February Update: UN and State Edition

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.

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

Dennis Frado, Director

The sixty-sixth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) will take place from 14 to 25 March 2022. This year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the related safety and health guidelines implemented at UN Headquarters, the official session will take place in a hybrid format with limited in-person attendance prioritized for member states. Interactive dialogues as well as side and parallel events will be fully virtual.

Priority theme: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs.

Review theme: Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work (agreed conclusions of the sixty-first session).

Our Lutheran Office for World Community is active in planning engagement for Lutheran participants at CSW66.

Arizona

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) – lamaz.org

Solveig Muus, Director

LAMA held its first Advocacy Day at the Legislature in more than 20 years on February 1, 2022. The day included remarks by House Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers; Representative Jennifer Longdon; Bishop Deborah Hutterer, ELCA Grand Canyon Synod; and Connie Phillips, CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest. More than 85 Lutherans and hunger coalition partners gathered to connect, pray, meet with legislators and hear the Invocation offered by Bishop Hutterer in the State House of Representatives. LAMA announced that hunger advocates including LAMA, Bread for the World, World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task-Force (WHEAT), Arizona Food Bank Network and Arizona Food Systems Network will collaborate on hunger advocacy legislation for the 2023 legislative session, opening the door to a new era of cooperation and commitment to ending food insecurity in Arizona. Special attention will be paid to food deserts and indigenous representation. More pictures of the day can be found here.

Meanwhile, as the window for new bill introductions for the 2022 session closes and we enter crossover week, LAMA is keeping eyes on bills related to its policy priorities of food insecurity and civic engagement, including more than 130 voting-related bills. LAMA championed HB2060 during Advocacy Day, a bill that would enable citizens with a drug felony on their record to access SNAP benefits more easily.

LAMA continues our efforts to educate our Arizona congregations about the importance of voicing our common needs in the public square. We are encouraged and grateful to the many congregations who invited us to participate in worship and share our advocacy message.

Colorado

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

Peter Severson, Director

DAY AT THE CAPITOL: Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado hosted Lutheran Day at the Capitol on Thursday, February 17, 2022. All faithful advocates in Colorado were invited to this day of learning and action! More information is available at https://www.rmselca.org/co-lutheran-day-at-the-capitol.

LEGISLATING IS UNDERWAY: The Colorado General Assembly is in session, and there are already several bills on the docket that Lutheran Advocacy plans to work on. These include:

House Bill 1083, Colorado Homeless Contribution Income Tax Credit (Reps. Tipper & Rich)
Senate Bill 19, Access to Suppressed Eviction Court Records (Sen. Winter)
Senate Bill 87, Healthy Meals for All Public School Students (Sens. Pettersen & Fields)
Senate Bill 99, Sealing Criminal Records (Sens. Hisey & Rodriguez)

More bills are in the pipeline, including reforms to Colorado Works and allocations for housing and support services from federal COVID relief funds.

DISASTER RESPONSE: The Rocky Mountain Synod is actively accompanying people who lost their homes in the historically destructive Marshall Fire in Boulder County on December 30, 2021. Together with Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Family Services, we are working to address the needs of displaced families and people, beginning with those who are part of our congregational communities in the area. Learn more at https://www.rmselca.org/boulder-county-fire-response.

Minnesota

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

Tammy Walhof, Director

Budget Surplus: In mid-January, a new budget forecast surprised everyone with an anticipated $7 billion surplus. Although 2022 is a bonding year, the legislature has the option to pass a supplemental budget. Gov. Walz has proposed a supplemental budget focused heavily on education, including universal pre-K. He included $100 million to fund “community stabilization” for Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH). It doesn’t include much for the environment. We applaud the governor’s proposal for NOAH stabilization, but would like to see a larger amount put into affordable housing overall, in addition to addressing the climate crisis.

Session Start: The legislative session started Monday, January 31. The week prior, the House Climate Caucus released a proposed Climate Action Plan, but nothing complementary exists in the Senate yet.

Bonding: Gov. Walz’s $2.7 billion bonding proposal spends almost 60% on asset preservation and infrastructure. It does include $350 million for affordable housing, and $75 million for homeless shelters. The proposal from Homes for All, a state-wise coalition of which LA-MN is a part, calls for $400 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds (to build more affordable housing), $100 million in bonds for repairs/renovation of Public Housing, and $75 million for shelters. The governor’s proposal also includes $262 million on climate change concerns and natural resources, much of which would focus on electric vehicle charging infrastructure and stormwater construction.

Youth Extravaganza: Hunger Advocacy Fellow Rachel Wyffles recently had the opportunity to engage and introduce youth ministry leaders from across the country to advocacy at the ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza in Minneapolis. She even prepared a fantastic Youth Advocacy Resource for participants!

New Mexico

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

Kurt Rager, Director

2nd Session of the 55th Legislature races towards the finish.

The New Mexico Legislature’s current 30-day session came to an end at noon on February 17. Though down significantly from previous 30-day sessions, about 450 bills have been introduced. LAM-NM has been tracking more than 60 bills, actively speaking in support or opposition to those identified as priority legislation.

LAM-NM Advocacy Agenda legislation high-lights:

Affordable Housing & Homelessness – Support for legislation that did not make it out of last year’s session, that would update landlord-tenant relations by increasing time to remedy; for legislation that would ensure annual appropriations to the NM Housing Trust Fund, enabling it to greatly increase the building of low and affordable housing; and for funding of programs that can prevent and assist people experiencing homelessness.

Family-Sustaining Income – Support for capping short-term “store-front” installment loans at 36%; for raising the minimum wage paid to state employees. Opposition of various tax relief measures, preferring instead to see a comprehensive overhaul of New Mexico’s overall tax structure.

