by speaking to it. Yet the same God who gives us these tasks also gives us the tools to carry them out. Chief among them is faith. And even if that faith seems small and insignificant in comparison to the work we have before us, God promises it will be enough to do what we’re called to do—even if it seems impossible.

Reflection Questions

• In Jesus’ example, what does the master expect the servant to do before the servant can eat and rest?
• What do you think Jesus is trying to teach the apostles by comparing them to servants who must finish their work before they rest?
• How can we make sense of being called both servants of God and friends who are welcomed at God’s table?
• What kinds of things are we called to do in service to the Lord?

Closing Activity

Write down one problem in your life right now that seems impossible to overcome. Then, write a statement of faith trusting that God will see you through it. You don’t have to share it with the group if you’d rather not. Keep that statement with you, though, throughout the week as a reminder that with God, all things are possible, and that the faith already given to you is enough.

Closing Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Your will, to do the things that you have planned for me to do, even when they seem impossible. Remind me of the faith that you have given me in this life and of the place I have at your table in the life to come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bio of Author

Steven W. Alloway is a writer, worship leader, and lifelong Lutheran living in Los Angeles. He’s also co-director of a theater group called Spirit OnStage, which does plays for all ages, including a series of children’s plays based on Bible stories. When not on stage or in front of his computer, he can be found baking delicious desserts for friends and family.

The following post is a news release from Living Lutheran online. The original post can be found here. The photo was taken from this Living Lutheran post.

Photo of Presiding Bishop-elect Yehiel Curry from Churchwide Assembly 2025 in Phoenix, AR. Credit: Janine Truppay/ELCA

Yehiel Curry will be installed as presiding bishop of the ELCA on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. Central time at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Curry will be the first Black presiding bishop of the ELCA.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will preside at the installation and present Curry with the pectoral cross, the common symbol of the office of bishop in the ELCA.

Kevin Vandiver, a pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C., will deliver the sermon. Members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops and other invited leaders will participate in the processional.

In celebration of the ELCA’s many partnerships, several ecumenical, interreligious and global partner representatives are invited, including Henrik Stubkjaer, president of the Lutheran World Federation; Sean Rowe, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church; Jihyun Oh, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and Larry Kochendorfer, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Music leadership for the worship service includes the National Lutheran Choir and musicians from St. Olaf College and the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod.

The installation is a public worship service, open to all who wish to attend. The service will also be available via livestream.

Curry was elected to serve a six-year term as presiding bishop on July 30, during the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix. He has served as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 2019 and previously served as mission developer (2009-2012) and pastor (2012-2019) of Shekinah Chapel in Riverdale, Ill. Curry’s first day in office will be Oct. 1.

Curry received a Bachelor of Arts from Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., in 1995 and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) in 2013. LSTC is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

More information about the installation service is available here.

By the Rev. Justin Eller, Assistant to the Bishop for Care and Community with the Southeastern Synod

If advocacy means loving our neighbors and working for justice with the “least of these” (all who are hungry, thirsty, newly arriving, vulnerable, sick or imprisoned – Matthew 25:40) then advocacy can be both general and particular.

The Southeastern Synod of the ELCA consists of congregations and faith communities across four states: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Each state has their own unique particularities and priorities, state legislative session dates and rhythms, and contextual challenges and opportunities. Instead of being a single ELCA-affiliated state public policy office (SPPO), we strive, as a four-state synod, to journey with residents, congregations and leaders as we navigate a wide variety of challenges.

OUR APPROACH TO ADVOCACY

In lieu of attempting to respond to every particular state legislative item, our Southeastern Synod’s advocacy work usually focuses on broader issues impacting our entire synod territory. Whether it’s marriage equality, food and medical insecurity, or supporting immigrant and refugee communities, our approach to advocacy, loving our neighbors, and working for justice, is to engage, equip, and empower.

Engage: We work with our congregations and leaders to engage in advocacy action and understand how advocacy is part of our baptismal growth in Christian faith and life, “to care for others and the world God made, and to work for justice and peace” (ELW, p.228).

Equip: We work to equip our congregations and leaders with quality information and training on advocacy-related issues as well as how to advocate at the local, state, and federal level. We have an Advocacy Policy Committee with representatives from our four states who help us put into motion ways we can advocate across our synod.

Empower: We work to empower our congregations and leaders to be active advocates in their context, to contact their elected officials and to speak with communities who are vulnerable and not speak for them.

