Faith Lens

Warm-up Question

Who are some of the people in your life who have had a positive impact on your faith? What did they do that was so meaningful to you?
Has God ever helped you through a difficult time or situation? What was your experience like?

Divine Intervention?

On the night of January 2, 2015, Larry Wilkins opened his front door to discover a teary-eyed child standing on his front porch. Sailor Gutzler, 7, had just walked away as the sole survivor of a horrific accident. Her parents, a sister, and a cousin had all perished when their small plane went down in a wooded area of western Kentucky. Nearly as miraculous as her survival was Sailor’s journey to Wilkins’ door and her ability to relate to those who responded what had happened. Still dressed in shorts from their Florida vacation, Sailor walked barefoot through the dark Kentucky woods in 38-degree weather.

At a televised news conference on Sunday one of those who responded, Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White, said of his conversations with other rescuers, “We were talking about that being some divine intervention there, because she absolutely went to probably the nearest house that she could have,” also noting that the path was nonetheless a hard one. Sailor was treated for minor injuries and released into the care of other family members. An investigation into the cause of the crash is pending.

Discussion Questions

What do you think Lt. White and the other rescuers meant by, “Divine Intervention?” Where do you see God in this situation?
Many people expressed support for Sailor in online comments related to this article. Others expressed skepticism that God had anything to do with the situation. What do you think? Do you believe God intervenes or acts in our world? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
In Matthew’s gospel, when the angel Gabriel comes to Joseph he calls Jesus, “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” John begins his gospel talking about how God’s Word became flesh in Jesus and lived among us. You may have heard these, and other promises, recently during Advent and Christmas. What do Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection suggest to you of how God acts and/or intervenes in our world?

Second Sunday after Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:43-51

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

The way in which we read or hear something can make all of the difference. One way to read these verses, for example, is simply as John’s account of how Jesus called his first disciples. And in this case, the first three words of this passage, “The next day,” clue us in to the fact that we need to go back a bit to understand what’s going on.

As it turns out, this is actually the third “next day” section in the opening chapter of John’s gospel. In the first section, verses 29 – 34, “the next day” after John the Baptist explains his role to those sent from Jerusalem, he bears witness to Jesus as both the Lamb of God and Son of God. Whereas the other gospel accounts describe Jesus’ actual baptism, John, the gospel writer, has John the Baptist relate his experience of seeing the Spirit descend upon Jesus in the moment, testifying to his true identity. The “next day” after this (verses 35 – 43), John the Baptist’s further testimony about Jesus leads two of his own disciples to follow after Jesus. Jesus, seeing them, asks, “What are you looking for?” When they stammer out, “Rabbi, where are you staying,” Jesus invites them to “Come and see.” What, or rather who, they are really looking for is the Messiah, and in their encounter with Jesus the two experience something that leaves them convinced. For his part, Jesus’ invitation initiates an ever-widening circle of discipleship as one of the two, Andrew, goes on to his own brother, Simon Peter, with the news, “We have found the Messiah.”

So it is that we come to the “next day” of this week’s gospel where the circle of followers continues to grow. Deciding to go to Galilee, Jesus first calls Philip. Philip, in turn, invites Nathanael saying, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Here, “the law and the prophets” means the whole of the Scriptures for these Jewish believers. Brushing aside Nathanael’s remark about the insignificance of Nazareth, Philip offers once again the invitation, “Come and see.” Nathanael does, and his own encounter with Jesus, and Jesus’ ability to “know” and “see” him from afar, not only leads Nathanael to believe in Jesus, it also draws forth a confession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

While Nathanael cannot, at this point in the story at least, fully understand the true meanings behind the titles he gives to Jesus, we have pointers here to what John’s gospel will be about. Indeed, Jesus assures all who are present (both instances of “you” here are plural) that greater things are yet to come: ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’ By the way, the reference here seems to be to the story of Jacob’s ladder (Genesis 28:10-22) where God comes to Jacob in a dream, promising to be with him. What will be experienced in and through Jesus is the reality to which Jacob’s dream points, that is, what John means when he writes, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

So, as the first chapter of his gospel ends, John leaves us with Jesus heading towards Galilee with a growing group of followers. Yet, there is a deeper way to hear this passage than simply an account of Jesus gathering a group of disciples. Jesus’ very first words in John’s gospel, “What are you looking for?” are not simply words for those in the story; they are a question to us, as well. When it comes to life…when it comes to faith, what are we looking for? Deep down in our bones, what is it that we really need?

In these three “next days,” we hear Jesus being called many things. John the Baptist calls him “the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin” and “Son of God.” Andrew calls him, “Rabbi” and “Messiah.” Philip says Jesus is the one, “about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.” Nathanael adds that Jesus is, “the King of Israel.” Is Jesus what we are looking for? Is he the one that we really need? The invitation that John offers to us through the rest of his gospel account, and indeed through our own experience of living as followers of Jesus, is simply to “Come and see.”

Discussion Questions

When it comes to the titles and names given to Jesus in John 1:29-51, (Lamb of God, Messiah, Son of God, Rabbi, King of Israel, Son of Man) which one is most important or most meaningful to you? Why? Would any of these titles be meaningful or helpful to friends of yours who may not yet believe in Jesus? If not, are there other titles or ways of describing Jesus that would be?
If you had been Philip and Jesus had just walked up to you and said, “Follow me,” would you have gone? If so, why? If not, then what further information would you have needed? What else would you have wanted to know before making such a commitment? Do you think we have this information now?
What does it look like to you to follow Jesus? Can a person believe in Jesus without following him? Can we follow him without believing in him? Why or why not?
Nathanael first responds as a skeptic: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” What are some of the reasons that people today might have in being skeptical about Jesus or about the Christian faith? How would you answer their skepticism?
Nathanael came to Jesus because Philip invited him to “come and see.” What do you think would be the best way to invite a friend of yours to “come and see” Jesus today? What are some approaches that might not work so well with your friends or in your setting?

Activity Suggestions

Video: For further discussion on the sheer grace of being called to follow Jesus, watch Rob Bell’s short video, Dust (Nooma series). Though not specifically about this passage, he presents a great take on what being called to “Follow me,” by a rabbi meant in Jesus’ day, and how Jesus’ invitation to Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip, Nathanael and the rest would have been most unusual. Talk together about what it means that Jesus calls us to be his followers. What does it mean to you that Jesus believes in you? Does this change the way you see yourself as a disciple?

Reaching Out: Consider taking a discussion on the invitation to “Come and see,” even further. As a group, explore ways to invite your friends or others in your community to “come and see” Jesus. How would you go about it? Would you hold an event of some sort? Would you invite them to a service project? A retreat? A play or music festival? A specially designed worship service? What activities are you already doing that are, or could be, great places for friends to experience God’s love and grace? How might you use social media or other modern means to invite folks? What “barriers” might need to be overcome? Brainstorm the possibilities – can you make a plan to try one or more of these possibilities out?

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, before we ever could think to seek you, you have come seeking us, inviting us to know abundant and eternal life. When we doubt your goodness and love, help us to see the many ways that you act in our lives and the grace that you give to us day by day. Empower us by your Spirit to follow, lead us to be living signs of your grace, and give us the courage to invite others to “Come and see.” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Warm-up Question

Have you ever been in an earthquake? Where were you and what happened?

Finger Pointing

At the close of 2014 that was a lot of finger pointing back and forth between North Korea and the United States of America. Conflict between the two nations began at least 70 years ago but the close of 2014 brought a flurry of finger pointing. It began in late November with the hack of Sony Pictures’ computer systems. In the days following, evidence surfaced that the attack originated in North Korea, likely in retaliation to Sony preparing to release a comedic movie called The Interview about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. North Korean officials deny their country is responsible but the FBI says North Korea is the culprit.

Hackers next told Sony to stop the “movie of terrorism” and threatened terror attacks against people who see The Interview in theaters. In response major theater chains cancelled plans to show the movie and Sony officially canceled the movie’s release. President Obama criticized Sony for failing to consult the White House in deciding to censor the movie but later applauded when the movie was released on Christmas Day in theaters and online.

Starting Christmas Eve, Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox Live networks experienced multi-day outage via denial-of-service attacks. FBI investigating is where or not North Korea is involved.

On December 22^nd and 28^th North Korea suffered a nationwide internet and 3G mobile phone networks outages. In response North Korea blames the US for engineering the outages and said, “Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest”. US officials have not commented on whether they had a role in the outages and refuse to respond to avoid provoking a response from North Korea.

Discussion Questions

Have you seen the movie The Interview? Why or why not? Is it responsible to release a movie about the assassination of another nation’s current leader? What would your response be if North Korea released a movie about assassinating President Obama?
Which country is to blame in all the finger pointing? Is one or the other more in “the right?”
Should we be afraid of further escalation between the 2 countries – i.e., nuclear attacks?

Baptism of our Lord

Genesis 1:1-5

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

At the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, John the Baptist comes as a messenger with one message: Get ready God is coming. John is like a hand that points to Jesus – the One God sends. John says to anyone who will listen, “the One who is more powerful than I is coming.” John knows who he is and that his job is to finger point to Jesus.

John’s words and appearance were like the prophet Elijah who also finger pointed to God doing something new. Here in Mark’s story John proclaims baptism (washing) and makes it new in making baptism a moment where God’s invitation to repentance and forgiveness happen. John baptizes and then points to Jesus and says “I have baptized you with water… he will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus baptism will be even better because he will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Then Jesus is baptized. Jesus sees the heavens ripped apart and hears God say “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” In baptism God finger points to Jesus and comes to earth as a flesh and blood human being. We hear God’s voice in baptism too call us beloved sons and daughters. God finger points to us and gives us new birth in the Holy Spirit to live and love like Jesus.

Discussion Questions

Why was a person like John sent to get people ready for Jesus and not a religious leader or ruler from Rome? Why did so many people respond to John’s message?
Do you think only Jesus saw the dove-like form of the Spirit and the voice of God when he was baptized? What difference does this make?
What difference does baptism make in your daily life? What do you do each day that tells the world everyone is a beloved child of God?

Activity Suggestions

Make a large, finger pointing hand out of cardstock. (Think of the foam “#1” fingers of sports teams). On one side write “points people to Jesus“. On the other side “points people away from Jesus.”

Now as a group write or draw ways that you as individuals, church community and nation point and fail to point the world to Jesus on each side. Brainstorm together what do you do and what do you fail to do to tell the world that everyone is given the new life of Christ?

Closing Prayer

God of the finger pointing, help us to receive the daily gift of baptism in pointing the world to your Son. As North Korea and the USA point fingers, transform our finger pointing into the love and life of turning lives around and knowing you. Thank you for messengers like John the Baptist. Help us to tell and show the world you are here and that the world is loved by you. Amen.

Warm-up Question

When were you ever afraid of the dark?

Let There Be Light

A 31 year-old physicist at MIT, Jeremy England, has been mixing things up a bit in the world of physics and the question of the origin of life, as we know it, here on earth (and perhaps existing elsewhere). The Big Bang followed by primordial ooze giving birth to life is not enough for the young physicist. According to England, there are even more fundamental laws of nature at work. His premise is that where there is energy (as in the form of light) and conditions for heat to be released, the inanimate can become animate. The physics world is divided and still debating his theory. If proven to have merit and accepted it could change how we talk about the origins of life. As England suggests, “You start with a random clump of atoms, and if you shine light on it for long enough, it should not be so surprising that you get a plant.”

Discussion Questions

How does the sun feel on your skin or face?
When do you most like being in the sun?
When have you noticed the life-giving effects of sunlight?
How do you feel during this ‘darker’ time of the year with less hours of sunlight each day?

Second Sunday of Christmas

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

John 1:[1-9]10-18

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

The eternal Word of God, Jesus Christ, is what this introduction to John’s Gospel is about. These verses right at the beginning are a philosophical-theological explanation of who Jesus is. God’s word that creates, becomes flesh – a real human being, and is light. Just like the first thing that God creates in Genesis, “let there be light.” And after there’s light, then things can begin to take shape in the midst of the chaotic stuff that was “without form and was void”. A new creation is taking place. A divine word that is a light for humanity has come. “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1: 3b-5) Light is life. The new light of Jesus brings life to the dark corners of our world and of our daily existence.

The gospel writer, John, says that the darkness did not ‘overcome’ it. The original word in Greek (“katalaben”) can mean “to take hold of,” “seize,” “comprehend,” or “understand.” So this Jesus-light shines in the darkness and the darkness can’t cover him up and make him go away and the darkness can’t get a hold of the Jesus-light. It doesn’t understand it.

Jesus gives life and somehow that is hard to understand. The creator becomes a part of the creation. The same God that says, “let there be light,” comes to the dark corners of the world to shine into the darkness. Wherever the light of Jesus Christ shines, there you will find life. “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” (John 1:12). As God’s children, the ones who have received the light, we have the opportunity to point to the same light of Christ as John the Baptist does. Where we see darkness, we can shine the Jesus-light of love to dispel it.

Discussion Questions

Even though we know the light of Jesus Christ, when do you still experience moments of “darkness”?
What are ways the light of Jesus Christ can dispel the “darkness” in our lives and the lives around us?
In what ways can we increase or intensify the light of Jesus?
What would you call darkness in the world?

Activity Suggestions

Candle in the darkness: Take one candle and the participants into a dark place in the church (some room somewhere where light can be kept out). See how one small candle can illumine the whole room. Read the Gospel lesson again.

Closing Prayer

God who is the creative Word, you have so often come to us in the dark moments in our lives. Send the loving light of your son, Jesus Christ, to us now. Enlighten our darkness now and send us out to be your children, children of your divine light. We pray this in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen

Faith Lens Editor

Faith Lens is not published this week. The next posting will be for Sunday, January 4.

Dennis Sepper, Tacoma, WA

Warm-up Question

Do you think one person can make a difference in the world? Why or why not?

One Person Can Make a Difference

Detroit, Michigan—Every Saturday or Sunday Robby Elmers loads up the family minivan. Since he is only 12 years old, Robby cannot drive so his grandmother does the honors. They drive from their small city outside of Detroit to the center core of Motown. Once there Robby sets up a table filled with hot dogs, potato salad and other treats and begins to serve the homeless of Detroit.

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According to the Detroit Free Press there are some 20,000 homeless people living in the Motor City. Some people think Robby is wasting his time and birthday and Christmas money but not Robby, “It makes me feel good to be able to help” he told the Detroit News. While Robby might only be 12 years old, he is giving hope to a group of people that often feels overlooked. “It is amazing that a child so young would be out here shaking hands, talking to everyone and caring,” Shauna Johnson, A Detroit homeless woman told the Detroit News, “Robby is right out there in front.”

Discussion Questions

Do you think one person can make a difference in the world? Why or why not?
Is Robby wasting his time and money? Why or why not?
What is your passion…something you feel God is calling you to do in this world?
Watch this You Tube video, https://www.youtube.com/user/ulprojectsunlight What do you notice about the “new leaders” shown? What else do you see?
Many of you will be headed to Detroit next summer for the ELCA Youth Gathering. Together you will be instruments of hope to a city that is getting back on its feet after some really tough times. Take your passions with you and you will make a difference in the lives of the people of Detroit.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

In the Advent season we begin to hear and read some of the classic Christmas Bible stories. One has to listen or read very carefully because over the years, since Christmas is such a huge event and celebration, some embellishments of the stories have crept into the account of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. That is not a bad thing, people love the stories and they carry so much meaning that people want to help them along a bit by adding their own contributions. For example, we all assume that when Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem that Mary rode on a donkey. It’s a beautiful image which we often see in art work but you can read Luke and Matthew until your eyes turn red and you will find no mentioned of a donkey or any other method of travel. Mary may have well walked along side Joseph!

The same is true with today’s Gospel reading. As you heard or read we really do not know much about Mary from this Gospel Reading. We know that she has found favor with God (1:30) but we are not told why; we know that she was from the small town of Nazareth (1:26) and not from the important city of Jerusalem; and we know from Matthew’s account that Mary was engaged to Joseph but not yet married (Matthew 1:18). That is not a lot to go on but Mary (and Joseph) have a great deal to teach us by example and that is where we turn our attention to next.

First, why did Mary find favor with God? Was it because she was rich or perfect or knew her Old Testament Bible verses well? It certainly doesn’t seem so. What might have caused God to find favor with Mary and caused God to choose her for the privilege of giving birth to Jesus was her faith. The clue to that is given in Luke 1:38. After hearing this incredible news that God chose her to be the mother of Jesus, she responded in faith, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Do we have the kind of faith that allows us to say without hesitation to God, “Let it be with me according to your word”? The Holy Spirit gives us that kind of faith but sometimes we try to make excuses as to why God should choose someone else! The Good News here is that God chooses us out of God’s grace and mercy. As the song “I Am Yours” by Casting Crowns says in addressing God “Not because of who I am but because of what you’ve done, not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are.” We never “earn” God’s call; it comes to us by the Holy Spirit through the grace of God and Jesus. Like Mary all we have to do is stand there and say “Thanks! Yes! Let it be with me according to your word.”

Why did God choose a woman from Nazareth and not from the center of religious and political power Jerusalem? You might say it was to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy but there is more at work here. God’s choice of Mary is all a part of God’s great reversal where God chooses the poor over the wealthy, the weak over the powerful, the humble over the proud, the hungry over the well fed, an unknown person from a small town over a celebrity from Washington D.C. or Hollywood. Read Luke 1:46-55 which is the Psalm Reading for this Sunday. These are revolutionary words. If the Romans had heard Mary singing this song she could have been arrested or worse. But this is the way God works…in ways we do not expect, in ways that go against the stream. Again, the Good News here is take a look around the room and take a look at yourself…not many of us are powerful or a celebrity.

Finally, we are never told the age of Mary but we know that women in the Middle East at that time married young. Most scholars who concern themselves with Mary’s age say she was most likely between thirteen and sixteen years old. That puts her a little bit older than Robby Elmers, around the age of those in the You Tube video above and about the same age as most people who are reading or using this Faith Lens blog! The great prophet Jeremiah tried to use his age as an excuse to get out of the prophetic call (see Jeremiah 1:4-8) but God would have none of it. We are never too young and we are never too old to receive the call of God to service in the world. That’s because the call is not rooted in us. The call is rooted in our baptism where God adopts us as God’s children, brothers and sisters of Jesus and where God bestows on us the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary stands as a shining example in this season of Advent of a person who takes their faith in the Lord seriously and is ready and willing to act on that faith. Standing in that kind of faith in God and Christ one person can make a difference in the community they live and in the world; you and me included!

Discussion Questions

Think about the traditional Christmas creche or painting of Christmas night. No biblical text puts all the elements in the same place, but we usually depict parents, animals, shepherds, and magi gathered around the manger. What is the significance of each of these things for the meaning of the nativity? What does each these elements contribute to our understanding of this event.
Some traditions regard Mary as the model of discipleship. If that is true, what attributes does a disciple have, based on what we know about Mary.

Activity Suggestions

When couples are expecting a baby they often prepare a birth announcement. The birth announcement not only gives us information about the child (sex, length and weight) but sometimes they include some of the parent’s expectations for the child. Pretend for a moment that you are Mary or Joseph, how would you write a birth announcement for Jesus? Be as creative as you can be: make it song (rock, country or rap), a picture, a video, a poem (or Spoken Word), even a tweet. No matter what medium you choose remember to include the revolutionary words and/or ideas in Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).

For inspiration you might want to take a look at the hymn “Canticle of the Turning”, ELW #723. The hymn was written by Rory Cooney (b. 1952) and is a paraphrase of the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Cooney wrote the hymn to emphasize the radical nature of Mary’s words particularly how God renders the powerful powerless and raises up the lowly. Even the tune chosen for this hymn reflects the radical nature of the text with its dance-like rhythm and wild flair.

Closing Prayer

Almighty and merciful God, we are not worthy to come before you but instead you come to us in Jesus and you call us to be Christ’s disciples in the world. Through your call of Mary and Joseph you proclaim to us that we are never too young or too old to be your hands and feet in our world today. By the Holy Spirit given to us in baptism, strengthen our faith, calm all our fears, and give us the courage to serve you and our neighbor in lives of service. As your sons and daughters we make a difference in this world on your behalf. To you be all glory and honor now and forever. Amen.

January 18, 2015–Divine Intervention?

January 11, 2015–Finger Pointing

January 4, 2015–Let There Be Light

No new Faith Lens for 12/28/14

December 21, 2014–One Person Can Make a Difference