Healthcare – Support for legislation that would help identify those low-income and uninsured New Mexicans, connecting them to free or low-cost health insurance plans; for expanding school-based health clinics; and for continued funding for the study of NM’s Health Security Plan.

Hunger – Support for additional emergency funding for New Mexico food banks, and for the Governor’s $24 million appropriation request for the state-wide Food, Farm and Hunger Initiative.

Tax Policy – Opposition of legislation to exempt Social Security from the state’s personal income tax for upper income seniors, preferring instead to see the issue considered during an upcoming, comprehensive overhaul of New Mexico’s tax structure; and of other tax cuts for the same argument.

Criminal Justice – Support for legislation that would provide flexibility for payment of fines, fees, and costs, that would expand community service options, and would require ability-to-pay screening, for legislation that would prohibit imposition of a life-sentence without parole for a juvenile, and for the study of establishing a unified state prison and jail system.

Care of Creation – Support for legislation that promoted restoration of abandoned uranium mines; for environmental rights; and for the Clean Future Act.

Election & Redistricting Reform – Support for legislation that would amend the state’s constitution to create a permanent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission.

Ohio

Hunger Network Ohio – hungernetwork.org

Nick Bates, Director

CHURCH ENGAGING THE WORD: Education

Strong schools today lead to hunger-free communities tomorrow! Schools are essential in making sure kids are fed so they can learn, students are prepared for the workforce of tomorrow, and future community leaders are prepared to address our communities’ most pressing needs with compassion and wisdom.

EVENT: February 23, 1pm

In 2022, the Hunger Network will host a series of informative zoom meetings to discuss important issues in our communities and how our faith communities can respond through service and advocacy to make sure every child is fed. On February 23, at 1pm, we invite Ohioans to learn about the impact of our public schools on our communities and their role in ending hunger. You can register for this event here.

DID YOU KNOW? The Ohio River connects the state with a large inland river system that brings business to and from over 85% of the nation’s major cities. As people of faith, water is holy and sacred to us and just one example of God’s abundant grace that provides for us everyday. Ohio should be proud of our water and seek to protect it moving forward. If you are passionate about clean water in Ohio, please contact our director, Nick Bates at Nick@hungernetohio.com to help us build our water advocacy team!

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania (LAMPa) lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

LAMPa and other hunger advocates cheered increases for food security programs in Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2022-23 budget proposal. The spending plan calls for a $2 million increase in the Penn. Agricultural Surplus Program, plus two new food security measures – a $1 million grant to encourage colleges to address hunger, and a $14 million provision to increase minimum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for seniors and Pennsylvanians with disabilities to $35 from $20. The State Food Purchase Program, which saw a $3 million increase in 2021, is proposed to be level funded.

“As the economy recovers from the pandemic, some households, especially those who were already living at or near poverty, are still experiencing hardship,” said LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale. “Rising food prices are putting a strain on family budgets, increasing the need for charitable food, while at the same time, decreasing the purchasing power of food banks.”

LAMPa also applauded a $10 million proposed state disaster assistance fund for those experiencing a federally declared disaster who do not qualify for traditional assistance.

In addition to budget advocacy, LAMPa is working with coalition partners to address an underlying cause of hunger – housing insecurity. As housing costs skyrocket, we are advocating to lift the cap on the realty transfer tax dedicated to the Pa. Housing Accessibility and Rehabilitation Program.

As the new session begins, LAMPa is also monitoring elections/voting legislation and working with senate staff and criminal justice reform advocates on legislation to support independent investigations in police use of deadly force.

Wisconsin

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

Cindy Crane, Director

Legislative Bills Supported

Assembly Bill 728 (clean water – see Action Alert). LOPPW also individually contacted all of the members of the Committee on Agriculture.
Assembly Bill 58 (anti-sex trafficking): This bill allows a residential tenant to terminate their lease if the tenant or the tenant’s child fears imminent violence and faces an imminent threat of serious physical harm from another person if the tenant remains on the premises.
Senate Bill 746 (anti-sex trafficking): requires the Department of Public Instruction to develop a child sexual abuse prevention policy and instructional program, that is age appropriate, to be provided to pupils in grades kindergarten to six.
Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act
Afghan Adjustment Act

Wednesday Noon Live: We interviewed Deb Martin, Oshkosh, and Cindy Dobberke, Mukwonago, to discuss their work with other hunger leaders to network around Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to counter hunger. They discussed the three sessions – All who Strive a World Without Hunger, which they organized with other hunger leaders. LOPPW is a part of the group to add an advocacy perspective on hunger and gave a brief presentation during the first session.

Wednesday Noon Live: with Giovana Oaxaca, ELCA Program Director of Migration

Youth: LOPPW met with representatives from six synods to discuss plans for a listening session for youth to learn about their interests in social justice.

Coalitions: LOPPW met with four coalitions to amplify our work on juvenile justice, climate justice, hunger, and anti-human trafficking.

ELCA 2022 federal policy priorities for advocacy action

Also available as a downloadable pdf from ELCA advocacy resources page

Every public policy decision has an effect on us and on our neighbors, even neighbors living across the country or around the world. This compels us as church to “unite realism and vision, wisdom and courage, in its social responsibility. It needs constantly to discern when to support and when to confront society’s cultural patterns, values, and powers” (ELCA social statement Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, p. 3).

By building relationships with policymakers, taking joint action with values-sharing issue partners, writing comments and much more, we advocate to end world hunger and stand up for policies that create opportunities to overcome poverty, stimulate peace and dignity, preserve God’s creation, promote racial and gender justice, and promote good order in public life. Shaped by the ELCA’s social teaching documents and the experiences of its congregations, ministries and partners, the following are policy priorities on the federal horizon for advocacy action in 2022.