The Southeastern Synod grounds our advocacy work in:

1. Scripture that calls people of faith to care for the most vulnerable;
2. Values of Accompaniment in the ELCA: mutuality, inclusivity, vulnerability, empowerment and sustainability; and
3. ELCA’s MERGE Justice foci: Migration justice, Economic justice, Racial justice, Gender justice and Environmental justice.

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN ACTION?

So what does this style of advocacy look like?

• It looks like working with congregations and communities in our four states in emergency/disaster preparedness, whether from a hurricane, tornado or immigration enforcement action.
• It looks like the Southeastern Synod being the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee over a new law that could put rostered ministers and congregations at risk for providing food, shelter or resources to undocumented immigrants.
• It looks like hosting virtual Lunch-and-Learn events, “Know Your Rights” and “Support Your Community” workshops and trainings to address root causes of systemic injustices.
• It looks like creating a network of congregations who have Matthew 25-like community-engaged ministries (such as ministries of feeding, clothing and shelter).
• It looks like participating as speakers at public witness events like the “Witness for Creation” event organized by Creation Justice Ministries

THE EXPERIENCE OF ADVOCACY

As we have experienced it, advocacy can be big and bold and as simple as showing up, listening to an adversely impacted community, and committing to walk with them in solidarity and love as they address their challenges. Advocacy can be expressions of social action and practices of faith.

Yet, in all of this faithful work, advocacy is what we get to do together and is our grateful response to God’s grace in Jesus Christ to love and serve our neighbor.

The U.S. government could run out of funding on Oct. 1, 2025, if Congress does not pass new legislation to fund its operations. A government shutdown would occur at midnight on Sep. 30, the end of the 2025 fiscal year, if no agreement is reached. On Sep. 24 the ELCA advocacy staff advanced the following message to members of Congress and The White House Faith Office.

September 24, 2025

ELCA Urges Immediate Return to Negotiating Table

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a denomination of 2.7 million members who span the ideological and partisan spectrum, strongly urges the members of Congress and President Trump to return to the negotiating table now and work in a bipartisan manner to fund the government.

Actions by this country’s elected officials jeopardize good government and the well-being of all that good governance facilitates. These actions include:

• • recurring government shutdown fights,
  • continual deepening of our nation’s unsustainably high debt, and
  • replacing normal bipartisan appropriations with unilateral reconciliation or rescissions.

This church understands government as a gift from God intended to promote the common good. This gift is a vital piece of God’s provision for the world God so loves (John 3:16) and especially for the hungry, sick, and poor with whom Christ identifies himself (Mathew 25:40).

Our government must do better. Failure to negotiate with one another and with the president will lead to a government shutdown that will hurt all Americans and harm the most vulnerable members of society first and worst of all. Likewise, failure to address healthcare premiums will result in over twenty million Americans facing dramatic increases in their healthcare costs starting in January 2026. Neither of these outcomes is acceptable.

We are deeply concerned by the breakdown of bipartisan governance, and we strongly urge the leaders and members of both major parties to govern for all their constituents, not just their supporters.

The Rev. Amy Reumann
Senior Director, Witness in Society
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

TERMS: More about reconciliation is available from Congress.gov. The Bipartisan Policy Center offers a “Rescissions 101” with more information.

Prepare (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the whole group.)

Narrative context helps shed light on this parable. In the short passage between last week’s parable and this one, we learn that the Pharisees are among Jesus’ primary audience (Luke 16:14). The problem Jesus addresses here is the love of money.

In the larger narrative, Jesus has been telling stories about great reversals. In chapter 14, he teaches that when throwing a party, we should not invite those who can repay the favor. Then in chapter 15, we hear three parables about how, against all odds, the lost are found. Finally in chapter 16, we encounter the tangled story of a shrewd manager who is seemingly praised for his dishonest use of money and power. Today’s parable belongs in that same category of great reversals.

Some readers may feel discomfort with the portrayal of heaven and hell in this story. It is important, however, not to resolve that discomfort too quickly. As Lutherans, we may be tempted to jump immediately to the reminder that we are saved by grace and not by works. This parable does not challenge that central belief. But it does urge readers to pause, remember the witness of Scripture—“Moses and the prophets”—and to “listen to them” (Luke 16:29).

Finally, the use of the name “Lazarus” is significant. He is the only character Jesus ever names in a parable. This is not the same Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. Since this parable is not referring to an actual person, there must be a reason Jesus chose the name. Lazarus is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Eliezer, which means “God has helped” or “God is my help.” Your group might consider whether this name is fitting or ironic. 

