Contributed by Seth Moland-Kovash, All Saints Lutheran Church, Palatine, IL

Warm-up Question

Have you ever been fishing? Are you a “catch-and-release” or “keep-and-eat” fisher?

To Fish or Not to Fish

It seems that we’ve been concerned for decades about overfishing. Commercial fisheries have depleted the stocks of valuable fish for human consumption to the point that the stocks have dried up. Businesses and ways of life for people who depend on commercial fishing have dried up. That could be changing.

Steve Murawski, who was, until recently, the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service, believes that this year will be the first time on record (since 1900) that US fishermen won’t overfish any species. Read more at http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12571607&page=1

Through management and quota systems, Murawski and others believe that the US has balanced the need to fish now with the need to preserve fish supplies for future years and future generations. Obviously, only time will tell if that is true.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think the government should regulate how much people can fish? Why or why not?
• What do you think is the biggest danger in overfishing? Is overfishing  a greater danger than people losing jobs in fishing?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, January 23, 2011 (Third Sunday after Epiphany)

Isaiah 9:1-4

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Matthew 4:12-23

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Jesus met some commercial fishermen. Simon Peter and Andrew weren’t just hobby fishermen. They weren’t having a relaxing day out on the boat. This was their job and their livelihood.  Their families and those they loved depended on them to make a good catch, sell it at the market,  and bring the proceeds home. Jesus invited them to a different way of life.

He invited them to lay down their fishing nets and pick up their people-fishing tools. Of course, in that moment, he did not describe to them how to fish for people or tell them what would be involved. They could only learn that through being with him all through his life: in fact, all the way through his death and resurrection.

And yet, with these seemingly large holes in their knowledge… they did it! They dropped their fishing nets and left their business behind. They left everything behind and followed.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Simon Peter and Andrew followed?
• Would you have followed if Jesus had said this to you?
• What is the best “bait” you have to fish for people as Jesus commanded us to do?

Activity Suggestion

Create an imaginary tackle box. Think of all the bait and tackle you have at your disposal to fish for people? What’s in it? What tools has God give you, personally and as a group?

Closing Prayer

Good and gracious God, we pray for your guidance as we fish for people. Give us the words and the tools we need. Most of all, give us the passion and the desire to share your good news with all those around us.  Amen.

Contributed by R. Paul Henrickson, Chaplain and Dean of the Chapel, Roanoke College, Salem, VA

Warm-up Question

Go around the group and respond to the following:

• Is the world more populated by sheep or wolves?
• Would you rather be a sheep or a wolf?
• Name a sheep; name a wolf.
• Are Christians among the sheep or the wolves?
• Does Christianity have any enemies?

Sheep and Wolves

I write this on June 21, 2010.  I am reminded by the New York Times, that on this day in 1964, three civil rights workers disappeared in Philadelphia, Miss. Their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam six weeks later. Eight members of the Ku Klux Klan went to prison on federal conspiracy charges; none served more than six years.  In our day, working for justice continues to have its dangerous side, however, one is more likely to be threatened with the weapon of apathy rather than with a club or a gun.

Jesus warns his disciples:  “See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.”

In our present day, there is a full scale attack on Christianity, led by some who hold to the assumption that God does not matter and that religion is for those who have become thoughtlessly captive to “memes” .  Richard Dawkins,  who coined this word for a cultural idea, symbol, or practice goes on to say: “I doubt that religion can survive deep understanding. The shallows are its natural habitat.”

Some writers have begun to describe Europe as a “post-Christian” society.  In our own country estimates about how many people attend worship suggest that less than 22% of Americans attend worship each week. ( Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 44, Number 3, September 2005 , pp. 307-322)  Among young adults (18-29), 72% say that they are “spiritual, but not religious.”  In this group, 65% never or rarely attend worship services.  (http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-04-27-1Amillfaith27_ST_N.htm)

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever been threatened because of your Christian faith?
• What hinders us from proclaiming the Gospel story?
• Are we headed into a “post-Christian” age?
• Why do you think fewer people call themselves “believers?”
• Do you know people who say the are “spiritual but not religious?”

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, July 4, 2010 (Sixth Sunday after Pentecost)

Isaiah 66:10-14

Galatians 6:[1-6] 7-16

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

(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

There are a few essays that I read over every three months or so to keep me from grazing too far from the Word.  When my preaching has become rather predictable (or dry), I read Stanley Hauerwas’ article: “Preaching As Though We Had Enemies.”  In this essay he writes, “Most of us do not go to church because we are seeking a safe haven from our enemies; we go to church to be assured we have no enemies.”

In the text for this week, Jesus assures us that speaking the Gospel will be a dangerous calling.  “See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.”  Does that cause any anxiety in your heart?  Perhaps our faith has become too tame, too domesticated to generate a real threat to those who would be our enemies.  Perhaps the weapon of apathy does not warrant a defensive response.

Imagine what Sunday morning worship be like if we arrived as those who had been wounded in the spiritual battle.  There would be prayers of comfort, songs of confident praise, a message of courage and hope, mutual conversation and consolation among the faithful, and a meal of bread and wine – rations for the week ahead.

Our own Lutheran Church (ELCA), is losing more than 200 members EACH DAY.   This is a crisis of faith and evangelism; the wolves seem to be winning the numbers game.

So, fellow sheep, what are we called to do?  Prayer followed by action; songs followed by commitment, preaching that inspires and challenges; conversation that supports and encourages – these will be the marks of the flock who wander out among the wolves.  By the power of Jesus Christ, we will not fail.

Discussion Questions

• How might a local parish refocus its ministry as “sheep among the wolves?”
• Where do “the sheep” get fed and protected?
• What is the scariest “wolf” in your world?
• What “wolf” most threatens the ministry of the church?

Activity Suggestions

• Role play an encounter with a “spiritual, but not religious” friend
• Make a contract with the group to invite one person to worship next Sunday
• Watch the first 10 minutes of the evening news and imagine how people of faith might react to the stories
• Watch the following video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrQqDqOx3KY&feature=related

Closing Prayer

In the name of Jesus Christ we pray…Lord of Life, give us the courage to speak your word in a world of unbelief.  When we would rather “play it safe,” startle us to faith; when we get bored and apathetic, astonish us with grace; when we fear that we are too weak to confront the wolves, give us courage. Help us to be fed by your word this day.   Amen

Contributed by Bob Chell, Lutheran Campus Ministry at South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota

Warm-up Question

As children, we sometimes misconstrue reality because we misinterpret what we see:  “Dad took me to watch firefighters train on an abandoned house. For years I thought firefighters drove around looking for run-down houses to burn and was scared they would burn down our house.”  

Sometimes we are mislead:  “When I was little, my Dad told me that the tune played by the ice cream van was the ice cream man letting everyone know that he’d run out of ice cream.”

What have you believed which turned out to be untrue?

Life Out of Doubt

A young woman lay dead; nearby, an abandoned truck was stuck in the mud.  The investigation was quick.  Within hours, police had suspects and by evening Greg Taylor and Johnny Beck were in jail, charged with murder.  Both were crack addicts who admitted they were only looking for their next high.  Johnny Beck was released before trial for reasons which are unclear. Greg Taylor was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.  That was sixteen years ago.  A month ago Greg Taylor was released from prison upon the recommendation of a special innocence panel which found “clear and convincing evidence” that Gregory F. Taylor was innocent and had been convicted based on flawed evidence and unreliable testimony.

Source:  (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/us/18innocent.html)

Discussion Questions

• Had this been you or someone you love, would you be grateful or bitter upon release after sixteen years?  How would you reconcile the two feelings?
• Have you ever had first-hand knowledge of a news story that didn’t match what you heard in the media?
• Have you passed on a story you later learned was untrue? What were the consequences for the person in the untrue story you passed on?  For you?
• Did you take any action upon learning the story was untrue?  What was the result? 

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 11, 20110 (Second Sunday of Easter)

Acts 5:27-32

Revelation 1:4-8

John 20:19-31

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Thomas stands in a long line of doubters stretching back to the beginning of the faith.  Abraham was skeptical that God could deliver on the promise of a son while Sarah, his wife, laughed in God’s face.  Moses doubted he could accomplish what God called him to do.  Gideon demanded proof.  Elijah ran away.  Jeremiah and Job—even Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before his arrest and crucifixion—struggled with doubt.  One theologian notes that the only people in scripture who are certain of God’s will stone the prophets and crucify Jesus.

Doubt is not an enemy, but a friend.  Doubt keeps us from being a sucker for every get-rich, get-beautiful, get-saved scheme that comes along.  The danger is that, surrounded by pop-up ads and bogus invitations to wealth and intimacy, we will become cynical and cease to believe anything.

Yet, it is doubt that pushes us forward in life and faith.  Doubt is a way of life for high school and college students:  Doubting your major, doubting your current romance, doubting there will ever be a romance, doubting your career plans, doubting your faith.

Doubt is useful when it pushes us beyond the superficial to the substantive, when it pushes us to ask hard questions and look at life, and ourselves, with clear and open eyes.

Doubt is at the heart of education.  It drives the scientific method.  How does this work…what would happen if…can I prove…?

In our personal life doubt keeps us awake at night and commands our attention. It is unpleasant but useful, drawing us to attend to those things most important in our lives.  Doubt pushes us to change and grow.  It forces us to ask hard questions about faith, family, and vocation, the things which define who we are.

Doubt is not the end but the beginning.  Most of us, when plagued by doubt, try harder to figure it out, to think it through, to discern the truth—and we should.  Whom we choose as a life partner, the career we choose, the faith we embrace will shape and change the rest of our lives.

Easter isn’t about happy endings, Jesus springing up three days later so we can have Easter eggs, a new outfit and time off from school or work.  Easter is about a God who stands with us, suffers with us, even dies with us.

The poet Gerhard Frost once wrote: “Doubt gnaws at faith but faith gnaws back, and faith has better teeth.”  God’s promise is that Jesus can and will break through the locked and shut doors of our lives, the prison of doubt we live in.  Jesus comes through the wall, breaks in, and speaks “Peace be with you.”  God’s peace isn’t a promise that there will be no doubt, pain, struggle, indecision, or any of the other things which are part of being human, part of being in relationships. God’s peace is a promise to walk with us, to strengthen us, to sustain us, to forgive us, to challenge us.

The time for hunting Easter eggs is over, but if we are hunting for God working in our lives, we need only look where we doubt.  There we will find God’s Spirit moving us to growth and faith.

Discussion Questions

• Recall a time when you thought you would never be happy again.  Was God at work in you and others?
• How do we discern when doubt is useful and when it is useless?
• If doubt is a good thing, can we be certain about anything?

Activity Suggestions

• Ask several persons you love and trust if there was ever a time when they wanted to run away and leave their life behind because they were embarrassed, ashamed or in deep pain.  Ask what enabled them to survive that time and, looking back, how they see that God was at work in their lives during that time.
•  Reflect on a time when you were so unhappy you wanted to quit, give up, move, and get away from doubt and pain.  What enabled you to survive?  Is there a learning there for your faith?  for your future?

Closing Prayer

God of grace and mercy, we want to believe and trust your promises.  Give us courage and perseverance to confront the doubt and pain and brokenness in our lives.  Give us, also, the wisdom to know when to let go of broken dreams and move on.  Move our hearts to forgive others and ourselves, so we may live with Easter joy.  Amen.

Contributed by Daniel Wiessner, Tacoma, Wash.

Warm-up Question

Have you ever done something that you knew was dangerous?  Why did you do it?  Some possibilities: peer pressure, standing up for a friend, pride in your own accomplishments, just for the thrill.

Accepting the Challenge

A number of sports carry hazards. (Football comes to mind.) This year’s Winter Olympics reminds us of the inherent dangers of a person traveling at 90 miles per hour. The luge track at the Whistler Sliding Center, in British Columbia, was touted as the fastest course around, but speed and a small misstep in practice proved fatal for Georgian Olympian, Nodar Kumaritashvili.

While the only other luge-related death in the Olympics was way back in 1964, Kumaritashvili’s death has raised the more general issue of athletes’ safety in professional sport competitions such as the Olympics.

Kumaritashvili had apparently expressed concerns about the safety of this particular track, but he, like his fellow sliders, took on the risk. In the same way, we all accept challenges which pose some sort of danger, be it social, emotional, or even the possibility of physical harm. Even with the risk, the goal of succeeding in our ventures drives our ambition to go for the gold.

Article source:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/15/winter.sports.dangerous/index.html

Discussion Questions

1. Do you know anyone who has ever been hurt in a sport? Do you think the growing intensity of sports today makes them too dangerous?
2. If the chances of serious injury (or even death!) from participating in your favorite leisure time activity increased 5%, would you still do it? 15%? 40%?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, February 28, 2010 (Second Sunday of Lent)

(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.

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Luke 13:31-35

Gospel Reflection

In the gospel lesson this week, Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem and begin the climax of the Gospel story.  The Pharisees are warning Jesus about Herod. This is the same Herod who, not long before, was responsible for the death of John the Baptist. Rather than turning tail, however, Jesus gave the messengers another message to deliver: Jesus was going to cure illness and cast out demons like he had been doing the whole time, and then “on the third day” (soon) he will finish his work. Finish his work? Jesus knew exactly what was coming. In the church year, this journey to Jerusalem marks the beginning of the season of Lent, and on Good Friday Jesus will give his life to pay for the sins of the whole world.

Athletes may train their entire lives with dreams of competing at the Olympic Games, despite the dangers of their craft. Similarly, Jesus’ life of selfless acts of saving and healing culminates with his trip to Jerusalem. In the same way that past hazards had not changed his message or direction, Jesus would not be swayed by warnings about a murderous Herod. Athletes risk life and limb for a shot at the gold; Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that he would give himself as the ultimate sacrifice for us all.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some of your personal goals? What are you doing to reach them? What “dangers” are you facing in your pursuit of these goals?
2. Have you ever walked into a situation knowing that it wasn’t going to end well, but also knowing that good was going to come out of it?

Activity Suggestion

Talk to someone you know and greatly respect. Ask what hurdles he or she crossed in order to accomplish major life goals.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for the talents you have given us, and our ability to meet life’s tough challenges head-on. Please watch us and keep us safe as we venture through this week. Amen.

Contributed by Pastor Julie A. Kanarr
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Port Angeles, WA

Warm-up Question: What is the hardest thing you have ever done? 

American sailor Zac Sunderland, who turned 17 in November, and British sailor Mike Perham, who will turn 17 in March, are both in the middle of sailing alone around the world, in attempts to become the youngest person to do so. By coincidence, they recently met up with each other in Cape Town, South Africa. They toured one another’s boats, shared a meal, and spoke with admiration and respect for the each other’s journey and accomplishments.

Zac is sailing a 33 foot cruising sailboat named Intrepid that he purchased with his own savings. After months of preparing the boat with the help of his shipwright father and the financial support of several sponsors, he set off from Marina Del Ray in southern California on June 14, 2008. Zac’s boat is equipped with a satellite phone, radios, and a laptop computer, enabling him to stay in touch with his family and friends during his journey. In addition, there are hundreds of people who are following his journey through his blog at www.zacsunderland.com .

Zac sailed west across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with stops in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and in ports along the coast of South Africa as he rounded the Cape of Good Hope en route to Cape Town. Along the way he battled storms, mechanical problems, and skirted areas known to be frequented by pirates. His route will now take him across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal, and up the coast of Mexico back to his home port in California.

Upon finishing his trip, Zac will become the youngest person to sail alone around the world, a record that will stand until Mike Perham, who is a few months younger than Zac, finishes his trip.

Mike Perham departed from Portsmouth, England, November 15, 2008. He is sailing a chartered 50 foot racing sailboat named totallymoney.com in honor of one of his primary sponsors. Like Zac, Mike’s boat is equipped with an assortment of electronic gear that enables him to stay in touch through the Internet and satellite phone during his journey. Mike, who already holds the record for the youngest person to sail alone across the Atlantic Ocean (at age 14) had originally hoped to become the youngest person to sail non-stop, unassisted around the world, but a mechanical issues required him to stop for repairs in Portugal and in the Canary Islands along the way, so now he is hoping to become the youngest person to complete a solo circumnavigation. He sailed the Atlantic Ocean down to the southern tip of Africa, where he landed in Cape Town for additional repair work.

After departing Cape Town, Mike will continue sailing east, rounding the southern tip of Africa, Australia, and South America on his way back to his starting point in England. You can follow his journey through his blog at www.totallymoney.com/sailmike .

Both Mike and Zac have been tested by the challenges that are part of long-distance solo ocean sailing. Sleep often consists of taking short naps between periods of needing to tend sails, respond to changes in the wind, and keep watch for large ships, and other potentially dangerous situations. Each has navigated his boat through difficult conditions, and faced mechanical issues. These challenges have honed their skills and given them greater confidence as they move toward achieving their goals. Both have also received encouragement and support from their parents, friends, and well-wishers along the way.

Discussion Questions

• If you were to meet Zac and/or Mike, what would you ask them about their experience?
• Imagine that you are heading out on an extended journey by yourself. What kind of journey would you undertake? What do you think you would you find difficult? What do you think you would enjoy most? In what ways would you hope to grow from the experience?
• Tell about a time when you undertook a new challenge. How did it turn out? In what ways did you succeed or fail at what you tried to do? What did you gain from that experience? What did you learn about yourself in the process?
• Where do you look for strength, encouragement, or inspiration in facing challenges or in working to meet your goals?
• In what ways can challenging situations serve as a positive experience? In what ways can challenges be a negative experience? Overall, do you view challenges (and tests!) as good things or as bad things? Why?Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, March 1, 2009.
  (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.)
  • Genesis 9:8-17
  • Psalm 25:1-10 (10)
  • 1 Peter 3:18-22
  • Mark 1:9-15

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

  Gospel Reflection

  After his baptism, the Spirit “drives” Jesus into the wilderness, where he spends forty days. Unlike Matthew and Luke’s version of this story, Mark’s gospel offers few details. Jesus is tempted. He is with the wild beasts. The angels wait on him (Mark 1:12-13). (For comparison, see Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, which, by contrast, have an extended verbal sparring match between Jesus and Satan.)

  Mark’s sparse telling of the story invites readers to reach into their memory banks to “connect the dots” with other biblical stories. The forty days Jesus spends in the wilderness is reminiscent of the forty years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness after their rescue from Egypt. After passing through the waters of the Red Sea, where they were saved and the Egyptian army drowned, Israel spent those forty years wandering in the wilderness, facing tests and challenges. During that time, they learned about trusting in God, and discovered the consequences of failing to trust or obey. (For example, see Exodus 17:1-7).

  Being with the wild beasts may be suggestive of the kinds of dangers that accompany challenging situations, or it may suggest a fulfillment of the yearning for harmony among all creatures that was expressed through Isaiah’s poetry in speaking of the coming of the Messiah (see Isaiah 11:6-9).

  The mention of angels ministering to Jesus in the wilderness echoes the story of Elijah, who retreated to the wilderness to rest, and received food from an angel to strengthen him for a forty-day journey to Mt. Horeb (Sinai) and to the renewal of his calling to serve as God’s prophet (see 1 Kings 19:4-9). These biblical stories help us grasp the significance of wilderness as a place of encountering God, and point us toward a deeper understanding of Jesus as Messiah and prophet of God.

  Although we often think of Jesus’ time in the wilderness as a time of “temptation,” the word that Mark’s gospel uses also means “to test.” Jesus is tested — he is challenged. Testing has an important function. It is part of Jesus’ preparation for the mission that lies ahead. Testing is a process of probing for weaknesses, so that they can be eliminated before they lead to catastrophic failure. Testing is a process of determining what is genuine and trustworthy. Testing is process of distinguishing truth from falsehood. Advance testing determines reliability during actual crisis situations. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus is tested. As he faces those unnamed challenges in the wilderness, he is strengthened for what lies ahead, so that he will be able to withstand the tests that he will face during his ministry, including the opposition that ultimately leads him to the cross.

  Mark’s sparse telling of the story also leaves room for all who read this text to find themselves within it. By not being specific about the kind of testing or temptation that Jesus faces, each of us can recognize that Jesus shares in our own experiences of being tested and tempted, and we can draw strength, comfort, encouragement, and inspiration from him as we face our own times of trial and challenge.

  Discussion Questions

  • Share your thoughts about Jesus’ experience of being tested/tempted. Do you think it would have been easy or difficult for him? Why? What do you think would have been the most challenging part of that experience?
  • Do you think that testing/temptation was a necessary part of Jesus’ life experience? Why or why not?
  • Do you think that testing/temptation is an important or necessary part of your life? Why or why not? What do you think your life and faith would be like if you never had to face a test, challenge, or temptation?
  • In the traditional version of the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “lead us not into temptation.” In the modern version, we pray “save us from the time of trial.” What does the difference in language between these two versions mean for you? Which one do you prefer as an expression of your needs in prayer? Why?
  • Spend a few moments reflecting on the kinds of tests, challenges, and temptations that you experience in your faith and life. (If you feel comfortable doing so, you may wish to share with your group). In what ways can you draw strength, encouragement, or inspiration from Jesus as you face your own experiences of testing, challenge, and/or temptation?

  Activity Suggestion

  Make plans and arrangements to go to a challenge ropes course at a nearby outdoor ministry, college, or other place that offers supervised and facilitated challenge course activities. Process the experience with attention to:

  • How do we face and deal with challenges and tests? As an individual? As a group or community?
  • What are the advantages of being part of a community? (large or small)
  • How do we help each other face and move through texts and temptations?
  • What strengths, qualities, assets, or skills do you bring to a group? What are your weak areas?Closing Prayer

    (Pray the Lord’s Prayer or the following prayer.)

    Lord God, you have called us, your servants, to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths that have not yet been traveled through challenges unknown. Give us faith to move through each day of life with courage, often not knowing where we go, but only that your Spirit is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.