Domestic Policy

“The power of God’s suffering, self-giving love transforms and challenges the Church to stand with all who are overlooked for the sake of economic progress or greed. Confession of faith ought to flow into acts of justice for the sake of the most vulnerable” (from ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All, pg. 4-5).

- Hunger and poverty – restore, protect and adequately fund food security and child nutrition programs, and advocate to make permanent the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families. Support measures to reduce economic disparities and reach baseline wages above poverty level.
- Health care – ensure access to affordable, quality health insurance, recognizing the state-by-state regulatory impact to Medicaid access, and support legislation that addresses racial and economic disparities in health outcomes. Ensure preparedness for public health challenges, such as COVID-19 efforts.
- Housing – increase shelter, housing and development budget resources, with a special focus on rural development, eviction or foreclosure prevention, HIV and AIDS housing assistance, affordable housing for seniors and ending homelessness. Expand access to resources that help expand homeownership, reduce gentrification displacement and build more affordable housing.
- Disaster response – improve federal programs that manage community rebuilding after natural disasters and uplift recommendations of impacted churches and ELCA ministries in public policy consideration.
- Criminal justice – address, with legislative proposals, systemic racial bias in state and federal incarceration systems which unfairly impact communities that face barriers, unjust treatment, violence or inequalities based on race, ethnicity and culture.
- Civil and human rights – support bipartisan voting protections to ensure no entity can interfere with the right of any citizen to vote in locally, state or federal elections. Assure prohibition of discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identify in such areas as public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and the jury system.
- Gender justice – support reauthorization and improvement of legislation that combats gender-based crimes such as domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault and other forms of violence against women, including recognition of the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
- Realize racial justice – examine and advance action such as the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act and the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.
- Set the stage for the farm bill – highlight intertwined priority issues in preparing for the consideration of the 2023 Farm Bill, including retention of funding for domestic nutrition programs, conservation measures, insurance protections, climate viable solutions for agriculture, farmworker realities and global hunger relief implications.

Environment Policy

“The principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability will shape our advocacy—in neighborhoods and regions, nationally and internationally. Our advocacy will continue in partnership, ecumenically and with others who share our concern for the environment” (from ELCA social statement Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice, pg. 10).

- Creation care – advance policies geared toward bridging ideological divides while addressing the impacts of environmental degradation. Advocate for comprehensive energy, greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, and adaptation legislation and policies for reaching carbon neutrality.
- Climate change – promote policies that provide needed technology transfer and international climate finance, which includes financing for loss and damage and avenues for reaching a just transition.
- Climate and environmental justice – promote environmental justice and other legislation and policies that address the interconnectivity of environmental, economic and social issues that advance strategies for remedying and eliminating systemic biases and injustices impacting vulnerable communities.
- Sustainability – advance policies and legislation calling for a better quality of life today without shortchanging future generations, which includes legislation promoting transitioning away from fossil fuels, such as tax credits, and regulations that mandate industrial facilities to reduce air, water and soil pollution. Promote innovation, research and conservation practices in rural and agricultural sustainability measures under the farm bill.

International Policy

“Yet we do not possess uniquely Christian international policies or a divine or biblical politics for our nation. For political guidance we also must rely upon reason and compassion, and examine and draw upon common human experience through which, we believe, God is at work creating and preserving the world” (from ELCA social statement For Peace in God’s World, pg. 9).

- Global hunger and poverty – ensure programs that work to fight hunger, poverty and disease around the world are well funded, including humanitarian relief and economic development support efforts.
- Conflict prevention, peace building and human rights – urge increased investments in programs that address fragility and other causes of conflict before they occur and promote nonmilitary solutions to conflict. Foster a rights-based approach to conflict resolution programs and peace-building efforts, including protection of civilians and minority groups.
- Gender justice – safeguard and expand safety, empowerment, and rights of women and girls in U.S. international programs. Support legislation that expands protection and promotes comprehensive well-being of women and girls.
- Global health – galvanize robust appropriations for U.S. programs addressing global pandemics, epidemics and endemic diseases such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and COVID-19. Support efforts to ensure that people on the margins have access to prevention tools, diagnostics, vaccines, treatments and care.

Migration Policy

“[Newcomers] keep before us—so that we do not forget—the grim realities many immigrants face and the strength of character and resourcefulness newcomers demonstrate. They inform us of conditions in other countries and what the role of the United States has been. They provide our church with experience and knowledge to take part in public deliberation on immigration, refugee, and asylum policies” (ELCA social message on “Immigration,” p. 6).

- Rights of migrants and refugees – advocate for an immigration system that prioritizes human rights, justice, family unity and reunification. Promote equitable access to federal programs. Strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) policies and pathways for gaining permanent legal status and citizenship.
- Detention and enforcement – support community-based alternatives to detention, enforcement reform, humanitarian reception and border demilitarization in alignment with international principles and values on migration. Advocate against deterrence and externalization policies that harm migrants, native lands and border communities.
- Asylum and refugee protection – respond to global forced displacement by advocating for shared frameworks for processing vulnerable migrants that include strong access to protection and due process.
- Foreign policy and climate displacement – drive investments in human security to alleviate the factors forcing families to flee, including just trade, development and foreign assistance, in ways that are accountable to civil society. Integrate front-line voices in climate adaptation, resiliency and protection options.

Middle East Policy

“But neither inaction nor weak action is an option for the ELCA if it intends truly to accompany the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the LWF Jerusalem program, and other partners in this time of urgent crisis and opportunity” (from “Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine,” Section IV).

