Contributed by Erik Ullestad
West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question: How would you define greatness?

Dr. Norman Borlaug

Dr. Norman Borlaug, a man who is credited with saving the lives of over 1 billion people and being the “grandfather of the Green Revolution,” died last week at the age of 95. Most of Borlaug’s life was spent finding new ways to increase grain yields in developing countries. His discovery of new type of hybrid wheat strains helped nations avoid widespread famine in the 1950s and 1960s. He was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for increasing food security in Mexico, Pakistan, and India. Some call Borlaug “the most important man you’ve never heard of.” 

Borlaug grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa, the great-grandson of Norwegian immigrants. His grandfather was instrumental in founding a Lutheran church in their community. As he grew, Borlaug developed a love of agriculture and science. He took what he learned in the field and applied it in the labs at the University of Minnesota. From there, he studied how various seeds and fertilizers responded to different climates and geographies.

In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug has also been awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. The only other people to receive all three honors are Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Elie Weisel, Nelson Mandella, and Martin Luther King Jr. In 1986 Borlaug established the World Food Prize which acknowledges people who work to increase the quality and quantity of food in the world.

People close to Dr. Borlaug described him as humble, gracious, and unassuming. In one of his last interviews, Borlaug summed up his efforts by saying, “You can’t build peace and tranquility on empty stomachs and human misery.”

• ELCA News Service, September 25, 2009: “Dignitaries, ELCA Pastor to Memorialize Norman Borlaug, Nobel Prize Winner“

Discussion Questions

• What, if anything, did you know about Norman Borlaug before reading this article?
• How are people in your community working to feed hungry people?
• Think of your definition of greatness. Does this definition apply to people like Dr. Borlaug? Why or why not?
• How important is it for great people to also be famous? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, September 20, 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.)

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

• Jeremiah 11:18-20
• Psalm 54 (4)
• James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
• Mark 9:30-37

Gospel Reflection

Jesus and his friends are taking a long walk (30+ miles) from Mount Hermon to Capernaum. As with any road trip, there were lots of different conversations along the way. One discussion centered on the topic of greatness. The disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest.

Before we become quick to judge their selfishness, let’s remember the life they had been living for the past few years. Most of these men were from humble origins. They literally dropped everything when Jesus told them to “come and follow me”. This ragamuffin group walked from town to town, not knowing where they would sleep or what they would eat. They had lived as peasants alongside a man who called himself the King of Kings and Son of God. Wouldn’t we be tempted to have a similar conversation about who was the best, the favorite, the most loved, or the greatest disciple?

We learn that Jesus chose not to engage the disciples in the conversation until after they had arrived at Capernaum. Instead of privately addressing his friends, he chose to publicly admonish them for their egocentric chat earlier in the day. Jesus’ decision indicates that he is really angry with his friends and he wants them to be humbled, or perhaps he thinks that there might be others in the room that have had similar discussions with their friends. Siblings that argue about who is the favorite. Servants that claim to be the most dedicated. Carpenters who think they are the best at their craft.

Jesus tells everyone that being great requires becoming a servant; being powerful means becoming childlike. In saying this, Jesus not only reminds his disciples about the foolishness of their argument, but he also is telling people about himself. Jesus’ greatness is not exhibited by military might, shrewd political strategy, or the ability to wave a hand and make things happen. His greatness is manifested in serving others and caring for those in need.

Earlier in Mark 9 we hear Jesus tell his disciples not to tell others about the amazing things that happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. Those words, along with the appointed text from today, give us a clear indication of how Jesus chooses to function. He preferred to teach, heal, and preach quietly and faithfully instead of boasting about his importance. Jesus’ greatness is seen in his service to others and not in making a public spectacle of his mighty acts.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever argued with your friends, classmates, siblings, etc. about who is the smartest, best-looking, or greatest? Why? What difference did it make?
• Why do you think Jesus doesn’t want to draw a lot of attention to himself?
• What do the images of “servant” and “child” tell us about how Jesus defines greatness?
• Does Dr. Borlaug fit Jesus’ definition of greatness? Why or why not?
• Who is someone you know that seems to exemplify this kind of humble greatness?

Activity Suggestion

(Check with your worship committee or pastor before doing the following activity… or at least give them a heads-up.)

Give each student several colorful index cards or sticky notes. Set out colored pencils or markers for everyone to share. Have people write an affirming statement or scripture verse on each of the papers. (Example: “Jesus loves you” or “Romans 8:38-39”.)

Go to the sanctuary and place these notes into the pages of the hymnals. If a worship service is taking place after your meeting time, stick the note in the page of one of the hymns that will be sung during worship. That way, you know someone will read it!

Closing Prayer

God, help me to serve you by serving others. Give me grace to be humble in my serving. Thank you for sending your son to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live eternally with you. Amen.

(updated 08/26/09)

Contributed by Erik Ullestad
West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question:  What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten? Did you leave anything on the plate? What happened to the leftovers?

It all began with some brown bananas… sort of.

Rick Boosey and his family, after much prayer, reflection, doubts, and wrestling with discerning God’s desire for their lives, opened a soup and salad shop in Bentonville, Arkansas. Part of the plan was to donate a portion of their income from the venture to feeding others. It started small, and grew into something amazing and life-giving.

A conversation with his restaurant food supplier, James Urich, revealed that the food supplier was throwing out enough fruits and vegetables to fill a 15-passenger van every week. Most of it was still perfectly healthy to eat, but restaurants and grocery stores require at least five days of guaranteed freshness on all purchased produce. Even if a pear is healthy to eat for 3-4 days, it will never be sold or eaten. Urich gave Boosey a list of his “throw aways” — food to be disposed of. It was the brown bananas on the list that first caught his eye.

After discussions with his employees and family, they decided that they could use the still-edible produce to make banana bread. The supplier donated the produce and Boosey’s soup and salad shop made loaves of banana bread for a local shelter to give to people who were hungry.

Little did he know that a few loaves of banana bread for a local homeless shelter would lead to serving 5,000 free meals a week and sprouting new efforts and ministries to care for people in need.

Little by little, Boosey and Urich were able to find volunteers to provide ingredients and spend a few hours in the kitchen preparing meals. The team distributed food through local shelters and food pantries. The whole thing continued to grow in unexpected ways.

The World Garden Restaurant and World Garden Artisan Coffee Roasting now serves meals that are made almost entirely out of food that would have otherwise been thrown away. The staff is comprised largely of volunteers. In addition to the meals they serve, the World Garden sells their breads in local supermarkets and the farmers market. They are also working on the start-up of a community garden/farm. Boosey and Urich have teamed up with the Cobblestone Project, a service ministry for homeless and low-income people, to distribute food to even more people. They have hopes that their project will continue to grow, and that they will be able to inspire other communities and organizations to start similar projects across the country.

Boosey describes it as one small decision snowballing into something huge. Everyday seems to bring new calls from people and organizations stepping forward with new ideas, resources, and services to contribute. Boosey is clear that it is all God’s work and nudging.

Discussion Questions

• What surprised you about this article?
• How much edible food do you think gets thrown out at you house? School? Favorite restaurant?
• What do you think about restaurants requiring at least five days of freshness for their produce?
• What might be some of the challenges of starting this kind of program in our community? How would someone get started with something like this?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, August 9, 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 at Lectionary Readings.)

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

• 1 Kings 19:4-8
• Psalm 34:1-8
• Ephesians 4:25-5:2
• John 6:35, 41-51

Gospel Reflection

There goes Jesus, talking about bread — again!

For the third consecutive week, we are focusing on a bread-related story from the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. Two weeks ago we read the familiar story of Jesus using five loaves of bread and two fish to feed thousands. Last week Jesus started talking about “bread coming from heaven”. This week, he takes it a step further and makes the outrageous claim that HE is the bread of life that is given by God.

Jesus has chosen bread as the focus of his conversations. For some of his friends, talk of bread conjured up images of when God provided bread in the wilderness for Moses and the Israelites. For others, bread was a symbol of what was needed for their daily survival. Bread was an essential food that everyone ate multiple times a day.

(Perhaps if Jesus was speaking to 21st century American youth to get his message across, he would have talked about being the “pizza of eternal life from heaven”.)

Jesus was making two points in his extended bread chat. First, he was showing people that God is a God that provides for the needs of God’s people on earth. God was not only able, but WILLING to feed a multitude of hungry people with table scraps of bread and fish. Surely this same God cares about caring for people in other aspects of their life. Second, God has sent Jesus to be the bread of life not just on earth, but for eternity.

It is this second claim that gets Jesus into some trouble. It’s one thing to say that God cares for people. It’s much messier for him to claim that HE is the Son of God and, therefore, holds the key to salvation and eternal life. It was understandably confusing for people back then to look at Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary, as “one who was sent from heaven”. It can also be difficult for us to comprehend that one person (Jesus) can bring about eternal life for generations of believers.

The good news in this story is that, despite our doubts and questions, Jesus continues to offer himself as “bread from heaven”. This bread not only satisfies our hunger here on earth, but gives us life even after our physical bodies have died. Jesus declared himself as bread from life back then, and he promises to continue offering himself as the true bread of life for the whole world. 

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus spent so much time talking about bread?
• How would you respond to Jesus’ claims if you were among those in the story?
• What are some ways that Jesus provides for your physical needs here on earth? What is our role and opportunity?
• How can you take Jesus’ promise of bread and share it with others? Think beyond just words…

Activity Suggestion

Baking communion bread

Ask your pastor or the worship committee if your group can make communion bread for an upcoming service. Discuss the various kinds of breads (leaven, unleavened, etc.) and decide which would be best for communion.

• Luther Seminary’s communion bread recipe
• Gluten-free unleaven communion wafers

Consider making a few extra loaves of bread and take it to a local food pantry or shelter. You may even want to write out John 6:51 on a small piece of paper, wrap the bread in a plastic bag, and affix the paper to the bag with a twisty tie. What a great way to share the bread of life with those who are hungry! Learn more about the work and ministries of the World Garden Restaurant and World Garden Artisan Coffee Roasting.

Closing Prayer 

God, thanks for providing for our physical needs here on earth. We also thank you for sending Jesus to be our eternal bread. Help us to tell others about your sacrificial love for the whole world. May we find new ways to feed your people in the days ahead. Amen.

Contributed by Erik Ullestad
West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question: What’s the coolest parade you’ve ever attended? What made it so great?

From the South Side Irish Parade’s official Web site:

“This decision was not arrived at lightly. For 31 years, this parade was a staple of the Beverly/Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood communities — a celebration of faith, family, and heritage that was cherished by thousands.”

The feast of St. Patrick is celebrated on March 17, in honor of the Irish saint. It is also the national holiday of the country of Ireland. 

Discussion Questions

• How did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
• St. Patrick is recognized as a patron saint by the Catholic Church. What do you know about saints? How many saints can name and describe?
• Do you agree with the decision to cancel the parade in future years? Why or why not?
• What kinds of restrictions would you put in place to allow the parade to continue?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 5, 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.)

• Mark 11:1-11
• Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm 31:9-16 (5)
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39 [40-47]

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