Opening Exercise:  

Think of a time when you encountered someone asking for money, help, or who was clearly in need. How did you respond? How did you feel about your response afterward? What might you do differently next time? Is there something you wish you could have done, but couldn’t?

Text Read Aloud:

Luke 16:19-31 

Living as the Rich Man’s Brothers

A common way to approach a parable is to try to identify who represents whom in the story. For

example, readers often look for the God figure or the hero on one side, and someone opposing God as

Lazarus waits on the margins. And so do we his siblings.

a kind of foil on the other. This approach can help peel back the densely packed layers of Jesus’ teachings—but it can also lead us astray, like when we mistakenly identify a cruel king or landowner as the God figure.

The story of the rich man and Lazarus offers multiple points of entry for readers. Some might identify with the rich man, while others might identify with Lazarus. These two perspectives lead to very different reactions. Those who see themselves in the rich man may feel indicted, fearful, or guilty. Those who identify with Lazarus may feel comforted or justified. Yet, these are not the only options. There is a third character we might see ourselves in: the rich man’s brothers (Luke 16:28).

The brothers represent many of us, or at least many in our churches. Consider how many people know the teachings of Moses, the prophets (Luke 16:29), and Jesus, but do not follow them. How many people know what is being asked of them in order to be faithful but are not willing to do it? Or how many know that they are not going the right way but refuse to turn around and repent? And how many of us are looking at one of the brothers when we look in the mirror? 

This raises a deeper question: what would it take for us to truly repent? Are the teachings of Jesus alone not enough? What if someone returned from heaven or hell to warn us? Would we change then? What about a mountain-top experience, a mission trip, or a close call? Would any of these experiences transform our hearts for good? What does your own faith story reveal?

This story is not meant to leave us feeling hopeless, as if repentance or salvation is impossible. Rather, it calls us to recognize that we already have what we need to live a holy life based on Scripture. The unspoken truth, however, is that we cannot guilt or hustle ourselves into perfect righteousness. We will always need Jesus in order to be made right with God and our neighbors. And this trust in God does not come from being intellectually “convinced” (Luke 16:31); it is a gift, freely given.

Reflection Questions  

• Who are the key characters in this parable, and what does each one do or experience?
• Why do you think Jesus chose to name Lazarus and not the rich man? What does this detail reveal about God’s care or justice, if anything?
• What is the significance of the brothers in the story? How might they represent people in our communities today?
• Consider your own faith journey: how might this parable challenge you to notice where you are acting like the rich man, Lazarus, or the brothers—and what might you do differently as a result?

Closing Activity

Two options for this week!

1. One-Word Reflection: Invite each participant to share one word that captures what they are taking away from the story of the rich man, Lazarus, and the brothers. After everyone shares, briefly reflect as a group on patterns or themes that emerged. This helps reinforce the main idea and gives everyone a chance to articulate their personal response in a concise, meaningful way.

2. Guided Breath Prayer: Lead the group in a short breath prayer focused on repentance and trust in God. Guide the group by saying, “breathe in” and “breathe out”. Invite them to follow this pattern:

Inhale slowly, silently saying: “Create in me a clean heart”

Exhale slowly, silently saying: “Renew my spirit, O God”

Repeat for 5–7 breaths. Encourage participants to notice where they feel tension, guilt, or longing, and offer these up to God in the rhythm of their breath. 

Afterward, allow a few moments for silent reflection or journaling on how God might be calling them to repent or to share the teachings of Jesus with those who need to hear them.

Final Blessing  

Read this blessing, written by Kate Bowler*. It helps us name what is broken, reflect on what is ours to restore, and ask God to guide our actions with courage and hope. As you end your time together, invite the group to breathe, reflect, and here this prayer:

“Oh God, I am done with broken systems
that break the very people
they are meant to serve.

Harness this anger.
Channel it into worthy action and show me
what is mine to fix and what boundaries to patrol
to keep goodness in and evil out.

Blessed are we who are appalled
that brute ignorance can so easily dominate
over decency, honesty, and integrity.

Blessed are we, who choose not to look away
from systems that dehumanize, deceive, defame, and distort.
We who recognize that thoughts and prayers are not enough.

We who stand with truth over expediency,
principle over politics,
community over competition.

Oh God, how blessed are we who cry out to you:
empower us to see and name what is broken,
what is ours to restore,
guide us to find coherent and beautiful alternatives
that foster life, hope, and peace.

Help us use our gifts with one another in unity.
Blessed are we who choose to live in anticipation,
our eyes scanning the horizon,
for signs of your kingdom—
heaven-come-down—
as we wait in hope
and act with courage.”

*Bowler, Kate. A Blessing for When You’re Tired of Broken Systems. Kate Bowler, 2023. https://katebowler.com/blessings/a-blessing-for-when-youre-tired-of-broken-systems-2/

Bio of author 

Sami Johnson is a pastor in the ELCA and has been ordained for 11 years. She is also a military spouse to a Navy Chaplain and currently on leave from call, caring for her family while her spouse is stationed in Key West, FL. Sami loves practicing hand embroidery, especially making ridiculously detailed felt applique Christmas stockings for her whole family.

On September 22nd, 2025, ELCA World Hunger will officially release our short educational documentary, “Intersections: Justice Ministry with ELCA Partners,” for free on YouTube and Vimeo. You can watch a trailer for the film at the link here. “Intersections” explores stories from three ELCA companion ministries, responding to the overlapping root causes of hunger in the United States and around the world.

This an interview with Mikayla Irle, who was the editing producer of “Intersections,” is an experienced documentary filmmaker. She was the primary creative professional supporting the development of this project.

Thank you for taking time to share more about your work, expertise, and professional story. I’m looking forward to this conversation.

First, tell us a little bit about yourself and your work. How do you understand your work as a documentary producer?

Mikayla Irle (pictured here) is a documentary filmmaker and the producing editor of “Intersections.”

“Producing” can mean a lot of things on a documentary, from managing the shoot to providing funding, but my role was focused on “writing” the story based on the footage we had and putting in the legwork to creatively fill any gaps. So, I watched all the interviews, put them in order to convey the information clearly, and gave it a beginning, middle and end. I also searched online for music and archival footage to help the stories come alive and wrote any text that appears onscreen. Of course, the team at ELCA World Hunger helped me along the way!

I am a freelance editor, who is, weirdly and happily, living on a Christmas tree farm in Washington State. For about a decade, I worked in New York on bigger-budget films, but I have happily transitioned to working more deliberately on documentary stories that excite me. Anyone who’s got a story to tell about how they’re finding solutions to big struggles in our world…that’s what I love to work on!

What is one of the most lasting lessons you learned–either about yourself or the work of the ELCA and its partners–while producing and editing Intersections that you did not know before?

I’m most proud of the scope of this short film! We covered stories from a rural farming community in Cambodia, an urban US city, and several countries in Central America. We touched on the themes of climate change, political and economic history, racial and gender disparity. While each story could have been a documentary unto itself, I think we managed to tell a short version of each and still connect them to the big theme of hunger.

What are some of the challenges you had to overcome while working on Intersections?

What made me most proud of this documentary is also what made it most challenging: the scope of world hunger is huge! The causes of and solutions to hunger in each story were so different, it was challenging to focus each story so it still connected clearly to the mission of ELCA World Hunger’s work. It wasn’t clear when we began how we would actually connect the stories, but we wanted the audience to learn about each place as a unique example and still get educated on the ELCA philosophical framework. Ultimately, our solution was to have Angela [Galbraith], an advocate, explain the framework between stories and use a graphic of the Earth rotating from location to location to transition us between stories.

If folks are looking for a documentary producer or editor, how can they get ahold of you?

The easiest way to contact me is directly through email! You’re also welcome to check out my work at my website.

mikayla.irle@gmail.com
https://mikaylairle.wixsite.com/editingresume

About the Author

Mikayla Irle is a documentary editor and producer working in the Seattle area. She loves working on big stories about people doing their piece to make the world a better place. Her background is in feature and episodic documentaries that have appeared on HBO, AppleTV, independent cinema screens and more.  

Prepare (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the whole group.)

Our gospel reading for this week is not an easy one. Taking some time to remember the narrative context and who Jesus is speaking to is helpful as we try to untangle—or at least loosen—this knotted parable. 

Back in chapter 14, Jesus had dinner with some Pharisees, where he healed a man on the Sabbath and told a parable on hospitality. He continues telling parables and teaching on hospitality and discipleship as he journeys toward Jerusalem. If there is a through line for all the parables and lessons, it is that the kingdom of God is a great reversal of the ways of the world: the humble are exalted and the proud are humbled (Luke 14:7-14); the lost are found and the found are lost (Luke 15:4-7, 11-32); the ones who suffer are comforted and the comfortable suffer (Luke 16:19-31).

It’s not only the Pharisees who hear these teachings of Jesus, though. Along the way, there are also tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1), large crowds, and his disciples (Luke 16:1). It is worth considering how each group would have received these teachings.

Our gospel reading for today is a particularly difficult parable because we cannot easily identify a God character, a hero, or an enemy, as we might be tempted to do with other parables. And it seems that Jesus is praising dishonesty in one place and condemning it in another. The work of interpretation here is not straightforward, but our attempts to pull apart the tangled threads are well worth the effort, and your guidance through this process will be a worthy exercise for your group. Challenge yourself to resist the desire to tie it all up in a perfect bow at the end.

Opening Exercise:

Think about a time when you had the choice to do what was right, even though it might cost you. Or the option to do something questionable or rule-breaking that would benefit you. How did you decide what to do? Did you get caught? If you had it to do over again, what would you do?  

Text Read Aloud:

Luke 16:1-13

Article

A compass can only point in one direction, just as we can only place our trust in one thing. As Luther reminds us in the Large Catechism: Whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in—that is truly your god.

On September 10th, the answer to the question, “Who is the wealthiest person in the world?” briefly changed from Elon Musk to Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, a software company that focuses on cloud computing and database technology. You can learn more about how that happened and who Ellison is in this article.

We, especially as Americans, have a fascination with superlatives and wealth. Put them together, and we want to know it all: How did they get so wealthy? What can I learn from them? Can I do what they did, if even on a smaller scale?

Since the fascination is almost universal, it’s no surprise that many news outlets offered takes on Ellison’s wealth and how he earned it. They point to his business and how it compares to competitors. They make connections between Ellison and Musk, President Trump, and Oracle’s competitors and contract partners.

Even as Christians, we cannot deny that wealth—or the lack of it—has a grip on us. We are taught to trust in God over all else and build up treasure in heaven, but the security wealth provides is difficult to set aside. It keeps us chasing bigger, better, and more.

It seems the manager in our parable was trying to obtain his own slice of wealth and security, even though it did not belong to him. He was afraid that when he lost his job he would be left in poverty with no prospects. So he took things into his own hands. He chose to exploit what he did have—his fleeting power and influence—to make friends for himself, hoping they would feel obligated to help him after he was fired.

We expect the master (the same word as Lord in the language of the New Testament) to speak for Jesus and scold the manager’s shrewdness, warning his audience of Pharisees, sinners, tax collectors, disciples, and ultimately us, not to do the same. But that’s not what happens. Instead, the manager is “commended” (Luke 16:8) for his shrewdness. Even more, the master almost seems to chastise “children of the light” for not being so shrewd.

But the story does not end there. Jesus concludes by saying, “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Luke 16:13). This is more of what we expect, but it does not fit perfectly with the lesson of the parable, does it?

In a series of teachings and parables highlighting the reversal of the kingdom of God compared with the ways of the world, this story prompts questions about how we faithfully live in a world driven by wealth and the pursuit of it. Perhaps we will find it equally comforting and discouraging that this tension has persisted for so long.

Reflective Questions

• What drives the dishonest manager to try to curry favor—that is, gain the approval or support—of the people who owed money to his master? 
• Who is lifted up as the example, the “children of this age” or the “children of the light? Is it one or the other or do we have something to learn from both?  
• What does it mean or look like to serve wealth? 
• How can you determine if a certain choice would serve God rather than feeding the pursuit of wealth?

Closing Activity

• Give your group members a few moments to reflect on what gives them a sense of security outside of God. You can invite them to close their eyes and picture what comes to mind. Or make a list on a small piece of paper—whatever you have available. 
• After a few moments, invite them to either physically crumple the paper in their fist. If they made the list in their mind, to clench their hands into fists as if holding it. Then, invite them to silently ask God to help them let go of those things, dropping the paper in the garbage or simply releasing their hands. 
• Encourage them to pause for a few seconds with their hands released to appreciate the feeling of relaxation.

Final Prayer

God our Provider,  

You made us and you sustain us every day of our lives. Show us your way and lead us to follow it, even when we’re scared, even when we are tempted, even when we are caught up in comparison and feelings of not being or having enough. Yours is the only way to true freedom. In your holy name we pray, Amen. 

Bio

Sami Johnson is a pastor in the ELCA and has been ordained for 11 years. She is also a military spouse to a Navy Chaplain and currently on leave from call, caring for her family while her spouse is stationed in Key West, FL. Sami loves practicing hand embroidery, especially making ridiculously detailed felt applique Christmas stockings for her whole family.