Anders Nilsen, Norfolk, VA

Warm-up Questions

How would you know if Jesus was calling you to do something or to follow him? Do you think you would hear a voice? Would this call come through other people? Would it be your intuition? 

Social Media Jesus

A little over a year ago, Elon Musk, the billionaire and owner of multiple companies including Tesla, purchased the social media platform Twitter. In a controversial move, Musk made many immediate changes to the way the platform was used. 

For years before Musk made the purchase, accounts on Twitter who were deemed “authentic, noble, active, and prominently recognized” were awarded a blue check mark. This tiny symbol awarded the account the status of being “verified.” It is a coveted symbol especially for celebrities, reporters, and other prominent figures because it means that their account cannot be copied or fraudulent. Words are powerful, and when accounts get stolen and fake tweets are sent the damage can be long lasting. 

One of the changes that Musk made after purchasing Twitter in November of 2022, was to take away the blue check mark that signified a verified status for everyone, unless they were willing to pay a premium each month. This decision led to chaos. Celebrities were impersonated by people who paid to activate “verified” accounts in their name. Major news networks such as the New York Times had fraudulent accounts spouting fake news in their namesake. For a time, it was a madhouse. (Not that Twitter hasn’t always been.) 

Another controversy that came out of the chaos was that someone created and paid for a verified account named “Jesus Christ”, and another, “Satan”. During the time that these accounts held the coveted blue check mark they went back and forth with insults and quips. Hilarious? Yes. Sacrilegious? Probably. 

Sadly, thousands of people took these little blue check marks seriously. The owner of the “Jesus Christ” account received thousands and thousands of prayer requests because people now trusted the account was “real”. It must have been so discouraging for these folks to find out the truth that this account was owned and operated by a regular person and internet troll. 

How do we know which voices, which accounts, which people, to follow and to listen to? Does a little blue check mark allow us to put our full trust that they will tell us the truth? Or do we need to do some investigation for ourselves?

Discussion Questions

• What are the voices that you listen to? Do have favorite artists, talk show hosts, celebrities, Tik Tok-ers, Instagram accounts, YouTube streamers, podcasters, etc.? Who are they?
• What do you learn from them? How does “following them” impact the way that you live your life?

Third Sunday of Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

The Gospel according to Mark moves quickly. There is great urgency and Mark gives few details; he wastes no words.  Jesus is on the move, and with the urgency and haste of each scene we easily miss important details if we aren’t paying attention. 

John the Baptizer appears just verses before our passage today. He is out in the wilderness baptizing people for the forgiveness of their sins, preparing the way for the one who will come who is much greater than he— Jesus. Because of John’s actions, the religious and political elite arrest him. An important detail because soon these voices are challenged again. 

Just like that the scene shifts. Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee proclaiming to all that he encounters: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (vs. 15) 

Jesus, the rabbi, the teacher is on the move. 

In Jesus’ time, rabbis chose students at a young age, training and educating them to become rabbis later in life. Rob Bell in his “Covered in the Dust of the Rabbi” video details the selection process of the “best of the best” students that would be chosen to study, learn, and grow in the ways of their rabbi. It was a rigorous process, taking many years of learning for which only a few would be chosen. If you were one of the many left out, the religious elite basically told you that you were not good enough. 

If you were a fisherman you were one of the “not-good-enoughs.” Simon, Andrew, James, and John, by that standard, were “not-good-enoughs.” And yet, there is a voice that calls to them: “Follow me and I will make you fish for people” (vs. 17). 

I am always fascinated by this part of the calling of the disciples. Fishing was not a hobby for them, as it is for many of us today. It was their livelihood, the way they made money and afforded shelter. And yet, when Jesus calls to them, they drop their nets to follow. John and James even leave their father on the boat as they leave. Just. Like. That. How did they know they could trust Jesus? How did they know that he would not disappoint them? 

There is something so compelling about what Jesus proclaims and something so powerful about this invitation, telling these four men that they are finally enough, that they have no choice but to follow. They hear his voice and they know. I pray that we all might be able to know and to trust in the love of Jesus as much as these first disciples.  

Discussion Questions

• Put yourself in the boats alongside Simon, Andrew, James and John. Would you drop the net and follow as they did, or would you need some more information from Jesus?
• Are there voices that you listen to that tell you that you are not “good enough”? How do you block them out?

Activity Suggestions

Have each member of your group open their phones and scroll through whatever feed of social media or news that they choose. Have them identify what voices, themes, or attitudes are prominent and have a conversation about whether these things are positive, negative, or neutral in our lives of following Christ.  

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, by grace alone you call us, you lead us, and you equip us to do the work that you set out for us to do. Help us to listen for your voice which will guide us in the way of truth, of grace, and of love for the sake of this world that you love deeply. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Scott Moore, Erfurt, Germany

Warm-up Question

When have you ever seen an image or video and suspected it was a fake? 

Is Seeing Really Believing?

Since the advent of A.I.-generated images, we have experienced fascinating examples of creativity. Mash ups of unlikely images, inspiring universes beyond the wildest imagination, and quite unnerving and even nefarious examples. We have seen people we respect and people we don’t displayed doing the things we are either shocked to see or confirmed in our biases about them. Quite often, though these images are not of something that really happened, they are presented as the news. 

With a few clever commands and maybe some raw images or video, one can simulate natural disasters or scenes of war. The various stock photo sites are scrambling to adjust. Do they refuse to share and sell uploads of events that have been faked, or do they share them and label them as A.I.-generated and fake? 

The average viewer is now faced with the challenge of what to do once they have seen these images the first time. Was it real? How does it support or challenge my existing views? Can I get the images out of my mind? What are my options in today’s fast-paced news cycle filled with powerful images, which may be legitimate or not. 

Discussion Questions

• Where do you see advantages in A.I. generated visual content?
• When is art generated by A.I. still art?
• What kind of guidelines do we need as we evolve along with A.I.?
• Which one of these images was created with A.I.?

Second Sunday after Epiphany

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

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:43-51

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

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

Gospel Reflection

“In the beginning was the Word.” This is how John’s gospel starts. No shepherds, magi, donkeys, sheep, mangers, and the like. The gospel goes on to talk about this eternal Word that has become flesh,  and this flesh that was also a light. Sound, material, and photons: a mystical mix of life and energy that our senses can detect. The Gospel of John has the theme of light and darkness.  It also speaks of seeing, which is our sense which most readily detects light. This theme of seeing and faith that comes from seeing is woven throughout the gospel. (Work through the Gospel of John looking for themes of seeing/light/faith and bearing witness or testifying. It’s all over the place.)  

The gospel text for this week has a lot of seeing going on. “Come and see!”, “You will see greater things than this.”, “You will see heaven opened….”  The invitation to know who Jesus is comes with a simple, excited “Come and see!” The Word of God is now flesh and is a light for the world. Come and see! 

If the Gospel of John wants us to see Jesus for who he is, how does that translate into our world today? Is it enough to read a story about others who see God in Jesus? Does it suffice to hear someone tell about their experiences with God? What does the world need to have its eyes opened to the potential of God’s love, made known in Jesus and made known in our lives? If we have become so jaded by the twisting of words and images, where do we find our ability to share something authentic about our faith? 

Perhaps the answer lies in taking a look at our own experiences with God’s love, revealed in Christ, and sharing it. Others trusted Philip. He didn’t ask people who didn’t know him to “come and see!” He’d already created a  relationship  a foundation of trust. Maybe the gospel’s word for us today is to start with what we know and invite others to experience that with us. 

It isn’t, “Hey check that out,” but “come and see!” We bring others into our experiences of God and God’s love. That is authentic. It’s inviting. That is encouraging. This is what Philip models for us and Jesus promises Philip that he will see much more than he bargained for. That isn’t fake news. That is good news. 

Discussion Questions

• When did you most feel God’s presence or working in your life?
• When have you questioned your faith?
• Who has invited you into a deeper relationship with God/Jesus?
• When do you feel most authentic? And, where do you see a connection with that to your faith?

Activity Suggestion

Take a walk around your church and look for signs (with or without words) that are inviting or make you want to learn or know more about your church community or about God. Conversely, are there signs (with or without words) that are not inviting or even risk driving people away. 

Closing Prayer

God of light and love, open our eyes to see your beauty and grace the world around us. Inspire us to be our most authentic selves and let us be a beacon of light for those who are looking for you. Help us to embody a spirit of welcome and empower us to be voices of encouragement wherever we go. We ask this in the name of the Word made flesh, the light of the world. Jesus the Christ. Amen 

Alex Zuber, Harrisonburg, VA

Warm-up Question

What is the most urgent or pressing thing in your life right now?  (It could be a good thing or a challenge)

Tear It Open!

For all the build-up, Christmas just flies by too fast!  Some of us (me included) may have been singing along with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” since November 1, but Christmas is still over too soon.

I know I could slow down and savor the moment more, but I’m always far too delighted by the frenzied rush of Christmas morning.  It doesn’t seem to matter what age I am, when I get a package wrapped in bright, shiny, joyful paper, I just want to tear it open as fast as I can!  Whether you’re in a family that has everyone open their presents all at once, or one where. you patiently wait to open one present at a time, while everyone watches, there’s a magical thrill to tearing open the wrapping paper.

As joyful as this practice is each year, I always feel a bit of sadness as I carry huge garbage bags loaded with Christmas wrapping paper out to the street for the trash collection.  Not just because Christmas is over, but because this joyful tradition is inherently wasteful.  The site Brightly says, “The U.S. is estimated to produce 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper every year, and half of that—approximately 2.3 million pounds—winds up in landfills.”

And it’s not just the paper in those trash bags! “Ribbons and bows are a problem, too: If every family reused two feet of ribbon, it would save enough to tie a bow around the planet.”  It pulls at my heart to balance  this joyful tradition of tearing open presents with the deep call I feel to better steward creation.  Perhaps we can have both.  We can all take simple steps to find eco-friendly paper, reuse some paper and bags, wrap more creatively with repurposed paper, and look into reusable cloth alternatives.

Discussion Questions

• What is your practice of present opening on Christmas morning? Do you tear into presents with urgency or not?
• Before reading this post have you ever considered the waste that is created by the holidays?
• What can you and your family do to take a more sustainable approach to the holidays next year?

Baptism of our Lord

Genesis 1:1-5

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

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

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

Gospel Reflection

Particularly as we read the Gospel of Mark, I can’t help but think of the urgency of tearing open gifts on Christmas, because Mark is a gospel that gets down to business quickly!  Christmas? Nope.  Magi and a star? No. Jesus as a child in the temple? Nah.  Mark doesn’t have time for such things!  Our gospel writer launches into the gospel with urgency, saying simply “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ,” and then doesn’t let up for 16 chapters.  (Even the Easter story includes  no original post-resurrection appearances by Jesus!  It just ends.)

In Mark, Jesus is on the move, and Jesus is in action.  He’s teaching, healing, casting out demons, and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near!  Before this happens, John the Baptizer appears, offering a baptism of repentance  and proclaiming the coming of one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus comes to John and receives this baptism for himself in solidarity with the people, and just as he emerges from the water, the heavens are “torn apart and the Spirit descends like a dove upon him.” Did you hear that?  The heavens are “torn apart”, not merely “opened” as they are in Matthew and Luke.  This is a dramatic and urgent scene!

Jesus is always getting into the action, and Mark is particular about showing that God—just like a kid of any age on Christmas morning—is tearing open the heavens like wrapping paper to declare the belovedness of Jesus.  And you too, are beloved!

As John offered a baptism of repentance, we receive the forgiveness of sins through our baptisms.  We are washed in the Holy Spirit through the love of Jesus.  God proclaims over the waters of our baptism that we are beloved as well.  God is indeed pleased to call us God’s children.  And this baptized life calls us to walk with both a spirit of repentance,  which transforms our hearts, and  a spirit of  joy and hope for all creation.  Just as we can rethink the joyful practice of Christmas paper to better care for our world, so our baptism calls us to live into our belovedness by tearing apart the ways of sin which divide us from one another, and obscure the presence of God.

God is urgently, joyfully tearing open the heavens to be among us, to proclaim belovedness over creation through the joy and hope we share in loving one another.  Dear one, YOU are God’s beloved, and with YOU God is well pleased!

Discussion Questions

• Baptismal candidates declare “I renounce them!” to the powers of evil. What evil(s) do you renounce? (Mark 1:9-11)
• Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of his ministry; how was your baptism the beginning of yours? (Mark 1:10-11)

Activity Suggestions

• Make a to-do list this week, and then sort it by what is most urgent.  Then read the five points of the Baptismal Covenant, below.  Discuss with a friend how these things can be done through each of the urgent tasks you’ve identified.  If it’s hard to imagine these things reflecting your baptismal covenant, how can you reprioritize, or reimagine these activities as an extension of your baptismal calling?  (Covenant: to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth)
• Baptism is our adoption into God’s family as God’s child, and God is “very pleased” (Mark 1:11) that this is so.  As a way of testing how your life would be affected if you always had a reminder of that gracious truth, take an index card and write the words of verse 11, starting with your own first name, “_____, You are my beloved child;  with you I am well pleased.”  Fold this index card and carry it around with you all week, in a pocket or purse where you will come across it often.  Then pay attention to how hearing this word from God – a reminder of your adoption – changes the way you think about yourself and the world around you. (Credit: Dave Delaney, VA Synod, ELCA)

Closing Prayer 

We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give us new birth, cleanse us from sin, and raise us to eternal life. Stir up in us the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen. (From the “Affirmation of Baptism” liturgy in Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

There is no Faith Lens post this week

“He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.

But to all who received him he gave power to become the children of God” (RSV)

Linnea Peterson, Minneapolis, MN

Warm-up Questions

• Have you ever tried to talk about something that happened to you and had someone refuse to believe you? 
• Do you think some people are believed more than others when they talk about their experiences? What do you think leads to that difference? 

Believe Me

A couple of months ago, pop star Britney Spears released a memoir, The Woman in Me, bringing her back into the national spotlight. Though her most popular songs came out over 20 years ago, Spears has received attention in recent years with the #FreeBritney movement, which was an effort by Spears and her supporters to end the conservatorship that gave Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, legal control over Britney Spears’ life, medical options, and finances. 

As with movements such as #MeToo, the #FreeBritney movement had at its heart a commitment to believing women. In this context, the title of Spears’ memoir seems deliberate, particularly the use of the word woman. She could have titled the book something like The Adult in Me or The Grownup in Me to signal that she is no longer a teen sensation and has matured. Focusing on her womanhood, rather than just her adulthood, indicates not only that she is now an adult but also that her gender is important to her. Perhaps it serves to remind readers that her gender has played a significant role in how others treat her, as well. 

As with many societies around the world and throughout history, our society has an unfortunate tendency to discount or dismiss women’s stories, even when those stories are true. In the case of Britney Spears, it took a long time and a lot of public pressure for the legal system to take seriously that she was competent to make her own decisions and that her father was misusing his control over her. 

Through the efforts and belief of many of Britney Spears’ supporters, as well as Spears’ advocacy for herself, the conservatorship was finally ended. In the time since, Spears has been able to reclaim her voice enough to write and publish a memoir. 

Yet Spears is far from the only woman who has been disregarded and disbelieved.  Many situations, from small interpersonal discussions or disagreements, to group projects and business strategy, to large, complex global conflicts, would benefit from paying more attention to the perspectives of women.  That only happens if women speak up and men create space and listen well. 

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt like your gender has affected the way other people treat you? What about other aspects of your identity? 
• Have you ever noticed yourself treating someone else differently based on something about their identity? 
• In many ways, a conservatorship locks an adult into the legal status of a minor. What might justify such an arrangement?  When should it be terminated?
• Do parents and guardians currently have too much control over the lives of their children or other minors in their care? If you think there should be changes to the balance of power between parents/guardians and minors, what should those changes look like? What is the ideal balance of freedom versus safety for those under 18? 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Romans 16:25-27

Luke 1:26-38

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

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

Gospel Reflection

What stands out to me in this gospel reading is that Luke does not in any way question or cast doubt upon Mary’s insistence that she is a virgin. Surely people who knew Mary during her pregnancy or during the early years of Jesus’ life must have wondered whether he was Joseph’s son, since he was born during Mary and Joseph’s betrothal. This would likely have been a topic that some people found scandalous and gossiped about, but Luke does not engage in any such speculation. 

Matthew reports that Joseph had a dream where an angel told him that Mary was still a virgin, that her child was of the Holy Spirit, and that Joseph should marry Mary, even though she was pregnant with a child that was not his. Luke does not contain this story. In Luke, the only testimony we have that Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus is Mary’s own testimony. It is significant that Luke chooses to believe Mary about her virginity at the time of Jesus’ conception. 

While Christianity sometimes fails to live up to this standard of believing women, we would have a very different religion if we did not believe Mary’s account of how she became pregnant with Jesus. The story of Jesus and our theology about him are influenced by the fact that we view Jesus to be of divine origin, something that we believe, in part, because of Mary’s account of how she became pregnant. 

The church has too often silenced women, a tradition that began with some of the New Testament epistles forbidding women from speaking in church. Such a prohibition, along with many of the ideas about what constitutes Christian behavior found in the epistles, was an effort to appear blameless to the rest of Roman society, a strategy now known as “respectability politics.” 

The ELCA and its predecessor Lutheran denominations have been ordaining women for 53 years. This is something to celebrate, and I am deeply grateful for the many female pastors I have had throughout my life. It is, however, worth noting that the first American Lutheran woman of color was ordained just 43 years ago, 10 years later than the first white American Lutheran woman, and also that women in same-sex relationships have only been eligible for ordination in the ELCA since 2009. Both LGBTQ+ women and women of color wait significantly longer, on average, for calls in the ELCA than their white, straight, male counterparts. There is still plenty of ground to cover as we strive to listen to more women in the church. 

Discussion Questions

• How do you think Christianity would look different if we chose not to believe Mary about Jesus being of divine origin? 
• Would Jesus still be special if he had been conceived in the conventional way?
• Have you heard of “respectability politics”? Can you think of other behaviors that the letters in the New Testament mandate or ban that you think fit into this pattern? 

Activity Suggestions

• The United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalists have created a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum called Our Whole Lives, which some ELCA congregations have also started to participate. Look up the Our Whole Lives curriculum and see if there is anything in it that you think would be beneficial to your congregation. 
• Gather supplies to donate to a local women’s shelter. Hygiene and menstrual products are often greatly appreciated. 
• Listen to the Britney Spears song “Stronger” and discuss how the lyrics relate to or differ from the gospel passage for today. 

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you created us in your male and female image. You know the truth, and you believe us when we tell you or others about what we have experienced. Guide us to believe others when they share the truth of their lives with us. Remind us to listen to those who might otherwise be disbelieved or ignored.  Strengthen us to keep speaking up when we are the ones in that situation. Amen.