Elizabeth Hood, Palo Alto, CA

Warm-up Question

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

Lost and Found

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

Discussion Questions

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

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Joshua 5:9-12

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

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

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

Gospel Reflection

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

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

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

Discussion Questions

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

Activity Suggestions

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

Feel free to create your own variations.

Closing Prayer 

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

ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving

Lent 2022

In English and en Espanol

Week 3: Vulnerable in the Wilderness

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

Read

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

Reflect

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ask

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

Pray

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

 

SEMANA 3: Vulnerables en el desierto

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Preguntas para la reflexión

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

Oración

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

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.

U.N. | Arizona | Colorado | Kansas | Minnesota | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin

---

 

U.N.

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

Dennis Frado, Director

The International Migration Review Forum (IMRF):

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

 

---

 

Arizona

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) – lamaz.org

Solveig Muus, Director

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

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

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

---

 

Colorado

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

Peter Severson, Director

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

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

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

---

 

Kansas

Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) – kansasinterfaithaaction.org

Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director

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

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

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

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

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

The session will adjourn on March 31.

---

 

Minnesota

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

Tammy Walhof, Director

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

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

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

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

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

---

 

Ohio

Hunger Network Ohio (HNO) – hungernetwork.org

Deacon Nick Bates, Director

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

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

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

---

 

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania (LAMPa) lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

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

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

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

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

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

---

 

Texas

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org

Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

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

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

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

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

---

 

Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Director

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

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

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

---

 

Wisconsin

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

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

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

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

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

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

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2022

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

---

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This post is Part IV of a five-part series discussing the many ways that violent conflict impacts hunger. The next key aspect of food security is food utilization, or put another way, are people able to meet their nutritional needs? Here, we take a look at how conflict impacts this, with specific attention to the crisis in Ukraine. Read Part I and find links to the other posts here.

When it comes to food security, there is a difference between having enough calories and meeting your nutritional needs. An overabundance of calorie-dense food – especially processed and packaged foods that also contain high amounts of salt or sugar – does not necessarily contribute to food security, because part of food security means having the right kinds of food: nutritious, clean and safe. The availability of this food, the ability to safely store and prepare it, and our own confidence as consumers all play a role in food utilization.

Unfortunately, in a violent conflict, when much of the food system and society is unstable, these are the kinds of foods that tend to be less available. During a crisis, people often turn toward shelf-stable,  processed foods that are quick to prepare, easy to carry, readily available and inexpensive. We saw this in countries such as Brazil and Indonesia in 2020, where as much as half of the population turned to eating less overall or eating more highly processed foods to get through the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the main concerns in the Ukraine conflict is the nutritional well-being of people displaced by violence within Ukraine and those who have fled the country as refugees. As people are displaced from their homes and local communities, their ability to procure safe, nutritious food is often hampered. In some cases, humanitarian aid can help make up the difference, but not everyone has access to this. We can surmise from recent reports that humanitarian agencies are facing significant obstacles in reaching people who are internally displaced within Ukraine.

The other aspect of food utilization to consider in a conflict is safe handling and storage of food. With attacks impacting both personal security of civilians as well as critical infrastructure that provides power for cooking and sanitation for clean water, conflict increases the risk of illnesses that come from contaminated food. Conflict also makes it harder for people to get treatment for diseases that can impact their nutrition and overall health, such as diarrhea, fevers, diabetes and, of course, COVID-19.

Here, too, the effects cascade to other populations. Host countries welcoming refugees can encounter obstacles in ensuring that everyone – including native residents – has enough food and that there is capacity in the healthcare system to meet the growing need. In addition, countries relying on exports from Ukraine and Russia may turn to less nutritious or less safe food available locally or in alternative markets.

With all of these interconnected systems, one of the most important aspects of food security is how stable and reliable the food system is. We turn to that in the next post on stability.

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

Stability, in short, means that food production, access, and utilization are reliable and resilient. Put another way, if we can eat today, how sure are we that we will be able to eat tomorrow?

There are two reasons this is important. First, instability and unpredictability change the way people behave. Farmers, for example, become more hesitant to trade, invest or diversify their work. For example, after the civil war in Mozambique in the 1980s and 1990s, farmers tended to focus on subsistence farming and reduced their participation in the market, meaning there was less food produced for other people to purchase and consume. Similarly, farmers may shift away from livestock or away from crop diversification, since doing so seems to pose less risk in the short-term, even if it may have longer-term negative effects.