- Humanitarian assistance – end politicization of humanitarian aid and resume funding to humanitarian actors working in the West Bank and Gaza. Work with congressional leaders and the administration to ensure funds appropriated for humanitarian programs in the West Bank and Gaza, including Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH), are obligated.
- Ensure accountability – hold the government of Israel accountable for the use of military assistance that violates the human rights of Palestinians, such as illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, the detention of Palestinian children in military prisons, the violent repression of peaceful protesters, and demolitions of Palestinian homes and communities.
- Freedom to move, speak and act – oppose anti-Semitism as well as efforts to conflate it with prohibitions on speech critical of Israel and other actions making it illegal to engage in constitutionally protected and legitimate speech. Urge an end to punitive visa bans, family entry bans and asset freezes on select officials of the International Criminal Court. Promote greater movement and access in the Occupied Territories, including for Gazan patients to reach AVH.
- Settlement activities – impose consequences on the Israeli government for future settlement activities it authorizes or undertakes in contradiction to the U.S. position that settlements are illegal under international law.

Civic Engagement

In the ELCA we shall “work to further democratic processes throughout the territory of this church and the world, and to redress the persisting social and economic inequalities that prevent many from participating effectively in those processes” (from ELCA social statement Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, p. 7)

- Dialogue and presence in fracturing times – make the most of the presence of Lutherans in every congressional district and county across our nation who are living a life free to serve with and for our neighbors in vibrant civic life and are engaged in houses of worship, social ministries and community activity.
- Election security and voter access – uphold voting rights in policy consideration and in civic engagement with tools such as registration drives while being aware of historic and contemporary voter suppression in electoral process participation.

How can you get involved?

Our ministry of advocacy is a public witness to God’s love for our neighbor, ourselves and for all creation. In addition to activity in Washington, D.C., on federal advocacy priorities, this public witness is also organized by state public policy offices in the ELCA Advocacy Network, through our ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and by Lutheran Office for World Community representation to the United Nations – plus the advocacy of members, congregations and synods.

Connect with the ELCA Advocacy Network for updates and invitations to action at ELCA.org/advocacy/signup. Find resources at ELCA.org/resources/advocacy and a community with which to engage on social media @ELCAadvocacy.

February 20, 2022–

Andrew Tucker, Columbus, OH

Warm-up Question

What does it mean to have an enemy? Name some of the people, either individuals or communities, who could be considered enemies.

Love Your Enemies

The notion of enemies is all over the news. There’s military buildup at the Ukrainian border with Russia, making enemies of global neighbors. The annual battle with winter weather makes frozen precipitation and cold temperatures the enemies of our day-to-day lives. Many countries are enacting diplomatic boycotts of the Olympics, making enemies of athletes who often train together, regardless of their national origins.

What I’ve found fascinating are the stories of people whom we might consider enemies behaving rather friendly. Polls and interviews of young Ukrainians and Russians show hope for peace and shared prosperity. Despite the interruptions to our normal routines, people find ways to coexist with winter storms, including work-from-home strategies (less fun) and snow day activities (more fun). What struck me most of all was how the U.S.A.’s first medalist celebrated her loss.

Yes, you read that right. Julie Marino, a snowboarder from Connecticut, earned silver in the downhill snowboard event. She lost the gold medal to Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand. But rather than lament or sulk, Marino joined Australian bronze medalist Tess Coady in joyously hug-tackling Sadowski-Synott just after she took over 1^st place. You can see that video and read more about the event here. Rather than see a loss to an enemy, something that global politics seems to make inevitable, Marino saw the achievement of a fellow competitor and the excellence of a fellow human.

Now, it’s obvious that enemies in war are different than the impersonal enemy of weather or the enemies we encounter via various games. What I find holy in the examples above is that it is possible to see those we consider enemies as something different, as more than a nemesis whom we must be overcome, but instead as siblings who deserves to thrive alongside us.

Discussion Questions

Think back to the examples of your first “enemies.” Could you find ways to seek peace with them, to work and play alongside them, even to celebrate with them?
What made those people enemies in the first place? Can that thing change?

Seventh Sunday After Epiphany

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Luke 6:27-38

(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

We rarely talk about love and enemies in the same sentence. Fortunately, Jesus makes us consider why love must be separate from those we consider enemies. In Luke 6, Jesus tells us, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (verses 27b-28 of the NIV).

That’s not easy, in part because we’ve been taught to define enemies as entirely other and outside of our communities, as wholly separate from ourselves. That’s why certain military trainings use names to dehumanize the enemies. It’s easier to kill something you see as inhuman, and therefore, unlike you.

Of course, to view people we consider enemies as less than human is a lie. It’s a lie that makes our life easier, but not better.

When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, it is not an invitation to ignore the harm that they’ve caused. Jesus does not expect us to abide unchecked evil. After all, Jesus doesn’t say, “don’t have enemies.” Instead, Jesus tells us to change our behaviors and attitudes toward our enemies. Consider, for instance, what connects us to those we consider enemies. There are genetic connections in the simple fact that we share DNA and common ancestors. Even if we don’t like the differences, there is a tie which binds us. There are social connections; all require a safe place to live and a community with whom we can share life. And of course there are spiritual connections. All people are created in God’s image, and all creation—even snowstorms—is part of God’s handiwork.

In her book How to Have an Enemy, Rev. Melissa Florer-Bixler reminds readers that, to have an enemy, we must first admit that our enemies exist and that there are reasons that we have become enemies. Christians must take seriously Jesus’ call to love enemies by first recognizing them as people and as enemies. So, to love our enemies means we must come to understand our enemies. We must appreciate that they deserve to exist just as much as we deserve to exist and that their status as enemy does not make them less a part of God’s creation or less a sharer of God’s image.

Loving our enemies does not ignore the change we desire, nor does it ignore the real wrong they have done. Instead, loving our enemies seeks a change that can benefit us and them. Loving our enemies is like the Olympic snowboarders: it doesn’t view differences in achievement as loss, but instead as a part of a shared experience we can all celebrate. A necessary part of this is humility. We must recognize that what we once defined as victory may be a selfish mistreatment of our enemy. Mutual thriving, which allows for enemy love, demands change, not only of our enemies, but change of ourselves as well.

Discussion Questions

How do you feel when Jesus tells us to love our enemies? Why do you feel that way?
How might you have made yourself an enemy to others?
Name some of the common ground that you share with your enemies. Describe what it feels like to admit that such similarities exist between you and your enemies.

Activity Suggestions

Often, people who are imprisoned are considered enemies of their victims and of society more broadly. Some ministries, like Cincinnati’s Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, as well as the American Friends Service Committee, have projects to write holiday cards to people in prison. These anonymous cards speak a word of love to people that many view as enemies. Connect with these or one of your local social service agencies to explore how your group might bless prisoners in your area.
Escape rooms can be a fun way to show that games don’t have to create enemies or losers. If there’s not one near you, or the cost is prohibitive, check out this list of free DIY escape room resources. After the game, talk about how it’s a different kind of fun to play and win together rather than try to defeat one another. Use that as an introduction to a discussion about how we can create enemies in life by choosing to “play the game” of the status quo that creates insiders and outsiders, winners and losers, friends and enemies.

Closing Prayer

Compassionate Creator, you do not create us for violence, but for peace. You create us, not for defeat or loss, but for mutual thriving. Remind us of your purposes when we look at our enemies. Empower us to confront the evils done in word and in deed, by others and by ourselves. Remind us that to love an enemy is to admit that enemy also reflects your holy image, even when it is desperately difficult to recognize. We pray this all in the name of the image of the invisible God, Jesus Chris. Amen.

February 13, 2022–Burned Out

Colleen Montgomery, Salem, VA

Warm-up Question

How would you define the feeling of burnout? Have you or someone you know experienced burnout?

Burned Out

Americans across the country are resigning from their jobs in mass numbers. Though you may not be in the working world yet, chances are that you know an adult who has resigned from their job sometime since March of 2020. Maybe your teacher or your medical provider has resigned.

One of the major reasons cited for resigning is burnout. The feeling of extreme exhaustion due to prolonged stress makes it difficult to take care of oneself and work. While burnout isn’t an official medical diagnosis, it does affect your physical and mental health. Preparing food is harder. Moving throughout the day feels like a challenge. You experience additional stress knowing that your school work or job performance isn’t at the level you would like. All of these put additional stress on your body and mind.

Even if you haven’t experienced burnout, my guess is that you have felt increased stress because of the pandemic and all the changes that have happened in your life and in the world because of it. None of us are the best versions of ourselves.

Figuring out how to take care of ourselves and others when we are facing high stress or burnout is tricky. Each person’s experience is different. Black, Indigneous, and people of color face additional stressors from racist structures in our country that affect their school, work, family, and health. Likewise, members of the LGBTIA+ face discrimination that affects their lives as well. For those of us who are white, like me, it is important for us to learn about, strive to understand, and then work to improve the discriminatory practices of our society. The same goes for the allies of the LGBTIA+ community. Again, managing our own needs and caring for the community around us is challenging.

Discussion Questions

How do you take care of yourself when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed?
Who in your life is experiencing burnout? What is a simple way that you can show them you care for them?
How can you show care and compassion for the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized individuals communities in your school, workplace, family, and community?

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Jeremiah 17:5-10

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Luke 6:17-26

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

Gospel Reflection

When I think about where I find myself in today’s gospel lesson, I know right where I would be. I am one of the people in the crowd who has come to Jesus for healing. It’s easy to pass over these first verses, but they help to set the scene for us. People from all over the region, from all walks of life have come to Jesus to be healed or to seek healing for someone they care about.

I see myself as one of the many who have come to Jesus. Maybe you can imagine yourself there too. The tired, burned out, stressed out are all there. And we bring with us those who are sick and ailing from any number of illnesses, diseases, or mental health concerns. We gather to be healed and then we stay and listen to the words that Jesus has to share.

Jesus begins with a word of blessing. He offers grace, compassion, and comfort to those who experience poverty, hunger, grief and sadness, and discrimination. If you have experienced any of those hardships, Jesus’ words are for you.

Then Jesus goes on to share warnings. He warns those who experience wealth, food security, lack of grief, and privilege that life will not always be so good. All of us who are living through this pandemic, know that our circumstances can change overnight. Jesus shares this warning to remind those gathered there (and those listening today) to care for those who experience hardship. Someday it could be us. We are all together in this thing called life.

This gospel both comforts us in our burnout, exhaustion, and illness, and also challenges us in our security and privilege to care for those around us as well.

Discussion Questions

What is going on in your life or in the lives of those you care for which urges you to sit at the feet of Jesus?
How has God or God’s people been there for you when you have experienced hardship?
Does your church or community support those who experience poverty, hunger, grief, and discrimination? How can you join in those efforts?

Activity Suggestions

Look at a biblical map to locate Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. How far apart are these places? How long would it take to walk between them?
Write, paint, draw, or create in another way blessings to those in your life who are in need of encouragement. You can send them via snail mail, text, or another type of messenger.
Take individually wrapped food treats to local schools or hospitals to support teachers and healthcare workers.

Closing Prayer

God of all compassion, we come to you with weary hearts, minds, and bodies. We are worried as we watch burnout effect so many in our lives and community. Help us to know ourselves, so that we know when we need to rest, to seek help, and to support others. Remind us that you are always with us. Amen.

ELCA World Hunger’s Big Game Challenge 2022!

It’s game time! The Big Game Challenge has kicked off, and our church is racing toward the goal of ending hunger!

While you are cheering on your team and celebrating with family and friends— let’s help tackle hunger together!

