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.

Contributed by Bill King, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Think about a challenge which you have set for yourself.  What drives you to succeed?  What motivates you when the going gets tough?

Ut Prosim

On August 20^th, after 60 hours in the water, Diana Nyad had to abandon her latest attempt to swim the Straits of Florida, a distance of 103 miles from Havana to Key West.  The 62 year old endurance swimmer holds a world record for the longest ocean swim—102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Jupiter, Florida—but the challenges she faced in the Straits proved insurmountable.  After the first night, her lips, arms, hands, and neck were painfully swollen due to jellyfish stings.  At the end a lightning-filled storm blew her off course and made staying in the water extremely dangerous.

Nyad has made four attempts to swim the Straits since 1972.  She has been foiled by jellyfish stings, an 11 hour asthma attack, a shoulder injury, adverse weather, and strong currents.  Nyad swims without a shark cage and depends on boats, divers, and electronic shark repellant to keep the predators at bay.  But no good tools exist to deal with jellyfish.  Nyad admitted that she was naïve not to anticipate the problems from jellyfish, because they are proliferating throughout the world’s seas.

Nyad says she continues to feel vital and is prepared to try again.  She hopes that her efforts will inspire others her age to push their limits.  “When I walk up on that shore in Florida, I want millions of those AARP sisters and brothers to look at me and say, ‘I’m going to go write that novel I thought it was too late to do. I’m going to go work in Africa on that farm that those people need help at. I’m going to adopt a child. It’s not too late; I can still live my dreams.’ ”

Discussion Questions

• What do you think of Nyad’s goal to swim the Straits; is this an appropriate use of time, money, and energy—both her own and others?
• What do you think most motivates her?  The article contains one answer; what are some other possibilities?
• How do you judge her failure to anticipate the jellyfish stings, particularly since she had encountered them in previous attempts?
• What is the difference between making a wise decision and just being a quitter?  How do you know when to just “push through the pain?”

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 21, 2012 (Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost)

Isaiah 53:4-12

Hebrews 5:1-10

Mark 10:35-45

(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

Motivation matters.  As the disciples and Jesus travel toward Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week, there is no reason to believe that James and John are anything but sincere in their desire to follow Jesus.  Perhaps, as the ironic exchange about drinking the cup suggests, they do not fully understand what it will mean to walk with him.  But they have no qualms about calling Jesus Lord and teacher; they are hitching their fate to his.  The problem is their motivation.

Despite Jesus’ repeated efforts to make them see what is coming, they still have images that are more about coronation than crucifixion.  They see themselves as prime ministers in the new regime.  In short, they are focused on all the benefits of a close association with Jesus.  Their motivation is at bottom self-interest.  Like campaign contributors shrewdly calculating who can do them the most good, they have decided to back this candidate—and they ask for “assurances” that their loyalty will be rewarded.

Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) is the motto of the university at which I serve as campus pastor.  I have always liked that motto because it emphasizes to students that the education they receive here is supposed to be more than the passport to a very lucrative job and to the faculty that their research has a higher goal than personal resume building.  Even in the heat of the college football season I would never suggest that God is a Virginia Tech Hokie, but in my more whimsical moments I can image Jesus handing James and John a VT T-shirt, with Ut Prosim emblazoned across the front, and saying, “Guys, think about it.”

Ut Prosim.  There are a lot worse summaries of what following Jesus means.  There is nothing wrong with giving thanks for the sense of peace we find in knowing we are loved beyond measure.  We ought to rejoice when the community in Christ gives us a sense of belonging and purpose.  Of course our hearts swell in thanksgiving for the salvation offered us in Christ.  But finally, we are blessed to be a blessing; we are filled up so that we can be a reservoir of living water for others.

Virtually all the people reading this mediation are incredibly privileged.  Compared to the rest of the world we enjoy the untold advantages of wealth, education, opportunity, and a peaceful homeland.  Most of all we know what it means to walk in the company of Jesus.  So how will we use those gifts; what is going to motivate us when we step outside the church and into a messy world?  I am sure that Diana Nyad, in our opening news story, is driven in large part by a personal need to succeed, but I believe her when she says she also wants to inspire others.  If we can achieve even that amount of mixed motivation, we are on the road to understanding what Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”

Discussion Questions

• If you had to sum up what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in four words or less, what would you say?
• James and John are inappropriately focused on the benefits of following Jesus to the exclusion of understanding what it means to serve him and to serve others in his name.  Can you think of contemporary examples where this is the case?
• Talk about what motivates you to be part of your youth group, to attend church (let’s be real about this), to go on service trips, to volunteer?

Activity Suggestions

Using the answer you gave to the first question following the gospel reflection, consider making a T-Shirt which displays your understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.  You can either come to a consensus and make one for your whole group or have each person make his or her own shirt.

