Faith Lens

Warm-up Question

If you see someone doing something wicked – hurting another person or themselves, for example – do you feel the responsibility to say or do something? Why does it take so much courage to do something in the face of wickedness, injustice, or evil?

Selma and “Bloody Sunday”

The movie Selma depicts events in the struggle for civil rights and voting rights in this country. To protest the lack of voting rights of African Americans and the violent intransigence of the white power structure towards voter registration efforts, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. and other local and national civil rights leaders, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which King helped organize and served as president, organized a series of marches from Selma, Alabama to the state capital in Montgomery in early 1965.

The first of these marches took place on Sunday, March 7, 1965. In the process of crossing the Edmund Pettis Bridge, the peaceful protestors were brutally attacked by state troopers, leaving many bloody and severely injured. Images of gruesome events of “Bloody Sunday” shocked those watching the evening news or reading about the events in newspapers and magazines, and helped the turn popular support in favor of the protestors and the voting rights protections for which
they were marching.

After Bloody Sunday, Martin Luther King organized and led two more marches from Selma to Montgomery. After the second march, there was more violence, as three white ministers were harshly beaten; one of these ministers, James Reeb, died as a result of this beating. The bravery of the protestors in the face of this violence and evil cruelty spurred President Lyndon Johnson to finally introduce the Voting Rights Act to Congress and send troops to protect the protestors for the third march.

This brief summary does not do justice to those momentous events. But one aspect about these events that I hope you notice is that many of the leaders in the movement for civil rights were people of faith, including Dr. King, the SCLC, and James Reeb. Their faith moved them to action against injustice, as it did for hundreds and thousands of ordinary people whose names are not as famous. Though there have been several hard-won victories in the movement for civil rights, there are still injustices in our country and people of faith are still joining together to confront and overcome them.

Discussion Questions

If any of you has seen the movie Selma, what did you think of it, especially the “Bloody Sunday” scene? What have you learned in school about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement?
Has your faith inspired you to stand up against cruelty or injustice? Perhaps this has meant joining a protest or a march, or perhaps this has meant standing up for someone who was being teased or bullied.
Are there any injustices in the world that you see that you think people of faith should join together to confront?

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 1:21-28

(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

In the Gospel reading, Jesus casts out the unclean spirit. The spirit recognizes him for who he is, the holy one of God. Others do not know who exactly this Jesus is, but in the Gospel of Mark, all the spirits know exactly who Jesus is and the power he has. The question the spirit asks, “What have you to do with us?” In other words, the unclean spirit is saying “You have special power. You can see I’m pretty powerful, too. Who are you going to side with, powerful beings or with these lowly humans? Have you come to destroy us?”

Jesus sides with us lowly humans, and shows the power he has over unclean spirits. In the ancient world, unclean spirits were thought to be the cause of disease, mental illness, and all sorts of tragedy and misfortune. They were a part of the chaos and disorder that afflicted humanity; as we see later in Mark, Jesus has the power to calm the chaos of stormy seas. Jesus frees the man from the unclean spirit, and a major part of Jesus’ ministry in Mark, chapter 1, is driving out unclean spirits, along with healing those who were ill.

As Martin Luther writes, Jesus has freed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Working together, we as Christians can confront the evil we see in this world in the name of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Whether the injustice and evil we see is across the street or across the world, we can do this work, confident not in our own abilities or courage, but in the promise we have in the cross and resurrection of Christ – as powerful as evil is, Jesus is more powerful, and in him, we shall overcome.

Discussion Questions

Where do you see the church confronting “unclean spirits” in the name of Jesus?
Most people do not believe in “unclean spirits” in the same way that people in Jesus day did. Is this an antiquated way of speaking? What do these exorcisms by Jesus tell us about him?

Activity Suggestions

Search newspapers, or Internet news sites. Where do you see evil? What do you think the Christian witness of Jesus and people of faith can bring to these situations? During your time together, pray for those places where you see evil in the world.

Visit the ELCA Advocacy, ELCA World Hunger, and Stories from the Global Church blogs on the ELCA website to look for ways we are working together against injustice today. Other useful websites might be Sojourners (sojo.net) and Bread for the World (bread.org).

Go to Selma together, or watch a documentary about Martin Luther King or the Civil Rights Movement and discuss the ways people’s faith led to their involvement in the movement.

Closing Prayer

Holy God, our protector and defender, drive out those unclean spirits which cause so much harm and evil in this world. Remove the unclean spirits from our own hearts, and give us the courage and confidence to confront the evil we see in the world in Jesus’ name. It is in his name we pray. Amen.

Warm-up Question

What makes you want to buy something? Do you currently purchase more online or at stores?

Call to Action

The social media site Facebook now boasts some 1 billion plus users worldwide. It is the most used social media site in existence. By comparison, 100 million users log into Twitter at least once a month.

Internet marketers discovered years ago that Facebook could be used to sell products. Although Facebook is and has always been free, advertisements appear in the sidebars, and increasingly, in the “suggested” or “promoted” posts that show up in users’ news feeds of recent posts. Options to create a page have allowed businesses to share content with anyone who “likes” the page. Large companies and famous celebrities might have over a million likes, but even small businesses and local musicians can use Facebook pages to communicate with followers and fans.

A few weeks ago in December, Facebook introduced “call to action” buttons on their pages. Companies can use these buttons to ask their followers to take some sort of action—anything from signing up for a newsletter to purchasing a product. It is well-known among internet copy writers that people are more likely to take action if they are asked to do so directly. When internet advertisers and bloggers write, a call to action is an important part of the attempt to market products and services.

Facebook was not created to sell products; its original purpose was to give people a way to communicate with friends and people they know online. At this point, however, there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to the ways people use Facebook as a sales tool. For better or worse, selling on Facebook is here to stay.

Discussion Questions

Do Facebook ads bother you? If so, which ones? If not, why not?
Have you ever bought something through Facebook or because of a Facebook ad? Share your experience.
Do calls to action (when someone specifically asks you to do something) get more people to do it, in your opinion? Why are they so
effective?

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

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

Gospel Reflection

It seems that calls to action have been around for a very long time. Jesus asks those following him to do two specific things in these verses. He asks everyone to repent and to believe the good news that the kingdom of God is near. Jesus’ call to action is not intended to sell anything. Instead, he invites all he meets to become a part of the kingdom of God.

Neither of the two things Jesus asks of his followers is an easy thing to do. “Repent” means to turn back. Specifically in this context, it means to turn away from sin and back toward God. In order to repent, a change in behavior is necessary. If you’ve ever tried to change your behavior in any way, you know how difficult this can be. Our habits grow over time. We get very accustomed to doing things in a certain way. Changing long-held habits requires learning a whole new set of behaviors.

As Jesus continues in his ministry, he teaches his followers a lot about these new behaviors. Forgive people again and again, he says. Love your enemies instead of hating them. Give to the needy. Be humble. Serve instead of expecting to be served. It’s no wonder some people turned away and stopped following him. These are not easy things to do.

The other call to action Jesus gives in these verses is for certain individuals to leave everything and follow him. Again, this request is incredibly difficult. Leaving your entire life behind—family, friends, job, possessions—to follow a teacher is not something most people would be willing to do. Jesus knew that these men he called would be willing to follow him to a different way of living. The disciples may not have understood everything about what they were doing, but something attracted them to this plain, ordinary man and led them to change their lives forever.

Discussion Questions

What are some differences between an internet call to action and Jesus’ calling for people to repent, believe, and follow him?
What are some similarities?
Why do you think the disciples were willing to follow Jesus?
What might Jesus be calling his church to do now? What might he be calling you specifically to do?

Activity Suggestions

We don’t want to try to “sell” Christianity like a product on the internet. Spend a few minutes role-playing how you would invite someone you know to come to church, Sunday School or Bible study with you without making it sound like a sales pitch. Pair up with another person and get constructive feedback on how your invitation comes across.
If available, take a look at your church’s marketing materials (brochure, business cards, newspaper advertisements, etc.) Share your insights with the group about how your church may be perceived based on these materials.

Closing Prayer

Dear God, we pray for those people who are waiting for a call to action to follow you. Help us to be someone who can invite them to become a part of your kingdom. We pray for strength to follow you daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Warm-up Question

Who are some of the people in your life who have had a positive impact on your faith? What did they do that was so meaningful to you?
Has God ever helped you through a difficult time or situation? What was your experience like?

Divine Intervention?

On the night of January 2, 2015, Larry Wilkins opened his front door to discover a teary-eyed child standing on his front porch. Sailor Gutzler, 7, had just walked away as the sole survivor of a horrific accident. Her parents, a sister, and a cousin had all perished when their small plane went down in a wooded area of western Kentucky. Nearly as miraculous as her survival was Sailor’s journey to Wilkins’ door and her ability to relate to those who responded what had happened. Still dressed in shorts from their Florida vacation, Sailor walked barefoot through the dark Kentucky woods in 38-degree weather.

At a televised news conference on Sunday one of those who responded, Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White, said of his conversations with other rescuers, “We were talking about that being some divine intervention there, because she absolutely went to probably the nearest house that she could have,” also noting that the path was nonetheless a hard one. Sailor was treated for minor injuries and released into the care of other family members. An investigation into the cause of the crash is pending.

Discussion Questions

What do you think Lt. White and the other rescuers meant by, “Divine Intervention?” Where do you see God in this situation?
Many people expressed support for Sailor in online comments related to this article. Others expressed skepticism that God had anything to do with the situation. What do you think? Do you believe God intervenes or acts in our world? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
In Matthew’s gospel, when the angel Gabriel comes to Joseph he calls Jesus, “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” John begins his gospel talking about how God’s Word became flesh in Jesus and lived among us. You may have heard these, and other promises, recently during Advent and Christmas. What do Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection suggest to you of how God acts and/or intervenes in our world?

Second Sunday after Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:43-51

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

Gospel Reflection

The way in which we read or hear something can make all of the difference. One way to read these verses, for example, is simply as John’s account of how Jesus called his first disciples. And in this case, the first three words of this passage, “The next day,” clue us in to the fact that we need to go back a bit to understand what’s going on.

As it turns out, this is actually the third “next day” section in the opening chapter of John’s gospel. In the first section, verses 29 – 34, “the next day” after John the Baptist explains his role to those sent from Jerusalem, he bears witness to Jesus as both the Lamb of God and Son of God. Whereas the other gospel accounts describe Jesus’ actual baptism, John, the gospel writer, has John the Baptist relate his experience of seeing the Spirit descend upon Jesus in the moment, testifying to his true identity. The “next day” after this (verses 35 – 43), John the Baptist’s further testimony about Jesus leads two of his own disciples to follow after Jesus. Jesus, seeing them, asks, “What are you looking for?” When they stammer out, “Rabbi, where are you staying,” Jesus invites them to “Come and see.” What, or rather who, they are really looking for is the Messiah, and in their encounter with Jesus the two experience something that leaves them convinced. For his part, Jesus’ invitation initiates an ever-widening circle of discipleship as one of the two, Andrew, goes on to his own brother, Simon Peter, with the news, “We have found the Messiah.”

So it is that we come to the “next day” of this week’s gospel where the circle of followers continues to grow. Deciding to go to Galilee, Jesus first calls Philip. Philip, in turn, invites Nathanael saying, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Here, “the law and the prophets” means the whole of the Scriptures for these Jewish believers. Brushing aside Nathanael’s remark about the insignificance of Nazareth, Philip offers once again the invitation, “Come and see.” Nathanael does, and his own encounter with Jesus, and Jesus’ ability to “know” and “see” him from afar, not only leads Nathanael to believe in Jesus, it also draws forth a confession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

While Nathanael cannot, at this point in the story at least, fully understand the true meanings behind the titles he gives to Jesus, we have pointers here to what John’s gospel will be about. Indeed, Jesus assures all who are present (both instances of “you” here are plural) that greater things are yet to come: ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’ By the way, the reference here seems to be to the story of Jacob’s ladder (Genesis 28:10-22) where God comes to Jacob in a dream, promising to be with him. What will be experienced in and through Jesus is the reality to which Jacob’s dream points, that is, what John means when he writes, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

So, as the first chapter of his gospel ends, John leaves us with Jesus heading towards Galilee with a growing group of followers. Yet, there is a deeper way to hear this passage than simply an account of Jesus gathering a group of disciples. Jesus’ very first words in John’s gospel, “What are you looking for?” are not simply words for those in the story; they are a question to us, as well. When it comes to life…when it comes to faith, what are we looking for? Deep down in our bones, what is it that we really need?

In these three “next days,” we hear Jesus being called many things. John the Baptist calls him “the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin” and “Son of God.” Andrew calls him, “Rabbi” and “Messiah.” Philip says Jesus is the one, “about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.” Nathanael adds that Jesus is, “the King of Israel.” Is Jesus what we are looking for? Is he the one that we really need? The invitation that John offers to us through the rest of his gospel account, and indeed through our own experience of living as followers of Jesus, is simply to “Come and see.”

Discussion Questions

When it comes to the titles and names given to Jesus in John 1:29-51, (Lamb of God, Messiah, Son of God, Rabbi, King of Israel, Son of Man) which one is most important or most meaningful to you? Why? Would any of these titles be meaningful or helpful to friends of yours who may not yet believe in Jesus? If not, are there other titles or ways of describing Jesus that would be?
If you had been Philip and Jesus had just walked up to you and said, “Follow me,” would you have gone? If so, why? If not, then what further information would you have needed? What else would you have wanted to know before making such a commitment? Do you think we have this information now?
What does it look like to you to follow Jesus? Can a person believe in Jesus without following him? Can we follow him without believing in him? Why or why not?
Nathanael first responds as a skeptic: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” What are some of the reasons that people today might have in being skeptical about Jesus or about the Christian faith? How would you answer their skepticism?
Nathanael came to Jesus because Philip invited him to “come and see.” What do you think would be the best way to invite a friend of yours to “come and see” Jesus today? What are some approaches that might not work so well with your friends or in your setting?

Activity Suggestions

Video: For further discussion on the sheer grace of being called to follow Jesus, watch Rob Bell’s short video, Dust (Nooma series). Though not specifically about this passage, he presents a great take on what being called to “Follow me,” by a rabbi meant in Jesus’ day, and how Jesus’ invitation to Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip, Nathanael and the rest would have been most unusual. Talk together about what it means that Jesus calls us to be his followers. What does it mean to you that Jesus believes in you? Does this change the way you see yourself as a disciple?

Reaching Out: Consider taking a discussion on the invitation to “Come and see,” even further. As a group, explore ways to invite your friends or others in your community to “come and see” Jesus. How would you go about it? Would you hold an event of some sort? Would you invite them to a service project? A retreat? A play or music festival? A specially designed worship service? What activities are you already doing that are, or could be, great places for friends to experience God’s love and grace? How might you use social media or other modern means to invite folks? What “barriers” might need to be overcome? Brainstorm the possibilities – can you make a plan to try one or more of these possibilities out?

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, before we ever could think to seek you, you have come seeking us, inviting us to know abundant and eternal life. When we doubt your goodness and love, help us to see the many ways that you act in our lives and the grace that you give to us day by day. Empower us by your Spirit to follow, lead us to be living signs of your grace, and give us the courage to invite others to “Come and see.” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Warm-up Question

Have you ever been in an earthquake? Where were you and what happened?

Finger Pointing

At the close of 2014 that was a lot of finger pointing back and forth between North Korea and the United States of America. Conflict between the two nations began at least 70 years ago but the close of 2014 brought a flurry of finger pointing. It began in late November with the hack of Sony Pictures’ computer systems. In the days following, evidence surfaced that the attack originated in North Korea, likely in retaliation to Sony preparing to release a comedic movie called The Interview about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. North Korean officials deny their country is responsible but the FBI says North Korea is the culprit.

Hackers next told Sony to stop the “movie of terrorism” and threatened terror attacks against people who see The Interview in theaters. In response major theater chains cancelled plans to show the movie and Sony officially canceled the movie’s release. President Obama criticized Sony for failing to consult the White House in deciding to censor the movie but later applauded when the movie was released on Christmas Day in theaters and online.

Starting Christmas Eve, Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox Live networks experienced multi-day outage via denial-of-service attacks. FBI investigating is where or not North Korea is involved.

On December 22^nd and 28^th North Korea suffered a nationwide internet and 3G mobile phone networks outages. In response North Korea blames the US for engineering the outages and said, “Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest”. US officials have not commented on whether they had a role in the outages and refuse to respond to avoid provoking a response from North Korea.

Discussion Questions

Have you seen the movie The Interview? Why or why not? Is it responsible to release a movie about the assassination of another nation’s current leader? What would your response be if North Korea released a movie about assassinating President Obama?
Which country is to blame in all the finger pointing? Is one or the other more in “the right?”
Should we be afraid of further escalation between the 2 countries – i.e., nuclear attacks?

Baptism of our Lord

Genesis 1:1-5

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

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

Gospel Reflection

At the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, John the Baptist comes as a messenger with one message: Get ready God is coming. John is like a hand that points to Jesus – the One God sends. John says to anyone who will listen, “the One who is more powerful than I is coming.” John knows who he is and that his job is to finger point to Jesus.

John’s words and appearance were like the prophet Elijah who also finger pointed to God doing something new. Here in Mark’s story John proclaims baptism (washing) and makes it new in making baptism a moment where God’s invitation to repentance and forgiveness happen. John baptizes and then points to Jesus and says “I have baptized you with water… he will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus baptism will be even better because he will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Then Jesus is baptized. Jesus sees the heavens ripped apart and hears God say “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” In baptism God finger points to Jesus and comes to earth as a flesh and blood human being. We hear God’s voice in baptism too call us beloved sons and daughters. God finger points to us and gives us new birth in the Holy Spirit to live and love like Jesus.

Discussion Questions

Why was a person like John sent to get people ready for Jesus and not a religious leader or ruler from Rome? Why did so many people respond to John’s message?
Do you think only Jesus saw the dove-like form of the Spirit and the voice of God when he was baptized? What difference does this make?
What difference does baptism make in your daily life? What do you do each day that tells the world everyone is a beloved child of God?

Activity Suggestions

Make a large, finger pointing hand out of cardstock. (Think of the foam “#1” fingers of sports teams). On one side write “points people to Jesus“. On the other side “points people away from Jesus.”

Now as a group write or draw ways that you as individuals, church community and nation point and fail to point the world to Jesus on each side. Brainstorm together what do you do and what do you fail to do to tell the world that everyone is given the new life of Christ?

Closing Prayer

God of the finger pointing, help us to receive the daily gift of baptism in pointing the world to your Son. As North Korea and the USA point fingers, transform our finger pointing into the love and life of turning lives around and knowing you. Thank you for messengers like John the Baptist. Help us to tell and show the world you are here and that the world is loved by you. Amen.

February 1, 2015–Selma and “Bloody Sunday”

January 25, 2015–Call to Action

January 18, 2015–Divine Intervention?

January 11, 2015–Finger Pointing