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September 21, 2014–Better Than Fair

Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

Warm-up Question: How do you react when you think something is unfair?

Better Than Fair

College football season is in full swing. As with any group, some student athletes choose to break the rules set by their coaches or their leagues. Coaches must then give out punishments including suspensions, counseling, and extra hard practices.

Early in the season is the biggest time for suspensions. Colleges have had to discipline players for many different infractions, including failing drug tests, not going to classes, cheating in their classes, and even being arrested on charges like DUI or assault.

shutterstock_186023696editMany different factors determine the punishments players receive. Former Texas coach Mack Brown describes it this way: “You’ve got to be consistently fair with your rules, understanding that there are so many inconsistent things that are thrown at you.” Brown once had three of his players get DUIs during one off-season. He disciplined them differently because two of the players had been causing trouble for a while, but the third had never broken a rule before.

Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik tells why he thinks the same offense may not always be punished the same way: “If the team knows you’re fair, you’re good. You want to be as consistent as you can be, but consistency is not always doable. Fairness can be.”

Houston Nutt, who coached at Arkansas and Mississippi, learned this philosophy playing at Arkansas under his coach, Jimmy Johnson: “Players who rarely if ever step out of line get leeway and second chances. Problem children don’t.”

Nutt also said coaches must take into consideration that their discipline measures might hurt the team, which may in turn put the coach’s job in jeopardy. It’s not an easy position for a coach to be in, since they are paid to win games.

Nutt once suspended his starting kicker for getting a DUI after Nutt had warned the players not to party before the game. The team lost the important game, and two weeks later the DUI charges were dropped. It was frustrating, but Nutt felt justified in suspending him.

“You have no respect for your team and coaches,” he told the player.

Punishments may not always look fair to observers, but sometimes the message can be communicated by what seems like a mild consequence. As Florida coach Will Muschamp said when he was criticized for reinstating players after suspending them from a game that was cancelled after ten minutes, “There are a lot of things that go into discipline. It’s about altering and changing behavior, which we’ve done here.”

 

Discussion Questions

  • Is there a difference between fairness and consistency? If so, what is the difference?
  • Do you think everyone should get the same punishment for the same infraction? Can you think of a time when that didn’t (or wouldn’t) work?
  • If a coach is unfair, what effect might that have on the team?
  • When a coach treats players fairly, what effect does that have on the team?

Lectionary 25

Jonah 3:10—4:11

Philippians 1:21-30

Matthew 20:1-16

(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

 

If you grew up going to church, you’ve probably heard the words of Matthew 20:16 before. You may have even heard them so often that they get on your nerves. They may have been used to make you feel guilty for rushing to be first in line, or as a consolation for being last. Your siblings may have thrown these words at you to compensate for their own feelings that they were being treated unfairly.

“The last will be first, and the first will be last.”

In all of history, only Jesus teaches such radical unfairness. Only Jesus possesses the grace to give those who worked for one hour the same wage as those who worked all day. How wonderful for those who received a full day’s pay for only an hour’s labor. May we all have been this fortunate at one time or another in our lives.

What about those who worked all day? Shouldn’t they get more? This is where our sense of unfairness kicks in. It just feels wrong to work all day and get paid no more than those who worked one hour. What a sour feeling to think you were first, and end up being last.

In this parable, the wages are meant to stand, in part, for forgiveness and salvation for believers. Forgiveness and salvation are available to us whether we choose to believe in Jesus when we are young or on our deathbed. It is the same gift to all believers.

Some believers don’t think this is fair. “I have believed and served God all my life,” they think. “I should get more than the person who lives a sinful life and only repents on at the very end of his life.”

In this parable, as in all his teachings, Jesus shows us that it isn’t about our efforts, how long we are a Christian or how great a Christian we are. Instead, we need to focus on God’s grace, which is the same for all, because we all need it equally. If we want to be truthful, none of us deserve God’s grace and forgiveness. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Although some of us are Christians just about all our lives, and some only come to faith very late in life, our need for salvation is exactly equal. This is the truth Jesus portrayed so well in this parable.