From kickoff to the final whistle, Team Cincinnati and Team Los Angeles will seek to outdo one another for the sake of the gospel. The fans that donate the most through their team page to ELCA World Hunger by midnight Central time on February 13th will help their synod take home the title of ELCA World Hunger Champion — regardless of the outcome on the field. Whether your favorite formation is 3-4, 4-3, or 3:16, you can send your nickels and dimes to support your team!

Check out this video of Bishop Dillahunt of the Southern Ohio Synod of the ELCA encouraging supporters:

And not to be outdone, the Southwest Califonia Synod’s Bishop Bos is ready to prove that Team Los Angeles has the most generous synod:

Be sure to send us your game day photos! and may the best team win – so we can all tackle hunger together! #elcabiggamechallenge #untilallarefed

Visit ELCA.org/BigGame to be part of the action!

OMNIA: Striving Towards Beloved Community

By Dr. Shanta Premawardhana

More than 50 years ago, Dr. Mary Nelson (founder of Bethel New Life in the westside of Chicago) marched with Dr. Martin Luther King and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in Chicago. For several decades, Dr. Nelson was a faculty member of OMNIA Institute’s predecessor organization SCUPE (Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education) and she continues as an Advisory Board member of the OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership. In an OMNIA podcast, Dr. Nelson talked about the Beloved Community as God’s vision for the city. It is that same vision that animated the founders of SCUPE to prepare pastors to break down all barriers to the flourishing of community. At the beginning of Black History month, it is fitting that we remember the power of this vision.

SCUPE was formed in 1976 with 12 member seminaries (including LSTC in Chicago and Luther Seminary in St. Paul) to teach seminary students an alternative method of doing theology and pastoral ministry. Rather than start from received traditions, SCUPE taught them to begin their theologizing from the questions and struggles that arise from the context of the city. This meant that they needed to get out into the streets and neighborhoods to talk to people in places like bus stops, coffee shops, police stations, emergency rooms, churches and expressway underpasses. Thousands of pastors learned from SCUPE to “listen to, learn from and live in solidarity with those in the margins” (our motto) and to have those questions stimulate their sermon preparation and their pastoral ministry.

Five years ago, SCUPE expanded its mission. Rather than serve only seminary students, it expanded to also include clergy and lay leaders who were already working in the field. Rather than serve only Christians, expanded to include those from multiple religious traditions. Rather than only focus on Chicago, it expanded to include many countries. As we sought a name that demonstrated our commitment to the inclusivity of Dr. King’s Beloved Community, the Latin word OMNIA (meaning “all”) came to us. Click here to a video of its unveiling in 2017.

Among those delighted with the choice of that name was one of our treasured advisory Board members at the time, Dr. Martin Marty. After that unveiling, Dr. Marty went home, and the first thing he did, he said, was to open his Latin Vulgate Bible and do a word search. He wrote to me his musings on the several bible verses in which the word “omnia” occurs. Out of all these, one clearly stands out, he wrote, which he recommended that we use as a charter: omnia enim vestra sunt, “All belong to you, you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God” (1 Corinthians 3:22,23). “All belong to you,” he said, “claim it!”

Perhaps it is our way of claiming “All” but immediately after that, we decided that our commitment to Beloved Community requires us to go to those places in the world where community is most fragile. Our expertise and experiences in interfaith relations and our global relationships allowed us to explore this widely. It took us first to Northeastern Nigeria where we sought to equip religious leaders and people of faith to counter religious extremism and religion-based oppression, domination and violence. Click here for a video on our work in Nigeria.

Decades-long animosity between Muslims and Christians in Northeastern Nigeria created conditions for the rising of the terrorist group Boko Haram. Even though the entire region, including Muslims, suffered from Boko Haram’s brutality, since Christians were their primary target, Boko Haram gained sympathy from many in the large Muslim population. This, and other social conditions made it possible for them to recruit young people more easily for their dastardly cause. Military options proved futile since Boko Haram operatives were embedded within local communities. OMNIA introduced an alternative strategy, developing the conditions necessary for a cultural shift to occur, that reduces people’s tolerance of extremism and increases their affirmation of pluralism.

OMNIA has convened a few thousand Muslims and Christians, some of the toughest, most courageous, women and men, and organized them into Interfaith Peacemaker Teams (IP Teams). They come together, not because of some obligation, but because they are outraged by their suffering. OMNIA trains them to collaborate with each other across religious differences, listen to those in the margins, build power, and act strategically. They learn to have a clear-eyed and hard-nosed evaluation of the power they have, to cut (like a thin slice of a large cake) an issue that is urgent, relevant and winnable. Each small victory leads to larger victories and eventually to a peace-movement. Disciplined peacemakers, they exemplify what it means to be Beloved Community today.

In Gombe State, two women, a Muslim and a Christian had a one-on-one conversation and decided that they would get other women in their village to do the same. Three months later, 11 pairs of women came to see me. I encouraged them to continue their one-on-one conversations. Ten months later, 120 women crowded into a room to plan their next steps. In four months, Nigeria would hold a general election and that invariably meant that there would be election violence. The women decided that there will be no election violence in a village. They held a community feast, and 2000 women turned up. All of them made a commitment that day that they would put pressure on their husbands and sons from engaging in election violence. If they didn’t, “we will strike,” they said. There was no election related violence in that village.

Public admiration for what these women achieved was remarkable. That Muslim and Christian women came together to make it happen was astonishing. But it is precisely that kind of action that produces cultural shifts that reduces people’s tolerance for extremism, making it more difficult for Boko Haram to recruit from their communities.

