Faith Lens

Erin Haligowski, Dayton, OH

Warm-up Question

What is something you could use a little more of? More faith? More money? More talent? More time? More friends? What would having more enable you to do that you can’t do now?

A Little More

Just a couple weeks ago, at 22 years of age, singer/pianist Kodi Lee was named the winner of season 14 of America’s Got Talent. Early in the season, Kodi earned a Golden Buzzer from judge Gabrielle Union to put him directly to the live shows in a performance that went viral online (watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDPdRYF7hTQ).

Kodi Lee was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which causes his blindness, and was diagnosed with autism at age 4. Early in life, he discovered a love of music that, according to his mom, gave him the ability to “withstand living in this world.” “Because when you’re autistic, it’s really hard to do what everyone else does. It actually saved his life, playing music.”

Discussion Questions

What are the things Kodi has been given “more” of in order to get to where he is now?
How does Kodi’s story help to frame your understanding of needing “more”?

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

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

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Luke 17:5-10

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings

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

Gospel Reflection

In today’s gospel lesson, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Maybe with just a little more faith, they could really be good disciples, capable of all that makes up Jesus’ command to “follow me.” Maybe with just a little more faith, they could forgive others over and over and over again. Maybe with just a little more faith they could heal sickness and cast out demons like Jesus.

And then Jesus turns back to them and says, “You’ve got everything you need.” He says, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” In Matthew’s gospel, he says “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

So, what does it mean to have “faith the size of a mustard seed”? A mustard seed is tiny—usually about 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter. That’s not very much. Surely the disciples must have that much if they have already left their homes and lives to follow Jesus.

So, perhaps the question is not whether or not we have enough faith. Perhaps our concern should instead be about how our faith, even if it is so very tiny, is shaping our lives. Do we trust God to walk with us through the storms and trials in our lives? Are we allowing our faith to shape our actions on a daily basis? Whatever challenge we face, when we walk with God, our faith is enough to do the most impossible things.

Discussion Questions

What are the times in your life when you have wanted to ask God for a little more (or a lot more) faith?
When is it difficult for you to follow Jesus’ example?
How does your faith shape your actions on a day to day basis?

Activity Suggestions

Take 5 Minutes: Invite students to spread out (outside is a great option for this) and take five minutes for some one-on-one time with God. Have them use this time to listen, to pray, and to reflect on how the faith they have is more than enough. Come back together and talk about what that experience was like—Uncomfortable? Relaxing? Refreshing? Easy? Difficult?
Invite some guests to come and talk about their life and faith with your class—some older members of the congregation, or parents, or young adults. What do they think is the most important thing for people to learn about Jesus and the church? How does their faith shape their daily lives?

Closing Prayer

Loving God, thank you for the gift of faith, even when that faith is tiny. Help us to walk with you in our daily lives and to serve others in your world. Surround us with a loving community so that we can always know that we are more than enough in your eyes. Amen.

Seth Moland-Kovash, Palatine, IL

Warm-up Question

When was a time that you felt left out or out of place?

Sharing is Caring

Bullying happens all over the place and it is a common experience in schools. Sometimes a person is bullied and left out for a particular reason and sometimes there is no discernible reason. No matter what the reason, there is no excuse for bullying. But there is often a thing that attracts the attention of those would bully.

In one school near Memphis, Tennessee, a young man was bullied because he repeatedly wore the same clothes to school. Two other classmates saw this happening and decided they could do something about it. They chose to address the fact that he wore the same clothes and gifted him with shoes and clothing from their own closets. You can see a video of the gifts being given in the school hallway here.

Discussion Questions

What are the situations that can cause someone to be left out or bullied at your school?
What are some ways you can help someone who is being bullied?
Do you think the generosity and the kindness of the act is lessened at all for being filmed and put on social media?

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Luke 16:19-31

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

Gospel Reflection

Jesus tells a parable about a rich man (who is not named) and a poor man (named Lazarus). Lazarus spends his days begging at the door of the rich man and getting no help. In death, their situations are reversed and the rich man wants some of what Lazarus has. This idea of a “great reversal” is central to what Jesus teaches – that in God’s kingdom the last will be first and the first will be last; the rich will be poor and the poor will be rich.

Having been told he can’t have what Lazarus has, he at least wants to send a warning to his brothers who are still alive so they will learn from his mistakes and not end up in the same situation. He wants Lazarus to go back because his brothers will surely believe someone who has risen from the dead. He is told “if they don’t listen to Abraham, they won’t even listen if someone comes back from the dead.”

It is interesting that Jesus tells this anecdote. He tells it before his own death, but we know what is going to happen. We know that Jesus will die and will come back from the dead. And we wonder sometimes whether we listen even to him.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think the rich man didn’t share with Lazarus while they were both alive?
What would it take to make someone like the rich man start to share?
What can you do to help those who have less in your own school or community?

Activity Suggestions

Closing Prayer

Amy Martinell, Sioux Falls, SD

Warm-up Question

Today’s parable is about a dishonest servant. Share the first time you remember lying or being dishonest. What happened? Did you come clean or have you kept it a secret?

Can’t Do It Alone

Last night tornados and severe straight-line winds struck Sioux Falls, SD, where I live. Most people here spent the midnight hours monitoring the storm and taking shelter in their basements. Today the community is flooded with images of the devastation the storms brought. Buildings are destroyed, trees are uprooted, and power lines are down. Hospitals had to transfer patients and schools started late this morning, to allow for the streets to be cleaned. Fortunately, no deaths are serious injuries have been reported. While there is a lot of damage, we are grateful everyone is safe.

Storms are terrifying things and none of us want to experience them, but I am moved by what we are experiencing after the storm as our community comes together. Friends and family have been calling and texting to check in with one another. Local restaurants are providing free meals for city officials and first responders. Our city helpline is already organizing volunteers and encouraging those who need help with clean up to call for assistance. As I ran errands this morning, people in the stores took the time to check in with each other, and strangers provided listening ears for one another. In the midst of the fear and destruction, we see so many caring individuals looking out for each other.

Discussion Questions

What is your favorite activity to do with your family? With your friends?
What groups provide support and community for you?
Who has been a support for you doing a hard or scary time?

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 8:4-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Luke 16:1-13

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

Gospel Reflection

Can I be honest and say this is a really strange parable? First we have the manager who is told he will lose his job. The man cannot do hard labor and does not want to beg so he hatches a plan. He will forgive the debts of others so that they may give him a place to stay when he loses his job. So without any permission he lessens the amount owed by two of his master’s debtors. Surprisingly the master praises him for his shrewd actions and he appears to keep his job.

It is a bit disconcerting that Jesus tells a parable praising dishonest actions, but I cannot help but notice at the heart of the parable is this man being awaken to his need for other people in his life. We can assume by his panicked response to losing his position that he had no friends or family to take him in. Suddenly when things go wrong, he realizes he needed other people to help him. He realizes he needs a community.

We cannot serve two masters. When we are concerned only with our own needs, when we focus only on wealth or possessions or status, we cannot live a life of faith. Our lives instead become limited and we are left alone in our times of need. When Christ is our master, our world open up. We are given a community of faithful believers that support us in whatever we are going through.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think Jesus told his disciples this parable? What might they learn from it?
Is there ever a time when it is okay to act dishonestly? Why or why not?
What is the problem with trying to serve two masters? What other things in your life can become your master?
How do you view money? Are you a saver, a spender, or a giver? How does your faith influence your thoughts on money?

Activity Suggestions

Words of affirmation: Have everyone write their name on a piece of paper. Pass the papers around and have everyone write something they appreciate about each person on their paper. Encourage youth to keep the words of affirmation. Share together why you like coming to youth group and what you appreciate about this group.

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, we give you thanks for the gift of community in our lives. We thank you for those who support and care for us. Help us to do our part to spread love and hope in our communities. Amen

Tim Jacobsen, West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

What is the longest time you have spent looking for something? Where did it end up being? How did you feel? (Be honest, it’s ok to say it was right in front of your face)

Pain in Losing, Joy in Finding

Take some time to familiarize yourself with the devastation from Hurricane Dorian, here is a helpful link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/us/hurricane-dorian-updates.html.

Pro Tip: Be sensitive to those students who may be scared or storms or who have gone through severe weather events and know that it may bring up emotions for them. Talk about the storm, but don’t force response or shame those who this could bring up emotions for.

Hurricane Dorian has left devastation and damage along its path. Think of the many who were in the path of Dorian. Many had to make the choice between staying, weathering the storm and trying to keep their belongings safe, and evacuating with what they can take and hoping for the best. Hurricane season comes at a time when people are taking the last of their summer vacations. Tourists have to decide what they are going to do or, if they have not left home, whether they should even go on the trip.

Big weather events bring up a range of emotions for people. Some are eager to see the weather, but not the devastation that can happen. Others are scared for loved ones or worried about what the damage means for them moving forward. In times of worry or crisis we tend to take inventory of what we have, and what those things mean to us. The things that hold a lot of meaning are things that we try to keep safe or take with us because we couldn’t bear to lose them.

Discussion Questions

What do you hold close or valuable to you?
How do you keep those things safe?
How would you feel if you lost it?

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Exodus 32:7-14

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Luke 15:1-10

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

Gospel Reflection

I remember when I was little and was out running errands with my mom. We were in a store that had tall displays, so it was hard for those of us who were short to see over them. This led me to lose my mom in the store. I was scared and wondered how I would get home. Mind you, all this happened before cell phones, so I couldn’t call her and ask where she was. My mom was in the zone, looking for whatever she was looking for, so she did not realize right away that we were separated. I decided I would go to the front of the store; they paged her over the speakers to come up and meet me at the front. I was so glad to find her and did my best to stay close the rest of that shopping trip.

In the Gospel reading for today there were some pharisees and scribes, basically some really churchy people, debating and judging Jesus’s actions. Jesus then turned the conversation around (as he often does) and posed this question to them, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”

I would ask some questions about the sheep’s age or health, really trying to answer the question of the sheep’s value. But that does not figure into the story. In Judea, the hilly terrain could make it hard to find a sheep and there were spots where sheep could get and humans couldn’t easily follow. The shepherd must have put out a lot of effort for one lost animal. Jesus adds that once the sheep is found the shepherd throws a party because the lost sheep was found.

Then Jesus tells the parable of a lady losing a coin and looking all over for it. This wasn’t just any coin like the ones we lose in a couch and forget about; this coin was a half or full day’s pay. We don’t know her financial status but a half day’s pay is not something to just lose and ignore. She, like the shepherd, looks all over and throws a party rejoicing that it was found.

Could you imagine throwing a party for a lost sheep or a missing coin? I’m down for a good party, but these seem like lame reasons to throw a party. To top it off the sheep or coin couldn’t even say thank you or show repentance for being lost. If we just take this view, we miss the point.

These parables illustrate that God cares about those who are on the margins or missing. God knows what is best for us and wants us to be in community with God, not because God needs us, but because God cares about us. This could have been shocking news to the religious elite of the day because they were thinking they had an in with God and that they mattered most to God. Jesus embodied God’s goal for community through his life and ministry. Jesus ate and spent time with those who were on the margins and challenged the religious elite to expand their vision.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever felt like you were missing?
What makes you feel welcomed?
How did these parables make you feel?
How can you welcome people into your youth group or church?
Who are some people you can reach out to our invite?

Activity Suggestions

All are welcome: Those are common words on church signs, but do you really mean it? The kingdom of God is for the people of God, which is everyone. It can be so easy to count people as lost or ignore them. Take a look at your youth group and think how a visitor would feel. Talk through what it could look like to invite people or what could change in your group to make all feel welcome.

The point of this exercise isn’t just to grow numbers. We are called to make Christ know to all, so let’s do that.

Thank you: Write a note thanking someone who helped you when you felt lost or not included. Thank them for making you feel welcome or for reaching out to you.

Closing Prayer

Good and Gracious God, we thank you for your presence with us and love that you have for us. We ask that you open our eyes to those around us who need to feel your love. Work through us as we go out to be your hands and feet. We have been blessed with much and long for much, help us to be content and willing to share our blessings with others. Amen

Brian Hiortdahl, West Hills, CA

Warm-up Question

When has your heart wanted something your head decided you could not afford?

Count the Cost

In her 2018 article “Fewer Ministers, Heavier Burden,” Jean Hopfensberger chronicles the changing landscape of church leadership:

www.startribune.com/fewer-men-and-women-are-entering-the-seminary/490381681/

Among the multiple reasons identified for the growing shortage of seminarians and clergy is the challenge of financial viability. One experienced Lutheran camp director has identified this as the primary reason that the young adults with whom he works are deciding not to enter the ministry. He observes that there has been no decrease in the number of those who consider or feel a call to ministry, but more and more conclude that there is no viable future in it.

Discussion Questions

Have you or your community felt any impact of the trends identified in the article? If so, how?
What changes do you anticipate in the church in your lifetime if this trend continues? Do you think these changes are positive or negative or both?
Would you consider ministry as a career? Why or why not?

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Philemon 1-21

Luke 14:25-33

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

Gospel Reflection

Jesus has harsh, jarring words for the crowds traveling with him (notice that Luke does not write “following” him!): Whoever does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself cannot become my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple… None of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions.

In the midst of these shocking statements, Jesus makes analogies to a builder and a king who must first sit down and estimate the cost of the projects they are considering. What if they can’t start what they finish? If they conclude that there is no viable future in their plans, wouldn’t they be foolish to go through with them?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously wrote in his classic book The Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” (This is dated language; it applies to the ladies too.) The Greek phrase for all your possessions can also be translated all that you have, which underlines Bonhoeffer’s point. Following Jesus puts everything else at risk. Jesus illustrates this by claiming priority over the most important things in our lives: family, survival, all that we have.

Being a disciple is not the same as being a pastor, which is only one of many ways that disciples might be called to serve. But the sacrifices many pastors make can offer a window into how costly following Jesus can sometimes be. True discipleship demands total commitment. For most of us, and I strongly suspect at some point for all of us, the price is too high.

So what is the good news? As usual, it is not found in our accomplishments, but in God’s. In order to make peace with us, God pays the outrageous price of sending Jesus, who speaks these hard words on his journey to Jerusalem. Even his closest, most faithful disciples, who left their homes to follow him (Luke 18:28), fall away. Yet he still follows through—all the way to the cross. There, abandoned by his family, Jesus gives away all that he has, just like the foolish looking father in the parable he will tell next (Luke 15:11-32). There he loses everything, like the son in the same story, whose father welcomes him home in an impossible celebration that still continues, forever in heaven and around church altars every Sunday.

There is no “viable future” in following Jesus. There is resurrection.

Discussion Questions

What is most important to you? If Jesus asked you to give it up, would you be able to do so?
Have you ever sacrificed something important for something more important?
Are pastors expected to make bigger sacrifices than others? Should they be?
What is the difference between carrying a cross and bearing an unfair burden?
Name a disciple you admire. What has their faithfulness cost them? Was it worth it?

Activity Suggestions

Interview a seminarian or a pastor. Why are they making a career in ministry? How did God call them? What unique joys and challenges do they experience? Finish by praying for her or him.
Imagine an enormous project that would reshape your community. What would it actually cost in dollars, in time, and in energy to make it happen?
Do a scavenger hunt for crosses in a sanctuary, in a history museum, or in the world. Where do you find them? What meaning is implied by where and how they appear? What does the cross mean to you?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, your words are hard for us to swallow. Give us courage to keep following you when the path becomes difficult, the cross becomes heavy, and the cost feels too high. Give us good leaders to help us on the way, and make us good leaders for others. Forgive us when we falter, protect us from despair, and keep shepherding us to, and through, and beyond the cross to Easter joy. Amen

October 6, 2019–A Little More

September 29, 2019–Sharing is Caring

September 22, 2019–Can’t Do It Alone

September 15, 2019–Pain in Losing, Joy in Finding

September 8, 2019–Count the Cost