Contributed by Kelly Derrick,  St. Philip Lutheran Church, Roanoke, VA

Warm-up Question

What happens when we show a little kindness?

Rachel’s Challenge

On April 20, 1999, two students at Columbine High School in Colorado shot and killed twelve fellow students and one teacher.  The two students then killed themselves.  The first victim in the Columbine High School shooting was Rachel Scott, a 17 year old student.  She was sitting outside eating lunch with a friend when she was shot.  Her father, Darrell Scott, has begun a campaign called Rachel’s Challenge.  Just a week after her death, Rachel’s family found in her room a tracing of hands with these words – “These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will some day touch millions of people’s hearts.”

When her family received Rachel’s backpack from the school, they found her diary with a bullet hole through it.  In the diary were words of compassion and an essay telling about her personal ethics – that your actions can represent your character and your character can change someone else’s life.  Mr. Scott travels to schools throughout the United States to share the story of his daughter – her life, her death and her hopes for kindness and compassion.  Using his daughter’s own words found in her diaries, he offers students a challenge to start a chain reaction of kindness.  “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.”- Rachel Scott

In September, Mr. Scott visited middle schools in Roanoke County, Virginia.  My son relayed his experience this way:  “Mr. Scott told us about Rachel.  She was nice, kind and compassionate.  Rachel wanted to reach out to people who are disabled, bullied, or left out of groups.  Adam was a disabled student and one of the ones most bullied at their school.  If she could help people like Adam then he could share an act of kindness with another.  Rachel’s Challenge is to start a chain reaction – one small act of kindness can lead to another and another and another.  Like you could help someone pick up their books, or you could not have prejudice toward someone before you even know them.  Bullying can really damage someone.”

Discussion Questions

• Have you heard of the shooting at Columbine High School?  Or other school shootings in the United States?
• Is there bullying at your school?
• Is it possible to show kindness to those who bully?
• Might an act of kindness shown toward Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters, have changed their lives?
• Is a chain reaction of kindness even possible?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 10, 2010 (Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost)

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

(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 lots of outsiders in this gospel reading for today: lepers, Samaritans, and perhaps even Jesus himself.  Jesus comes upon lepers as he approaches a village.  Lepers were absolutely unclean, suffering from a skin disease that caused them to be shunned by society.  Lepers were excluded from homes and other places where people gathered because they could spread their affliction to those around them.  Purification rites were performed for lepers who recovered from their illness.  So the leper was considered both physically and spiritually unclean.  But Jesus reaches out to these outsiders in society, having mercy on the lepers and making them well.  He tells them to go show themselves to the priests (necessary to show that they were in fact physically clean and to allow for the rites of spiritual purification).  Jesus shows compassion to those whom society avoided, the outsiders.  All ten are made clean.  Has Jesus begun a chain reaction of compassion?

Most of the lepers do as Jesus instructs; they go to show the priest that they have been healed.  But one leper turns back to thank Jesus.  “And he was a Samaritan.”  I’d almost like to add an indignant exclamation point to that verse – a Samaritan!  Humph!  Jesus is travelling in the area between Samaria and Galilee.  Many of you may be familiar with the general animosity between those from these regions (e.g. the parable of the Good Samaritan or the Samaritan woman at the well).   A Samaritan leper – could life be any worse for him?  And yet it is the outsider, the foreigner, who shows praise for being made well.  It is the foreigner who turns back to give thanks – directly, openly, verbally – to Jesus.   It is the foreigner who becomes the example of faith filled with joy and thanksgiving.  Has the outsider continued the chain reaction by starting a chain reaction of joy, praise, and thanksgiving? 

Is Jesus also an outsider?  He is praised and sought out for his teachings, healings, and other miracles.  But he is also chastised and run off (even to the point of trying to push him off a cliff!—see Luke 4:29).  People ridiculed him and plotted against him.  In the end (or is it the beginning?!), Jesus was put to death – dying for the sake of humanity’s sins.  Thanks be to God, Jesus has been raised from the dead, the ultimate victory over sin, death and the grave.  The death and resurrection of Jesus is God’s ultimate gift of grace, love and compassion.  Has God begun a chain reaction – of grace, love, compassion, mercy and hope – in the death and resurrection of Jesus? 

Discussion Questions

• Samaria and Galilee are geographically connected.  One commentary suggests that the area between the two regions is a spiritual no-man’s land.  What does it mean to live in the “space between”?  In your own life, are there real or figurative no-man’s lands, where life seems always to be in tension?
• Sometimes people point out the lack of thankfulness on the part of the other nine lepers.  Were they ungrateful?  Were they simply following Jesus’ command?  Might the rest of their lives – the future we do not hear about – have been lived in thanksgiving for all that Jesus did for them?
• Why is it important to actually say “Thank you” sometimes?
• Have you ever felt like an outsider?  What does God have to say to you?
• Has God begun a chain reaction of grace, love, compassion, mercy and hope?

Activity Suggestions

• Get out your laptop or smartphone and learn more about Rachel’s Challenge at http://www.rachelschallenge.org/
• Give someone a “Kindness Card” using either the web-based cards at Rachel’s Challenge or make up one of your own.
• Start a chain reaction of your own!

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, thank you for cleansing us all of our own outsider-ness.  Thank you for the love you have shown us in Jesus.   In all that we are, say, and do, empower us to say thank you for your undeserved love and mercy.  Guide us in showing grace, compassion, and hope to those around us, especially to the outsiders in our midst.  Amen.

Contributed by Claudia Bergman, Erfurt, Germany

Warm-up Question

How does one grow radishes?

Will Work for Food

If you were looking for an internship this summer, you might think you know what the most sought-after places were: Capitol Hill, newspapers, and fashion magazines. But think again. This year, there was a run on internships that involved living in group housing or tents, earning little or nothing, and getting your hands dirty.  Students looking for internships, career-changers, and people who love to cook now turn to farmers to show them how to turn the soil.

Why do people volunteer to bend their backs for hours on end to pick radishes, get a sunburn from picking weeds between tender spinach leaves, or cook lunch from scratch for 200 hungry workers every day? Apparently, it is not just about getting the foot in the door with a future employer. Many of the interns at farms are looking for their calling in life or striving for a hands-on connection to the land. Asked about his motivation, Evan Dayringer, a farm intern with a math degree from Michigan State University, said, “It felt good to have some work that was real.”

The rise of Community Supported Agriculture has contributed to this run on farm internships. The more people get exposed to fresh organic vegetables, the more interested they become in learning how to grown and distribute them. An example is Angelic Organics in Caledonia, Illinois, led by the now famous Farmer John. Through its Learning Center, Angelic Organics offers volunteers an opportunity to work with the farm animals, grow vegetables, learn bread baking, help with the dishwashing at the cooking classes, develop resources, or do office work and outreach. The name of their newsletter is Let’s Grow!, which summarizes what farmers and interns at farms are all about.

Discussion Questions

• Does your family have a vegetable garden?
• How often does your family eat fresh or home-grown vegetables?
• Do you notice a difference in taste between a meal cooked from fresh organic vegetables and a TV-dinner that might have the same basic ingredients?
• Do you know people who can fruits and vegetables, make their own jams, or bake their own bread? What, do you think, is their motivation?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, September 26, 2010 (Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Luke 16:19-31

(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

What a strange story! It is as if Luke envisions two worlds. The first world is similar to the one we know. It is a place where the rich and the poor, the fortunate and the underprivileged, compete for society’s resources. The rich people indulge in everything that our wonderful world has to offer, while the poor people do not even have enough to heal their wounds and feed their physical hunger.

The second world, however, is totally different and seems to exist in the future end times. It is a two-layer world separated by a chasm. On the one side will be what Luke calls “Hades,” a hot, fiery, and dry place where those people live who are being punished for something. Here, the rich man suffers from thirst and heat. On the other side of that world, there will be an area where father Abraham dwells. It is a place where there is an abundance of water, cool shade, loving people, and plenty of food. Lazarus, who suffered his entire earthly life, sits at the head of the table, literally “in Abraham’s bosom,” like a tired little boy who rests close to the one he loves. Lazarus gets to eat foods that he never had before and could not have possibly imagined. He is comforted and cared for, his pains soothed and healed.

Luke imagines there to be some kind of connection between these two parts of the end time world because in the story the rich man in Hades can still talk to Abraham, who dwells on the other side. The rich man wants Abraham to order Lazarus to serve him.. But Abraham refuses. Lazarus gets to stay in the company of the father of his faith while the rich man is left to suffer.

Luke’s vision suggests Jesus who, according to New Testament tradition [e.g., 1 Peter 3:18-22], went into Hades and was resurrected from the dead. But Luke also develops a picture of the end times twhich involves a reversal of circumstances. Whoever was rich will now become poor. Whoever suffered will now be cared for and healed. Whoever was hungry will now have plenty. When the Gospel of Luke describes the end times in such a way, it follows a tradition that was widespread during the time the Gospel originated.  Jews and Christians imagined scenarios where the insufferable circumstances of the times would be turned around. These writers based their idea of the reversal at the end times on the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) where God is described as being the one who will return the corrupt world to the original beauty intended at creation.

What did people at Luke’s time think about the future? They thought that the just would be rewarded and the unjust punished. And how would one be able to distinguish between the just and the unjust? Our story from Luke has two answers. First, the rich are in danger of being considered the unjust, especially when they are not willing to share their fortunes.  Second, whoever listens to the Scriptures and obeys (Luke says to “Moses and the prophets”) will be counted among the just.

However one understands Jesus’ parable of a future world split between Hades and a place in Abraham’s bosom, it contains both a warning against blindness in the face of need and the promise that God’s faithfulness will still our hunger and make our hurting bodies and minds whole.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think  a vision of the end times where there will be a divide between the just and the unjust changed peoples’ behavior in the past?  How much do you think it motivates people today?
• How does this portion of the Gospel still speak to us today considering that most of us would be counted among the rich?
• What encourages people to care for the poor and to follow Scripture, in your opinion?
• Luke uses the image of a rich feast at the end times where everybody gets his or her fill and is healed of their sicknesses. How do you imagine the future in God?

Activity Suggestions

1. Split up your group in several small groups. Hand each group a sheet with one of the following texts printed out: Luke 14:7-14, Luke 15:1-7, Luke 17:20-37, Luke 18:1-8, Luke 18:18-27. Ask each group to read one of these stories (all of which are close to the one about Lazarus) and to find the characteristics of the Kingdom of God as described in them. Compare and contrast the different visions of the end times according to these stories in the Gospel of Luke.
2. Either together or in small groups, read the above texts about the Kingdom of God (you may also use just a selection of texts). Ask each individual to complete the following sentence: “In my opinion, the Kingdom of God will be like …”
3. Provide materials for artwork and ask each member of your group to create an artistic image of what they think the Kingdom of God will be like. Arrange the results on a wall or a place where they can be viewed for a few weeks, if possible by the entire congregation. If you did exercise #2, you can add these responses to your mural.
4. Arrange for somebody from a local feeding ministry to come and talk to your group about their reasons to feed the hungry. Find out whether your church is involved in a feeding ministry in your area. Use part of your lesson to collect ideas how your group can organize a food drive to benefit one of the feeding ministries nearby. 

Closing Prayer

Loving God. You fill our plates and cups every day, and we thank you for that. Yet, seeing that so many of your beloved children go hungry over and over again must sadden you.

We admit

• we do not share our resources as we should.
• we do not use your wonderful creation to its full potential.
• we do not distribute the fruits of your earth justly.

We ask you,

• help us to share.
• help us to work for justice.
• help us to appreciate what we have by providing a feast for others.

God of plenty, make us people who love abundantly and give freely. Amen.

Contributed by Eric Ullestad, West Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

When have you been given more responsibility than you thought you could handle?  How did it turn out?

Doing Good by Doing Well?

What’s it like to head up the world’s biggest company?  Mike Duke knows.  He was named CEO of Wal-Mart in 2009.  This was a daunting task for Duke.  He inherited a major improvement plan, Project Impact, from his predecessor, which gave a face-lift to nearly every Wal-Mart store around the world.  This multi-billion dollar project came on the heels of the nation’s biggest economic crisis in decades.  Duke soon discovered that, though shoppers liked the fresh look of the stores, they were visiting less frequently and spending less each time they came.

Wal-Mart has also endured its share of public-relations setbacks in the past few years.  “Big Box Stores” like Wal-Mart are often cited as reasons why smaller retailers are closing up shop.  Wal-Mart also came under fire for shady employment practices that required close to full-time labor from employees, but offered no benefits beyond an hourly wage.  Some people have called for a boycott of Wal-Mart stores because some of their products are manufactured in countries that don’t provide safe working conditions for farmers and textile workers.

