Warm-up Question

• Who is the best teacher that you’ve ever known?
  • What made them so good?

A GOAT in the Pressbox

Recently, Tom Brady began calling professional football games as an announcer on FOX. Brady is often considered the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). This expertise led to him receiving a massive contract worth $375 million to move from the field and into the pressbox.

After two weeks of calling games, reviews are mixed on Brady’s performance in his new role. Some—including many fans whose teams lost to Brady during his playing career—are taking this chance to tease that Brady can’t be good at everything. Others noted progress in his second week after a fairly pedestrian first outing. Still others complain that, regardless of how good someone is at that particular job, no one deserves hundreds of millions of dollars to talk about football on television.

Brady’s transition from the gridiron to the sidelines reveals a couple of things. One is pretty simple: no one becomes the greatest at anything without experience or practice. Another is no less true: our definitions of the greatest don’t necessarily translate into other parts of life.

Discussion Questions

• What is it like to try something new, especially with an audience?
• What is it like to struggle trying something new when other people have high expectations of you?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

• Jeremiah 11:18-20
• Psalm 54
• James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
• Mark 9:30-37

(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

In this Gospel, Jesus challenges the disciples’ assumptions about greatness. First, he confronts their bickering about which one of them is the best of the bunch. Of course, its not uncommon for friends to compare themselves to one another. With so many county and state fairs going on right now, I imagine teens in every state have argued with their peers about who raises the best livestock, who wins the most midway games, who can eat the most fried Oreos, and so forth.

But the disciples arguments here are simultaneously more significant and more absurd. Who is the greatest at following Jesus? Following Jesus is definitely among the most important things in our lives. Turning faith into a contest? That’s bizarre.

Yet, the human propensity for competition doesn’t stop at the fairground or on the football field. Too often, we let our desire to win invade our relationship with Jesus. We let a yearning for victory misdirect our spiritual journey.

Fortunately, Jesus steps in at these moments for us, Just as he stepped in for the disciples in Mark 9. Jesus reminds all his disciples that greatness in the Reign of God is not the same as greatness in this world. God desires innocence more than excellence. God desires humility more than pride. Jesus teaches disciples, then or now, that God’s greatness is found in those society most ignores and least values.

Not only does Jesus challenge our assumptions about greatness. Jesus turns the definition on its head with both word and deed. Ultimately, Jesus shows us greatness in a willingness to suffer on others’ behalf. As he forecasts in the first verses of today’s Gospel, Jesus shows us that success doesn’t look like a military victory, but an empty tomb.

Discussion Questions

• Using Jesus’ definition of greatness, share some examples of the people who are greatest in your community.
  • What makes them so great in God’s eyes?
  • How can we learn to appreciate them in the same way?

Activity Suggestions

• Who are those who Jesus would call the greatest that we’ve been ignoring? Take time this week to contact people who often go unnoticed and tell them why you appreciate them. This could be people that serve you food or take out the trash. It could be kids at school who aren’t terribly popular. Whoever it is, let them know why you think they’re great.
• Develop a service project that a group can do together that serves others. In some parts of the country, its already time to rake leaves. Older congregants might appreciate assistance with that. With climate change wreaking havoc across the globe, creating and sending disaster relief kits through partners like Lutheran World Relief is another powerful way to serve. Whatever the project, find ways to practice the greatness that Christ teaches.

Closing Prayer

God, you are the greatest of all. You show us that greatness through becoming one of us, a human, a baby. You show us that greatness by washing feet and welcoming outsiders. You show us that greatness by living humbly, suffering willingly, and rising to new life vibrantly. Inspire us to embrace your greatness and to follow in that path of humility, service, and abundant life. We pray this in your name, Jesus: Amen.

Drew Tucker, Westerville, OH

Warm-up Questions

• Have you ever had to move to a new home?
  • If so, what was that like?
  • If not, what do you imagine are the biggest challenges to moving?

Finding a New Home

Recently, both on social media and in political discourse, the city of Springfield in Ohio has gotten a lot of attention. A viral TikTok accused Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating pets in the area. Despite the fact that Springfield police, Haitian community leaders, and local residents from across the political spectrum all deny these unfounded accusations, the story has become a talking point throughout the internet and in the 2024 presidential campaign.

What’s particularly sad about this is that it ignores how a rustbelt city and refugees found a new home together. Springfield is a place that, like many midwestern towns, was abandoned by manufacturers in the late 20th century, leading to population decline and poverty. Over the past few decades, residents of Haiti have faced political instability as well as natural disasters that led many to immigrate to the United States. Haitians, along with Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, are able to do so under a special immigration process allowed for humanitarian benefit.

This photo of downtown Springfield, featuring a sign that says “Welcome to Our City,” comes from the AP article linked above.

As Haitians began to settle in Springfield, the increased population brought increased need for basic amenities. Since employment is expected of immigrants, this also increased the number of taxpayers. This has led, in turn, to a redevelopment of downtown Springfield and increased investment by both public and private investors. Together, immigrants and longtime residents found a new place together in a renewing Springfield. Of course, that’s not without complications. Bringing different cultures together, in the midst of shifting employment opportunities and economic trends, can highlight challenges.

And yet, citizen and refugee alike are finding ways forward together in Springfield. In this Ohio hamlet, all of them are finding and making a home.

Discussion Questions

• What does it feel like to find a place or a community where you fit comfortably?
• What does it feel like when people make assumptions or false accusations about your community?
  • How about your neighbors?
  • How about you?

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

• Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm 116:1-9
• James 3:1-12
• Mark 8:27-38

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

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

Gospel Reflection

In this week’s Gospel, Peter makes a bold move. Peter tells God “no.” It’s not a move I would recommend! 

To be fair, we don’t know exactly what Peter said to Jesus. All we know for certain is that Peter “rebuked” him.

To be rebuked is a specific kind of response. It’s more than a correction, and way beyond a question. A rebuke is particularly strong. A rebuke comes from a place of perceived authority, supposedly undergirded by wisdom. Being rebuked isn’t just being told that you’re wrong. It is critical disapproval, if not outright disappointment. 

And Peter rebuked Jesus.

So though we don’t know exactly what Peter said, it’s clear that it wasn’t good. Let’s just imagine for a minute the times that we’ve been rebuked by someone. What did they say from that position of supposed authority, with theoretical wisdom, that communicated their dissatisfaction. You’ve got that in your mind?

Now imagine saying that to Jesus. Yikes.

Peter didn’t understand his role. He didn’t recognize the boundaries at hand.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that Christians should never question God. After all, in just the last chapter, a SyroPhoenician mother held Jesus accountable to his promises and his theology. She challenged him to remember the good news he preached and Jesus responded, not with a rebuke, but with affirmation. 

So Peter’s failure here is not in questioning God. It’s assuming authority over God. What gets Peter in trouble is that he tries to lead, rather than follow. 

Peter’s confusion is understandable. After all, Jesus just suggested that he’s going to die. Peter’s been told the Messiah can’t possibly die. Plus, from his experience, no person can rise from the dead.  Further, Peter knows this kind of talk is economically dangerous. More than that, it’s politically absurd, risking condemnation of chief priests and Roman officials alike. This all puts their movement at risk and Peter doesn’t want that. 

But here’s the problem. To tell God “no,” or otherwise rebuke God, presumes a kind of pride. It indicates we’re trying to take God’s place in our lives. That we know better than God. We don’t, and to presume so is dangerous.

That’s why Jesus’ response is “get behind me, Satan.” Peter is out of line and Jesus invites him back into place. 

The name Satan, while harsh, is simply a response in kind: Jesus rebukes Peter’s rebuking. More than just the Devil’s proper name, satan is the Hebrew word for adversary. By calling Peter “Satan,” Jesus points out that Peter’s left the position of disciple and taken up the position of Jesus’ opponent. Though harsh, Jesus doesn’t condemn Peter, but calls him back into the place of a disciple. Jesus rebukes Peter in kind to emphasize the importance of what is to come. Jesus also makes sure Peter knows he has a place in it. 

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever had someone speak to you harshly in a way that was helpful?
• Describe a time when you, or someone you know, tried to take God’s place of leadership in your life. What was that like?

 Activity Suggestions

• In a group, use an activity that requires everyone to pay attention to the leader’s actions or instructions. Games like “Simon (or Simone) Says” and “Following the Leader” are both good examples. Another option is to use a simple worksheet that emphasizes the importance of reading and understanding directions. A number of options are available here.
• Use a prayer journal to respond to the following prompts:
  • Where is it most difficult for you to follow God’s leadership?
  • How do you wan to grow as a disciple?
  • Imagine you’re in Peter’s place, having just been rebuked by Jesus–after rebuking him first! How would you want to respond to Jesus?

Closing Prayer:  

Jon Fry, Champaign-Urbana, IL

Warm-up Questions

• How do you pass the time while traveling?
  • What are your favorite traveling games/activities with friends or family?

Weird Internet Outage

A few weeks ago my newsfeed was blowing up with articles from medical professionals suggesting that abstaining from in-flight entertainment, food, drink, and sleep, on long flights was a bad decision. This was in response to folks on TikTok posting their record setting performances on multi-hour flights and boasting about their mental stamina.

Numerous doctors, self-help professionals, and meditation specialists began chiming in with their two cents on the trend. Most experts agree that detoxing from technology and spending less time on screens is a good practice; however, combining that with a fast from food, water, and sleep for upwards of seven hours is decidedly not.

Likely this is just another example in a long line of the internet freaking out about something for no reason. There is no real evidence that many individuals are actually committing to this “in-air fast.” In my opinion, it seems more likely that if one were to refrain from electronics, food, drink, and sleep, it wouldn’t result in a zen state but rather irritability and outbursts.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever fasted like this (intentionally or unintentionally)?
• What is one of your worst travel experiences? How were you feeling?

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

• Isaiah 35:4-7a
• Psalm 146
• James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17
• Mark 7:24-37

 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 at Lectionary Readings.

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

Gospel Reflection

Our Gospel reading for today finds Jesus setting out and traveling to the region of Tyre, where he wants to stay anonymous. Crowds of people had been chasing him and bringing their friends and family to be healed by him. He then had a very public discussion with the religious leaders who were concerned about the disciples eating with unclean hands, and it sounds like Jesus was a bit tired of all the attention.

When he’s noticed and approached by a Syrophoenician woman seeking healing for his daughter, he says that it’s unfair to “take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs”.

This text always makes me recoil a bit, as this isn’t the Jesus full of unconditional love that I’m used to hearing about. This Jesus is drawing a line between the Jewish people (the children) and the Gentiles (the dogs), those at the table and those on the outside.

Yet, this Syrophoenician woman doesn’t miss a beat saying, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” This woman was not deterred by Jesus’ harsh words and grumpy demeanor. She stands strong in her understanding of Jesus’ ministry and advocates for her place at the table.

It’s through her toughness, grit, and determination that we see Jesus’ love shine through. He commends her for her words and sends her home to a daughter who had been healed of her unclean spirit.

To me, Jesus’ “humanness” shines through in this story. His exhaustion and desire to get away from the crowds cloud his vision, and he doesn’t treat this Syrophoenician woman with the respect she deserves. It’s also “human-like” to be faced with a competing opinion and to change one’s mind.

We don’t need to make excuses for Jesus’ behavior and we can be frustrated with his treatment of this woman, but this story offers us a glimpse at a Jesus who has experienced the stress of human existence. Through this story, and because of this woman’s faith and determination, we see a God that is willing to change to show grace, forgiveness, and compassion to the world.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever changed your opinion on an issue or topic? What prompted that change?
• How do you know when to hold onto your convictions like the Syrophoenician woman or to allow yourself to be changed like Jesus?

 Activity Suggestions

• Brainstorm “curious questions” you could ask when you are talking to someone with a different opinion than you. Practice both asking and being asked these questions in small groups. Then reflect together on questions and strategies that could be helpful in talking across difference.
• Consider asking an older trusted person in your life about a time they remember changing their opinion on a topic. What prompted the change? How did it make them feel? What reflections can they share about their experience?

Closing Prayer:  

Jacqui Buschor, Little Rock, AR

Warm-up Questions

• Do you like games where people compete against each other like Monopoly, or games where everyone works together toward a common goal, like escape rooms?
  • Why do you think that is your preference?

Whose Side Are You On, Anyway? 

Even if you’re not old enough to vote, I’m sure you’ve heard people talking about “the growing political divide in America.” Maybe you’ve seen evidence of it yourself on the news, in your church, or even in your own family. It seems like everywhere we turn we can find more and more evidence that people are less and less able to listen to each other, especially about politics. Sometimes it feels like the only thing anyone can agree on is how impossible it would be for us to agree. It can be pretty stressful to watch.

But what if our political divide isn’t as huge or even as real as it seems? A recent article in Time Magazine paints a very different story of our country. It explains that while a small number of people on both political sides are very divided, most average Americans actually agree a lot more than we disagree. Like, a lot more. Their survey discovered what they called “stunning agreement” on almost every single issue they asked about. 

So why, if most Americans agree more than we disagree, does it seem like things are more divided than ever? Well, partly, because those small groups who are very divided are also very loud, so we hear them more often. But mostly, because of something called “learned divisiveness,” which basically means we think people are becoming more and more divided because someone told us that’s what’s happening, and because we’ve been told it’s happening,  our brains collect evidence to support that story, even if it’s not entirely true.

Discussion Questions

• How have you felt when you heard people talking about “the growing political divide”?
• What might be possible for us if we realized we actually agreed more than we disagreed?

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

• Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
• Psalm 15
• James 1:17-27
• Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

 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 at Lectionary Readings.

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

Beyond “Good Guy vs. Bad Guy”

If you’ve heard a sermon about this week’s gospel before, I’d be willing to bet that sermon went something like this: The Jewish leaders were trying to trap Jesus and accuse him of not following God’s laws, but Jesus flipped the script and told them they were the wrong ones, rejecting them and their strict religious laws. This story, like many others, is often used to support the narrative that Jesus, obviously the good guy, is always fighting off the Jewish leaders like they’re the evil villains in some cheesy superhero movie. 

This “Good Guy vs. Bad Guy” showdown might make for a great movie plot, but when we try to cast Jesus and the Jewish leaders in those roles, we forget one pretty important detail. Jesus was Jewish. For his whole life. There are lots of stories that demonstrate Jesus following Jewish laws and customs (attending temple, celebrating Jewish festivals, studying the Torah), but we won’t find one single story in the gospels that suggest Jesus was ever trying to start a whole new religion. Instead, over and over the bible tells us stories of Jesus speaking (sometimes harshly) to the leaders of his own Jewish faith, pushing them to stretch and grow their understanding of God and God’s hopes for the world, challenging them to practice a more just and compassionate expression of the same Jewish faith they all shared. Jesus wasn’t fighting against the Jewish leaders as much as trying to work with them to build the kind of world God dreams of for everyone. 

We’ve often heard stories that seem to pit Jesus against “the Jews” like they were on opposite sides of an impossible divide, but as a Jewish teacher himself, Jesus shared a lot in common with the leaders he so often challenged. They all loved God, they respected God’s scriptures, and they all wanted a safe future for God’s people, even if they didn’t always agree on how to get there. Read the gospel story again, but this time try reading it remembering Jesus doesn’t see the Jewish leaders as enemies.

Discussion Questions

1. Does reading the story this way change the way you hear Jesus’s challenge to the Jewish leaders? If so, how?
2. What kind of church do you want to be a part of? 
3. What kinds of things do you want your church to stand for? 
4. What kinds of ministry would you like to see your church do in the world?

 Activity Suggestions

• Conduct a survey of your own. Interview some people from your congregation about what kind of church they want to be a part of. Try to include people of different backgrounds or different generations. 
  • With your friends, discuss your results. Did you discover any surprising similarities or potential new allies? What new things might be possible if you joined forces with your new potential partners?

Closing prayer:  

Loving God, In a world that often seems so divided, help us to remember that we are more alike than different. Help us to see your holy image in those around us, even when we disagree. Inspire us to find new ways to work together toward your dream of a world ruled by justice, peace, and love. In Jesus’ name we pray: Amen.

Leslie Weber, Chesapeake, VA

Warm-up Questions

• What gave you life this week? 
  • Try this as a different way of asking for weekly highlights!

Life Just Might Find a Way

Since I can remember, I have heard scientists who work in the field of space talk about the fact that water is essential for life. So, as they continue to search for life on other planets, sometimes they are simply looking for evidence of water as a first step. Earlier this month (August 2024), new findings showed that there is an “ocean’s worth of water” very deep beneath the surface of Mars. This is based on studying the velocity of mars-quakes recorded by NASA’s Mars InSight lander; it has not been confirmed by drilling. The lead scientist, Vashan Wright, is clear to say the findings do not definitively mean that there is life on Mars, but simply that “there are environments that could possibly be habitable.”

You can read the whole article here.

Discussion Questions

• Do you believe that there is life on other planets? 
• Would you travel to space if you got the chance? What about to the Moon? What about to Mars? 

Third Sunday After Pentecost

• Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
• Psalm 34:15-22
• Ephesians 6:10-20 
• John 6:56-69

 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 at Lectionary Readings.

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

Bread Again

Over the last five Sundays, we have read together from the 6th chapter of John, aka the Bread Chapter. We have heard Jesus tell the crowds that he is the bread of life that provides eternal life to all who partake. We have heard him try to explain that his flesh is the bread and his blood the wine. We have heard first the crowds, then some Judeans, and now some of Jesus’s own disciples not understand what he is trying to say. We have sat with them in the midst of the mystery of the gospel, at times confused, questioning, and trying to understand. 

Some of them have given up on Jesus and trying to understand his over-their-heads metaphor about bread and eternal life. But thankfully y’all have stuck around even though “this teaching is difficult” and have maybe wondered at times “who can accept it?” (John 6:60, NRSVue). 

This is where Simon Peter speaks from—this confusion, uncertainty, and loneliness—as more and more people give up on Jesus and his teachings. 

At this point, “many of [Jesus’] disciples turned back,” so Jesus asks the twelve who remain: “Do you also wish to go away?” (John 6:67, NRSVue). 

Simon Peter answers: “Lord, to whom can we go?” (John 6:68, NRSVue) There is no one and nothing else that offers what you offer. There is no one and nothing else on earth that promises eternal life. “We have come to believe that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:69, NRSVue). We need to look no further. Nothing else compares to what you represent and embody. 

Simon Peter is not asking for his next assignment (of where to go), he is simply proclaiming the gospel in its simplest form. 

He is not asking where he should go to serve God, but he is proclaiming that he serves the Holy One of God alone. 

He is not asking where he should march in his armor, but he is simply stating that he recognizes that he has the protection of the armor of God. Truth, Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation, and the Spirit are all present in the man standing right in front of him. 

Peter does not have it all figured out. We know this because we know the rest of the story. We know that he will later get scared and end up denying and deserting Jesus, but right now he is sure that Jesus is the Holy one of God, and that is enough. 

Peter knows that no other gods, not the gods of Egypt, not the gods of the Amorites, not the gods of materialism or gossip or fame or lust or sports, can provide anyone with eternal life. Only God can…and does! 

Discussion Questions

1. Are there beliefs or teachings in the Lutheran (or more broadly Christian) church that you find offensive or difficult to accept? 
2. Have you ever heard someone suggest that Christians are cannibals? This was a common criticism waged against the early  church because of their practices around and beliefs about Communion. How did/would you respond? 
3. How do you “go to”/connect with Jesus when you need reassurance, faith, life, and love? 

 Activity Suggestions

1. Brainstorm a list of teachings that people find difficult or offensive. Your list could be strictly religious or not. Respectfully discuss each with others and share whether they are deal breakers for you or not. If you need help with the “respectfully” part, here are some tips for discussing difficult issues (https://www.livinglutheran.org/2020/01/perspective-7-tips-for-discussing-difficult-issues/) 
2. Do a mini refresher course on Communion. Luther’s Small Catechism is a great resource! 

Closing prayer:  

Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life! Help us to trust this always. Help us to live our lives in response to your promise of love and life. Be with us when we stumble and when we find your teachings difficult or offensive. You are the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.