CeCee Mills, Greensboro, NC

Warm-up Questions

• What is the difference between being persistent and being annoying?
• How do you decide when to push harder and when to pull back?

Persistence

I keep thinking about the people’s determination in the Ukraine. It has been nearly eight months since the invasion began. Ukraine’s population is forty-four million compared to Russia’s one hundred forty-four million. I watch President Volodymyr Zelensky and I feel inspired. I am sure it was not a surprise that they were attacked – but I wonder what the citizens feel. I assume they feel displaced, angry, scared, and untethered. I imagine they also feel determined and proud. This giant has attacked them, and it has not been as easy as Russia had hoped. Russian reservists have had to be called up and draft age men are running for the border. What makes the Ukrainians continue to resist?

I imagine they are aware of the danger. From media reports, we clearly see that the threat is both tangible and imminent. Still, they have hope. They are convinced that they can stand. I imagine a lot of their confidence comes from the strength of their allies. They know that they have support beyond their borders from countries with plenty of resources and strong militaries. There is something noble in standing your ground and in standing with an ally.

 I wonder most about those who are displaced – especially those who had to leave family and friends behind. They know that their world will never be the same. I wonder how their tenacity helps them adapt. I imagine there are many brave steps that they have taken into an unfamiliar world. The images of the youth captured in these photos shows both the pain and possibility of their resilience . 

Discussion Questions

• What are the stories you have heard or seen about young people from the Ukraine? 
• What are there different opinions about refugees and migrants in your congregation and community? What do you perceive is the role of Christians in helping these neighbors?
• How have you seen or aided in welcoming refugees or migrants in your local area? 

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 32:22-31

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Luke 18:1-8

(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

This text focuses on the persistence of the widow. The writer invites us to see the power available through repeated asking. It’s not mystical or divine but simple human tenacity. God wants us to understand that persistent prayer is important. Jesus uses a determined widow and unwilling judge to show the possibilities with even unsympathetic listeners are high if you are persistent. To that point, Jesus recognizes that we are loved by a caring God, and if an unsympathetic listener will cave to persistent asking, how much more will God who loves us?

God desires a deep relationship with each of us. God knows that in that relationship we will have clarity on how-to walk-in righteousness. Jesus wants us to understand that God is with us and ready to give us what we need to accomplish God’s mission. We have the greatest, strongest, and the most loving ally in all of creation.

Discussion Questions

• When in your life have you experienced an abrupt permanent change? 
• What did you lose in the change? 
• How did the change draw out the best in who you were at the time? 
• How did you heal from the difficult parts of the change? 
• In what ways were you resilient and/or persistent? 
• How did God use what happened to help you mature in faith?

Activity Suggestions

• On a poster, using sticky notes, invite youth to write words that describes what it means to be a persistent disciple. Have a discussion about why a disciple needs to be persistent and what helps them be persistent. At the end of the time, invite youth to take a word with them that will help them be a persistent disciple.
• Invite the youth to imagine that they had to permanently leave their home and only could take three possessions with them. Have them discuss what they would choose and why in triads. Close with asking them how they can support youth who are new, immigrants, or refugees in a way that helped their feeling of loss.
• For seven days have the group offer the same prayer (two or three sentences) on an issue of their choosing, ten times a day, out loud and in the presence of at least one other person. Use the time in youth group to decide what should they be praying about over those seven days. The only requirement is that it is a prayer Jesus would be pleased to hear being prayed.

Closing Prayer

God, help us to be persistent disciples. Give us the passion, determination, and excitement to daily ask for all that we need to complete your mission. Amen.

Kris Litman-Koon, Mount Pleasant, SC

Warm-up Question

What determines the borders of the space where you are now gathered? For instance, if you are in a room, the answer would  be the walls.  What about beyond that? What determines the borders of the property on which you are located? The municipality?

Borderlands

Many physical places serve as a transition between two other spaces. In locations where outdoor temperatures can be frigid, some homes have a vestibule, which is an enclosed entryway that serves as a buffer between the warm interior and the cold exterior. (In South Carolina, with its moderately warm winters, I have never seen a vestibule in a home.) Architects and other designers will often refer to transitional zones as “liminal spaces,” which means being at the threshold of something new but not quite there yet.

In nature, a common transition is the riparian zone. This is the space that has land on one side and water on the other; think of the space where cattails and inland sea oats naturally grow at the edge of bodies of water. These zones have many benefits: filtering water, curbing encroaching floods, preventing erosion, and providing the most suitable habitat for many amphibians and insects to thrive. When the riparian edge is eliminated (e.g. a neighborhood pond that has lawns up to the edge of water), the results are typically less wildlife, unclean water with algae blooms, and erosion. 

Recently a federal judge approved an agreement among several interested parties in Arizona because unmitigated cattle grazing “devastated streamside habitats across the Southwest and pushed a lot of vulnerable plants and animals closer to extinction,” said Chris Bugbee, an advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Now consider the transitions around borders. I was raised in a city on the border between West Virginia and Ohio. It was common for adults to live on one side and work on the other, I had friends and activities on both sides, and there was a common culture that was uniquely both Appalachian (WV) and Midwestern (OH). Often the areas alongside national borders are referred to as borderlands. In these transition zones, it is common to find the exchange of goods, employment, languages, and cultures from one side to the other. When the border becomes “harder,” these exchanges are reduced, in both human and ecological terms. 

Discussion Questions

• As a group, name some of the riparian zones in your area. Are there other ecological transition zones present where you are located? (e.g. dunes are the transition zone between land and sea)
• What are some transition zones common to your area that humans created? Are there designed transitions (like the vestibule) that are common, or social transitions (like a border between state, towns, or districts) that someone can find there?
• What exchanges take place in all of these transition zones you’ve named?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

(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 gospel reading tells us that Jesus is traveling through the region between Samaria and Galilee while on his way to Jerusalem. [Locate this region on a map in the back of a Bible, or by searching online, “1st Century Palestine map.”] Borders often designate, from the perspective of a particular group, what is considered safe and what is forbidden. Jesus is in a borderland.  It’s difficult to distinguish between the two sides. Perhaps that is why these ten men with leprosy are located here: neither side wants them. So they are in this borderland, although this space socially isolates them and economically relegates them to meager living.

The leprosy discussed in the Bible is a catch-all term for any number of skin ailments. Some of these ailments are contagious after long exposure, but some cannot be passed to other people. Regardless, once someone was labeled a leper, they were removed from the community out of fear, though caring individuals would periodically visit or offer supplies. 

Yet it is in this borderland, a forbidden zone that neither Samaria nor Galilee desires, that Jesus does something special: he makes it holy. By bringing healing to those ten men, Jesus allows them to return and be fully engaged in their communities. This borderland that once symbolized their hopelessness becomes the symbol of God’s action.

The story ends with one of the ten – a Samaritan – returning to Jesus to give thanks. To be honest, if I were in their position, the first thing I would likely do is bolt to my loved ones to embrace them. Yet this one Samaritan returns to Jesus, and Jesus points out that there were nine others. He then tells the one, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” 

One clear takeaway is that we should give thanks to God, but I believe this lesson has more to say than that. First, it tells us that people on both sides of a border bear the image of God. Second, the story shows us how God is often revealed in places of human hopelessness. Combining all this, we see that God is at work in the borderlands, among all people, often bringing hope where they have lost hope, doing so regardless of whether they stop to give thanks. That is because love is the nature of God.

Discussion Questions

• If someone wanted you to teach them how to give thanks to God, what would you instruct them to do?
• How do you find comfort in the idea that love is the nature of God? (In other words, love is simply what God does, and there is no beginning or end to God’s continuous nature to love.)

Activity Suggestions

Situate yourselves into a circle and designate a spot that will be like the 12 at the top of the clock. That spot is January 1, and moving clockwise around the clock are the days of the year, finishing with December 31 next to January 1. Without talking, have the group get in order by the date of their birth (the year doesn’t matter). Once in position, everyone can speak to determine how well the group did.

Have everyone note who is to their right (if introductions need to be made, please do so). Then – perhaps writing it down – have everyone think of something that they give thanks to God for about the person to their right. Share your affirmations. 

Closing Prayer

Loving God, you encounter us in places that we often think are off-limits to love. Yet, it is in those places that your love sprouts new life and hope. Help us to acknowledge that love and to give thanks to you. Amen.

Joshua Serraro, San Carlos, CA

Warm-up Questions

• What does duty mean? 
• Do you believe that you have any duties as a child, sibling, student, or citizen?

Duty!

John Stewart is an actor, comedian, and talk show host. He is probably most famous for hosting  The Daily Show, a comedy news show, for many years. Stewart is also a well known advocate for 9/11 first responders and the military. 

Recently he did an episode on his Apple Tv show, The Problem with John Stewart, talking about toxic burn pits from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  The military dug large holes in the ground and put anything that they didn’t want anymore in them.  They then burned the contents with jet fuel.  Soldiers reported that the thick black smoke made its way into the camps when the wind shifted.  Many soldiers have developed health problems including respiratory issues and cancers, which they claim comes from exposure to the pits. 

John told a crowd that Congress agreeing to take care of our military should be the lowest hanging fruit in the legislative agenda. But, for some unknown reason, many lawmakers decided not to support the legislation to care for the military.  During each interview Stewart gave he repeated that the soldiers did their jobs and now it’s time for congress to do its job.  After much media attention and public support the bill eventually passed after many of the those who voted against the bill changed their minds and voted for it.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think that our society and our lawmakers have a duty to our military and first responders to help take care of their health care issues resulting from what they did on the job? 
• What duties do you think we have to each other in our country?

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Luke 17:5-10

(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

Today’s gospel reading can be broken up into two parts:  the disciples asking Jesus for more faith (Luke 17:5) and Jesus’ responses to that request (Luke 17:6-10).

When the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith they do so because Jesus has just told them to avoid causing little ones in the faith to stumble.  This follows Jesus command to be quick to forgive. He says in verse 4, “And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”  This causes the disciples to exclaim, “Increase our faith!” requesting increased desire to do their duty.

Jesus says, “If you had faith the size of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be rooted up’ and be planted in the see’, and it would obey you.” Scholars hotly debate the meaning of these words! Fred Craddock believes Jesus is saying, “If you had faith the size of the mustard seed (and you do)…” Luke Timothy Johnson believes that Jesus implies that they don’t actually have faith and that they need just a bit the size of a mustard seed.  Nonetheless, in verses 7-10 Jesus brings the conversation back to the disciples’ duties as Christians. 

Jesus uses the master/slave imagery relevant in his time, but we should sober reflect on the implications of that image, considering the United States’ brutal history and lingering affects of slavery today.  Some translations of the Bible have tried to soften this image by translating it as servant/master.  In Luke’s gospel Jesus uses the master/slave dynamic in a few other places. 

The slave in Jesus’ example has two jobs, out in the field and in the household. He seems to be pulling double duty, just as the disciples are being asked to continue in their duties to rebuke sin and forgive those who repent throughout the day.  The slave doesn’t get gratitude or praise from the master for carrying out the two jobs commanded.  Jesus says elsewhere in scripture, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Likewise, as followers of Jesus we should not expect to be served, but to serve.  Our place is doing what Jesus has called us to do.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think about what Jesus was saying in Luke 17:6? Did the disciples have faith or not?
• What duties do Christians have?
• What duties as a Christian do you feel you must do?

Activity Suggestions

Discuss the ministries of your church and reflect together on what you are doing in the community? Does the group think that you should be doing something else? Do your church’s ministries reflect the character of Jesus? 

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you forgave us of our sins, help us to forgive others.  Give us the grace to do what you have called us to do. Amen. 

Leslie Weber, Chesapeake, VA

Warm-up Question

Do a mini money autobiography. Here are question suggestions:

• What is the earliest experience with money that you remember?
• As a child growing up, did you feel rich or poor? Why?
• What has your attitude toward money changed as a teenager? How was this influenced by peers or siblings?
• How were your attitudes and behaviors about money shaped by the adults in your life?
• What is your happiest memory in connection with money?
• What is your unhappiest memory in connection with money?

A complete list of questions can be found here: (https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Personal_Money_Autobiography.pdf)

Too Much Forgiveness?

Since President Biden’s announcement about the new Student Loan Debt Forgiveness plan, there have been many news stories and articles about the various sides of the issue. An NPR article notes various reactions.  Some are excited; one person called the plan “literally life-changing.” Others wish it went further, pointing out that “PPP loans, plus interest, were forgiven without question or explanation. Millionaires and big corporations got yet another blank check.”  Some oppose the plan.

For this last group, the “concept of fairness” has been a common theme in their opposition to student debt forgiveness. Some who didn’t have to accrue debt or have already paid theirs off don’t find this fair. 

However, the article points out that many people might not realize how high tuition has gone up relative to the buying power of a dollar.  In addition, previously instituted loan forgiveness and repayment plans have not been working as they were intended.

There is also “the added layer” or race when it comes to student debt; the article offers a number of figures illustrating that Black students tend to owe significantly more than white students. Issues of “equity, predatory lending and education” are at work in the wider system and therefore need to be part of the conversation. So, although some are rejoicing, there is still more work to be done.  As some quoted in the article suggest, this might just be step one toward fixing the inequities in the US educational system.

Discussion Questions

• How many of you are planning to go to college or technical training after high school? Do you know how you will pay for it?
• What are your thoughts about the government forgiving debt (PPP loans, student loans, etc.)?
• Have you experienced (first or second hand) inequities based on society economic status, race, or some other demographic?

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Luke 16:19-31

(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

Right before today’s assigned Gospel reading, Jesus clearly says “you cannot serve God and wealth” (Luke 16:13, NRSV).  And in the following verse, the Gospel of Luke tells us that the Pharisees, “who were lovers of money” were upset and “they ridiculed him” (Luke 16:14, NRSV).

And then in this morning’s pericope, Jesus offers this parable about a chasm—the chasm between the rich man and Lazarus. This is the chasm between those who have a hard time seeing past themselves and those who go unseen, the chasm between the lovers of money and those who lose their lives as a result.

Let’s be clear.  The rich man’s problem is not that he is rich, but that that he is so self-centered and worried about himself that he sees everything (including people) only in terms of how they can benefit him. During their lives, dogs had more compassion for Lazarus than did the rich man, The rich man must have seen him regularly at his gate; he knew Lazarus’ name. In death, the rich man sees Lazarus with Abraham and asks Abraham to send Lazarus to get him some water.  He knows Lazarus’ name, but doesn’t address him directly.  Lazarus is just a means to relief for the rich man.

When Abraham informs the rich man that the chasm he has created and maintained between himself and Lazarus is now fixed, the rich man momentarily moves away from worrying only about himself…but only enough to show concern for his five brothers. Still, the rich man maintains the chasm between himself and Lazarus.

The man’s money is not the problem.  The problem is his attitude about that money—the position, privilege, and prestige that comes with it. And you don’t even need to be rich in order to have the same affliction as the rich man. You can be poor and be just as focused on money and love it just as much.  You can be middle class and overlook people for the finer things in life.  And at the same time, you can be wealthy and not love that wealth to the point that you set a chasm between yourself and others.

How can we be lovers of God and God’s people more than lovers of money? That was the challenge in Jesus’s day, and it remains our challenge today. We do not have to answer these questions in a certain way in order to have Jesus cross the chasm and grant us eternal life.  But, as a response to the gift, God calls us to live in a way that reflects the eternal life we have been granted.  We try to make this life look as much like God’s kin-dom as possible…and that means bridging chasms wherever possible.

Followers of Christ work to bridge the chasm between rich and poor, black and white, college graduate and high school dropout. For that is the kin-dom of God—one family of God united in our diversity.  Let us listen to Moses, the prophets, and Jesus, refusing to let the wealth be how we measure our worth or the worth of others. Our worth comes from the fact that we are named and claimed beloved children of God.

Discussion Questions

• What part of the story (word/phrase/image) jumped out to you as you listened?
• How does the story of Lazarus make you feel? How does the story of the rich man make you feel?
• Discuss verses 30 & 31? Are you convinced of God’s ways by God’s teachings through Moses and the prophets? Or does Jesus change anything?
• Do you think that eternal life actually works like the parable suggests (if you had privilege in this life you are condemned to Hades and if you suffered in this life you will be comforted)?

Activity Suggestions

• Play a board game (like Monopoly…if you have the time) for a while with each player’s goal being acquiring wealth. Then play it again with each player’s goal being caring for their neighbors. Discuss the experience.
• Pack blessing bags with food and personal care items to distribute to people in need throughout your community. Or do another direct service project that makes sense for your context.
• Take the SNAP Challenge. There are many resources online, but here is one: https://www.dhs.pa.gov/Services/Assistance/Pages/SNAP-Challenge.aspx. If you can go to a store to shop or just use a grocery store app/website to find prices in order to get a sense of what kind of meals a SNAP budget can support.

Closing Prayer

Chasm crossing God, thank you for all that you have given us, especially the gift of eternal abundant life. Help us to see all your beloved children as just that. Help us to better love you and enact that love amidst our neighbors. Amen.

Scott Moore, Erfurt, Germany

Warm-up Question

How can good come from evil?   Can you give an example?

Heavenly Mansions

Mackenzie Scott, novelist and former wife to Jeff Bezos, both of Amazon fame, is increasing her reputation for generosity with a significant donation to the California Community Foundation. This week she donated two mansions in Beverly Hills estimated at worth around $55 million. The foundation announced that 90% of the proceeds will go toward providing grants for affordable housing. The remaining 10% is slated to be used for programs for integration of immigrants. 