From Nigeria to Uganda, from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh, in just five years OMNIA has built 181 IP Teams in these countries. We also have three Teams that meet virtually, on Zoom, addressing systemic racism, patriarchy and climate change. There are many inspiring stories that we can tell. Please click here for a Compilation of IP Team Stories, documents about OMNIA’s organizational information, and links to several recent articles published in Nigeria’s major newspapers. Today’s Beloved Community is interfaith, global and contextual. This is what Dr. Mary Nelson and the founders of SCUPE had in mind about how to build Dr. King’s beloved community. OMNIA continues that struggle.

Here’s the good news! You too can participate. Since the pandemic began, we have started to do our trainings online. The next cohort begins on Saturday, February 19^th. There will be seven 90 minute-long sessions on a day of the week that the group agrees to meet on. Your requirements are that you have a passion for justice and peace, that you attend all the sessions and you agree to participate in a virtual or local IP Team or help build one. If you would like to participate, please email me or sign up on our website.

Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana is president of OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership. he has also served as the director of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation at the World Council of Churches and Associate General Secretary for Interfaith Relations at the National Council of Churches, USA. He can be reached at shanta@omnialeadership.org

Me, the Expert?

by Sandra Roper, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow

I feel like I often fall into the trap of seeing and hearing about different issues in our world through news or social media, but not quite knowing how to engage in a meaningful way. When a local non-profit that I support posted on social media asking people to contact their legislators in support of a bill, I realized that “Hey! That’s something I know how to do!” This call to action came shortly after I virtually attended the Days for All Peoples event through the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), an ELCA-affiliated state public policy office (sppo). Over 300 people gathered to advocate on VICPP’s 2022 priorities, but it was one of the opening plenaries that really prepped me to confidently reach out to my own representatives.

Insights from a Delegate

Former Virginia Delegate Lashresce Aird spoke at the opening plenary on Wednesday morning, sharing the importance of advocacy from the delegate’s perspective. She shared a few tips on what makes impactful advocacy. The three main things she shared were to share personal stories, to not be afraid of being the expert, and to focus on building relationships with delegates.

Share personal stories: Former delegate Aird shared a story of her own. When she was a delegate, she met a constituent at a conference who shared their personal story and connection to an issue. Months later when there was a vote on a piece of legislation related to it, Aird said she remembered that story vividly, and it helped inform her vote. Sharing a personal story helps delegates connect an issue to their constituents’ lives, needs, and well-being.

Be the expert: No one can be an expert in everything, and legislators are no exception. Former delegate Aird said not to be afraid to make yourself an expert in an issue when you talk to legislators. Know how your delegate has voted in the past on related issues, so you know if you are asking them either to continue that trend or to change their vote. Know the statistics and facts surrounding your issue and share them with your delegate when you meet. Make yourself a source of reliable information on the subject. That way, as you continue to build a relationship with your delegate, you can be a trusted voice on the issue.

Build relationships: The best interactions are the ones that are not one-and-done. Former delegate Aird suggests building relationships with delegates during legislative breaks*, so that when pieces of legislation come up during a session that you want to advocate on, there is a history of conversation and a relationship to build off. It is important to follow up on these conversations, thanking legislators for their time and engagement, even if they don’t vote the way you would like, so that you can continue using this relationship to advocate on the issues that are important to you.

Putting It Into Practice

Because of former delegate Aird’s advice, I felt confident that my voice could be heard and listened to, that by reaching out to my representative and having continued conversation, I could help make a difference. Because I am not a Virginia resident, I chose not to sit in on the actual meetings with delegates that took place over zoom that week. However, these tips imparted by former delegate Aird have been helpful as I craft letters to my own state legislators in Massachusetts around issues that I am passionate about.

More Information

ELCA advocacy resources “In district meetings with your Representative” and “Virtual Visits” offer additional tips and guidance if you plan to reach out to your representatives on a state or federal level. Interested in state level advocacy? Use this map to see if there is an ELCA-affiliated SPPO in your state and go to their website to see how you can be involved.
*August Recess is one such opportunity with federal lawmakers. Find more information in the ELCA advocacy guide, which is supplemented annually with timely issue suggestions.

Journey of Justice and Joy: Lessons Learned From the Arch

By Kristen Opalinski

The first time I met Archbishop Desmond Tutu was in the lead up to COP 17, the United Nations climate change conference (the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties). The conference took place in Durban, South Africa, November 28 – December 9, 2011. I was in my second year serving as the communications officer for the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa and I attended the conference on behalf of The Lutheran World Federation’s regional office. I was part of an interfaith delegation that was finalizing the first Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change in order to present it to United Nations leadership. Faith leaders from across the globe had gathered and united for one goal – to advocate on behalf of all people, for the protection of resources, and to ensure a healthy and equitable future for our planet and all its inhabitants.

The day before the meetings were to begin, we were gathered with hundreds of people at a pre-conference rally. Various people took the stage throughout the afternoon to build morale and encourage those in attendance to dig down deep for what would be a difficult two weeks of deliberation. Just as the afternoon was drawing to a close, one final speaker remained. It was Archbishop Tutu, or simply the Arch as he was affectionately known in his native South Africa. He stepped up to the podium with a warm smile, a smile that quickly turned into a steely gaze. “Do not remain quiet!” he implored, “Do not waste a single moment. This is a critical moment in human history, one that requires each and every one of you, of us, to be fully engaged – the clock is at zero!” The crowd fell silent, we were hanging on his every word as he pressed on. He condemned the sins that brought us to this point, the greed and hyper consumerism that led us to this moment. He didn’t paint any rosy pictures that day or offer any jovial laughs for which he was well known. Instead, he used the moment to shower us with the unvarnished truth of the fight that laid before us.

My first encounter with Archbishop Tutu was with Tutu the rabble rouser, the man who decades earlier led marches through the streets of South African cities with calls for justice in the face of the apartheid machine and emerged as the nation’s moral compass. He would become a moral compass for the world in the years that followed and on that afternoon in late November 2011, I learned my first lesson from the Arch – Do not remain quiet, do not waste a single moment.

