John Hougen, Elkins Park, PA

Warm-up Question

Have you ever changed your opinion of someone after you got to know them? If so, was it because you found out the person had more or less in common with you?

Compassion For Our Own Kind

Recently, I was on a retreat where the leader combined two different meanings of “kind” to make the point that compassionate attitudes and actions can be motivated by a recognition of what we have in common with someone who, at first, seems “different” from us.

Kind (as an adjective) is defined as: “The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” But, kind (as a noun) means: “A group of people or things having similar characteristics.” When we recognize that we “have similar characteristics” with someone who appears different, we are more likely to become “friendly, generous, and considerate” of them.

Today’s reading from Hebrews teaches us that as members of the human family, we all are brothers and sisters. We are “of the same kind,” and Jesus shares our “human-kindness.”

Hebrews 2: 14 -18 – “¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he (Jesus, the “pioneer of their salvation” vs 10) himself likewise shared the same things…. ¹⁶ For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters^[f] in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.”

Jesus’ compassion, according to this passage, was due in part to his becoming human, becoming one of us, able to identify with those who needed his healing, his teaching, his saving grace. In Matthew 25: 31 – 46, Jesus teaches us that when we feed, clothe, or visit someone in need, we are feeding, clothing, and visiting him—further emphasizing his identity as one of us: one who loves, suffers, finds courage, feels pain. He is part of the human family. Both today’s reading from Hebrews and verses 8 – 9 from the first reading (Isaiah 63) make God’s ability to identify with and relate to humanity the basis for God’s compassion and mercy towards us. Perhaps it is our ability to empathize, to identify with other people, that enables us to act compassionately toward them.

Discussion Questions

Do you believe that all members of the human family (all of humankind) are sufficiently alike that you can have compassion for them when they are in need? Or, are some people just too different to understand, too different to be treated with compassion?  What differences, if any, disqualify someone from receiving your compassion?

First Sunday of Christmas

Isaiah 63:7-9

Hebrews 2:10-18

Matthew 2:13-23

(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 Massacre of the Innocents Pacecco de Rosa. Purchased with the John D. McIlhenny Fund, 1973; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, www.philamuseum.org

Baby Jesus was a refugee.

Jesus was born into a part of the world plagued by terrorism: it still is. Matthew 2: 16 – 18 (from today’s Gospel reading) reports events that are paralleled in the same region of the world today.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small town in Israel. The king of Israel, Herod, heard that a newborn was being called the “King of Israel.” Herod was afraid this child would grow up to be a threat to him and his royal family. When the Wise Men refused to identify this infant destined to be king (see Matthew 2: 1 – 15), King Herod ordered all the infants in and around Bethlehem to be killed. For the king, no atrocity was out of the question if it would save his throne, his power and his privilege.

Aleppo, Syria is only 330 miles north of Bethlehem, less than the distance from New York to Richmond or from San Francisco to Los Angeles.   Children in Aleppo are being slaughtered by bombs and troops sent by infuriated despots eager to stamp out threats to their power. The Bible story and today’s news are horribly similar.

Just as millions of Syrians have fled the civil war which has taken the lives of so many in their country, so too, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled the “Massacre of the Infants” ordered by King Herod. Matthew 2: 13 – 15 tells how the infant Jesus escaped King Herod’s slaughter: Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt. He did, taking Mary and the Christ child to safety. In the first months of Jesus’ life, he became a refugee, finding safety in a foreign country. In our times, this scenario is echoed in the news day after day, year after year: refugees from one conflict after another seek safety in foreign lands.

Discussion Questions

• Do you know anyone who has been or is a refugee? From their experience or the experience of others you have heard about, share what you know of the challenges refugees face: in the homeland they left, during the journey to their new homes, and as they adjust to living in a strange land.
• Do you think welcoming refugees into your community is risky? Discuss; then go online to find: Infographic: The Screening Process for Refugee Entry into the United States. This website outlines what is done to reduce the risk to your community. Is this information surprising to you?

Activity Suggestions

Find out about an effort to resettle refugees in your area, and ask how you can help.

Closing Prayer

God – the Compassionate and Merciful: Give us the mind of Jesus, who did not count equality with You a thing to be exploited, but left his heavenly throne to become one of us.* As we, like Jesus, recognize our common humanity with those who seem different, turn our compassionate thoughts and feelings into actions. Give us a Jesus-like capacity to identify with those in need. Give us Jesus-like motivation and courage to reach out to them as we would like to be helped if we were in their shoes. In the name of Jesus, who became Someone like us … and like them. Amen.

*See Philippians 2: 4 – 11

There is no Faith Lens this week.

Seth Moland-Kovash, Palatine, IL

Warm-up Question

How many times per week, would you estimate, that you make a choice of what to do or what not to do based on fear?

What Makes You Afraid?

Fear can be a highly powerful motivator. We can be afraid of consequences (from parents, teachers, coaches, school administrators) or we can be afraid of what happened last time we did that (a small child touching a hot stove). Some of us have phobias – fear of the dark, of spiders, of snakes (to name a few). Did you know that there is even a name for the fear of Santa Claus? Not surprisingly, it’s Clausophobia.

Sometimes fear motivates us in ways we’d rather not talk about. Sometimes we avoid doing something we’d otherwise do for fear of what our peers might think or say. Sometimes we avoid trying something new for fear of failure.

For some people, these fears can be crippling. PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and some phobias keep people from acting because of the strong painful memories and fears often associated with past experiences. Researchers in the United Kingdom and in Japan are working on techniques that might allow people to “re-wire” their brains and overcome those fear-filled memories.

Even if our fears are not extremely strong and limiting, fear affects all of us to some degree and can keep us from engaging in life to the fullness that’s intended for us.

Discussion Questions

• What kinds of fears do you have? What are you afraid of? Can you isolate why? Was there a specific experience that made you afraid?
• What are things you wish you could do but are afraid to try?

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 7:10-16

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

(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

Joseph was afraid. He was afraid to take Mary as his wife, because she was having a baby that wasn’t his. He was afraid of what it would mean for him; he was afraid of what others might think. But he also was afraid to publicly accuse her of infidelity, so he wanted to send her away quietly. But the angel knew what was going on and told him not to be afraid.

Not only did the angel command Joseph not to be afraid but he told Joseph to name the child something that could combat fear. Emmanuel means “God is with us.” God is with us. We are not alone. Perhaps knowing this and trusting this can help to combat the fears that are inside all of us.

Discussion Questions

• When do you need a reminder that God is with you?
• Who do you know who might need a reminder that God is with them?

Activity Suggestions

Make an Emmanuel rock. This can be as simple as taking a small stone and painting a cross (or other symbol) on it. Carry the Emmanuel rock in your pocket. It can remind you that Emmanuel – God is with you. Make tw0 Emmanuel rocks – keep one for yourself and give one away.

Closing Prayer

Good and gracious God, come into our world as Emmanuel. Come into our world and banish fear. Come into our world and banish darkness. Amen.

Jay McDivitt, Waukesha, WI

Warm-up Question

What does “hope” mean to you? What makes you “hopeful”?

Hope in the Waiting

I’m looking for a “current event” to begin this week’s Faith Lens. I scroll through Google News. Wow. I think. This is a rough day in the life of the world.

On this day, the top stories are a plane crash that killed almost an entire Brazilian football (soccer) team. A fire is threatening to destroy Gatlinburg. Ohio State University is reeling from an attacker who wielded a car and a knife to injure 11 people before the police shot him dead.There’s also a bizarre story about a woman who stabbed her boyfriend after he let her drink her blood.

That’s today. Tomorrow’s newsfeed will probably look much the same (although hopefully with fewer “wannabe vampires”). Yesterday’s sure did. And here in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and shorter as the darkness grows.

I don’t know about you, but that makes me weary. I look for the good around me – and I find it, to be sure. I rejoice in my children’s giggles and listen to great music and connect with friends. But these days seem heavier than ever for some reason (many reasons), and it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by all the bad news. I could just turn it off – stop reading – and sometimes I do. Yet I believe it’s important to know what’s happening in the world, even if it’s often not very joyful.

Discussion Questions

• How about you? Do you see/hear more good news or bad news these days? How much do you pay attention to “current events”?
• What bad news have you heard lately? How does that make you feel?
• What good news have you heard lately? How does that make you feel?

Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 35:1-10

James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

(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

John is in prison.

John had made a name for himself pointing the way to God’s brand new day, to the coming of the Messiah, to the dawn of the Kingdom. In the midst of a scary world of Roman oppression and uncertain futures, John had preached the people into a frenzy of hope: “God will fix this! God is coming soon!”

And the people listened. They flocked to him. When Jesus showed up, John pointed to him and said, “There he is! See – I told you!” And the people listened again.

But now, John is in prison. He will soon lose his head (literally).

This isn’t exactly what he and those who had listened to him were expecting. Is this what we’ve been waiting for?  So they send a note to Jesus: “Are you…really…the One? Seriously? Or should we wait for another?”

And Jesus responds: “Look around. What do you see? Darkness, sure… but what else? Things are happening – good things, great things – the stuff God promised long ago. Keep your eyes open. Look around. Tell John what you see.”

Indeed, Jesus points them back to the reading from Isaiah. God’s promised future begins with healing and wholeness, lives being restored. Water in the desert. “Be strong! Do not fear!” This is happening. God is building a superhighway through the middle of the desert to bring you home.

But notice the image here: A highway in the desert. In my part of the country we often say we have two seasons – winter and road construction. Building a highway takes time. The day doesn’t start with the sun blazing in the top of the sky – it teases and hints its way over the horizon with lightening blue, a touch of pink, a slowly emerging glow of yellow.

And so it is with hope. Hope is a lot of waiting. But it is an active waiting. It’s not just sitting around, giving into despair or just closing our eyes and pretending everything is fine. It is an open-eyed searching in the darkness for the hints and signs of light and life. It is recognizing a life transformed, a relationship reconciled, a person being made whole.

In Spanish, the same word (esperar) means “to hope” and “to wait.” That’s what Advent is about: waiting in the darkness with eyes opened up to see the signs of hope. Look around: God is making good on God’s promises. And thanks be to God for that.

Discussion Questions

• How do you wait for something good to happen? What do you do? What do you feel? What happens when it takes longer than you thought it would?
• How do you think John felt in prison? What do you think he thought and felt when he heard Jesus’ response to his question? How would you respond?
• Sometimes it’s easier to wait for something – or to stay hopeful – when you’re with other people who are also waiting and hoping with you. How can you help other folks be hopeful these days? How can other folks help you?

Activity Suggestions

Either give one large piece of paper (11X17) to each person, or roll out a large banner for everyone to work on together. Write “ESPERAR” in the middle of the page or banner. Using magazines/newspapers and scissors/glue, markers/crayons, etc., depict what it means to wait and hope at the same time. One approach (just a suggestion) could be to start on one side of the paper with signs of darkness/fear/etc., and then move across the page with signs of light and hope. Take time to share what you did and talk about what you’re thinking/feeling.

Closing Prayer

O God for whom we wait, help us to be patient as we wait for the hope you bring. Keep our eyes open to see the good things you are already doing. Strengthen us to be strong for others, and to ask others for help while we wait. Bring your light and healing into every corner of creation. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Stephanie Opsal, Farmington, NM

Warm-up Questions

• Are you good at determining right from wrong (in your actions or in others’ actions)?
• How do you make choices; what is your guide?

Prepare, Repent, and Bear Fruit

A psychological research study published in April of this year suggests that children, from a very young age, can recognize and respond to people exhibiting negative behaviors.  An experiment commonly labeled “bribing babies with graham crackers” reveals evidence that children, ages 1-8 have a tendency to avoid interactions with persons exhibiting certain behaviors.

Children often show acceptance of another person by their willingness to receive gifts from them.  In step one, children ages 5-8 were offered one sticker from one character and multiple stickers from a second character.  They had to choose from which person they would accept gifts.  Not surprisingly, the kids accepted stickers from the one offering more.  Step two presented the same situation, except character one was a kind person and character two was a bully who hit kids at school.  In this case, 80% of kids preferred to take one sticker from a nice person rather than 2-8 stickers from a mean person.

