Contributed by Dave Dodson, Shalimar, FL

Warm-up Question

Who do you consider to be a good leader?

Leader of the Free World

Three weeks ago, the longest election cycle in United States history ended with the re-election of President Barack Obama.  The race received a great deal of media attention, not only within the United States, but worldwide.  Even citizens of European, Asian, African, and South American nations often favored one candidate over another and followed the race from their own countries.

This seems a little much, doesn’t it?  After all, the President does not have absolute power, even in the United States.  His power is balanced by powers given to Congress and the Supreme Court.  The President cannot pass laws on his own; he can only ratify or reject laws approved by Congress.  Why, then, were so many people, both inside and outside of the United States, so very invested in the result of the Presidential election?

To a large degree, the Presidential race matters because it represents the United States as a whole: what the majority of our citizens believe, what values we hold to be most important, and what we’re willing to fight for.  Since the Cold War, the President of the United States has often been given the nickname “Leader of the Free World”, suggesting that his leadership defined the values and actions of democratic countries around the world.

Certainly, the President has a very important political position.  To the rest of the world, though, he is also a very powerful symbol of the will of the citizens of the United States.

Discussion Questions

• Can you think of any other leaders, political or otherwise, in recent world history who have exemplified the values of their followers?  (Prompt your students to “think outside the box” if need be!  Examples could be political figures, such as Nelson Mandela or another US President.  They might be ideological, like Martin Luther King or the Dalai Lama)

• Should we hold political leaders to a high ethical standard?  What about leaders in other fields, like music, sports, and business?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 25, 2012 (Christ the King Sunday)

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Revelation 1:4b-8

John 18:33-37

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

When Pilate stands before Jesus to question him, we can tell that he desperately wants to put some sort of label on him.  Jesus has been accused of no specific crime against the Roman Empire at this point.  The Pharisees and their followers have simply dragged Jesus before Pilate, insisting that he be put to death, without giving a reason.  Pilate isn’t concerned with Jesus or the Pharisees.  All he wants out of Jesus is a quick answer so he can label him, pass judgment, and dismiss him.

“Are you the King of the Jews?”  Pilate wants Jesus to simply confirm that he is on some power trip, trying to gain control of the nation of Israel.  If Jesus says “Yes”, he can probably be dismissed as a crazy person, found guilty of no crime against the Roman Empire, and released.  If he says “No”, he can be written off as a victim and, again, probably released.

Instead, Jesus’ answers to Pilate’s questions indicate that he is not the “King of the Jews”, but is a king in a far greater way. Jesus is much more than a worldly king.  His kingship extends to more than just the nation of Israel.  His power passes far beyond that of a political ruler.  And most of all, his message of peace and love is for absolutely all people everywhere.  Jesus is clear about this when he answers Pilate: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”

Sometimes, Christians and non-Christians alike have been guilty of the same mistake that Pilate makes.  We want to put a single label on Jesus so that we can dismiss the fullness of his mission and ministry.  We want to limit Jesus’ message to just the parts that make us comfortable or help us win an argument.  We want Jesus’ words to make us feel good all the time, and we ignore the parts of Jesus’ teachings that challenge us.  Sometimes, we even seem to forget that it isn’t just Christians who are part of God’s people — that Jesus’ message is for all people everywhere.

Let’s learn from Pilate’s mistake.  Rather than trying to make Jesus fit our expectations, let’s open our minds up to hear his teachings again, and let him tell us about his kingdom!

Discussion Questions

• Jesus is the ultimate example of a faithful leader.  What sort of traits did Jesus have that we should emulate?  How does this differ from the values of secular culture?
• How do leaders in your church follow Jesus’ example in their actions and ministries?

Activity Suggestion

Create crowns from posterboard (or gather cardboard crowns from a local fast food restaurant).  On the crowns, write the attributes and attitudes that Jesus modeled through his words and guidance (peace, forgiveness, love, faith, etc).  Decorate the crowns.  (If you wish, invite students to make a gift of the paper crowns to church members who exhibit these traits in their congregational leadership.)

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, you gave us a magnificent world and abundant blessings.  Help us to be good leaders in your world and spread your love and blessings to all people.  Let us be your hands in a world that longs to feel your touch.  Amen.

Contributed by Dennis Sepper, Tacoma, WA

Warm-up Question

What kind of stories do you like?  What have you learned from those stories?  Is there any “truth” you learned that you thought was good advice or applied to your life?

LOL

Sometimes a story can convey the truth in a more powerful and meaningful way than just stating it.  For example, there is no real Harry Potter or Hermione Granger, but the stories about them reveal the truth of friendship, the struggle to form helpful values and relationships, and the fight between good and evil.  The same could be said of Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games trilogy.  In the Bible there are several places where an author uses a story full of symbols to give encouragement and hope to their readers.  These stories have a technical name you may have heard: they are called apocalyptic writings.  Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament are prime examples of apocalyptic writings.  Daniel and Revelation were written during times of persecution so the authors had to be careful so that the persecutors wouldn’t know what they were saying to their people.  They used symbol and wild imagery to confuse the people in power and give hope to people suffering oppression.

I have a friend who received a text from a female co-worker.  She was sharing with him a funny thing that happened to her that day and ended the text with the abbreviation “LOL”.  My friend was concerned that she had some feelings for him because he interpreted “LOL” to mean “Lots of Love”.  After he showed me the text I assured him that she was not hitting on him and that the abbreviation meant “Laugh Out Loud”.  He was relieved and embarrassed!

But that is the way apocalyptic writing works.  The powerful oppressor thinks the author is saying “Lots of Love” when the author is signaling his people to “Laugh Out Loud” because, no matter how bad things are, God is with them and the goodness of God will triumph over the evil of the oppressor.  It is meant to give them hope in the face of suffering and what might look like a hopeless situation.

Discussion Questions

• Think of a time you were in a situation where things really didn’t look good for you.  What gave strength and hope?  Was it a person?  A story?   A Bible verse?
• Do you think there is a difference between hope and optimism?  Look up the definition of both online.  Which do you think is more powerful, hope or optimism?  Why?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November, 18, 2012 (Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

Daniel 12:1–3
Hebrews 10:11–14[15–18] 19–25
Mark 13:1–8

(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 addition to Daniel and Revelation, each of the first three Gospels contains one chapter which speaks of an apocalypse, specifically the time when the current world will end and Jesus will return.  Mark 13 is one of those apocalyptic chapters (along with Matthew 24 and Luke 13).  In this week’s Gospel text Jesus warns the disciples that they too will face persecution and suffering for the sake of the Gospel but  he says, “fear not,” for God is still in control and God will reign.

Thoughts about the end of the world can be scary, so much so that Hollywood has made a lot of money creating films about either the end of the world or what a “post apocalypse” world would be like (see this list from Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_apocalyptic_films )

However, remember the purpose of apocalyptic writing, to affirm that God always keeps God’s promises and God will always be with us to the end of the age.  That message is strong and clear in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  We have nothing to fear as always and ultimately we are held in the hand of the God who created heaven and earth, and in the hand of a Savior who showed forth love and compassion even to death on the cross.

You may have also heard that according to some interpretations of the ancient Mayan peoples calendar that world will end on December 21, 2012.  Many predictions have been made over the years, most based on certain Bible passages.  I have a book a cousin gave me many years ago.  It was written by a pastor she interviewed for a newspaper article and in it this pastor predicted the world would end in 1980!  How many years was that before you were even born?  I keep it as a reminder that Jesus knew what he was talking about when he said only God knows the date and time of the end, neither the angels in heaven nor even Jesus knows (see Mark 13:32).

It is interesting to note that the things Jesus presents as signs of the coming end are things that are always going on.  There are always wars and rumors of war, nations do rise against other nations, and there are always famines in our world.  I think two things can be said about this, first, that we do not have to worry about missing the return of Jesus.  When that day comes there will be no doubt about it.  Second, Jesus is encouraging us to keep awake and alert and to carry on our discipleship with a sense of urgency…sort of a “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” message.  The Church year season of Advent begins in two weeks and that sense of keeping watch, keeping alert is one of the major themes of the season.

All in all, maybe Martin Luther had the best advice, when asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow, Luther supposedly said he would plant an apple tree.  We do not have to worry about the end of the world for we are forever held in the arms of God.

Discussion Questions

• The text speaks of a lot of scary events.  What is most personally scary for you; what do you most fear?  How does your faith speak–or sometimes not speak–to that fear?
• If you knew the world would end tomorrow how would you spend the last day?
• Why do you think many persons seem so obsessed with figuring out a timeline for the end of the world?

Activity Suggestions

The people in the Caribbean and all along the east coast are recovering from the damage of Hurricane Sandy.  They are not being persecuted but they sure could use some hope and comfort.  Why not pick a synod or two and send the Bishop of the synod a card or a letter of encouragement which the Bishop could share with the people of the synod?  Let them know that you are thinking of them, praying for them and standing with them in their time of need.  Can you imagine how their spirits could be lifted by cards and letters from youth groups and individuals around the country?  Here is a link where you can find the names of the Bishop and the address of the Synod office.  http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Synodical-Relations/Regions.aspx  Just click on a region on the east coast and then you will see links to the synods in that region.  Do not forget the Caribbean Synod for they suffered at the hands of Sandy too.  It may not be an apocalyptic writing that you send but it still can bring hope!

Editor’s note:  I was serving as Lutheran campus pastor at Virginia Tech when the shootings occurred on that campus.  We received a number of bookmarks from a synodical youth event in New England which expressed care and support during that crisis.  It meant a lot.  This week’s writer is dead on in his suggestion!

Closing Prayer

Loving God, you created the universe and all that is in it and yet you call us by name and hold us in the palm of your hand.  Strengthen all those who are suffering or facing persecution.  Give them hope through your Word and through us, their fellow pilgrims on the journey of faith.  We pray also for those of us who are wondering if things will ever work out for the good, if the good will ever overcome evil.  Speak a word of peace and hope to us and remind us that we can never be separated from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Contributed by Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN

Warm-up Question

Generosity: Is it just a nice idea or is it a life commitment?

Reckless Generosity

Earlier this fall blogger David Briggs, writing for the Huffington Post, noted that recent research reveals that many churchgoing Americans misrepresent the amount of money they give in charitable contributions.  Whether intentionally or not, many people reply to questions about their giving by overstating the amount they actually give.  Briggs describes the research findings as indicating a “gap between perception and reality.”  Many people think that they give more than they really do, perhaps because they are unaware of their actual giving.  They may claim that they give more than they really do because they want to be regarded as more generous than they really are.  Apparently, many people are more committed to the idea of giving than to the actual practice of it. For Briggs’ full article on the research findings, go here.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think many people overstate the amount of money they actually give in charitable contributions?
• Do you think it is difficult to be generous?  If so, why is it difficult?
• Do you know any generous people?  Who are they?  In what ways are they generous?
• Are you a generous person?  Do you find it difficult or easy to be generous?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 11, 2012 (Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost)

1 Kings 17:8-16

Hebrews 9:24-28

Mark 12:38-44

(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

By commending the example of the poor widow, Jesus makes it clear that true generosity cannot be measured in money but only in attitude.  The widow’s two small copper coins, worth only a penny, count for little in comparison to the much larger sums of money given by others.  The true value of her offering is that it represents everything she has to give.  In other words, the widow is more generous than all the others because she gives everything while they give only something.

Jesus emphasizes that the widow “put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”  By any human calculation, the widow has done something reckless and foolish.  But her reckless folly mirrors the generosity of God.  Again and again in the teaching of Jesus, as in the entire Bible, God is seen to be reckless and foolish in God’s own abundant generosity.  Consider the stories that Jesus tells about the father and his two sons (Luke 15) or the laborers hired to work in the vineyard (Matthew 20).  Read what Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:25-33, and reflect upon the ways in which the poor widow has taken such teaching to heart.

By commending the generosity of the poor widow, Jesus points to the generosity of God.  The widow is a witness to the generosity of God, who gives everything and all.  Consider what Martin Luther teaches about God’s generosity in the Small Catechism, where Luther explains the Apostles’ Creed.  Scripture tells us that human beings are created in the image of God.  The poor widow shows us what it means to live as the image of the God who gives everything and all.

Discussion Questions

• How do our practices of generosity witness to the generosity of God?  How does our giving represent what we believe about God?  What does our giving teach others about God?
• What does it mean for us to be people created in the image of an abundantly generous God?  How does our generous God call us to live?

Activity Suggestions

• Have a conversation at home with your family about financial giving.  Ask how much money the people in your family give in church offerings and other charitable contributions.  What are the beliefs and attitudes that guide the giving habits in your family?  Are the people in your family willing or reluctant to talk about their giving?  How does your family teach and practice generosity?
• As a group, identify a project or a concern toward which you would like to make a collective contribution.  Make a plan about what you will do together, including the commitments that each person will make to help fulfill that plan.

Closing Prayer

Help us who have received so freely from you to give as freely in our turn, and so have the pleasure of giving as well as the happiness of receiving.*  Amen

 (*for this and other prayers)

Contributed by Sylvia Alloway, Granada Hills, CA

Warm-up Question

Suppose you got off the plane after a long vacation and saw a headline announcing your death. Someone had started this rumor and gotten others to believe it. How would you go about proving that you are still alive?

Rumors of Death…and Life!

Vulkanette / Shutterstock.com

“I don’t even remember what a headache feels like!” So declared Fidel Castro in an article published on Cubadebate, the state news website. The purpose of the article, titled “Fidel Castro Is Dying,” was to assure the Cuban people that the old revolutionary was still alive and healthy at 86. Rumors that the former dictator had suffered a severe stroke and was barely hanging on had been swirling around in the world press for days.

Photos of Castro strolling around his farm using a metal cane, taken by a visiting Venezuelan dignitary, appeared with the article. The South American politician said he talked with the notorious Communist strongman for five hours and was then escorted to his hotel by Castro in a chauffeur-driven minibus.

Castro’s article also tore into the “imperialist propaganda” spread by the non-Communist media. The rumor was traced to a Venezuelan doctor in Miami, who claimed to have heard that the Cuban leader was near death.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think rumors of Castro’s death spark such interest!
• How do rumors get started? Why do people believe them?
• How do you personally decide what to believe and what not to believe when you hear a rumor?
• Think about one time when you believed a rumor that wasn’t true and another time when you did not believe something and it turned out to be true. What happened? What if anything, did you learn?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 4, 2012 (All Saints Sunday)

Isaiah 25:6-9

Revelation 21:1-6

John 11:32-44

(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

Raising from the dead is a tough sell. Everyone knows that there’s no getting around death. It takes a lot of proof to convince any sane person that someone could conquer this greatest enemy of humankind.

There are always rumors, of course. Jesus raised several people from the dead, and word must have gotten around. But people were just as skeptical in those days as they are now. The person wasn’t really dead, they would say. Jesus is a fake, and intelligent people don’t put any stock in such foolishness.

But Lazarus was different. A whole crowd of people had been weeping over him for four days. Some of them probably helped to wrap the body in the grave clothes. His sister Martha was certain there would be a terrible stench if the grave was opened. Death was as ugly then as it is now. Even Jesus wept at the sight of it.

Wait, what it this? Open the grave? Call on God to hear? And what is this “Lazarus, come out”? What does this man think he’s doing?

Raising Lazarus from the dead.

Oh.

There was nothing especially glorious about it. A man trying to walk while stuck in a shroud was just as scary then as it is now. And cutting him free couldn’t have been very pleasant. Yet all those repellent practicalities drove home the point. This man really was raised from the dead. Those who doubted had only to look.

Word got around and is with us today:   Jesus has power over death – Lazarus’ death, his own, and finally, ours as well. Some stand and say, “Prove it!” Some sit and say, “Forget it.” Some turn away and say, “It’s just a rumor.” And some fall to their knees before Jesus Christ and say, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus has the words of eternal life, the power to conquer our most fearsome enemy, and we know we can trust in him. That is why we are called “believers.”

Discussion Questions

[Note: Talking about death is not easy. It may help students to be more comfortable, if the teacher “breaks the ice” and gives a personal answer to the first question. Be sensitive to students’ feelings.]

• Have you had any experience with death? Did your Christian hope of eternal life help you in this situation? Why or why not?
• Everyone has fears and uncertainties, especially concerning death. How can we help each other to overcome those fears?
• Look carefully at John 11:25-26 (“I am the resurrection…”). What did Jesus mean by this? What meaning does it have for us today?

Activity Suggestions

• Turn the raising of Lazarus into a play. Ask to perform it for a class of younger students.
• In groups or as a class, use a concordance or online Bible to look up verses on resurrection. Who talked about it? Why is it important? How does it fit into our faith? (Consider the Apostles’ and the Nicene creeds)

Suggested songs: He Lives, The Solid Rock

Closing Prayer

Almighty God and Conqueror of death itself, we thank and praise you for the death that gives us life – Christ’s crucifixion – and the resurrection that was his and will someday be ours. Fill us with your holy joy at this good news and help us to share it with those who are fearful and doubting. In the all-powerful name of your Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen

Contributed by Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

When have you felt most free? What life circumstances seem to take away your freedom?

I’m Talking About Freedom

A school district may not ban students from creating banners containing Bible verses, a Texas judge ruled last week. Judge Steven Thomas has granted an injunction filed by the Kountze High School cheerleaders to allow them to continue creating and displaying Bible verse banners at their sporting events.

School officials had stopped the students from displaying banners with scripture and religious messages such as “If God is for us, who can be against us” after a complaint by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The foundation says that the banners violate the first amendment, which prevents government from establishing or endorsing a religion.

Texas Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott support the cheerleaders in this case. Abbott said that the students create the banners without school funding, which makes them individual speech protected, not banned, by the first amendment. “This is student-led expression, and that’s perfectly constitutional,” Abbott said.

In response, the foundation accused Abbott of abusing his elected position to support religious views.

Governor Perry had this to say about the issue: “Anyone who is expressing their faith should be celebrated, from my perspective, in this day and age of instant gratification, this me-first culture that we see all too often,” Perry said. “We’re a nation built on the concept of free expression of ideas. We’re also a culture built on the concept that the original law is God’s law, outlined in the Ten Commandments.”

Discussion Questions

• Do you think society is better off without public displays of people’s religious beliefs? Why or why not?
• The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Sometimes the “establishment” and “free exercise” clauses are in tension because rigorously enforcing one appears to undermine the other.  If you were the judge in this case, how would you rule? Why?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 28, 2012 (Reformation Sunday)

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Romans 3:19-28

John 8:31-36

(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

Everyone likes freedom, don’t they? Who wouldn’t want to be free? The human spirit is created to want freedom. All over the world, where people are oppressed, they long for freedom. But what is true freedom? What looks like freedom on one side of a political controversy (such as the one in our news story) feels like coercion to those on the other side.  Our gospel text this week says clearly that true freedom is bigger than politics and can only be found in Jesus Christ, who is truth.

That’s really good news. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, we can experience freedom from sin and from the consequences of sin. This goes far deeper than being allowed to do whatever we want, or even allowed to do things we think are important to life. If we accept and follow Christ, we have a freedom no government or politician can ever take away from us.

We are fortunate to live in a country where freedom is valued and protected. Our country was created intentionally to maximize the freedoms of its people. We’ve always had this freedom.  Do we sometimes take it too lightly because we have not had to work for it? We haven’t experienced a world without it.

The same may be true of the spiritual freedom these verses describe. If you’ve grown up in church (I have) and always remembered believing (I have), you may never have felt the guilt, the fear, the intense desperation that comes from believing that your mistakes may literally be the death of you. Reflect on the magnitude of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, and realize the price He paid for our freedom. And if that doesn’t make you feel awe, gratitude, and appreciation for that freedom, I don’t know what will!

Discussion Questions

•  Is there a difference between government-given freedom and God-given freedom? If so, what is the difference?
• How would your life be different without political freedoms?
• How would your life be different without the freedom you have in Christ
• What can you do to express appreciation for the freedoms you have?

Activity Suggestions

The youth group at my church has great fun putting motions to the song “I Am Free” by the contemporary Christian band Newsboys. Get a copy of the song from YouTube or iTunes and put motions to it (“I am free to run”—pretend to run, for instance). If the group feels comfortable, sing the song during your youth group’s worship time (or during your church’s worship service if appropriate) and do the motions. It’s a fun way of reinforcing this week’s scripture that we have freedom from sin through Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you from the depths of our souls that, through Jesus, we have been made free. Help us to appreciate this freedom every day and not to take it for granted. Empower us to offer the hope of this freedom to those we know who seek it and, by your help, strengthen us to work for the freedom of those oppressed in this life. Amen.