By Abigail Raghunath [About the author]

Origins of the Declaration of Human Rights

In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations began to take shape, grounded in a vision of peace, dignity and shared responsibility. Its foundational document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was not just a promise; it was a global commitment that human rights are universal and must be protected.

While the declaration was drafted by representatives from across the globe, it holds a special connection to the Lutheran community. The Rev. O. Frederick Nolde, a professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, participated in the drafting through his work with the World Council of Churches. In collaboration with Eleanor Roosevelt, he helped shape Article 18, affirming the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Given this history, it serves as a reminder to not only Lutherans but to Christians more broadly that advocating for justice and human dignity is part of our moral duty.

 

Experience in 2026 at CSW70

Each year, at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), UN entities, civil society organizations and Member States come together to assess both the progress made and the gaps that remain in advancing gender equality. These discussions are guided by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the 23rd special session of the General Assembly (Beijing+5), and they continue to address emerging issues affecting women and girls worldwide.

In 2026, CSW70 looked quite different from previous sessions. Visa restrictions affecting participants from over 70 countries, disagreements over key terminology and rising geopolitical polarization all shaped the experience. In response, there was a stronger emphasis on virtual participation to ensure that voices unable to be physically present were still heard.

At the same time, conversations around issues such as armed conflict, sexual and reproductive health care and migration required thoughtful and careful engagement.

Despite these challenges, CSW70 ended on a hopeful note, with the adoption of agreed conclusions that renewed the global commitment to ensuring that all women and girls have access to justice.

 

Religion and Human Rights

Human rights are often framed as secular and sometimes even in tension with religion; but we know that this narrative falls short. The call to love our neighbor, to treat others with dignity and to stand against injustice is deeply rooted in scripture.

Today, churches and other faith-based organizations work tirelessly to advocate for human dignity, provide humanitarian aid and protect vulnerable communities. Churches like ours hold a unique role because we are trusted within our communities and carry a moral responsibility to speak out for what is right.

Within spaces like CSW and the United Nations, the Lutheran delegation shows up not just as another civil society organization, but particularly as a faith-based voice that reflects the values of the Christian tradition. That voice is demonstrating how our faith calls us to stand with and protect others.

 

Seeking Justice Together

At CSW70, we saw this in action. Through interfaith dialogue, ecumenical women’s engagement and youth participation, we were able to advocate for greater access to justice for women and girls. Together, we are stronger; and together, we continue the call to seek justice and serve others.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abigail (“Abby”) Raghunath is an ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow placed with the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), the Lutheran representation to the United Nations. Raghunath is a native New Yorker. She recently earned a master’s degree in International Security, Conflict Resolution, and Gender Public Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where her research focused on the impacts of climate and conflict on civilians. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from City College of New York. Earlier this year, Raghunath interned with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, contributing to advocacy on women’s participation in defense and security reform.

Prepare 

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11 marks the beginning of Holy Week. The scene feels celebratory, but it’s actually layered with tension. Jesus enters the city not on a war horse nor in a display of political power, but on a donkey. In doing so, he fulfills the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. This signals a different kind of kingship: one rooted in humility and solidarity with ordinary people. 

As Jesus enters, the crowds respond with enthusiasm. They spread cloaks on the road, wave branches, and shout “Hosanna,” which means “save us.” This is both praise and protest, a cry for deliverance. Many in the crowds likely expected Jesus to overthrow Roman rule and restore political power to Israel. Their understanding of “salvation” was shaped by their lived oppression. 

Yet, the kind of salvation Jesus brings does not align with their expectations. His path doesn’t lead to a throne of dominance, but to the cross; and the same crowds that shout “Hosanna” will, within days, fall silent or turn away. 

This passage invites us to consider how we recognize, or fail to recognize, God at work. It challenges assumptions about power, leadership, and what it means to be saved. It also raises an important question for today: What kind of change are we hoping for, and are we open to it if it looks different than we imagined? 

Opening Exercise 

Watch this video about a community organization in Minneapolis called Singing Resistance. 

As you watch, pay attention to what you hear in their voices. 

• What are they carrying? 
• What are they hoping for?

