John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Have you ever attended or participated in a wedding?  Which elements of the wedding were the most memorable?

Taking Marriage Seriously

Have you ever heard someone say, “50% of all marriages end in divorce?”  While that statement is frequently made in discussions about marriage and relationships, the research today on marriage suggests that this widely accepted statement isn’t true.  According to University of Maryland sociology professor Philip Cohen, divorce rates have dropped by 8% from 2008 to 2016 driven primarily by a declining divorce rate among millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996).

“The change among young people is particularly striking,” Susan Brown, a sociology professor at Bowling Green State University, said of Cohen’s results. “The characteristics of young married couples today signal a sustained decline [in divorce rates] in the coming years.”

In fact, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control, between 2006–2010, the probability of a first marriage lasting at least 10 years was 68% for women and 70% for men. While broken relationships and divorce are still a painful part of life in the world, statistics suggest that for those choosing to get married in 2018, the chance of divorce is far lower than it was 40 years ago.

Discussion Questions

• Statistics and data can be interpreted in a variety of ways. How often to you factcheck statements you see online like “50% of all marriages end in divorce”?  What sources of information do trust?
• Are you surprised to hear that divorce rates are declining among millennials? Why or why not?

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

(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

After hearing Jesus teaching in Mark 10:2-16, it’s safe to say that Jesus isn’t afraid to address controversial topics.  Instead of giving a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to the question of the legality of divorce, Jesus uses the question to offer a much broader teaching which addresses the brokenness and sin in the world and reminds us of God’s desire for people to live in healthy relationship with one another.

Whenever the word ‘divorce’ enters into a conversation, particularly a religious conversation, some people are instantly transported to a place of personal pain or strong emotions.  Some people will no doubt hear Jesus’ words as a condemnation of their actions while others will hear his words as support for their personal beliefs.  Jesus’ conversation with the disciples and Pharisees, however, is less focused on answering the Pharisees’ question and more focused on lifting up God’s desire for God’s people to live in a healthy, lasting relationship with one another.

Look carefully at how Jesus responds to the question posed by the Pharisees.  They ask, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”  Instead of answering ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ Jesus acknowledges the tradition and current practice and then expands the conversation to a discussion of a healthy relationships.  Divorce, the official ending of a relationship, Jesus acknowledged, was permitted by Moses, because of the hardness of the human heart.  In a perfect world, once two people are joined together in marriage, nothing would be able to separate them, but sadly, we know that some relationships are irreparably harmed by the choices individuals make.  Because of the sinfulness and brokenness that exists in our imperfect world, divorce happens. It happened in Jesus’ time and it happens today, but divorce it is not the desired outcome of a relationship.

God’s desire is that God’s people will live in healthy relationship with one another.  God’s desire is that when two people choose to marry then nothing will be able to divide them.  God’s desire is that God’s people would know the joy of having healthy, loving relationships in their lives.  By not simply answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the Pharisees’ question about divorce, Jesus invites us to recognize the complexity of human relationships and to consider not simply what is legal, but how we can participate in the whole, healthy life that God desires for all God’s people.

Discussion Questions

• Share the characteristics or practices you feel contribute to a good marriage or healthy relationship.
• Divorce is a painful and difficult experience for many people. How could you share God’s love and support with someone whose parents are divorcing?
• Where do you go to find answers to the difficult questions you face in life? How might scripture or faith help you find answers to those questions?

Activity Suggestions

Interview a couple that has been married for 40 years or more.  Ask them to teach you the characteristics of a good marriage/relationship.

Identify and share with your group memes or emojis that might be shared in a healthy, loving relationship.

Closing Prayer

Abundant God, your love for us is unbreakable.  Give strength and support to those dealing with the pain of divorce and help us all to build whole, healthy relationships in our lives.  May your love for us be reflected in the way we treat others.  Amen.

Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA

Warm-up Question

What is your congregation or community doing to help the poor?

Priority of the Poor

In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) launched the Poor People’s Campaign, a multiracial effort to address the causes of poverty in America and achieve economic justice. Dr. King was in Memphis, Tennessee to support the sanitation workers strike – a major element of the campaign – when he was assassinated in April of that year.

The campaign continued after his death, advocating an Economic Bill of Rights, eventually erecting Resurrection City, a shantytown where thousands of people lived on the National Mall in Washington, DC while demanding economic justice. Resurrection City lasted six weeks. The campaign did not achieve adoption of the Economic Bill of Rights, but did result in some lesser victories such as additional funds for free and reduced school lunch programs and Head Start.

Fifty years later, Rev. William J. Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis have launched a new nationwide effort called The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. (You can learn more by visiting their website here.) The new campaign’s website calls out the “distorted moral narrative” that perpetuates systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, and militarism.

Earlier this year, the campaign held rallies and organized groups of supporters in communities across the country, believing that many of the solutions can be achieved locally. More recently, the campaign has added a focus on voter registration. The founders are committed to non-violent action to finally achieve Dr. King’s vision. Like the original, this new campaign is a multi-faith, multi-racial effort.

Discussion Questions

• King, Barber and Theoharis are all ministers. Do you believe it is appropriate for religious leaders to engage in local and national politics?
• What does your faith suggest can or should be done to end poverty and economic injustice?
• Our nation’s leaders have historically been overwhelmingly Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, more members of the current Congress consider themselves Christian (91%) than do American’s as a whole (71% of US adults). Serving the poor is such an important part of Jesus’ ministry, why do you think it is so difficult for Christians to make more progress on alleviating poverty?
• Can Christians disagree about how to solve the problems of the poor and still remain faithful?

Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost

(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 disciples were surely special people. They were chosen with care to provide important support to Jesus’ ministry, and were essential to spreading the gospel after his ascension. Today’s scripture suggests that, at times, they are a little too impressed by just how special they are. In verses 33-37, the disciples confess they’ve been discussing who among them is the greatest.

Jesus calls the disciples to focus on what’s really important – doing the Lord’s work. And he reminds them that others, even some unlikely individuals, have a part in God’s plan. Casting out demons in Jesus’ name will be rewarded, even if you’re not a follower.

He also warns that even followers can commit errors that cause them and others – like children – to go astray. But it’s not just children who can stumble, and Jesus goes on to encourage the disciples to be ruthless in rooting out anything in their own lives that might distract them from fulfilling God’s purpose.

The language is harsh, but it’s balanced by a message of comfort. Because it’s clear that a necessary part of doing the Lord’s work is caring for his people (v. 41), it is a particular joy to be part of a Christian community where we are blessed to offer and receive support and comfort in Jesus’ name.

Discussion Questions

• What are some modern equivalents of those who cast out demons in Jesus’ name, but are not followers?
• If even those who do not follow Jesus will receive their reward, what is the value of belonging to the community of followers? Are we special?
• Hand. Foot. Eye. Why do you think Jesus chose these particular body parts?
• What does Jesus’ caution mean to you? What are some of the ways a hand, foot, eye – or something else – might cause you to fall?

Activity Suggestions

Today’s Gospel is a warning about the ways our bodies, and other parts of our lives, can distract us from God’s plan and lead us astray. Now, though, focus on ways these same things can be part of serving our divine purpose:

• List a hand, foot and eye in your life and, for each, list a way you can use it to act on your faith in the next week.
• Share this list with the group.
• Next week, begin your time together by sharing the results of putting these plans into action.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you every day for this community of faith. Help us always to share your love with each other, and as important, with those outside our community. Deliver us from evil, Lord, and make us ever diligent so that our hands, feet and eyes do not lead us astray, but are instruments we use to serve you. We delight to do you will; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bob Chell, Sioux Falls, SD

 Warm-up Question

Talk about a time you saw someone in a group you were part of exercise leadership in a surprising and positive way.

Failing Up

In a post on the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) website, Colleen Wearn ponders whether we are raising a generation of students who are tremendously accomplished but terrified of failure.  In contrast to orchestrating student’s success from day one (and thus making it difficult for them to deal with failure down the line), she suggests that we would do better to encourage students to adopt a mindset around the paradigm of “try, fail, repeat.”  She says, “We need to let go of the urge to ensure their success, and instead create more opportunities for them to take on real challenges, with real possibility of failure.”

NOLS trains leaders along this model. It’s interesting that this non- religious group is utilizing the leadership method Jesus advocates when he says, “the last shall be first” or “pick up your cross and follow me.”

Discussion Questions

• If you were a part of this hike how would you feel about the NOLS leader when you arrived at the Swedish border? How about when you arrived at camp at midnight?
• How do you know when to let people fail when you are a leader?
• When has failing taught you a great life lesson?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

(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

What does it mean to follow Jesus, to take seriously what he says about taking up a cross, loving one’s neighbor, being the servant of all? This is the question Christians have been asking since the beginning.

The early Christians were a squabbling group of folks! As they struggled to determine and discern just what it meant to follow Jesus: Did men need to be circumcised?  Could Christians eat pork or were they to keep Kosher and follow the Jewish dietary laws? Could Gentiles, non-Jews become Christ followers?

The book of Acts, which tells the story of the early church, is pretty much one big dysfunctional church fight. In its earliest days Christians sometimes worried more  about who’s in the kingdom and who’s out of the kingdom than what it means to follow Jesus day by day.

That’s not much different than today, when Christians argue among themselves about whether we should be baptized as children,  what faith says about sexuality and gender issues, when life begins, who can be a pastor, or which political candidate aligns with Christian values.

Focusing on these questions or the behavior of other’s allows us to avoid the things Jesus asked us to do; exhibit leadership by service to others.  It is easy to focus on sin,  particularly somebody else’s, when the sad truth is that none of us have done it all right. Jesus told the disciples they must lose their lives to find them and pick up their cross to follow him.

Now, having just heard that, the disciples are squabbling about who’s best. It isn’t until the end of the gospel story, when Jesus is crucified and then raised from the dead, that the disciples begin to understand what Jesus was telling them all along.

What they thought was the end was really the beginning. They finally began to understand who Jesus was, who they were, and what they were to do with the rest of their lives.

This is a place we know—when the bottom has dropped out, when our lives are a mess, when our faith is wavering and our hope is diminishing. From the first birthday party we weren’t invited to, through Mom and Dad’s arguing voices as we tried to go to sleep, to our own fears and failures in relationships, the classroom, and other competitions.  We’ve all experienced the deep pain of failure, whether it was our parent’s divorce, humiliation in athletic competition or failing grades.

Sometimes what we perceive as terrible endings are really new beginnings. Not wonderful beginnings, or exciting beginnings. In the news story for today the new beginning was born out of deep exhaustion. For the disciples it meant persecution and even death.

Jesus didn’t ask his disciples to quit sinning but to follow him.  He asks the same of us.

It isn’t a failing grade, defeat or divorce which prevent us moving forward. It’s the grief and guilt, the anger and resentment, the what ifs and the woulda, coulda, shoulda questions that lead us into despair.

Jesus is much more interested in what lies in your future than your past. And he promises to walk with you every step of the way, to meet you at the border when you’re five miles deep into the wrong direction.  And when our life’s journey is over we’ll learn again that what we perceive as an ending is actually the great beginning of what God has in store for us.

Discussion Questions

• Can you think of someone in the Bible who failed before they succeeded?
• Tell about a time you witnessed someone leading by serving.
• Can you think of anyone in the Bible who did not fail before they succeeded?
• What does it mean to you, and to your life, that it’s so much easier to find examples of failed leaders in the Bible?

Activity Suggestions

Think about a time in your life from the past when you were depressed or despondent. Did God meet you there? How did you get through that time? Was God part of the healing? If so, how? Share a part of your story with others in the group if you want to.

Talk, as a group, about why it is so difficult to discern God’s presence in our lives in those places we are currently struggling. Is this normal?

What does faith look like when our world is falling apart?

Closing Prayer

God, you know our deepest fears, our great regrets and how lost we sometimes feel. Help us to feel your presence in our hearts and not just in our heads. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Give us confidence and courage when we are lost and guide us through the pain back to your promises. We pray in Jesus name.  Amen.

Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

Have you ever had to give up something to practice your faith? If so, what was it? What is the most significant thing you can imagine being willing to give up for your faith?

Give it Up?

The Chinese government under President Xi Jinping has intensified pressure on Christians this year, demolishing hundreds of large and small Christian church buildings without notice to church caretakers, seizing Bibles, and removing crosses from buildings. In Beijing, 47 places of worship released a joint statement that they had faced “unprecedented” harassment since February, and some Christians have begun to hold their services in secret rather than in church buildings or known house churches, many of which have been shut down by local governments across China.

Some areas have banned Communist Party members and children from attending services, and one township has even encouraged Christians to remove posters of Jesus and replace them with portraits of Xi. One pastor said that hundreds of his church’s members were questioned individually about their faith. Others said their churches were raided or watched by surveillance, and members were interrogated by government officials.

Muslim places of worship have also had their crescents removed, and the Chinese government declared that Buddhist monks in Tibet could not reincarnate unless they had permission from the government before they died.

China is estimated to have 67 million Christians, and that number is expected to become the largest Christian population of any nation in the next few years. Religious freedom was written into the Chinese constitution in 1982, but various government administrations have used rules about development rights and patriotism to restrict those freedoms since then.

Xi’s current campaign seeks to merge Christianity and other religions with “Chinese characteristics” like loyalty to the Communist Party and to weaken suspected ties with the West.  International Christian Concern, a watchdog group, has criticized China for cracking down on churches. “Despite their best efforts to intimidate the Church with actions like this, the government cannot destroy the faith and resilience of Chinese Christians.”

Discussion Questions

• What aspects of Christianity do you think most threaten a communist government? Why is Christianity not compatible with a totalitarian form of government?
• What other consequences do you think Chinese Christians might face for practicing their faith openly?
• How does practicing their faith in secret square up against Paul’s words in Romans 13 about submitting to governing authorities? Do you think it is ever okay biblically to break the laws of your nation?
• How might American Christians support their brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted around the world? (One idea is below)

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 50:4-9a

James 3:1-12

Mark 8:27-38

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

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

Gospel Reflection

This passage gives the disciples some bitter pills to swallow. Their beloved leader tells them he’s going to suffer and die in humiliating fashion. Then he says they should do the same if they really want to follow him. Don’t think for a second that your reaction would be much different than Peter’s when he tries to tell Jesus not to say things like that. Just about anyone would try to reassure Jesus that it can’t be all that bad.

In our American society, where any restriction of religious freedom is likely to come from peer pressure rather than from laws or governmental actions, it’s easy to forget that other countries don’t have nearly the same freedom to follow their Savior that we do.

Just as Jesus faced persecution and death for telling people how to know God, his disciples who took up the call to share the good news were also persecuted, and many of them were martyred for their refusal to give up their faith.

That persecution has caused Christians to suffer in some parts of the world ever since. We do not have to worry about much more than people making fun of our faith or, in rare cases, not wanting to associate with us because we are Christians. But we need to remember and pray for those who face the very real possibility that their church may not be standing tomorrow, or that they may be put in jail, tortured, or killed for their Christian faith.

But even though we don’t face terrible persecution, Jesus makes it clear that he asks us in some way to “deny” ourselves and take up a cross of suffering in order to follow him. That may not be a message churches preach too often, but it is a reality of our faith when we pursue it as God wants us to.

Chinese Christians know well what it is all too easy to forget in America: this life, our earthly existence, is not all there is, and our physical body in this physical world is not the most important part of our reality. If we don’t nurture our souls—and denying ourselves to follow Jesus is one part of doing that—we miss out on something Jesus considers essential to our lives.

It is significant that Jesus doesn’t ask us to do anything that he did not do himself. When we do take up our cross, we are following him and living as he lived, which often involves serving others the way he served us. He asks us to do so because it helps us know him better and because we can help others know him through these experiences as well.

And whatever suffering we face for Jesus, as he promises in Matthew 28.we can be sure that he is with us always.

Discussion Questions

• How do these verses impact your desire to practice your faith? Does the fear of suffering make you unsure about following Jesus, or does the possibility of adversity motivate you to strengthen your faith?
• What would your reaction be if you woke up tomorrow and your church had been destroyed?
• What do you think would have to change for America to restrict religious freedom? Do you think that could ever happen?
• Does knowing that Jesus will be with you in times of suffering make a difference in your willingness

Activity Suggestions

Open Doors USA has a form on their site which allows you to write a letter of encouragement to a persecuted Christian somewhere in the world. Your group can write individual letters, work in small groups, or draft a letter from the group as a whole that the group leader can submit online or mail to the address on the site. Other organizations like Voice of the Martyrs also encourage letter-writing to those being persecuted.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord, We pray for all those Christians who face real and terrible consequences for their faith. Please give them your peace as they face turmoil and danger because of their trust in you. Above all, give them and us the joy of knowing you are with us when we suffer in any way because of our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Herb Wounded Head, Brooking, SD

Warm-up Questions

• When’s the last time you had a disagreement? How did you resolve your disagreement, if at all?
• How does it feel when you have a disagreement with someone you respect?

Maverick

This past week, one of the United States’ long time Senators, John McCain passed away. He was an Arizona congressman for over 30 years until his death. He was also a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for 5 1/2 years and experienced torture and wounds that left him with lifelong disabilities.

John McCain has been termed a “maverick” by his peers. He often took stances that were in disagreement with the Republican Party to which he belonged. But he was also a staunch conservative known for taking hard stances on issues in opposition to the Democratic Party as well. McCain was someone who would also change his mind, which, in this day and age, seems a rare trait. Not that you don’t want to stand by your principles, but in the realm of politics, it’s important to be able to find consensus and understanding in order to get things accomplished.

McCain was known as a hard fighter in his personal and professional life, but he was also a man on principle and integrity. Read the following article to get a glimpse of the man who prepared for his own funeral by asking some of his former opponents in the political arena to eulogize him.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/28/politics/john-mccain-barack-obama-george-bush-memorial-service/index.html

Steve Duprey, a longtime friend and advisor to the senator, says McCain is “an example to America that differences in political views and contests shouldn’t be so important that we lose our common bonds and the civility that is, or used to be, a hallmark of American democracy…”

Discussion Questions

• How can we strengthen our bonds in a time when we, as a society, are so polarized in our differences?
• How can we bring healing and civility to our national conversations?

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 35:4-7a

James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17

Mark 7:24-37

(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

There are two healing stories in this Gospel reading. In the first Jesus heals a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter who is possessed by a demon. In the second Jesus heals a deaf man who had a speech impediment. We will focus our attention to the first healing story.

Jesus’ initial treatment of the woman is a bit jarring, as he compares her to dogs which sit under the table to eat the children’s crumbs. It’s important to note that this isn’t a family dog to which Jesus is referring. The term was usually used as an insult toward those regarded as less than worthy. The woman is a Gentile, an outsider who comes to Jesus’ feet and begs for Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus treats her as such, as an outsider, an “other” who has no business being there.

One would expect the woman to walk away—hurt, insulted and cast away by Jesus. But she does something remarkable. She uses Jesus’ insult as a way to turn the Lord’s favor to her direction. “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” In a sense, she uses the insult against her as a way to engage the challenge posed by Jesus. She has confidence in what the Lord can do and poses a challenge back to Jesus that sets herself on equal ground with those whom Jesus is with in the house. Jesus is moved by her argument, changes his mind and heals the woman’s daughter.

There are two barriers broken here:  The first, that she is a woman. The second, that she is a Gentile. The miracle overcomes prejudice and boundaries that separate Jesus and the woman.

Discussion Questions

• How do you overcome prejudices that people have about you?
• How do you overcome prejudices that you have about others?
• In what ways can we all heal our nation by treating each other as being on equal ground?

Activity Suggestions

As this may be one of your first meetings as a group this year, and there may be some new members among the group, it would be a good time to do the icebreaker, “Two truths and a lie.” Have everyone go around the group and share their name, and three things about themselves with one of the things being untrue. Have the group vote on which of the things is a lie. This will help the group learn a little bit about each other as well as break down prejudices of what we think we know about one another.

Closing Prayer

God of surprises, we are much quicker to limit your care than you are to offer it.  You push us to expand the boundaries of our community and welcome those with whom we feel we have little in common.  Make us bold to stand against division and quick to seek reconciliation.  We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.