Mary Ellen Helms, Loveland, OH

Warm-up Question

• Did it seem like there were more Christmas lights up in your area this season? Where did you notice them?
• List as many sources of light as you can think of (it can be physical light or figurative light).
• Where did you see other signs of light this winter season?

Extravagant Light

We are officially in the season of Epiphany: a season of bringing light.  This time was marked at first by the magi visiting Jesus during the first Christmas, but the whole season is set to bring to light the reign of God in our world. It might just be because it’s been a long and dark couple of years, but it seemed like in my area there were more Christmas lights than ever. In the Midwest, it gets dark around 5:00 pm in December and only a little later now that we’re in January. The holiday displays of light break up the dark evenings and provide literal and figurative light during these long days. 

Within an hour of my house, I visited the following light displays during the holidays: a zoo, a historic mill, a small-town display, a sculpture park, and countless neighborhood drives. I didn’t make it to the amusement parks, the Christmas caves, or the nature center.  There were more than enough lights for me to see, but I just couldn’t get enough of the rainbows of glow, Christmas-themed decorations, and joyful moments these attractions provided for me.

It wasn’t just here that lights were in high demand.  All around the country, retailers ran out of lights. This article shares some of the big light displays all across the country.  Some people point to the need for something to do and others point back to the tradition of light displays, but there is one sure thing about these elaborate projects: “You feel a difference when there’s a lot of love behind the project. It’s not just a job for them” (Matt Reed from Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Products). 

I must admit, I leave my Christmas lights on my house a little longer than my neighbors do. There is something about driving home during the evenings and seeing the white twinkly lights that makes me happy to be home and gives me hope for longer days coming soon. 

Discussion Questions

• What are some of the ways that you bring others joy in little ways, such as the holiday light displays did for so many this year?
• Where are places in our communities that could use more light and joy? How can you be a part of bringing that to them?

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 62:1-5

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

John 2:1-11

(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

John’s Gospel is quite a bit different from the other stories of Jesus’ life and death. Instead of starting with a story about Jesus’ birth featuring the shepherds and kings and angels, John’s Gospel starts with a prologue pointing to Jesus as the “Word” and “true light.” John’s gospel is written so that we might see God at work in the life of Jesus and that we might see how Jesus’ life always points to grace and truth (John 1:14).  

It is not a surprise, then, that early in John’s Gospel we see what grace looks like through Jesus’ eyes. Following the baptism of John in John 1:1:29-34 and the calling of the disciples (John 1:35-50), Jesus joins the community of Cana in celebrating a wedding. Weddings were weeklong events in Jesus’ time – more like a festival than a one-day celebration. Families and friends gathered and there was always a clear hierarchy – the invited and excluded, the servants and the guests, the haves and the have-nots.

During the party, something terribly embarrassing happened for the wedding hosts: the wine ran out! But Jesus was at the party and took this moment to illustrate the all-encompassing grace of God. Jesus takes something ordinary, water used for ceremonial washing, and turns it into something extraordinary – the finest of wines. Everyone in attendance got to revel in this glimpse of the extravagance of God’s kingdom. 

The gospel writer then tells us that this is the first of the signs (John 2:11) which will show Jesus’ glory and draw others into the kingdom. Throughout John’s gospel, we find these signs that point us to how God’s ways are different from the world’s ways. From this story alone, we see that Jesus values hospitality (providing for others), dignity (saving the hosts from embarrassment), and abundance (we are intended not just to survive but to enjoy life with one another!)  Just as the Christmas lights we see in our communities can feel a bit extravagant, the grace of Jesus makes us feel that same sense of hope, joy, and light for the world.

Discussion Questions

• What are some of the ways you show hospitality to friends in your home? To others in your church? To the outsiders in our communities?
• When was the last time you received something extravagant? How did it make you feel? Have you ever been able to provide an extravagant gift to others?
• How can we live into Jesus’ way of hospitality, dignity, and abundance in our day-to-day lives?