A photo I took of Archbishop Tutu at the COP17 rally in 2011

Our role as faith leaders at COP17 was to provide a moral framing for the conversations and to remind the negotiators that they represented people and the environment, not just government interests. Tutu helped us build a foundation to stand upon in the following weeks, enabling us to deliver a unified declaration to UN leadership, to lead a civil society march through the streets of Durban, to push back against corporate powers who threatened to derail establishing the framework for the Green Climate Fund. I knew I was in the midst of a transformative figure and enveloped in a historic moment. But this was just one of the many moments Tutu helped to transform, one of the many battles he was waging on behalf of the vulnerable and oppressed. His entire life was centered upon a life of advocacy and action on behalf of those in need because that is what Christ calls us into. That was the second lesson I learned from the Arch – Strive to live out Christ’s love in action in all you do.

After our time together in Durban our paths would cross a few more times before I left South Africa in 2014. Over the course of three years, I learned more from Tutu the rabble rouser, but also from Tutu the thoughtful theologian, Tutu the agitating conversationalist, and Tutu the humble host. There were many layers to him and many lessons to learn from each aspect of his personhood.

A few months after our first meeting in Durban I was in Cape Town for a conference and decided to stop by St. George’s Cathedral, where Tutu had served as the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996. The morning of my visit Tutu was leading a Eucharist service, as he often did. His face immediately lit up when he saw me and after the service, he invited me to join him for breakfast along with a group who was visiting from New York. What followed was a lively conversation about the role of church in the public sphere. He urged us to reclaim faith-based public witness as Americans, to lean into the margins in order to help lead our society away from the individualism that was plaguing us. He urged us to publicly embrace the gospel, namely the Sermon on the Mount, so that society would look to us and see that we were created for interdependence, that there is hope in the midst of all we face if we face it together. That day I learned my third lesson from the Arch – Embrace the gospel in such a public way, so that others might see that hope is alive when we embrace each other’s humanity.

The next time I was in Cape Town my family was visiting from the US. My father and I went to St. George’s for the Friday morning Eucharist, which Tutu was again leading. After the service I introduced him to my father and they were thrilled to meet each other. He told us we should get a photo together. I remember my father and I standing on either side him. He looked at me with a scowl and said, “What are you doing? You must be in the middle my dear, you are the rose between these two old thorns.” We all laughed as the photo was snapped. Afterwards, Tutu invited us to breakfast. He arrived at the café below St. George’s wearing a shirt that read “This is What Old Looks Like” – a perfect reflection of his humorous, joy-filled disposition. Many jokes were shared that morning and I learned my fourth lesson from the Arch – Laugh often, live a joy-filled life, and don’t take yourself too seriously.

A rose between two old thorns

My final in-person encounter with the Arch came in late 2013, just months before my return to the United States. Again, I was in Cape Town for a conference and decided to stop by St. George’s. Tutu was there, and immediately invited me to join him for what would be our last breakfast together. This time though it was just he and I, and plate of delicious pumpkin fritters. What unfolded in that final conversation felt like a culmination of the previous three years of lessons. He asked me about my work, my family, and what brought me joy. We dove deep into theological musings, about incarnational theology and Ubuntu theology. It was as if we covered everything and yet only scratched the surface. I did not know that it would be my last time with the Arch, but the lessons he shared with me that day will last a lifetime. He reminded me to never loose sight of how I am connected to every other person on earth, every other living thing, that we are all part of God’s tapestry. That my thread in that tapestry is as important, but not more important, than every other thread. His parting words to me will forever be engrained in my mind, “Stay well my dear and keep getting into trouble, the kind of trouble that changes the world.” That was the final lesson I learned from the Arch.

A photo from our final breakfast together in 2013

In the early morning hours of December 26^th, 2021, text messages poured in from friends in South Africa letting me know that the Arch had passed. I was flooded with emotions – sorrow at the realization that the world had lost one of its great lights paired with gratitude that God had gifted us with his light for over 90 years. Tutu represented the very best of our humanity. He was a staunch advocate for equitable justice, the kind of justice that doesn’t simply seek to right the wrongs of our society, but to do so by digging deep into the nature of our wounds, of our sin, in order to reveal the many truths that connect us. Tutu understood that any path forward must be rooted in our humanity. From HIV and AIDS advocacy, to standing up for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, and being a global voice for the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli occupation – Tutu knew that we were made for goodness, but that peace and reconciliation are ongoing journeys, not finite destinations.

It was an honor to have had the opportunity to spend time with him, to learn from him, to receive the Eucharist from him, and to break bread with him. Our conversations were always lively, passionate affairs from which I emerged feeling like I could truly transform the world. He had an indescribable presence about him, the kind of presence that gave you a glimpse of God’s inbreaking kingdom and audacious humor in a singular moment. I will cherish the lessons I learned from the Arch, but more importantly, I will find ways to share them so that they may be carried forward and cultivated by others.

I invite you to learn your own lessons from the Arch by reading his books, including No Future Without Forgiveness, God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time, and God is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations. A full list can be found on his Goodreads page. Additionally, there are a few excellent biographies on Tutu, including John Allen’s Rabble-Rouser for Peace and Michael Battle’s Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor.

You’re invited to celebrate Tutu’s legacy this month by hosting a free screening of the film Mission: JOY, a new documentary that follows the friendship of Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama. Register between now and February 28^th to host your screening at your congregation or through a digital gathering. This opportunity is being graciously provided by Roco Films and the film’s producers, through an invitation from The Episcopal Church.

Kristen Opalinski serves as manager for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations for the ELCA.