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.

Brian Hiortdahl, Overland Park, KS

Warm-up Question

What is inside you?

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Scientists at MIT have developed a prototype “GPS” for locating things inside the human body with a marker that can be swallowed instead of surgically implanted.  It is hoped that this technology can eventually be refined to a level of accuracy which can be used reliably to detect tumors and inform cancer treatments:

www.cnet.com/news/scientists-have-developed-a-gps-system-that-can-track-inside-the-human-body/

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think is it easier for us to locate and track items and movements outside the human body than inside it?
• What are the potential benefits and potential drawbacks of this technology?
• If there were a GPS inside you to map your thoughts and feelings, whom would you trust to use it?

Fifteenth 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 Pharisees worked hard to transform the ordinary into the sacred, to make everything in daily life holy and acceptable to God.  This involved rituals to change “unclean” into “clean” and common into special.  One of many ways they did this was with carefully prescribed washings of utensils and hands before eating, which was only to be shared with others who were faithful enough to eat only “clean” foods prepared and served in “clean” vessels.  At its best, this practice was a careful way of honoring God; at its worst, it divided people, diminishing some while making others feel superior.  Jesus sees and names a sad hypocrisy beneath the shiny exterior of this practice.  Clean hands don’t excuse dirty hearts.

As usual, Jesus turns everyone’s thinking inside out:  Listen to me, all of you, and understand:  there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.  The real threats to our relationship status with God aren’t germs or forbidden foods or other people’s opinions or anything else outside of us; the real threats are the sins festering in the heart that leak out of us in unholy words and actions.  (Jesus pushes this so far with his disciples that some verses are omitted from polite worship…read and visualize verses 18 & 19!)  Washing the dishes properly to be right with God is like trying to fight cancer by wearing nicer clothes—or like trying to improve my own life by controlling someone else’s behavior.  It’s not really getting at the problem.

Centuries before this gospel episode, God told Samuel:  the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart (1 Samuel  16:7). That’s where Jesus is focused.  And as the scientists at MIT can tell you, it is much easier to track and treat things outside the human body than inside it.

But remember the good news from recent readings in John 6!  We already have an ingestible treatment for the diseases of the human heart – the flesh and blood of Christ in the common looking bread and wine of Holy Communion.  Through our mouths (and also ears), God gets inside us to diagnose and overcome the real threats to our well-being.  Jesus turns what everyone assumed completely inside out:  we are most threatened by what is inside coming out, and we are healed and saved by what is outside going in.

Discussion Questions

• Discuss this quote from Jaroslav Pelikan: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead.  Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”
• What religious traditions or practices draw you closer to God?   Which ones get in the way?
• Identify some well-intentioned ideas that end up separating and hurting people.
• Where do you see hypocrisy in yourself?

Activity Suggestions

• Spend time in silent prayer as a group, with each person quietly examining her/his own heart.  Silently invite Jesus to heal and cleanse specific things inside you.
• Invite a medical professional to talk about new technologies and how they can either bless or backfire.  Are there parallels in church life?
• As a group, identify one Christian practice that annoys you or seems stupid.  Research and learn about how it started and the good intentions originally behind it.
• Write a thank you note to the people in your church who prepare Communion – and always in clean cups

Closing Prayer

Wise and loving Jesus, enter our hearts and minds and bloodstreams.  Heal what is unhealthy, cleanse what is dirty, remove what is harmful, mend what is broken, and strengthen all that is good, so that what comes out of us in words and actions is your love and grace.  Amen

Don’t panic!  Faith Lens is only on a hiatus during the summer.  The next Faith Lens will be posted on August 28 for Sunday, September 2.

Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

Warm-up Question

• When it comes to your faith, who have been some of the most important people in your life?
• What about them has made such a difference?

How Do You Know?

In 1651 a London tailor named John Reeve, claiming to have received a special message from God, started a small Protestant sect along with his cousin and group spokesman, Lodowicke Muggleton.  They were known as the Muggletonians, and a recent online article from National Geographic outlines how this staunchly anti-scientific group mapped the cosmos.

Against all evidence to the contrary, the Muggletonians insisted that the Earth was the center of the universe around which the sun, moon, planets and stars revolve. They based their views on a literal reading of the Bible, and yet now, thanks to the knowledge we have gained through scientific inquiry and space-age technology, we have a vastly different, more accurate picture of the universe.  Among other things, this story highlights what remains a lively debate between faith and science, especially when it comes to the question, how do we “know” what is real and true.

Discussion Questions

• How does science help us to know about our world?  What sorts of questions do you think are best answered by a scientific approach?
• What kinds of questions are best answered by faith and Scripture?
• Do you think one of these approaches is more true than the other? Why or why not?
• How do we come to really know another person? Is the “data” about them (height, weight, eye color, ethnic background, etc.) enough?
• How, do you think, we really come to know who God is?

The Holy Trinity/First 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

Sometimes it is easy to forget that there is more to the third chapter of John than verse 16.  Few verses are as well known or have such wide appeal, and that can make it difficult to really “hear” the rest of this reading, because, like gravity, John 3:16 pulls us forward.  Yet, this week is Holy Trinity Sunday, so what might this passage say to us about who God is?

For starters, it is helpful to begin “in the beginning” with the Prologue to John’s gospel account.  Just as John 3:16 is a summary of the “good news,” the first 18 verses in chapter 1 are John’s summary of what is about to unfold.  Here it is, for instance, that we hear of the living Word who existed with God before even time.  “All things came into being through him,” John says.  This Word then “became flesh and lived among us” in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  He is, as John tells us, “God the only Son” who is close to the Father’s heart, and who makes the Father known.

Having the Prologue in view, we are ready to listen to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3.  Nicodemus, a Pharisee and Jewish leader, comes to Jesus secretly one night seeking greater understanding of who Jesus is and what he is about.  “Rabbi,” he says, “we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”  The great irony here is that Jesus has indeed “come from God,” but in a way that transcends what Nicodemus has in mind.

Likewise, Jesus’ response to Nicodemus goes beyond his expectations.  What emerges is a glimpse of the role of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, in the double-sided new birth of baptism.  For baptism both brings us into the visible community of Jesus’ followers and is the means through which we receive the new life of the Spirit welling.  As Jesus explains to Nicodemus, without being born from above (or born anew), one cannot even see God’s kingdom, let alone get into it.

What’s more, it isn’t simply that this gift of new birth is being poured out upon one group of people – it isn’t just for the children of Israel, for example.  “The wind (or the Spirit) blows where it chooses,” Jesus says in verse 8. You cannot lock the Holy Spirit up.  As last week’s celebration of Pentecost, and indeed the whole book of Acts, demonstrates, no one human family, tribe, organization, or nation can contain the Holy Spirit; the Spirit moves and works faith where and when the Spirit wills.

Finally, to Nicodemus’ continued puzzlement, Jesus returns to the question of who he truly is and how he knows these things he is talking about.  Here again, John 1:1-2 and 1:18 are in the background.  Pointing Nicodemus back to the story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:1-9, Jesus then points him forward to the cross.  The cross, an instrument of torture and death, will become both the greatest display of the Father’s love for the world, and the means by which the Son will bring the world, and us, salvation and new life.

It is important to remember that, historically, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity did not take shape as the result of logical deductions about an esoteric, abstract truth.  Rather, our faith in a triune God is rooted in the concrete experience of a God who loves and heals us in a triune way. Christians come to “know” God as Trinity in the relational experience of how God is for us.  This week we get a glimpse of this as the work of the whole Trinity is displayed in John 3:  God the Father, Creator of all, sends the Son into the world. Jesus, the Son of God and Redeemer, is lifted up on the cross for the sake of the world. The Spirit of God, the Sanctifier, blows through our lives bringing new life.

Discussion Questions

• When you hear “the Holy Trinity,” what do you think of? How would you explain the Trinity to a friend? How has the Trinity been explained to you?
• When it comes to trying to understand the Trinity, do you think “mystery” is a helpful idea? Mystery as in, “The Trinity is something we cannot fully understand and we are okay with that.” Are you comfortable with mystery? Why or why not?
• Look over Martin Luther’s explanation of the Apostles’ Creed in the Small Catechism. Make a list of the ways in which God is “for us” as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. How does this help us to know the Triune God better?

Activity Suggestion

Watch the short video, “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies.” You can find it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw     Do any of the analogies that you’ve heard before appear in this clip?  How can making God “understandable” through seemingly helpful images and analogies sometimes lead to unintended consequences?  As the clip makes clear, every analogy has limits, is the definition which Patrick gives at the end of the clip better?  Why or why not?

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving Trinity, through water and the Holy Spirit, you name us and claim us and make us your own.  Thank you for the gift of new life and for the invitation to experience that life in the community of your church.  In your love, call deeply to our hearts.  Guide our thoughts and our understanding that we may come to know and love you as you reveal yourself to be, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen.