Brian Hiortdahl, Sacramento, CA

Warm-up Question

What activity or pursuit do you stick with even though it is difficult for you to do?

Already

Dr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a celebrated poet, author, teacher, filmmaker, and civil rights activist, among other roles and accomplishments. When interviewed upon being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, Angelou reflected:  “I’m always amazed when people walk up to me and say,  “‘I’m a Christian.’ I think, ‘Already? You’ve already got it?’ I’m working at it…”

http://bingenow.com/video?vidid=1755

Discussion Questions

• What point do you think Angelou is making about being a Christian?
• Do you consider yourself a Christian? Why or why not? What does “being a Christian” mean to you?
• What aspect of Christianity are you working on … or, perhaps more accurately, how is Christ working on you?

Transfiguration of Our Lord

Exodus 24:12-18

2 Peter 1:16-21

Matthew 17:1-9

(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

Not long before they ventured up the mountain, Peter confessed for the first time that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) This insight, which Jesus credits to his Father, is now validated by the Voice from the cloud. There is further validation from the presence of two legendary witnesses, Moses and Elijah. (For more about the importance of two witnesses, see: https://blogs.elca.org/faithlens/january-8-2016-real-fake/.) The details of the scene—radiance, Moses, Elijah, cloud, mountain, voice—combine to present an overwhelming testimony to the unrivaled authority of Jesus, which will be reinforced after his resurrection (Matthew 28:18).

Why now? Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus states for the first time that he must suffer greatly and be killed. When Peter protests, Jesus scolds Peter, who goes from “Blessed” to “Satan” in only 6 verses! Peter’s subsequent attempt to confine Jesus, Moses, and Elijah to permanent mountaintop glory reveals that he still doesn’t get it.

Peter is experiencing what Maya Angelou talked about. Understanding, accepting, and following Jesus is not easy. He says so many difficult things. Consider:

+ Turn the other cheek … give your coat also … go the second mile (Matthew 5:39-41)

+ Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)

+ Do not judge (Matthew 7:1)

+ I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves (Matthew 10:16)

+ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:37)

+ If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)

You get the idea:  it’s crazy hard.

Perhaps that explains why the Voice from the cloud said “listen to him!”  The Greek verb communicates continuing action: “keep listening to him!” It’s not a one-and-done; it’s an ongoing assignment and commitment. Martin Luther understood this. The first of his ninety-five theses states it clearly: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent,” [Matt 4:17], he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”

At this turning point in the gospel, it’s especially crucial for God to overcome Peter’s selective hearing (and ours) about what being the Messiah means, so God sets off extra fireworks to get our attention. God is making sure we all get it: keep listening to him! Don’t resist the cross. Don’t tune Jesus out when he says what we don’t want to hear. Don’t quit when it gets hard. Stick with it. Stick with him. And as you struggle along the difficult way of Jesus, keep listening to one more thing he says: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:12)

Discussion Questions

• What saying of Jesus is the hardest for you to accept and to live?
• What daily practice helps you to “keep listening” to Jesus?
• When have you been overwhelmed by glory? What did you learn from that amazing experience?

Activity Suggestions

• Learn more about Maya Angelou and/or other Black saints and witnesses during February (Black History Month). Groups can create a list of names, assign one name to each participant, then have each participant share a brief biography and a quote from that person.
• Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and select one sentence to post in your room on Ash Wednesday (February 22). Read that sentence every day in Lent and let it work on you as you work on it.

Closing Prayer

Open our ears, Lord. We want to hear Jesus, especially when we don’t. Amen.

Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

Would you say you are proud to live in America? If not, where would you like to live instead?

From the Heart

A new poll by Morning Consult, released in January, showed that only 16% of Generation Z adults (ages 18-25) said they were proud to live in America. 

Looking at all adult age groups, 52% said they were proud to live in America and 73% of the oldest generation, Baby Boomers, said they were proud to live in the U.S. Even millennials, the next closest age group to Gen Z, saw 20% more of its members saying they were proud to live in America, although still a minority at 36%. 

Pollsters cited COVID-19 lockdowns, social unrest, and a focus on inequality and police brutality as some possible reasons why our youngest generation might have lost a sense of what they call American Exceptionalism, or the feeling that America is a country that they can be proud of.

Many in the younger generation now seem to group America with other nations that “regularly repress civil rights,” and they have a lower degree of trust in U.S. government institutions than older generations. 

This change has taken place in only about the last ten years. In 2013, 85% of Americans said they were “extremely or very” proud to be American. It was only in 2016—7 years ago—that the percentage dropped below 80%. 

It is possible that most young people just don’t know what the rest of the world is like. They may not realize how good most people have it here in the U.S., despite its problems.

It’s also possible that they hold an impossibly high standard for the kind of country that could earn their patriotism. Perhaps the youth of today are simply absorbing too many of the negative messages put out by the media, their teachers, and some of their parents about America, and have decided that it’s not such a great place after all.

Discussion Questions

• Is the media too negative in how it portrays the news? Do you think negative news is bringing people’s opinions about America down?
• What kinds of positive news stories would you like to see covered in the place of the negative stories? How might stories about people helping others or doing what is right help Gen Z feel better about their country?
• In what ways can America still be seen as a beacon of light to other countries? What more could America as a country do to help people around the world?

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Matthew 5:21-37

(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 lesson, The Sermon on the Mount moves from the hopeful-sounding Beatitudes into a more difficult portion of teaching. The Ten Commandments are hard enough to keep—does Jesus really have to make them harder? 

Jesus has two main goals with his teachings about the requirements of the law, which state that even thinking about doing something wrong to another person is just as bad as doing it.  First, he wants to relate the law to people’s hearts. If you feel malice (anger, bitterness, jealously, or any negative emotion) toward someone but you don’t act on it, what does that do to your heart? What does it show about your heart?  Jesus’ point is that there’s often something wrong with our hearts even if our outer actions seem okay.  Our negative feelings can alert us that we have more work to do before the love in our hearts can be the dominant force in the the way we act toward others. 

Second, Jesus wants to show everyone that they need God’s grace and forgiveness, because they can’t keep God’s laws perfectly. Jesus is not just imposing an impossibly high standard here, he’s exposing the truth about why God gave laws to the Israelites in the first place. 

He wants us to know that we can never please God by merely keeping the letter of the law, because, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). 

As in so many of Jesus’ teachings, he is showing people that God doesn’t just desire obedience, God desires to be known by us, and for us to know God at a heart level. 

We follow God’s laws imperfectly like all who have come before us, all the way back to Adam and Eve. God knew this would happen. In Jesus, God makes a way for us to be reconciled and transformed by focusing on what’s happening in our hearts and how that impacts what we say and do.

Discussion Questions

• What was the hardest part of this teaching by Jesus? Why was it so hard for you to hear?
• Think about a time when you had negative emotions in your heart toward someone else. What happened as a result? 
• Choose one of the following responses to Jesus’s teaching in these verses and explain to your group why you reacted that way:

1. 1. I give up. It’s impossible to keep the 10 Commandments the way Jesus describes, so I’m not even going to try. 
   2. My heart isn’t always in the right place, and I’m going to pay more attention to that as I follow Jesus. 
   3. As long as I don’t get angry with anyone or wish them harm, I’m doing everything right. 
   4. I reject all rules and laws; I’m just going to live life my way. 

Activity Suggestions

• Choose an activity your group can do to support your country in some way. For example, attend a parade together, bake cookies for a military veteran, or offer to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at a local sporting event. You don’t have to love everything about America to show support for your homeland. 

• Write a short prayer of confession you can say when the state of your heart isn’t what you know Jesus wants it to be. Don’t forget to thank Jesus for forgiving you and ask him to help you change your heart to be more loving to others. 

Closing Prayer

God of grace, you care about our hearts because you know they lead us to you and to loving others. Thank you for forgiving us when we fall short of your holy standard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, Ohio

Warm-up Question

Describe your favorite food as best you can without naming any of the ingredients.

A Matter of Taste

The science of taste is fascinating, perhaps because food is a universal part of our daily lives. We eat to live and, for many of us, sharing a meal with others brings a whole new sense of joy to our daily lives. Food tells stories and we use the flavors of food to experience it in all sorts of different ways.

The five most common flavors detected by humans are salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. Once it was thought that these flavors were only tasted in specific parts of our tongue, but that myth has been debunked through science. Our tastebuds are covered in receptors that receive multiple messages and help us to enjoy some flavors and dislike others.

While every flavor may not appeal to us, most of us are drawn to at least a couple of flavor profiles.  Salt is particularly interesting because it is a naturally occurring element that helps our bodies do the daily work of living. Salt does multiple jobs, but when it comes to food, the main work is preserving food and enhancing flavor. Though basic in its make-up, it is pivotal in its power.

Discussion Questions

• What flavors are you drawn to? What is it about that certain kind of food that you love?
• What are some ways that adding salt (or other flavors) makes a recipe better?

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

Isaiah 58:1-9a [9b-12]

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 [13-16]

Matthew 5:13-20

(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

In Matthew 5:13-20, Jesus preaches his famous Sermon on the Mount.  Many of Jesus’ most famous teachings come from this part of scripture-– think the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and teachings on adultery, divorce, and other aspects of the law. What is interesting about this particular section of the Sermon on the Mount is that it is just as much about how we are to be as it is about what we are to do. We are not just called to be followers of the law – we are called to be SALT and LIGHT (descriptors of our identity in Jesus).  

What does it mean to be salt?  In Jesus’ time salt was an everyday commodity which had more importance than just being in a shaker on the table.  It was used to preserve foods and keep them safe for consumption.  Salt was common, but also special and necessary. People hearing Jesus preach knew that he was calling them to preserve, protect, and enhance the world around them. 

What it means to be light is even more obvious.  All of us have experienced some sort of darkness and felt a sense of relief when a light came on. Our fear of the dark is innate; darkness may hide the dangers around us. When he calls us to be the light of the world, Jesus reminds us that we are to bring goodness and truth to dark places. 

We are light and salt when we live out  God’s life-saving mission in the world. We are called to be people who illuminate, enhance, and preserve the world – not darken, decrease, and destroy that which is around us. When we are in the light and when we are living with “saltiness,” we are bringing God’s kingdom into the world.

Discussion Questions

• If Jesus were telling parables to us today, he would surely use recognizable elements like salt and light. What images might he use instead of salt and light?
• When Jesus calls us to be salt and light for the world, he reminds us of our identity (what makes us us). How do we live out that identity today?

Activity Suggestions

• Research food from Jesus’ era and culture and try them out. Describe their tastes.
• Take a night hike with your youth group. Describe how it feels to be in the dark and how it feels to enter back into the light. Consider times when you have felt darkness all around you, but received light from someone else.

Closing Prayer

God of light, you have called us, your children, to be bearers of the light and salt of the earth. Help us to follow your commandments in ways that bring glory to you through our very being. Protect us from darkness and help us enhance the world around us with your flavor. Guide us as we seek to follow your laws and rejoice in the saving power of Jesus. Amen.

Lisa Hoelscher, San Antonio, TX

Warm-up Question

• Which teacher has made the biggest impact on your life, and what did they teach you? The person could be a school teacher, a parent, or someone else. 
• Do you see yourself as a teacher to anyone? What are you teaching them? 

Clash of Values

At the beginning of this month, the U.S. House of Representatives elected a new Speaker. Typically, electing a new Speaker occurs rather quickly, needing only one vote, but this time the situation was different. While Representative Kevin McCarthy (Republican from California) was the early favorite, it took fifteen votes for him to be elected Speaker. This is the first time in 100 years that the election for Speaker took more than one vote. 

What took him so long? A group of Republican members who are considered to be “far right” had a very different view of how they wanted the role of Speaker to function. Essentially, this group has different values than their peers, and they wanted to see those values become part of the regular order of business in the House. The vote to elect a Speaker became a clash of values. 

Within each of the two major political parties in the United States (Republicans and Democrats), there is a diversity of values, viewpoints, and beliefs. No one party can encapsulate the entirety of a person’s values, which is true for both voters and our elected officials. But, the difficulty seen in the most recent election for Speaker of the House of Representatives indicates that the values of elected representatives are often at odds.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever voted in an election? It could have been an election at school, in an extracurricular group, or a municipal, statewide, or national election. What was your motivation for voting or not voting?
• In the run-up to an election, did you have an opportunity to voice your opinion and ask questions of the candidate(s)? If so, what was that experience like for you? If not, how did you learn about their platform?

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Micah 6:1-8

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Matthew 5:1-12

(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 the book of Matthew, Jesus’ first major teaching opportunity – known as the Sermon on the Mount – occurs in chapter five. Crowds have been following Jesus.  So he goes up a mountain, sits down, and begins to teach them. He begins his teachings with nine blessings, often called the Beatitudes.  From them we learn about Jesus’ values and the values of the kingdom of God. 

Jesus lived in a society that placed heavy meaning on actions which would bring honor or shame to your family. Things that brought honor included wealth, power, and high-status positions. Alternatively, things that brought shame included breaking social norms, illness, and poverty. Furthermore, males and females were treated differently when it came to matters of honor and shame. 

The crowds gathered around Jesus heard him speak these nine blessings and would have been shocked. Jesus was teaching them the values of the kingdom of God, but these particular values did not align with the cultural values of honor and shame in which they lived. 

The crowds grew up learning that wealth, power, and social status mattered.  They brought honor to your family’s name and were a sign of blessing. Now, they were learning that God values people who are poor in spirit and people who mourn.  God cares for the powerless (translated as “meek” in the NRSV), and those hunger for a right relationship with God, rather than for things that help them climb the social ladder. Who is Jesus that he would espouse these alternative values? 