A similar activity involved one-year-old infants.  With two equal puppet characters offering graham crackers, babies also accepted the one who was offering more of the snacks.  However, when puppet #1 acted out, hurting a lamb stuffed animal, and puppet #2 helped a lamb stuffed animal, babies chose to receive fewer crackers from the good-hearted giver (puppet #2).  This research suggests that people can recognize right moral actions from wrong ones and choose to deal with people who act kindly and justly, even if it means a personal cost of fewer gifts.

How do young kids know right from wrong?  Have they learned already, or do they innately understand?  God said he has “written the law on their hearts…while their conscience also bears witness…” (Jeremiah 31:33, Romans 2:15, Hebrews 10:16).  As we see in the gospel reading, John the Baptist bears witness that God can see into immoral hearts, despite our efforts to hide our intentions.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think of this research?  Were you surprised to read this?  (Full article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/25/the-disturbing-thing-you-learn-when-you-bribe-babies-with-graham-crackers/ )

• The research also suggests that subjects will “do business” with the less attractive giver if the reward for doing so is particularly high (16 stickers).  Does this suggest that everyone has a price?  At what point are you willing to “deal with the devil?”  What are your limits beyond which you will not go?
• Have you ever interacted with a person or situation that simply did not feel right? Do you think this had to do with your inner sense of right v. wrong?
• Do you avoid people with questionable character? Why?  Do you think you should?

Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 15:4-13

Matthew 3:1-12

(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 today’s passage, Jesus had not yet appeared on the scene at the Jordan River, but John the Baptist was busy preparing the people for His arrival.  John lived a life very different from the culture.  He ate locusts and wild honey in the desert and wore clothes of camel’s hair.  More important, he lived humbly as a servant of God, while some religious leaders lived greedy, self-promoting lives.  This stark contrast drew people to his message.

John’s message proved counter-cultural.  He proclaimed the coming of the Lord and called leaders and common people alike to repent of their sins and be baptized.  Many call him the first true prophet in 400 years.  His focus on praising God alone and boldly speaking the truth caught people’s attention.  He did not seek “followers of John” but rather people prepared to follow the coming Christ.  John’s message challenged those who lived self-righteous lives which looked good but were rooted in wrong motivations.  God desires that our obedience arise out of love for Him, rather than out of a desire to complete a checklist of superficially pious actions.  John baptized people to signify a person’s public confession of sin and repentance, an outward sign of inner cleansing of the heart.

Unfortunately, not every people group who visited John wanted baptism for the right reasons.  Some believed they were righteous without any need to change their attitudes.  They did not see their imperfection and looked down on “sinners,” treating others poorly and acting to promote their own interests instead of God’s.  John called them out, warning them that God has the power to save or destroy, and the way a person lives and acts reflects their inward beliefs about God.

We are called to live aware of our need for Jesus and to “produce good fruit,”(3:8) from the heart in response to all He has done for us.  Verse 10 of Matthew 3 states: “…every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The passage closes with a reminder than John’s baptism was to prepare people for Jesus’ coming.  Soon, the true Lord Jesus would baptize them also with the Holy Spirit., giving His life for others.

Discussion Questions

• Have you been baptized? What does baptism mean to you?
• Do you practice what you preach? Do your actions show what you believe?
• Why do you think John looked different than other religious leaders?
• Lutheran have confessed that we are all simultaneously saint and sinner, always imperfect but ever beloved by God.  How do you think John would have responded to that insight?

Activity Suggestions

• Matthew 3 describes how John looked and ate.  Use the Bible’s words to draw a picture of your interpretation of John the Baptist.  Next to it, draw a picture of a pastor or religious leader as you would generally picture him or her.  Compare pictures among yourselves and discuss why John may have looked and lived so differently from other priests or leaders.
• Act out the story of Matthew 3, including roles of John (the Baptizer), a humble person who wants to repent and be baptized, an arrogant Pharisee, and a popular Sadducee. Add your own ad lib commentary and emotions.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,  we praise you for showing evidence of your coming throughout the Bible and through people such as John the Baptist.  Guide us to live lives that line up with your teaching and reflect our inner devotion to you and gratitude for all you have done for us.  Thank you for coming to save us.  In your holy name, we pray. Amen.