Alyssa Kaplan, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Questions

• What does the word “unity’’mean to you?
• Can you think of a time when you and a larger group of people felt ‘”unified” ?
• What was that like? Were the people with whom you felt “unified”  like you? How or how not?

Unity Not Uniformity

Sophie Beren describes herself as a “unifier.” She says, “I want to make the world feel smaller by bringing people together, and I want every person to understand the power of human

connection through conversation.” As the only Jewish student at her school in Wichita, Kansas, Sophie grew up often feeling misunderstood and on the outside of dominant culture . When she moved to Philadelphia for college and was surrounded by people who were culturally, politically, and religiously very similar to her, she found herself yearning for the diversity of life and experience that she grew up with in Kansas, even though it was at times uncomfortable. 

In 2019, Sophie founded a non-profit called ‘The Conversationalist,” a platform created for and by Gen Z-ers committed to unifying the world one conversation at a time. The Conversationalist aims to empower Gen Z-ers to break out of their echo chambers, have difficult conversations, and unify across differences—working to heal the polarized world this generation has inherited. 

She feels that opening space for safe and brave conversation, especially among folks whose identities, understandings and beliefs differ, can repair division and lessen the hatred in our world. 

Discussion Questions

• What is an “echo chamber”?
• Do most of your family and close friends believe the same or similar things about important topics?
• What are some of the challenges which might come up in Sophie’s work?
• Sophie talks about unity, not uniformity. What are at the differences  between those words? Can you feel unified to people who believe different or even opposite things from you?
• What  ground rules or expectations would you put in place if you were in Sophie’s role, facilitating hard conversations across differences?

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 16:16-34

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

John 17:20-26

(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

Our Gospel text for this week comes from the end of a long conversation Jesus has with his disciples on the last night he spends with them before his trial and crucifixion. Jesus gathers them around a table, washes their feet, gives them a new commandment to love one another as he has loved them, and discusses at length his pending departure from them. Judas has left the dinner table, to turn Jesus over to the Roman imperial elites. Jesus tells Peter that even in spite his most earnest efforts, he will still fall short and deny even knowing Jesus three times. After all of this (four full chapters in the Gospel of John!), Jesus prays. He prays out loud for his disciples–the same ones who are in the room with him. He even prays for Peter who denies him. And, I think, he prays for Judas who betrays him. The very last thing Jesus does before he is arrested and put on trial, is to pray for his disciples in their presence. 

Today’s text is the last portion of this prayer. Jesus has already prayed that God would accompany his disciples and keep them safe. He has prayed that God’s spirit of truth would fill them and make them holy. Next Jesus turns his attention to prayers for unity and oneness. Jesus also broadens the direction of his prayers. He prays not just for the disciples in his presence, but for all those who will come to believe in Jesus through the ministry of his disciples. (spoiler alert–that’s us too!). 

Jesus repeatedly prays that “they may all be one,”  that through the communion of God and Jesus, we all may be one. This oneness is rooted in God’s immense love which goes beyond all time and space. 

Even in that upper room, the reality of this oneness rooted in love is hard to conceptualize. The folks who fill that room are far from perfect, they will mess up some in  pretty significant ways in the days to come, as they struggled to understand and cope with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet, knowing all this, Jesus prays for them and, in that moment, Jesus prays for us too. Jesus’ prayer for unity emphasizes that our unique identities and experiences can be brought together, through God’s love, for the sake of our communities and world. The oneness Jesus describes does not erase our differences or force us to uniformity. Rather, Jesus prays that we might be united to more fully demonstrate God’s immense love for all people.  

Discussion Questions

• How do you think the disciples felt as they heard Jesus pray for them?
• What were some the divisions which threatened to undermine the unity of the disciples in their mission?
• How are some of the divisions which threatened the unity of Jesus inner circle similar to those we see in our society today?
• What is the difference between unity and uniformity in a Christian community?

Activity Suggestions

• Sophie Beren started what would become “The Conversationalist” by plopping a couch out on the main lawn of her college and inviting people to chat. What projects can you think of that might invite conversation and help people feel unified with one another? Could you plop a couch out in front of your church’s lawn and invite your neighbors to chat with one another? What would a project like that require?
• Pair up with someone in your class talk for five minutes and together come up with a list of three things you have in common, and three differences.
• Jesus prays for his disciples in front of them and aloud. Sit in a circle and practice this kind of prayer.  Have each person pray aloud for the person to their right until each person has prayed for someone else and has heard themselves prayed for.

Closing Prayer 

Unifying God, help us to find common ground with others. Help us to understand that we can be unified in your love without forcing those different from us to conform to our way of being, thinking, or acting. Help us to stay curious and open to the movement of your Spirit that pulls us into relationships of love and justice, even with those we least expect. Amen.

Sara Galyon, Decatur, GA

Warm-up Question

Do you feel like God is active in your life? Why, or why not?

What’s Next?

We are in the  season of graduations.  Some high schools in the country are already prepping for their graduations, and many colleges have already had their ceremonies.

Rollins College celebrated its graduation on May 8th. Located in Winter Park, Florida, Rollins had five valedictorians, all obtaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. Of those four, one is a non-speaking autistic woman named Elizabeth, who was chosen by the other valedictorians to give the graduation address. 

By typing with one finger in a “text to speech” program, she delivered her speech with the help of  a communication partner.  She was diagnosed with non-speaking autism at 15 months old. Her mother was told she would never communicate, but her mother was determined to find a solution.  She taught her daughter how to use various tools and, ultimately, how to communicate with others by typing. Elizabeth said being able to type “unlocked [her] mind from its silent cage,” allowing her to get to the point where she’d share that mind in a graduation address. 

She called the class of 500 students to lives of service to others, because that will give their lives meaning. She ended her speech saying, “God gave you a voice. Use it. And know, the irony of a nonspeaking autistic encouraging you to use your voice is not lost on me. Because if you can see the worth in me, you can see the worth in everyone you meet.”

Discussion Questions

• Graduations are often a time of saying goodbye, and sometimes come with some uncertainty about the future. Have you ever experienced a time when you said good-bye to someone or something, and then weren’t sure what would come next? What was that like?
• When have you looked back on things which have happened in your life and realized that God must have been at work in that situation?
• When have you felt called to use your voice, for the good of others, or yourself? Did you use your voice? How did you feel that call?

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 16:9-15

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

John 14:23-29

John 5:1-9

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

This text transports us back to before Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus is preparing his followers for what is to come. 

As lectionary passages often do, this one begins in the middle of a conversation. A disciple has asks Jesus how he will reveal himself to the disciples when the world cannot see him, as Jesus describes in John 14:19. It’s a good question. They have never experienced anything like what Jesus describes. Of course, Jesus gives a very Jesus-y answer to that question. Love. Love is the way the disciples will know Jesus. The disciples love for Jesus, and God’s love for them.

Jesus goes on to reassure them that they aren’t totally alone once he returns to God. He describes the third part of what we know as the Trinity. God will send the Advocate (Holy Spirit)  after Jesus is gone, to continue to teach them and remind them of everything Jesus has said to them while the world could still see him. 

He then goes on to describe the peace that Jesus plans to leave with them. This peace belongs to Jesus, and it is not the peace that the world gives. This period in history is also known as the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) , a nearly 200 year period when there was relative peace and prosperity throughout the empire. But that peace came through bloodshed and was maintained through military strength. This is an example of how Jesus turns the worldly narrative on its head:   Jesus leaves peace through love.  The emperor keeps peace through force, which the disciples will see first hand at Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.  

This passage is part of what scholars call the Farewell Discourse. It’s a goodbye message from Jesus to the disciples. While they may have been very confused in the moment, we get the benefit of centuries to look back on this text and think about what it means for God to send the Holy Spirit after Jesus leaves the world. 

Discussion Questions

• The Holy Spirit has many names;, in this case we have the word “Advocate.” What does Advocate mean to you?
• How do you see the difference between the peace that Jesus gives to us, and the peace the world offers today?
• As Christians, we believe the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and in the world around us. Looking back on your life, where do you think the Holy Spirit was at work?
• The future for the disciples was very uncertain at this point. How does the future look for you? How is the Holy Spirit guiding you as you lean into whatever will be your future?

Activity Suggestions

Supplies: chart paper, sticky notes, pens (alternatively, you can use a whiteboard and markers)

• Hand out the sticky notes and pens to everyone and put the chart paper where it is in the center of the group. Have everyone write ways they think the Holy Spirit is actively at work in the world. This can be from personal experience, news stories, projects in your community etc.
• As they come up with their ideas, have them place the sticky notes on the chart paper. After everyone has come up with a few, ask if anyone wants to share theirs. Then see if you can add more as a group. See if you can fill the paper! You may be surprised at how active God is in the world through the Holy Spirit once you start really thinking about it!

