“All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”

—Luke 2:18-19

 

 

Look in AWE to our Savior, born that holy night in Bethlehem.

May we TREASURE the wondrous MIRACLE of Christ’s

birth and PONDER the HOPE Christ brings.

Merry Christmas!

 

Wishing our ecumenical partners, and all who work for unity in this world, a season filled with peace as we ponder the hope of a new year.

 

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations Staff ,

Kathryn Lohre, Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos, and Kristen Opalinski

 

About the artist: Thobani Mpanza is studying at the Evangelical Lutheran Church Art and Craft Centre at Rorke’s Drift in South Africa. He started with tapestry weaving and now works in textile printing. He is a member of the Oscarsberg Parish in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) – South Eastern Diocese. The ELCSA is a global companion church of the ELCA.

 

The following is written by Daudi Msseemmaa

An earthquake, mass displacement, low-latitude tropical cyclones, COVID-19, a plague of locusts – 2020 has been a year of calamities in East Africa like no other. Among the most destructive and widespread for ELCA companions in the region was flooding. 

 

In Rundugai, Tanzania, the water came quickly. After enduring a season of heavy rains on Mount Kilimanjaro and the plains to the west, water coursed over saturated ground in the valley between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. The water rose suddenly on the savanna, soaking the earthen walls of people’s homes and soon washing away goats, cows, and even houses.

People ran for safety to their neighbors on higher ground. Some needed rescue, and neighbors were the first line of support.

In the hours and days after, people who lost everything needed shelter, food, and hugs. They assessed the damage, digging through the mud where their homes stood, searching for treasures and missing livestock. At this time, neighbors took the lead in helping each other. In Rundugai, they took in those who had lost their homes and they fed those who lost their food stock.

For communal societies across rural Africa, sharing is instinctual, even if it leaves you hungry. The immediate needs of the flooding stretched resources of even those who were on higher ground and less affected. This is where external support becomes essential – relieving pressure on neighbors and relatives who gave their all helping the most stricken.

The Support of the Church

Rundugai is in southern Hai District, which they say is the poorest and most climate-averse part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Northern Diocese. Members of the local church went to every household in the parish to conduct an assessment and determine who most critically needed support. Through three villages, they waded through thigh-deep mud and water in some places to reach 151 households that were severely affected. The local church appealed to the district church office. A week after the flood, they sent over 14,000 pounds of maize and 1,700 pounds of beans.

Neema Eliya, 26, lost her home and half of her goats in floods, along with her field where she had planted maize and beans. She and her five children moved into a relative’s home, and six months later they are still there. “Floods are normal, but not like this year,” she said. She received maize and beans from the ELCT.

The floodwaters remained, with the main road into Rundugai not passable for six weeks. After trucks could again enter, the diocese office sent another round of  food for distribution.

The ELCT national office was kept informed of the situation. The flooding was widespread, and the church proposed a coordinated response and reached out to the ELCA. Through Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), they funded relief in the Northern Diocese as well as five others – the Meru, Mwanga, Ulanga-Kilombero, Lake Tanganyika and South Eastern dioceses. Roads and boats were used to  reach the most distressed, who often are women, children, and people with disabilities. Additionally, LDR supported major flood responses in Kenya’s Tana River and Kisumu counties around the same time.

Another affected area was Kilwa, on the Swahili coast in the Lindi region of Tanzania – a rural, undeveloped, and mostly Muslim corner of the country. People who lost family members and homes were evacuated after the floods. Hundreds took refuge in schools that had been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The church distributed food and non-food items and offered training on hygiene practices.

God’s Love in Action

But now, several months after the water receded, the impact is being seen as new churches have sprouted in areas of flood response. “You’d be surprised to see the long-term effect of disaster response,” said Bishop Lucas Mbedule of the ELCT South Eastern Diocese. People who didn’t know about Christ or the church could see God’s love in action.

LDR support comes alongside the dignified work that is already in place – that of neighbors helping neighbors in crisis. Local churches took special donations for purchasing food for those who lost everything. Relatives stepped up as best they could. In our vision of accompaniment, the ELCA lives into its role as a companion when it walks alongside brothers and sisters in their moment of need, stands with them in prayer, and remains hopeful of what arises out of disaster.

 

Daudi Msseemmaa is the ELCA’s regional representative for East Africa. He lives in Arusha, Tanzania, with his wife and children.