In Ukraine, one of the current concerns is that farmers may not fertilize their grain crops because of high prices and instability. That would lead to a drastic reduction in the wheat crop for 2022, which could cause further shortages and higher prices globally into 2023. Moreover, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) notes that fertilizer costs are expected to rise globally, adding to the strain of farmers dependent on them. Russia and Belarus provide a large share of the world’s fertilizer, and their shipments have been significantly interrupted. (Of course, because causes and effects are complex, this situation might actually spawn the positive benefit of focusing attention on increased efficiency of chemical fertilizers and investment in alternative fertilizers that are less destructive to health and the environment, as IFPRI notes.)

The second reason stability is important is because conflict doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine didn’t bring an end to the ongoing threat of COVID-19 or other diseases. Nor does conflict make climate-related disasters take a hiatus. The most significant risk to food security in a region occurs when multiple shocks coincide.

This is, in part, what makes the food security situation for export-dependent countries so dire right now. In places like Yemen, which depend on grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, the war comes on the heels of a locust swarm that devastated crops and continues to pose a threat to farmland. Moreover, some of the people dependent on exports from Ukraine are in areas facing their own conflict-related crises, such as Afghanistan.

When combined with existing poverty, rising prices, climate events and other conflicts, the shock to the global food system that the war in Ukraine represents could be severe. In the short- to medium-term, the FAO estimates that the conflict could lead to nearly 8 million more people around the world becoming hungry. This is in addition to the refugees and internally displaced people of Ukraine whose lives and livelihoods have been immediately impacted. That increase in hunger would come on the heels of significant growth in undernourishment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To sum it up, conflict destabilizes nearly every aspect of our global food system, which is partly why it is often named as the most significant driver of hunger around the world. For most of history, humans could assuage feelings of responsibility or even fear if a conflict emerged halfway around the globe. But our world today is far too connected to believe that borders, oceans or miles can insulate us. The globalized, interconnected food system that each of us is a part of demonstrates politically and economically what we have always known theologically, namely that the safety and well-being of all God’s creation matters, no matter how distant the people involved might seem to be.

The stability of the food system depends on many factors: farmers, workers, bakers, herders and processors who produce food; truck drivers, rail workers, loaders and grocers who make food available; health care workers who tend to nutritional well-being; employers who provide wages to workers so that they can be consumers; utility workers who keep infrastructure running to ensure the safety of food; construction and road workers who ensure there can be adequate transportation of food; and even policymakers who negotiate trade agreements and aid to ensure that the food system is inclusive.

To paraphrase the philosopher Jacques Derrida, when we eat, we never eat alone. We are eating the fruits of God’s creation made possible because of neighbors around the world. And as we eat, we are mindful that the stability of this system on which all of us depend to some extent, depends itself on the truths we are called to pursue: peace and justice.

So, to return to the first post in this series:

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

What can be done? Providing support to the work that has already begun by giving a gift to Lutheran Disaster Response is one way to help meet the growing need of Ukrainians, especially those who have been displaced by the conflict.

A next step after that is to consider ongoing support of Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger. Some of the long-term consequences described in these posts may be reduced by working with local communities around the world to reduce vulnerability, increase capacity and build resilience against future shocks. This won’t be the last violent conflict; but by working together toward a just world where all are fed – and safe – we can take steps to help prevent the many destructive ripple effects that we may see this year. Supporting food producers; investing in stable, sufficient livelihoods for all people; increasing the capacity of communities to respond to crises; and building a just, sustainable and stable food system will go a long way to ending both hunger and conflict. As António Guterres wrote last year,

We need to tackle hunger and conflict together to solve either.

Sami Johnson, Rota, Spain

Warm-up Question

Do you tend see right and wrong as black and white or in shades of gray? Has this changed over your lifetime?  If it has, how so? 

Beyond Black and White

News of the events in Ukraine have dominated the news cycle and occupied our minds for weeks or more. Most news stories represent Ukraine as the righteous one and Russia as the enemy, with Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin pitted against each other like a modern day David and Goliath. 

These stories fail to capture that the ones fighting the war are not so easy to paint with such broad strokes. 

Among the Russian soldiers are young men who have spent the last 8 years consuming propaganda, which led them to believe they would enter Ukraine as liberators, not as invaders. They expected to be greeted with cheers, not violent resistance, 

When these Russian soldiers learn the truth, some regret ever invading Ukraine. They say they have been “duped.” But their message cannot get back home. Anti-Russian news broadcasts, rhetoric, and protests are against the law. Even Ukrainians who call home to family in Russia are crushed when their own families choose to believe the propaganda instead of their own stories.