After the video, ask: 

• What emotions did you notice? 
• What do you think they are longing for or crying out for? 
• Where do you hear something like “Hosanna” in this?

Transition to the text: In Matthew 21, the crowd is also crying out, but the word they use is ‘Hosanna,’ literally: save us. 

Text Read Aloud 

Matthew 21:1–11 

Hosanna: When Salvation Looks Different

It looks like a parade. 

There’s movement, noise, energy. People are lining the road, waving branches, shouting. Cloaks are thrown down like a makeshift red carpet. The crowd is caught up in the moment. 

“Hosanna!” they cry.
“Save us!” 

This is what hope looks like when it spills out into the street.
But look closer.
Jesus isn’t riding in like the kind of king they know. There’s no armor, no horse, no show of force. He comes on a donkey, easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. 

And still, they cheer.
They cheer because they believe this, this will change everything. 

The crowd has expectations. They are living under occupation. They are tired, burdened, longing for freedom. And here comes Jesus: healer, teacher, miracle-worker. Surely, this is the one who will fix it. Surely, this is the one who will take power, restore order, and make things right. 

But unbeknownst to them, Jesus is not entering Jerusalem to take power. He is entering to give himself away.
That’s the tension of this story. 

The same voices shouting “Hosanna!” are filled with hope. But, it’s a hope shaped by their understanding of how the world works. Power defeats power. Strength overcomes strength. Kings conquer. But Jesus redefines all of it. 

He comes in humility and vulnerability.
He comes in peace. 

And the kind of salvation Jesus brings won’t look like what they imagined. That’s what makes this story so close to us. 

We also carry expectations. We pray for change, for healing, for justice, for things to be made right. And often, we imagine what that should look like. We imagine how God should act, how quickly things should shift, how clearly victory should appear. 

Hosanna: When Salvation Looks Different

But what if God is already moving, and it just doesn’t look like what we expected? 

What if salvation doesn’t come through domination?
What if salvation doesn’t come through force?
What if salvation doesn’t come through winning?
Instead, it breaks in through love that refuses to let go, through relentless presence, or through a commitment to wading through trenches together. 

The crowd saw Jesus.
But they didn’t fully SEE Jesus. 

And maybe that’s where we begin too.
Learning to see again.
Learning to let go of the version of God we’ve constructed.
Learning to recognize that sometimes the most powerful thing God does… is easy to overlook. 

Hosanna still means “save us.”
The question is: are we ready for the kind of saving that actually comes? 

Reflection Questions 

1. What stands out to you about how Jesus enters Jerusalem in this story? What are the people doing, and how are they responding? 
2. Why do you think the crowd expected something different from Jesus? What does this tell us about how people understand power or leadership?
3. What does Jesus’ choice to ride a donkey (instead of a horse) say about the kind of king he is? 
4. Where in your life might you be expecting God to act in a certain way? What would it look like to be open to something different?

Closing Activity 

Hand out a small piece of paper to each person and invite them to write one word or short phrase they would shout “Hosanna” about. What do they need saving from or for right now? 

When they’re ready, invite them to fold their paper, holding their words with care and privacy, and place it on an altar or in another shared sacred space. 

From there, you have a couple of options depending on the trust and comfort level of your group. You may choose to read some of the prayers aloud, being mindful to protect what feels tender or personal. After each one, the group can respond together: “God, hear our cry.” 

Or, if it feels more appropriate, you can offer a few collective petitions shaped by what surfaced in your conversation, again inviting the group to respond: “God, hear our cry.” 

Final Prayer

Jesus,
you come to us in ways we don’t always expect.
You meet us in humility and presence.
Help us to see you clearly.
Help us to let go of what we think salvation should look like.
And open us to the kind of love that changes everything.
Hosanna.
Save us.
Amen. 

Bio of Author 

Emily Harkins is the Lead Pastor and Founding Developer of The Dwelling in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a community rooted in belonging, dignity, and shared life alongside neighbors experiencing homelessness. She is passionate about justice, advocacy, and building spaces where people are fully seen and known. Emily is a Colorado native turned Southern Belle who loves Diet Coke, good stationery, and using “y’all” as often as possible.

It seemed fitting to meet Floricel on International Women’s Day. She is a mother, community organizer, and beloved community member. Floricel Liborio is an indigenous woman from Guerrero, Mexico. At the age of 18, she arrived in San Jose, California and has since built a family and life that includes compassionately supporting her community. Unfortunately, due to more ICE check ins resulting in disappearances of our immigrant community members and sometimes even citizens, Floricel has decided to prepare for the worst and vows to never go silently or alone.

Including Lutheran Pastor Nelson, who accompanied her to her most recent meeting that she had at the Ice Office with her lawyer, who feared the worst. However, Florical said that even some of the ICE agents were moved by her supporters and the LOVE that was experienced. That is the only thing that is stronger than the current fear being spread and multiplied, is to Love you neighbor, your friend, your community member and don’t let them be disappeared by ICE, don’t let them go hungry, through one another and Christ we may have life and have it abundantly.

At church on International Women’s Day, Floricel addressed the congregation, Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina, letting us know how she was moved by the hungry families with children from her quadrillo who were asking for more bread but there was nothing left. So moved she called Pastor Nelson to see if there was anything they could do to help. Thanks to an ELCA World Hunger Grant to Santa Maria, Pr. Nelson was able to step up to distribute grocery store gift cards to households working directly in the fields, growing and harvesting. Thanks to his 8 year long relationship building trust with Floricel, she was able to coordinate along with the foreman of the quadrillo distribution of the grocery cards. The congregation she recounted this story to were mostly women, and in the reading that day highlighting an unnamed Samaritan woman, who Pastor Nelson shared a history lesson about.  Instead of solely viewing the unnamed woman as a result of the historic and even present patriarchy and the sexism that come with that, Pastor Nelson encouraged every woman to see themselves in this Samaritan woman who engaged directly with Jesus. This reclamation was powerful for the woman and girls of every age in attendance. This Women’s Month, we celebrate all the women from the Samaritan woman at the well with Jesus to Floricel ensuring her cuadrillo and others are fed, thank you for all that you do to ensure a just world for all!

Family, friends, clergy from many faiths all come with her to her check-ins and stand outside the Stockton Ice Office in support of Floricel.

By: Roselle Tenorio, Program Manager ELCA World Hunger – Domestic

Today’s post comes from ELCA Disability Ministries advisory team member, Anita Smallin. 

I have had the honor of attending the Extravaganza as a participant and as a workshop leader over the course of my career. The E (as it gets called) feels like a family reunion of sorts. Whenever I go to the E, I know I’m in a room of people who understand what life in ministry is like.

The Disability Ministries team was present at the event in two ways. We had a display table where we were available to have conversations with youth leaders. We heard about the needs of congregations, the frustrations of attitudes and cultures of congregations, and the joys and successes of congregations and ministries back home.

We also led a workshop: Breaking Down Accessibility: Moving from Inclusion to Belonging. We asked some big questions, including: What does it mean to be not just present, but included? “That seems to be a primary thing religious communities can do: create spaces where people can learn to care for one another, even if people are quite different, in some respects, from yourself. And it’s not just for people with disabilities…. It’s for all of us; we need to be missed.” (Theologian John Swinton)

We had conversations around physical environment and inclusive programming. We talked about travel to the youth gathering, service-learning trips, and camps for our friends with disabilities. Lastly, we provided resources for workshop attendees. These resources included physical things to have on hand, everything from accessible crayons and sports balls to articles and helpful guidelines for further research and empowerment.

The most important things that happened at the Extravaganza were the connections made and conversations had. We met so many leaders around the country who are doing great work. We got to hear the joys and successes, and we heard the frustrations too. We also heard about things that would make ministry easier back home. We as a team take that information and use that as a guide to figure out what resources would be helpful and what we need to develop.

I always come back from the E feeling revitalized for the important work of disability ministry. I love meeting all our partners in ministry and hearing about the great work that we are all doing.  Thank you for being a part of our cloud of witnesses!

 

By Jeffery Jordan II, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow (2025-26 cycle)

The experience felt both deeply personal and globally significant while at the United Nations Headquarters for the recently-concluded 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). CSW70 gathered advocates, policymakers, attorneys, faith leaders and young people from around the world, all committed to advancing justice for women and girls. Walking into those spaces each day, I was reminded that justice is not just an idea we debate, it is something we build together, across cultures, languages and lived experiences.

 

Meaningful Touchpoints

One of the most meaningful moments for me was serving as a panelist during the Ecumenical Women CSW orientation. In that space, we welcomed new advocates into the movement, grounding them in both the purpose of CSW and the role faith communities play in advancing gender justice. I shared reflections on how faith traditions can be powerful tools for dignity, equity and liberation when they are rooted in compassion and accountability. It was inspiring to see so many individuals ready to engage not only with policy, but with the moral call to ensure that women and girls are seen, heard and protected.

Later in the week, I had the honor of being a panelist for “Youth in Faith Want Justice,” a conversation that centered the voices of young people who are actively shaping what justice looks like today. In that discussion, we explored how youth are reimagining systems that have historically excluded or harmed women and girls. We spoke about the urgency of addressing issues like gender-based violence, economic inequality and access to education, but also about the hope that comes from a generation unwilling to accept injustice as the status quo. For me, it was a powerful reminder that young advocates are not just the future, they are the present.

Another deeply meaningful moment was leading an African libation during morning worship. That act of honoring ancestors, grounding ourselves in history, and recognizing the spiritual dimensions of justice brought a different kind of depth to the week. In a space often focused on policy language and negotiations, the libation created room for reflection, connection, and reverence. It reminded us that the fight for justice for women and girls is not only political, but also spiritual, rooted in resilience and collective care.

 

Justice as Lived Reality

Throughout CSW70, the theme of justice for women and girls echoed in every session, conversation and gathering. But what stood out most to me was how justice was being defined as not just legal equality, but as lived reality. Justice means access to housing, healthcare, education and safety. It means building systems that affirm dignity rather than deny it.

As I left the United Nations at the end of the week, I carried with me a renewed sense of purpose. It was about being part of a movement. That movement is one that continues long after a CSW ends, calling each of us to act, to advocate and to believe that a more just world for women and girls is not only possible, but necessary, and men can support that change.

Greetings Hunger Leaders,

Below you will find ELCA World Hunger resource suggestions for the 2026 season of ELCA Synod Assemblies and congregational engagement! Please feel free to order printed copies or create a QR code with these resources for download.  Please read to the end; there are many valuable resources here!

Lifelines

o   For the World Hunger annual report please see the 2025 Fall Lifelines issue, now available for download, as a PDF and interactive flipbook, and also available for order as a physical copy. 2026 Spring Lifelines should also be available by April.

Print/Digital Resources

Feeding Ministries Guide

o  If you are interested in starting a feeding ministry, this guide provides tips and strategies for planning, sourcing food, engaging volunteers, and much more. If you’re part of an existing feeding ministry, you’ll find ideas for growing, expanding or reimagining the work you’re already doing.

Backpack Buddies Guide

o  This helpful guide contains tips for starting a backpack hunger relief program in your community. It was developed in partnership with ELCA congregations already engaged in backpack buddy programs across the country. Approaching your local elementary schools is also an effective way to begin identifying specific needs in your community.

Know Your Neighborhood: Worksheet and Guide

o   This guide provides suggestions for finding data related to several areas that impact food security: housing, employment and food access. Data can help you and others know more about the challenges our neighbors face and the assets available in a community.

“At the Table” Vacation Bible

o  “At the Table” is ELCA World Hunger’s 2025 VBS curriculum, inviting your community to learn how storytelling can make a difference in your neighborhood and the world.

“En la Mesa”/”At the Table” Bilingual English/Spanish VBS

o   For the first time ever, ELCA World Hunger has a bilingual VBS. Designed to be either a traditional VBS or an intergenerational program, each day offers large- and small-group activities, crafts, games, snacks and more.

Act 2 Day 4 Tomorrow

o  This overnight program brings youth together to learn about the role they can play in eradicating hunger and poverty in the world.

Generation Zero-Hunger Interactive Journey Guide

o   With your youth group or congregation, experience the challenges faced by a family in Nepal as they seek a sustainable livelihood with this interactive roleplaying guide. The setup is based on how ELCA World Hunger designed the track for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering. For an intergenerational activity, consider asking a group of youth and young adults to run this experience for your community.