While we have had the benefit of nearly 2,000 years to get familiar with the Beatitudes, Jesus’ audience was in a different position. How did they receive these teachings? There are no post-sermon interviews with the crowd to gauge their reactions, not even a quick five question survey to rate their satisfaction with Jesus’ teachings. 

But we do know that Jesus spoke to real people like you and me. He spoke to people who had chores and jobs and hopes and sorrows,  to people who had experienced hardship, trauma, and setbacks. He spoke to people whose minds occasionally wandered and to people thinking about their next meal or something they forgot to do. Jesus taught his alternative kingdom values to everyday people and showed them a way of life contrary to the culture of the day. 

We, too, are shaped by the culture around us, but we are also shaped by Jesus’ teachings which can be just as radical now as they were 2,000 years ago. 

Discussion Questions

• What do you think are the most important values in your community and the country as a whole?  Are they the same as those of Jesus?
• What matters most to your peers?
• Where is it hardest for you to follow the values of Jesus?

Activity Suggestions

• What’s important to you? Make a list of your top 3-5 values and make note of where you learned those values (family, church, public figures, on your own, etc.).
• Can you think of someone who is mourning the death of a loved one, someone who has been bullied on social media, or someone who is longing for a stronger relationship with God? Send them a text message or DM and let them know you are thinking about them and remind them that God loves them. 

Closing Prayer

Patient and loving God, you sent your Son Jesus to teach us the values of your kingdom. Give us hearts and minds that are open to your teachings, especially when they challenge the values of the culture around us. Help us to be life-long learners of your Word, and show us how we can teach others about you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Angie Larson, Alexandria, MN

Warm-up Questions

• Who do you know that went through a difficult time, but now uses the experience to help people?
• Have you ever had a moment when your whole life changed? What was that moment like?

The Moment Your Life Changes

Nelly Chiboi grew up in Mogotio, Kenya in an impoverished village. “I know the pain of poverty,” says Cheboi, now 29.  “I never forgot what it was like with my stomach churning because of hunger at night.” Her mom ensured that despite their poverty Nelly received an education. Nelly worked hard in school and received a full scholarship to attend college. She graduated from the ELCA’s Augustana College in 2012.

Before attending school, Nellie hadn’t used computers, but in order to receive a math major she needed to take a required computer science class. In this class she fell in love with computer science and changed her major. Following graduation she began work in the software industry.  She noticed that when companies upgrade, they’d often throw away their old computers, which still have a lot of use in them. This was the moment her life changed. Nelly was shocked and decided to do something about it.

Nelly started refurbishing those computers and bringing them back to her home village. The work expanded and she began TechLit Africa, now supporting 10 schools, but with a goal to support 100. TechLit Africa is bringing computers to rural villages so children can begin to learn technology at an early age. Kids receive training and classes so they can work in the global technology market. Nelly used her education to educate others. 

Discussion Questions

• What skill do you have that could benefit other people?
• How do you feel about Nelly’s story?
• Why is it important to share resources with those who could learn from them?

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 9:1-4

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Matthew 4:12-23

(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 for Year A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Jesus calls his first disciples, Peter and Andrew. They are two fishermen, minding their own business, when Jesus invites them into something new. Jesus says, “Follow me and I’ll send you out to fish for people.” Peter and Andrew drop their nets and immediately head out. 

Next, Jesus invites James and John to catch his vision:  To make a difference in the world, to witness what God was doing, to go and share the good news of the kingdom, to expand the message of what God is doing through Jesus to others. Four fishermen to hundreds of followers. 

Peter, Andrew, James, and John could not fathom what God would do through them when they left their boats:  How the sick would be healed, the lame would walk, and those struggling with demons would be freed. How the mission would expand. Yet, somehow they felt compelled to follow Jesus. 

That’s what following Jesus does.  It leads us to unexpected places, doing unexpected things. Jesus heals our pain and uses our weaknesses with God’s grace. 

Discussion Questions

• What metaphorical boats would you need to leave to follow Jesus?
• When in your life have you had a moment where everything changed?
• What did you learn from that moment?

Activity Suggestions

In American culture, kids and students are digital natives (persons who were born or brought up after computers and the internet became a part of daily life). Older generations are digital immigrants. Invite some seniors in your context to your group time together and teach them how to do a Tik Tok. Have them share what it’s been like living through a fast-changing technological culture. 

Closing Prayer

Blessed Savior, you take one moment and change our lives! You show up in the messiness of our lives to free us, to love us, to be with us. Thank you for inviting us to follow you. In your name we pray.  Amen.