At the end of 2020, Scott’s net worth was estimated at around $62 billion. In the past couple of years, she has donated billions of dollars to a variety of causes concerned with racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, democracy, and climate change. Her gifts also include millions to Historic Black Colleges and Universities, tribal colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions. 

Hundreds of charities have benefited from her generosity. In May 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a charitable-giving campaign in which she undertook to give away most of her wealth to charity over her lifetime or in her will.  Despite its name, the pledge is not legally binding. 

Critics say Amazon and many large companies create wealth by underpaying their workforces around the world. Ms. Scott’s positive use of that wealth certainly goes a long way to making more friends than enemies. 

Discussion Questions

• What charities would you want to support, if you had $10 or $100 million? 
• How do you think your lifestyle would change if you suddenly came into a lot of money?  What extravagant items might you want to purchase?
• To what charities, or kinds of charities, have you (or your parents) donated?

 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 8:4-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Luke 16:1-13

(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

Money, money, money. It is one of Jesus’ favorite topics in the gospels. Rightly so! What we do with money says a lot about our values; with it we can do both great and horrible things. 

Jesus’ parable in today’s gospel text shows the shrewd financial dealings of a manager charged with being the caretaker of someone else’s wealth. He gets wind of the accusations that he has squandered his master’s wealth. Instead of trying to argue his case, he apparently does more of the same and cuts a deal with those people who owed him. The master, in turn, praises him for being so shrewd. 

Wait. What? That’s not how this is supposed to go. The person who mismanaged the wealth gives a break to those in debt—and gets praised for his actions. Jesus takes the master’s appreciation of the manager and draws our attention to another dynamic: social currency. He praises the manager for creating good will among the debtors and thus profiting from the grace he shows. 

Jesus explains this parable with words that are a little hard to swallow. In verse 9, he says, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” 

Yikes! This passage has the potential of becoming a stumbling block. Is Jesus condoning dishonesty? Let’s pause a bit and look a bit closer at what’s going on. The word “dishonest”here is not wrong but it is only one possible translation of the Greek word used in this passage. The word used is bigger than just “shifty”, “shady”, “dishonest”, or somehow “illegal”. It is a word that means “not righteous”. “Righteous” are things that have to do with God.

So “unrighteous” things aren’t godly. Jesus encourages his hearers to make friends with unrighteous wealth. The friends benefit and you establish a relationship. And, this becomes important because Jesus next words are rather prophetic, “so that when the wealth is gone, they may welcome you into homes that last forever.”

Jesus praises gracious and good deeds done for others even with wealth that is not righteous. Good deeds are much better than holding onto money. Even the manager in this difficult parable saw the opportunity to do some good. Was it totally selfless? No, not at all. Did it still use wealth or relief of debt to make the lives of others better? Yes. There is hope in relationships that can last. There is hope when positive things happen…even with wealth that is not a righteous as we might prefer. 

This is the underlying motivation behind actions such as churches using their resources to provide reparations for communities that suffered due to racism. Many philanthropists, such as Mackenzie Scott, do incredible good with their  wealth, even if some or much of it was gained through not so honorable means. The one doesn’t excuse the other. But moving toward grace and healing, restoring relationships, and making reparations for past sins is a goal we might consider. It is Jesus’ example and Jesus’ encouragement. 

Discussion Questions

• What ideas do you have about a justice system that fines guilty parties high amounts of damages for various crimes? 
• What do you think about your church body/denomination paying reparations to individuals who suffered because of institutional slavery and racism?
• What kind of price would you put a price on the worst thing someone has done to you?
• What kind of charitable work does your congregation do? Perhaps, someone from your parish/congregation could present something to your class.

Activity Suggestions

Reparations and compensation for groups who have suffered systemic harm are in the news a great deal these days.  Colleges debate renaming buildings or paying the descendants of the slaves who built those buildings.  An article in The Atlantic made the case for returning some National Parks to the Native American tribes whose land was stolen to create those parks.  Make two lists:  one noting all the reasons that some sort of reparations should be made to groups who have suffered systemic and government sanctioned harm, the other giving the reasons why such a plan is not feasible….Now, discuss how persons holding very different convictions might come together to address past wrongs and move toward a better future.

Closing Prayer 

Ever-merciful God, we have often missed opportunities to support others and make their lives even a little bit easier. You continue to watch over them and us, providing us with all that we need. Help us to see the need around us and find ways to respond with your grace and love. Give us the courage to risk in faith, using the wealth you have entrusted to us for the healing of the world. We ask this in the name of the One, who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen