Warm-up Question

• Tell a story about when you were genuinely surprised. Maybe you learned something shocking or experienced a surprise party.
  • How did being surprised impact you?

Left Behind in Paradise

Another hurricane is coming. Even as parts of the country from Florida’s panhandle to the Appalachian mountains try to clean up from Hurricane Helene, younger sibling Hurricane Milton is already threatening life with similar ferocity. Those of us who live further away might think of these vacation destinations as wealth centers. Massive beach houses on the coast to log mansions on the Blue Ridge Parkway are annually rented by many, giving the impression that money is everywhere.

Yet, that’s almost never the case. This article details the lives of those who live and work in Martha’s Vineyard, another holiday havens where many visit without knowing the realities of local life. What some view as a paradise is also a place where some people experience poverty, live without secure housing, and can hardly afford the food or accommodations enjoyed by the seasonal visitors. Too often, locals who are first to serve others vacation needs are also the last to enjoy a respite of their own. Those who make our rejuvenation possible are left behind in the wake of the vacation industry. No one deserves they. The people who help provide relief to others deserve the same helping hand.

Now, as another hurricane threatens many of these destinations once again, those people who have so often been last in normal circumstances are now at an even more urgent risk. While we’ll find out the worst results soon, we can prepare now as people of faith to support communities who deserve to be first in our minds not only when disasters strike, but all the time.

Discussion Questions

• Does it surprise you that vacation destinations experience poverty? Why or why not?
• Have you ever felt left behind?
  • What was that like for you?

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

• Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
• Psalm 90:12-17
• 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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Each short scene in this Gospel lesson includes a reflection on who is left out. After all, only those with power and value can enter a king’s court. A rich man, used to the ease of life made possible by money, wants to access heaven. Jesus’ metaphor about a camel passing through a needle’s eye expresses the difficulty of entering heaven. Peter, argues that the disciples, who left their families and resources behind, have earned what the rich man had not.

The whole passage hinges not on what humans can do, but on what God does. After all, Peter pipes up only after hearing Jesus say “for mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” In other words, Peter tries to justify himself and his friends, even after hearing that justification wasn’t even possible.

What Peter doesn’t understand, along with the rest of the disciples, is that they’re no better off than the rich man. Upon his arrest, Peter will eventually deny knowing Jesus and the rest will scatter. Neither the rich man nor Jesus’ friends could ultimately thread the needle of following him on their own power.

But that’s not the end of the story. The story ends with new beginnings. With Jesus making possible what seemed impossible. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus breaks open the needle’s eye so that elephants and blue whales could pass through. We don’t need to assume, demand, or otherwise perform authority or worth to enter God’s reign. We just need what Jesus has already given us: his very self.

Even more, those who are left behind by the world’s standards no longer need to fear being forgotten on the margins of eternity. The last among us becomes first because, in Christ, there is no ledger of earning our worth. Those of us like the disciples and the rich man will eventually follow once we realize we can’t earn our way into God’s love.

Discussion Questions

• What does it mean to you that “the last will be first and the first will be last”?
• What would be the hardest thing for you to give up in order to follow Jesus? Why is that?

Activity Suggestions

• Plan a fundraiser for those impacted by Helene and Milton to support the work of Lutheran Disaster Response or Lutheran World Relief. Whether a bake sale, Flocking, raking leaves for donations, or another format, do something simple that can quickly deliver resources to those often left last in times of disaster.
• Play a game of musical chairs, first with the standard practice of having one less chair than number of players and continuing to remove a chair after each round until there is only one winner. Then, without telling the group, start a new round and make sure there are enough seats for everyone. Use that as an example to highlight that everyone can be included and that we can change the ways we act now to include those people who are left last in society.

Closing Prayer

God of All, help us to recognize the value of all people. Empower us to recognize the dignity of those left behind by our society and change our ways to amplify their worth. Remind us that the last in this world are the first in your heart not only during times of natural disaster, but in every day and every way. Amen.

Warm-up Question

• When is the last time you asked a child their opinion about something related to faith?
  • Is that more or less often than talking to teens or adults about religious perspectives?
  • Why is that?

Kids Talk. Do We Listen? 

If you haven’t yet discovered research from the Springtide Institute, it’s well worth your time. They spend much time researching Gen Alpha (born after 2010 or so), as well as Gen Z (who are now all in high school or older). The research often focuses on issues of mental health and religious belief, among other things. Newsweek summarized a recent study of Gen Alpha 13-year-olds and the findings therein might surprise you.

For instance, many in Gen Alpha saw positive outcomes from our global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kids are often aware of their own smartphone addictions. Many less united on their response to global climate change and most are still figuring out their political affiliations.

This also indicates that kids are willing to share who they are, what they think, and how they believe. But that begs a question: are adults willing to listen to them? Springtide’s earlier research makes clear that kids with trusted mentors are more likely to have positive mental health and deeper spiritual engagement. No matter their age, it makes a difference whether we take children seriously and welcome their perspectives.

Discussion Questions

• In what ways does your church empower children to share their perspectives and questions?
  • What kind of changes would you recommend?
• During your childhood, who was a supportive mentor for you?
  • What made that experience positive?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

• Genesis 2:18-24
• Psalm 8
• Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
• Mark 10:2-16

(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 Mark 10, when children try to get close to Jesus, the disciples “spoke sternly” to the kids. They were rebuked for wanting to connect with Jesus. How absurd! We would never do that, right?

Unfortunately, that’s all too common in communities of faith. How often do newcomers, people with questions about Christianity, experience rejection by insiders? Too often. How often do people young in their faith, with curiosity about Christ, receive harsh correction for their boldness? Too often.

It’s also true that kids still receive this sort of treatment. Under the guise of protection, we sometimes block children’s access to the serious things of faith, like the question of divorce in today’s Gospel. At other times, kids’ questions are ignored because they seem naive or irrelevant to adult conversations. In Jesus’ day, many considered children less valuable than adults, which is still a perspective some carry today.

Both in metaphor and in reality, the church too often puts gates between the young and the Savior.

Jesus’ response is one that applies in all situations: let the children come to me. In other words, whether they’re real children or young in their faith, stop putting unnecessary obstacles between people and God. Jesus wants to connect with kids, not keep his distance. Jesus welcomes what adults consider naive when brought with the sincere faith of a child. Jesus honors what polite society considers irrelevant when arising from the true curiosity of fresh perspective. In short, Jesus doesn’t need protection. Jesus seeks connection. Connection with kids, connection with disciples, connection with all.

Discussion Questions

• What, do you think, made the disciples try to prevent children from coming to Jesus?
• If you could ask Jesus anything, what would you ask him?
  • Why is that?

Activity Suggestions

• Utilize a prayer method, like Praying in Color, to embody a childlike faith in your prayer practices this week. Express yourself to God in ways that lean on the simplicity and boldness so many children display.
• Intentionally seek out a child younger than you and ask them questions about faith. Then, take time to reflect on how their perspective might shape your own connection to God.
• Talk with your pastor about how you might amplify the voices of children in worship so that the congregation can learn from the connection that kids have with Christ.

Closing Prayer

Welcoming God, we thank you for welcoming all those who seek you out. Remind us to seek connection with you and to empower others to connect with you, especially the youngest among us. Help us to learn from the perspectives of children and listen to the opinions of those who are new to the faith. Encourage us to remove all barriers that prevent others from connecting with you. We pray this all in the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.

Warm-up Question

• How do you typically identify people who are your friends?

Storm Preparation

This week, a group of thunderclouds in the Caribbean region quickly became Tropical Storm Helene, and as of this writing, is expected to become a major hurricane that is currently threatening Florida’s Gulf Coast before it moves inland. This Tallahassee newspaper is providing updated coverage since most models predict the city will receive a direct hit from Helene.

When disasters strike, whether natural or those of human origin, people often enter a survival mode. Governments suggest or even mandate evacuations. People rush to purchase essentials from local grocery stores and gas stations. Everyone has the same goal: to survive.

