CeCee Mills, Greensboro, NC

Warm-up Questions

• What is your greatest motivation?
• What gets you going in the morning or through a challenge?
• What gives you the greatest energy?

Finding Hope

A year ago, we were all adjusting to an interruption. We expected that things would soon go back to normal. None of us imagined the loss of so many big milestones in the lives of students across the country. In-person school went away. Spring break went away. Proms went away. Graduations went away. Sports went away. So much that was a part of everyday life just went away.

The pandemic hit us so fast and so hard, we were initially just waiting for it to go away. But it did not go away. It still has not gone away.

The way we will get through the rest of the pandemic is by looking for the glimpses of hope. I search for evidence of God’s resilience and love. It helps me. Hearing about acts of kindness, seeing God’s creation, noticing small miracles, and marking progress of any kind are beacons of hope and light for me. Sometimes it is a random picture of a puppy or a powerful scripture.  Maybe it’s an inspiring quote or the voice of a friend. I thank God for these daily reminders of God’s wonderful abiding presence.

Discussion Questions

• What new habits have you or your friends began to help deal with life in a pandemic?
• How can you create new habits to help you see God’s presence every day?

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 4:32-35

1 John 1:1—2:2

John 20:19-31

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

In the Gospel reading, we see the new reality the disciples face with Jesus’ absence. They are afraid and in hiding. The life that took them to strange lands with a teacher who performed miracles and spoke with true authority is over. Like us in this pandemic, they hope this scary time will end. The disciples hope that those who killed Jesus are not looking for them anymore. They want to stop feeling anxious everyday and worried about dying. They want their Rabbi back.

Then Jesus comes into their midst and lets them explore his wounds. Jesus relates to his disciples through the evidence of his suffering – it is their confirmation that he is the risen Christ. He breathes on them and gives them a new dose of hope. They do not return to the life they had with Jesus or the life they had before following him – they enter a new season. It is a post-resurrection season where they continue God’s mission without Jesus’ physical presence.

They have to let go of the yearning to go backwards and look at what lies ahead. It must have been amazingly hard to let go. It must have been amazingly wonderful to see Jesus again and witness the signs. It must have felt like confirmation of their call to be disciples. Jesus gives them the hope they need to complete their journey.

Jesus still does that for us. He fully recognizes the likelihood that we will hide our faith if we think it will offend or attract unwanted attention. He knows this and allows us seasons like Lent to focus on the wounds of Christ, so that we understand the cost. Yet that season is followed by the resurrection joy of Easter, which reminds us that by those stripes we were healed for a new day. We journey into the future, fully aware of the shadows, but expecting the illuminating light. We know God knows our questions and doubts. 

Jesus acknowledges the disciples fears as he accommodates Thomas’ need to touch the wound. And God knows your questions and doubts. They do not surprise God because God knows the full story. God knows the hope you need to keep you on your journey.

Discussion Questions

• How does God confirm who God is with you? Is it a song? Or a feeling? Is it by words or images?
• Once you get that confirmation, how can you share that experience with others?
• How can you help others to see how God provides confirmation for them?

Activity Suggestion

Pay attention to how you experience, witness, or feel hope during this pandemic in the next week. Share that hope with two people who are close to you and one who is not so close. Begin to imagine why God keeps you hopeful. How do you see God using you at this time to share the hope of Christ? Create a tangible object or picture that can be a reminder of the hope God provides. Put it in a place that is most helpful for you to see it and be reminded.

Closing Prayer

Dear God, you are so patient with us, even when we have lost patience ourselves. Thank you for abiding with us at all times and giving us hope in you. Help us be aware of the ways you reveal yourself and the ways you are present with us. Help us to share that with others. Amen

An increase in unaccompanied children and asylum-seekers arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico has given rise to claims of a crisis. Individuals, families and children seeking protection are no crisis — the crisis is the circumstances they are fleeing and the moral challenge of safe welcome. To offer hope and hospitality to the sojourner in this season of Easter is to bear witness to the suffering that affects the lives of so many. Through acts of love and service, the ELCA, with its strategy of Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities (AMMPARO), continues to support migrants and advocate for just and compassionate solutions.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE BORDER?

In recent weeks, growing insecurity has driven more families and children to the border. Not that long ago, Central America was hit with back-to-back hurricanes that caused widespread destruction and massive internal displacement. The World Food Programme estimates that nearly 8 million people in Central America are chronically hungry because of climate-driven events compounded by the pandemic. Targeted violence and crime, gender-based violence, corruption and state repression are additional factors forcing people to leave their homes. Unless these deeper issues are addressed, people will continue to migrate.

To put the situation in context: border encounters have been rising for months despite punitive measures put in place to discourage migration at the start of the pandemic. Between April and December 2020, total apprehension of single adults increased, as did those of family units and unaccompanied children, although by smaller margins. It’s still the case that the majority of people are expelled — most under Title 42, a rule invoked by the Trump administration to expel virtually all border arrivals. This policy has disproportionately impacted Black migrants from African and Caribbean countries. Migration also ebbs and flows — shifts that are based on the time of year and season. It is true that the release of unaccompanied children and a portion of families encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border have increased, but the emergency here stems from the practical challenge of moving migrants quickly through an infrastructure that has been decimated over the years and made even worse now by capacity issues due to the pandemic. The Biden administration policy is to accept unaccompanied children under age 18, which is how so many children have entered the care of the government while they wait to be reunited with their parents or a sponsor. Shelters have struggled to keep up with the new arrivals.

No event or escalation of need warrants calling migrants a crisis. Neither is scapegoating migrants an acceptable message. No significant rise in the spread of COVID-19 has been attributed to recent arrivals.

HOW CAN THE SITUATION IMPROVE?

The United States can protect people seeking safety and also safeguard public health. Rebuilding capacity to humanely welcome and process asylum-seekers and unaccompanied children will take time. With time and resources, the pressure should gradually improve, but long-lasting solutions are also needed to address the root causes of migration as well as the impractical aspects of the U.S. immigration system that hamper family reunification and access to asylum. More unaccompanied children arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in February 2020 than in any other February on record. (The highest number ever recorded was in May 2019). In the last few years, and especially during the pandemic, the systems of protection available to vulnerable migrants such as children have eroded badly. Any moral path forward must envision a system that humanely welcomes and processes asylum-seekers and unaccompanied children.

HOW IS THE ELCA RESPONDING?

Our congregations and companions are already responding to the needs of families and children after they have crossed the Mexican border into the United States and been released by border authorities. Churches and synods participating in the ELCA’s AMMPARO strategy work to address the critical needs of recently arrived children and families alongside direct-service providers, immigrant organizations and other secular and interfaith partners. This is a whole-church, whole-society mobilization of resources, compassion and expertise to ensure that migrants are treated humanely and granted amparo — refuge.

This witness is complemented by ELCA advocacy efforts that center on protecting the right to seek asylum and apply for refugee status in the face of unprecedented global need. Dubious policies enacted to restrict immigration to the United States conflict with its domestic and international obligations. Any obstacle to a person lawfully seeking protection must be reconsidered. The ELCA advocates for laws that vigorously protect unaccompanied children and families, asylum-seekers and refugees.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

This toolkit from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) summarizes recent actions and events that people of faith can learn about and join to help respond to the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. You can stay informed by visiting the AMMPARO Facebook page, where developments at the border are closely monitored by AMMPARO. Building awareness of the plight of migrants, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, disabled, women or unaccompanied children, can counter the stigmatization and discrimination that permeate the public consciousness.

The ELCA social statement For Peace in God’s World (1995) states: “Faith in the crucified and risen Lord strengthens us to persist even when God seems absent in a violent and unjust world, and when weariness and hopelessness threaten to overwhelm us.” We pray that God’s grace and everlasting love will wash over the weary migrant and give us the guidance and wisdom to restore hope at the border.

Steve Peterson, Moorhead, MN

Warm-up Question

Have you ever been so fired up about something you were doing that you lost all track of time.  You lost any sense of being self-conscious about how you were being seen by others, just getting lost in doing something you believed in, found joy in doing?  Can you describe what you were doing and what that experience was like for you?

Living Your Passion

Who do we think of as influential people, people who make a difference in the world, communities, or among family and friends? What qualities do we think of when we think of influential people?  TIME  magazine in early March of this year published a double issue featuring brief articles about those chosen as the 100 next most influential people.  Many of the articles were written by previous Time 100 alumni. 

For example, Greta Thunberg, TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year, writes about Vanessa Nakate, a 24-year-old climate justice champion from Uganda.  Her African country is one the regions of the world most exposed  to the adverse effects of the climate crisis. Nakate is making a difference through her Rise Up movement.  She started the Green Schools Project to transition schools in Uganda to solar energy and champions education and empowerment for girls and youth women. She is a powerful example of what one young woman with passion for something she believes in can do.

The rest of the TIME’s 100 Next list includes, “doctors and scientists fighting COVID-19, advocates pushing for equality and justice, journalists standing up for truth, and artists sharing their visions of present and future.”   Altogether, TIME describes these Next 100 Influential people as being characterized by, in the words of composer, lyricist and actor Manuel Mirander, “clear-eyed hope.”

Discussion Questions

• What do you think motivates people who have a great positive influence on the world, their communities, and their friends and families?
• What do you think either blocks or encourages people from “reaching for the stars” in terms of following their beliefs and passions and using their gifts in influencing positive change in the world?

Resurrection of Our Lord

Acts 10:34-43

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Mark 16:1-8

John 20:1-18

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Of the four gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) Mark’s resurrection story might seem the least fun and satisfying.   Beyond a few common details, it feels like there is more going on in the other gospel’s.  More conversation, more angel intrigue, more dramatic action.  We get the sense in the other gospels that we can linger a bit in satisfaction and delight.  We feel a little more like celebrating after reading the other gospel accounts of the resurrection.  

In Mark, it’s just the facts:  He’s not dead anymore, he has been raised, tell the disciples, you can see him  back home in Galilee, he’s not here. That seems to be the point in Mark; he is risen, get going and meet him in Galilee!  So, they flee in terror and amazement, afraid to tell anyone.  Full stop.  What is this all going to mean for them?

They knew what he was like before rising from the dead… stirring up all kinds of good trouble, holy trouble.  Healing the sick, feeding the hungry, breaking down barriers between people which some powerful people don’t want broken down.  He brought hope to the broken-hearted and release to all kinds of people, including some people not everyone wanted freed.  He brought the Kingdom of God that he talked about.  If that was what Jesus was like before, they must have wondered, what kind of good trouble will he get into now that he had risen from the dead?  And they are supposed to meet him back in the neighborhood! Maybe that’s part of their terror and amazement, wondering what more might happen!

Maybe this gospel’s resurrection story is pretty exciting after all!  Like the disciples, we are told to meet Jesus in our neighborhoods!  Jesus has risen! He is meeting us in our neighborhoods, calling us to live his resurrection life with him. We are not alone.  He is meeting us there; giving us the passion and gifts to make a difference in the world—feeding the hungry, healing the sick, telling the truth, tearing down walls between people by proclaiming and living Jesus’ love for all people, and giving “clear-eyed hope.” Jesus is risen, and he is calling us to live his resurrection hope and be an influence for his hope in our world today.

Discussion Questions

• How might Jesus be present now in your neighborhood, school, community, and church?
• Where might you meet Jesus in your neighborhood?  What are some examples of what that might look like, how that might happen?  
• How might Jesus use your gifts, talents, and passions  to be his presence in your neighborhood and in the world today?

Activity Suggestions

Ask an adult where they see Jesus in your neighborhood and what they think Jesus is doing or would like to do in the neighborhood.  Take a walk or bike ride around your neighborhood.  Where do you see Jesus?  Where do you imagine Jesus’ resurrected presence might  offer someone “clear-eyed hope” and love?  Imagine other neighborhoods you have seen or heard of, anywhere in the world…imagine Jesus in those places…

Closing Prayer

Risen Jesus, thank you for showing us your power over death and all that brings death, sadness, hurt and suffering in the world.  Make us instruments of your resurrection love and power in the world.  Help us to live your resurrection hope in our neighborhoods. Amen

“Water represents an integral link in a world view where water is sacred and extremely important in preserving precious balance. Water is the origin of and essential for the survival of all life.”

–Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians

Water is crucial to our survival. But water can also be destructive. During a multi-day warm-up in February 2020, melting snow and heavy rains caused the Umatilla River and its tributaries to overflow their banks. They damaged homes and buildings in the Blue Mountain region of Oregon and Washington, which includes Columbia and Walla Walla counties in Washington and Umatilla County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon.

On both sides of the Umatilla river – Oregon and Washington – multiagency relief centers (MARCs) assembled in the days after the flood. At these locations, residents received immediate, relief  assistance and registered for long-term recovery support from various relief organizations. The state of Oregon declared an emergency and sent funding to each of the affected communities. FEMA offered both public and individual assistance in the days after the flooding. As the Washington side was less affected, they didn’t qualify for any FEMA assistance. In total, 579 homes were damaged, according to Charlene Larsen, a longtime volunteer and associate of the Lutheran Disaster Response network in Oregon and a leader in the Oregon Synod Disaster Preparedness and Response network.

Community

Damage was great and so was the need for a long-term recovery group (LTRG), a common structure in the disaster response community that allows for a holistic response. Representatives from both sides of the river, as well as the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, came together to form the Blue Mountain LTRG. It’s a coalition of community organizations, with the local Lions Club, United Way of the Blue Mountains, Community Action Program of East Central Oregon, and the Blue Mountain Action Council involved. The LTRG also includes ecumenical partners and has disaster services from Lutherans, Methodists, Mennonites, Presbyterians, and Seventh-day Adventists represented.

One of the members of the Blue Mountain LTRG is Pastor Joel Ley of Christ Lutheran Church in Walla Walla, Washington, representing the Northwest Intermountain Synod of the ELCA. About the assortment of organizations in the group, he says “We’ve got all these people represented at the table and it’s pretty impressive because that doesn’t always happen. People dig in and do the work and that’s really nice to see.”

By joining forces, the group could do things that one organization on its own could not. Larsen told one story about how members of the Blue Mountain LTRG worked together to get a couple a new pair of recliners. A couple living in a mobile home lost their set of matching recliner chairs and didn’t have the funds to replace them, so a disaster case manager brought the situation to the unmet needs committee. An unmet needs committee focuses on helping people address needs not covered by insurance or FEMA money. One of the members of the committee found an identical set of recliners in Washington and another representative from the committee offered to pick them up. At the home of the couple, yet another member was there to help unload them. The community spirit was present, now on an even bigger scale.

Assistance

2020 was also an unprecedented year for wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. While the fires didn’t affect the same area impacted by the February floods, the Blue Mountain LTRG was in a position to assist other groups in the state. They shared “all the documents we put in place for bylaws and recovery efforts, talking about different committees that need to be in place,” said Larsen, speaking about the process for forming a long-term recovery group. Last February, the Blue Mountain LTRG formed with assistance from another disaster recovery group in Oregon and the wildfires gave them the opportunity to pay it forward and share their knowledge with newly formed disaster groups.

As with all disasters this past year, COVID-19 has affected the recovery process. Doing one-on-one in-person case management interviews became impossible. Rebuilding and repairing homes is more challenging than normal because volunteers are discouraged, and contractors are difficult to find. When it is possible to safely bring in volunteers, they will be busy doing small repairs, especially on fences, wells, septic tanks, and irrigation systems on agricultural land.

Support

People in the area are independent – when in trouble, they believe that their family and neighbors will take care of them. Early in the recovery process, there was a lack of trust by residents for organizations that came to support them, said Larsen. But over time, that trust grew. Out of the original 579 cases, over 300 have been closed. However, many remain open, and for that reason, the Oregon Synod recently received a grant from LDR to continue case management for survivors. The grant will help fund an AmeriCorps position. The staff member  will serve as a case manager and assist with the formation of a Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) for the Blue Mountain region. The COAD is an extension of the existing Blue Mountain LTRG. By building upon the relationships formed during the relief and recovery phases of the flooding, the COAD is preparing to respond to the next disaster right away and in so doing, contributing towards the community’s disaster resilience.

Catalyst

Catalyst. That’s the world Larsen used to describe the role of Lutheran Disaster Response in the Umatilla flood response and recovery efforts. An LDR-supported Oregon Synod Disaster Preparedness and Response network has been working to spread awareness about the importance of being ready for a disaster. At the time of its formation, its main concern was the Cascadia earthquake expected to hit the region at some point. But preparedness quickly turned into response, first with the Umatilla floods, then COVID-19 and wildfires. While there was still much to do to respond to the flooding, the Oregon Synod had a slight head start.

“LDR  is the catalyst in getting that going and now others are supporting with their funds. So, it takes one catalyst to get it started and, in this case, it was LDR,” said Larsen.

The importance of disaster preparedness was one of the biggest takeaways by both Larsen and Ley. In the Blue Mountain region, there was no preparation for flooding, or any other disaster, except for the early stages of the Oregon Synod Disaster Preparedness and Response network. The Blue Mountain LTRG had to form in the midst of the disaster. Ley said that it would be easier if relationships between the organizations were built beforehand. They both realize how unprepared the region was for disasters last February. A year later, with organizations coming together to form the Blue Mountain LTRG and COAD, they are confident in their readiness for the next disaster.

Transformation

Water can give life and take away life. But water can also transform life. The waters of the Umatilla River transformed the Blue Mountain region. They brought different communities and organizations together to help everyone. They led to the establishment of an LTRG and COAD, which formed new relationships and strengthened old ones. The waters led to a transformation of how the region thought about disasters, preparedness, and the importance of long-term recovery.

“LDR has always billed itself as being in for the long haul and I had taken that message in, but I didn’t realize how important that was,” said Ley. “You do the initial work, but there’s a lot of stuff that hangs out there for a long time and without long-term commitment from LDR and other partners, there would just be a lot of issues that wouldn’t be addressed.”

In all responses, LDR strives to transform lives. From immediate relief to long-term recovery, LDR is present to support survivors and communities as they rebuild their homes and lives. Around the United States and around the world, communities impacted by disasters are transforming and becoming more resilient, ready for the next disaster.

Leslie Weber, Chesapeake, VA

Warm-up Questions

Have participants talk about what their experience of Holy Week has been in the past.  Possible conversation starter questions include:

• Does the congregation you attend “celebrate” Palm Sunday on its own or combine it with Passion Sunday?
• What ritual actions are meaningful to you on Palm/Passion Sunday? (waving palms, being part of procession, having a real live donkey, hearing the whole passion story, etc.)
• Have you ever attended a Maundy Thursday worship service? What do you remember?
• Have you ever attended a Good Friday worship service? What do you remember?
• Have you ever attended an Easter Vigil worship service? What do you remember?
• If you haven’t ever attended a worship service during Holy Week (Maundy Thursday/Good Friday/Easter Vigil), why not?

Provocative Palms

Recently, the Miami Beach City Commission approved an urban forestry master plan.  The goal of the plan is to reduce the proportion of the city’s canopy made up of palm trees to 25% by 2050.  By increasing the number and percentage of other trees that provide more shade in the city, they hope to extra comfort for residents and visitors, while also helping to “reduce urban warming, improve air quality, and absorb more carbon and rainwater.”

The master plan was passed unanimously, but now one city commissioner is speaking out against how the plan is being implemented.  He and his staff are encouraging residents to oppose removal of palm trees as part of construction projects around the city.  He is worried that as the prominence of palm trees diminishes in the city’s overall canopy, the city’s “historic, cultural, and economic brand” will suffer.  The city commissioner’s aide commented “if this plan goes forward, they might as well remove the palm from our City’s official logo.”

The city’s environmental and sustainability director is speaking out in opposition to the city commissioner’s concerns, saying that the “city is not going around chopping down palm trees” and that at 25% of the total canopy, “palms will continue to be a focal point along the city’s roads, greenspaces, and parks,” even while shade trees are planted as a faster rate in order to “maximize the environmental, social, and economic benefits of trees.”

Full article: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article249432995.html

Discussion Questions

• What are the pros/cons of Miami Beach’s plan to reduce the percentage of palm trees in the city’s canopy over the coming decades?  (This is a great chance to practice considering all sides of an argument.)
• List all the ways that you benefit from trees.
• What are you, your household, your congregation, and your local government doing in response to or in an effort to slow climate change?

Sunday of the Passion/ Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 14:1—15:47

Mark 15:1-39 [40-47] (alternate)

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Even if you don’t read any of the optional parts (Mark 14 and 15:40-47),  this Sunday’s gospel reading is long.  You may be familiar with the basic story, but the details vary across the four Gospel accounts.  It is easy to overlook some parts during Holy Week.  This is why it is helpful to hear the story as a whole on Palm/Passion Sunday, and then break it up into shorter texts.  During Holy Week we hear short parts of the story, paired with ritual actions (Palm/Passion Sunday—procession with palms; Maundy Thursday—foot washing, Holy Communion, stripping of the altar; Good Friday—procession and adoration of the cross).

It is undeniable that this story is full of people and groups who have different expectations, hopes, and either a readiness or reluctance to change. Just in Mark 15:1-39, we get a glimpse of various people’s values/priorities:

• The Jewish Leadership (chief priests, scribes, elders, whole council) is in search of a way to get rid of Jesus and keep their position as the religious authority (Mark 14:1).
• Pilate is amazed by Jesus’ answers (and lack thereof) to the charges brought against him (Mark 15:5) but also wants to keep the crowd calm (Mark 5:15).
• Jesus Is committed to in-breaking the kin-dom of God. Although he would prefer an easier way, he is committed to doing what needs to be done (Mark 14:36).
• Barabbas and rebels are willing to kill in order to change the status quo (Mark 15:7).
• The Centurion sees and confesses that Jesus is “God’s Son,” despite his position and background.

Throughout Jesus’ life, we see God working to turn the world upside down, to reorient people’s priorities, to make our world and lives look a bit more like God’s original intention for a creation where no one lacks anything.

God was never confined to the temple in Jerusalem.  We confess that Jesus is God incarnate, in-fleshed, but the tearing of the temple curtain at the moment of Jesus’ death is a sign.  It wasn’t torn from bottom to top (as it would have been if torn by human hands), but “was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38), as if today God has left the building.  Today God  moves among and through each of us to enact all that for which Jesus preached, worked, and ultimately died and was raised.

Discussion Questions

• Read the text. What parts of the story jumped out to you as you listened this time?
• Were there any parts that you did not remember or remembered differently?  (Having a synopsis or parallel edition of the four Gospels would aid in comparing the details between the accounts.)
• With which character in the story do you most identify and why? How do their values/priorities compare to your values/priorities?
• How do you feel about change?  Is there is something in your life, congregation, community that might need to end/die in order for something new/better to be established and flourish?

Activity Suggestions

• Find a creative way to hear and experience the whole Holy Week story.  Examples: there are YouTube videos of the Stations of the Cross, you can a buy or make a set of “resurrection eggs,” or (if it safe to gather and weather permits) walk around the church property or neighborhood, reading a different part of the story in a different location.
• Make space for everyone to reflect on the story of Jesus’ Passion.  Provide art supplies for doodling, offer paper and pencils for journaling, set up a prayer labyrinth, or any other means of personal or group reflection that your group would find helpful.
• Palms
  • If you congregation is supplying palms this year, learn about your congregation’s palms:
    • From what company do you order them?
    • Where are they grown?
    • Are they sustainably raised? (think about the environment and labor practices)
  • If your congregation isn’t supplying palms this year, use construction paper (or other craft supplies) to make your own palms to use during the service.  You can search the internet for ideas about how to do this, but an easy one is to trace your hand on green paper, cuts out 5 or so “copies” and then glue them onto a popsicle stick.

Closing Prayer 

Redeeming God, thank you for all that you have given us, especially the gift of eternal, abundant life.  Help us to know and work for your intentions in our lives and our world.  Amen.

©UNESCO

The UN General Assembly resolution 2142 (XXI)(link is external), adopted on 26 October 1966, proclaimed 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to be commemorated annually.

Statement for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

The statement follows:

From Churches Beyond Borders: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Anglican Church of Canada, The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

In Advent 2020, Churches Beyond Borders expressed a commitment to dismantling racism, combating white supremacy and actively seeking opportunities to engage more deeply on these important issues. In this season of Lent, we continue our journey as we join together in observing the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This is an annual day of recommitment in remembrance of the day police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960. (www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day) Recognizing that the March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a calling to be lived out every day, we offer this reflection as encouragement to continue the journey with renewed determination.

I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them
(Exodus 3:7-8a, NRSV)

How do we lament the sin of racism?

Racism and xenophobia have a painful, violent, deadly history that traverses all borders. The institutional church shares in the complicity of the legacies of the Doctrine of Discovery colonization, forced removal and genocide of Indigenous people, the enslavement of African and Indigenous Peoples and injustices  perpetrated against all people of color. The sin of racism is structural, institutional, interpersonal and internalized. It lives in communities inside and outside the church; it continues to inflict harm on a daily basis and generate new history. How do we repent of all of this?

At the burning bush, Moses hears God say, “I have heard the cries of my people.” We who follow the God of Freedom must also hear the cries of God’s people, of each other, and especially those among us who live under the constant threat and violence of racism and white supremacy. For those of us who have the privilege of closing ourselves off, we need to open ourselves to feel the painful truths of the sins of racism and white supremacy in our hearts and bodies and minds and souls. We must create spaces and structures that welcome and include the voices of those most directly impacted by the sins of racism. This message is being shared during the season of Lent, a period of self-examination, reflection, and making amends. We need to lament, repent and be transformed.

Moses is told to take off his sandals. We need to lament in worship: to remove our shoes, to stand in humility, to feel the ashes on our foreheads, to be honest in the presence of God about our sins and shortcomings. Holy Ground is a gift that supports lamentation, repentance, transformation and discernment.

Moses is sent to work for the freedom of people. Oppression is not inevitable or insurmountable. Things can change. Challenging racism and white supremacy calls each of us to deep and honest consideration of perceptions, biases, behaviours and systemic patterns. We echo the United Nations call to take the strongest possible stand against racism, discrimination and intolerance of every kind, to spread the word to fight racism and to take stock of the state of human rights and hate speech today and reflect on how each of us can stand up for rights. In lamentation and repentance, we hear God’s call to act for the dismantling of racism.

Moses admits his own fears and reluctance. God directs Moses to connect with his siblings. God provides Miriam and Aaron to make up for Moses’ weaknesses and to enhance his strengths. The journey is long and the work is hard, crossing many difficult borders in our lives, communities, and our churches. We give thanks for the gift of community on this journey and in this work.

We invite you to join us in prayer:
God of Holy Ground, move us to lament and repent. Open our hearts, bodies, minds and souls to the cries of your people. Transform us by your presence. Drive us into action for the dismantling of racism in relationships, communities and societies. Bless us with companions who support us, challenge us and help us keeping going. We pray for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We commend to you these resources for further reflection and discernment:

Suggested action from the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights to #FightRacism
Fight Racism | Stand up for human rights | UN Human Rights (standup4humanrights.org)

Explanation of the Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent
https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Slavery_Apology_Explanation.pdf?_ga=2.160292863.337082937.1614267858-176581130.1609883917

“Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen lands, Strong Hearts” is a film about a devastating decision, made over 500 years ago, which continues to profoundly impact Indigenous and Settler people worldwide. https://www.anglican.ca/primate/tfc/drj/doctrineofdiscovery/

Call to Racial Reconciliation: “Litany of Repentance” and “Commissioning for the Ministry of Justice and Reconciliation” from the “10th Anniversary Celebration of Full Communion” between the Episcopal Church and the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTb_fguBnZJO2xLiPjwpLmSLWYeihNnA/view

Sacred Teachings Podcast: Indigenous Elders all across Turtle Island share teachings, languages, traditions and stories of the Ancestors.
https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/

The Ecumenical Conversation on the International Decade for People of African Descent
Recordings of November 26, 2020 online event and companion study guide.  https://www.interculturalleadership.ca/news/study-guide-recognition-justice-and-development-peoples-of-african-descent-and-canadian-churches

“With Love Before Us, We Are Walking” recoding of Gospel Jam 7 (February 13, 2021) with Archbishop Mark MacDonald and special guest Bishop Michael Curry
https://www.anglican.ca/im/gospeljam/

ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Episcopal Church Report for the House of Bishops from its Theology Committee: White Supremacy, the Beloved Community, and Learning to Listen (Fall  2020)
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/11/bbc_hob_theo_cmte_report_on_white_supremacy.pdf

Anglican Church of Canada House of Bishop’s Statement on Confronting Racism
https://www.anglican.ca/news/our-own-house-is-not-in-order-bishops-issue-statement-on-confronting-racism/30026802/

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada Pastoral Letter regarding the ongoing sin of Racism.
https://www.elcic.ca/news.cfm?article=570

In Christ – Shalom,

National Bishop Susan C. Johnson
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Archbishop and Primate Linda Nicholls
Anglican Church of Canada

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry
The Episcopal Church

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

– – –

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2021

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN  |  GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINATION  |  PUBLIC CHARGE RULE BLOCKED  |  EVICTION MORATORIUM |  COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN:  Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed by President Biden on March 12, was shaped by input of many constituents, including Lutheran voices. Thank you for your advocacy!

ELCA federal priorities for advocacy action were emphasized through many individual, leadership and coalition actions. Elements in resulting legislation of critical issues, emphasized in our advocacy for a stronger and more equitable recovery, are expanded in “Provisions in the American Rescue Plan.”

GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINATION: President Biden recently announced the U.S. will contribute $4 billion to COVAX– a global vaccine initiative which is co-led by the World Health Organization. Two billion of those funds were scheduled for distribution at the end of February, the remaining two billion will be distributed in the coming months and through 2022.

ELCA Witnessing in Society advocacy staff have been advocating for increased funding resources to support global COVID relief efforts, including for expanded vaccines access.

PUBLIC CHARGE RULE BLOCKED:  On March 9, the 2019 Public Charge Rule was blocked permanently nationwide. The rule was found to increase the likelihood of families forgoing applying for benefits like SNAP, Medicaid and public housing out of concern for the consequences on a family member’s immigration status application. Many Lutherans shared public comments opposing the rule when it was introduced.

“The 2019 public charge rule was not in keeping with our nation’s values,” said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary. On social media, @ELCAAMMPARO reflected, “No one should have to agonize over whether to apply for needed support, especially during a time like now when we’re steadily working towards a national recovery. Immigrant families can feel safe applying for benefits for which they are eligible.”

EVICTION MORATORIUM:  A federal judge in Texas last month ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium issued by Congress is unconstitutional. Though no injunction was set in place, the current moratorium is still set to end this month, impacting millions of families and presenting immense challenge to church shelters already stretched thin nationwide.

The interfaith advocacy community has redoubled efforts. Nearly 2,300 organizations, including the ELCA, and elected officials signed onto a letter urging President Biden to extend the federal eviction moratorium beyond its March 31 expiration and to improve and enforce its protections.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS:  Community Health Centers (CHC’s) across the country are important access points for affordable and quality healthcare. As part of the federal COVID-19 response, the administration has launched a vaccine distribution program through CHCs to better reach identified individuals experiencing homelessness, migrant and seasonal. farm workers, and people with limited English proficiency.

A list of Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants near your congregation or ministry is available from hrsa.gov. These health centers provide care to millions of patients annually in medically underserved rural and urban areas in the U.S., including patients who lack health insurance, minorities, and other vulnerable groups of people. The injection of $7.6 billion for CHC in the American Rescue Plan will expand the capacity of these providers to serve in their communities.

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

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices.
As the new year begins, these state public policy offices (SPPO) share their annual policy priorities. Find a map and full list of ELCA affiliated SPPOs using our state office map.
Learn more about Lutheran advocacy using our new resource, Advocacy 101 For Young Adults.

U.N. | Arizona | Colorado | New Mexico | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Texas |Washington | Wisconsin

U.N.

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. https://www.elca.org/lowc –Dennis Frado, Director

Promoting Gender Justice at UN CSW65: A total of 72 delegates from all the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) regions will participate in the sixty-fifth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) that will take place from 15 to 26 March 2021. The larger number reflects the fact that the session will be virtual due to COVID-19. The delegates consist of LWF Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment regional coordinators, staff of LWF World Service country programs, and representatives of ELCA companion churches. Approximately two dozen of the attendees are from the ELCA.

Together with ecumenical and interfaith partners, LOWC staff drafted and submitted three joint statements (E/CN.6/2021/NGO/91, E/CN.6/2021/NGO/117 and E/CN.6/2021/NGO/147) based on the theme, as well as considering the gendered impact of COVID-19.

LWF has organized and co-sponsored five CSW related events. To influence the outcome document known as the agreed conclusions, LOWC staff have been engaging actively within the Faith in Beijing coalition convened by Side by Side.

Humanitarian Assistance to Palestinians: In the coming weeks, ELCA staff, including LOWC, will be encouraging synod bishops and other ELCA members to intensify their messaging to Congress in support of U.S. bilateral humanitarian assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza). The assistance, though appropriated by Congress, was not disbursed by the previous Administration for several years. This funding had been an essential part of the annual operating budget of the LWF-owned Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem and its absence has resulted in substantial debt. The Biden Administration told the UN Security Council in late January that it wishes to “restore U.S. assistance programs that support economic development and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people” and renew “U.S. relations with the Palestinian leadership and Palestinian people.” Congressional leaders are being asked to contact the Administration to release those funds as soon as possible.

Arizona

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona, https://www.lamaz.org – Solveig Muus, Director

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona is currently tracking 37 bills of interest to people of faith in Arizona. In addition to the bills related to our specified policy priorities – Hunger and associated food security issues, Community-based Senior Support, and Fair and Equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines – we are watching movements on child and youth welfare, voting rights and redistricting, and education. We are encouraged to see that SB1176, a nutrition assistance bill to fund the Double Up Food Bucks Arizona program that essentially doubles the value of SNAP/EBT benefits at farmers markets, has a good chance of passing. This provides excellent support for healthy eating and local farmers!

LAMA also co-sponsored a second Advocacy 101 training workshop alongside Arizona Faith Network and Bread for the World to encourage people of faith to participate in their state government by expressing their views online using Arizona’s Request to Speak (RTS) system about the bills they care about.

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona celebrated its first birthday in February. The LAMA Policy Council recently met to review this inaugural year’s successes and gains as well as its opportunities for improvement. The Council is deeply grateful for the support and mentoring of the ELCA’s state public policy offices, for the partnership of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, and for the many ministry partners who do the work of advocacy both nationally and in Arizona. Each partner has generously shared their passion and their experience with LAMA. It has been a very positive and productive first year, thanks be to God.

Colorado

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado https://www.rmselca.org/advocacy – Peter Severson, Director

Legislature Resumes: The Colorado General Assembly returned to session on February 16 after an extended recess to allow legislators to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The session is scheduled to proceed for its usual 120 days, ending on June 11.

Housing Bills: Lutheran Advocacy is joining the Renters’ Roundtable to support several housing-related bills in this session. These include:

• House Bill 1117, a measure to permit local governments to adopt inclusionary zoning ordinances to promote the construction of housing developments for low-income earners.
• House Bill 1121, a measure to introduce parity between the eviction and rent-relief timelines for renters facing eviction, and to extend notice periods for tenants regarding rent increases and eviction summonses.

Other Priorities: We have adopted support positions on a number of other bills already this session and are gearing up to send out Action Alerts for timely hearings.

• House Bill 1011, Multilingual Ballot Access to Voters
• House Bill 1119, Suicide Prevention, Treatment, and Postvention
• Senate Bill 087, Agricultural Workers’ Rights

Petitions & Letters: Lutheran Advocacy signed a letter urging Gov. Jared Polis to prioritize providers of homelessness-related services in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. We also are actively encouraging the Joint Budget Committee to prioritize restoring the funding for application assistance for people seeking Social Security Disability Insurance.

New Mexico

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry- New Mexico
https://www.lutheranadvocacynm.org – Kurt Rager, Director

1st Session of the 55th Legislature races towards the finish. The New Mexico Legislature’s current 60-day session will come to an end on March 20. The last half of the session is characterized by days that start early and often don’t end until close to or after midnight, including weekends. Though down significantly from previous 60-day sessions, over 800 bills have been introduced. Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico (LAM-NM) has been tracking just under 90 bills, actively speaking in support or opposition to many.

LAM-NM Advocacy Agenda legislation highlights:

• Affordable Housing & Homelessness – Support for legislation that would support and assist landlords, tenants, and mortgage holders impacted by the current pandemic and that help mitigate the looming eviction crisis.
• Family-Sustaining Income – Support for tapping the state’s $22 billion Permanent Fund for increased early childhood education, for capping short-term “store-front” installment loans at 36%, for utility relief and disconnection protection, and the protection of low-income New Mexicans from debt collections due to unpaid healthcare bills.
• Healthcare – Support for emergency healthcare services and other health-related benefits for non-citizens, for the creation of a Healthcare Affordability Fund that would help offset the cost of health insurance for low-income New Mexicans, for the creation of Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and for legislation that would help identify those uninsured and connect them to free or low-cost health insurance plans.
• Hunger – Support for additional emergency funding for New Mexico food banks, for studying college student hunger, and for the Food, Hunger, & Farm Act and the Healthy Food Financing Act, both of which would focus on identifying and addressing root causes of hunger in New Mexico.
• Tax Policy – Support for legislation that would update the Low-Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate program, increases for and expansion of eligibility for the Working Families Tax Credit, for changes to tax policy, that would return progressivity to New Mexico’s tax structure.
• Criminal Justice – Support for ending the use and operation of private detention facilities, for repealing the cancelation of voter registration for felons after release, for decreasing the overuse of fines and fees in the criminal justice system, and for ending the revocation of driver’s licenses as a penalty.

Ohio

Hunger Network in Ohio https://www.hungernetohio.com – Nick Bates, Director

HNO was pleased to join over 50 other individuals in offering testimony last month against SB 17. This proposal will hurt those who are in poverty and increase hunger across Ohio. It will add photo ID’s to SNAP cards – causing confusion in the check-out line – add additional bureaucracy for counties and families in processing Medicaid and SNAP, punish workers for earning more money, and it will do nothing to reduce the unemployment identity theft that has hit Ohioans hard! Faith leaders across Ohio continue to push against this bill. Please write your Senator today and say NO to SB 17! 

Bishop Eaton to Preach at Ohio Advocacy Day on March 23: Budgets are Moral Documents. The Hunger Network is collaborating with the Ohio Council of Churches for a virtual advocacy day on March 23rd at 9:00am. We are pleased to welcome Bishop Eaton to our convening at 9am. This advocacy day will focus on our key priorities: Hunger, Housing, and Educational equity. Governor DeWine’s budget is still being reviewed in the Ohio House and will move over the Senate shortly. Sadly, this budget is a very ordinary budget while Ohio faces extraordinary needs. During our advocacy day, we will encourage Ohio’s legislators to have a bold vision for the future and craft a budget that will get us there! REGISTER HERE FOR ADVOCACY DAY!!!

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry- Pennsylvania (LAMPa) https://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/ – Tracey DePasquale, Director

In February, LAMPa advocates celebrated and thanked lawmakers for the unanimous passage of emergency COVID relief as Act 1 of the new legislative session. On Feb.  5, Gov. Tom Wolf signed the law, directing more than $900 million in federal pandemic aid to struggling businesses, private schools, landlords and tenants unable to meet rent or utility bills because of economic downturn related to the failure to stop the spread of the disease.  Advocates had pressed for months to alleviate the suffering and anxiety in their communities. LAMPa urged the Public Utility Commission to extend the moratorium on shutoffs for low-income customers.

Hunger Advocacy Fellow Larry Herrold and Seminarian Margaret Folkemer-Leonard began organizing a statewide Rogation observance, gathering soil, stories, prayers, and pictures from sites across all seven synods and the two campuses of United Lutheran Seminary. Lutherans will be praying and acting for one another and their communities across divides of geography, ethnicity, age, race, ideology, wealth, immigration status and more in conjunction with the ULS convocation around “The Theology of Gathering.” LAMPa will resource disciples for advocacy related to hunger, farming, environmental justice, and other concerns lifted in their prayers.

LAMPa hosted a Worship and Wonder Wednesday as part of a justice-related series in Lower Susquehanna Synod. Airing at the start of Lent and tied to the UN World Day of Social Justice, the panel discussion focused on our baptismal call to labor for justice, reflecting on wilderness and what it means to be a disciple in this democracy.

Texas

Texas Impact https://www.texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

The Texas Legislature convened their biennial Legislative Session in January, and Texas Impact immediately began resourcing Texans of faith to engage in the process.

Texas Impact staff spent the month of February surviving the winter apocalypse and power grid failure while also preparing for the Texas Interfaith Advocacy Days- the largest interfaith advocacy gathering in the state, March 6-9. This year, the conference moved online and will highlight speakers and advocacy opportunities related to three priority areas: Health Insurance, Climate Resilience, and Elections.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, online engagement will be more important than ever, and we continue to promote online content. This month, we partnered with Texas State Senator Nathan Johnson for a creative ten minute video explaining the importance of Medicaid Expansion in Texas.

Texas Impact continues to recruit Rapid Response Team members to make time-sensitive calls and Legislative Engagement Group members who commit to meeting and partnering with other advocates in their Texas House district to plan and prepare for monthly meetings with their representative and/or staff.

During the Legislative Session, the Weekly Witness podcast features a Texas faith leader to provide a “Weekly Word,” a guest advocate discussing the “issue of the week,” and Texas Impact staff providing a legislative update and action alert. For the second month in a row, February episodes had record numbers of listeners during the live Zoom recording and in downloads for the month.

In addition, our staff have been invited to present to a number of congregational events as they increase capacity for online programming. Texans of faith are mobilizing in exciting ways to participate with their representatives during this important season of democracy.

Washington

Faith Action Network https://www.fanwa.org/ – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

2021 Advocacy Days: FAN hosted three virtual Advocacy days with two pre-session trainings in January and February in Eastern WA, Olympia, and Central WA. At each event, we gathered inspiration from faith leaders and legislators on the importance of advocacy and putting our words into action, we broke out into groups by issue topic, and in Olympia we scheduled over 110 meetings with legislators by district! Between the three events, we had over 400 advocates attend who were eager to make progressive change in the legislative session and in their local areas. We missed seeing everyone in-person, but we were just as powerful behind our screens!

Legislative Successes: The 2021 WA Legislative session has just passed the cutoff date for bills to be voted out of their house of origin and onto the next chamber. We are excited that so many important bills are moving forward from FAN’s legislative agenda, including:

• Economic Justice and the Biennial Budget: A tax on Capital Gains, lifting restrictions for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), greater equity and access to Community and Technical Colleges, emergency cash and food assistance during COVID, funding the Working Families Tax Credit, free and reduced lunches for all grades.
• Policing and Criminal Justice reforms: de-escalation training and use of deadly force as a last resort, establishing an Office for Independent Investigations of police officers, prohibiting unnecessary police tactics, decertification and Criminal Justice Training Commission reforms, removing Driving While License Suspended (DWLS-3) as a criminal offense.
• Housing and Homelessness: Eviction reform, Just Cause eviction reform.
• Climate Justice: Clean Fuels Standards, the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act
• Immigrant, Civil, and Human Rights: Voting Rights Restoration for those with felony convictions, removing an exemption for undocumented workers in the Office of Civil & Legal Aid, prohibiting private prisons, prohibiting use of Native American mascots, establishing a paid Juneteenth holiday.
• Health Care: Establishing a Universal Health Care Commission, creating public health districts.

Wisconsin

Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW)  https://www.loppw.org/ – Cindy Crane, Director

Wednesday Noon Live: We received updates on lawmakers’ efforts to limit voting rights, discussed national news, and held a special interview with Ruth Ivory-Moore, ELCA Director of Environmental and Corporate Responsibility.

Care for God’s Creation: LOPPW continued planning for Faith Advocacy for Climate Justice event on March 18, at which time video testimonies on climate change were collected from our coalition members. Cindy spoke at two press conferences in Kenosha to support efforts of an ELCA pastor and six others in their fast for climate justice. She also advised the WI 7 on State Budget priorities. Both staff also helped plan a press conference and rally in Madison.

Trainings (Advocacy & Anti-sex trafficking): Kyle led a workshop on talking to youth about advocacy at a synod clergy conference gathering in the NWSW while Cindy led advocacy trainings- one at a Northwest Synod of Wisconsin-wide event, and another on anti-sex trafficking to a class at Edgewood College.

Immigration: Kyle is helping the SCSW organize Standing with our Neighbors on immigration reform.  The virtual event, taking place March 23 at 7:00 PM, is open to all.

Hunger: LOPPW is part of the Better Choices Coalition examining issues related to hunger in the Governor’s Budget and strategizing responses.

Criminal Justice: Kyle was part of the planning group for “Justice for Emerging Adults – Great Lakes Region: How does Wisconsin Compare,” even helping to facilitate the workshop.

Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes speaking after
Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe led us in an
opening prayer in front of the Capitol.

Action

“They are working together, united, to show the country and the world that this is the way to fight for peace.”

Thus far this Lent, we have heard stories of God working through this church, our companions and our neighbors to end hunger. We have heard stories from India, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., and heard of the stories that cannot be shared. We have learned that ending hunger means committing ourselves to a more inclusive vision of community, to honesty, to justice and to one another. Here, in this last week, companions from Colombia will help teach us about the final tool: action.

As much progress as the world has made to end hunger, we still have a long way to go. Nearly 690 million people around the world are undernourished, and more than 35 million people in the United States don’t know where their next meal will come from. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of hunger around the world was on the rise after a decade of decline. With the pandemic, we have seen historic levels of unemployment, and even the most conservative forecasts warn that hunger and poverty could increase with nearly unprecedented rapidity in the coming years as we recover from its effects.

In his response to the plague that reemerged in Wittenberg in 1527, Martin Luther addressed the question of how a Christian is to act in a pandemic. After highlighting the ways God shows concern for good health in Scripture and exhorting his readers to care for their neighbors, Luther writes that prayer, though important, is not enough. Christians, he proclaims, must do more than pray. They must act.

Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others.

Pray. Then act.

These past 40 days of Lent commemorate the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and facing down temptation. In the first temptation, Satan placed the “famished” Jesus before a pile of stones and demanded that Jesus prove his power by turning the stones to bread that would end his hunger (Matthew 4:1-3). How tempting that must have been! How many parents with not enough food for their children would wish for such a miracle so that their family might be fed? How many of the 690 million undernourished people around the world would welcome the power to turn stones into the bread they need?

Yet the choice Jesus faced was not between stones and bread but between truth and lies. No sudden miracle will end the world’s hunger. Ending hunger is not about wishing or praying for the power to alter reality. Hunger does not end because of a miraculous intervention. It ends because of the persistent work of God with, among and through people striving for change. It is sometimes slow work, accomplished one step at a time. But it will not stop until we realize that vision of a time when we will hunger and thirst no more.

Carolina Camargo, a nurse from Villavicencio, Colombia, knows that this is what it will take. Carolina is part of the work God is doing through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Colombia (IELCO) and the church’s Justicia y vida (Justice and Life) initiative, which is supported by ELCA World Hunger. Together with others, Carolina works toward future reconciliation in Justicia y vida’s “From War to Peace” project, which weaves ties of solidarity between the church and communities in Colombia that have been beset by violence for many years.

Carolina and other volunteers are at work in the area of Urabá, which means “promised land” in the Indigenous Embera Katío language. Since the 1990s, Urabá has witnessed a war involving the Popular Liberation Army (EPL), insurgents, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and paramilitary groups. The conflict led to more than 103 massacres in the region and 32,000 people displaced between 1998 and 2002. Today, social leaders remain at risk from paramilitary units over disputes involving land.

The peace process has been a long road for Colombia, and IELCO has been traveling it for many years. In San José, former combatants and their families are given a chance to start again through the work of the church. In San José de Léon, they are able to build and maintain homes and resume their former lives raising fish, pigs and chickens. It’s a chance to rebuild some of what was lost in the years of conflict.

Addressing conflict and working for peace are central to ending hunger. Conflict is one of the most significant reasons for hunger increasing around the world. When people’s lives are threatened, they do not feel safe going to work or staying home. Many are forced to migrate to protect their families. Land may be stolen or destroyed, and markets are closed or empty. Parents and workers may be injured or killed in the violence. The United Nations estimates that up to 80% of humanitarian needs around the world are caused by conflict.

Building peace is a critical step in ending hunger. But it is a difficult step to take.

Carolina has learned this through her work with IELCO. “There are people who believe that you can close your eyes and yearn for peace without making an effort towards it,” she says. “What God allowed me to know is very different from that idealism, the reality I could observe and live, expressing hope in all the people who are part of this change.” The idealistic belief that peace means simply transforming swords into plowshares ignores “the struggle against negative feelings associated with the traumatic experiences” of the people with whom Carolina works. Yet together they “walk towards the goal of peace and reconciliation.

“They are working together, united, to show the country and the world that this is the way to fight for peace.”

We know that we cannot merely declare or call for “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Building peace and ending hunger take action within community and are fostered by the hope and trust that, with each step, God is moving our world closer to that goal.

In this study, we have read stories of people at work around the world. Their situations may differ, their needs may differ, but what unites them is the commitment to an active hope that refuses to stagnate or stay silent. It is the hope of the vulnerable guests seeking care at clinics and shelters, of women and girls in India, of advocates in Milwaukee and of peacemakers in Colombia.

It is the hope of Lent, which propels us on this arduous journey to — and beyond — the cross. This hope empowers us see a number such as 690 million hungry but to refuse to despair. It can be sustained only by our trust that God is with us in each small step, guiding us toward a promised future. In hope, we expand our vision of what it means to be “we.” In hope, we are honest about the challenges we face. In hope, we invest in our shared future. In hope, we speak up for justice.

And in hope, we act, knowing that a just world where all are fed is not just possible but promised — and knowing, too, that we are called to be part of building that future. This is not the idealistic prayer spoken but a realistic prayer lived in solidarity with one another in cities, towns, shelters, clinics, classrooms, gardens, statehouses — all the places where God is at work.

This is the prayer of an Easter people, and this is our prayer — that God will not merely turn stones into bread but build a new world on that rocky soil, a just world where all are fed.

Discussion Questions

1. Think, share or journal about a time when you acted and it created a positive change. What did you do? What happened? What did it feel like?
2. Where have you seen God turning prayers into action?
3. Think about the prayers you share during worship. Bring one prayer to mind. How might your community turn this prayer into action? What small or large steps could you take?
4. Where is there a need for action to end hunger in your community? What will it take to move this action forward?

Prayer

God of promise, God of hope, God of fullness, God of peace, guide us, your people, to be your hands and feet, to work together as you build on our rocky soil a new, just world where all are fed.

Learn more and follow ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of giving throughout Lent by visiting ELCA.org/40days.