When we take the time to take a closer look at others, even our enemies, we learn that the line between right and wrong, good and evil, blessed and cursed is not as clear as we might have once thought.

Discussion Questions

• Talk about a time when you had an experience which caused you to change a belief you once held dear. 
• Do you ever wonder how your life would be different if you were born in a different family, country, or time in history? What impact does this have on how you view others who see things differently from you?

Third Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 55:1-9

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Luke 13:1-9

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

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

Gospel Reflection

In this passage, Jesus counters the long-held belief that people deserve the senseless tragedies which happen to them. He uses examples his hearers would know to demonstrate his point. Jesus insists that these events were random and tragic, not veiled judgments from on high. 

Jesus emphasizes that these tragedies could have happened to anyone, regardless of their degree of sinfulness. We cannot control the circumstances into which we are born or what misfortunes  befall us. We live in a precarious and vulnerable state. Thus,  the admonition to repent and to be made right with God is for everyone.

The Russian soldiers  caught up in this war might be an extreme example of this concept. But when we get a little closer and look at individuals, rather than stereotypes and assumptions, we see that even they do not deserve the pain, torture, imprisonment, or death that war brings.  We might imagine ourselves, our siblings, or our children in their position, born in their circumstances, subjected to the same influences.  What, if anything, separates us from the same circumstances they face? 

Each of us—Russians, Ukrainians, Americans—are sinners in need of repentance. God has given us the pathway to a right relationship with God. God knows we are going to fall short, but God ensures that our sinfulness is not the end of the road.  There is no person too far gone to return to God in repentance. There is no sin too great for God’s forgiveness to cover.

In the first section of the lesson, we hear the call to repent of our sin. In the second section, the parable of the fig tree indicates how God responds to us, even while we are still sinners. The gardener does not leave that poor fruitless tree to its own devices. Instead, the gardener promises special care for the tree to help it produce fruit.

In the same way, God approaches each of us, sinners though we may be, with mercy, patience, compassion, and love. These blessings from God are not a result of our righteousness or fruitfulness. Rather, God’s blessings empower us to repent and turn around from our old ways to walk in God’s Way instead. 

Discussion Questions

• Is there someone you know with whom you do not get along or see eye to eye whom God is calling you to treat with mercy, patience, compassion, and love?  What might that look like?
• Look  back on your life to this point.  Is there a decision or event which, though out of your control,  had a major impact on your life? How does it feel to know that your life was so significantly impacted by something you did not choose? Where do you think God is in the midst of that?
• Think about something  that weighs you down with guilt, shame, or just a general “I’m-not-enough” feeling. Imagine God, like the gardener in our lesson, digging out the dirt of guilt, shame, and not-enough-ness packed around the roots of that burden.  See God filling in your life with mercy, patience, compassion, and love instead. What difference does that make?

Activity Suggestions

This text invites us to repent. We confess our sins in church every week in a general way. Today, you are going to repent of your sin in a more personal way. For the first two, you will need to set up a large bowl of water  where everyone can reach it. For all three, you might consider lighting a candle or turning on a flameless candle and turning down the lights. You might also choose to play instrumental music or maintain contemplative silence. Depending on the size of your group, you can decide to divide so that you will be in circles of 10 or less.

There are several ways you might choose to do invite everyone to confess their sins. Some possibilities: 

1. Provide each person with a pen and 1/8 sheet of dissolvable paper. Invite everyone to write down a sin they want to repent of. Turn down the lights. Each person places their paper in the bowl,, swirls the water with their hand until the paper dissolves, and returns to their seats. When the song is over and everyone has had a chance to place their confession in the bowl, say, “As God promised at your baptism, you have been forgiven.” 
2. Instead of paper, you can use a small stone or rock or another token that fits easily in the hand and sinks. In this version everything is the same as with the paper except that each person receives a stone and holds on to it while naming their confession silently before God. When they are ready, they can drop the stone in the water and watch until it hits the bottom of the bowl, and until the water is still again before returning to their seats. 
3. In this version, instead of placing the focus on water, give each person a plate of sand and invite them to use their finger to write their confession of sin in the sand. When everyone appears to be done, and after announcing that they are forgiven, invite each person to pass their hand over their sand to wipe it away. 

Closing Prayer

Merciful God, you invite us to repent and promise to forgive our sins,  yet we cling to our old ways instead of to you. Loosen our grip on the things that are holding us back. Open our hands to receive your blessings. 

And we pray for a quick and merciful end to the war in Ukraine. Be near to all who are scared or in trouble that they might know the comfort of your presence. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.