Alyssa Kaplan, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Questions

What does it mean to have power over something or someone? Who are the people who hold power in your day-to-day life? Who are the people who hold power in the world? What are they like?

Servant Power

In the past few years there has been a movement within the US American Catholic Church to recognize Dorothy Day as a saint within their tradition. While Lutherans and Catholics have different understandings of saints and sainthood, we too, can look to these people as exemplars of the faith. 

Dorothy Day was an incredible leader, activist, mother, and theologian.  Above all she was a fierce advocate for and faithful servant to the poor. She was deeply skeptical of hierarchies and institutional power. She operated on the fringes of her faith tradition.  Throughout her life and ministry, she unequivocally made those on the margins of society the center of her work. She was an exceptional leader because she was first and foremost a servant of all. 

Dorothy Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement, which largely operated out of Catholic Worker Houses. For decades these houses have provided respite and resources for the poor and served as gathering places for justice activists. At the time of her death there were 30 such houses around the United States; as of January 2020 there were over 250. 

Robert Ellsberg, who worked closely with Dorothy Day in the last years of her life, stated, “When many people think of saints, they think of people who are kind of removed from the world in some sacred way. She showed there can be a holiness of action, of engagement of the challenges of our time. She’s not someone from the past — she’s someone from the future. In some ways she’s the American counterpart of the vision Pope Francis has brought to the universal church. She isn’t encapsulated in institutionalism, not mired in clericalism. She just stands there and points the way.”

For further reading: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/13/dorothy-days-radical-faith

Discussion Questions

• Had you heard of Dorothy Day before? Can you think of other leaders who act like her?
• Day operated on the fringes of her tradition. How do you think that informed her actions?
• Have you worked with people who are unhoused or lack other basic needs? If so, how have those experiences impacted your faith?

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 53:4-12

Hebrews 5:1-10

Mark 10:35-45

(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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Throughout this section of Mark’s gospel, a pattern emerges as Jesus engages with his disciples about the hard truth of what is to come. The pattern essentially goes, 

• Step 1: Jesus tells the disciples something super hard, the reality of his coming death and suffering.
• Step 2: The disciples do not understand and respond in inappropriate ways.
• Step 3: Jesus corrects the disciples’ misunderstandings and teaches about  discipleship.

This text picks up at step 2.  Immediately before this section we read, ” [Jesus], taking the twelve aside again, began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’”

Oof. Heavy stuff! And yet, immediately following this discourse, John and James  beg Jesus to acquiesce to their demands. What demands? Just that when Jesus enters in to “glory” they be seated at his right and left hands. Could they be further from the point? Jesus repeatedly teaches how the reign of God disrupts the status quo. Jesus clearly describes how the Messiah will come as a suffering servant of all, not as a powerful warlord to vindicate his people. 

Yet, even after hearing this message over and over again, after traveling with Jesus and watching him heal the lowly and the outcasts, after listening to him preach about God’s radical justice for the poor and oppressed, James and John are still caught in their own world–a world  radically different from what Jesus describes as God’s vision for God’s people. John and James are stuck in a world of power and control, where prestige and favor create hierarchies, where some are first and others are last…and they want to be first! 

So, on to step #3. Jesus hears their misguided question and takes the opportunity to teach them what God is all about and what kind of leadership God values. Consistent with his preaching throughout the gospels, Jesus shows how God’s kin-dom of justice and mercy operates in a radically different way than the world in which they and we live. 

Roman leaders are assessed by the kind of power they exert–the more power, the better the ruler. Jesus says that among his followers the sign of true leadership is servanthood. The sign of true strength is humility through service. Within the beloved community, loving service is the ultimate sign of true leadership and holy power. 

Discussion Questions

• What does the repetition of the ‘three step’ pattern suggest about the disciples’ understanding of Jesus?
• What motivated the questions of John and James? How does Jesus’ response relate to the particular questions they were asking?
• What do you think happened next? How do you think this conversation changed how the disciples understood leadership and their political leaders?

Activity Suggestions

• Look up the nearest Catholic Worker House to your church. Read some of the information on their website. What kinds of programming do they offer? How could your church get involved? If possible, write letters to the servants at the Catholic Worker Houses nearest you to encourage them in their mission. 
• Brainstorm simple acts of service you could share with your church community, school community or family. Think particularly of acts of service you could share in moments or times when you are in a leadership role or in a position of power. Once you’ve brainstormed a list, write them onto a calendar, challenging yourself to complete on such act of service a week for the rest of the year.
• Are there leadership roles you hold within your youth group or school community? If so, take a look at those roles, especially if they come with written descriptions. How do these leadership roles relate to Jesus’ vision of servant leadership?

Closing Prayer

Dear God, it is hard to live in the world as you wish us to live. The sinful forces in our world have influenced our visions of power and turned them into visions of control and domination. Help us to have the spirit of service and humility of your son Jesus. Help us to only grasp for more love and more justice, not more power or prestige. Thank you for your loving grace which compels us to live for others. Amen.

Grace Heimerdinger-Baake, Elkhart, IA

Warm-up Question

How much money would you need to make you completely happy? 

Can You Really Buy Anything?

A 2010 study by psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton revealed that money did have an impact on how people evaluate their lives — people with more money feel better about their lives. The study showed when individuals reached an annual salary of $75,000, more money didn’t equate to more happiness. 

Matthew Killingsworth created an app to track individual happiness to investigate what makes life worth living. His research showed similar results from the 2010 study — both life satisfaction and experience well-being increased with income. However, the 2021 study concluded that high incomes have the potential to improve people’s day to day well being rather than reaching a potential. 

Discussion Questions

• Do you think money can buy real happiness? What about life satisfaction? What is the difference between happiness and satisfaction? 
• When it comes to your money and possessions, how do you make your decision about how much you give and to whom?
• Other than wealth and possessions, what are other things that make you truly happy?

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

In Mark 10, as Jesus makes his journey to Jerusalem, he encounters a rich, young, ruler. The rich man questions Jesus concerning what he must do to inherit eternal life, saying he has kept all the commandments. The writer of Mark indicates that Jesus truly loves the man.  Jesus tells the man he lacks one thing; he must go and sell everything he owns and give the money to the poor. When the man hears Jesus’ response, he goes away in shock and grief. 

The rich man truly believes he is morally and spiritually good. He is following the commandments, but when Jesus asks him to abandon his wealth and possession to fully follow Jesus, he can’t fathom that sacrifice. 

Every day, we encounter advertisements which try to persuade us to purchase the latest iPhone, sign up for the latest diet, and lease the newest car. The advertisements try to convince us that we need these things and that having them will make us happier. Jesus warns us about how wealth can separate us from God and tells the disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” If you have threaded a needle you know how difficult it can be to get even thread to go through the eye of a needle. 

Although our wealth, possessions, and greed can separate us from God, Jesus says there is hope for us all. With God, all things are possible; nothing can separate us from God’s love.  

This reading from Mark challenges us to remember that Jesus wants to be at the center of our lives and calls us to share what we have with others. 

Discussion Questions

• What do you think the rich man did after Jesus told him to go sell everything and give the money to the poor? The text says he was shocked and went away grieving. Do you think he sold everything and gave the money to the poor? 

• Is Jesus really asking us to sell everything? What are ways you can use your wealth to serve others in your community and across the world? 

• Share a time when someone’s generosity has helped you. 

• How does wealth empower your faith community to share the good news? 

Activity Suggestions

• Using Play-Doh, create models of items that separate you or distract you from Jesus and serving others. Talk about how these items may distract or separate you from following Jesus, but also talk about how these items can help serve others.

• Have the group think of populations of people who may be easily forgotten. Brainstorm ways you could share your wealth. Suggestions could include children or adults at the hospital, residents at a nursing home or rehabilitation center.
• Separate your class into two separate groups and have a race to see what group can thread their needles the fastest.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, there is so much that separates us from you: our actions, our stuff, our wealth. Forgive us for all the times we put ourselves and our needs about our neighbors near and far. Help us to be glad and generous with everything we have. Amen.  

Tuhina Verma Rasche, San Carlos, CA

Warm-up Questions

• When you hear the words “All are welcome,” does that describe the faith space where you’re a part? How so? If you don’t feel a part, what makes you feel apart?
• Would you consider yourself to be an insider or an outsider? What are the situations that bring you to your answer?
• What makes a person and communities vulnerable?

Are All *Really* Welcome?

Ever since I’ve been a part of the church, I’ve often wondered, “Do I even belong here?” More often than not, I’m the only person of color in progressive church spaces. I’ve been told that my ideas of God in the world and how we are to be followers of Jesus are “too radical.” Even though many churches proclaim, “All are welcome,” I’ve wondered if there are unspoken exceptions.  Shouldn’t it say instead, “You’re welcome here if you look and behave a certain way that makes everyone else comfortable”? I feel hurt when a community says “all are welcome,” and it’s not actually true. I feel like I’m an outsider.

At our core as human beings, we’re created to be in community with one another. With that comes wanting to belong, which makes us keenly aware that there are “in” groups and “out” groups. The division between being an insider and an outsider is painful  when we want to be seen, acknowledged, and loved as God created us. It’s especially painful in friend groups and faith communities. 

Why are there insiders and outsiders? Who gets to determine who is included  or excluded in a community? Jesus calls the excluded “the least of these.” Those on the outside were welcome if they met certain requirements, like cleanliness, a change in social ranking, and access to power and popularity. Jesus accepts them as they are.  He includes “the least of these” in the greater community.  He proclaims that all (regardless of popularity, wealth, social status, cleanliness) are not just accepted, but also centered in God’s heart. 

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus wanted to include the excluded? What ways do you practice inclusion and exclusion in your friend groups?
• In what ways do you want to be recognized for the entirety of who God created you to be?   Are there parts of yourself you are not sure would be welcome in your social or religious community?
• Why do communities use the words “all are welcome,” if they don’t actually mean it?  How does that happen?

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 2:18-24

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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

There are times where it would be easy to skip over a Bible passage and pretend it doesn’t exist. This is one of those times. Yet, if we were to skip over it, what would keep us from skipping over other parts of the Bible when we struggle with the message? Jesus often gives hard words to the disciples (and us). This week is no exception. 

The Gospel begins with a difficult conversation on divorce. For many people, divorce is still hard to talk about because it radically changes the lives of, not just those ending the marriage, but also family members, friends, and communities. 

We need to keep in mind that divorce in Jesus’ time and divorce in our time are very different. In Jesus’ time.  If a woman were divorced from her husband, she would be incredibly vulnerable. The world wasn’t (and still isn’t) built to protect vulnerable women and femmes. He answers the question from the religious authorities forcefully because vulnerable people are being hurt and it makes him mad. 

In asking them how a man may divorce his wife according to the Law, Jesus is talking about what people currently know and understand. There are structures in place to protect vulnerable populations.  Yet structures created by people with good intentions often don’t go far enough. Divorce, says Jesus, is an unfortunate concession to the fact that we do not always live with love and respect in marriage.  Instead of having people trapped in situations where they were powerless and unhappy, divorce may happen, but it not God’s intention for marriage. 

Jesus tells us to protect the most vulnerable among us. It seems that the disciples didn’t get the memo, because immediately after the conversation on divorce, they try to keep children from Jesus’s presence. Jesus speaks in support of both divorced women and the little children, people who don’t have power, both then and now. Jesus is all about being with and empowering the weakest and most vulnerable in society. The Beloved Community is for all people, especially those who are made vulnerable by the sometimes well-intentioned but always faulty power structures of this world. 

The disciples, as close as they are to Jesus, don’t understand him. In preventing people from bringing children to Jesus so that he may bless them, the disciples assume authority over who is in and who is out.  Jesus turns them around to a new way of being. 

Jesus welcomes those on the outside, those who are vulnerable. That welcome challenges our notions of who belongs in the realm of God and who is the greatest. Those whom world calls outsiders, Jesus calls insiders and welcomes them in the entirety of who they are. Jesus continually challenges our expectations and reminds us that inclusion is incredibly radical.

Discussion Questions

• Have you invited a friend to your faith community? Did they come with you? Has something prevented you from inviting others to come with you to your faith community? Have a conversation to how your faith community is and can be a more welcoming place. 
• Talk about a time where you felt like you belonged to a community and a time where you felt like you were on the outside of a community. How do these feelings feel similar? How do they contrast?
• How do you feel when another person notices a quality or attribute about you? What does it feel like to be fully recognized for who God created you to be? 

Activity Suggestions

• Martin Luther wrote in the Large Catechism, ‘But I am baptized! And if I have been baptized, I have the promise that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both in soul and body ….’ ” Baptism means inclusion in the body of Christ. When do you encounter water? Doing dishes, watering plants, washing your hands? Record how many times a day you encounter water. Anytime you encounter water, take a moment to remember that you are beloved by God and to think about God’s promises made in baptism. 
• There are many members of our community who are vulnerable and on the outside. If your faith community has a visitation ministry, a food pantry ministry, or a similar ministry, make cards with encouraging messages for these ministries.
• Find smooth rocks, markers, and acrylic paint. Draw words of encouragement on the rocks and leave them outside where people can find them for a source of surprise encouragement and acceptance.   

Closing Prayer

God of inclusion, you came to us in ways that were meant to be excluded. You came as a poor, Brown, Jewish Galilean man in the midst of an empire that thought it was all powerful. In the person of Jesus, you show us just how radical inclusion can be, and that you want to include all into your community. May we extend radical invitations so that those who feel on the outside are on the inside and that those who feel excluded are included for who God created them to be. Remind us that we are loved by you. Amen. 

Sami Johnson, Andalucia, Spain

Warm-up Questions

• Briefly describe a time you received help, kindness, or support from someone you didn’t expect.
• Have you ever had the chance to offer help, kindness, or support to someone who didn’t expect it from you? Why did you do it?
• How does our faith factor into your decision to serve others, especially when it involves people with whom you do not share a close or warm relationship?

Mission First

The stories about the evacuation of American citizens and allies from Afghanistan have been heart wrenching. My feeling of helplessness drove me to discover signs of hope. As Mister Rogers invites us to do in a crisis, I felt compelled to “look for the helpers.” I discovered that there were all kinds of people scrambling to arrange private flights to evacuate Afghan allies. Universities, faith-based groups, advocacy groups, veterans of the war in Afghanistan, just to name a few, were working together to try to arrange non-military flights out of Afghanistan. Their work was remarkable and courageous.

What caught me by surprise is that the people cooperating in this effort likely wouldn’t have agreed on much outside of this work they shared. Typically, they’d be divided by partisan politics.  Many would never be found in the same church (or any church) on a Sunday morning.  But they were willing to unite for the sake of this vital mission.

This mission hit home for me personally. The US and Spanish military community here at Naval Station Rota, Spain had the privilege of welcoming almost 3000 evacuees from Afghanistan. Evacuees arrived over the course of about two weeks and stayed here for about 5 days on their way to the US. The effort to welcome them, care for them, and protect them became an all-consuming task for service members and civilians alike. I got to witness firsthand unity and cooperation among the volunteers who came together to aid in Operation Allies Refuge. Neighbors, whether Spanish or American, military or civilian, friends or strangers, came together with hearts broken open for the sake of those who needed our help in the midst of this tragic situation.

Discussion Questions

• How has the news coming out of Afghanistan impacted you? What has helped you cope with what you’re feeling?
• Have you ever witnessed this kind of radical unity for the sake of a common goal?
• Have you ever seen a goal fail because people let their differences get in the way?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

The reading begins with a critical misunderstanding by John, one of Jesus’s disciples. John thinks he is in the right when he catches someone casting out demons, pretending to be Jesus’ follower.  He tells this exorcist to stop. John doesn’t explain why he is doing this but we can imagine that he might be trying to preserve the integrity of Jesus’ ministry. Maybe he is worried that the imposter is trying to jump on the bandwagon of Jesus’ popularity for selfish gain. We cannot know.

We can be sure of the intent behind Jesus’ response. He corrects John’s misconception of Jesus’ priorities saying, “Do not stop him… Whoever is not against us is for us” (verses 39, 40). In this moment, Jesus models grace in the form of unity and cooperation against John’s fundamentalism, which has no place in Jesus’ world-changing mission.

The next section might get our attention, with all its gory dismemberment and threats of unquenchable flames, worms, and hell, but that is not the whole story. It would be a shame if the reader overlooks the fact that Jesus is also reminding John of the mission that guides everything Jesus is doing. This mission is to bring near the kingdom of God here and now. However this message gets shared, whatever gets the world one step closer to looking like God’s kingdom is a-okay with Jesus.  Whether or not the person doing the healing, proclaiming, or other neighbor-loving work is a card-carrying member of “Team Jesus” already, with all the proper training and credentials, seems unimportant to Jesus.

Jesus punctuates this teaching in plain language at the end of our reading, as if to make sure we do not miss the central message amid all the shocking hyperbole of verses 43-48. He finishes with this pleading command, “be at peace with one another” (verse 50). This sounds to me as much like a prayer and a blessing as it does a command. “Be at peace with one another.”

We need this command/ prayer/ blessing today as much as John and his fellow disciples needed it in the First Century. It is too easy to get caught up in cutting others down to build ourselves up. Divisive cliques, political parties, or religious factions drawing lines in the sand is not what Jesus calls us into. Most of all, it falls far short of what Jesus empowers us to do. Jesus’s way peace is both a gift and as a calling.

Discussion Questions

• What is an issue in your community that deserves a boundary-busting effort? What is the value or mission that could unite people from different backgrounds?
• How might you faithfully respond to someone who has a belief you think is wrong, especially if their faith is not as mature as yours?
• There is an old African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” How do you think this relates to the goal of Christian unity?

Activity Suggestions

Consider how you can demonstrate a warm welcome to evacuees from Afghanistan whether or not they are being resettled in your community. (You can find some ideas here at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.)

Closing Prayer

God of peace, you call all of us together, using our gifts to share the good news with the whole world. We pray for your grace to keep your mission first in our minds, over disagreements that would cause us to stumble along our way. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Bill King, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Questions

What have you done in the past week which gave you the greatest joy and satisfaction?  Who or what benefited from your actions?

Right to Serve

Everyone hoped that the conflict over whether to mask or not mask amid the COVID pandemic would be over by now.  It isn’t.  The number of cases continues to climb and mask mandates–and opposition to them–are also rising.  Most of the time the debate plays out as some asserting their right to be free of governmental control.  But a recent article points out that the issue can be framed as whether the vulnerable have a right to feel safe at school.

Grayson Schwaigert has a rare genetic disorder which makes him at high risk to experience renal failure if he contracts COVID.  The governor of Tennessee has issued an executive order which allows parents to opt out of school mask mandates. As of Aug. 20, 16% of students in Greyson’s school district were opting out. His mother is the lead plaintiff in a suit which challenges the “opt out” policy.  She contends that allowing children to opt out endangers her child and makes it impossible for him to receive needed socialization and education at school.

Schwaigert’s suit is one of a wave of actions in a number of  states which contend that opt out policies force children and their parents to choose between their health and  their education. “We hear all the time, ‘Oh, only kids with preexisting conditions are the ones that get sick and die,’ ” Schwaigert says. “Well, that’s my kid. That is my child. He has a lot of preexisting conditions, and he matters.”

Discussion Questions

• What is the difference between a mask mandate and laws which limit how fast you can drive in a school zone?
• How do you balance the needs of the most vulnerable with the comfort and convenience of the majority?
• Virtually all school districts require certain immunizations to enroll in a public school.  Why has the mask mandate become such a contentious issue, if the point of both is to reduce the risk of infection for everyone?

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 11:18-20

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 B at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Busted.  The disciples have been having a discussion about who is the most important among them.  At some level they know that this grubbing for status will not please their master, because they  do it privately.   They have heard him teach about denying self and saving your life by losing it [8:34-37], but they are still focused on what’s in it for themselves.  They see following Jesus as the fast track to power and prestige. So Jesus calls them out.  “What were you discussing on the way?”

Their embarrassed silence says it all.  They know perfectly well that their focus on personal status is not what Jesus is about.  But just in case they have any doubts about what he values and expects of them, Jesus lays it out, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”  Then he places a child in front of them and tells them to care for those like him or her.  The point is that a child is pure vulnerability, pure need.  There is no percentage in serving a child, no reciprocal payoff which benefits the giver.  That, says Jesus, is what you need to be about–finding ways to be servants, not masters.

The disciples are very concerned about their status, their rights as the inner circle.  Jesus tells them that the only right which love has is to give itself.

In Morality:  Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times, Rabbi Jonathan Sachs argues that the great crisis of the modern world is that we are so individualistic that we have lost sight of the fact that we can only live in a community.  We are so focused on the “I” that there is diminished sense of “We.”  Society has become a collection of individuals who ferociously defend  their rights, yet have little sense that with rights come responsibilities.  This, says Sachs, is a recipe for social chaos and bitter politics.

Winston Churchill famously observed, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  How would our society be different if we had a greater sense of “We?”  How would it be different if our first thought was not how to protect our preferences, but how to serve those most in need of our care?

Discussion Questions

• What gives someone status in your social circles?  Are those things which Jesus values?
• What is the difference between having a spirit of service and just allowing yourself to be abused to no purpose?
• Do you agree with Sachs that our society is in danger because we have too much focus on “I” and not enough on “We?”  Can you give examples?
• When you think about your long term goals, what do you most want; how will you define success?

Activity Suggestions

• Who in your school or neighborhood is like the child which Jesus put in the midst of the disciples–needing care, with little ability to reciprocate?  Find a way to serve that person without receiving any public recognition.
• Write a letter or send an email to your legislator.  Make it in behalf of a bill which will not benefit you personally, but will make for a more just and kind society.

Closing Prayer 

Loving God, it is so hard to see beyond my own interests.  I spend most of my day trying to prove I am worthy of respect.  Lift my eyes to see the communities which need my talents and compassion.  Help me measure myself less by what I achieve than in how faithfully I follow Jesus’ example of service to those on the edges.  Most of all, remind me that I need not prove I am worthy of love, because you have claimed me in my baptism.  Amen.