Dave Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Warm-up Question

How do you decide how to spend and how to save your money?

Resurrection

Though I’m a fan of a wide range of music, I must admit that I never cared for the works of rapper Waka Flocka Flame.  His earlier albums always seemed to me to celebrate the wrong sort of things: materialism, egoism, and sexual exploits, for a start.  Call me old-fashioned, but I like my music humble.

Imagine my surprise, then, when Waka Flocka gave an interview in September 2015 in which he decried his former materialism.  In his own words, he recalls an experience in which he travelled to Africa and met a teenaged boy who had never owned a pair of shoes.  Ever.  Waka Flocka was absolutely stunned by this.  As he put it, “That’s why I stopped wearing jewelry! I started traveling, I starting seeing these [people].  I was giving my diamond chains, breaking them apart!  I’m dead serious.  It changed my perception on life.”

According to Waka Flocka, he now sees the music industry as being meaninglessly materialistic and missing out on what really matters.  Instead, he has begun investing his money in technology, healthcare, and environmental programs.

It’s the last part of Waka Flocka’s quote that gets me the most.  Remember, he said, “It changed my perception on life.”  In other words, rapper Waka Flocka Flame experienced a rebirth.  His entire perspective changed, and it affected his values and his priorities in a very tangible way.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever spoken with a friend or family member after not seeing them for years? Was it difficult or strange to talk with them?  Did they seem like the same person?
• In what ways are you a different person than you were before high school? In what ways are you the same?

Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Day

Acts 10:34-43

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Luke 24:1-12

(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

Alleluia!   Jesus is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Easter is truly a special time for the Church.  Today, we celebrate the culmination of Lent and our season of awaiting the resurrection.  Our focus today is on Jesus’ miraculous resurrection from the dead, three days after his death on the Cross.  It is that resurrection that serves as the most powerful witness to the divinity of Jesus.  As we hear the story of the followers of Jesus finding the tomb empty, we share in their overwhelming joy and amazement: Jesus is part of Almighty God, and he came back for us!

 The amazing news is that the resurrection story isn’t only about Jesus!  The theme of resurrection and rebirth is incredibly important in Christian theology.  Today, let us remember three distinct truths about rebirth and resurrection in our faith:

1. God replaces what we release. Many of us choose to give up something for the season of Lent.  Often, it is something that we thought we could barely live without (perhaps chocolate, soda, or one of a thousand other luxuries).  Yet now, forty days later, we have realized the truth: We were fine without those things.  It turns out that God’s love sustains us magnificently, no matter what.  This invites us to consider what we’re still holding on to.  Are you stressed about school?  Are you worried about family and relationship issues?  Are you holding onto guilt from something that happened in your past?  Give those burdens up!  God is there to help us take those burdens off of our shoulders.
2. We can always be reborn. We sometimes speak of being “born again” as followers of Christ.  This isn’t a one-time thing!  We make very human mistakes, and we stray away from God (sometimes even when we don’t intend to).  However, we always have the invitation to be reborn.  This is the nature of God’s forgiveness: We are given the gift of a new beginning from an amazingly gracious God!
3. What is lost isn’t lost forever. You are the one sheep out of the hundred, and the Shepherd is committed to finding you.  You are the lost coin, and God will never give up on finding you.  Even when all looked bleak, and the disciples had given up hope, Jesus came back.  God’s faithfulness is so great that we cannot separate ourselves from God’s divine love.  Even if you feel lost sometimes, know that you are never too far away for God to reach.

In Luke 24, we are shown what to expect.  Jesus’ followers arrive at the tomb to find it empty.  Two men in radiant white (an angels?) tell them that they are looking in the wrong place.  Don’t we do the same?  We dredge up old fears and stresses, guilt and shame.  We won’t find anything worthwhile there.  It’s time to leave those in the tomb, for Jesus is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt God’s providence in your life? Have you ever felt that God has put someone in your path to show you God’s love and support?
• If you were one of the disciples on that first Easter morning, what would Jesus’ resurrection have made you feel and do? How would you respond to His resurrection?
• Why do you think the Church places such importance and ceremony on Easter?

Activity Suggestions

We may celebrate the New Year on January 1st, but Easter marks another important beginning in our faith!  Celebrate the occasion in true New Year’s fashion by sharing resolutions for your new beginning.  What will you do with the fresh start God has given us?

Closing Prayer

Holy and Loving God, in you we find peace, hope, life, and love.  Your power sustains us, and your everlasting faithfulness gives us joy beyond measure.  May we reflect your love to all of your creation, bringing a message of hope and rebirth to a tired and hungry world.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Herb Wounded Head, Brookings, SD

Warm-up Questions

• Do you want to know what people say about you? Why or why not?
• If there’s one word you would hope people would use to describe you, what would it be?

Put on Trial

 It’s hard to open up your social media account or YouTube without seeing a political advertisement these days. Political conversations get incredibly messy during this time of year, especially the year before a presidential election. By messy I mean it’s hard to figure out who is telling the truth about a certain issue. Candidates start to point out flaws in the other person’s stance or position rather than explain their own. That makes it even more difficult to figure out because hardly anyone is presenting their own position! They’re just trying to present their opponent in a negative light in order to gain favor with the popular vote. On a more local level, have any of you had experience with this?

It’s teenage social sorting 101. Put other people down, point out their flaws and you become “popular.” At least, that appears to be what’s happening. Rather than just trying to win a popularity contest, people are being put on trial for being different or not fitting in to the usual social norms. They are tried and convicted for no other reason than they don’t look or act like “everybody” else, whatever that means. People say untrue things about us mainly to build themselves up on a false foundation. Paul mentions gossip right away in his book to the Romans. Proverbs 21:24 says, “Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.” If we put other people on trial, that means only one thing: we’re only looking out for ourselves.

Discussion Questions

• Describe a time when you felt like you were on trial, whether it was from parents, peers or teachers. How did you feel that time?
• Now describe the ways that you were able to come back from that trial. Who was there with you?

Sunday of the Passion

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 23:1-49
(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 our Gospel text, Jesus is put on trial as well. His own disciples deny him. The religious elite tell half truths about who Jesus says he is, and the people in political power have Jesus put to death by crucifixion. It’s an ugly, terrible scene, one that is at the core of the Christian witness: That Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. There are days when it feels like we have been put on trial, and that everyone has abandoned us. We suffer pain, rejection, ridicule and shame, all because of what people perceive as differences among us.

In our political realm, it seems that the differences are what divide us. When the opposite is most certainly true. It is in our differences that we find wholeness. It is in our differences that we discover a deeper connection with all that is around us. There is a way to look at the world that doesn’t see it as all a threat. One of the many things that set Jesus apart was his ability to see God’s presence in those who were outcast, rejected and abandoned. He was so willing to embrace the unembraceable that those sheer acts of hospitality were an offense to those in power and control. It was one of the things that got him killed.

However, we do know that the suffering and death of Jesus is not the whole story. Jesus doesn’t simply stay in the tomb, he comes back. Humanity gave Jesus the worst possible thing that was available at the time, and it wasn’t enough to keep Jesus down. It wasn’t enough to keep God from continuing to love us.

Discussion Questions

• Can you think of examples where Jesus was able to see God’s presence in those who were outcast, rejected and abandoned?
• Who are some people you know that need to know that they are not alone.
• What are some ways that you can embrace the unembraceable in your midst?

Activity Suggestions

• Have participants look at their Facebook feed for a day and count how many posts they would call affirming, judgmental, or neutral.  Talk about how you classify supposedly “funny” posts such as “Wardrobe Fails at Walmart” or informational posts like “Hottest Red Carpet Looks at the Oscars.”  What is going on with those posts?
• Ask all players to arrange themselves in a circle. Instruct each player to think of three statements about themselves. Two must be true statements, and one must be false. For each person, he or she shares the three statements (in any order) to the group. The goal of the icebreaker game is to determine which statement is false. The group votes on which one they feel is a lie, and at the end of each round, the person reveals which one was the lie.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we reach out to you in times of thanks and in times of distress. Help us to trust always in your grace and never-failing love for us, the love that will always give us peace and set us free. Amen.

Kris Litman-Koon, Columbia, SC

Warm-up Question

What are some customary ways that our culture “pays respect” upon the death of an individual?

Show Some Respect!

Recently, a student from McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, NY caught wind of a ministry in Ohio that he felt could be done with some of his friends. So he recruited some fellow classmates to begin a unique ministry: students volunteering to serve as pall bearers for deceased homeless individuals.

Those of us who have families on whom we can depend may not be aware that there are plenty of others in our society who – for various reasons – no longer have a family or friends for support. If homelessness becomes a part of the equation and the individual dies, there might not be a known next-of-kin. In these circumstances, little can be afforded to “pay respect” to the individual and often there is no one in attendance at the burial.
The students from McQuaid desired to change that in their community. They let it be known that they are willing to serve as pall bearers for homeless individuals in their hometown. It would be their way of showing respect for a life that should not be defined by the fact that this person died in a state of homelessness.

Recently, the students were able to act on their offer to be pall bearers. A local shelter reached out to the students to see if they would help with the burial of a man known as Big Shawn. The students agreed, and McQuaid senior Andrew Vaccaro reflected, “We all went into it with the understanding that we were doing something that was sacred for this person.”

Not only did the students carry the coffin to the grave, but they learned about Big Shawn’s life and they offered their own prayers. “We had an image of a person that needed people,” said Vaccaro. “Being able to do that service for him in the end was an incredibly powerful thing.” Fellow student Ian Gonzalez added, “Hopefully we can show these people respect in life, not only after they die.”

Discussion Questions

• What are some words that you would use to describe the actions of these student volunteers from McQuaid?
• Although Big Shawn and others may die in homelessness, do you think their story is bigger than that?
• Openly reflect on the ways that the community of people around you – family, friends, school, congregation, etc. – supports you in various ways. Are you able to fathom not having any of that support network in your life?
• Do you think Big Shawn would appreciate the actions of these strangers? How are the actions of the students reflective of Christian thinking? [The poor are not lesser people; all life is valued; God is capable of making community where there once was no hope of community.]

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 43:16-21

Philippians 3:4b-14

John 12:1-8
(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 our gospel passage, Mary takes costly perfume and anoints Jesus’ feet with it, even using her hair to do so. This is her way of showing her deep appreciation to Jesus (he had recently raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead). In verse seven, Jesus reveals to us that this act of anointing is a way of preparing for Jesus’ own burial, whether Mary knew that or not. In our language today, this was an act is one way of “paying respect.”

Judas has a fit over Mary’s display of reverence. His argument is that the money for the oil would be best used for the poor. That is his public argument, but we are told his intentions were to keep the money for himself. Jesus disputes Judas, saying, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
So we have two themes that unfold in this gospel passage. First, we can discuss Mary’s use of her resources when she decides to show reverence to Jesus by anointing his feet with costly oil. Second, we have Jesus making a statement about the poor among us. Are these two themes opposed to one another? I don’t believe they are. Are these themes related? I believe the answer is yes.

When Jesus disputes Judas, Jesus is paraphrasing a section of scripture (in bold) from Deuteronomy 15. In this section of Hebrew scripture, the people are being reminded of God’s generous offerings to them, notably their release from Egyptian slavery, and how God’s generosity should be the source of their generosity.
7If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. 8You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. 9Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,” and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. 10Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”
~Deuteronomy 15:7-11

Note the ending of that statement: because the poor will always be present, “open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” It can be easy to misinterpret Jesus’ statement in John 12:8 as an excuse to not care for the poor, but that is not his point. His point is that the act of anointing was to prepare him for his burial. This anointing is a timely act of reverence, and therefore should be done. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 informs us that the Israelites could show their reverence to God through the way that they thought about and responded to those in need in their communities.

What does all this mean for us today? As Christians, we have been brought into the fold of God’s people through baptism. Our lives – similar to the lives of the Israelites – are lived in response to the grace and generosity that God shows us. Everything in our lives – including life itself – are gifts from God, and we are supposed to be tend to these gifts and see that they are used properly, because they ultimately belong to God.

This means that the way we live our lives is a way of showing reverence to God. Since showing reverence to God is at the heart of what worship is, the way you live your life is an act of worship. All of the ways that you spend your time, your talents, and your treasures (or “the time, talents, and treasures that God has entrusted to you”) are important to God because through all of these you are capable of showing reverence to God.

The point Jesus makes in the gospel passage is that Mary is showing reverence to God by her act of anointing Jesus’ feet with oil. The way that we live our lives should show reverence to God in all the things that we do. This includes (but is not limited to) the way that we view and interact with individuals who are poor in our communities. The act of the McQuaid students to be pall bearers for their community’s homeless individuals is a choice of how they use their time and talents in order to show reverence to God and to God’s values. Ultimately, the students’ actions are an act of worship directed toward God.

Discussion Questions

• The gospel passage tells us how Mary responded to Jesus raising Lazarus, and it tells us how Judas responded to Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. There were also other people present in the story: Martha, Lazarus, and presumably other disciples. Put yourself in their shoes; how would you have responded to the raising of Lazarus and to the anointing?
• Why do you think it is so easy to be “hard-hearted or tight-fisted” (Deut. 15:7) toward others around us? What does this say about our view of ownership of our possessions; are they ours, or do they belong to God? If they are God’s, what does it mean that they are entrusted to us?
• Name some of the common ways that we use our time, talents, and treasures in any given day (e.g. studying, meals, conversations, etc.). With these in mind, what are some ways that we show our reverence to God through these common activities, and what are some ways that we might fail to be reverent?

Activity Suggestion

Brainstorm together some ways that individually and collectively you can “open your hand” (Deut. 15:8) of time, talents, and treasures to live out God’s values of generosity. What are some ideas that you have for showing reverence to God through your care of others, especially those in need in your community?

Closing Prayer

Pray together the prayer “Blessed are you, O God” on page 107 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. This prayer is written for the beginning of the communion liturgy, but it speaks of the generous gifts that God gives us, and how these gifts are intended to be used.

Jake Bourma, West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

Are there any actions you consider unforgivable?

Surely There’s a Limit–Isn’t There?

The word infamous was made for a person like Martin Shkreli. In September of 2015, Shkreli went from being the founder and CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals to national front-page villain when news broke that his company had recently acquired the rights to a life-saving drug and then raised its price from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. Among other uses, the drug (called Daraprim) is prescribed to treat AIDS and cancer patients, and the new 5,555% price increase would prohibit a great many patients from affording the new cost of treatment, which would now be in the range of hundreds of thousand dollars per year.

Soon after it broke, news of the price hike spread on social media like an infectious disease. On Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere people were not shy about heaping scorn upon Shkreli. And while most incendiary current events are chewed up and spit out by the Internet Outrage Machine within a day or two, contempt for Shkreli has managed to endure. And just when it didn’t seem like his situation could sink any lower, Shkreli was arrested by the FBI and charged with federal securities fraud for unrelated activities at his previous companies—after which he resigned as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, he was subpoenaed to appear before congress to answer questions about the price increase of Daraprim. Shkreli exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent during his testimony and then—as if inviting disdain upon himself—sent out a tweet that read, “Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.”

It’s safe to say that Martin Shkreli hasn’t had the best run in the past few months.

Discussion Questions

• Have you heard about Martin Shkreli or Turing Pharmaceuticals before? If so, what have you heard?
• During his appearance in front of congress, lawmakers referred to Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals as “disgusting” and “disgraceful.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
• Have you ever made a decision that made lots of people upset? How did it make you feel?

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Joshua 5:9-12

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
(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

 C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Real belief in [the forgiveness of sins] is the sort of thing that very easily slips away if we don’t keep on polishing it up.” With the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus gives us just the sort of story that helps us polish up our belief in God’s extravagant forgiveness.

Jesus tells this particular parable in response to a group of scribes and Pharisees, who are criticizing Jesus for befriending the tax collectors and sinners. Like the older brother in the text, the scribes and Pharisees are both self-centered and self-righteous—they only have eyes for the apparent injustice of the situation, so much so that they’re blinded to the beauty and expanse of God’s love in Jesus. As the reader, we are invited in this story to identify with both the older brother and the younger brother. In the older brother’s incredulity at the father’s response upon the younger brother’s return we see ourselves full of disbelief at who God chooses to forgive. And in the younger brother’s disastrous exile and homecoming we see ourselves for the paradoxical sinners and saints that we truly are.

The father forgives the younger brother without blinking an eye, even sprinting out to greet him with a hug and a kiss. Does this counterintuitive understanding of forgiveness mean anything goes? That we can throw our understanding of right and wrong out the window? Absolutely not! It’s true that Martin Luther said “Sin boldly”—and the younger brother certainly did just that—but Luther didn’t just leave it at that. “Be a sinner and sin boldly,” he wrote, “but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.” In other words, God’s grace cannot me outmatched. And in fact the “biggest” sins serve to reveal just how big God’s grace really is, so big that when we feel our most unworthy, God prepares for us a feast. So big that when we feel another is unworthy, God adorns them in God’s most elegant robe. This is the forgiveness we proclaim when we confess “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”

In this story we are reminded that God’s grace is as wide as it is deep. It is for those whose offenses fill us with outrage—even Martin Shkreli—as much as it is for us. It is a grace that reminds us, as famed theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “You are a sinner, a great, desperate sinner; now come, as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you.”

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think this parable is one of the more well-known that Jesus told?
• Are there any sins you think God considers unforgivable?
• Have you ever been jealous of a sibling or family member? What did that feel like?
• Who do you identify with more in this story? The older brother or younger brother? Why?

Activity Suggestions

Do a Google Image search for “sinner/saint” to find different ambigrams of those two words (an ambigram is a word that can be read both right-side-up and upside-down). Print the image and using another piece of blank paper, trace it and color it in to hang on a wall in your church or home. If you are extra ambitious, project the ambigram onto a piece of butcher paper taped to the wall and trace an extra-large version. Let the sinner/saint image be a reminder of the story of the prodigal son.

Closing Prayer

Good and gracious God, we thank you for your boundless grace. We thank you for always welcoming us home even after we wallow in sin. Help our hearts would grow in their capacity for mercy and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Paul Baglyos, St. Paul, MN

Warm-up Question

What is the Good News when there isn’t any big news?

How Do You Know?

photo: a katz / Shutterstock.com

On February 5th a construction crane collapsed in New York City, killing one person and injuring three others. The name of the person killed in the collapse was David Wichs, 38 years old.  He was sitting in a parked car at the time.  According to news stories Wichs was a brilliant mathematician who lived a life of giving.”  He had no connection to the construction site and was on his way to work at the time.

Discussion Questions

• Besides all the accidents that might befall any of us on any given day, against which we might take some preventative precautions, what sorts of freak occurrences are theoretically possible but so unlikely that we never give them the slightest thought or concern?
• What kinds of things do you suppose people might say to David Wichs’ widow in the face of her grief and loss? What would you say to her if you had the opportunity?
• If you were David Wichs’ widow, what might people say to you that you would find helpful? What might people say that you would not find helpful?

Third Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 55:1-9

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Luke 13:1-9
(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

In another gospel passage (Matthew 16:13-15), Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and then, more pointedly, “Who do you say that I am?” Presumably, everyone together at the right time and the right place shared the same information about Jesus. They could all see him and the things he was doing; they could all hear him and the things he was saying. But very different interpretations of Jesus abounded. Was Jesus perhaps John the Baptist somehow come back from the dead? Was he Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets in a new appearance? People interpreted the information about Jesus in many different ways. Finally Peter said, to Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Religious skeptics claim that faith in God is a distortion of reality, an example of confirmation bias, which is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories. Confirmation bias impairs judgment and critical thinking. People of faith often make the same claims about skeptics, thereby participating in a tired and pointless argument that only manages to perpetuate itself endlessly. People of faith might ask, for example, “How can anyone look upon the grandeur of nature and not see the existence of God?’ while skeptics might ask, “How can anyone look upon the extent of suffering and not see the absence of God?” Each side engages in its own form of confirmation bias to support its claims and to denounce its detractors.

Confirmation bias, however, does not always or necessarily produce a distortion of truth and reality. The fact that our perceptions are shaped by our beliefs does not necessarily mean that our perceptions are false and unreliable. The Gospel of John deals with this matter extensively with regard to faith in Jesus. Everywhere in John (with the exception of the story about Thomas in chapter 20!) believing precedes seeing and is necessary to it. “You will see me,” Jesus promises those who believe in him.

But if belief leads to seeing, what leads to belief? Jesus answers that question in our gospel text when he talks about “keeping my commandments.” Here we have to do with the behaviors and practices that pertain to the Christian community, the church. The church is called to do as Jesus does, to do as Jesus says, to do as Jesus teaches. Such doing incubates belief, and belief incubates seeing.

Discussion Questions

• Which Christian practices and behaviors have you found to be most supportive of your faith in Jesus?
• When have you had an experience of seeing Jesus? Describe the context of that experience.
• What is your greatest challenge or obstacle to faith? How might you best meet and seek to overcome that challenge or obstacle?
• How do you help others to see Jesus? How do or how might others see Jesus in you?

Activity Suggestions

As a group, describe ways that you have seen Jesus in each person of the group or ways that each person helps others to see Jesus. What, for each person in the group, is the most surprising about what others have said?

Closing Prayer

Pray together the prayer for “Enlightenment of the Holy Spirit” on page 86 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.