Closing Prayer

God of unlimited blessings, we remember with thanksgiving all that we have received from your hand.  Make us keenly aware that gifts are given in trust, that we may reflect your love for the world and ease the suffering of your children.  We pray in the name of Him who modeled a life of service, Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Contributed by Jay Gamelin, Lexington, S. C.

Warm-up Question

Have you ever received a large financial gift?  What did you do with it?

Where Does Our Money Go”

Quadriga Art helped several non-profit companies raise millions of dollars to support their work with poor and marginalized populations from Native American children to disabled veterans.  So why are these non-profits in debt to Quadriga?  Can this possibly be okay?

It’s hard to say.

On one side, the company raises money for programs that are meant to help others but have a high cost to run.  When these projects fail it is not the fault of the fundraiser but the management of the projects.  If the project uses all the money raised without paying the fundraising company, the project owes a debt to the fundraising company. The fundraising company cannot be held accountable of poor management in the nonprofits.

On the other hand, it is the fundraiser’s job to raise this money. The projects these non-profits create are dependent on the support of the fundraisers and it is their work to make sure the goals are achieved. If they do not reach their goals, can this be the fault of the nonprofits?

This issue raises questions about how we give and support projects we believe are worthy. When we give to something, are we sure that the money is going where we think it is?  How much of the money we give goes to the project and how much goes to administration, support, advertising, and yes, the fundraising effort itself?

As this issue is resolved through investigations, it is clear that the greater lesson to be learned is this- know where you are giving and be sure your dollar is doing what you think it is doing.

Discussion Questions

• Who is at fault in this case?  Do you find yourself supporting the non-profits or the fundraiser?  Why?
• When was the last time you gave to a charity (outside of church)?  How much research did you put into the charity and how they use their income?  What do you think your money is doing?
• How do you balance your own giving?  How much of your own money do you give to causes you think are worthy?  What is a goal you have for your own giving?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 14, 2012 (Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 5:6-7

Hebrews 4:12-16

Mark 10:17-31

(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

What do we make of the rich young ruler in our gospel?  Is this a man troubled by the evils of wealth?  Is love for money the root of all evil?  It seems so, if we are to take this text at face value.  Perhaps it is easier to pass a camel through a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom.  Why?

Jesus holds up for the rich young ruler the laws of Moses and the ruler says he has followed “these.”  But what is to be noticed is not what is listed but what is not: “You shall have no other God before me” “Observe the Sabbath” and “Do not covet” are missing.  This is a remez style of rabbinical teaching, where what we are notice is not what is quoted but what is around it and we pay attention to what is not said.  By removing these commands, we look at the reality that this is not about money but rather that he has another God and it is his own wealth, that he has not honored the Sabbath (perhaps working instead!) and that this has led to him wanting more and more. Jesus recommends expelling this from his life, to get rid of this idol. Seems so easy, right?

We cannot simply remove wealth from our lives as if it were cancer.   In today’s culture, we need it for food, clothing, shelter, etc.  The issue is not the money, it’s what happens when we serve it as our god.  When wealth and accumulation becomes our goal we lose what is more important, justice and mercy. Amos says that we are to seek good, and this can be done with wealth. It has great power to do good things.  But we also need to be wise with our wealth. We need to be sure we give generously, so that it does not control us, but also wisely, so that it is being used for holy purposes. Seek the wisdom to use your monies for good so that you may control it rather than have it control you.

Discussion Questions

• What are some things you think money is good for?  How has it been a help?  What are ways you have seen money used poorly?
• What are projects you have been interested in giving a hand to?  What needs are in the world you would be interested in supporting financially?  Have you done this?  Why or why not?
• Do you know of examples in your life, people or other entities, you look up to when it comes to money and giving? Does their faith affect them in their decisions?
• What are some other things you think are great gifts of God but can quickly become idols?  (i.e. image problems, overindulgence of food, over-exercise, etc.)

Activity Suggestions

Charity Watch:

For this activity, you will need a computer connection.   Let’s take a look at some non-profits and how they use their money. Visit a site such as http://www.charitynavigator.org/.  Think of some non-profit organizations that you may want to consider giving to.  If you are looking for some direction, try these:  Lutheran World Relief, Compassion International, YWCA, World Vision, Kare Youth League, and Blood:water mission. How do you think they are doing? Hint: Don’t just look at the score!  Take a close look at the information such as the number of dollars that go to program as opposed to administration. Perhaps some are better than they may appear on the surface! Which might you be interested in helping?

There are many worthy places to support. It is our job to seek where our heart meets the needs of the world. No one can give to every worthy place, instead decide where your heart is called and get determined to give what you can to support this call.

Closing Prayer

The earth is yours and everything in it, Lord, ourselves, our time, and our possessions. Help us to use what you have given us to be signs of life and good. Lead us to those places that need us. We turn over what we have to you, in the name of Jesus. AMEN.