Closing Prayer

Loving God, your Advocate is welcome in this place and we ask that you fill our lives with inklings, ideas, nudges, and outright shoves into the directions you call us to participate as your people in the world. Open our eyes to areas where your love is needed. Help us love Jesus and our neighbors in the way you love us. Walk with us as we work together to show your peace to a troubled world. In your name we pray. Amen. 

Tuhina Rasche, San Carlos, CA

Warm-up Question

• What are some of the things you love? Food, music, movies, books? Why do you love them?
• What are your favorite songs or stories about love? Why are they your favorites? What do these songs or stories say about love?

What Do You Mean By “Love”?

I’m going to date myself, but I love power ballads from the 1980s. I really love these songs.  Not just  because of the cool electric guitars, but also because a lot of these songs explore the concept of love. Some of these songs:

• Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”
• Whitesnake’s “Is This Love?” 
• Foreigner’s “I Wanna Know What Love Is?”  
• Huey Lewis and the News’ “Do You Believe in Love?” 

These songs (and many current songs) talk a lot about love. They wonder about the relationships between people we call “love.” Some talk about a love that’s unrecognized and unnoticed by another person. Some talk about just how amazing love is. Throughout  human history we’ve talked about love, not just in songs, but also in stories, movies, poetry, and other mediums. But there’s something about these songs which leaves me wondering about the definition of love. Because truly, what is love?

What confuses me is how the word “love” can refer to both deep and meaningful relationships and to things I merely like. How I can use the same word to talk about my feeling for my parents and my affinity for tacos? I love my parents. I love tacos. But are these loves the same thing? I’m confused about how to use the word “love”… especially when I really mean it. 

Discussion Questions

• Why is it be so hard to define what seems like a simple term?
• If humans have talked about love for the entirety of recorded human history, why is it sometimes so hard to embody and live out?

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 11:1-18

Revelation 21:1-6

John 13:31-35

(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 this gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should love one another.” This is a commandment that calls us into a relationship, with both God and one another. It calls us into a relationship of love.  This is more than extreme like; in love one person pours out themselves for another, as God has poured out love for us. If this is a new commandment, this is serious. Jesus calls us to love others as he loves us. This means that we’re called to love our neighbor in need, created in God’s image. 

Yet that short, elusive, and mysterious word “love” is complicated. Jesus sends us out, not just to be his hands and feet in the world, but also to embody the love that God shows us in the person of Jesus. What is hard about this new commandment is that we cannot pick and choose whom we love. Jesus calls us to love and serve our neighbor, to be in solidarity with the oppressed.  But we are also called to love those we don’t even like—to love everyone. 

Yipes. What seemed so simple before is now a big challenge. It takes a lot of deep breaths, faith, trust, and risk-taking. Love isn’t just a vague four letter word or a feeling. Love is action; it is a verb.  We live in relationship with one another. Christ’s commandment seems so simple,  so glaringly obvious,“Love as I have loved you.”  Yet it is one of the hardest things Jesus asks us to do. Thanks be to God that we’ve been shown that love in Jesus Christ.  In our baptism and at the communion table we remember just how much we are loved. 

Discussion Questions

• How do you define God’s love? How does that love differ from any other type of love?
• Why is it sometimes hard to love people who are not like you?
• Who are some of the people who have loved you to life? Who are some of the people you love to life?  (If that phrase, “loved you to life” is new to you, think about what it might mean; how does being loved make you more alive?)

Activity Suggestions

• Think about the loving relationships in your life and what makes these relationships rooted in love. Take time to list the relationships where love plays an important role. Share lists with one another (if you’re comfortable doing do). What are the similarities and differences?
• Take sticky notes and cut them into a heart shape. Have everyone in your group write the name of someone they love on a sticky note and place it on the wall. Study the wall of love. Take a sticky note that isn’t yours and pray for that person throughout the week. 
• Conversation hearts are a popular candy to give out on Valentine’s Day. What would God write on a conversation heart to you? Write that message on a sticky note and place it on the wall. What are God’s messages of love? 

Closing Prayer

Holy God, in the person of Jesus Christ you have shown us the enormity of your love for each of us. Help and guide us to live out this new commandment given to us by Jesus, to love one another as you love us. May those in the world know God’s love through us. Amen.

Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

Warm-up Question

If you could share a meal with any famous person – real or fictional / living or dead – who would it be and why?

Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

Recently, the board of Twitter agreed to an offer from Elon Musk to buy the social media company for around $44 billion.  When the deal is completed, it will put the world’s richest person in charge of an incredibly influential platform.  With nearly 400 million users, Twitter has helped to transform not only the news business but how influencers like celebrities and politicians reach their audiences.