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: December 2020

SPENDING DECISIONS | EVICTION CRISIS | CENSUS CHALLENGE | CLIMATE CHANGE CONNECTIONS

 

SPENDING DECISIONS:  It is decision-making crunch time for federal FY21 budget considerations before the 116th Congress adjourns for the holidays and furthermore concludes on Jan. 3, 2021. Congress approved $900 billion of relief late on Dec. 21, providing desperately needed aid for Americans after months of gridlock on Capitol Hill. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Trump is expected to sign it into law.

Throughout the process, the ELCA advocacy network and staff persistently emphasized pressing need and priority concerns. With as many as 50 million Americans facing food insecurity this year, $13 billion from the second stimulus will go toward food-assistance programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

 

EVICTION CRISIS:  The stimulus package passed by Congress late Monday includes an extension of a national eviction ban through Jan. 31, temporarily avoiding what housing advocates warned would be a dangerous situation for the U.S. amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Economists and affordable housing advocate have warned of a looming eviction crisis that could affect millions of Americans without action. Enhanced Unemployment Insurance benefits and other measures will blunt some of the heavy economic impacts of the pandemic.

If no further action is taken, congregations, feeding ministries and shelters already facing overflow may expect to see assistance requests increased. According to the Census Bureau’s Weekly Pulse Survey, over 6 million renters and 5 million homeowners indicated they had very little confidence in the ability to make their next housing payment. In the same study, 1.5 million renters and nearly 300,000 homeowners indicated it would be very likely they would be evicted or foreclosed on in the next two months.

 

CENSUS CHALLENGE:  On Dec. 18, the Supreme Court dismissed one of the challenges to President Trump’s memorandum ordering the U.S. Census Bureau to discount undocumented immigrants from the final census, which is to be reported by the Census Bureau by Dec. 31, 2020. Failing to count every person who lives in each state would affect the process of apportionment which decides congressional seat allocation for states.

Three lower courts had ruled unanimously that the president’s action violates either the Constitution, the federal census statues, or both. Our communities are significantly shaped by census data, and Census 2020 will update these numbers for the first time in 10 years. The ELCA is an official partner of the 2020 Census to encourage the most accurate count possible.

 

CLIMATE CHANGE CONNECTIONS:  The incoming Biden Administration indicates that it will make climate change an unprecedented high priority. Addressing climate change will be done in concert with addressing the economy, yoking as essential growing the economy simultaneously with addressing climate concerns.

The incoming administration plans to create a Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change position to be filled by former Secretary of State John Kerry. This position will be elevated to cabinet level. In her 2018 Earth Day statement, Presiding Bishop Eaton said: “The present moment is a critical and urgent one, filled with both challenge and opportunity to act as individuals, citizens, leaders and communities of faith in solidarity with God’s good creation and in hope for our shared future.”

 

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Searching for Peace

In life we tend to always be on the search for peace. Peace of mind, peace and quiet, stop to violence, and more. While searching for this peace I find myself wondering if this “peace” we are in search of actually exists. If it does exist where is it located and how do I obtain this peace? That is where faith comes into the picture. At some point in my life I had to decide if I would allow faith to lead me to peace.

Palestine and Peace

Palestine is a very dear place to my heart. It’s everything to me – the food, the people, the land, this list can go on forever. Visiting Palestine became a reality for me when I was trained to be a Peace Not Walls trip leader. Through that travel experience I have learned that there are many similarities with my life and the lives of Palestinians. As a Black man in America I have experienced a great deal of oppression. While in Palestine I quickly learned that their oppression mirrors my own on many levels.

When I arrived I noticed separation. It wasn’t hard to see while in Bethlehem, that is probably because there is a large wall to maintain the separation between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin –  right now we are the most segregated city in the USA. There isn’t a physical wall up but you can definitely imagine the wall that separates the oppressed and the oppressors. In moments when I see this type of oppression I start to wonder: How can people be happy in these conditions? How does one plan for a future? What hits me hardest is how can one believe in God or see God when hate is all around?

Faith and Peace

I am a faith based person. Most anything I do is done within the realm of my faith. I have a belief that everything will work out somehow. I have a three year old son. I have faith that if “Peace on earth” does not happen for me, the work that I put in will help create a more peaceful world for my son.

In Proverbs chapter three we are told to “Trust in the lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding”.

With that scripture in mind I used that energy to find God in the West Bank. It took me three visits to the West Bank to finally see God. I had to stop trying to understand it for myself and started trying to understand it through the people. Although my faith was tested beyond it has ever been, after gaining an understanding through the people and not of the people, I was able to see God. I was able to see “peace”: I saw kids playing, families eating, friends hanging out. 

Forward in Peace

Faith for me is the answer, being able to find God in a country where I see so much pain showed me that I needed to make some adjustments back at home. I no longer needed to feel or think “why me” or “I wish”. I gained the power to stop trying to understand my oppression and start taking actions to relieve my oppression. I was able to gain peace within myself through someone else, and in turn I took that peace within and built it so I can create peace outward. I truly believe if we can all find peace within ourselves we will all see and help build the peace that we need in this world to thrive. 

Reflection Questions:

1. Xavier talks about how his faith has impacted his understanding of peace. How are faith and peace related in your understanding? How is this different from the way peace is talked about in other contexts?
2. When faith + peace seem hard to come by, Xavier leans on Proverbs Chapter 3 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. What scripture are you leaning on in these days?
3. Peace is not only a lack of violence. When we hear about peace from our Palestinian siblings, we hear about a “just peace”. What have you learned this season about what a just peace in Palestine might look like? How are you committed to playing a role in this?
4. Where is your community in need of a just peace? How are you committed to playing a role in this?

Additional Resources:

Learn more about how you can advocate for a just peace in Palestine by signing up for ELCA Advocacy Action alerts here: https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/Peace-Not-Walls

Give financially to Opportunity Palestine, a Lutheran and Palestinian-led organization bringing peace and justice to Palestine through education here: https://www.opportunitypalestine.org/secure-online-giving.html

My Name is Xavier Thomas and I was a trip leader for Peace Not Walls in January 2020. I was born and raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I am the youth director at All Peoples Gathering in Milwaukee. I have the unique opportunity to serve the same church I grew up in. I have been married for 5 years and we have one son, and we foster as many children as we can fit in our house. I would say that Fatherhood and Palestine have become my passions but I will always love my Xbox!

 

In this year of…

• pandemic
• devastating wildfires
• upheaval over justice too long denied
• bitter political division
• economic anxiety
• social isolation
• private pain

 

“…the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 

When it comes to breaking the cycle of hunger and poverty, few tools are as important as education. In fact, the World Bank estimates that each year of additional schooling can increase a child’s future earnings by 8-10%. Ensuring that children have access to education and educational support, though, is a difficult goal to reach, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created even more obstacles for communities in need.

In Romania, the Evangelical Parish in Sibu has been hard at work adapting to these new challenges. The “Open House” Day Center of the parish has provided support to children and families since 2001, accompanying 30-45 children throughout the year with its many programs. The center’s mission is to help families with children between six and 16 years old who face high rates of poverty, domestic violence, social and ethnic discrimination, and exploitation. To support them, the center provides counseling, food, preventative health care, and a safe place for children to learn and grow.

The pandemic has made this work much more difficult. The parents who had jobs have lost them, and many families cannot afford food, clothing, heating or school supplies. Many children don’t have access to the internet or the equipment they need to participate in online schooling.

The center, though, is adapting to the new challenges and pressing on toward its mission. This year, with support from ELCA World Hunger, the center continues to provide school supplies and clothing for children to help meet the increased needs of families, including for children who do not have the equipment they need for online learning. “Open House” has also adapted by sending care packages home for families and providing social worker home visits to make sure children and their families have the support they need.

The children are also able to participate in fun activities, such as making crafts. As Diana Fruman of “Open House” shares, “More and more children are getting enthusiastic about handicrafts. Some of them are very talented and create beautiful works.”

The “beautiful work” of God through the “Open House” center is not limited to crafts, though. It can be seen in the new opportunities created by the staff, volunteers, parents and children who are working together at the center. As Diana says, “Every hour [the children] spend here…is another chance for them and their future.”

That’s one of the reasons that, despite the ongoing pandemic, Diana is hopeful for the future and grateful for the support the center has received. “Thanks to your help,” she writes, “we were able to carry out further aid measures this year…[Your] great willingness to help and your donations have made and will continue to make our work here at ‘Open House’ possible.”

Because of the ongoing work of God through the center and its participants, we can join Diana in her hopeful wishes for what is to come:

“On behalf of all our children and staff, we wish you a blessed Advent season, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

 

The days of Christmas are typically a time to sing beloved carols. This year when we are gathered in our homes, it may be especially comforting to sing familiar Christmas carols. While singing songs etched on our minds and hearts is important, we affirm that as creative people made in God’s image we create and seek out new ways to sing the story of Christmas.

All Creation Sings provides six hymns and songs under the Christmas heading; the topical index offers additional suggestions. While some of these may be familiar from their inclusion in other resources, some are brand new to an ELCA worship book. One of these is the hymn, “Night Long-Awaited / Noche anunciada” by Félix Luna (text) and Ariel Ramírez (music).

While new to our resources, this hymn was composed in the 1960s. It is an excerpt from “Navidad Nuestra: A Folk Drama of the Nativity Based on the Rhythms and Traditions of Hispanic America.” Published for mixed chorus and soloists with percussion, guitar and harpsichord/piano, it included text in both Spanish and English. The performance notes in the original score describe it: “Navidad Nuestra—Our Nativity—was created for a criollo retable—a native tableau—where each moment of the Mystery of the Incarnation is expressed in a popular manner, with all the tenderness that the Miracle of two thousand years ago evokes in the spirit of the simple people.” Each section used a different regional voice.

Félix Luna, Argentine poet, collaborated with Ariel Ramírez, an Argentine and internationally celebrated choral composer, in this tender and simple hymn. Of course, we are also indebted to the work of translators. The version of “Night Long-Awaited” in All Creation Sings was translated by Adam Tice (ACS also includes five of his original hymns). Translations allow the texts to speak anew to us in every generation, but it’s interesting to point out one feature of the original text that changed over time.

The end of stanza two of the version published for mixed chorus in 1965 reads:

When He is smiling, Radiance glows,
And in His arms, a tiny cross grows.

The recent translation reads:

Light for our shadows, grace for our loss;
Born for our dying, bearing our cross.

Both settings connect the incarnation to the death of Jesus.

Unlike “Silent Night,” this hymn incorporates “redeeming grace” with more direct references to the arc of salvation through Jesus, that “all that is broken shall be restored” (stanza 2). Like “Silent Night,” the music ushers us into a sense of stillness and awe, complete with beautiful four-part harmony.

Several recordings exist of this. José Carreras sings the hymn in this recording. Though it is pitched in a higher key, it captures the simple beauty of this hymn. You can also hear it in the key of C in this less formal recording.

The hymn concludes:

Now is God’s promise born in the night,
wake to its fullness; live in its light.
Christ comes among us; people, draw near!
Come to the manger; Christmas is here.

May a treasury of songs, both old and new, fill your hearts and homes this Christmas.

To learn more about All Creation sings, visit www.augsburgfortress.org/AllCreationSings.

 

Night Long-Awaited / Noche anunciada
Text: Félix Luna, 1925-2009; tr. Adam M. L. Tice, b. 1979
Music: Ariel Ramírez, 1921-2010
Text and music © 1965 Lawson-Gould, admin. Alfred Music
Permission required for further use.

Image: Sundays and Seasons

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices. 

U.N. | California | Colorado | Florida | Minnesota | Pennsylvania | Washington | Wisconsin

United Nations 

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

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: Every year, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence begin on 25 November – on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and concludes on December 10 – International Human Rights Day. This year, the 2020 UNiTE Campaign Theme is: “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”. 

LWF’s global communion of 148 churches, representing over 77 million Christians in 99 countries, is joining the UN, Member States, civil society activists and faith-based partners during these 16 Days of Activism to raise awareness and call for action for an end to Gender-Based Violence. It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality and exposed other forms of discrimination and violation of women and girls’ human rights. LOWC’s Program Director has helped organize, together with faith partners, several events including panels on the Shadow Pandemic: Faith actors preventing, responding, and advocating to end gender-based Violence, and A Faith Imperative for Human Rights.

United Nations has released $25 million to UNFPA and UN Women to fund women-led projects fighting gender-based violence. Read UN Women’s call to action to respond to the surge of violence against women and girls. UNFPA has launched its first Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) data dashboard, a helpful resource for prevention and responses efforts. 

We must not stay silent. Here are few examples of what you can do:

• Support services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence
• Watch the LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr. Martin Junge about the importance of working to end Gender-Based Violence in our churches and in our societies
• Hold a prayer service. See our suggested worship resources here and here.
• Sign up online for our joint panel discussions on advocacy, theology, human rights, gender justice, engaging men and community responses. See Side by Side – Faith movement for gender justice events here and Ecumenical Women at the UN 16 Days blogs.
• Make the Thursdays In Black pledge 

International Migration – An On-going Concern: International migration remains a topic of on-going concern at the United Nations. People continue to be on the move, some driven by climate change or political upheaval, some because they wish or see an opportunity for a better life. These then remain as topics for discussion in various UN fora. A recent overview of many of the issues is contained in the first biennial report, launched on December 1, of UN Secretary-General António Guterres on implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. He noted: “The Compact reflects a growing global understanding of the great benefits of human mobility. But it also recognizes that, if poorly managed, migration can generate huge challenges, from a tragic loss of life to rights abuses and social tensions. COVID-19 has heightened those challenges and had negative effects on more than 2.7 million migrants, particularly on women and girls.” 

He concluded with several recommendations: “First and foremost, we must embrace the spirit of collaboration. No country can address migration alone. Second, the pandemic has highlighted the value of migrant labor,” observing that many of those providing essential health and care services are migrant women. “Third, we must address discrimination and foster social inclusion and cohesion between host communities and migrants. Migrants should not be stigmatized or denied access to medical treatment and other public services. We must strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate.” Earlier this year, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants issued a “report on ending immigration detention of children and seeking adequate reception and care for them.” The report took up a wide variety of situations, including that in the United States, and was discussed in mid-October in the Third Committee of the General Assembly. Another key, unresolved issue related to climate-induced migration is its relationship to international peace and security and, thus, the purview of the Security Council. Small Island states, such as the Marshall Islands, have noted the irony of the Council’s involvement in approving the admission of Member States while being unwilling to take up the security and other risks to their very existence. 

On December 18, several nongovernmental organizations — with whom LOWC has been collaborating in a civil society action committee on migration – will host an online event “International Migrants Day: Global Celebration of Our Rights and Our Struggle for Justice” to discuss key migration issues including wage theft, detention and climate justice and mobility. 

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California  

Regina Q. Banks, Lutheran Office of Public Policy- California https://lutheranpublicpolicyca.org/ 

Tracking Legislators: The office in California has begun work on tracking legislators and their staff, in connection with various coalitions, for the purpose of keeping lawmakers accountable. LOPP-CA is helping organizations keep track of changes in seats after California’s November election, as well as mapping the political landscape for an upcoming 2021 advocacy year. 

Post-election Coalition moments: LOPP-CA is doing meaningful work with their partner coalitions; alongside California’s Food and Farming Network, the office is in conversation to set strategy for next year’s advocacy, as well as continuing the commitment of racial justice within food advocacy. The Building the California Dream Alliance, of which LOPP is a member, is also having strategy meetings for the coming year, as well as creating new tools to communicate with legislators who have been hard to reach during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Colorado 

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

Election Results: Coloradans voted on 11 statewide ballot measures in November. Lutheran Advocacy took a position on six of these measures. All three of the ones we supported were passed on November 3! 

•       Proposition 118will create a paid family and medical leave program. After many years of supporting creative but unsuccessful legislative efforts, we are thrilled that voters made it abundantly clear that Coloradans want paid leave. The measure passed with 57% Yes. 
•       Amendment Bwill repeal the Gallagher Amendment, a provision dating to the early 1980s which fixed the ratio of residential and commercial property tax revenue. The net effect in the last decade was ratcheting down residential property tax revenues every year, meaning less revenue for schools, libraries, parks, fire and water services, and other needs. 
•       Proposition 113approved the National Popular Vote Compact. Coloradans support a presidential election system that will bypass the outdated, inequitable Electoral College in favor of a popular vote. 

In addition, three measures we opposed also passed, including a flat tax cut that will benefit median taxpayers in a small way but will enrich the wealthiest taxpayers significantly, requiring $160 million in budget cuts in 2021. We anticipate continuing to advocate on these issues in the coming session. 

Special Session: A special legislative session took place from November 30 through December 2, supporting small business, arts organizations, renters, the unemployed, and other groups needing immediate support in the wake of federal inaction. 

Policy Agenda Passed: The Policy Committee of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado passed our 2021 agenda on November 13. Find out more at lam-co.org. 

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Florida 

Russell Meyer, Florida Faith Advocacy Office https://floridachurches.org/advocacy/ 

The Florida Faith Advocacy Office of the Florida Council of Churches (FCC) will hold its online assembly on Jan. 7, 2021. See https://floridachurches.org/flash2020.  

The assembly will bring together mainline, Black, and Latinx church leaders to develop a jubilee movement in the state capitol. The FCC along with local partners has trained 40+ community leaders in World Café hosting in St. Petersburg as part of an initiative to reimagine civic engagement. Logistic support for Black Lives movement is ongoing, with a current focus on the death of a Black vet while in custody of the Brevard sheriff. Along with many partners, we are questioning proposed anti-protesting legislation which brings back the horrors of the Black Codes. We urge health protocols, wearing of masks, and the necessity of a statewide response to pandemic. In pressing for a second COVID-19 relief package. We also seek robust support for international humanitarian assistance. The successes of ending poverty that kills have been reversed under the pandemic. The world needs a big American heart now. We have the resources for helping hurting people both here and abroad. Faith leaders need to say this clearly and publicly. It is the high calling of our spiritual work. The Florida legislature takes up its pre-assembly work in mid-January, for the March-May session. A new alert system will be rolled out in 2021 to keep advocates advised of where their voices are most required.  

Email advocacy@floridachurches.org for more information.  

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Minnesota 

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/

Legislative Session 2021: Along with our partners, we have been considering, debating, and deciding on priority issues for the 2021 session. The LA-MN Policy Council will be meeting soon to determine our foci amid many needs. 

Election 2020: The balance in the legislature has not changed dramatically. The most important change is that the balance of power between the political parties is even tighter than it was before the election. To accomplish our agenda, we need our advocates to build strong relationships with their legislators, especially in Greater Minnesota. While many relationships already exist, remote legislative work means legislators are less accessible in St. Paul.

COVID-19 Housing Relief: Minnesota cannot wait for Congress and the Federal Government to act. It was hoped that a package could be negotiated and ready by early December. Unfortunately, some leaders are calling for narrow business relief, but are not addressing other relief. 

If housing aid is not passed, Minnesota will soon face a grave housing crisis! Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are behind on rent and mortgages. Without aid, we could have a housing crisis worse than the 2008 crash. This would cause unprecedented homelessness and even deeper affordable housing issues than we have already faced for more than a decade. 

Businesses will not recover if people are struggling with basic housing and food stability. Our state economy will take much longer to recover from COVID-19 if families cannot meet their basic needs! Take Action Now! Find your MN State Senator & Representative and their contact info at https://www.gis.leg.mn/iMaps/districts/.

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Pennsylvania 

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

ELCAvotes: LAMPa staff encouraged and provided information for advocates to be trained and serve as nonpartisan poll monitors, as well as shared an ongoing social media presence on election day to be able to respond with information and assistance in cases of voter confusion or potential voter suppression.  Lutheran advocates joined demonstrations around the commonwealth to protect the vote count in the days following the election. LAMPa staff and volunteers had contacted election offices in all 67 counties, to assess their preparedness and identify opportunities for our congregations to help, particularly as polling sites or as poll workers and volunteers. LAMPa followed up after Nov. 3, thanking elections workers for their service under tremendous pressure. 

Civic Engagement: Discipleship in a Democracy: LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale participated as a state policy office adviser in the first working session of the task force developing the new ELCA social statement. Earlier this year, LAMPa held an official listening session in the development of the newly adopted social message on the same topic. The development of the social statement will be a five-year process.

Addressing Homelessness, Looming Eviction Crisis: As the federal eviction moratorium deadline draws near LAMPa shared an alert and survey with congregations and constituents seeking their input. Congregations and groups providing sheltering programs were asked to respond to a survey lifting the voice of those facing or experiencing homelessness. LAMPa shared alerts seeking constituents’ voices to speak up for vulnerable neighbors as state  lawmakers finalized the budget for the remainder of the fiscal year. Advocates were asked to contact their state lawmakers to ask them to fix and fund a rental and mortgage assistance program to keep PA residents in their homes. Read more. 

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Washington  

Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Faith Action Network https://fanwa.org/

FAN’s 2021 State Legislative Agenda: With approval of our Governing Board, FAN announced our 2021 State Legislative Agenda. Our six main topics this year are Advocating for a Biennial Budget that Reflects Our Values as a State; Reforming our Policing and Criminal Justice Systems; Creating Housing Opportunities and Preventing Homelessness; Addressing Climate Change; Protecting Immigrants, Civil and Human Rights for All; and Ensuring Health Care and Mental Health Access. See the full list of bills at fanwa.org/advocacy/legislative-agenda/. We will be holding three virtual Advocacy Days in Olympia, Central WA, and Eastern WA as well as sharing weekly action items in our E-News as ways for advocates to use their voices in the 2021 legislative session.

Faith Leaders Speak on COVID Safety: ELCA Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee from the NW WA Synod shared an idea for faith leaders to make a COVID-19 safety video, similar to FAN’s Census video we made earlier this year. These trusted messengers remind us of the important role faith leaders and communities must play in keeping EVERYONE safe by wearing a mask, keeping distance, and ensuring COVID-19 is not passed on in our communities. See their video on YouTube: youtu.be/OvX6_kdT6hQ  

FAN Annual Dinner 2020: On November 15, FAN hosted our first virtual Annual Dinner fundraiser, “Rise Up Together,” and exceeded our goal of $130,000! Advocates met in local Zoom pre-parties, then joined us on YouTube for an evening of statewide calls to action, a look at the 2021 legislative session, a special appearance by our friend and matching donor Rick Steves, and beautiful music and poetry. Read our event recap at fanwa.org/annual-dinner/. 

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Wisconsin 

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

This month, LOPPW was busy preparing our advocacy priorities for the next legislative session while also rebuking our state’s inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 16th, LOPPW, in collaboration with our interfaith partners, hosted our “Faithful Action for a Healthy Wisconsin” event, a virtual rally urging lawmakers to take substantive action to protect frontline workers, take additional pandemic mitigation steps, and show support and solidarity for the religious and government leaders boldly trying to protect their communities. This event had hundreds of attendees and was picked up my numerous local news stations. We are using the momentum from this event to conduct virtual meetings with leadership in the State Legislature to push for additional action. 

Outside of COVID-19 advocacy, Kyle is helping kickstart work within our criminal justice and immigration reform priorities. He is working towards a coalition to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in Wisconsin and institute other reforms to the juvenile justice system. While the coalition is still in its infancy, he is confident that LOPPW can be a voice for juvenile justice reform in the future. Kyle is also starting advocacy efforts with our local synod immigration & refugee task forces to advocate locally for immigration reform to their county sheriffs.

As we approach the end of the year, Cindy will hopefully be able to provide a sturdier foundation for the above initiatives and build active coalitions and campaigns to address these important policy reforms. 

 

This advent reflection is part of ELCA World Hunger’s 2020 Advent Study. You can download the full study here. You can also download the corresponding advent calendar here. 

Advent Week Three

“Comfort”

Read

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126
I Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

Study

Volunteering has always been the lifeblood of Cacilda Rodrigues Barcelos. Born in São Borja, Brazil, she moved at age 13 with her family to the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. Alone, her mother raised 11 daughters and sons, until her 50th birthday, when she died. Cacilda was 22 at the time, and the community helped to support her. “People taught me how to do what I do, because I was welcomed by them,” she says.

Now 63, Cacilda has dedicated years to giving back through volunteering. Early on, she worked with young boys in the community to make and sell food at fairs to help pay for uniforms and tournaments for their soccer team. Today, as a member of the management board of the Fair Trade and Solidarity Network (a project of the diakonia foundation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil), she helps train other women in entrepreneurship and helps plan workshops and fairs where they sell their goods. She also volunteers in the Peace Service and teaches women to prevent and overcome violence.

As much as Cacilda has changed her community, the biggest change has been in her personal life. “I learned to put myself in other people’s shoes and respect each other. I was very angry, as a way to defend myself, and it was in these meetings and meetings [with other women from the Fair Trade and Solidarity Network] that I grew and improved,” she says. “That’s why I say I’m the one who gains the most.”

As common — and often justified — as anger is, it is one of those emotions that we struggle to deal with in the church, at times. We might find it difficult to place raw, tumultuous emotions within the life of the people of God. Perhaps it is one of the reasons that this season we will sing songs about the “holy infant so tender and mild” (“Silent Night”) or “that mother mild” (“Once in Royal David’s City”) while we still await the writing of an ode to Jesus’ overturning of tables in the temple. Volatile emotions, particularly in the seasons of Advent and Christmas, feel so out of place. We aren’t quite sure what to do with them.

That has made 2020 particularly hard to navigate. This year, we have lived with the grief of the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have mourned isolation from one another and the loss of that most basic human need of touch, even as we understood the risk that accompanied handshakes and hugs. We grieved together as loved ones and neighbors died alone in hospitals or nursing homes. And when we couldn’t gather together for funerals, we lost a key ritual for processing our grief as a community.

We grieved the loss of livelihoods and the closure of family businesses that had been part of our communities for generations. We feared the long-term consequences for our communities as jobs were lost and more and more people around the world went hungry.

And we were angered together by the deadly injustice of racism and the persistent inequalities that exacerbated the pandemic in many communities. Demonstrations filled streets in cities large and small as a collective voice of rage was raised against a racist justice system that continues to disproportionately permit and even sanction extrajudicial killings of people of color.

Certainly, our hope rests in that just peace (shalom) that “surpasses all human understanding,” which will “wipe away every tear from our eyes” and bring such equity and harmony that the lion will lie down with the lamb and the child will play with the viper and not be harmed. But there are times when it is difficult to see this promise through the lens of overwhelming grief and righteous anger. And there are times when grief and anger are what we need to move us toward justice, which is the form of the love of neighbor takes in society. For many of us, 2020 was one of those times.

The promise of Advent is not merely the promise of a future when all shall be made well, when all grief and anger shall cease and when the weight of heavy emotions shall be lifted from our shoulders. The promise of Advent — or, perhaps, the comfort of Advent — is that, amid our grief and anger, God is present, walking with us, consoling us, inspiring us and prodding us to walk together toward the future
where justice and peace will kiss (Psalm 85:10).

The future day promised by Isaiah in this week’s reading is a promise not to those who are comfortable but to those who are afflicted. In “the year of the Lord’s favor,” God will “provide for those who mourn in Zion — to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning” (Isaiah 61:2-3). It is a promise that those whose burdens have left them with a “faint spirit” will be given the strength of “oaks” and that God will “cause righteousness and praise to spring up” like the first plants of spring (61:11). It is a promise that God, who “loves justice,” (61:8) will establish the same — and an invitation for us to be part of this.

Perhaps that is the reassurance of the Scripture readings for this week. The grief and anger that have marked so much of this year — and that mark so much of every year for many of us living in vulnerability to disease, injustice, hunger and violence — is where God meets us. We need not gather the strength to move on nor ignore the depth of our pain in order to find God. God finds us in these depths.

Cacilda, working tirelessly with neighbors in Brazil, was able to let go of her anger and felt herself changed by the experience. But God did not wait for that moment to work transformation and renewal through her. Indeed, it may be through this very tumult that God moves us toward greater actions of justice. Christ did not wait for a comfortable bed but was born in the sharp, chafing, ill-fitting manger, amid the noise of the animals and the loneliness of the stable. We need not wait to be comfortable, for our grief to resolve or our anger to subside, in order to draw close to God.

God has been there all along.

Ask

1. What caused you to mourn or angered you this year?
2. How does God meet you amid your grief and anger?
3. How can the transformation of our grief or anger help spur us to
   deeper acts in service of one another or in service of God?
4. What would a just peace (shalom) look like in your community?
   In the United States?

Pray

Comforting and empowering God, you meet us amid our pain and ease the load of our burdens. Be near us in our grief and anger, comfort us as we mourn and move our will toward acts of justice for one another. Grant the world just peace this season, that we may find rest and hope in you. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

 

Ellen Rothweiler, Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

Who is the favorite in your family?

Favorite

The holidays expose underlying family dynamics in many families. Time together, gift giving, and special meals can all offer an opportunity for favoritism among siblings and cousins, or at least the illusion of such. Also, you bear a burden if you are the favorite. More is expected of you.  You are the person in the family who is expected to fix things or take care of everyone. 

On the other hand, remember that song from the Sound of Music “My Favorite Things”? Singing about their favorite things made the kids and Maria feel better when they were afraid or worried.  Favorite can be a good thing when we are talking about colors, or foods, or songs. Somehow, when we talk about people it sets up rank in groups. 

Like so many things, the idea of “favorite” has both positive and negative consequences.

Discussion Questions

• How do you know when something is your favorite?
• Are you someone’s favorite? How does that feel?
• Are you not the favorite? How does that feel?
• Why do you think the idea of favorites in groups of people is divisive?

Fourth Sunday of Advent

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Romans 16:25-27

Luke 1:26-38

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

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

Gospel Reflection

We hear the story of the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary every year during the season of Advent. It is an important part of the story of Jesus coming to Earth to be Emanuel, “God With Us.” The angel greets Mary by saying, “Greetings favored one!” and “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God…” Then the angel tells her she is going to have a baby boy, God’s son. Mary says “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

This is a strange thing to happen to God’s favored. Mary’s special treatment includes risking her marriage to Joseph, pregnancy, childbirth, fear, and danger. To this she says, “Here I am!” and agrees to be a part of giving this gift of Christ to the world. God incarnate. The Word made flesh. God chose Mary to bear this gift, and this burden. But Mary does not dwell on the burden of being favored, at least not in the account that Luke offers us. It is human to see the good and the bad in a thing, but Mary accepts this call and says, “let it be with me according to your word.” 

We can all learn something from the way Mary models being favored; Acceptance. Grace. Strength. She does not worry about her way; she goes God’s way and it takes her on quite the adventure to Bethlehem, Egypt and the cross. The angel does not say that since she is favored God has this easy thing for her to do, and she is going to enjoy every minute of it. Sometimes the most important things are the hardest. In these, and all things, God is with us…Emmanuel.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever been asked to do something hard and/or important? How did that feel? 
• Have you ever said “no” to something because it was too hard or too much? Do you regret it or do you think you made the right choice?
• How do you make those kinds of decisions? 

Activity Suggestions

Listen to the song “My Favorite Things”. There are many versions of this song out around Christmas. the lyrics to include your group’s favorite things. 

Closing Prayer

God of Love, in our baptism you claimed us and proclaimed us precious.  Give us joy in knowing you  favor us and courage in living out our calling as your servants.  Guide us, that we may go where you send us and be signs to the world that you are indeed Emmanuel, God with us.