Activity Suggestions

• Food pantries and soup kitchens often see a surge in volunteers over the holidays and experience high need after the spirit of generosity passes.  Plan a youth group or personal outing to a facility that serves those experiencing hunger during the next few weeks.  Consider bringing something ‘extravagant’ to bless those who you will meet.
• Read about the ELCA’s commitment to accompaniment as a way of sharing dignity with those who we walk with through ELCA Global Mission. https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Global-Mission. Brainstorm ways that your community can get involved with ELCA Global Mission

Closing Prayer 

God of abundance, we seek to be people who overflow with your grace and truth. Help us to draw others into you as Jesus did at the wedding in Cana. Give us generous hearts that beat for love, joy, and justice. Amen.

Mary Houck, Decatur, GA

Warm-up Question

Think of a time recently when you helped someone, and a time when you asked for help. 

Vulnerable Babies

When looking at the overall health of a group of people, the Infant Mortality Rate is a common statistic to look at. This is the percentage of infants who die in their first year of life. While it’s hard to think about families experiencing such a devastating loss, the rate gives us important information about how well we are caring for our neighbors. When babies don’t survive their first year, it is sometimes because of unavoidable genetic diseases or defects. But often, it’s because they and their mothers do not have enough food, good medical care; and safe, warm shelter. Sometimes political conflicts and wars create violence, hunger, and severe poverty. Poor, unstable countries typically have the worst Infant Mortality Rates, while stable, wealthy countries have the lowest. 

The United States, despite being the country with the largest economy in the world, has a higher infant mortality rate than most other large and wealthy countries. But it doesn’t affect everyone evenly. Babies of white, college-educated women in the US have a similar rate to those in other wealthy, developed countries. Babies of black mothers, on the other hand, have a rate more than twice as high. Breaking it down by age rather than race, mothers under age 20 have the highest rate of infant mortality. 

There are various theories as to why there are such differences in the US, but a few things we know for sure: 

• All mothers love their babies, are equally capable of caring for them when they have the resources to do so, and want them to thrive, no matter what their age or skin color. 
• Access to basics like food, safety, shelter, and health care can make a huge difference in these numbers and not all mothers have equal access to them.
• Every baby needs a supportive family and community to thrive, in addition to a loving mom.

Discussion Questions

• Who cared for you as an infant? Was it one of your parents? Both? Did grandparents or other family members help? Maybe you were cared for by foster or adoptive parents? If you don’t know, consider asking your parents or caregivers about it and who their support system was. 
• Do you know of organizations in your community that help mothers? That support families while their infants are in ICU care? 

Baptism of our Lord/ First Sunday of Epiphany

Isaiah 43:1-7

Acts 8:14-17

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 or Matthew 2:1-12

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

When Amy Grant spoke at the Wild Goose Festival in the summer of 2018, she said something that stuck with me: “need creates community.” She went on to give examples of how when we ask for help with anything from putting up a tent to dealing with depression to escaping poverty, it becomes an invitation to know and walk alongside each other which we would otherwise miss out on. 

Our culture, on the other hand, teaches us to worship self-sufficiency. It is usually considered weak and shameful to be vulnerable in any way or to need help of any kind. As babies, our parents do everything for us, and it’s natural and necessary as we grow to become more and more self-sufficient. This process has its ups and downs, and may lead to conflict with parents and other caregivers who can have a hard time acknowledging our newfound independence. Reacting against them, it’s easy to dig in our heels and pretend that we don’t need them or anyone else for anything. 

When Jesus was born, he was an infant just as needy and helpless as any one of us. Sleeping in Mary’s arms or in the manger, he had no idea of the chain of events he had set in motion. The star which appeared in the sky at his birth drew the wise men from far away countries. Unfortunately, it also set in motion Herod’s fear and brutality, leading him to order the murder of all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or less (a part of the Christmas story we tend to skip because it’s hard to think about).

Need can bring out the best in us–and also the worst. When we give in to the idea that need is shameful it can harden our hearts.  We blame our neighbors for their suffering or  prolong our own suffering, using self-destructive behaviors to mask our real needs. Sometimes, like Herod, feeling vulnerable makes us lash out at others in order to feel powerful again, trampling them in the process. The helpless baby Jesus in the manger is an invitation to respond to Jesus’ vulnerability by walking alongside our neighbors. It’s also an invitation to acknowledge our own needs and give others the gift of being our support system.

The wise men, who arrived at the end of a long journey to find, not a royal baby but the seemingly ordinary son of a carpenter, could have left in a huff and taken their gifts home with them. But, seeing the vulnerability of Jesus and his family and knowing that Herod had evil intentions, they responded by giving Mary and Joseph everything they needed and more to take Jesus to safety in Egypt. 

Discussion Questions

• Who is your support system? Who are the people you can call on when you need something? It might be family, friends, teachers, coaches, pastors, etc. 
• Is it more difficult to ask for a practical need (like borrowing money) or an emotional need (when you need comfort or encouragement)?

Activity Suggestions

• Learn more about efforts to reduce the infant mortality rate around the world by organizations like UNICEF. What can you as a group or individual do to help? Raise money with a fundraiser? Ask for donations for your next birthday? Dedicate loose change from your church offering for a month? 
• What does your church do to welcome new babies in your congregation? 
  • Make some cards to congratulate new parents. Discuss what you as a group or with your family could do. Bring a meal? Volunteer to babysit so parents can get some much-needed rest?
  • It can be very hard for parents to talk about it when they experience a miscarriage, stillbirth, or death of an infant, but it’s incredibly important to let them know they’re not alone. Make some sympathy cards and give them to your pastor, who can distribute them when appropriate. 

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, thank you for surrounding us with people who love and support us, whether they are our biological or chosen family. Open our eyes to the needs of others and our hearts to ask for help when we need it. Amen.

Paul Baglyos, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Questions

• How many different meanings and uses of the word “grace” can you think of? 
• How many definitions of the word can you find online?

Alpine Angels of Grace

Seeking safety, refuge, and opportunities for a better life, people fleeing conflict and oppression in various parts of the world sometimes brave the extreme hardships of crossing the Alps from Italy into France.  Some of them perish in the effort.  All are wary of encountering hostile border patrols intent on repelling their movement.  Lately, however, some migrants have been astonished to encounter a different sort of presence in the Alps.  Networks of volunteers  greet them with provisions of hot tea, warm clothing, food, safe passage to shelter, and offers of transportation.  Beyond all differences of race, nationality, culture and politics, these volunteers and the migrants they meet in the mountains encounter one another in a shared humanity of hardship and hope, compassion and care, dignity and dreams.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever made a deep personal connection with someone from a very different background, circumstances, or culture than your own?  If so, how, when, where and why did that happen?  What made it easier or harder for you to form a connection with that person?
• Have you ever received unexpected comfort or support from someone you had not previously known?  If so, share that story with your group.

Second Sunday of Christmas

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

John 1:[1-9]10-18

(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 word “grace” appears several times in this passage, twice in the phrase “grace upon grace.”  The biblical and theological meaning of grace is “love freely and generously given without obligation and beyond all expectation.”  Grace, in this sense, is the character and activity of God in relation to human beings.  The most profound demonstration of God’s grace is the birth of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, in the flesh and blood of humanity.  God’s participation in our humanity, by sharing our life in the world, testifies to God’s desire for deep personal connection with all human beings.  This is grace, says the gospel writer John, “grace upon grace.”

Discussion Questions

• Which Christmas hymns or carols suggest the meaning of this  passage from John?  If you had to choose a Christmas hymn of the day to accompany this gospel reading in worship, which hymn would you choose?
• John writes, “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory.”  How, when, and where have you seen the glory of Christ?

Activity Suggestions

Decide what you might do as a group for someone in your congregation or your community that would demonstrate “grace upon grace.”  What ideas come to mind as you consider the story about the migrant aid volunteers in the Alps?

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, you gave us your only Son to take on our human nature and to illumine the world with your light.  By your grace adopt us as your children and enlighten us with your Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 20)

There is no Faith Lens this week

“The true light that enlightens every person was coming into the world…”

John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Share a song that you really love and say why you love it.

Magnifying Lens

Chances are you are looking at these words on a screen or that you looked at them on a screen prior to printing them out. According to a study released by the JAMA Pediatrics in November 2021, screen time for teenagers has increased during the pandemic from 3.8 hours per day to 7.7 hours per day. The 7.7 hours per day is for recreation (gaming and videos) and social interaction (social media and texting).  That does not include online schooling, which can represent another 5-7 hours per day.

With increased screen time, comes the potential for an increase in other problems. According to some studies of adolescents, an increase in screen time correlated with an increase in stress and worry, along with a decline in the ability to cope with stress and worry.  In addition, large amounts of screen time can impact sleep patterns and an individual’s eye health.  For example, a study of 120,000 children 6-8 in China indicated that myopia (nearsightedness) had increase at a rate in 2020 that was 3 times higher than in previous years.

Given the extraordinary number of screens in the world and the continued need to connect digitally because of the pandemic, it seems unlikely that levels of screen time will returning to pre-pandemic levels.  So how should we respond?  Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School suggests “increasing non-screen time throughout the day. This could happen at the dinner table, while doing homework, and especially during sleeping hours.”

Some experts noted that there are simple steps to preserve the eyes, such as having good lighting at home and following the 20/20/20 rule when using electronic devices.  That means taking a break every 20 minutes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for 20 consecutive seconds. While it will take years of study to determine the exact impact that increased screen time is having on our lives and our health, the initial studies certainly seem to indicate that managing our screen time more actively is an excellent idea.

Discussion Questions

• How has your screen time changed over the last two years?
• What steps have you taken or could you take to create a healthy balance between screen time and non-screen time?

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Micah 5:2-5a

Hebrews 10:5-10

Luke 1:39-45 [46-55]

(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

If you have ever worn glasses or looked through a magnifying glass, you know that magnification often makes images clearer and easier to see. The image being magnified does not change, of course, but an outside magnifier makes a big difference in our ability to understand what we are seeing. 

We live in a time when problems are increasingly magnified on all of our screens. For example, issues around COVID-19, racial injustice, and social inequity leave some people feeling hopeless and helpless.  But what if we had an outside magnifier, so that instead of hatred, anger, sadness and despair,  we see the peace, mercy, joy, and hope which God desperately wants for all God’s people?

When Mary, the mother of Jesus, first meets the angel, she struggles to see clearly what God is doing in Jesus.  But by the time Mary reaches Elizabeth, Mary’s life is becoming a lens which magnifies God’s love and makes God’s vision for creation clearer and sharper.

In response to Elizabeth, Mary boldly proclaims, “The mighty one, has done great things for me . . ., his mercy is for those who fear him . . . . He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty” (Lk 1:49-53).

 Through Mary’s eyes, we glimpse a promised future very different from Mary’s present and from the present many people know today.

Through Mary’s eyes, we discern the possibility that God works through the unexpected, the unlikely, and the lowly to bring extraordinary change and hope to the world. 

Through Mary’s eyes, we see God’s vision for a kingdom where the lowly are lifted up, the hungry are fed, and all receive justice.

Her joyful, confident words help us see what she sees.  Hearing Mary’s song doesn’t change our situation, but her faithful witness magnifies God’s love for the world and brings into focus God’s vision of a world where all people enjoy a life filled with peace, mercy, justice, and hope.

Discussion Questions

• Mary goes to see Elizabeth for support during a difficult time. How do you find support and help when you are worried or anxious?
• What does it look like for the lowly to be lifted up in today’s world?
• If you were singing a song about God’s presence in the world today, what style of music would it be? What would the title of the song be?

Activity Suggestions

Possibility 1: Mary’s song is often called the Magnificat. It has been interpreted and set to music countless times across the centuries. Search for ‘The Magnificat’ on YouTube or talk to the musician at your church and identify 3 or 4 different version of the song in different styles. Listen to each version and invite to group to share:

• Which version they enjoyed most?
• What made that version the most enjoyable?

Possibility 2: Download a set of extreme close-up pictures. Here’s an example from Reader’s Digest: https://www.rd.com/list/everyday-objects-close-up/. Show the pictures to the group and invite participants to try and guess what each picture represents. As a part of the discussion during the game, invite participants to consider how the magnification helps change the way one sees an object. 

Closing Prayer

Open our eyes, O God, to see your love for the whole world. Inspire us to reflect and magnify your love through our words and our actions. Help us to know that you are with us in the ups and downs of life and to help to see the ways you call us to serve you in the world. Amen.