Discussion Questions

  • How does this story feel different if you focus on the people paid for one hour, than it does if you focus on the people paid the same for a whole day’s work?
  • Does Matthew 20:16, “The first will be last, and the last will be first,” give you a sense of comfort, or does it make you angry? Why?
  • Grace means “unmerited favor,” in other words, not deserved. Besides forgiveness and salvation, what have you received from God that you know you didn’t deserve?
  • What effect do you think conflicts about being first or last might have on a church?

Activity Suggestions

As a group, find an opportunity to serve a person or a group of people in need. Serving others is a way to put them first. Some ideas are providing a meal at a soup kitchen, raking leaves for someone, washing their car, etc. Afterward, discuss how it felt to serve in that way.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for your grace in forgiving us when we couldn’t do anything to deserve it. Thank you for the example of your justice in the world. Help us to be gracious toward others and willing to put them before ourselves. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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September 14, 2014–A Mother’s Forgiveness

John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

We all make mistakes.  Share one excellent mistake you have made and what you learned from the experience.

A Mother’s Forgiveness

In December 2012, Josh Brent, an offensive linemen with the Dallas Cowboys, got into his car after a night of drinking and was involved in a one car accident.  His passenger, Jerry Brown, Jr., a teammate and Josh’s best friend, was killed in the crash.  At the time of the accident, Josh’s blood alcohol level was .018 – twice the legal limit.  He was eventually convicted of intoxicated manslaughter and served 180 days in jail and was sentenced to 10 years of probation.  In June 2014, Josh was released from jail and in early September, he was conditionally reinstated by the National Football League and given a 10 game suspension.  If all goes as planned, Josh will return to the football field a mere two years after his deadly accident.

While some people were outraged that Josh didn’t serve more time in jail and other people were surprised that the NFL would allow him to return to the field at all, Stacey Jackson, the mother of Jerry Brown, Jr., announced that she was “very happy Josh has been reinstated with the Dallas Cowboys!”  Shortly after the accident, Jackson publicly stated that she had forgiven Josh and that she hoped others, including the Dallas Cowboys would do the same.  At Josh’s sentencing, she asked the court for leniency saying, Josh is “still responsible, but you can’t go on in life holding a grudge.  We all make mistakes.”  When the news of his reinstatement was made public, she affirmed her forgiveness and her hope that Josh would be given the opportunity to rebuild his life. “My beautiful son”, she said, “is in Heaven now, and Josh has to be given a chance to live his life and do something for someone else! We all make mistakes, and we all have an entrance date and an exit day. Although I miss Jerry every day, I know he would be very happy that Josh has another chance to play football!”

Discussion Questions

  • Do you think the NFL should have reinstated Josh Brent?
  • How do you think you would have reacted if you had been Stacey Jackson?
  • According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, over 300,000 people drive drunk each day. To combat this problem, some people are proposing blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testers be added to all automobiles.  How would you feel about having to pass a BAC test each time you needed to start your car?  What arguments could you make for and against this requirement?

Lectionary 24

Genesis 50:15-21

Romans 14:1-12

Matthew 18:21-35

(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

shutterstock_205370161editWhen Peter asks, “Lord, . . . how often should I forgive.  As many as seven times?” (Mt 18:21)  It appears that Peter is hoping Jesus will give him a clear, definitive answer.  It appears that he is hoping Jesus will say something like “You must forgive offenses one to six, but once you reach offense number seven, then withholding forgiveness is perfectly acceptable.”  Instead of providing a simplistic black and white answer, Jesus responds “seventy-seven times” and offers Peter a parable that demonstrates God’s generous forgiveness, the difficulty we have in extending forgiveness to others and the call we have to model God’s forgiveness in our relationships with others.

As the parable begins, we see a king ready to settle his accounts.  We see a slave facing a debt that is impossibly large and we see a king ready to take the steps necessary to secure repayment.  The order is given for the slave, his family and all his possessions be sold, but then something remarkable happens.  The slave asks for patience and mercy and out of pity, the king forgives the debt.  While the king doesn’t specifically say to the slave, ‘Go and do likewise’, it is clear that the king expects his generous forgiveness to be reflected in the life of his servant.  Shortly after receiving this generous act of forgiveness, however, the slave finds himself on the other side of the equation.  A debt is owed to him, mercy is requested, but unlike the king, this slave refuses to extend forgiveness.  When the king finds out, he is furious.  How could one receive mercy and forgiveness and not share mercy and forgiveness with others?