Too often, we ignore that shared goal and treat our neighbors as enemies. Prices for gas and groceries spike, putting a hardship on those with less money. People with more wealth purchase more items, preventing their peers from getting the supplies they so desperately need. Drivers ignore others on the road as all look to escape the path of disaster. This drive to survive is understandable, as it comes from our most basic instincts. That survival, though, isn’t just for our self, but for our species. Our fellow humans, our siblings in God’s image, deserve to survive just as much as we do. We don’t need to be enemies in this drive to survive. After all, we’re all on the same human team.

Such commonality is most difficult to remember that amidst disasters, when we’re most at risk. Those of us not in Helene’s path can help by praying for those at risk. We can contribute to organizations like Lutheran Disaster Response to ensure everyone’s basic needs are cared for. And we can practice, in our every day lives, actions of partnership and camaraderie that help us remember that we best accomplish our goals when we work together. If we’ve got the same goals, then we’re on the same team.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever experienced a natural disaster?
  • If so, what was that like? If not, how do you imagine it might feel?
• What are the best ways to support people who are facing crises?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

• Number 11: 4-6, 10-16, 24-29
• Psalm 5
• James 5:13-20
• Mark 9:38-50

(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

“Whoever is not against us is for us.” So says Jesus in this week’s Gospel. He does so in response to his disciples, who question the legitimacy of another person casting out demons. Jesus’ friends assume that other people doing good work should be stopped because they’re not familiar with them. Even though they appear to have the same goal, since the disciples don’t know these other healers, they assume they worst. Rather than partners, the disciples treat these others as enemies.

“Whoever is not against us is for us.” This is simultaneously countercultural wisdom and the most obvious of truths. It’s countercultural because too often we treat the unknown as a potential threat, if not an outright enemy. If someone is new to us, we tend to think the worst of their actions. Even if they’re doing the same things that we’re doing! And that’s why this is–or at least should be–obvious. If someone isn’t stopping our progress, they’re not a threat. If someone’s actions are promoting same goals we have, they’re not an opponent.

Jesus goes on to describe that it’s certainly possible for people to get in the way of progress. Yet, notice that the threat he describes is not external. It’s internal. We need to prevent ourselves from becoming the stumbling block more than worry about others causing trouble for us. We need to focus on how we function rather than fear the functions of others. Of course, external threats still exist. In just a few verses, Jesus will find opponents in the religious and political elite that believe his teaching threatens their power.

Jesus’ teaching does threaten the powers of this world. It does so by reminding us that we’re on the same team because, as humans, we’ve got the same ultimate goal: abundant life. That kind of shared goal threatens powers of this world because it turns standard logic upside down. But Jesus doesn’t call us to such temporary thinking. Christ calls us to eternal wisdom, the kind of vision that sees everyone as a possible teammate rather than a potential enemy.

After all, “whoever is not against us is for us.”

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think the disciples felt threatened by the other people casting out demons?
• Who are the people that you feel threatened by without reason?
• How could you simplify “whoever is not against us is for us” and share it with a friend?

Activity Suggestions

• Play a game like Amoeba Tag or Blob Tag where, as participants are tapped, they develop larger groups with a shared goal of including everyone.
• Take time to journal in response to Jesus’ words in this Gospel.
  • What are the goals you’ve got that others share with you?
  • If “whoever is not against us is for us,” then who are the people on your team that you’ve never considered a teammate?

Closing Prayer

God of community, inspire us to find peace with one another. Give us the ability to consider strangers as possible friends. Confront us when we assume the worst and help us to appreciate the image of God you’ve placed in all people. In times of both normalcy or disaster, remind us that we all share the goal of abundant life, which we find in Jesus Christ, our Savior: Amen.

Warm-up Question

• Who is the best teacher that you’ve ever known?
  • What made them so good?

A GOAT in the Pressbox

Recently, Tom Brady began calling professional football games as an announcer on FOX. Brady is often considered the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). This expertise led to him receiving a massive contract worth $375 million to move from the field and into the pressbox.

After two weeks of calling games, reviews are mixed on Brady’s performance in his new role. Some—including many fans whose teams lost to Brady during his playing career—are taking this chance to tease that Brady can’t be good at everything. Others noted progress in his second week after a fairly pedestrian first outing. Still others complain that, regardless of how good someone is at that particular job, no one deserves hundreds of millions of dollars to talk about football on television.

