Dave Delaney, Salem, VA

Warm-up Question

• We live in a time when chatting with strangers is considered dangerous, especially for young people. What is your reaction to a stranger who tries to talk to you? If you found yourself seated on a plane next to a stranger who seemed interested in talking, what would you say to start a conversation?  Or if someone just walked up to you and said hello?  Or what would you say if that stranger wondered why you looked sad (or happy).  Would you tell him or her your story?
• Long walks or runs are some people’s very favorite way to clear the mind; everything just calms down and a sense of ease takes over.  For other people, long walks or runs just provide more opportunity for the brain to run wild, either in good ways or bad.  Some people get their best ideas on a long walk, while other people find that the vacuum just allows old painful memories to fill the space.  Which are you?  What happens to your mind when you’re on a long walk?
• If you have ever experienced an especially painful or discouraging loss – death of a close friend or loved one – what kind of conversations did you have with people right after it happened? Where did you look for comfort?  Were any of those conversations or encounters less than helpful?  What was the most or least helpful thing someone said or did during your time of grief?

Kindness of Strangers

A story about encountering strangers:  A new app called VizEat lets travelers book interesting food experiences in 110 different countries around the world. Two French entrepreneurs developed the program after returning from a series of international vacation trips. They realized that, because they always ate in restaurants while traveling, they weren’t sure that they had experienced the daily authentic cuisine of a country’s people.  VizEat has been called the AirBnB for food because it allows people to visit the homes of strangers who will prepare a meal for them.   Like AirBnB and Uber, the hosts set their own prices or agree on a price and a menu with the guest, and payment is electronic, so that when the guests arrive, the entire group can concentrate just on the meal.  As this story reveals, though, those who have tried this service have found themselves just as interested in the hosts and their homes and stories than in the food.

It is encouraging to realize that there is no shortage of “kindness of strangers” stories, even in unpleasant times.  A recent story concerned a man named Eugene Yoon who, in the words of the story, “felt called to do  … one really big random act of kindness. He didn’t know who he was supposed to help or how, all he knew was that he had to help someone and it had to be life-altering.”

Discussion Questions

• Everyone has encountered a stranger at some point in their life.  But have you ever had a truly extraordinary encounter with a stranger that you did not expect?  These two stories are interesting in that they involve people who actually set out to have new encounters with strangers and find that the experiences are far beyond what they anticipated.
• Are you the kind of person who would try any of these things?  What kind of setting or circumstance would inspire you to go seek out a stranger?

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

1 Peter 1:17-23

Luke 24:13-35

(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 gospel writers make assumptions about their readers that may not be as true now as they were when they were written.  Luke presumes that his readers are very aware of the geographical settings in which the stories are placed, which would not be as true for us today.  Events from the Old Testament that had previously occurred in the location where the New Testament event is set are often important to the background of a particular story.

In the case of the Emmaus Road story (even though the location of Emmaus in Jesus’ day is disputed), what takes only one verse to tell – “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures” – actually reflects a walk of perhaps 6-8 hours, in which there is a lot of time to talk about things.  Moreover, the route from Jerusalem to Emmaus cuts east-to-west through a part of Judea that recalls events from nearly every stage of Israel’s long history, starting with Abraham.  As each site was passed on the road, Jesus could simply point to it and invite the disciples to recall Israel’s many attempts to  live out God’s covenant with them – some of them very faithful and others not at all.  In each case, Jesus could point to the hope that Israel had for God to be present among them, guiding and guarding, as they would strive to live out their call to be a blessing to the world.

As they came toward the end of their journey, Luke says that Jesus “appeared to be going further” – on to the world, perhaps?  But the two disciples persuade him to stay for dinner, in which he breaks bread and thus reveals himself to them.  Here we might notice the same pattern of “word and sacrament” that is part of our Sunday worship service.  In the first part of our service, we hear the scriptures opened up as someone interprets for us the things concerning Jesus.  Then in the latter part of our service, the bread is broken and we are reminded that in this meal of the gathered community is where Jesus is most truly revealed to us.  The hope is always that we too will experience our hearts burning within us as we hear God’s word and that Christ will be made known to us in the breaking of the bread.

Discussion Questions

• The two disciples do not recognize Jesus on their walk, apparently neither his voice nor his appearance.  If they did not recognize him, how much more might we think of Jesus as a stranger.  The long tradition of the Christian faith has taught that Christ comes to us both in ways we can trust and in ways we might not expect.  We believe that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, but Matthew 25:31-46 makes it clear that Jesus considers himself to be present also in the lives of those most in need in the world.  How can we, as disciples, grow in the practice of watching for the presence of Jesus in others we meet?  How do we live our lives knowing that we could meet him at any time?
• When the disciples realize that they have had an encounter with Christ, their first instinct is to hurry back to Jerusalem to the apostles.  If you had an encounter with someone who you were sure was Jesus, what would be your first instinct?  Who would be the first person you would go find and tell?
• Cleopas had a companion on the walk whose name we don’t know, although many people have tried to identify him or her through the centuries.  Who is your “go-to” person for conversations about faith, troubles, questions, or even joys and new insights about life and faith?

Activity Suggestions

• Get your group into pairs or threes and send them on a short walk – maybe 10-20 minutes – either around your church building or outside and invite them to share with each other the same kinds of things the two Emmaus Road disciples discussed:  What are their favorite stories of Jesus from the gospels?  What are their hopes for themselves and their church?  How will they begin to look for Jesus in their lives over the next week?
• If your group would benefit from reviewing the long history of ancient Israel’s life with God before Christ, print out strips of paper or cards with Old Testament events or personalities and invite the group to put them back into chronological order on a table or on the floor.  Then see how they might tell the whole story of God working through the people to bring blessing and good news to the world as things led up to the coming of Christ.
• “Their eyes were opened” occurs several places in the Bible, not always for good.  In Genesis 3 it happens when the man and woman disobey God and eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.  In Isaiah 35 and John 9 and some other places, though, it refers to someone who is literally blind being given new sight.  In still other places (such as Ephesians 1) it is refers figuratively to realizing something for the first time.  If you have a group that learns best via craft or other activity, prepare a paper blindfold for each person.  On the outside, have them write things that people in the world believe about God and Jesus that are false, and on the inside have them write things that are true about God and Jesus.  Conclude that activity with a conversation about the best ways to help others see the love of God in Christ.

Closing Prayer

God of life and resurrection, we are thankful that your Son, our Savior Jesus, has been revealed to us in word and sacrament.  Give us burning hearts when he speaks to us and clear eyes when we receive his body and blood, so that we too may hurry to others and share with them the good news that he lives and meets us on whatever road we travel.  In his holy name we pray, Amen.

Angie Larson, Clive, IA

Warm-up Question

How did you come to believe in Jesus?

Belief, Doubt, Certainty

GlobeServe Ministries in Ghana, West Africa has been expanding at an amazing rate.  The organization has been in existence for twenty years and started out with a passion to go to villages where there are no churches and share with them the love of God.  GlobeServe started in the small town of Adidome and had five people for their first worship service. According to Rev. Samuel Kofi Dunya, the head of GlobeServe, they are now planting a church in rural northern Ghana and in the northern Volta region every four days and there is talk about moving into surrounding Burkina Faso and Togo as well. 

GlobeServe operates on the belief that, as neighboring communities see and hear about the difference a church and Christian leaders are making in one village, they will ask that it be done in their communities too.  They see the change in their neighbors even though they are not sure what is causing it. Rev. Dunya said, “The chiefs come and say to me, we want that for our community too. It’s God who opens the doors. They do not know what it means to have a church and faith in Jesus, but they invite us in and they are changed.” Each week GlobeServe churches have approximately 63,000 worshippers, most of whom had never heard of Jesus before.  “They keep asking and we keep going,” says Rev. Dunya, “it’s amazing what the Spirit can do with the unbeliever.” In Ghana many are coming to faith in Jesus and peace is growing between villages because people  see what God does in the lives of those who believe.

Discussion Questions

• Have you thought about how you came to faith?
• Do you talk to others about your faith? Why or why not? What can get in the way of sharing your faith with others?
• What gets in the way of others seeing the Spirit in you?

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

(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

Some call this text the “Doubting Thomas” passage because we often focus on Thomas unfavorably. Let’s set the scene in John’s gospel. The resurrected Jesus has appeared to Mary, but not yet to the other disciples. The disciples are hiding out in a locked house, fearful that what happened to their friend Jesus might happen to them.  This makes sense, doesn’t it? It would be scary to have watched your friend die and know that those same people are likely looking for you.  Here in the midst of their fear, Jesus shows up! Locked doors cannot keep him out!  Fear cannot keep him out.  He shows up among the disciples and offers them peace.  Then Jesus shows them his scarred hands and side. Yet, one is not with him, Thomas.