We too have received a generous gift of forgiveness from our King.  In the waters of baptism, we are washed in the generous promise that thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection our debt of sin is paid.  Like the slave, the question for us is “How will we respond to this generous gift?”  Will we receive God’s gift of forgiveness, yet refuse to share it or will we receive God’s gift of forgiveness and build on that gift to extend God’s forgiveness generously and freely to those around us?

Discussion Questions

  • What would the world be like if there was a law that said you only had to forgive the same person seven times in a lifetime?
  • Think of the last time someone forgave you.  How did it make you feel to be forgiven?  What difference did that forgiveness make in your life?
  • What are ways that you can draw on the strength of God’s forgiveness to help you forgive others?

Activity Suggestions

  • Using the Confession and Forgiveness in the ELW (pg. 98) as a model, work as a group to write a prayer of confession that relates specifically to your life.  Ask if your prayer can be used in Sunday worship or just use it in a service with your group.
  • Try adding the phrase “I forgive you” to your life.  When someone says, “I’m sorry.”  Reply “I forgive you” instead of saying “Ok” or “Thanks”.  Pay attention and see how it feels to actually say “I forgive you” to another person

Closing Prayer

Merciful God, in the waters of baptism, you connect us to the promise of forgiveness and new life.  Help us receive your forgiveness in our lives and to know the good news that your ability to forgive is greater than our ability to sin.  Inspire us to offer mercy and forgiveness to the people in our lives.  Amen.

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Long-term recovery in progress following spring wildfires in California

Megan Brandsrud

​In May, a series of 9 wildfires broke out in San Diego County, Calif. Severe Santa Ana wind conditions and a heat wave played contributing factors in the spreading of the fires. By the time all of the fires were contained, more than 29,000 acres of land had been burned.

Through an initial $10,500 commitment from Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California and Inter-Lutheran Emergency Response Team are working together on the Long-Term Recovery Committee to provide assistance in the area impacted by the wildfires.

Long-Term Recovery Committees are essential in the aftermath of a disaster to help impacted communities recover, rebuild and adjust to their “new normal.” Long-Term Recovery Committees provide a place for people who were impacted by disaster to ask questions and get connected with necessary resources for their recovery. The Long-Term Recovery Committee in San Diego County will help people who have been impacted by providing resources for needs that are not met by insurance coverage to assist in rebuilding.

The wildfires not only caused property damage—they caused environmental damage. Rebuilding and new growth will be a long process. We keep the community of San Diego County in our prayers and we walk with them on their recovery journey.

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Living Earth Reflections: This month we march out of love for our neighbors and God’s earth

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy

​”Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1

On September 21, 2014, hundreds of thousands – perhaps even millions – of people are expected to gather in New York City for what may be the largest march to date on climate change.  During the upcoming People’s Climate March​, marchers will be asking global leaders, who will meet at the United Nations later that week, to take this issue seriously and to pledge themselves to action on this critical issue that threatens our children’s future and the future of God’s creation.

I’m planning to be there, along with thousands of other people of faith, because I see climate change as a threat to the future of God’s creation and the lives of all those to come. God created the earth and called on us to take care of it and Jesus called on us to care for our neighbors, whoever and wherever they may be.  Stewardship and love of neighbor demand that we act on climate change: ours is the first generation to feel the impacts of a changing climate in the form of more extreme weather and rising sea levels, and ours is the last generation with a chance to do something to stop it.

When I first heard about the march, I was skeptical–I struggled with the idea of thousands of people traveling to New York, emitting carbon into the atmosphere, for a single day’s event.  But we are at a critical moment on a critical issue, and maybe this march will mark a beginning. My hope is that this will be the day that turns the tide and changes the hearts and minds of the cloud of witnesses that surround us, and marks the new beginning we need if we are to protect God’s creation for our children and their children.

This past week the New York Times reported that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group of scientists that periodically comes together to report on the latest science on climate change, will release the final part of its Fifth Assessment report next month. For the first time, this report will include the word “irreversible.”  The draft report outlines a sobering reality – unless all countries act very soon and very deliberately to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, some of the worst predictions of prior reports will occur; melting ice sheets in the Arctic will raise sea levels by as much as 23 feet, global production of staple grains will see significant drops, and extreme weather events such as heat waves and flooding rains will happen with increased frequency.

In the face of these sobering predictions, some may lose hope.  Some may continue to deny, saying it will never happen, believing that it can never happen.  But we are people of faith and hope, and we know that we can change our ways, and we can prepare for this challenging future.  And so we march, before the great cloud of witnesses, to demonstrate God’s love and hope for each of us and for the world.  We march, marked by the cross, saved by grace, out of love for our neighbors and God’s earth.

If you would like to join us in the People’s Climate March, you can sign up on our ELCA Google Form
 
Want to learn more about ELCA’s commitment to advocating for public policy that supports the care for creation?  
Visit our website
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Celebrating Disaster Preparedness Month with new Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook

Megan Brandsrud

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, and what better way for us to celebrate than to announce our newCongregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook!

disaster preparedness guidebook

As the introduction in the guide says, “The purpose of this guidebook is to help congregations take some basic and important steps toward resiliency and intentionality in response to disaster so that they will be better able to serve their communities when disasters strike.”

Categorized into sections, the guidebook provides a step-by-step approach to creating a comprehensive disaster response plan for your congregation.

  • Section 1: “Developing a Congregational Preparedness Plan” – Using corresponding worksheets, this section provides congregations a process for creating their unique preparedness plan.
  • Section 2: “Response” – This section addresses how congregations, communities and individuals achieve a “new normal” after a disaster through long-term recovery.
  • Section 3 and 4: “Emotional and Spiritual Care” and “Worship in times of disaster” – These sections provide tools for spiritual leaders and recognizes that the church is called to provide care through prayer and worship.
  • Section 5: Glossary – The final section provides a glossary of terms, additional resources and the worksheets that are used throughout the guidebook.

This guidebook is a valuable resource for all congregations, even those who have not experienced a disaster first-hand. It is never known when a natural or human-caused disaster could impact your community, but people will turn to the church for answers, whether you are ready or not. By developing a plan, congregations are prepared and able to share the message of God’s gift of hope and promise of new life in the midst of a disaster or crisis.

“We developed this guidebook because we realized it would be helpful for a congregation to have not only the information of how to prepare and respond to a disaster, but some practical ways they could do so,” said Pastor Michael Stadie, program director of Lutheran Disaster Response – U.S. “This is the first comprehensive book from Lutheran Disaster Response that covers these topics and also provides worksheets to walk a congregation through the process of disaster preparedness. We are pleased to make this free download available not only to ELCA congregations but to anyone who has an interest in helping their house of worship.”

To download the guide in its entirety, please click here. To view and download specific sections of the guide, please visitLutheran Disaster Response Resources and click on the “General” tab.

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ELCA participating in NY Climate Events in September

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy & Christine Mangale, Assistant to the Director Lutheran Office for World Community in New York

​UN Climate Summit

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) will host a delegation of Lutheran World Federation Youth that will come to attend the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Climate Summit in September 23, 2014, New York. The delegation will also attend an Interfaith Summit that is being organized by the World Council of Churches and Religions for Peace September 21-22, 2014. The main goal is to mobilize action and ambition on climate change and garner support for climate change agreement by 2015. Lutheran World Federation Youth will host a one-hour fasting vigil parallel to the Ban Ki-moon Summit September 23, 2014 at 1-2pm EST. Please join in reflection and prayer wherever you are. Join thewww.fastfortheclimate.org.

In addition to this, the UN will also hold the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on 22-23 September 2014.

The ELCA Washington Office is also working with the ACT Alliance to help plan a day of side events on climate change issues on September 24th, and LOWC and ELCA Washington staff will attend the Religions for the Earth conference at Union Theological Seminary the weekend before the summit along with other global interfaith leaders.

People’s Climate March in New York

Plans are underway for what is expected to be the largest march in history on climate change in New York City on the weekend preceding the UN Climate Summit.  The ELCA Washington Office is working with the Metro New York Synod to support Lutherans attending the march. If you have plans to go, please let our office know and we will keep you informed of meeting places on the day of the march and other events.  Fill out our google form​ for Lutheran march participants!

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6.0 earthquake strikes near Napa, Calif.

Megan Brandsrud

​Early Sunday morning, Aug. 24, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit the San Francisco Bay Area. The earthquake, which was the largest seismic event in the area since a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in 1989, injured 120 people, triggered fires and power outages, and left significant damage to properties.

Napa Valley Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Napa, Calif., has reported some structural damage that it received as a result of the earthquake. Building inspectors and insurance agents will be visiting the church in the next few days to evaluate the extent of the damage.

Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, our Lutheran Disaster Response local affiliate, is assessing the situation and gathering reports of damages that were sustained in the area as a result of the earthquake. We will continue to review the situation and be in contact with Lutheran Social Services of Northern California and our local congregations and synod to see how we may be able to provide assistance.

“The thoughts and prayers of the Lutheran Disaster Response network are with those injured and affected by the earthquake,” says the Rev. Michael Stadie, program director for Lutheran Disaster Response. “We are monitoring the situation and standing by to provide help to the impacted communities as they begin the process of recovery.

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Long-term recovery following early summer storms in South Dakota

Megan Brandsrud

​In June, eastern South Dakota experienced severe weather ranging from record downpours to a tornado.

Heavy rains lead to flooding

During the night of June 16, Lincoln County received 8.5 inches of rain, which means it received a full month’s worth of rain in one evening. This significant rainfall, paired with continued rain storms throughout the region during the following two weeks, caused riverbanks to overflow, lower levels of homes to flood, sewers to backup and more than 12 farms to be flooded.

In the town of Canton, in Lincoln County, highways and roads leading into the town were completely flooded, which made it difficult for rescue and emergency-response vehicles to provide service to the approximately 1,300 households that were impacted by the flooding.

In addition to the homes and businesses in Canton that experienced negative effects from the flooding, the oldest Norwegian Lutheran church in the state, Canton Lutheran (an ELCA congregation), was severely damaged in the flood.

Tornado destroys, damages homes

On June 18, an EF-2 tornado went through Wessington Springs, a town in Jerauld County, destroying dozens of homes and businesses. Wessington Springs has 1,000 residents that comprise 485 households. Of those 485 homes, 43 were damaged, 12 were totally destroyed and another 12 were left uninhabitable.

Tornado in Wessington Springs SD

(Pictured: A view of Wessington Springs after the tornado.)

Lutheran Disaster Response has committed an initial $100,000 to Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota to assist in long-term recovery efforts that are following these June storms. Long-term recovery efforts will include disaster case management to work with people who were impacted by the disasters to connect them with necessary resources so they can return to their “new normal.” Recovery projects will also include construction management in Canton and Wessington Springs to assist in the repair and rebuilding of homes.

We will work hand-in-hand with the people of eastern South Dakota as they recover and rebuild after being impacted by severe weather. Thanks to your generosity in undesignated gifts, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to provide help when and where it is most needed.

If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in providing hope and healing to those who have been impacted by disaster, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

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241 miles. 7 days. This is the Hunger Ride

Guest blog author: Matt Bishop

​241 miles. 7 days. A couple of bicycles. This is The Hunger Ride:  Feeding People, Feeding Souls.

Many of us will never know what it means to be chronically hungry. And yet too many of us will. A lot of us would like to suppose that, if only more people knew about this and thought about this, then we’d get something done! But there’s another story to tell—the story of all of those who do answer the call to serve, and are working hard every day to feed their neighbors and to help their neighbors feed themselves. This story goes untold too often, so the Northwestern Minnesota Synod created The Hunger Ride.

Educating people about hunger and poverty is a trivial chore if we don’t give those people somewhere to use the energy these stories create. So six Hunger Ambassadors suited up, stretched out, and peddled their way across the synod to connect people to the stories of the hungry and the stories of those who accompany them. The riders stopped at events along the way, planned by hosting communities, to raise awareness about hunger locally and abroad, and to start conversations.

See for yourself:​ ​​​​​

HungerRide from Hope Deutscher on Vimeo.

Lin​da Eickman, a licensed social worker working in Christian resource development and one of the Hunger Ambassadors, said that the best part was meeting so many new people. “[I] loved discovering the great services and organizations we have in our communities that support our hungry families.”

The Hunger Ride was the synod’s opportunity to celebrate with those who strive to relieve the weight of hunger and poverty in its communities and across the world, including the Bemidji Community Food Shelf, Meals on Wheels (through the local Wadena Area Seniors Bag Program), and—of course—ELCA World Hunger. Or as Pr. Frank Johnson, another Hunger Ambassador put it, “we were able to string together the stories of organic farmers in Sebeka, the hungry and homeless at Peoples’ Church in Bemidji, the youth volunteering at Calvary of Park Rapids, and the students in Wadena who were growing food for their own school lunches.”

But the real power of The Hunger Ride comes in Frank’s subsequent realization. “These are not independent efforts; they are people working together, who often do not even know that one another exist, but they have a common purpose. These are people concerned about eating and eating well.”

Frank made a more sophisticated reflection than is possible here on his blog—check it out.

The Hunger Ride culminated with a day ride around Moorhead in anticipation of Synod Assembly. Riders stopped at congregations along the way for refreshment and to learn more generally about hunger issues and ELCA World Hunger as a response. Finally, those who were left, including the Hunger Ambassadors, rode their bikes right up to the stage at synod assembly to share some of the stories from the week prior.

The Hunger Ride brought with it a few lessons. First, it’s fun and life-giving. Lisa Winter, another Hunger Ambassador, said “I feel like I received a special grace of the Holy Spirit on this ride.” Second, it’s hard to measure the impact of educating people. This isn’t a new lesson, but the buzz around the entire event was contagious. While the goal was to raise awareness for hunger issues, build recognition for those responding in our communities and give people an opportunity to connect to those responses, the results of the offerings along the route are suggestive. By the end of the week, The Hunger Ride raised over $15,000 for hunger and poverty ministries, including ELCA World Hunger. Well, sort of. This total doesn’t count one congregation, Calvary Lutheran Church in Perham, which used The Hunger Ride as the focus of its Lenten hunger fundraising. It’s nearly impossible to attribute particular dollars to The Hunger Ride, but the bottom line is the same:  another $13,000 for ELCA World Hunger.

And the final lesson is perhaps the most important of all. Will there be a Hunger Ride next year? Lisa said most eloquently what everyone agreed:  “Absolutely!”

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September 7, 2014–The Key to Forgiveness

John Hougen, Elkins Park, PA

Warm-up Question

As you begin to think about forgiving and receiving forgiveness, can you name three things people do or say that make forgiveness more difficult and three things people do or say that make forgiveness more likely?

The Key to Forgiveness

Has a friend betrayed or disappointed you? Have you said or done something that offended someone close to you? Has there been conflict in your family, school, workplace, congregation or neighborhood?

reconciliationeditIf you answered “no” to all these questions, then you are not paying attention. For, disruptions in relationships (some minor, some major) are inevitable and frequent. Opportunities to forgive and be forgiven are within our reach on a daily basis. Yet, forgiveness remains one of the most difficult and elusive of human interactions.

Family members can go decades without speaking. Hurt feelings can end valued friendships. The inability to forgive oneself or accept God’s forgiveness can cause persistent guilt or shame which are root causes of anxiety, anger, and depression, all of which can lead to additional conflict with others. Cycles of violence between ethnic groups and nations seem never-ending, and millions have died in wars because the war before solved nothing. Think about the headlines:  Gaza, Ukraine, ISIS, Afghanistan.

The stakes are high for ourselves, for those around us, and for the survival of humanity: it is urgent that we (as individuals, families, friends, colleagues, congregations, communities, and nations) get better at giving and receiving forgiveness.

Discussion Questions

  • Do you agree that forgiveness is as important and urgent as the above paragraphs suggest? Why or why not?
  • If anyone is familiar with efforts to bring about forgiveness among Israelis and Palestinians, or black and white citizens of South Africa, or immigrants and native born citizens in the USA (or other conflicts at home or abroad), let them inform the rest of the group. Then, discuss to what degree those efforts have been successful.
  • If you trust your discussion group with the information, give an example from your own life of when you have given or received forgiveness; or share the story of an unresolved conflict, seeking the group’s advice about what you might do to move toward ending the conflict through forgiveness.

Lectionary 23

Ezekiel 33:7-11

Romans 13:8-14

Matthew 18:15-20 

(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

To this day, the steps found in Matthew 18: 15 – 17 are the basis for resolving conflicts in Christian congregations. (For example, see the ELCA’s Model Constitution for Congregations, Chapter 15: “Discipline of Members and Adjudication,”http://www.elca.org/Resources/Office-of-the-Secretary.) While each step in the process provides the opportunity for resolution, if it does not occur, the final step is for the offending party to be removed from the congregation. Verse 17 indicates how deep such divisions become: “Let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” These words reflect the feelings of a faction within the early church that despised Gentiles and tax collectors, and thought they should be avoided like the plague.

This is not what God wants. Jesus, the surest interpreter of God’s will, does not avoid Gentiles. (Gentiles are non-Jews, like most of us reading this blog). Jesus’ last words to his disciples, according to the Gospel of Matthew, are that they should “make disciples of all nations” (Jews and Gentiles). The Book of Acts records how Christianity grew beyond its Jewish roots to include Gentiles. (See especially Acts 9: 15 and 10: 34 – 48.)

And, Jesus befriended tax collectors, most notably Matthew and Zacchaeus. Jesus called Matthew to be part of his inner circle (Matthew 9: 9 – 13) and singles Zacchaeus out of a crowd, inviting himself to his house for dinner (Luke 19: 1- 10). Followers of Jesus will not want to treat anyone as verse 17 suggests. Instead, we will do our best to resolve conflict by giving and receiving forgiveness.

The key to forgiveness is found in verse 20. There Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

In the Bible, names are very important, often revealing the connection of the name’s bearer to God’s work in the world. (“Jesus” literally means “God saves / delivers.”) To gather in the name of Jesus means to be bound to Jesus in love, and committed to speak and act as Jesus the deliverer would speak and act.

“Where two or three are gathered in my name” is followed by “I am there among them.” Jesus asserts that he is present when two or three (or more) are gathered in his name. If the accuser and accused in verse 15 gather in the name of Jesus, or the small group in verse 16, or the larger group in verse 17, then Jesus will be present and the gathering (with Jesus there to guide and inspire) will find a way into forgiveness, to deliver all from whatever has divided them.

The other three readings assigned today teach us how to gather in the name of Jesus. Ezekiel 33: trust that God wants us to reach out to sinners (i.e. to all at fault in conflicts). Psalm 119: strive to learn and follow God’s commandments. Romans 13: love our neighbors as ourselves. Trusting our calling to resolve conflict, striving to follow God’s will, and doing all we do in love bring us closer to unity with Christ, in whom and through whom we are empowered to give and receive forgiveness.

Discussion Questions

  • Matthew 18: 17 suggests that sometimes conflicts are impossible to resolve and the best possible outcome is for those in conflict to avoid one another. Matthew 18:21 -22 (look it up!) teaches that we should keep forgiving indefinitely. Which teaching is more compelling? Which is most practical? Which is consistent with what you know about Jesus?
  • What are the signs that a conflict has been truly resolved and forgiveness has been genuinely given and received?
  • If you have felt the presence of Jesus among you when gathered in his name to worship or serve, describe those feelings. If you have not felt Jesus’ presence, do you think it is possible that, in spite of your lack of awareness, Jesus might have been present anyway, as promised in Matthew 18: 20?

 

Activity Suggestions

Role play resolving a conflict following the steps outlined in today’s gospel. One person can be the “offender.” Another can be the one offended who takes the first step toward reconciliation. Others can be brought in to help and each should be assigned a point of view based on a Bible passage. (Use the passages from Ezekiel, Psalm 119, and Romans 13, plus other texts from Matthew 18: verses 10 – 14; 21 – 22; and 23 – 35.) The role play should be done twice: once with forgiveness obtained, and once with the exclusion of the guilty party. After role playing, debrief. What advice would you give to someone who wants to intervene in a conflict and help move it toward resolution? Is your advice Biblically based or does it come from some other source of wisdom?

Closing Prayer

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

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