Brady’s transition from the gridiron to the sidelines reveals a couple of things. One is pretty simple: no one becomes the greatest at anything without experience or practice. Another is no less true: our definitions of the greatest don’t necessarily translate into other parts of life.

Discussion Questions

• What is it like to try something new, especially with an audience?
• What is it like to struggle trying something new when other people have high expectations of you?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

• Jeremiah 11:18-20
• Psalm 54
• James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
• Mark 9:30-37

(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, Jesus challenges the disciples’ assumptions about greatness. First, he confronts their bickering about which one of them is the best of the bunch. Of course, its not uncommon for friends to compare themselves to one another. With so many county and state fairs going on right now, I imagine teens in every state have argued with their peers about who raises the best livestock, who wins the most midway games, who can eat the most fried Oreos, and so forth.

But the disciples arguments here are simultaneously more significant and more absurd. Who is the greatest at following Jesus? Following Jesus is definitely among the most important things in our lives. Turning faith into a contest? That’s bizarre.

Yet, the human propensity for competition doesn’t stop at the fairground or on the football field. Too often, we let our desire to win invade our relationship with Jesus. We let a yearning for victory misdirect our spiritual journey.

Fortunately, Jesus steps in at these moments for us, Just as he stepped in for the disciples in Mark 9. Jesus reminds all his disciples that greatness in the Reign of God is not the same as greatness in this world. God desires innocence more than excellence. God desires humility more than pride. Jesus teaches disciples, then or now, that God’s greatness is found in those society most ignores and least values.

Not only does Jesus challenge our assumptions about greatness. Jesus turns the definition on its head with both word and deed. Ultimately, Jesus shows us greatness in a willingness to suffer on others’ behalf. As he forecasts in the first verses of today’s Gospel, Jesus shows us that success doesn’t look like a military victory, but an empty tomb.

Discussion Questions

• Using Jesus’ definition of greatness, share some examples of the people who are greatest in your community.
  • What makes them so great in God’s eyes?
  • How can we learn to appreciate them in the same way?

Activity Suggestions

• Who are those who Jesus would call the greatest that we’ve been ignoring? Take time this week to contact people who often go unnoticed and tell them why you appreciate them. This could be people that serve you food or take out the trash. It could be kids at school who aren’t terribly popular. Whoever it is, let them know why you think they’re great.
• Develop a service project that a group can do together that serves others. In some parts of the country, its already time to rake leaves. Older congregants might appreciate assistance with that. With climate change wreaking havoc across the globe, creating and sending disaster relief kits through partners like Lutheran World Relief is another powerful way to serve. Whatever the project, find ways to practice the greatness that Christ teaches.

Closing Prayer

God, you are the greatest of all. You show us that greatness through becoming one of us, a human, a baby. You show us that greatness by washing feet and welcoming outsiders. You show us that greatness by living humbly, suffering willingly, and rising to new life vibrantly. Inspire us to embrace your greatness and to follow in that path of humility, service, and abundant life. We pray this in your name, Jesus: Amen.

Drew Tucker, Westerville, OH

Warm-up Questions

• Have you ever had to move to a new home?
  • If so, what was that like?
  • If not, what do you imagine are the biggest challenges to moving?

Finding a New Home

Recently, both on social media and in political discourse, the city of Springfield in Ohio has gotten a lot of attention. A viral TikTok accused Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating pets in the area. Despite the fact that Springfield police, Haitian community leaders, and local residents from across the political spectrum all deny these unfounded accusations, the story has become a talking point throughout the internet and in the 2024 presidential campaign.

What’s particularly sad about this is that it ignores how a rustbelt city and refugees found a new home together. Springfield is a place that, like many midwestern towns, was abandoned by manufacturers in the late 20th century, leading to population decline and poverty. Over the past few decades, residents of Haiti have faced political instability as well as natural disasters that led many to immigrate to the United States. Haitians, along with Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, are able to do so under a special immigration process allowed for humanitarian benefit.

This photo of downtown Springfield, featuring a sign that says “Welcome to Our City,” comes from the AP article linked above.