In a statement announcing the deal, Mr. Musk said, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”  Yet along with the positive aspects of social media, there are aspects that are not so positive.  

In the case of Twitter, for example, some have expressed concern about the potential impact of having such a powerful social media company privately owned and controlled by a single person.  Like other platforms, Twitter’s algorithms and systems tend to amplify the most incendiary voices, hateful speech, and disinformation. And there is a growing body of evidence that overuse of social media can lead to increased levels of anxiety and depression, particularly in students.

Discussion Questions

• What social media platforms (if any) do you use?  What do you enjoy most about these platforms?
• Name are some of the positive things about social media?
• What are some of the negative aspects?
• How would you rate the impact of social media on how you feel about things? 
  • When I think about the future, social media makes me feel a) more confident  b) less confident  c) no impact.  Why?
  • When it comes to who I am – my own sense of self – social media makes me feel a) more confident  b) less confident  c) no impact.  Why?
• What limits, if any, should we place on what is posted on social media platforms?

Fourth Sunday or Easter

Acts 9:36-43

Revelation 7:9-17

John 10:22-30

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. 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

“Hindsight is 20/20,” the old saying goes, meaning that it is easier to see the meaning of things when you are looking back.  Perhaps that is why today’s gospel reading is a flashback to John 10, a time well before Jesus’ death and resurrection.  It is as if to say, now that we have encountered the Risen Jesus, we are finally ready to make sense of what he was saying.

The setting is the Festival of the Dedication – a holiday more familiar to most of us as Hanukkah.  Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem following a successful revolt against the rule of Antiochus IV by a group of Jewish resistance fighters, led by Judas Maccabaeus.  Through this remarkable achievement the Jewish people not only enjoyed a fully independent kingdom for many decades, but Judas and his family were made kings.  

This history helps us understand the question put to Jesus as he walks near the Temple. “How long will you keep us in suspense?  If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  Given that, in Jesus’ day, the Romans were in charge, many hoped that God’s “messiah” would do something similar to the Maccabean revolt. That is, they were looking for someone to defeat the Romans and reestablish their nation as an independent kingdom.  Adding to their anticipation were Jesus’ own words.  Earlier in John 10 he talked about being the “good shepherd.” In the scriptures  “shepherd” was frequently used as a symbol for the Davidic king.

So then, is Jesus the Messiah, Israel’s true king?  He does not come out and say it in so many words because, as the cross and resurrection show us, being “messiah” and “king” means something different to Jesus than what people are expecting.  Nevertheless, Jesus indicates that both his words and his actions should lead people to the correct conclusion about his identity. If not, then it is because they do not belong to Jesus’ sheep.  “My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus says.  “I know them, and they follow me.”  

And here, you see, is where it becomes vitally important that, of all the voices one might choose to listen to, we listen for the voice of Jesus.  For, as Jesus goes on to explain, those who hear his voice and recognize it as the voice of their Shepherd will be safe forever. Because of Jesus’ union with God, nothing will be able to separate his “sheep” from him and his love.  Indeed, nothing will ultimately be able to harm them, not even death.

Discussion Questions

• When it comes to social media, how do you decide who to follow?
• How about when it comes to how you live your life – who or what are your most important influences?
• What do you think it means to “hear Jesus’ voice”?  In what ways are we able to “listen” to Jesus?  
• Do you think Jesus ever listens to us?  Why or why not?
• How can Jesus’ resurrection help us to have confidence about his promise, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish”?  When it comes to your own life and future, how does this promise make you feel?

Activity Suggestions

• “Listening to the Shepherd”  Set up sort of a “minefield” of small obstacles.  Things like small pillows, tennis balls, bean bags, shoes, etc. all work great.  Invite participants to get into pairs, with one of them being the “shepherd” and the other one being the “sheep.” The sheep is blindfolded and stands on the opposite side of the obstacle course from the shepherd. The object is for the sheep to navigate the course without stepping on the any of the obstacles by listening to directions from the shepherd.  Variations might include having all the pairs of participants run the course at the same time (thus resulting in lots of different voices shouting different directions) or of having one pair try to successfully navigate the course while all the other participants are shouting contradictory instructions.  Reflect on the experience:  What was it like to have to rely only on the voice of the shepherd to make it safely through the obstacles?  What helped you to focus on the shepherd’s voice when all the other voices around you were telling you different things?  How do you think this activity relates to following Jesus?

• “Encouraging Words”  Invite participants to share with one another verses or passages of Scripture that they find particularly helpful or encouraging.  Perhaps collect them in a list that can be shared with everyone later.  Here are a few possibilities from John’s gospel to get you started: John 1:1- 5; 3:16 – 17; 6:35; 8:12; 10:11; 11:25 – 26; 14:1 – 3; 14:27. 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus our shepherd, you know your sheep by name and lead us to safely, even through the valleys of death. Guide us by your voice and help us to follow you into all that makes for an abundant life.  Continue to reveal your love and grace to us this Easter season and open our eyes to your living presence among us.  Amen.

Bob Chell–Sioux Falls, SD

Warm-up Question

Where do your encounter Jesus in your life?

Glimpse of the Kingdom

TV stations like to run feel good stories.  Sometimes it is about neighbors who harvest the crops of a sick or disabled farmer.  It may celebrate a high school athlete with developmental or health challenges who scores a touchdown.  Maybe it highlights a basketball game when opposing coaches and players conspire to allow a student with special needs  to score.  Often  a raucous celebration follows with fans and athletes of both sides celebrating the special moment.

We cherish such stories because they remind us that kindness and compassion are precious virtues.  Too often we act as though, “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” is a philosophy worth embracing, instead of a morally bankrupt attitude which produces a combative, harsh society in which no one wants to live. These feel good stories help us  see persons who are often forgotten or regarded as unimportant.  They remind us of our better selves, what we can do when we go beyond selfishness to make our world better.  These stories emphasize what is most important in our lives together.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever been a part of one of these celebrations? How did it make you feel? Why?
• Do you have a friend or family member who is overlooked or invisible, or even bullied because they are different?
• Is there a student in your school whose name, when mentioned, brings laughter, eye rolls or scoffing?
• Have you ever befriended someone left out? Did this diminish or elevate you in the eyes of others?

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 9:1-6 [7-20]

Revelation 5:11-14

John 21:1-19

(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

The Easter season is seven weeks long. Nearly every week the gospel lesson includes disciples encountering Jesus and failing to recognize him. This week’s gospel encounter is crammed with significance. There is a miracle and allusions to Peter’s failure to stand firm during the horrible events of Holy Week, as Jesus asks him repeatedly, “Do you love me.” Both are important and theologically significant, yet by focusing on them we may miss what is most significant. Namely, Jesus is in the world today if we have eyes to see.

Only in John’s gospel does Jesus appear to witnesses on Easter morning.  In the original ending of Mark’s gospel, Jesus doesn’t appear to the disciples. But the young man at the tomb tells the women to seek Jesus because he is going ahead of them.  From the beginning, Mark suggests, that the proper response to Easter’s good news is to seek Jesus in the world. 

In confirmation we learn that we encounter Christ in the sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion, where God’s promise is attached to an earthly sign of water, bread, or wine.  As Martin Luther says, “This is most certainly true.” 

Yet the Holy Spirit is not shackled to the font and altar but free in the world. Jesus said, “…where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matt. 18:20) Later, he speaks of a time when people will ask, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” The answer comes, “…just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

This story from Matthew has been used to scare or shame those who fail to care for others. It is, I believe, a misinterpretation. Jesus’ promise to meet us in our day to day lives is neither test nor threat, but an opportunity to share in the Kingdom of God.

Those neighbors in those feel good stories, sweaty and dirty from the harvest, cannot hide their joy. Those athletes and fans, cheer leaders and officials, all wear beaming smiles because there– for a moment—they caught a glimpse of the kingdom.

Discussion Questions

• When and where have you encountered a glimpse of the Kingdom of God?
• Do people hope they can feel good about themselves? Does this matter? Why or why not?
• Feel good  news stories are one time events yet sickness and disability often persist. Who do you know who is there for others when the cameras are off and no one is looking?

Activity Suggestions

This week watch for an opportunity to speak a kind word, offer hope or encouragement to someone who needs it.  Watch and notice those who befriend and those who belittle others. Are they hurting themselves, trying to fit in, or oblivious to the feelings of others?

Closing Prayer

I first heard this prayer prayed by theologian and bishop, Krister Stendahl, . I don’t know if he wrote it but it captures perfectly the wrestling in my heart.

O God, you call us to follow you. 

O thou eternal Wisdom, whom we partly know, and partly do not know;

O thou eternal Justice, whom we partly acknowledge, but never wholly obey;

O thou eternal Love, whom we love a little but fear to love to much:

Open our minds that we may understand;

Work in our wills, that we may obey;

Kindle our hearts, that we may love thee.