Many other resources can be downloaded here.

Videos

“Intersections: Justice Ministries with ELCA Partners” — an ELCA World Hunger Documentary

o   “Intersections” was created to introduce the ELCA and its communities to the overlapping causes of hunger. Using the M.E.R.G.E. (Migrant, Economic, Racial, Gender, and Environmental) justice acronym as an illustration, the film follows the stories of three ELCA companion ministries and explores how the church is working at poverty’s tangled roots.

o   Consider playing this video at your table or running a discussion session at your synod assembly based off the documentary. If you are interested in putting on running a discussion around the film, and have any questions, please contact Peter McLellan at peter.mclellan@elca.org.

• “We live in a hungry world” w/ Bishop Michael Rinehart
• “ELCA World Hunger in Puerto Rico” w/ Everidys Concepción

Online Course: “What is a Hunger Leader?”

• https://bit.ly/hungerleader— This 20-25-minute online learning resource introduces prospective, new, and longtime advocates to ELCA World Hunger’s ministries and invites them to join us. Through brief reflections and videos, this tool helps people in your network see themselves in the work of ending poverty. Share “What Is a Hunger Leader?” with your neighbors of any level of familiarity with anti-hunger ministry!
• Print the attached flyer to display at your synod assembly tables.

How to Order Printed Resources

• See attached flyer for how to order!

How to Create a QR Code

• Click here for a YouTube tutorial on how to create a QR code using Google Chrome web browser or Canva.

Please send us photos of your synod assembly table displays!

Thank you, and have a wonderful time at your assembly and engaging your congregations!

Prepare

In Ezekiel 36The prophet Ezekiel stands in a valley filled with dry bones. Not just bones—very dry bones. The scene feels final. Hopeless. Beyond repair. Then God asks a startling question: “Mortal, can these bones live?”

In John 11, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. The community has accepted the ending. Grief has settled in. When Jesus arrives, he does not immediately fix the situation. First, he weeps. Then he calls Lazarus out of the tomb.

Both stories begin with what seems irreversible. Death. Loss. Finality. But God’s Spirit moves where life seems impossible.

Romans 8 reminds us that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is still at work. Resurrection is not only something we wait for someday. It is something God is doing even now—bringing life where the world expects only death.

When violence fills the news and war dominates the headlines, it can feel like we are standing in a valley of dry bones. God’s question to Ezekiel is still worth asking today: Can these bones live?

Opening Exercise

In the past week, have you seen or heard news about war or conflict somewhere in the world?

• Where did you hear about it? (News, social media, school conversations, family discussions.)
• How did it make you feel: confused? sad? angry? powerless?
• Where have you seen someone choose peace instead of conflict?
  • It might be something small—a friend standing up for someone being bullied, someone apologizing after an argument, or people from different backgrounds working together.

Transition to the texts: In today’s readings, God brings life to dry bones and calls someone out of a tomb. These stories remind us that even when the world feels broken, new life is still possible.

Text Read Aloud

Appoint one person per reading.

• Ezekiel 37:1–5, 9–10
• Romans 8:10–11
• John 11:32–35, 38–44

Can These Bones Live?

In Ezekiel’s vision, God asks a haunting question while standing in a valley of dry bones: “Mortal, can

these bones live?” It is a question that echoes whenever the world feels overwhelmed by violence.

Recent news about war in Iran has raised fear and concern across the globe. Images of conflict spread quickly through television and social media. For many of us—young, old, and somewhere in the middle—these stories can feel overwhelming. When the world seems filled with violence, it is natural to wonder: Where does peace fit into all of this?

The Christian story speaks directly into that question.

In Ezekiel’s vision, the bones represent a people who believe their future is gone. Yet God breathes life into what appears lifeless. Bones gather. Breath enters. A community stands again.

The same pattern appears in John 11. Lazarus has died. Grief fills the air. Jesus does not deny the pain—he weeps. But the story does not end there. Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Life returns where death seemed certain.

Peace often begins in moments like this—when people refuse to believe that violence or division must have the final word. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” (See transcription of that sermon, here.)

In a recent statement responding to the war in Iran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry urged Christians to pray for those suffering and to continue seeking a just peace that protects human life and dignity. (Click here to read Bp. Curry’s statement. Also see the ELCA’s Social Statement on Peace here.)

For followers of Jesus, peace is not passive. It is the courageous work of building relationships, pursuing justice, and refusing to let fear define how we see one another. Sometimes that work begins with friendship.

Ezekiel 37 dry bones meaning

When I served as a pastor in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, I became friends with members of the Murfreesboro Muslim Youth. I also developed a close friendship with the imam of the local mosque, Imam Ossama Bahloul. These relationships opened my eyes to the depth of Muslim faith, helping me see my Muslim neighbors not as strangers, but as faithful contributors to our community. These friendships changed the way I saw my neighbors and deepened my understanding of how faith can bring people together for the good of a community.

In a world that often feels like a valley of dry bones, friendship can be one way God begins to breathe life again.

Together, we shared meals, gathered for picnics in the park, and worked side by side to feed first responders on Thanksgiving Day. When tensions rose in our community, we stood together in peaceful demonstrations: speaking out against travel bans and resisting efforts by white supremacist groups to recruit followers in our town. Through these experiences, I discovered that peace often begins with small, courageous steps: listening, learning, and refusing to treat others as enemies.

Romans 8 reminds us that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives within us. That means resurrection is not only a future promise. It is a present calling.

When young people build friendships across differences, speak up for justice, and treat others with compassion, they participate in God’s work of breathing life into places that feel divided or broken.

Ezekiel 37 dry bones meaning

The valley of dry bones may still surround us. But God’s Spirit is still breathing life into the world—often through ordinary people who choose the work of peace. The question God asked Ezekiel still echoes today: Can these bones live? And how might God’s Spirit breathe life through us?

Reflection Questions

• Why do you think Jesus weeps before raising Lazarus? What does that tell us about how God meets people in suffering?
• Where do you see “dry bones”, places that feel hopeless or broken, in the world today?
• How can building relationships across differences be a form of peacemaking?
• What is one way you could practice peace in your school, friendships, or community this week?

Closing Activity: One Act of Resurrection

Peace can feel like a big idea when we talk about war or global conflict. But peacemaking often begins with small choices.

Ask each participant to think of one situation in their daily life where they could bring peace or justice. Examples might include:

• Welcoming someone who feels excluded
• Standing up when someone is mocked or bullied
• Listening to someone with a different background or opinion
• Refusing to spread rumors or hateful comments online
• Learning about another culture or faith tradition

Invite each person to write down one action they will take this week.

Then say:

• In Ezekiel’s vision, God breathes life into dry bones. In John’s Gospel, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Sometimes resurrection begins with a single step toward compassion, courage, or reconciliation.

Ask participants to hold their paper and silently offer that action to God.

Prayer

God of life and hope,

When the world feels filled with conflict, remind us that your Spirit still moves among us. Where there is fear, breathe courage.bWhere there is division, plant understanding. Where there is violence, raise up people who seek peace.

Help us follow Jesus, who wept with the grieving and called new life out of the tomb.

Teach us to build bridges, seek justice, and trust that your Spirit is still breathing life into this world.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Bio

Rev. Michael Jannett serves as the pastor of Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Grayson, Georgia, and has 25 years of experience in youth ministry. Michael is definitely a Disney nerd, an actual nerd (with a Computer Science degree from Georgia Tech), and will eat all of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in your house. He is a husband, father of three, and a lover of football and playing guitar.

Ezekiel 37 dry bones meaning

By Dylan Le [About the author]

I came back from COP30, also known as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in November 2025, with one thought in my head: the world is on fire and we aren’t doing enough to stop it. According to Pew Research Center, “Overall, 69% of Americans say large business and corporations are doing too little to help reduce the effects of global climate change. Six-in-ten also say state elected officials are doing too little on climate.” Inaction from our political and economic leaders has fostered hopelessness, a feeling I constantly encounter while speaking at events.

Yet at the same time, these statistics present a contradiction. Why is it that an overwhelming majority of Americans agree on an issue like climate change, yet often feel powerless to address it? It is not true to say that Americans are politically disengaged—the recent spike in primary election turnout would say otherwise.