As Haitians began to settle in Springfield, the increased population brought increased need for basic amenities. Since employment is expected of immigrants, this also increased the number of taxpayers. This has led, in turn, to a redevelopment of downtown Springfield and increased investment by both public and private investors. Together, immigrants and longtime residents found a new place together in a renewing Springfield. Of course, that’s not without complications. Bringing different cultures together, in the midst of shifting employment opportunities and economic trends, can highlight challenges.

And yet, citizen and refugee alike are finding ways forward together in Springfield. In this Ohio hamlet, all of them are finding and making a home.

Discussion Questions

• What does it feel like to find a place or a community where you fit comfortably?
• What does it feel like when people make assumptions or false accusations about your community?
  • How about your neighbors?
  • How about you?

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

• Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm 116:1-9
• James 3:1-12
• Mark 8:27-38

 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 at Lectionary Readings.

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

Gospel Reflection

In this week’s Gospel, Peter makes a bold move. Peter tells God “no.” It’s not a move I would recommend! 

To be fair, we don’t know exactly what Peter said to Jesus. All we know for certain is that Peter “rebuked” him.

To be rebuked is a specific kind of response. It’s more than a correction, and way beyond a question. A rebuke is particularly strong. A rebuke comes from a place of perceived authority, supposedly undergirded by wisdom. Being rebuked isn’t just being told that you’re wrong. It is critical disapproval, if not outright disappointment. 

And Peter rebuked Jesus.

So though we don’t know exactly what Peter said, it’s clear that it wasn’t good. Let’s just imagine for a minute the times that we’ve been rebuked by someone. What did they say from that position of supposed authority, with theoretical wisdom, that communicated their dissatisfaction. You’ve got that in your mind?

Now imagine saying that to Jesus. Yikes.

Peter didn’t understand his role. He didn’t recognize the boundaries at hand.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that Christians should never question God. After all, in just the last chapter, a SyroPhoenician mother held Jesus accountable to his promises and his theology. She challenged him to remember the good news he preached and Jesus responded, not with a rebuke, but with affirmation. 

So Peter’s failure here is not in questioning God. It’s assuming authority over God. What gets Peter in trouble is that he tries to lead, rather than follow. 

Peter’s confusion is understandable. After all, Jesus just suggested that he’s going to die. Peter’s been told the Messiah can’t possibly die. Plus, from his experience, no person can rise from the dead.  Further, Peter knows this kind of talk is economically dangerous. More than that, it’s politically absurd, risking condemnation of chief priests and Roman officials alike. This all puts their movement at risk and Peter doesn’t want that. 

But here’s the problem. To tell God “no,” or otherwise rebuke God, presumes a kind of pride. It indicates we’re trying to take God’s place in our lives. That we know better than God. We don’t, and to presume so is dangerous.

That’s why Jesus’ response is “get behind me, Satan.” Peter is out of line and Jesus invites him back into place. 

The name Satan, while harsh, is simply a response in kind: Jesus rebukes Peter’s rebuking. More than just the Devil’s proper name, satan is the Hebrew word for adversary. By calling Peter “Satan,” Jesus points out that Peter’s left the position of disciple and taken up the position of Jesus’ opponent. Though harsh, Jesus doesn’t condemn Peter, but calls him back into the place of a disciple. Jesus rebukes Peter in kind to emphasize the importance of what is to come. Jesus also makes sure Peter knows he has a place in it. 

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever had someone speak to you harshly in a way that was helpful?
• Describe a time when you, or someone you know, tried to take God’s place of leadership in your life. What was that like?

 Activity Suggestions

• In a group, use an activity that requires everyone to pay attention to the leader’s actions or instructions. Games like “Simon (or Simone) Says” and “Following the Leader” are both good examples. Another option is to use a simple worksheet that emphasizes the importance of reading and understanding directions. A number of options are available here.
• Use a prayer journal to respond to the following prompts:
  • Where is it most difficult for you to follow God’s leadership?
  • How do you wan to grow as a disciple?
  • Imagine you’re in Peter’s place, having just been rebuked by Jesus–after rebuking him first! How would you want to respond to Jesus?

Closing Prayer: