Ellen Rothweiller, Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

• How do you prepare for something? For school? For a test? For a big game or music competition?
• How do you prepare for the unknown? For the future that you know will come, but hasn’t?

Be Prepared…but for what?

We spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about the future, and we all prepare for the unknown in different ways. Some are excited and motivated by the possibility of what the future brings. Others are paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and don’t know how or what to plan for.  As students, as early as sixth grade, you are encouraged to consider what you will do after you graduate high school. Threats and fear are thrown at you about what will happen if you don’t have a plan, are not prepared for the future that will come.

Some seize the opportunity of the unknown and use if for their own personal gain, preying on those who are more cautious and pushing their own hopes and agendas for the future. This can be a relief for those of us who are reluctant to plan; we are glad that someone has a vision and is taking steps to realize it. But, what if this supposed future ends up not to be? What if life happens and the dream is not realized or the vision given to us is not in our best interest? How do we know whose prediction of the unknown future to listen to?

In the Disney movie The Lion King, Scar lays out a hopeful future for the hyenas in the song “Be Prepared”

If you have seen the film, you know that the temporary rise to power of Scar and the hyenas is short-lived. Scar’s dream of being king  ends in death and disappointment. Simba, who is the heir to the throne, becomes a pawn in Scar’s plan and in the process denies his own future. In this story, and in many stories, a plan is not enough but a lack of planning does not always pan out either.

Discussion Questions

• Are you excited by or afraid of what the future brings?
• Are you a planner or a wait and see type of person?
• Whose advice do you listen to when attempting to plan for the future?
• How do you know when that advice is not right for you and your life?

First Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 64:1-9

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Mark 13:24-37

(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

In  Matthew 13:32-37, we read about the importance of being watchful and keeping awake. It also says that we do not know when Jesus, the Son of Man will come: only the Father knows when that day will come. Verses 24-27 speak of a darkened moon, falling stars and the powers and the heavens being shaken as a part of this coming. This is some serious stuff, mysterious and scary! Some Christians would link this passage with the “end times”, giving a check list of ways to secure your salvation as a way of preparing for these things.

As Lutherans we believe that in the death and resurrection of Christ our salvation is secure so there is nothing that we need to do, no check list of things to complete. So with this confidence, how do we heed this word of watchfulness and “keep awake”, and yet not let our fear of the unknown overcome us? As Simba learned in The Lion King, we cannot avoid or run from who we are, and who we are as Christians is baptized Children of God called to new life in Christ, freed from sin to love and serve others. So, perhaps the way that we as Christians can be prepared is to live and love freely. That can be the plan that we can count on and the plan that succeeds when all other plans fail.

Discussion Questions

• Do you feel that your faith prepares you for the future? How?
• Have you ever heard Christians speak of “end times”? What did they say?

Activity Suggestions

Do a Google search for “end times” and see what other religious organizations have to say about how you can prepare for this. Consider how this compares to our Lutheran approach to this subject. Invite you Pastor to be a part of this conversation.

Closing Prayer

O Lord, in life we have many pressures to plan ahead and be ready for the future. Sometimes we fail. We forget things, we fail to do things, and we miss opportunities. Sometimes we plan and then life happens and things do not turn out how we planned. Give us the courage to remember who we are in you in the midst of all the pressure and planning. Give us peace. Amen.

Chris Heavner, Clemson, SC

Warm-up Question

Do you ever find yourself doing something a particular way and not really knowing why?  (Like putting on one sock and then one shoe rather than putting on both socks then both shoes.)  Athletes work to develop muscle memory.  Is it possible to develop human interaction memory?

Doing What Comes Naturally

The Jewish observance of Seder involves the young participants asking a series of questions.  One of these is “We normally eat standing up.  Why do we do eat this meal lying down?”  (The practice of lying down is to remind us of God’s protection and thus our ability to be at leisure.)  This instructional tool allows the elders to explain actions and their origins.

Each of us has automatic responses to situations which come up with some regularity.  We may (or may not) always take time to consider our response and how it has developed over time.

What is our programed response when we see a homeless person?  Do we have muscle memory which causes our feet to move us away from persons extending a beggar’s cup?

Pastors in my home Synod applauded the presenter at our conference, but shied away from his request for us to share stories about our visits to persons in prison.

The world teaches us many lessons which are antithetical to the message of Jesus.  Jesus was more concerned with caring for the other than with self-protection.

Discussion Questions

• How would you characterize your own “muscle memory” when it comes to interactions with the hungry, the homeless, those in prison?
• Let’s make it very clear that “muscle memory” needs to be in place to protect the innocent from exploitation and abuse.  There is no excuse for emotional, physical, or sexual abuse!  How do we make sure that we don’t over-react?  Have we allowed the need for personal safety to justify our turning a blind eye to the needs of others?
• Caring for those naked or thirsty is a task which also falls to the systems and structures of our society.  What might Christians say to policy makers about availability of health care and/or protecting our sources of drinking water?

Christ the King Sunday

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Ephesians 1:15-23

Matthew 25:31-46

(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 context for this passage is important.  For several chapters, Jesus has been engaged in a discussion with or about those who occupy positions of leadership among the faithful.  The scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees – all had come or sent their lackeys in an attempt to discredit Jesus and trap him in his words.  No attempt had worked.  Jesus consistently returns to the truth of God’s word and the claim God’s grace has upon our lives. When Jesus finishes this exchange, Matthew’s gospel moves to the Passion Story.

Matthew 25:31-46 serves as the closing to a message which began with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  “Blessed” are those whose natural reaction is to do what Jesus has done.

Too often, this story is dissected as a means of determining whether one is a sheep or a goat.  There is certainly this undertone to the exchange.  The part of the story to which we might give greater attention is that members of neither group were aware of their action or inactivity.  They were just doing what came naturally.  To one group, it was muscle memory to help and to care for others.  The other group had taken to heart lessons about self-advancement or self-protection.

We miss the opportunity to grow in our discipleship when we use the examples Jesus lifts up as a way of deciding who is the saved and who is the damned, who are the blessed and who are the cursed.  This story presents us with the opportunity to examine what resides in our hearts and gives rise to what we do with our hands.

Discussion Questions

• These are the appointed lessons for Christ the King Sunday.  What does it mean, to label as our “king” the Christ whose concern repeatedly returns to those who live along the margins of our society?
• Can you share an exchange between yourself and someone who was hungry/thirst/naked/in prison?
• How do we set and enforce prohibitions against abuse and exploitation, while avoiding being so fearful of others that we close our lives and shut our eyes to the needs of others?

Activity Suggestions

• Develop an elevator speech (this is a 45 second script which you rehearse) which can be used the next time you encounter someone asking you for money or food.  Give your “speech” to another member of your group, and allow them to critique.
• Ask your pastor if they have ever visited someone in prison.  Take a simple survey of five church members, asking if they know anyone who is in prison.
• Talk to an athlete about muscle memory and discuss whether it might be possible to alter our social responses by practicing and rehearing different responses.

Closing Prayer

Giving and loving God; open our eyes to the ways we interact with others and to the motivations which lie behind our actions.  Help us to see and to care for the lost and forsaken, the abandoned and abused. Amen.

Faith Lens

Warm-up Question

What is the riskiest thing you did last week, something that could have cost you time, money, or health.

Risk and Trust

The stock market has been booming of late.  That has a lot of people excited, but analysts remind us that what goes up will ultimately come down.  Investments in the market have potential to make great gains–or lose a lot of their value overnight.  Generally speaking, riskier investments have the potential for a higher payoff.  Safer investments are less likely to lose their value, but they seldom create vast fortunes.

Some wonder why you should even be in the market.  If you want safety, why not put your money in the proverbial mattress?  Not investing has its own risks.  If inflation is running at 2.2% (the rate for the past twelve months) and you are not making any interest, you are losing buying power.

Whether and how you invest in the market is driven by your “risk tolerance.”  Some people get very anxious at the prospect of losing any money at all, and they are happy with modest, but steady returns.  Others like to roll the dice and see if they can score big gains, living with possibility that they will see big ups and down over the short run.

Discussion Questions

• Do you have any money invested (perhaps in a college fund, mutual fund, or money market account)?  How closely do you watch how it is doing?
• If someone gave you $1000 with the condition that it had to be invested in the market, would you look for safe, less potentially lucrative investments or would you opt for riskier investments with a bigger potential for quick, large gains?  Why?
• What might allow someone to make a risky investment without feeling too anxious?

Twenty-fourth 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

I’ve always thought this would be a much better story if the first two servants had lost their shirts.  A man goes on a journey, but before he leaves he entrusts some of his wealth to three slaves (or servants).  One gets five talents (a unit of gold or silver), one gets three, and the last servant gets one.   The first two slaves double their investment and–surprise, surprise–get a rousing affirmation from their master.  The third slave, who just returns his master’s investment intact is called lazy and wicked.  The key question is this:  What is the master affirming, the success of the first two slaves or their willingness to risk?  I think it is their willingness to risk, and indirectly the trust in their master which made them willing to go out on limb.  That is why it might be a better story if the first two had not been so insanely successful; then it would be clearer what Jesus values.

Few parables have been more abused than this one.  It has been the proof text for many “slot machine” theologies:  put in your coin and God guarantees riches.  But when you look closely you realize that the first two servants are just the set up, not the focus of story.  The focus of the story (and thus Jesus’ concern) is the poor fellow who was so paralyzed by his fear that he did not dare to do much of anything.

The tragedy of the story is that the one-talent man assumes his master is harsh and unreasonable–too often exactly the image many have of God.  But the story itself belies that assumption.  A talent was a tremendous amount of money, and the master entrusted it to this fellow.  True, he did not give him as much as the others, but maybe that is because he was not as competent.  Yet, there is no suggestion that the master expected him to do anything more than take a risk with what he has been given.  It is not his lack of success but his refusal to dare which brings his master’s wrath.

The gospel is not a magic amulet which guarantees that life will be smooth as we attempt to follow the way of Jesus.  There is genuine risk that we will be misunderstood, thought a little crazy, or put in the position of standing alone against a crowd.  Sometimes it may well look like we have failed.  God can live with that.  What is much more unfortunate is letting our fears keep us from bearing witness to the way of Jesus.  Whether we are entrusted with five talents or just one, the invitation is the same:  live boldly, love boldly in Christ because it is fear, not failure which is the great tragedy.  Christ came to set us free from fear and assure us that we can dare to take risks because the one who judges us is the one who loves us beyond measure.

Discussion Questions

• What is your greatest fear?  How might really knowing you are loved beyond measure help you deal with it?
• With whom do you identify in the parable?
• Why do you think the master gives the one-talent man’s money to the other servants?
• What do you need to know or feel in order to take a risk for your faith?

Activity Suggestions

Create a “stock exchange” of faith.  Brainstorm some activities which you might engage in as part of your Christian faith and talk about the risk/benefit of each.  List the “offerings” in which you might invest.  For example,

• How risky is it for you to worship regularly and how much potential is there for it to make a big difference in your life or the world?
• What are the potential costs and benefits of taking a stand against the bullying of a classmate?

Talk about what you learned about your own “risk tolerance” when it comes to discipleship.

Closing Prayer

Giver of all good things, you have promised that perfect love casts out fear, yet we often find ourselves very fearful of failing, of other’s harsh opinions, of not being good enough.  Give us courage and confidence to dare in your name, confident that your care undergirds all our efforts.

Danny Stone, Marion, IA

Warm-up Question

Share a story about when you were late, unprepared or procrastinated.

It’s the End of the World as We Know it

Ever listened to REM’s 1987 classic, “It’s the End of the World?”  Playing it now prompts listeners to ponder recent disasters.  Texas was battered by Harvey.  Irma devastated the Caribbean Islands and rolled across Florida.  Hurricane Nate made landfall in Mississippi.  Puerto Rico is coping with the overwhelming effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria.  Forest fires burned more than a million acres in Montana and scorched California’s Napa Valley.  The Vegas gunmen opened fire from his hotel suite. World leaders threaten annihilation, and you cannot even talk about football without starting a fight.   Are we watching the end of the world?  What’s next?  Elvis is still dead, right?  Will The Walking Dead become a reality show?

Infamous televangelist, Jim Baker, sells a wide variety of food and gear for those anticipating an epic cataclysm.  You can enjoy a king’s breakfast while the world dies around you.   You can get 31,000 servings of food for $4,500.  National Public Radio’s food critics called it “Apocalypse Chow” and found the meals were far from a royal feast.  However, if you are worried about the Yellowstone super caldera volcano, a meteor from space, or civil collapse, Rev. Baker is hawking the grub you need.

The National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel feature end of the world enthusiasts in their shows Doomsday Preppers and Apocalypse Preppers.  Families detail their preparations, training, and weapon mastery.  Viewers get tips on how to purify toilet water, “toilet water on the rocks.”  You can learn how to make a bug-out bag, properly store gasoline, and escape cities when society collapses.

People have been anticipating the end for a long time.  The early Christian church anticipated the return of Jesus in 365, 400, 500 and 800 AD.  Expecting the end of days, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III dug up long dead Charlemagne in the year 999 AD.  Because Otto expected the dead to rise at 12:00 am on January 1, 1000, Charlemagne was propped up in the corner, ready to walk again.  Y2K was going to destroy our modern world with a computer glitch crashing the power grid and financial markets.

Perhaps the question is not, “When will the end come?” but “How should we live in the meantime?”At various points in Martin Luther’s life, he was convinced the end was near.  He felt the church was ruled by the “Antichrist,” Ottoman Turks threatened the West, plagues swept the land, and peasants rose in revolt.  Luther faced these challenges by getting married and worked to reform the church and society.

Discussion Questions

• What preparations has your family made for a minor disaster?  Where do you go during a storm?  What would you do if the power went out for a day, week or month?
• Share stories of coping with a disaster like a house fire, tornado, earthquake, flood, riot, blizzard . . .
• “Christian” author, David Meade, predicted an object from space would end the world on September 23, 2017.  We’re still here.  Why do these predictions make the news?
• Luther’s response to living in turbulent times was to marry, raise a family and build a religious movement.  How should we live in a stressed world?

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 5:18-24

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Matthew 25:1-13

(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

Ever wonder what the kingdom of heaven is like?  Jesus answers our question with a parable – a very difficult parable.  He says the kingdom of heaven is like bridesmaids waiting to enter a wedding banquet.  Some of the bridesmaids have their oil lamps ready.  Others don’t have enough oil, are left in the dark, and miss the groom’s invitation to enter the party.  Being unprepared blocks you from the kingdom of heaven.  Ouch.  I’m a slacker.  I procrastinate.  I’m never fully prepared.  I drive for miles with my gas tank on E.  Who among us is always ready?  Doesn’t Jesus offer grace?  Where is the grace in this parable?

We can find deeper meaning in the story if we focus on the lamps and the oil.  The lamps are simple clay vessels with small fiber wicks fueled by olive oil.  The lamps job is to illuminate – to provide light and help us find the way.

Follow the light and we follow God’s grace. We need to see God, Jesus, the holy and divine in our daily surroundings.   God’s love and grace is the illuminating force.  When we see God’s guiding presence, we can easily follow the bridegroom into the banquet.  We become lost when the wicks run dry and darkness overcomes us.  Luther reminds us that “we are saved by grace through faith.”  The wick and oil must surely be our faith.  How much faith do we need?  That’s another parable.

Discussion Questions

• Do you find this parable harsh?  Bible texts can be interpreted through the lens of “Law or Gospel.”  How would “Law” comment on this parable?
• Who or what illuminates God in your life?
• When have you been a lamp for others?

Activity Suggestions

You have many events that require forethought, planning and grace.  Brainstorm the “prep” lists for:

• first day of school
• a big test
• youth group fundraiser
• ELCA National Gathering
• job interview
• athletic competition
• prom
• graduation
• college
• wedding
• expecting a baby

Closing Prayer

Most merciful Father and gracious host, help us to be ready so that we can see your grace and love.  Help us tend your light and be a light to others, in your name we pray. Amen.

Scott Moore, Erfurt, Germany

Warm-up Question

When was that last time you noticed someone being hypocritical (saying one thing and doing the opposite)?

Walking the Talk

Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of both the Nobel Peace Prize and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, has come under massive criticism in recent weeks because of her stance on the Rohingya crisis. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority that has been living in Myanmar since the 8^th century. They are not considered one of the 8 “national races” and, according to a law passed in 1982, do not have the right of citizenship. They are effectively stateless. They are not allowed to work and do not have freedom of travel. As many as 600,000 of the approximately 1 million Rohingya living in northern Myanmar have fled to Bangladesh since the end of August. Their stories are of extreme violence against them from the majority Buddhist population. They are being tortured in many different ways and being driven from their homes. Things have been getting more and more difficult since 2012, and the world community had been patient with Suu Kyi and her party since it came into power. Things are rapidly changing.

The politically active daughter of two politically active parents, Aung San Suu Kyi, spent approximately 15 years under house arrest by the military-led government between the years 1989 and 2010. She was influenced by people like Mahatma Gandhi and has spoken up a lot over the years on democracy, justice, peace, and fear. She has been the subject of a number of films and has been referred to in songs like U2’s tribute to her, “Walk On”. In 2015, her political party won a landslide election and she was eventually made the first State Counselor, a position like prime minister, which was a position created specially for her. She is prohibited from being president because her deceased husband and her children were/are foreign nationals. She is considered by many at home and abroad to be a hero. Unfortunately, her words and her silence in recent weeks do not resonate with what she has taught all the years she was in captivity, speaking and teaching about freedom and democracy. Here are a couple of quotes of her from her writings:

“Within a system which denies the existence of basic human rights, fear tends to be the order of the day. Fear of imprisonment, fear of torture, fear of death, fear of losing friends, family, property or means of livelihood, fear of poverty, fear of isolation, fear of failure. A most insidious form of fear is that which masquerades as common sense or even wisdom, condemning as foolish, reckless, insignificant or futile the small, daily acts of courage which help to preserve man’s self-respect and inherent human dignity.”

“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”

“If you’re feeling helpless, help someone. ”

“You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right.”

“To view the opposition as dangerous is to misunderstand the basic concepts of democracy. To oppress the opposition is to assault the very foundation of democracy.”

“It is not power that corrupts but fear.”

“Government leaders are amazing. So often it seems they are the last to know what the people want.”

“Fear is a habit; I am not afraid.”

“Please use your liberty to promote ours”

“Some have questioned the appropriateness of talking about such matters as metta (loving-kindness) and thissa (truth) in the political context. But politics is about people and what we had seen … proved that love and truth can move people more strongly than any form of coercion.”

Discussion Questions

• What other stories around the world or in history does the current situation in Myanmar/Burma remind you of?
• Why do you think Suu Kyi, now that she is in power, is much more cautious and silent about the situation than she was when she was a political prisoner?
• What is our responsibility as a nation on the outside when we see hundreds of thousands of “stateless” minorities being driven out of their homeland?
• What is our responsibility as the church and as Christians?

Twenty-Second 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

When someone, usually someone older and with some authority over us,wants us to be better they might use the phrase, “do what I say, not what I do.” We understand they are encouraging us be even better than they are. We have also heard people tell us not to drink irresponsibly (or at all if we are underage), or smoke, or do any number of things that they did, or maybe even are still doing. We hear the words. We might even agree with the words. It is still hard for us to follow the advice of people who aren’t living what they teach.

Jesus is talking about a similar kind of dynamic in this reading in Matthew’s gospel. The Scribes and the Pharisees are two of the groups that make up the Jewish religious leadership in Jesus’ time. The Scribes know the written word of God and the Pharisees are well-versed in the oral tradition of the faith. Both apparently are seen as religious authorities on the teachings of Moses. “Moses’ seat” is the symbol of teaching authority in the synagogue. Despite the numerous moments of conflict Jesus experiences with these religious leaders throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus does not say something like, “Don’t listen to a word they say,” or, “They are full of baloney.” Instead, Jesus acknowledges the good of what they are teaching even if he believes them to be hypocrites. “Follow the good stuff they teach but don’t do what they do,” is the summary of Jesus teaching about his antagonists.

In addition, Jesus is very clear about what the roles are for the disciples. Heavenly Father is father, Messiah is instructor, they should be good students, and they should remain humble servants. Jesus’ words encourage us to learn to separate the good of what someone teaches from their imperfect ways.

We are tired of our leaders being hypocritical. We want the world to be authentic. We want people to live what they teach and practice what they preach. And, it is ok to want that and to have standards, but it is important for us to realize that people are inconsistent. Human beings are often a contradiction. You can name it what you want: sin, imperfection, a work in progress. It is good for us to identify the grace and the good in what people say, even when they don’t live up to what they teach. Jesus calls us to be aware and to learn discernment. Jesus calls us to place our focus on God and to see our Lord as the Messiah.

Discussion Questions

• When have you been frustrated or even disappointed by religious leaders you felt were being hypocritical?
• When have you experienced that from other Christians you respect?
• When were you ever hypocritical, where you acted contrary to what you say you believe?

Activity Suggestions

• Does your congregation have a mission statement? If so, take a look at it and see where you feel you as a community of faith are living in accordance with what you say you are as a community?
• Download any one of the ELCA’s social statements and see if you can identify moments in your congregation’s or in the wider church’s experience where you assert one thing yet live another?

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, you never change yet you show yourself new to us each day. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to understand your will for us. Give us the strength to live accordingly so that others might know the joy of a life in your love and grace. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, the one who walked with us and died and lives for us. Amen