When Thomas returns his friends tell him of the risen Lord. No wonder Thomas struggles to get his head around what they are telling him. It’s not so much that he defiantly doubts.  Like all this friends, he is overcome with grief and fear. Before he can believe he wants the same thing his friends got, to see Jesus’ hands and side. When Jesus arrives the second time he offers Thomas the same thing he offered to the others a week prior.  Indeed, Jesus offers him more, the opportunity to touch his wounds.  But it seems that he does not need to touch after all; the intimate offer from one who loves him causes Thomas to exclaim, “My Lord and my God.”

Belief comes from the Holy Spirit. It moves from disciple to disciple until it spreads across the world. In rural Ghana Jesus is still walking through doors and making himself known by the visible change occurring in community after community.  In our own communities Jesus is still making himself known despite our struggles and doubts, showing how the Holy Spirit comes through our locked doors and our fears to help us.

God’s care is ever as personal as Jesus’ gentle invitation to Thomas.  When you doubt or struggle, Jesus comes, showing the marks of his cross, so that “you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

Discussion Questions

• How do you experience Jesus in your life?
• Why would you want to have life in Christ?  What does that mean?  How is that different from any other form of “life?”
• What “doors” of fear or doubt could Jesus walk through in your life?

Activity Suggestions

Ask students to write a statement of doubt. Have them list their fears, their questions, their unbeliefs on a paper.  Discuss the following quote alongside of their statements. Anne Lamott – “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is certainty.”

Closing Prayer

Blessed Savior, Use us to speak hope in your son’s name for the world.  Guide us to be able to show others so that they may want some of the peace that we have through your son.  Lord, we give you our doubts. We give you our fears. We give you the doors and barriers we put up, knowing that you will walk right through them. Thank you for bringing your son through all of them and to us.  In your name we pray, amen.

Dennis Sepper, Burnsville, MN

Warm-up Question

• What did you expect when you got up this morning?  Was it pretty much what you expect every morning?
• What affect do those expectations have on what you see, hear and experience?

What Did You Expect?

February 3, 2017—Sulphur, Oklahoma.  A’layah Robinson had a tough start to life.  She and her two brothers were born to a mother who was a drug addict and placed in foster care.  Once there, like many foster kids, they bounced from house to house with various foster families.  A’layah and her brothers had no real home and no one they felt they could trust.  That was until A’layah and her brothers were adopted by the Robinson family.

With a real home and parents who loved her, A’layah blossomed and flourished.  Even though life was now secure and good one thing bothered her.  A’layah realized that while in foster care her brothers never had one toy that was their own.  A’layah decided she had to do something about that.  So, with her parents blessing she started serving lemonade from a stand called “Lemonade for Love” with the goal of raising enough money to provide a toy for each child in foster care in the state of Oklahoma.

A’layah’s vision caught the imagination of many people, so many that between the lemonade stand, a Facebook following, and a GoFundMe page A’layah now provides a string drawn backpack that contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, a blanket, a stuff bear toy (of course) and a bible so that each child in foster care  “can feel special and learn about Jesus”.  A’layah wants to share the love she feels from God and from her parents with as many children as she can.  Oh, and did I mention that A’layah is six years old.

When young A’layah experienced the love of God and Jesus through her parents and through her faith community, she was transformed from a child who had little hope and the prospect of an uncertain future to a young girl who couldn’t help but share the Good News through her service to other foster children.

Discussion Questions

• What was the element that transformed A’layah’s life?
• Was A’layah doing something super human or extraordinary or was she using ordinary things that were within her reach?
• Do you think A’layah is transforming the lives of others because of the love she has to share?  How?

Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Day

Acts 10:34-43

Colossians 3:1-4

Matthew 28:1-10 or John 20:1-18

(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 both Gospel texts for today Mary Magdalene, either alone or with the other Mary, heads to the tomb of Jesus.  There is no talk of anointing the body of Jesus with spices

as in Mark 16 and Luke 24, so there is no concern about moving the stone sealing the tomb.  They go simply to pay their respects to Jesus.  Their expectation is that the stone will be in place and Jesus’ body will be inside.  The death of Jesus shook them to the core and all they could do was weep.

But then their expectations were shattered.  In Matthew’s account there was a great earthquake (in the Bible, always a sign that God was at work), an angel rolls the stone away, has a seat on the stone, announces that Jesus has been raised from the dead and invites the women to look inside the tomb to see for themselves that it was empty.

