Contributed by Jennifer Krausz
Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question: What do you think would motivate you to improve your grades or test scores at school?

Low income New York City fourth and seventh graders that were paid for higher scores on several standardized tests showed much greater improvements than students not paid, a Post analysis showed. Fourth graders were paid up to $25 per test for 10 separate assessments for improvement, and seventh graders were paid up to $50 per test for the 10 tests. The higher students score, the more they are paid, up to a total of $250 for fourth graders and $500 for seventh graders.

Of the 59 schools in the program, about two-thirds improved their reading and math test scores by margins above city-wide averages. In some schools, students scored close to 40 percentage points higher on the tests than they had the year before. For example, at PS 188 on the Lower East Side, 76 percent of fourth graders met or surpassed the state benchmarks for English, which was 39.6 points higher than when they were in the third grade.

Principals have stated that the payment program, called “Sparks,” is only one of several factors contributing to the higher test scores. They do acknowledge that the payments have motivated students to improve, even to compete with each other over who can earn the most money each year. “It’s an ego booster in terms of self-worth,” said Rose Marie Mills, principal at MS 343 in Mott Haven, where nearly 90 percent of students qualify for federal poverty aid. “When they get the checks, there’s that competitiveness — ‘Oh, I’m going to get more money than you next time’ — so it’s something that excites them.”

In total, about 8,000 students earned $1.25 million as part of the privately funded program to encourage higher student test scores at schools where most families have incomes below the poverty level.

Discussion Questions  

• What is your general attitude toward school? (It’s a job, an obligation, a burden, a good place to learn, love it, or some other attitude.)
• What are the pros and cons of paying students to perform better in school?
• Have you ever been paid or offered payment for good grades or test scores? If so, did it work?
• What or who are the most powerful motivators for you to learn and mature in life? What or who encourages your continuing growth a young person?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, June 14, 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.)

• Ezekiel 17:22-24
• Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 (12)
• 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 [11-13] 14-17
• Mark 4:26-34

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

Gospel Reflection

Parables can be confusing. How does talking about plants and how they grow have anything to do with the kingdom of God? And what is the kingdom of God anyway?

According to Jesus’ words in the Bible, the kingdom of God is something we enter through faith in Jesus. It’s the spiritual kingdom over which God reigns. Through faith, we begin to see the world through God’s eyes, and work for the compassion, justice, love, healing, and forgiveness God desires for humankind and creation. The kingdom of God is present right here and right now, and will be fully realized at sometime in the future.

When we are “young” in our faith, we just have a glimpse of the kingdom of God. We don’t have a deep understanding of God’s ways and word. In many ways, we are spiritual babies. But God plants the seed of faith in our hearts. The Spirit cultivates our faith through prayer, hearing and studying God’s word, worshipping God, and the care and encouragement we receive from being part of a community of faith. Our seed of faith grows with lots of care and tending. Our faith and our understanding of God’s ways grow and increase, too. We live in and grow into the kingdom of God, all at the same time.

These parables were meant to show that each of us, together with God working through each other and the Spirit, can have the tiniest seed of faith and it will grow to be a large, healthy, and full of life… like the tiny mustard seed that grows into the “largest of all garden plants” (v. 32). Much growth is possible during our lives on earth, and it will it will continue long after that.

Discussion Questions

• How has your faith grown since you first started to believe in Jesus? What are your first memories or images of faith, God, and the church?
• What things have been challenging and difficult in your faith? What or who has helped you grow and mature in faith (especially right now)?
• Why do you think Jesus explained his parables to his closest disciples but not to the crowds? Why is a parable sometimes more powerful a a teaching tool?
• When you think of heaven, what do you see? What do you wonder?

Activity Suggestion

God plants the seed of faith in our hearts, but it takes many people help to water, feed, and protect it during the course of our lives. Parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, godparents, and even strangers often help our faith to grow, and they may not even know the impact they have had.

Encourage each person to identify someone who has helped their faith to grow. If your budget allows, provide stationery and stamps so students can write a brief thank you note to the person they feel has most helped them in their faith. Mail the letters yourself if possible so they are sure to be received.

Closing Prayer

God, we thank you for planting the seed of faith in our hearts and for all you do to help our faith grow. Thank you that we can freely pray to you, for your word in the Bible, and for the people in our lives who have shown us more of what the kingdom of God is like. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Warm-up Question: What surprised you the most about Tuesday’s election?

The final days leading up to the 2008 General Election were filled with a frenzy of phone calls, knocking on doors, and posting signs all over the country. Both the John McCain and Barack Obama campaigns pumped millions of dollars and thousands of volunteers into battleground states in the hopes of picking up a few extra Electoral College votes on November 4. It is estimated that, when the campaigns have concluded, over $1 billion will have been spent on this election — or $8 per voter. (It’s a lot of money, but consider that Americans spent $3 billion on buying potato chips last year.)

Democrats called their final wave of contacts a “Persuasion Army,” while Republicans participated in a “72-Hour Program.” The goal was simple: send as many volunteers as possible into the states that are up for grabs, and do everything within your legal rights to convince those people to vote for your candidate. Key states in the day leading up to the election included Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio. President Bush won the electoral votes of each of these states in 2004, but all were declared “too close to call” in this election.

The struggle for many campaign volunteers was not the long hours they invest, but the inevitable wait on Tuesday night. Some political experts have predicted that the official tally may not be approved until Wednesday morning, or later. The location of voting sites and ballots, in addition to a record number of absentee voters, caused some people to anticipate the possibility of contested results in some states.

“I just hope I know who the winner is come Wednesday morning,” said one McCain volunteer. “I don’t think I’ll be able to handle waiting several days to know the outcome.”

Discussion Questions

• How did you decide which candidate to support? What were your criteria?
• What do you think of the Electoral College system? Is there a better way to elect leaders? What changes would you make if you had the power to restructure the presidential voting system?
• The 2000 Presidential Election wasn’t officially determined until December 12. How would you respond if it took five weeks to announce the winner of the 2008 election?
• Imagine of you were a presidential candidate and you had to wait to find out if you won. How would you spend your time waiting? Who would you want waiting with you?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, November 9, 2008.
(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 A at Lectionary Readings.)

• Amos 5:18-24 or Wisdom 6:12-16
• Psalm 70 (5) or Wisdom 6:17-20 (17)
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
• Matthew 25:1-13

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

Gospel Reflection

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells a difficult story of what the “kingdom of heaven” will be like. A group of bridesmaids were hanging out and waiting for the bridegroom to show up. He was running late, so they all fell asleep. When the bridegroom finally showed up, only half of the bridesmaids were prepared, with oil in their lamps. The other members of the group asked if they could borrow some oil so their lamps would remain lit. The wise bridesmaids, those who were prepared, did not share their oil. The foolish and unprepared bridesmaids went out to buy some oil for themselves, but when they returned to the party, the door was shut and they were not allowed to enter for the wedding.

The first time I read this story, it sounded to me like Jesus was saying “only the smart people get into heaven.” The next time I read it, I thought Jesus was telling the disciples, “You shouldn’t share what you have with others.” However, from what I’ve read in other parts of the Bible, I have come to know that both of those ideas are not in line with how God and Jesus have acted in other situations.

So what can we learn from the story of the ten bridesmaids? Perhaps it’s that Jesus is calling us to be ready. He’s reminding us to be prepared and to be patient for him to come again. Jesus has blessed each of us with parents, pastors, friends, and mentors who can help us come to know him in a special way. This story encourages us to listen to those people and to be ready for his return. Even if we think Jesus is running late, he has promised that he will eventually show up. So be patient, watchful, and ready — because the party is going to be pretty amazing!

Discussion Questions

• What does this story say to you about salvation?
• Which group of bridesmaids would you be associated with? Why?
• What is something that you had to prepare for this week? How did you prepare?
• Tom Petty once sang, “Waiting is the hardest part.” What situations really test your patience? In what kind of situations do you tend to just “hang loose” until the last moment?
• More than once Jesus tells the people around him “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [of my return].” What does staying awake involve? What do Jesus’ actions and words suggest about living life?

Activity Suggestions

Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks. Advent and Christmas are right around the corner. In most churches, the final weeks of the calendar year are filled with important worship services and special events. Find a way that your group can help your church prepare for one of these things. Perhaps you could decorate the sanctuary for the Thanksgiving Eve worship service. Or maybe you could make Advent calendars for the children in the church.

Try to be creative in the ways you can be helpful. Doing special things at church takes a lot of patience and preparation!

Closing Prayer

God, it’s easy for us to be impatient in a world where we have everything we need right at our fingertips. We wonder if you’re ever going to come back and invite us to the big party, the wedding, the feast. Help us to relax and focus on the ways you touch our lives every day. Give us the understanding to know how to best prepare for your coming. Let us be bold in telling others about your amazing love for us. Amen

Contributed by Erik Ullestad
West Des Moines, IA