¡Ya está aquí el nuevo programa de Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones para el 2020 de Hambre Mundial de la ELCA! “En la Tierra como en el Cielo” invita a los niños de todas las edades a aprender sobre el mundo de Dios estudiando a profundidad el Padrenuestro. Este programa completo de EBV de cinco días es gratis, y está disponible en inglés y en español. Descargue la traducción en español de “En la Tierra como en el Cielo” aquí: https://bit.ly/2wvfx4I. La traducción en inglés se puede descargar.

“En la Tierra como en el Cielo” analiza el significado del Padrenuestro para nuestro mundo de hoy, utilizando cada día una petición para estudiar la fe, la justicia y la obra a la cual Dios nos está llamando. Este año el programa tiene la particularidad de que cada día se concentra en una petición de la oración, y enlaza dicha petición con uno de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas en formas muy accesibles.

EBV “En la Tierra como en el Cielo”

En el Catecismo Mayor, Martín Lutero nos recuerda que la oración es algo “grande y precioso”. Orar es dar voz a nuestras necesidades y a nuestra confianza en Dios, que es quien las satisface.

Pero orar también es mucho más que eso. En la acción de gracias, la oración les da voz a las cosas que nos unen. En el lamento, la oración les da voz a las cosas que nos separan. Se cree que el teólogo Karl Barth fue quien dijo que “entrelazar las manos en oración es el inicio de un levantamiento contra el desorden del mundo”. Orar es exponer el dolor del mundo y confiar en que Dios lo va a transformar —y nos dé fuerza para ser parte de esa transformación.

“En la Tierra como en el Cielo” invita a niños y adultos a (re)experimentar el Padrenuestro y a ver las conexiones que hay entre la oración y el servicio en el mundo. Cuando la iglesia ora y juega junta, también servimos y caminamos juntos hacia un mundo justo, en el que todos reciben sus alimentos. Las historias de cada día exaltan a las iglesias y comunidades de todas partes del mundo que en oración y con poder están haciendo su parte en esta obra, y a la vez celebran la diversidad que Dios le ha obsequiado al mundo.

Temas diarios

Cada día incluye:

• Un tiempo de inicio para introducir la petición de la oración y el tema del día, incluyendo un sketch;
• El tiempo de los grupos pequeños;
• Historias de proyectos de todas partes del mundo que son respaldados por los donativos que recibe Hambre Mundial de la ELCA;
• Refrigerios y manualidades de los países y regiones que son presentados en las historias;
• Juegos para diferentes grupos de edades;
• Estaciones de simulación que ayudan a los niños a estudiar con mayor profundidad los temas del día; y
• Sugerencias para la conclusión del tiempo del grupo grande

Este año, también nos complace incluir un apéndice de impresos para llevar a casa, a fin de que los padres y cuidadores puedan continuar la conversación con los niños al final de cada día.

Más recursos

Kit de herramientas de la EBV

Podrá encontrar un cartapacio que contiene todas las figuras, imágenes y gráficos de “En la Tierra como en el Cielo” aquí. Puede usar estos archivos para imprimir afiches o letreros, hacer sus propias camisetas playeras o decorar su espacio.

Grupo de Facebook de la EBV de Hambre Mundial de la ELCA

Si busca consejos prácticos para comenzar, únase al grupo de Facebook de la EBV de Hambre Mundial de la ELCA aquí. Este grupo de Facebook dirigido por la comunidad incluye líderes de congregaciones de toda la ELCA, quienes comparten consejos prácticos, nuevas ideas y recursos extra*.

Para más información sobre “En la Tierra como en el Cielo” y otros recursos de Hambre Mundial de la ELCA, escríbale a Ryan Cumming, director del programa de educación sobre el hambre de Hambre Mundial de la ELCA, a Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

 *Este grupo de Facebook es dirigido por la comunidad, y no es moderado ni administrado por la ELCA ni por Hambre Mundial de la ELCA.

God of Justice

As I mulled over how to respond to the topic of climate and racial justice, I knew that if I merely wrote out a response it would become a piece of academic prose with facts. But in this time of Lent, we already know the facts: we already know that our Earth is in trouble, that racism plays out in systems and structures that disembody black and brown lives and the body of Christ itself, that we as human beings can’t seem to get along, that there is evil embedded in every single system of our country and our world, and yet God intends for this world to be one committed to justice-seeking love rooted in the promise of the resurrection. 

Instead of writing out a response in succinct, beautiful paragraphs, I have decided to write a poem in order to lament, fast, and give alms this Lent.

 

The Word

1 Corinthians: 12 – 27

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; ²⁴ whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵ that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

 

A slam poem for racial and environmental justice

In these 40 days of Lent

we take up the disciplines of alms giving, prayer, and fasting.

You see, as a kid

These seem so easy and maybe because I was only focused on 

Myself

I was focused on my own prayers, my own fasting, my own giving to “the poor”

Now, having broken through childhood innocence, I, first of all, realize the privilege of childhood innocence

As I talk with youth today, I hear palatable devastation and anger in the same breath.

You see, our young people are growing up in a time where their lives and the ecosystems of this world are not guaranteed.

And it’s not like there is a “Planet B”

Young people grow up in a time where they do not suffer the effects of climate change, 

they will operate within frameworks of fear as they muster up 

enough courage to go to school every day 

and pray there is not another school shooting, or a shooting at a place of worship, or a shooting late at night with a ricocheted bullet that claims the life of a child. 

Black and brown youth are forced to grow up in un-maintained and uncared for “affordable housing.” 

Oh, and to remind them who they are in the US of A, 

structures of whiteness put toxic and nuclear waste sites, landfills, plastic, 

oil refineries, lead, and gas-guzzling semis in their communities.

In other words, we disregard black and brown people like we discard our trash, our dispensables, our by-products of greed and self-centeredness.

 

In this increasing movement for environmental justice, as people of faith, 

let us take seriously the disciplines of Lent 

as a beloved community beyond our tendency to do so as individuals.

It is this collective alms giving, prayer, and fasting 

that we might discern 

God’s Spirit and

guidance.  

As a church deeply committed to anti-racism work and creation care,

May Lent serve as a time for us to follow the Spirit’s dance 

in weaving these stories together. 

You see, 

It’s not climate justice 

OR

Racial justice.

Rather, it’s 

racial, climate, gender, queer, economic, global justices.

 

As an “older youth,” in this season of Lent,

We repent.

I repent of my complicitness and desire for plastic and fossil fuels.

We repent that we have not lived up to our covenant in Genesis to maintain and preserve creation.

I repent that I have not understood environmental justice as a matter of racial justice 

We repent that we have not listened to our youth 

And to indigenous ways of knowledge with regards to living in balance with creation.

We repent we have degraded our earth just as we have degraded our neighbors through systemic injustice and oppression.

I repent that I have only fixated on sources of knowledge in the environmental justice movement who are white.

We repent that structures of power maintain white supremacy in order to keep us from witnessing the oppression of black and brown lives.

I repent that I have only listened to Greta Thunberg. 

 

As an “older youth,” in this season of Lent,

I also take-up the practices of prayerfully listening and expanding my creation of justice worldview.

We will listen and pass the mic to young black and brown environmental and racial justice activists.

We will listen to Jamie Margolin, Mari Copeny, Xiye Bastida, Isra Hirsi, Kevin J. Patel, Elsa Mengistu, Nadia Nazar, and other youth activists of color.

We will seek racial justice as a matter of climate justice and climate justice as a matter of racial justice.

We will listen and cultivate authentic relationships of solidarity.

 

Discussion Questions

1. How does your faith compel you to work towards racial and climate justice?
2. What have /  will you let go of and take-up in this season of Lent with regards to racial and climate justice?
3. How do you understand the relationship between racial and climate justice? What is happening in your local community or congregation that addresses these?
4. Who are leaders of color you listen to in the environmental movement? Theologians? How are you taking time to deepen this practice of listening during Lent?

 

Wylie Cook (they, them, their’s) is currently a seminarian attending Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. Wylie has advocacy experience in various areas but specifically, the gender and racial nuances of policy. Wylie interned at the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. and has most recently come from working with the Lutheran World Federation’s delegation to the United Nations Climate Change negotiations in Poland. While studying to become a Lutheran pastor, Wylie engages in advocacy and activism that is rooted in and informed by Lutheran liturgy, theology, ethics, and tradition. Wylie also serves on the policy council for the Lutheran Office for Public Policy- California. In their free time, Wylie loves to travel and visit family and friends around the nation, sing in choir, and cuddle with their Miniature Pinscher, Cosmo. 

Mary Houck, Decatur, GA

Note for leaders: This Faith Lens touches on sexual assault, rape, and the #Metoo movement.  The reflection is about telling difficult truths and being heard. Adult leaders should be prepared in case this topic is personally painful for some in the group. 

Warm-up Question

When someone tells you a story, what makes it sound more or less believable? 

Feeling Heard

On February 24th, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and a lessor crime. He has been accused by over 80 women of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. While he is not the only powerful man to have such behavior exposed, he is a famous example and his accusers were instrumental in starting what we now call the #Metoo Era. 

Such crimes are very difficult to prosecute and do not always lead to guilty verdicts and jail time. Cases often come down to whether the jury finds the victims trustworthy, whether they are heard and believed. Many victims of sexual assault never report it because (among other reasons) they are afraid no one will believe them. Those who commit these crimes count on that.  They do everything they can to deny the crime and discredit their victims.   Weinstein’s lawyers used several tactics to discredit the witnesses in his trial, including claiming that the interactions were consensual. 

The news of the guilty verdicts, even though it was only on two counts out of dozens of accusations caused celebration among Weinstein’s victims and their supporters. There is increasing hope that victims will be believed when they come forward.  Actress Rosanna Arquette said, “We will change the laws in the future so that rape victims are heard and not discredited.” 

You don’t have to be a victim of violence to wonder if the people around you “hear you.” We all need someone who will listen carefully, see us for who we are, believe us when we talk about how we feel, honor our experience, and be on our side no matter what. 

Learn more here about why teens specifically do not always report sexual assault).  If you or someone you know has experienced violence, talk to a trusted adult or friend.  You are not alone. 

Discussion Questions

• Do you ever hesitate to tell something about yourself because you’re not sure people will understand? What do you do instead of sharing it? 
• Do you think your gender affects your level of confidence that people will believe you when you share something important?
• What do you think are the consequences when someone tries to tell their story and no one believes them?  What effect does it have when they are believed?

Third Sunday of Lent

Exodus 17:1-7

Romans 5:1-11

John 4:5-42

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

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

Gospel Reflection

The woman in this story was a Samaritan, an ethnic group that had a complicated relationship with the Jewish people.  They did not trust or like each other, avoiding interaction if possible.  She was also a woman; she wouldn’t normally have a conversation with a strange man in public.  Jesus reveals that she has had five husbands and is currently living with a man to whom she is not married. This probably meant that she was poor and her husbands had either died or abandoned her. She had low status, so the current man in her life felt no obligation to marry her.  She would almost certainly have been dependent on these men for food, shelter, and clothing. She did not have the option to strike out on her own or earn her own income.  While this might not fit modern definitions of sexual assault, she was in a position of catering to their needs (such as getting water for the household in the heat of the day) in order to ensure her own survival. It was not necessarily her choice to be married or living with someone.

Jesus sees her, speaks to her, and understands her.  He sees that she is at the well and in her living situation out of necessity.  He offers her ‘living water’ in place of the water she has to gather every day. She responds with joy and amazement that he is able to tell her everything she had ever done, that he sees who she is and knows her struggles.  

With Jesus, we never have to worry that we will not be heard and understood. There is no emotion he doesn’t understand. Instead of shame or doubt, he offers us a way to break the cycle—living water which will quench our thirst. We can experience this through prayer and the people God puts in our lives. Sometimes it feels like no one understands what we are going through. While no other person sees us as completely as Jesus, there are those around us who care enough to truly listen and carefully hold our deepest truths, while we figure out the way forward. Even better, we get to do that for others! 

Discussion Questions

• Does it make you feel relieved or uncomfortable that Jesus already knows everything we’ve done even before we “confess” something?  Do you wish there were times you could hide from God?
• Does knowing a person well make it easier or more difficult to believe them? Are you more likely to confide in a stranger or someone very close to you?
• The woman in the story was also listening carefully.  People in the Gospel stories had many different reactions to the idea that Jesus was the Messiah. They often misunderstood him or felt he was a threat.  His own hometown tried to throw him off a cliff rather than believe in him! This woman believed immediately and went to tell others, who also came to believe. Do you think Jesus also needs us to listen carefully? What will we do when we fully understand who Jesus is and “hear” his message?

Activity Suggestion

Active Listening

• In this activity, you will each share something about yourselves with a partner. While one is talking, the other is listening actively. 
  • What to talk about? Really anything. If you need help getting started, choose something that causes a strong feeling  and let that lead you on to other things. It doesn’t have to be about your deepest feelings, just something about you to help your partner  know you better. 
  • How to listen: Listen silently and carefully.  Our tendency is to interrupt others by telling something about ourselves which relates to their story.  Your job is just to listen–not judge or respond. Do not make it about you. Remember what you are hearing so that later you can tell the story to someone else (if you have permission from the storyteller).  Don’t just listen well enough to think of what you want to say next. 
• Divide into pairs.  Have each pair find a spot where they can sit back to back (chairs or floor).  
• One person goes first and talks about themselves for 3 minutes (or the amount of time you choose).  If they need help getting started, prompt them to tell a story about themselves. At the end of three minutes they switch. 
• Bring the group back together and debrief:
  • What was it like to talk about yourself uninterrupted? Did you feel ‘heard’?
  • What was it like to listen in this way? 

It can be hard at first to listen without imposing ourselves on what others are saying or reacting with our own feelings, instead of considering theirs.  Practice it with your friends and family this week and see what the results are! 

Closing Prayer

Listening God, thank you for knowing us so completely. Thank you for hearing us when we need to be heard.  Thank you for putting people in our lives who care enough to listen.  Help us to be a listening presence for those around us. Amen. 

 

 

A New Resource for Learning, Sharing and Leading

Good information is the backbone of effective responses to hunger and poverty. But where do we get the information we need? And where can we get reliable information about our local communities? ELCA World Hunger’s new “Know Your Neighborhood Worksheet and Guide” is here to help!

This fillable worksheet gives step-by-step instructions for finding the most up-to-date, reliable data on counties within the United States. Each section offers clear instructions for finding data from sources such as the United States Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There are also tips to help you dig even deeper into the numbers and to share the information with others.

What Information Can I Find?

“Know Your Neighborhood” is divided into five sections:

• Housing
• Employment and Poverty
• Food Security
• Food Access
• Community Asset Mapping

Each section provides a brief introduction to the issues, a summary of what information to look for and a list of the sources used for the data (click to enlarge):

Some of the questions that you will be able to answer with the help of “Know Your Neighborhood”:

• How many people are homeless in my state? How many homeless people in my state are currently sheltered?

• What is the median household income in my county?

• How many people are living in poverty in my county?

• What is the median household income in my synod?

• What is the unemployment rate in my county?

• How many people are food insecure in my county?

• How many people in my county live in a food desert?

Another New Resource: Synod Maps

In addition to the worksheet in “Know Your Neighborhood,” ELCA World Hunger is happy to provide synod maps here. These maps are color-coded and show the median household income by zip code for synods. (The Slovak Zion Synod and the Caribbean Synod are not available.) In addition, each map shows the locations of ELCA congregations throughout the synod.

As you can see in this example map of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod, the color-coded areas represent median household income brackets (click to enlarge):

How Can You Use This Data?

The worksheet and maps for “Know Your Neighborhood” give leaders a quick way to collect and share information with others in the community. These will be helpful for

• Presentations

• Temple talks

• Newsletters

• Considering new ministry plans

• Sharing the story of a current ministry

• Advocacy

• And much more!

Download “Know Your Neighborhood” from ELCA.org/hunger/resources#HungerEd. The synod maps can be found at ELCA.org/hunger/resources#Maps. And check out other resources from ELCA World Hunger on the same page!

Connect

If you use “Know Your Neighborhood” or have questions about how to use the maps or the guide, get in touch with us at Hunger@ELCA.org.

 

By the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, ELCA Director of Advocacy

This week my daughter came to me, shaken. “Mom,” she said, “There’s a video of a Chinese woman getting attacked because people are blaming HER for the coronavirus. They kept beating her and only one person tried to help!” Her voice conveyed anguish and outrage and no small amount of fear at this display of brutality.

 

Xenophobic outbreaks

As our nation responds to COVID-19 with public health measures to test and contain the outbreak, we are also confronted by an outbreak of xenophobic attacks on Asian Americans, adults and children, with reports of similar aggressions around the world. These attacks on individuals, Asian and Pacific Islander communities and their businesses are a tragic extension of the fear and misinformation regarding the origins and spread of the virus.

They are also yet another manifestation of the viral racism that infects our body politic and, as put in an opening question by theologian Howard Thurman to his classic book, Jesus and the Disinherited, the body of Christ in the United States.

“Why is it that Christianity seems impotent to deal radically, and therefore effectively, with the issues of discrimination and injustice on the basis of race, religion and national origin? “

Targeting populations based on racial or ethnic origin is not new in U.S. history, especially in times of national instability. My daughter has learned in school about the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States, and about Japanese American internment camps, the forced relocation by the U.S. government of thousands of Japanese Americans to detention camps during World War II. We have recently discussed over the dinner table Trump administration actions to make it easier to deport Lao and Hmong community members despite the sacrifices and solidarity of these refugees during the Viet Nam war.

But the video startled and brought home to her how close xenophobia is to the surface of everyday life in a new and frightening way.

 

Jesus’ life-changing message

Thurman’s book challenged the church in 1949 and still does today, insisting we reflect on the depth of our hunger and thirst for justice to address racism and religious discrimination in church and society.

Thurman explores the life-changing message of Jesus for “those who stand, at a moment in human history, with their backs against a wall.” He contends that those who have been driven to the edge, dehumanized, degraded and denied basic dignity are Jesus’ primary audience. They are also the ones who can apprehend God’s “liberating spirituality” rooted in the religion of Jesus and an emancipatory way of being.

 

Siding with emancipatory faith

Thurman probes this spiritual resilience as developed through the suffering and beauty of the African American experience. Rooted in the presence and power of God who sides with the oppressed, this emancipatory faith provided sustenance during the atrocities inflicted by whites on enslaved African Americans and strength through the Jim Crow era.

To all whose backs are to the wall God offers this same liberating spirituality and calls for the church to stand alongside them.

Thurman mourns that the church, called to be in solidarity with those with their backs to the wall, often fails or falters. Long before Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail, Thurman took on “conventional” Christianity as “muffled, confused and vague,” more concerned with respectability than siding with those who are persecuted, weak and in need of defense.

 

Certainty in times of uncertainty

He has a word for us today, when there still are so many with their backs to the wall, experiencing persecution and in need of the church’s accompaniment, solidarity and advocacy. In times of national uncertainty, with all the unknowns about COVID-19 spread, there are a few things about which we can be certain.

That our prayers for God’s power, protection and presence are with those on the front lines of public health leadership and those who are isolated, sick or fearful.

That our nation has an essential role to play in public policy decisions that shape the health, security and well-being of people, throughout this country and the world, and that our vigilance and advocacy are required to hold our leaders accountable.

That as the ELCA we will not stand by when people are scapegoated, attacked or targeted based on race or ethnicity, which today means solidarity and presence with Asian and Pacific Americans and their communities.

That in Lent God invites us to renewal of faith and life, and at this moment of fear and uncertainty the church is charged with witnessing to a liberating spirituality that includes repentance, resistance and hope.

 

Expanding Lament

A great practice for expanding language is to read the definition of a word that you already understand.

I’ve heard the word lament plenty of times—I was an English major who loved Gothic novels—but I had never actually taken the time to really define it.

The definition didn’t hold any surprises, but as I researched definitions, I also researched Bible verses. And as I read Bible verses, I thought about lament in the context of my own life. And as I thought about lament in my own life, I realized that I have several memories that fit this vision before the word was even in my vocabulary.

Lament was the tears at 6 years old watching my grandfather baptize my sister in the hospital because we knew she wouldn’t live long enough to see anything outside of that building.

Lament was the fear when, later that year, I saw that same grandfather with yellow skin and no hair. Lament was understanding that those things were not good.

Lament was the work put into making a colorful picture with the words “Greif is a token of love” and presenting it, spelling mistake and all, to my fifth-grade classmate at his father’s wake.

Our lives are made up of moments of lament even before we grasp what grief is. No one is exempt. Perhaps we are lucky enough to have less of these moments than others; perhaps we are not. Not even Jesus Christ was immune its power:

The Word

They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. ³⁴ And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” ³⁵ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ He said, “Abba,^[a] Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”

21^st Century Lamentations

Lament is an old word, dating back to the 16^th century, and clearly one that is not often part of our written vocabulary anymore. It involves a demonstration of grief, an intensity of sorrow that cannot be stored inside of the body. Yet, even as the word itself slowly recedes from our attention, we still perform it.

Today I feel a different grief, that of an unformed and uncertain tomorrow, and I lament this dying future with others of my generation and beyond.

 

We lament with our reusable bags and bulk bins.

We lament with metal straws and bamboo forks.

We lament with washed out salsa jars now serving as containers.

We lament with empty refillable water bottles through airport security.

We lament with our voices in the street instead of our voices in the classroom.

 

I read Jesus’ lamentations in Gethsemane often because this is when he seems the most human to me, right before he transitions to becoming the most divine by being nailed to a cross for our sins. It is the passage where I can begin to even try to understand his humanity and divinity in one body.

This season of Lent I have chosen my lamentation, my demonstration of grief, to be to give up single use plastic, but it is not restricted to this. We all have different lives and different sorrows, and whatever form your lamentation for the degradation of the environment takes, we join in support together as the Children of God, each crying out in our own Gethsemane.

Discussion Questions

1. How does lament tie into your sustainability practices this season? How do you make your action more intentional?
2. How have your experiences of lament affected you throughout your life? Are you currently mourning something?
3. How does Jesus’ pain in the scripture open you up to your own?
4. How might your #NoPlasticsforLent lament affect your relationship to creation during this season? Beyond?

 

 

Tessa Comnick is serving in Washington D.C. as the Hunger Advocacy Fellow with ELCA Advocacy. She comes from Cleveland, Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in English from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio and a master’s degree in Global Environment, Politics, and Society from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The granddaughter of a Lutheran pastor, Comnick has attended an ELCA church since she was born and is immensely touched by the support of her home congregation, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Westlake, Ohio. She is grateful for this opportunity with the ELCA to explore her passions for food security and waste reduction, along with the opportunity to expand her knowledge in other areas such as environmental economics and climate induced migration. Comnick is a staunch believer that good things will come in the future, both in terms of altruism as a society and in Cleveland sports.

Paul Baglyos, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Question

What is the difference between sight and insight?

Winds of Change

Asayel Slay, a female rap artist from Saudi Arabia, currently faces arrest and punishment by Saudi officials because of her YouTube video/song “Mecca Girl.”  The work, which celebrates women in Mecca, has been condemned by conservatives as disrespectful toward the values and traditions that have long prevailed in Meccan society.  Asayel’s supporters regard her as a champion of women’s progress in that society, while her detractors view her as a threat to social norms.  Religious convictions animate both sides of the controversy.

Discussion Questions

• Look up the story about the controversy surrounding “Mecca Girl.”  What opinions do you have about that story?
• Can you think of other artists whose work has aroused controversy?  What are the issues and values at stake in that kind of controversy?

Second  Sunday in Lent

Genesis 12:1-4a

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

John 3:1-17

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

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

Gospel Reflection

There’s a lot going on in this long passage, which includes the oft-quoted verse 16.  Also worth noting, however, is the curious statement of Jesus in verse 8: “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  Jesus makes this statement to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who “came to Jesus by night” (verse 2) to inquire more deeply about Jesus’ mission and identity.  

The passage suggests that the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus includes elements of tension and conflict.  Nicodemus’ question about a person entering the mother’s womb a second time (verse 4), and Jesus’ query, “Are you a teacher . . . and yet you do not understand?”  (verse10) might be interpreted as verbal sparring.  But there is no necessary reason to regard Nicodemus as an enemy of Jesus.  Later in John’s gospel, Nicodemus speaks indirectly on behalf of Jesus against those who opposed him (John 7:45-51) and he cares for Jesus’ body after his crucifixion (John 19:38-42).  

In light of those subsequent events, we can consider that Nicodemus is genuinely interested in Jesus’ mission and identity, and sincerely desires understanding.  For the time being, however, understanding eludes Nicodemus.  His does not fully grasp what he has begun to glimpse in Jesus.

Jesus’ curious statement about the wind blowing where it chooses describes Nicodemus’ predicament.  Just as people can hear the wind blowing without knowing its source or its destination, so Nicodemus has sensed something occurring in and through Jesus without understanding its true meaning or purpose.  Nicodemus is not alone in this regard.  Even those closest to Jesus and most favorably inclined toward him labor under the same predicament throughout John’s gospel.  In those who oppose Jesus the failure of understanding becomes a determination to stop him, to suppress him, even – eventually – to punish and exterminate him.  Jesus is, for friends and foes alike, a wind of change blowing about them.  They can all sense it, even if they cannot or will not comprehend it.

The story about “Mecca Girl” illustrates the different ways people react to any wind of change.  For some, a wind of change is a breath of fresh air, a stirring breeze; for others, it is a destructive, threatening storm.  Jesus compares the work of God’s Spirit, of which he himself is a living embodiment,  to a wind of change.  (It is interesting to note that in many languages, including those of the Bible, the words for “spirit,” “wind” and “breath” are often the same.)  This does not mean that every wind of change is necessarily of God or from God; but it does mean that God’s work will always be comparable to a wind of change, rattling our familiar habits and perceptions.  We can sense God’s work, even before we understand it.

Discussion Questions

• What winds of change do you currently sense in our world?  In our nation?  In your congregation?  How are people responding to those winds of change?
• Which of those winds of change do you regard as a breath of fresh air, and why?
• How does “sight” (sensing what is occurring) align with “insight” (understanding what is occurring)?
• How do you decide, and how might we decide, whether a wind of change is from God and a work of God’s Spirit?

Activity Suggestion

Using the final reflection question in the preceding section, discuss a specific example of a current “wind of change” your group has sensed.

Closing Prayer

Gracious and holy God, give us diligence to seek you, wisdom to perceive you, and patience to wait for you.  Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on you; eyes to behold you; ears to listen for your word; a heart to love you; and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.  (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 76) 

 

By Kathryn Mary Lohre

At every ecumenical and inter-religious meeting or event I attend, the conversation invariably turns to the rapidly changing ecumenical and inter-religious landscape. At times it is raised as a caution: we cannot continue down the same path because it will no longer lead us to where we thought we were going. At other times, the conversation itself feeds circular thinking: we cannot effectively engage in new ways until we have a clear view of our new context. No one, it seems, has a compelling vision for how we might bridge the gap between the past and the future of ecumenical and inter-religious relations – between the institutions and models that well-suited a different era, and the institutions and models emerging and needed today.

We seem to forget that the ecumenical and inter-religious movements weren’t launched as a strategic response to the demographic landscape, but as feeble-yet-faithful responses to contextual realities that were scandalous to the Gospel, or injurious to the dignity and sacred worth of all people and the planet. Today’s false expectation of 2020 vision has become a major stumbling block to the vitality and urgency of these movements’ work and witness today.
What if we didn’t try to see the whole panorama in clear view? What if, instead, we tried to focus on what we are glimpsing anew, or for the first time, in our own work? When we no longer expect clear vision from ourselves, we are reminded that it is, in fact, God’s vision for unity, justice, and peace. Our work is not to see the whole picture and to construct God’s vision like a jigsaw puzzle, but to invite others through our witness into glimpsing what has already been freely given to us. Our vantage points, our perspectives, are also a gift from God. They aren’t perfect, but they can be used to point to what is.
Let me begin this conversation by sharing with you one area of my work in the ELCA that I am beginning to see more clearly. As a church, we now have a corpus of “Declarations” that serve as ELCA social teaching on “relations.”

These include: “A Declaration of Ecumenical Commitment” (1991); “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community” (1994); “A Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent” (2019); and “A Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment” (2019). A fifth, “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community,” will soon be underway. Together, they speak volumes about the relations, both within and beyond the ELCA, that are central to our Lutheran self-understanding and Christian vocation.

But these ELCA Declarations are also in dialogue with each other! Let me explain…
Since the Churchwide Assembly last summer, I have been interpreting the implications of the adoption of “A Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment: A Policy Statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” It is exciting to help people understand the contents of the document, to expound upon the historical and theological considerations for our inter-religious life together. It is energizing to share more about the proceedings themselves – the essential deliberation and debate on the floor of the Assembly on key theological concerns, and the spontaneous and moving expression of solidarity by the nearly fifty partners who were present with us. (They joined hands and raised them in the air in response to the Declaration’s adoption.) It is also motivating to explore next steps as we seek to live into the commitments we have set before ourselves, and made to our partners. All of these things are important, and will continue to be in our life together – but they are also deeply linked to other parts of our life as church together.

In July 2019, just one month before the Churchwide Assembly, and in the quadricentennial anniversary year of the transatlantic slave trade, the ELCA Church Council adopted “A Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent.” It apologizes to people of African Descent for the church’s complicity in slavery, and its vestiges of racism and white supremacy. It offers confession, repentance, and repudiation of the church’s silence in the face of racial injustice. It was presented publicly at the Churchwide Assembly in August, and the apology was publicly accepted by the African Descent Lutheran Association, with calls for accountability. (Of note, the President of the Association was a member of the Inter-Religious Task Force, the body that developed the inter-religious policy statement, and the presentation of both Declarations took place on the same day.)

I had been in consultation with the drafters of “A Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent” during its development. Was the 1994 Declaration to the Jewish Community a model worth considering? What had we learned as a church from a previous confession and repudiation that would bring insight into a different, and differently complex, set of questions? What had been the impact, both immediately and over time? It seemed poignant, not mere coincidence, that the 400th anniversary year of “A Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent” was coinciding with the 25th anniversary year of “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community.” We have seen over time, and in recent months, that anti-Jewish hatred and racism are two symptoms of the same sin of supremacy.

As a result of seeing the Declarations in dialogue, I have also begun to look for other connections, too.
In 2016 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly acted to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, which justified the colonization of Indigenous lands and peoples in this context for centuries. In our inter-religious policy statement, the colonizers’ denial of religious freedom to the indigenous peoples is named explicitly in describing our multi-religious context. The 2016 repudiation is also named explicitly together with the 1994 Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community in Commitment 11 of A Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment, calling for confession, repentance, and reconciliation with those whom we have caused offense, harm or violence.

In 2017, for the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations developed a “Litany of Confession” based on the 1994 Declaration, which was repurposed again for the 25th anniversary in 2019. In an early public usage of that Litany in 2017, I was approached the late Rev. Dr. Gordon Straw, a leader of and within the ELCA’s American Indian and Alaska Native community. He expressed hurt over the language in the 1994 Declaration that reads: “In the long history of Christianity there exists no more tragic development than the treatment accorded the Jewish people on the part of Christian believers.” What about the treatment accorded indigenous peoples? The language in the opening paragraph of the Litany was adjusted accordingly to reflect our acknowledgement that the suffering of the Jewish people in the name of Christianity is shocking and tragic, without weighting it as more or less tragic than another development right here in our own context. We can and should do better.

Lastly, I am interested in thinking about how the broader culture is calling us into conversation, advocacy, and action on the basis of our Declarations.
Consider the pernicious rise in recent years of the transnational white supremacist movement, and its undeniable links to the rise of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim violence and discrimination. The manifestos of many of the white supremacist extremists name influencers that are linked to one another in a tangled web of hatred, racism, and religious bigotry. Whether we are speaking of Charleston, Charlottesville, Christchurch, or Tree of Life, it doesn’t take much to connect the dots from the shooters or organizers to those who are appropriating, again, the legacy of Christian anti-Judaic teachings. The 1994 Declaration needs to be reckoned with – by the ELCA, and with our Jewish partners – in light of these most recent manifestations of anti-Jewish hatred. The development of “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community,” and our church’s relations with Muslims, needs to take these things into consideration. There is much work to do.

In 2020, my perspective has shifted. I can see how each of the ELCA Declarations stands alongside the others – as complimentary to, consistent with, and conditional upon them. Together, they answer questions about how and why we relate to people – both within and beyond our Lutheran family. They also confess where we have fallen short of the glory of God, violating the body of Christ, and harming or violating the dignity of our neighbors. But they don’t stop there. They remind us of God’s whole, healing, and hopeful vision for our common future. They give us glimpses of Divine beauty amidst the horrors of human sin. They are, by design, and by God’s grace – in conversation with one another. Just as we are.

What of God’s vision are you glimpsing more clearly?

 

My Story

When I was growing up on a small 3 acre farm in Tacoma, Washington with my two parents and three siblings, I HATED going outside and doing yard work. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

I would rather have been inside the house watching movies on our VHS player. On top of the mandatory all-family yard work on the farm, we lived frugally getting everything second-hand, including my school outfits which did not fit my fashion standards. At all.

Skip to college where I studied pre-med and needed to declare a major, realizing the only realistic option was Environmental Studies, an open major. Taking classes in this program, I finally found something that fit my educational needs. Learning what the environment was ecologically, socially, and locally gave me a new lens to understand and see the world in a deeper way.

My Learning

I learned how my actions could affect my local community, and communities internationally who I had never even considered. I learned how my desire for brand new material goods affected what I now know and fear as Global Climate Change, and that it is occurring at a pace that exceeds what humans have ever experienced before. I learned how this global change is hurting the natural environment, the plants and animals that live in it, and people who are marginalized because of their socioeconomic status, race, location and more. I found my passion. And it’s a shared passion with anyone who wants to self-reflect on who they are and what they do and how they affect their neighbors, communities, and the world in ways that may not be so obvious. It’s a shared passion with anyone willing to be more intentional with their actions towards the environment.

After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies, I volunteered in Palestine for a year with Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), an international service program through the ELCA. It was my first time over the Atlantic and my first time witnessing the joys and hardships of another culture for such a long period of time. I volunteered at the Environmental Education Center in the West Bank. It was the perfect accompaniment to my undergrad studies. Suddenly, I was observing one of the international communities I learned about – one that suffers the impact of my environmental actions at the hands of an unjust and oppressive system. Environmental Sustainability quickly shifted to Environmental Justice. I saw how product consumption in America driven by capitalism, materialism, and greed coupled with living under occupation can devastate countries like Palestine who are trying to keep up in a high-consumption world. Reflecting during my year I thought “I can do better than this”.

Word

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6 As we work together with him,[a] we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Ashes to ashes

We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, stewards of the Earth here and now! Now is the acceptable time. We are asked to care for creation as well as our neighbors around us. We can practice being more mindful and intentional with our efforts to preserve our environment and lessen negative impacts on plants, animals, and marginalized communities that are merely trying to survive.

Ash Wednesday is near and it reminds us that like the earth that clings to our feet each day, we are dirt. We are ashes. We are dust. We are creation, we are earth itself.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and of a tradition in the Lutheran Church where we take time to self-reflect, repent, and remember what Jesus did for us before he laid down is life for us.

Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are called by Christ to prayer for, lament for, and care for the earth to which we all will return.

Reflection Questions

1. How can we hold ourselves and the people around us accountable in treating the environment with care, love, and respect? What does it mean to be Christ’s ambassador in this context?

2. What are your consumption habits? How often are you purchasing things with plastic? Where do you put your old electronics?

3. How do you mark Ash Wednesday? What do the words “ashes to ashes” mean to you?

Bio

Hannah Wright Osborn (She/Her/Hers) is a living Lutheran currently residing in the DC Metro Synod where faith and politics are ever present. Her studies in college helped her to understand the value of the farm she grew up on and the recycling of second-hand products. Her year in Palestine further fueled her passion for social justice work. She came back and was invited to lead a trip back to Palestine for other Young Adults of Color near and within the church and to give them space to lead in a white and marginalized society. She has returned back after a successful trip in January 2020 and continues social justice work in her local community through Luther Place Memorial Church.

Heather Hansen, San Antonio, TX

Warm-up Question

How do you tell the difference between the truth and a lie?

Fake News

Post-truth is an adjective defined as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”  In 2016, “Post-truth” was Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year.   In a July 2017 article by Lausanne Global Analysis, the term “post-truth” is closely linked with another popular phrase of our time, “fake news.”

Some fake news is generated with a specific agenda, but, as stated in the 2017 Lausanne article, a lot of fake news is simply a matter of careless, unverified reporting, or malicious attempts of greedy people to gain money and power through reporting of fake news on social media, thus generating ad money and attention globally.  Additionally, a 2016 survey by Pew Research Center states that 23% of people have shared fake news, either knowingly or not.  And let’s face it; that was four years ago.  What might the percentage be in today’s social media reports?  

There are a number of psychological reasons why people believe and share fake news.  First, in today’s social media culture, people have the tendency to share and like posts that have more likes and shares.  Closely related to the definition of post-truth, people also tend to share posts that move them emotionally rather than those that contain objective information.  And finally, people are much more likely to believe news, even if it’s fake, if the news aligns with their previously held world-view or ideas.

While some people propose that fake news is spread more rapidly because of what are called “bots” on the internet, research studies conducted and published between 2016-2018 showed that fake news is much more likely to spread by human cause, and that truth has a much less significant rate of sharing and spreading; usually less than 1,000 people are reached with truth, compared to 1,000-100,000 people with fake news.  

So what does this mean for Christians seeking to learn about the world around them?  And how does this relate to today’s Bible texts?  First, people have always been curious and have always been confronted with new experiences and new information.  Second, while fake news  may now be a little easier to create and spread due to the speed of internet and social media, fake news is not a new thing.  In fact, as we see in our Bible text today, even Jesus is tempted with fake news which comes from a place of truth but gets twisted. Even the temptation of Adam and Eve occurs as a result of the devil manipulating words to imply truth which really isn’t the truth at all.

Discussion Questions

• What do the terms “fake news” and “post-truth” mean to you?  How do you see these terms in action in your every-day life?
• How can you tell what is fake news and what isn’t?
• Why should Christians be concerned about fake news or post-truth?

First Sunday in Lent

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

Romans 5:12-19

Matthew 4:1-11

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

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

Gospel Reflection

Temptation is and has always been a large part of human existence, hasn’t it?  From the Old Testament lesson in Genesis on the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden, to the temptation of Jesus by the devil in the gospel text for this week, to the regular temptations we face in our everyday life, there always seems to be a way that temptation tries to get the best of us.  Jesus even teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer to ask for God’s help in avoiding temptation!  The challenging thing about temptation is that it often disguises itself as truth, or part truth, when in fact temptation is really fake news–the lie that something else is more important than God’s love for us or the love we have for others.

Let’s take a look at the Old Testament reading and Gospel reading for this week.  First, in Genesis, the sneaky serpent takes the words that God commands and turns them into a lie that seems true…in other words, fake news.  Adam and Eve have been told by God that they can eat of ANY tree in the garden except one; the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and that if they eat from this tree they will die.  Then the serpent  begins tempting them by asking a negative question; “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  Already, the tempter is trying to paint a negative picture of God’s words. 

Of course when someone starts with a question that gets you thinking about what you can’t do, you are going to hear the rest of the story in a different way!  Then, the snake tells them that the real reason God doesn’t want them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil is to keep them from being as knowledgeable as God.  The snake turns the truth, that they will die, into something that seems more desirable by telling them that they will be as knowledgeable as God. 

In the Gospel reading from Matthew, the devil uses words from the Old Testament, in two cases, almost direct quotes.  But, again, as with the fake news in Genesis, the truth is found in the meaning behind the words.  God gives us the promises in Old Testament scripture as signs of God’s faithfulness, comfort, and love, whereas the devil uses them to tempt Jesus into showing power and testing God.  Jesus shrewdly answers the devil with scripture as well; reminding the devil of the true meaning behind the scriptures.  What we see, however, in both stories, is the devil using fake news or post-truth to try and draw us from God and the life and love God promises.

So, what are the devils or temptations in our own lives today that draw us away from the freedom, love, and life that God promises us?  Perhaps the fake news for us is found most readily in the form of advertisements and marketing that tell us we need certain products to live a fabulous life or be better people. We are told we need these things to be more beautiful or handsome, “cooler” or more accepted and appreciated.  Another daily temptation is to post things on social media whether or not they are true, so that we can gain more attention and power.  Maybe the temptation to give in to convenience lies to us and tells us we can do more, when really, the more we add to our lives, the less time we have for what is most important…God, our families, friends and other loved ones, and caring for our neighbors.

Today’s Gospel helps us to understand in a world of post-truth that temptation is really fake news.  As people of God, we are given the assurance of love, acceptance, belonging, forgiveness, mercy, and unconditional grace.  These we are called to share with all people.  As we combat the reality of “fake news” in our world—the lies that people tell about others and the world, the lies we tell ourselves, and the temptations which draw us away from loving and living freely—are called to face temptation and tempters with words similar to those used by Jesus. We confess our love and trust in God, so that we don’t test God, but live fully in reliance on God’s truth and faithfulness, even in the wilderness of life.

Discussion Questions

• How can you determine what is temptation or fake news in your own life?  Which people or resources can you rely on to help you?
• In what ways does temptation sneak up on you in life, and how can you be more aware of it?
• What fake news do you feel called to reveal the truth about, and how will you do that?

Activity Suggestion

Play the game “Two Truths and a Lie”.  Have each person in your group tell two truths about themselves and one lie.  As a group, try to determine what they said that is a lie.  What is hard about figuring out the truth?  What helps you to know what is truth and what is a lie?

Closing Praye

Holy God, as we enter the season of Lent and a time of repentance and reflection, help us to be aware of all the temptation around us and to find the truth in the midst of the lies.  Help us to know the truth about ourselves and keep us from spreading fake news in the world.  Amen.