In John’s account, Mary sees that the stone has been rolled away.  Assuming that someone has stolen the body of Jesus she runs to get Peter and the other disciple.  When all of them arrive back at the tomb and enter it, they see that the death shroud of Jesus has been neatly folded (even the Risen Jesus made his bed…a good lesson for all of us!)

At this point all we know is that the body of Jesus is gone.  Matthew’s angel gives us a promise but that is all.  In both Gospels the moment it all sinks in is when the risen Jesus appears to Mary.  In Matthew’s Gospel it is in hearing the greeting of Jesus in his own voice that prompts recognition.  In John’s account it is when Jesus calls out to Mary by name that she believes in the resurrection of Jesus.

In that moment all expectations have been torn apart.  Jesus is alive.  Life has conquered death, love has conquered hate, grace and forgiveness has conquered judgment and all that Jesus told and taught his followers is true and trustworthy.  The resurrection of Jesus transformed the life of his followers in ways great and small.  We see this happening in the biblical book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament.

The same is true today, for the Risen Jesus is alive and with us.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus our human expectations are torn apart and our lives are transformed by the love and forgiveness of God.  We are given hope and the opportunity to be set free from feeling unworthy and undeserving of God’s love.  We are set free to not worry about our standing before God and thus free to serve others.  As Jesus declared in John 8:36 “When the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”.

The resurrection of Jesus does not take us out of this world; it transforms this world through love and hope.  There will still be questions, there will still be pain and suffering, and we will lose loved ones to death but because of Jesus we have hope for new beginnings including the beginning of life eternal.

Christ has Risen!  Christ has risen indeed!  This Easter Sunday we remember just how much God loves each and every one of us and we celebrate the love of God shown through the risen Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• In John’s account of the resurrection of Jesus, Mary Magdalene does not immediately recognize Jesus (she believes him to be the gardener).  After spending so much time with Jesus why do you think Mary did not recognize Jesus?  What did it take for her to realize it was Jesus?
• In Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Jesus, the author tells us that the women “left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy” (verse 8).  We might understand their joy but why would they feel fear?  Why does the resurrected Jesus say “do not be afraid” (verse 10)?

Activity Suggestions

We have now spent six weeks in the Church year season of Lent.  On Easter Sunday there will be a transformation of our worship.  We sing hymns and songs of praise, alleluias will abound, and there will be flowers in church–all to symbolize and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Young A’layah Robinson was transformed by the love of Jesus, her parents and her faith community.  That love overflowed to others especially to foster children because A’layah had the experience of being one.  It wasn’t a big deal, she simply wanted to provide a toy, a small toy to others but that small gesture brought huge results.

On this Easter Sunday are there ways you and/or your faith community can show forth the transformation brought by the resurrection of Jesus?  Take a moment to think about you own life experience (and how you answered the third question about A’layah project) and plan a way to celebrate the love of God by reflecting it to others.  It does not have to be something superhuman, just a small gesture of love can make a world of difference and transform the lives of others by the love of God.

Closing Prayer

God of Love, on this day our human expectations fade in the announcement of the good news that Jesus is risen from the dead and lives with us forever.  Open our hearts and minds to the transformation which your love can bring and set us free to serve you and our neighbors with joy.  With thankful and grateful hearts and lives we pray.  Amen.

Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN

Warm-up Question

Was Jesus the victim of mob violence?

Mob Consciousness

Sometimes, when people act together in groups they multiply the effective force of their courage, their principles, and their resolve.  Individuals acting together in groups have the capacity to become a movement able to realize higher aspirations of the human heart and mind.  At other times, however, when people act together in groups, they multiply the effective force of their fears, their prejudices and their resentment.  Protected within the relative anonymity of the group, individuals can become a mob capable of acting out the lower impulses of the human heart and mind.

An ABC news story of recent violence at rallies in response to policies of President Trump illustrates the fact that group behavior often becomes mob behavior, regardless of the “side” the group represents.  The story noted that violence was committed by members of both groups, the supporters and protesters alike.  When people regard one another merely as representatives of an opposing side in some conflict, they surrender the capacity to engage one another as human beings with value and dignity and voice and story.

Contrast that ABC news story about violence at political rallies with the News One story about the efforts of some senators to try to heal racial divisions by agreeing to meet in table fellowship over a meal.  Whether or not those efforts can effectively help to heal racism, the fact remains that when people sincerely start to know each other as people it becomes increasingly difficult for them to regard each other as merely  representatives of some “other” group.  Certainly, sharing a meal with someone does not guarantee that unity and harmony will emerge in place of previous divisions or disagreements, but the investment of time and effort that people make in truly knowing one another can transform their lives.

Discussion Questions

If you have access to a computer in your class, look at this picture of an orthodox priest during a protest in Kiev, Ukraine, in 2014. The foreground of the photograph shows two people encountering one another in a moment of interpersonal fellowship, while the background of the photograph shows the presence of a larger group.

• What do you imagine the kneeling man is seeking or requesting?  What do you imagine the priest is offering or bestowing?  What do you imagine each of them is thinking and feeling?  Do you think the larger crowd notices what is going on between the priest and the kneeling man?  What would you think if you were part of the larger crowd and noticed the man kneeling before the priest?

• Discuss the two stories from ABC and News One.  Imagine that some of the Trump supporters and some of the Trump protesters were persuaded to share an occasion of table fellowship over a meal together.  What might be said or done to encourage conversation in place of conflict, and understanding in place of violence?  How do the two opposing groups in the ABC news story inhibit their capacity to see each other (or to be seen by each other) as human beings with value and dignity and voice and story?

Sunday of the Passion

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Matthew 27:11-54

(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

Matthew’s account of the Passion of Jesus is simultaneously a story about group behavior and about interpersonal fellowship.  On the one hand, the story is propelled forward by the insistent clamor of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion.  On the other hand, the actions of the crowd repeatedly place various individuals in situations of interpersonal fellowship with Jesus.

Consider Pilate, the Roman governor responsible for administrating Roman imperial rule in and around Jerusalem.  Matthew never suggests that Pilate was moved to faith by his encounter with Jesus, but he and Jesus nevertheless share a significant occasion of interpersonal fellowship when they are forced together by the demands of the crowd.  Clearly Pilate is troubled in conscience by the crowd’s insistence that he order the execution of Jesus, a man whom he finds to be innocent.  We are left to wonder how Pilate’s life might have been changed by his encounter with Jesus.

Matthew tells us even less about Simon of Cyrene, the passer-by who was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross to the place of crucifixion.  Whether Simon was chosen entirely at random or for some particular reason, he came to share intimately in the Passion of Jesus that day, and it is reasonable to imagine that the experience had a profound and lasting impact on his life.

The most explicit indication of personal transformation occurs in Matthew’s mention of the centurion (a Roman military officer) who stood near the cross of Jesus; Matthew tells us that the centurion was moved by what he had witnessed to confess with others, “Truly this man was God’s Son” – an indication of personal faith.

Matthew’s account makes it clear that the ministry of Jesus does not stop when he is arrested and bound.  Instead, all along the way to his crucifixion Jesus continues to do what he has always done – moving people to amazement and wonder, providing occasions to walk with him in his way of the cross, and prompting faith’s perception that his ministry is the ministry of God.  The crowd that clamored for Jesus’ crucifixion wanted to end Jesus’ ministry of transforming lives; instead, their actions resulted in the continuation and extension of that ministry.

The crowd behaved like a mob, but the actions of the crowd also carried forward the ministry of Jesus.  However unintentionally, however unwittingly, the insistence of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion became part of the movement by which people were brought to fellowship with Jesus.  While the crowd eventually got what it demanded – the death of Jesus – God’s ministry of transforming lives was nevertheless unfolding, even within the clamor and conflict of mob behavior.

Discussion Questions

• Which person or people in Matthew’s account of the Passion of Jesus do you find to be the most interesting and fascinating?  Why?
• With which person in the story do you identify most closely?  Why?
• What about the centurion’s experience do you think moved him to confess Jesus as God’s Son?
• How do you experience interpersonal fellowship with Jesus?

Activity Suggestions

An altar or table is one of the most essential furnishings of Christian worship, for it is upon that altar or table that the bread and wine of Holy Communion are prepared as the Lord’s Supper with and for the people.  In Holy Communion, the people are invited to table fellowship with Jesus so that they might grow closely together.  Jesus endured his Passion so that he might enter into fellowship with all people, in all times, places, and circumstances.  In this way, his cross becomes the primary “table” for interpersonal fellowship with people.

Go into the worship space where your congregation worships, and also into the space where the items and appointments used in Holy Communion are stored.  What associations do you see between Holy Communion and the cross?  In what ways is Holy Communion related to the cross in your congregation’s worship?

Closing Prayer

O God, our life, our strength, our food, we give you thanks for sustaining us with the body and blood of your Son.  By your Holy Spirit, enliven us to be his body in the world, that more and more we will give you praise and serve your earth and its many peoples, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.

— Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 65

Jen Krausz–Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

What is appealing about fantasy books and movies (or for younger kids, fairy tales)?

Second Chance

Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast has surpassed last year’s Finding Dory, which earned $135 million, to take in $170 million in the U.S. on its opening

Two models isolated on a black background. Blonde woman holding hands of a beast

weekend, making it the top-grossing G- or PG-rated movie opener ever. The movie broke other box office records as well, becoming the highest opening for a movie so far in 2017 and the best March release ever. It is also the seventh top-grossing opening weekend for a movie of all time.

Disney has made several of its animated classics into live-action movies in recent years, including Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Maleficent, and “The Jungle Book. Upcoming planned releases include Dumbo, Mulan, The Lion King, and Aladdin, among others.

“Nostalgia is a very powerful driver for these films,” Disney head of distribution Dave Hollis said. “What’s exciting here is there is an opportunity to see these beloved stories in a way that’s never been seen before, but you get to build that on the foundation of something that’s very familiar.”

“But you don’t get to $170 million because of nostalgia,” Hollis added. “You have to ultimately make these movies great.” In addition to the record-breaking domestic release, the movie also made another $180 million around the world, and is expected to top $1 billion globally by the end of its run.

The movie featured songs from the original and starred Emma Watson as Belle. It beat out Kong: Skull Island, Logan, Get Out, and The Shack, all of which had debuted in previous weeks. The film follows the story of Belle, an independent, literate woman (who in this version is also an inventor), as she tries to protect her father from the Beast, who she doesn’t know is a prince, cursed by a witch for not being kind to her.

Discussion Questions

• Have you seen “Beauty and the Beast”? What did you think of it? Give a brief review.
• What is your favorite kind of movie? Why do you like them?
• The Beast is seeking redemption for wrong actions in his past. Do you think people deserve a second chance when they mistreat others? Why or why not?
• How was the Beast’s punishment appropriate to his actions? How would the world be different if people’s outward appearance reflected their inner character? Would you wish for such a world? Why or why not?

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Romans 8:6-11

John 11:1-45

(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

Not only was Jesus’ raising of Lazarus a huge miracle that showed many people he was sent by God, but it also had a profound impact on Lazarus. Lazarus had a second chance at life on Earth—an opportunity that few people get.

The miracle of Lazarus is multi-pronged and has layers of meaning that don’t become clear to Jesus’ followers until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Looking at Lazarus from beyond the resurrection, it becomes clear that Jesus is sending a message, not only about God’s sovereignty, but about how we are all dead, in a manner of speaking, because of our sins.

Just as Lazarus needed Jesus to raise him up to a new chance at life, we need Jesus to raise us out of the death that our sin brings. We may not all be physically dead, but without Jesus we are spiritually dead and in need of new life.

The difference between the redemption Jesus offered and that of the Beast in the movie is that we don’t need to—actually, we can’t—earn the redemption Jesus offers. No matter how well our inner character develops, no matter how much we mature, and no matter how many people we get to love us (show our love to), we will all “fall short of the glory of God,” as Romans 3:23 makes clear.

The Beast needed to earn Belle’s love to redeem his beastly state and make him human again, but Jesus has redeemed us from our fallen state; we need only receive that redemption and new life in faithful trust. There is a shadow of self-sacrifice and grace in many fairy tale stories that gives a glimpse of the real thing, and it is often what touches us in these stories and makes them great.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever tried to earn God’s favor? How did that go?
• Do you believe Jesus can redeem the things that are broken in your life? Why or why not? Are you willing to let him redeem you?
• What does a redeemed life look like? What possibilities can become real when sins are redeemed?
• Lazarus was physically healed from his illness and brought back to life. What spiritual sickness(es) do you need healing from in order to find new life in Christ?

Activity Suggestions

If your church will let you, host a church-wide movie night where you show one of the following movies that have themes of self-sacrifice or redemption:

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Ice Age (the original one)

Superman

Beauty and the Beast (the animated version)

After the movie, lead a brief discussion into the self-sacrifice/redemption aspect of the movie and how that parallels Christ’s actions for us. Sometimes a concrete example like a movie can help people understand the theology of redemption better.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, thank you for your gift of redemption that allows us to know you personally and removes the obstacle of sin from our relationship. Help us to share this good news with others so they can come to know you, too. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.