Andrew Thompson (Fairborn, OH)

Warm-up Questions

• Do you have any go-to Bible verses or catchphrases that ground you?
  • If so, what are they and what difference do they make in your day-to-day life?
  • If not, what are some meaningful phrases you have encountered in popular culture that seem important to people? Why do you think those phrases touch their hearts?

Pieces of the Puzzle

One of my favorite activities to do with my family is putting a puzzle together. We have so much fun working on a common goal. We have conversations inspired by puzzle’s sought-after image or other things that are going on in our lives while laughing, and sitting, and being together.

In our ever-accelerating world where we are regularly bombarded by various news updates, social media posts, and snippets of so many stories happening across the globe, I find it refreshing to focus on one puzzle. Together, with those I love, looking at each piece with interest and seeing how it all comes together towards a broader picture is comforting.

On social media, I often find myself feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content out there. Posts simultaneously open my eyes to perspectives across the globe and yet seem to keep such happenings to surface level engagement. Through social media, I similarly feel tempted to reduce the complex stories of real, living breathing human beings to 240ish-character-max posts.

I like to think that such reduction is done not out of a lack of interest or care but because the size of the puzzle being presented. The whole interconnected world is presented on our news feeds! It seems there are too many pieces to really value each story on the level that they deserve. I have felt the need to compartmentalize what was being presented simply to try to make sense of the huge amount of data I was inputing into my brain, seeing how the stories I received connected with my own story and with God’s unfolding story of life.

Discussion Questions

• In what ways are you staying connected to this vast, interwoven world?
• Have you found ways to zoom in on a particular piece of this digital “puzzle?” If so, what are those practices and what difference have they made in your journey?
• Do you ever step away to take a break from such digital “puzzling?” Why or why not?

Third Sunday in Lent

Numbers 21:4-9

Ephesians 2:1-10

John 3:14-21

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 Gospel lesson wraps up Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, who was one of the religious leaders of the day. Nicodemus had come to Jesus under the cover of night, likely because Jesus had already created quite the reputation with the religious establishment—driving merchants from the temple with a whip and saying that he will raise the temple back up in three days after its destruction will do that. In this late-night life chat, Nicodemus affirms that Jesus is “a teacher who has come from God,” and continues to ask him questions.

This interaction leads to one of the most quoted and memorized scriptures of all time, John 3:16. Whether on signs created by sports fans, stenciled onto a quarterback’s face paint, amplified in online bios, or is one verse that is drilled repeatedly in Sunday School, this verse is widely appreciated as a distillation of Christian faith. Indeed, “God so loved the world that God gave God’s only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

I wonder what would have happened if this was the only verse that we ever received. For instance, the verbs that describe God’s activity in this verse are all in the past tense. God loved and God gave. Important, life-changing actions for sure. Yet, if we only find refuge in this one verse alone, we may walk away with a picture of God as One who acted once upon a time and then went on God’s merry way. Fortunately, the faith we have been given testifies to a more active story to dwell in and live out of than that. Jesus reveals God’s ongoing love for this world!

Like the puzzles with my family, we can look at other pieces to get a broader picture. As we zoom out and dive deeper into this passage, God’s good news comes alive even more. Adding just the next verse to the mix reveals that “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” This verse calls into question the more judgmental expressions of our faith. That reminds me of a post I read years ago on a newsfeed that said “if God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, I am sure that God did not send [us] to do so either.” Can I get an amen?

Looking further beyond these two verses offers us insight upon insight as well. For instance, verses 14-15 provide an important link between Jesus’ ministry and the Jewish tradition that was his spiritual home. Verses 18-21 remind us that, even amidst injustice, God is still moving and still loving and still sustaining this world. These puzzle pieces can inspire us to faithful action, like ongoing interfaith relationships with our Jewish siblings and works of service for our neighbors.

There will always be moments, verses, stories, and snapshots that ground us and motivate us. When we take a chance to zoom out, we can notice even more of what God is up to in these well-worn verses. Just like John 3:16, reading more of the story helps us to appreciate those verses even more because we can see the pieces connect to the bigger picture. As we continue through this Lenten season, I invite you to reflect on the pieces of the puzzle of scripture that especially captivate, comfort, and motivate you in your day-to-day life.

Discussion Questions

• Are there any stories, verses, or testimonies that inspire you to live out the faith you have been given? What difference do they make in your life?
• How do you think God is continuing to show love and generosity in the world today?
• What are some specific ways God is continuing to show love and generosity through your actions in the here and now?

Activity Suggestions

• This activity can be done as a group or individual journaling practice.
  • First, read one of your favorite Bible stories.
  • Next, write down any questions or curiosities that linger for you as you read the passage. What do you wish you knew more about this story? Pray and reflect on what God is stirring up in you.
  • Then, read one chapter before and one chapter after the story to get a zoomed-out view of the passage. What questions and curiosities do you have now?
  • Finally, continue to explore your questions and curiosities by discussing them with friends or mentors.

Closing Prayer

God who loved us and loves us still, through Christ you displayed that your deep compassion for this whole world never ends. We thank you for offering us testimonies through the Word and through our siblings in Christ that reveal your ongoing work for the sake of creation. Give us the courage to dive deeper into the stories we hear, discovering your presence and love that accompanies each of us every step of the way. We pray in the name of your Son, who gives us light and love: Amen.

Drew Tucker (Columbus, OH)

Warm-up Questions

• How do you typically respond to leadership changes in your life? Share some of the feelings and reactions you’ve had to changes in teachers, coaches, church staff, and other leaders in your community.

Thank you, Bill!

This week, Faith Lens is in the news! If that feels a bit odd, don’t worry: we won’t be this meta going forward.

After many years of faithful service, The Rev. William H. King—known much more commonly to parishioners, colleagues, and friends as Bill—is retiring as editor of Faith Lens. Bill’s career spanned many types of ministry, from the congregation to colleges to staff at the churchwide office. Under Bill’s leadership, Faith Lens became one of the most visited pages on the ELCA website. The regular use of this resource by people across the church, from small groups and Sunday school classes to youth meetings to college student organizations, speaks to the value of Bill’s work. To gather and support authors from across the country, and even across the globe, who highlight the connections between God’s Word and our world is no easy task. Bill did so with passion and clarity, always seeking to highlight the author’s voice rather than force his own perspective. The entire Faith Lens community gives thanks to Bill for his stewardship of this resource and the ways he helped to introduce our voices to the wider church.

You might then be wondering: what’s next for Faith Lens? I’m your new editor, Drew Tucker. As a longtime Faith Lens author, I’m grateful to Bill and churchwide staff for entrusting me with leadership in this era. I’ll do my best to ensure this resource continues to have value for a broad audience within, and beyond, our denomination.

What will that future look like?

• Authors will continue to use the same basic Faith Lens format, connecting current events with scripture to promote engagement with God in our daily lives.
• We’re moving to a year-round publishing format so you can use this devotional resource during the summer and throughout the school year.
• Since we’ve heard some readers like to use the resource on their own, we’re asking authors to include activity suggestions for personal reflection and action.

You can always reach out to me at drew@hopewoodoutdoors.org with ideas for the resource, suggestions for new authors, or news that you’d like to see connected in future Faith Lens articles. If you’d join us in sharing gratitude with Bill, you can also send notes directly to me, which I will share with him.

Discussion Questions

• What is your favorite part of this devotional resource?
• What would you like to see change about this devotional resource?

Third Sunday in Lent

Exodus 20:1-17

Romans 4:13-25

John 2:13-22

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

At times, the Gospel can appear incredibly distant from our lives. After all, our churches don’t host animal sacrifices, so we don’t have a lot of livestock sales going on in the fellowship hall. We also have lots of options for buildings where we can worship God, so while the prophecy of a temple’s destruction might sound ominous, that wouldn’t necessarily indicate an absolute shift in how we worship God.

Jews at this time believed that proper worship of God must take place at the temple in Jerusalem because God’s presence was geographically and architecturally tied to it. This brought people from all over the Roman Empire to worship, something that required animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Rather than bring animals from Egypt or Italy, instead they’d bring money to buy the needed animal in Jerusalem. Logistically, it made much more sense than hauling an extra bull or a cage of doves over untold miles of road.

All of the sudden, Jesus interrupts this very normal, widely accepted practice. He chases away the animals, dumps the money and tables on the ground, and tells the witnesses that God’s up to something new, something that is reshaping the very center of their worship practices. In Jesus, we find God is not bound to a building, but is incarnate, God bound in flesh. Worship doesn’t need to happen in one place anymore because God is on the move. Worship doesn’t require sacrifice anymore because, in Jesus, God forgives all sin. This is a massive shift in leadership.

Let’s be very clear about something: the change in the Faith Lens editor is very different than the leadership changes that Jesus instigates. In our the present day, we have the passing of a baton from one colleague to another to continue caring for the writers and readers of this well-loved devotional. This change reflects a slow evolution meant to meet the changing needs of the church and the world. In John’s story, Jesus abruptly enters a system, disrupts it, and then points to an imminent change in how things should be done. This change reflects an immediate shift of priorities and practices.

The juxtaposition of our change in editors and of this reading from John 2 tells us something significant. It tells us that, at times, Jesus can suddenly interrupt our normal lives and lead us in a new direction that forces us to question our priorities. At other times, God is involved with the normal transitions of leadership in life, from one editor to another, one coach to another, one teacher to another, one leader to another.

God leads us in many ways, sometimes with unexpected and immediate change, and at other times with slow and methodical evolution. Look for God’s presence in both.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus was so upset in this passage?
• What normal activities might Jesus want to disrupt in our churches?
• When is disruptive leadership appropriate?
• How have you seen God active in normal, peaceful transitions of power?

Activity Suggestions

•  In a group, play a game that requires rotating leadership, like tag or “I Spy.” After playing, reflect together on what it’s like to lead, share leadership, and experience different styles of leadership.
• Take time to journal as a prayer to God. Share the feelings that arose as you read this Gospel passage. Give thanks for specific leaders in your life. Ask for clarity about difficult leadership changes you’ve experienced.
• Write notes of blessing to leaders who’ve inspired you and share them with those leaders. Be sure to include leaders who took big risks for sudden change and leaders who slowly led transformation over time.

Closing Prayer

Faithful God, we give you thanks for Bill’s faithfulness as editor of Faith Lens and for the leadership he shared with us. Prepare us for the disruption that you sometimes bring and empower us to lead in ways that reveal your presence in all places. In this Lenten journey, remind us that faithful Christian leadership leads to abundant life. Amen.

Cee Mills, Burlington, NC

Warm-up Questions

• What’s the biggest thing you have sacrificed in order to get to do or have something else?
• What’s the biggest thing you have gained by being a follower of Jesus?

Lose Your Life?

The idea of losing is counter to what American culture defines as good. When you think of sport teams, contests, or any effort you make, the idea of losing is the opposite of what you expect or want.

I remember the first time I played an organized sport. All of us had a lot to learn and were not proficient at scoring or keeping the other team from scoring. We were young and, honestly, did not care. We were happy to be with our friends and our coach was always smiling. He used to say all the time that showing up was winning.  It was not until I got to school sports teams that I learned about defeat. 

I often wonder what life would have been like if showing up as winning had been the posture of school sports. It’s hard to imagine that in a world so preoccupied with keeping score, measuring performance, and having the most – the most points, the most talents, the most money, the most beauty. I am truly grateful that early on I had a coach who was beyond scores and cared about the more important thing – showing up. Whether we double dribbled, shot the ball in the wrong basket, or fell down and cried – he cheered us, encouraged us, and celebrated us for being there.

Discussion Questions

• What are some of your early experiences around winning and losing?
• Who in your life has encouraged you not based on your achievements but just for showing up?
• How can you encourage others for showing up? 

Second Sunday in Lent

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Romans 4:13-25

Mark 8:31-38

(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

Jesus is now in his public ministry. He tells anyone who will listen about the suffering he must undergo.  Jesus speaks of rejection and being martyred. He prophesies about his resurrection. 

I’m sure it was hard to hear. He insults the religious and governmental leaders. He seems to invite disdain and death. It gets so bad that one of his closest disciples, Peter, pulls him aside and demands he stops speaking this way. He wants Jesus to stop; Jesus is speaking of things Peter does not want to happen. He rebukes Jesus.

Jesus turns right around and rejects Peter’s words. The words of Jesus are hard, but they are the way to salvation. Even though Peter is his close friend, anything that is not part of God’s plan must be rejected. Jesus goes so far as to name the source of this rejection of God as Satan – because only Satan would reject the Word of God, even if it is hard. So, Jesus rebukes Peter.

Jesus then turns towards the crowd and explains the cost of following him. If the people there want to be comfortable and safe then this path is not for them. If they want to decide what gets shared and how it gets shared and with whom it gets shared – they are following the wrong one. 

They need to be willing to lose friends, status, family, and their very own lives for the sake of sharing God’s Word in truth, because that will restore the relationship with God. Jesus asks them to choose whom they will follow and lets them know one choice pleases God and the other does not. One choice follows God, and the other does not. If they want to follow God, they need to know that Jesus will not only have to say these hard things, but also follow this hard path, so that the world might be saved. 

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Peter pulled Jesus aside?
• When Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan!” how do you think Peter felt?
• What was God trying to convey to Peter in this exchange?
• What does God convey to today’s disciples when Jesus asks, “…what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

Activity Suggestions

• In small groups of two to three, talk about the ways you face the challenges of doing things the Jesus way in everyday life. Share times you were successful and times you were not. Share how you can follow Jesus’ example. (For example,  patience with a sibling. Focus on your own faults and how people showed you patience. Write sticky notes to encourage you to be patient.) 
• Jesus is trying to get the disciples to understand his reason for coming to earth. On a sheet of paper, tell the story Jesus shared in verse 31 in 20 words or less. Then share your story with three friends.

Closing Prayer

O God, we thank you for the many brave sacrifices you have made for the sake of the world. Help us to see our lives as a gift to you and to be willing to follow you wherever it takes us. Help us to be willing to let go of anything that hinders following you. Amen.

Joshua Serrano, San Carlos, CA

Warm-up Question

Who is your favorite celebrity and why? 

Dealing With Highs and Lows

There is an interview popping up on different social media sources between Brad Pitt and Adam Sandler. Pitt recounts a story he heard about Sandler. 

In the story, Sandler was in college at NYU and had been taking acting classes. His theater professor took him out for drinks one night, but it wasn’t to tell Sandler what a great job he was doing. The theater professor was trying to let Sandler down easy, telling him that he didn’t have the ability to act. He didn’t think Sandler would make it in the acting world, so he told Sandler that he should pursue a different line of work. 

That, however, did not stop Sandler from pursuing his dreams. 

Adam Sandler went on to make some of the most iconic comedies of the 90s and early 2000s. His movies have made a total of $2 billion dollars in cumulative sales. That is not to mention that his current personal net worth is $420 million dollars. 

During the height of his success, Sandler was at a bar one night with his friends. He spotted his old professor from NYU. Sandler brought him back to his group and introduced the professor to his friends, saying, “This is the only professor ever to take me out for a drink.” 

In recounting this story, Brad Pitt was amazed by the kindness and humility that Sandler showed in a moment he could have used as an opportunity to point out how wrong his professor had been. 

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think that Adam Sandler responded the way he did?
• What would you have done?
• Reflect for a moment on when you experienced criticism or doubt. How did you respond?
• How would you define humility?

First Sunday in Lent

Genesis 9:8-17

1 Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:9-15

(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

Our Gospel reading contains two major events in the ministry of Jesus. The first is his baptism and second is his temptation. One seems to be such a high and the other was a low in his life. 

Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan. We know from an earlier scripture reading that John was baptizing people for repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Yet Christians claim Jesus was sinless. In Mark’s gospel there is no answer as to why Jesus was baptized. We are left to try to make sense of it ourselves. 

Something miraculous happens at his baptism.  The heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove on him, and a voice says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  What an experience that must have been — to hear the voice of God! 

What a highlight of his life! But things take a turn rather quickly. In the next moment, the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness to endure temptations for over a month. 

Moments of crowning glory are followed by trials of anxiety, self-doubt, pride, or the temptation to judge ourselves and others too harshly. And after his baptism, Jesus was tempted like you and me! There are so many things that tempt us, yet I find great comfort in the fact that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are tempted. He was truly human and he was truly God.

It’s important to remember that, like Jesus, we will have highs and lows in our life. It is remembering that we are beloved children of God that matters. 

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus was baptized? What memories or mementos do you have of your baptism? Do you have any stories, pictures, or videos of it?
• Why do you think Jesus was tempted? Do you think that Jesus’ experiences of temptation help us relate to him more?

Activity Suggestion

On a blank sheet of paper write down today’s highs and lows. Then write down some prayers for each of the things that have been challenging and each of the things for which you are grateful. Feel free to share it with a friend. Or, just keep it and remember that Jesus is with us every step of the way. 

Closing Prayer

Merciful and gracious God, your son endured highs and lows. Help us to follow his example, and express gratitude when things are going well and come to you in faith when we are facing challenges. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

Rachel Larson, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Questions

• When you are complimented for something you’ve done, how does that feel?  Why?
• When you are criticized, how does that feel?  Why?

Affirmation

A dictionary definition of “affirm”:  “to offer (someone) emotional support or encouragement.” 

I received a letter from a member of the congregation I served.  In it she thanked me for my ministry, complimented something I had done, and said she was happy that I was her pastor.  Though I don’t remember exactly what she wrote, I do remember the feeling I had.  I felt happy and encouraged—proud that I was a pastor, looking forward to the day ahead.  In short, I felt affirmed.

On another occasion I received a note that expressed a member’s displeasure and disappointment in my work.  I remember how debilitating it felt.  I felt sad and discouraged.  It made me question my talents and calling.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you suppose it is so difficult for some to offer affirmation?
• What have you said to another that was affirming?
• Have you noticed any change in how you view others by finding something to compliment and affirm in them?

Transfiguration of our Lord

2 Kings 2:1-12

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Mark 9:2-9

(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 story of transfiguration tells of Jesus and his disciples Peter, James, and John— perhaps his closest friends—ascending a “high mountain apart.”  The mountain is not designated.  In Scripture, however, mountains signify a place where God is often present.

While there, Jesus’s appearance changes.  His clothes become dazzling white—perhaps an indication of God’s presence.  Then Elijah and Moses appear, talking with Jesus.  Elijah represents the prophets and the prophet who will point to the appearance of the messiah; and Moses, the law giver, the man who leads God’s people to the promised land.

Peter is so stunned, he blurts out that maybe it would be good to build booths, or shrines, to commemorate the occasion.  The gospel writer comments that Peter and the others are so terrified they do not know what to say.  

While all of these components of the story are important, and offer lessons for the readers, the most significant part of the story comes next.   A cloud overshadows the mountaintop and God speaks to those assembled there:  “This is my Son, my beloved, listen to him.”

When God finishes speaking, only Jesus remains.  Elijah and Moses have vanished.

In the story of Jesus’ baptism, God affirms to Jesus that he is God’s son and beloved.  In the transfiguration story, God affirms to the disciples that Jesus is god’s son and beloved. As one theologian has written:  “By listening to Jesus, we learn who he is and who we are.”

The stage is now set for Jesus’ journey to the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem.  

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Peter wanted to build booths on the mountaintop? 
• Why does the gospel writer say about Peter, “for he did not know what to say, for they were terrified?” 
• What do you think God wants to accomplish in this encounter?
• How do God’s words of affirmation assist Jesus in his ministry?

Activity Suggestions

• With a friend or two, take sheets of paper and each of you write down what you admire/like about the other(s).  What are their best gifts?  Then share what you wrote.  Is this easy or hard to do?  Why?
• Read aloud the Old Testament text from 2 Kings.  Summarize in one or two sentences, what it tells us about these prophets and God.  What is the purpose of Elijah’s appearance in the transfiguration story?  What is the significance of his and Moses’ disappearance?   

Closing Prayer

Good and Gracious God, we thank you for our Savior Jesus.  Help us to listen to him.  And help us to remember daily your affirmation of us in our baptisms.  May we seek the good in all that we meet.  Amen.