However, many Americans feel discombobulated by the complexities of our political system and are unaware of how to become politically involved beyond voting. To be an advocate that serves as “the light of the world” means serving as a beacon of hope and guidance for others.

In my time as an ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow, I’ve found that the light we provide to others can not only inspire hope, but action. Darkness often comes from a lack of information, and in Texas where I work, the darkness that fosters apathy and hopelessness necessitates the same illuminating light.

While I look forward to spending the coming legislative session in Texas fighting for justice, my time during the interim has been spent giving classes, writing articles and researching policy. Those who I encounter during Sunday post-service Lunch N’ Learns and during vigils honoring victims of gun violence are passionate and caring citizens. We should not pretend that advocates alone are the antidote to injustice.

Advocacy at its core means equipping the people with the tools they need to inspire the change they desire. At Texas Impact, we say that we help people live out their faith in the public square, moving the faith community from charity to justice.

While my time at COP30 left me determined by the awareness that we needed to do more, as I walked through the wide and bustling conference halls in Belém, Brazil, sweaty, hot and tired, I felt a tremendous sense of hope. I was surrounded by indigenous protestors, advocates, diplomats and activists from all over the world, all working towards a common goal—justice.

FROM THE EDITOR: Hear from Lutherans who attended the COP30 climate conference in video of the “Voices of Faith in Climate Action: COP30 and Beyond” post-event webinar, posted to the ELCA Advocacy YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dylan Le is serving his ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellowship as Public Policy Fellow with Texas Impact, an ELCA-affiliated state public policy office. Le holds a B.A. in Sociology and a certificate in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin. As a son of a Vietnamese refugee and having specialized in Latin American Studies during his study abroad at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, his work as a Public Policy Fellow is driven by his passion to promote legislation that protects and supports Texas’ diverse communities.

Issue 103 of Administration Matters

Rostered Ministers Gathering 2026

Registration for the 2026 Rostered Ministers Gathering, happening July 6-9 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, is open! All ELCA deacons, pastors, bishops and candidates approved for call are invited to be “Woven Together” in a time of intentional connection, listening and learning from one another in these challenging times. Engage with dynamic preachers, speakers, presenters, and even a theologian-in-residence and artist-in-residence.

Register soon to get the early bird rate (available through March 31). A limited number of scholarships are available to defray registration costs and other expenses — learn more at elca.org/rmg.

Updated 2025 Tax Guides Available Through Portico

Portico Benefit Services offers updated 2025 tax guides designed to support ELCA ministers and congregations during tax season. These annually updated resources address tax topics unique to ministry and church administration:
Clergy Tax Return Preparation Guide by Richard R. Hammar — a comprehensive guide focused on tax considerations specific to ministers.
Federal Reporting Requirements for Churches — a practical overview to help congregations understand federal tax-reporting responsibilities.
Individuals must sign in to their Portico account to access and download the guides via myPortico or the Tax Filing Information tab on EmployerLink.

Common Financial Scams Nonprofits May Face

Nonprofits must carefully steward the funds entrusted to their care. Unfortunately, there are individuals who may try to take advantage of your organization through fraud, and there are a few specific scams of which nonprofit professionals should be aware. >More

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Prepare

Samuel thinks he knows what a king should look like: strong, tall, impressive. Yet, God challenges him on this notion, declaring, “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” This same theme of seeing beyond appearances in John 9 emerges when Jesus heals a man born blind and invites everyone present to reconsider what true sight really means.

What should be a moment of joy becomes a debate. The disciples assume someone must have sinned. The neighbors doubt what they see. The religious leaders question the miracle itself. Everyone believes they understand the situation; however, Jesus suggests they may be the ones who cannot see.

Blindness in this Gospel is not just physical. It is spiritual; certainty that closes off curiosity, and assumption that prevents compassion.

Lent invites us to examine our own vision. Where might we be confident in what we see — yet missing something deeper? What assumptions do we hold that shape how we view others? What would it mean to let Christ reshape the way we see?

Opening Exercise

Tell of a time you formed a quick opinion about someone but later realized you were wrong.

• What changed your perspective?
• Why do we tend to make snap judgments?
• In what ways are people judged by appearance today? (Clothing, social media, background, politics, ability, reputation.)
  • Transition to the text: In today’s Gospel, many people think they see clearly — but Jesus reveals something deeper.

Text Read Aloud

1 Samuel 16:6–7, 11–13;

John 9:1–7, 24–25, 39–41

Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson: Seeing the Whole Story

When news spread of the death of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., people across the country began sharing memories. Political leaders, clergy, activists, and community members reflected on his decades of advocacy and his call to “keep hope alive.” Many lifted up his work for voting rights, economic justice, and human dignity. Others remembered moments of controversy or disagreement. As often happens when a public figure dies, stories surfaced: some celebratory, some critical, many complicated.

Public leaders rarely remain just people. Over time, they become symbols. Headlines reduce long lives into a few defining moments. Social media compresses decades into a sentence or a meme. It becomes easy to see only one angle of a life.

But every human story is more than a headline.

Rev. Jackson was shaped by the Black church and the civil rights movement. He preached before he organized. He marched before he ran for office. His faith fueled his public life. Like any leader who speaks boldly about justice, he experienced both admiration and criticism. His life, like all lives, held courage and imperfection, conviction and growth.

Moments of remembrance invite us to pause and ask: What do we choose to see when we look at someone’s life? Do we focus only on the moment that confirms what we already believe? Do we allow space for complexity? Or do we prefer a simpler version?

–

In John 9, a man’s healing should have been simple good news. Instead, it becomes interrogation. People question the man, his parents, and even Jesus. Everyone seems certain about what they are seeing. Yet, they miss the deeper truth unfolding before them.

The irony is sharp. The man who once could not see begins to recognize who Jesus is. Those who claim spiritual clarity refuse to see at all.

Blindness in this story is not about eyesight. It is about assumption. It is about protecting our version of the story rather than remaining open to transformation.

When we remember leaders like Rev. Jackson, we are invited into that same self-examination. It is easy to reduce a life to a headline or a meme. It is harder to hold a whole story with humility.

In 1 Samuel, we are reminded that “the Lord does not see as mortals see.” God looks deeper — into motives, into wounds, into growth, into the long arc of a life.

To live as “children of light,” as Ephesians says, is not simply to shine. It is to see clearly. It is to allow Christ to challenge our assumptions and widen our vision.

The miracle in John 9 is not only that a man gains sight. The greater invitation is that we might, too.

Reflection Questions

• Who do you identify with most in this story and why?
• In John 9 who do you think is blind? 
• What shapes how you see public figures or leaders? How do media and culture influence your view?
• Where do you see spiritual blindness today?
• What might it look like to see others the way God sees them?
• Where in your life are you asking Christ for clearer vision?

Closing Activity: If God Made the Meme

In the article, we noticed how lives can be reduced to headlines — even memes. Memes are quick and shareable, but they simplify something complex into one image and one caption. Sometimes we do the same thing with people.

For this activity, imagine God creating a meme about you.

• Not your friends.
• Not social media.
• Not your worst day.

God.

If God were the author — looking at your whole story — what would the caption say?
Remember: God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16). God sees the full story, not just a single moment. God sees courage forming, kindness growing, gifts emerging.

Create a simple meme on paper or your phone. Draw a quick image or write a caption.

Examples:

• “Still growing. Still loved.”
• “Braver than you think.”
• “Work in progress. Masterpiece in motion.”
• “Light shining, even on hard days.”
• “Beloved. No filter needed.”

Afterward, invite volunteers to share if they are comfortable. Ask:

• Was it hard or easy to imagine God speaking kindly about you?
• How is God’s view different from the world’s quick judgments?

Prayer

God of light,

You see what we cannot. When we reduce ourselves or others to simple labels, YOU see the whole story. Open our eyes. Clear our vision. Help us see others – and ourselves – through your mercy and truth. Teach us to live as children of your light. Through Jesus, the Light of the world. 

Amen.

Bio

Rev. Michael Jannett serves as pastor of Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Grayson, Georgia. He brings 25 years of experience in youth ministry and faith formation.