Faith Lens

Dennis Sepper, Rosemount, MN

Warm-up Question

What gifts and/or talents do you have? What gifts and/or talents have others seen in you?

Piper and Shepherd

Roseville, Minnesota – 12-year-old Abenet Coltvet is a bagpiper. When the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. Paul, Minnesota was cancelled, Abenet was disappointed. As the “Social Distancing” order went into effect due to the Covid – 19 pandemic, Abenet had an idea. Donning his kilt and other bagpiper apparel, Abenet made his way to the senior residence complex where his grandparents live and put on a concert. He’s done that twice now and also has marched through a neighborhood park staying the appropriate 6 feet distance from all others. The Middle School 7^th grader felt he had to bring cheer to others by sharing his passion and his talent. Read the local news story.

Discussion Questions

What have you been disappointed about since the pandemic caused us to change our daily habits?
How might you use your talents and gifts to bring cheer and hope to those in your family or, where possible, to your neighborhood for large community
What are some other signs of hope that you see in your community that help us get through this time of change?

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:42-47

1 Peter 2:19-25

John 10:1-10

(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

It is a rather strange image Jesus provides us in this week’s reading. He describes what would have been a familiar sight to the people of his day. Shepherds would keep the sheep safe overnight by putting them all in a pen and then standing watch so that the sheep wouldn’t be attacked by wolves, coyotes, or by thieves and bandits. In verses 1-6 Jesus seems to say that he is the shepherd who calls the sheep out of the pen into the pasture (in fact in verse 11, just after our reading ends, Jesus even says directly “I am the good shepherd”). However, in verse 9 Jesus says “I am the gate for the sheep.”

So which is it? Gate or Good Shepherd? Maybe it doesn’t have to be an “either/or” but a “both/and” kind of image. Let’s try this, let’s picture the church as the sheepfold or pen. Inside we sheep are safe and cared for. We hear God’s word, we join with our fellow sheep in singing hymns and saying prayers and the Good Shepherd provides a meal of bread and wine to strengthen our spirits with his Spirit. But there comes a time when the Good Shepherd calls us to leave that space and venture out into the world. Jesus as the door, opens the door and then leads and guides us to our work in the world.

Right now most of us are behind other doors, the doors of our homes where we are safe from the Coronavirus. However that doesn’t mean that the Good Shepherd isn’t with us. The resurrected Jesus is with us always, everywhere, every day. There will come a time when the Shepherd will call us out of our homes and back into the world. Even under the best conditions that could be a very scary thing but notice how in the 23^rd psalm we are promised that even if we walk in the valley of shadows, the Good Shepherd will be there leading us and guiding us in all we do and ultimately leading us through adversity to green pastures and still waters. That’s the promise made and the promise we hold on to.

Abenet heard the Good Shepherd call him by name to use his talent and his passion to bring some peace to the people living in that senior community. The Good Shepherd also calls us to serve God and neighbor in the world. As we answer that call, we discover the abundant life Jesus promises.

Discussion Questions

How do you feel about the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd? Does the image speak to you in ways that help you feel safe and hopeful?
Can you think of other ways to see Jesus as the door to the sheepfold?
In the gospel of John there are some seven times that Jesus says “I am”. Can you think of any of them? (One is found in John 11:25 where Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life”.)

Activity Suggestions

Remember the gift or talent you identified in the warm-up question. You can use this time to share that gift or talent. If your gift is music you can practice your instrument or voice. If it is art you can continue to draw, paint, and create. If it’s writing you can journal with the goal of creating a narrative of what it was like to live through a pandemic.

Then think of ways that you can share your gift or talent to bring hope to those around you. You may need to get creative here and use social media or some other way to get your message of hope out. Trust me, it will be appreciated by those you share it with.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, in times of uncertainty, be our guard and keep us safe. When the time is right, call us out of our homes and churches to boldly proclaim the gospel by word and deed and serve you by serving our neighbor. Thank you for your guiding presence and be with us in all that we do. In your name we pray, amen.

Brian Hiortdahl, West Hills, CA

Warm-up Question

When was the last time you cried? What moved you to tears?Open Eyes

Open Eyes, Open Hearts

Emergency room doctor Halleh Akbarnia shares a poignant op-ed about her first COVID-19 patient, Mr. C. They learn from one another as they share a long and frightening road toward his recovery, which is also healing for her. For twelve days she waited to see if her efforts would be successful. At the end of her wait, she went in to visit her patient. Mr. C looked up at her and said, “I remember your eyes.” Sometimes it is a small thing which establishes a deep connection.

Discussion Questions

What did Dr. A. and Mr. C. learn from one another? How did each help the other?
In this time of social isolation, where do you see human connections growing stronger?
Who “fuels” you? Who inspires you to keep going?

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

1 Peter 1:17-23

Luke 24:13-35

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

Gospel Reflection

Like the physician who wrote the op-ed above, Doctor Luke condenses a long journey into a short story. Two grieving disciples wander away from Jerusalem toward Emmaus, thought by some scholars to be the site of a Roman military garrison, an outpost of the worldly power that crucified their Lord. Their sad stroll is joined by a stranger whose words slowly kindle new fire in their ashen hearts. He opened the scriptures to them; maybe he also opened them to the scriptures. Finally, after many miles, they break bread together. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.

The moment of recognition leads to a breakthrough. After a long stretch of uncertain days, Mr. C. remembered his doctor’s eyes. In that tearful moment, Dr. Akbarnia rediscovered powerful meaning and professional purpose in the familiar face of the trusting, gentle teacher she thought she might lose to death. The two disciples, upon recognizing their lost and resurrected teacher, return immediately to Jerusalem, despite the disappearance of daylight, and find the faith community from which they had been walking away. They share a special conversation they doubted would ever happen. And those stories their teacher had told them—about a lost sheep and coin and son—now ring true in their own life. He will forever have a place in their rekindled hearts. He is the unforgettable companion who will fuel them until the day they hang up their sandals.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever had an “aha moment”—a sudden moment of recognition? How did it change your life?
What light do these stories shine on Jesus’ words at Holy Communion: “Do this in remembrance of me?”
Where have you come to see Jesus without initially recognizing him?

Activity Suggestions

Take a long walk. Think about what has happened in your life. What surprising sights or thoughts or strangers open your eyes to something new?
Write an op-ed about a person who has taught or inspired you. Send it to them with a note of appreciation and thanks.
Reach out and reconnect with someone important from whom you have gradually drifted away

Closing Prayer

Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus. Amen

Alex Zuber, Harrisonburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Can you think of a moment when you got some much-needed good news? What did that feel like?

Some Good News

We could all use some good news these days, right? That was exactly the kind of thinking that inspired John Krazinski, star of The Office and Jack Ryan, to launch a heartwarming series of videos called “Some Good News” from his own home, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Krazinski sets up at a makeshift news desk to tell the world about the good things happening in the midst of so much bad. He talks about the bravery of healthcare workers and teachers going the extra mile for students while still social distancing.

He shares some laughs along the way and even brings friends into the mix, interviewing The Office co-star Steve Carell. Krazinski made a young girl’s day, by not only planning to fly her out to New York to see Hamilton when it’s safe to travel, but by inviting Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Original Cast of Hamilton to sing the title song over Zoom. Krazinski is honest about the bad stuff, acknowledging that there’s pain in the world. But in the midst of fear, confusion, and pain, he points us all back to what is good.

Like a fresh breath of air into these troubled times, Some Good News is just what everyone needs.

Discussion Questions

Have you been focused on good news or bad news lately?
When we find ourselves in the midst of global pandemic, how should we balance the joy of Easter with our need to be honest about the bad news and dangers?
What has some good news been from your week? What has been the bad news?

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

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

Gospel Reflection

The disciples are locked in their meeting house together, fearful and desperate. Perhaps this lesson is too relevant these days! Like those of us living through a global pandemic, the stresses of physical distancing, and the general climate of fear, Christ’s disciples are in a similar situation. They are completely lost, nothing makes sense, and they don’t know what is coming next. How can anything go back to normal after they’ve followed Jesus? How could their lives be normal after their friend betrayed their master? How can their lives ever be safe when they may be recognized and killed as disciples of this self-proclaimed “Son of God”? They are right to be scared.

It’s in this place of fear that Jesus comes to them. Through their locked doors, through their fear, through their worry for whatever the future may hold, Christ comes to them and says, “Peace be with you.”

Christ’s peace in this situation is a curious thing. Christ’s peace changes nothing, and yet it changes everything. Think about it… The disciples already knew that he is risen. They have heard this from the mouths of the faithful women who were the first to find the tomb empty. And yet they hide in fear. Jesus says “Peace be with you” but the threat of recognition and death still remains, should they leave their home. Their pain at betrayal by a friend and horror at the crucifixion they witnessed remains. Even after this scene they lock themselves away in fear again.

The disciples proclaim to Thomas, when he returns, that they were witnesses to the Resurrection. Christ’s resurrection peace changes something in this group. Even if it takes a while for them to leave the safety of their locked home, the disciples’ lives are never the same again. They have received, like a breath of fresh air, the Spirit of the living, resurrected God. Christ’s peace changes nothing, and yet it changes everything.

The Peace of Christ is not a magic trick, a supernatural cure-all, or a get out of jail free card that just makes all bad things go away. This peace surpasses all understanding. It is a defiant hope that all things will be made new in the love of Christ, and that death, fear, despair, and betrayal will never have the last word.

Knowing that Christ is truly present with us, shut up in our homes or when we make a dangerous journey out, does nothing to change that COVID-19 is deadly. We are right to take necessary precautions. Christ’s peace does not dismiss our doubts and fears, but acknowledges them. Christ’s peace doesn’t ignore our failures and sins, but it’s big enough to hold them in grace. We need the story of the fearful disciples and Thomas’ moment of doubt as we figure out how to live as Easter people.

Christ’s peace acknowledges our pain, but it doesn’t leave us there. Christ’s peace is making all things new. Christ’s peace is the good news in the midst of the bad news. Christ’s peace comes to us again and again, in good times and bad, “so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

Discussion Questions

Do you have doubts and fears? Share some of them.
What does it say about Jesus that he meets the disciples in the midst of their fear and weakness?
How can we understand Christ’s peace in the midst of COVID-19?

Activity Suggestions

Find a conversation partner, either in your group or someone at a distance with whom you can call on video chat. Share with one another the Good News, Bad News, and Peace/Hope of your past week. (Some may have done this as High/Lows, Rose/Thorn/Bud, etc.) Be honest and thoughtful about each category, especially when acknowledging the Bad News. Discuss what it means that Christ’s love is big enough to hold your Bad News too.
Start a Journal this week that is honest about the Good News, the Bad News, and the signs of Peace/Hope you see in your life.

Closing Prayer

God of peace, who brought again from the grave our Lord Jesus Christ, meet us in the the locked rooms of fear we find in our lives. Your love is deeper than the depths of despair, higher than any joy. Give us eyes to see the Good News around us, and give us grace to bear the bad news. Breathe your living Spirit on us, and raise us up to proclaim your peace and hope to a weary world. We pray these things in the name of your risen Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bob Chell, Sioux Falls, SD

Warm-up Question

What long term changes do you think there will be as a result of our current covid-19 crisis?

Life Changing

Covid-19 is changing everything. Each day brings another milestone: 3.3 million people apply for unemployment in a single week. Congress approves a 2.2 trillion dollar bailout with bipartisan support. Relentlessly increasing numbers of estimated deaths in the United States before the pandemic subsides– 100,ooo, 200,00, or even more.

Businesses shuttered. Churches dark. Every trip outside the house involves a calculus of risk. With familiar activities proscribed Americans are scrambling to find new ways to educate, worship, connect, and calm their anxiety.

Nobody can say with any certainty how the crisis will affect the country over the long term. But some historians believe it will be a defining moment in our history. Will it draw us together or exacerbate the divisions which were there before? Will we race to get back to “normal” when the crisis is over or will there be radical changes in the health care system, the relationship of state and federal government, and how businesses operate supply chains? In the unfolding drama no one knows how the last act will unfold, but everyone agrees that the pandemic has been life changing in the present.

Discussion Questions

Will changes be more positive or negative?
How much of this impact is due to our attitude?
How much of this attitude is due to our actions?
What is one specific change you want to see in your own life as a result of this pandemic?

Resurrection of Our Lord

Acts 10:34-43

Colossians 3:1-4

Matthew 28:1-10

John 20:1-18. (alternate)

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

Gospel Reflection

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

This verse from the end of John’s Easter story seems particularly apt for our current situation as we practice social distancing and self quarantining. In the midst of uncertainty and fear, we long for peace.

Both the wilderness and the resurrection are archetypal stories. An archetype is an original model after which other similar things are patterned. Each of us spends time in the wilderness. Relationships end, loved ones die, careers change, and pandemic sweeps the world. We experience new birth as well, resurrection, often following these same wilderness experiences.

St. Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “ We know that in everything God works for good with those who love God…” God can, and has, brought good, even great, out of the worst that has happened in our lives. But the pain of death, disease, and devastation remain.

In the first centuries following the resurrection Christians struggled, worked, and argued to understand God’s in-breaking into history. By the year 390 Christians had distilled the faith into the Apostle’s Creed, a succinct summary of the faith: God created us, Jesus redeemed us, the Holy Spirit sustains us. That’s my shorthand way of saying it, but the creed’s words are carefully chosen and specific. The creed ends saying, “I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

The current pandemic has ripped the illusion that we can fully understand and control the world in which we live. That which we took to be solid and dependable crumbles beneath our feet.

Science can explain some things, yet science cannot fully capture the great mysteries of life, both good and bad: the love between two people, untimely death, the beauty of a blooming flower, music which touches our soul, why some sacrifice for neighbors and others hoard.

Theologians and scientists plumb the mysteries of faith and life, but our intellect can’t fully deliver the answers we seek. God has gifted us with faith to reconcile the paradox that Christ has conquered but suffering remains. It is faith which enables us to let go of our fear and anxiety to cling to the promise of the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Faith calls us to make a choice, to choose trust in God over anxiety.

When students choose one school over another they are denying a multitude of futures and limiting themselves to one place. If two people commit their lives to each other they are denying themselves the possibility of other committed relationships. As persons choose one career over another they are un-choosing all the others. Yet it is this choosing, this faith, which opens up possibility, meaning, and peace which those who dither can never know.

If you are not scared of what lies ahead on your life’s journey there will be a day when you are. When that day comes cling to the Easter promise, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Choose trust. You are a beloved child of God and nothing in this world or the next will change that.

St. Paul says it better than I: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Discussion Questions

What have you committed to in your life—and what did you give up in making this commitment?
This Easter is more like the first Easter than most years, what insight does this give you into your faith and life?
Many things are beyond our control but not all things. What change will you make in your life because of this coronavirus Easter?

Activity Suggestion

Who you know who is most affected by the present pandemic? Do something which will ease their anxiety. For example, call someone who is particularly isolated. or take groceries or medicine to someone who is at high risk if they go out.

Closing Prayer

God the coronavirus has made us aware of the fragility of our lives and our world. We know every breath we take is a gift from you, yet we do not live with constant awareness of this. Strengthen our faith, so we do not take your love and the blessings of life for granted. Give safe health to our loved ones and comfort those who grieve. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

Grace Heimerdinger-Baake, Ankeny, IA

Warm-up Question

When have you felt betrayed and how did you deal with those feelings?

Betrayed

The COVID-19 virus is not only making hundreds of thousands of people sick, but it has also caused financial hardships for many. An article from Delaware’s News Radio, shared the struggles Delaware restaurants are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association, and her team worked countless amount of hours to convence the governor not to shut down restaurants in the state of Delaware. The State of Emergency declaration closed all restaurants except for carryout and delivery. Leishman said in an interview, “We feel somewhat betrayed.”

Despite being open to carryout and delivery, most restaurants will be unable to pay their staff, thus leading to mass unemployment and financial hardships for employees and owners.

These feelings of betrayal spread further than restaurant owners and staff. Schools have resorted to online learning. Churches are live streaming worship. Stores have a very limited supply of toilet paper, wipes, pasta, bread, and other necessities. It’s easy to feel betrayed watching people take the last two packages of toilet paper, leaving you with nothing.

COVID-19, you have left us feeling betrayed.

Discussion Questions

Imagine, you are the governor of Delaware and you must decide whether or not to close restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms. How would you make the decision? How would you deal with the consequences of your actions?
Do you know anyone who is out of work due to the coronavirus?
How have you been personally “betrayed” by the COVID-19 virus?

Sunday of the Passion

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Matthew 26:14-27:66

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

Gospel Reflection

The passion narrative may be the most familiar story in the Christian faith, but this narrative of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial, and death on the cross is a story which is hard to hear and read. This story is filled with heartbreak, betrayal, loss, and grief.

Not only does this story relate all the terrible things which happen to Jesus, but it also hits close to home for most people. Think about it. Have you been betrayed, deserted, or teased? Have you ever felt like God was nowhere to be found when you were in the midst of struggle?

Jesus has.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas, a disciple.
Jesus was deserted by his other disciples.
To save himself, the disciple Peter pretended he didn’t know Jesus.
Jesus was laughed at, teased, and called names.
Jesus called out to God, with God nowhere to be found, as he was dying on the cross.

Despite these dreadful experiences, there is hope. Jesus’ story doesn’t end on Good Friday. Good Friday becomes Easter Sunday. Death does not have the final word. Life reigns through the Resurrection. This is the Good News that provides us hope through all of life’s obstacles.

Many of us affected by COVID-19 are waiting for our Easter morning. We waiting for the stone to be rolled away. We are waiting for schools to resume, for businesses to open, to hang out with friends, and to just return to normalcy. In the meantime, we carry our stories of betrayal, grief, loss, and loneliness with us as we begin Holy Week. We hang on to the hope of the great triumph of Easter morning, knowing the Passion story doesn’t end with Jesus dying on the cross. As we live in this time of loneliness, loss, and sickness, we wait with hope of our own Easter morning in the knowledge that we are never alone. Jesus understands our hurting hearts and walks with us amid our awful experiences.

Discussion Questions

With which character in the Passion narrative do you identify ?
We hope that we would not have followed the crowd in saying “Let him (Jesus) be crucified!” Sometimes it isn’t easy to avoid the mob mentality. When has it been difficult for you to avoid doing what everyone else is doing?
Before Jesus’ last breath, he cries out “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (“My God, my God, what have you forsaken me?”) Is it true that God forsakes Jesus? Why or why not.
When facing difficulties and hardships in your life, is it helpful to know that Jesus has experienced hardships and betrayal too? Is just knowing that enough? What do you need to hear when you’re living through grief, pain, confusion, or loss?

Activity Suggestions

Gather cardstock, markers, scissors, rulers, and pens. Cut the cardstock into 3.5” x 2” rectangles. Each person takes two rectangles and writes words of encouragement on the card and a favorite Bible verse. If available, laminate the cards with self-laminating sheets. Think of a person who is experiencing a difficult time and mail them the encouragement card. Carry the other one around with you for when you need encouragement and to remember the love of Jesus. If time permits, you may create more cards for others.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you have created me in your image and you love me so much that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross. Help me to know and feel your presence in moments of despair. Strengthen me to be a source of hope and light to all who are desperate for hope. Amen.

May 3, 2020–Piper and Shepherd

April 26, 2020–Open Eyes, Open Hearts

April 19, 2020–Some Good News

April 12, 2020–Life Changing

April 5, 2020–Betrayed