Despite these, and other, obstacles, Wal-Mart continues to set the pace for global commerce, topping $408 billion in sales for 2010.  Being entrusted with the responsibility of running a company of 8,500 stores and 2.1 million employees is a task that Duke welcomes.  He is already looking to the future in the hopes of building a “next-generation Wal-Mart.”  This won’t be easy, as economists consider the possibility of a “double-dip” recession in the months ahead.  Duke believes that enhancing the company’s participation in social programs, ensuring living wages for employees, and adding stores in growing markets like China and India will be benchmarks of Wal-Mart’s future.

Discussion Questions

• Would you want to be CEO of Wal-Mart?  Why or why not?
• What challenges (financial, ethical, legal) would you encounter as the head of a major corporation?
• How would you demonstrate your leadership abilities if you were given this kind of responsibility

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, September 19, 2010 (Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Amos 8:4-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Luke 16:1-13

(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 Parable of the Shrewd (Dishonest) Manager, found in Luke 16:1-13, is one of the most perplexing tales in all of Scripture.  It has confounded scholars for centuries.  So, if you’re not quite sure what Jesus is trying to say, you’re in good company.

Jesus begins by telling his disciples, within an earshot of the Pharisees, about a manager who wasn’t taking good care of his master’s property.  The master is about to fire the manager, but before he is relieved of his duties, the manager has to turn over the accounting books to the master.  Quickly, the manager goes to the people who are indebted to the master and reduces their debt.  By doing this, he has built a relationship with the lowly servants in the community; a relationship that he may need to rely upon once he is unemployed. 

The odd thing about this story is that Jesus concludes by praising the tactics of the dishonest manager.  He even encourages the disciples to “make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth.”  Fortunately for us, he goes on to talk about faithfulness and responsibility.  Jesus calls his followers to be “faithful with what belongs to another,” indicating that if a person is responsible with caring for someone else’s possessions, they will prove themselves trustworthy to handle their own riches.

In many ways, the easiest verse in this passage to comprehend is also the most difficult verse to implement.  “You cannot serve God and wealth.”  It’s an interesting choice of word.  Notice he doesn’t say “money” or “possessions.”  Jesus says that wealth is the “master” that is in direct opposition to God. In other words, focusing on acquiring a lot of stuff isn’t the way that God works.

Consider the debtors in the parable.  A hundred containers of wheat and a hundred containers of oil were crippling debts to the poor people, but likely didn’t mean much to the wealthy master.  This is not unlike the world we live in today.  We currently have the highest concentration of wealth in recorded history.  The wealthiest 20% of the people in the world have 83% of the wealth, while the poorest 60% have only 6% of the wealth.

Perhaps this story can teach us that God rejects the systems that make it possible for wealth to be accumulated at the expense of the poor.  God doesn’t appear to be anti-stuff, God just wants to make sure everyone has enough to live.  Serving God, therefore, might mean doing what we can to bring about economic justice and equality to all of God’s people.  

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus praised the shrewd / dishonest manager?
• How would you interpret this parable?
• What can this parable teach us about faithfulness and responsibility? 
• What do you think about what Jesus says in verse 13?
• How do you find yourself serving the god of wealth? 

Activity Suggestion

Use your phones, computers, iPods, etc. to do some research on companies that are giving back to their workers, helping to reduce debt, or helping to lessen the gap between wealth and poverty.  (Examples include Fair Trade products, American Apparel clothing, Tom’s Shoes, and Justice Clothing.)  Discuss ways to support companies, especially locally owned businesses that reinvest their wealth in responsible ways.  Consider sharing your findings with people in your congregation.  Be creative!

Closing Prayer

God of abundance, thank you for the many blessings in our lives.  Help us to turn away from the false comfort of wealth and serve you by caring for those in need.  Amen.

Contributed by Jen Krausz, Bethelem, PA

Warm-up Question

How do you react when you see someone you know finds faith or grows in their faith? What feelings come up for you at those times?

Rally to Return to God

On August 28, 2010, talk show host Glenn Beck hosted a rally, drawing over half a million people to Washington D.C. But although Beck is a conservative talk show host who often discusses politics, he claimed the reason for this rally was something very different.

The rally was held to benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college scholarships to children of special operations military personnel killed in the line of duty. 5.1 million dollars has been raised so far.

Beck called his rally “Restoring Honor,” and focused on inspiring those in attendance to turn back to God, to live their lives honorably, and to encourage our country to turn back to God as a whole. In addition to honoring veterans, the rally featured a gospel choir and several pastors who spoke and offered prayers. Awards were given for faith, hope and charity, echoing 1 Corinthians 13. During Beck’s speech, he said that the country had been “in darkness for too long,” and that only with God’s help could we move back in the right direction again. 

According to reporters, the crowd was very polite, waiting nicely for others to disperse and not leaving “a scrap of trash anywhere.”

Critics have accused Beck of using the rally to revive the culture wars.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think our country has turned away from God? What things tell you that this is or is not true?  Has the United States ever been a “Christian nation”?
• Even if the country hasn’t turned away from God, what might be some positive effects of people examining their faith and beliefs?
• Do you think we are in a “culture war” over issues like abortion, gay marriage and immigration?
• What can we, as Christians and as the church, do to bring people of opposing viewpoints together?
• Critics suggest that, far from embodying Christian attitudes, Beck uses “traditional values” as code language to oppose much of the progress won by the marginalized through the Civil Rights struggle.  What core values do you think a follower of Jesus should have?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, September 12, 2010 (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Exodus 32:7-14

1 Timothy  1:12-17

Luke 15:1-10

(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 Pharisees had good reasons for everything they did. They formed all kinds of rules to keep themselves from breaking any of God’s commandments. They wanted to be righteous before God. But their rules and ways of living were sometimes  based on man’s logic and reason. Somehow, in the process of making all these rules and keeping them, they neglected their hearts. They made God into some faraway being, too great and above them to have a friendship with. One of Jesus’ main teachings was that God wants to have a relationship with the people. God is at the same time “out there,” beyond all human understanding and right here, wanting to be personally involved in our lives.

God wants our hearts to be engaged, because God’s own heart is engaged. God loves us—that’s as simple as it gets, but how important and profound! In today’s scripture, God rejoices when one lost person finds faith. It gives God joy to have a relationship with us.

It is impossible for us to be one of the 99 “righteous” persons referenced in these verses without Jesus, no matter what we do or how hard we try. Jesus knew that; it’s the reason why he came. His sacrifice makes our righteousness possible. But that whole process involves our minds and our hearts. It requires us to engage God, to get personal. When we get personally involved with God, amazing things happen. A talk show host might even hold a rally dedicated to making people aware of their (and their country’s) need for God!

We might not always understand it, but our lives are changed; we become a part of what God is doing in the world. Who wouldn’t want that?

Discussion Questions

• What makes someone a “righteous” person? Do you think you are “righteous?”
•  How can we have a relationship with God that is personal?  What things can we do to start or maintain such a relationship?
• Why do you think it makes God so happy when people find faith?
• Would you want to “welcome sinners and eat with them” like Jesus did? What would that look like in your life?

 Activity Suggestions

One part of our relationship with God is prayer. Start a prayer journal to write down what you pray about on a daily basis. Leave blank space to record answers to your prayers. Over time  such a journal can be a powerful record and reminder of God’s involvement in your life.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you that because of Jesus we can be righteous in your eyes. Thank you that for wanting to have a relationship with us finding joy when we reach out to you. Help us to keep remembering to reach out to you for guidance in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Contributed by Scott Moore, ELCA Representative for the Luther Decade and Coordinator of Wittenberg Center Activities.

Warm-up Question

What would it mean to you to give away half of everything you have?

Generosity in Abundance

Once again in the news, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet have upped the ante on what it means to be generous with one’s wealth by inviting their rich peers to take the “giving pledge.”  As the home page states, “the Giving Pledge is an effort to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death.”

The first 40 wealthy individuals or families to take the Giving Pledge are setting an example of generosity when many are much more concerned about their security in uncertain economic times. If you are wondering how much wealth is at stake, here are a couple of statistics. With just the 400 billionaires in the United States alone, there is a net worth of about $1.2 trillion. That means around $600 billion for charity if all 400 took the pledge. 40 of the first approximately 75 people agreed to participate. Their net worth is about $230 billion. One of the richest men, Warren Buffett, has pledged to give more than 99% of his wealth to charity.

This pledge is just beginning. The initiators hope that the number of those willing to share from their wealth will continue to grow. 

Discussion Questions

• When was the last time you shared some of your “wealth” where it felt like a sacrifice?
• What does your congregation do with the “wealth” it has?
• What do you get out of sharing from what you have?
• When have you shared your wealth with someone, knowing there would be nothing in it for you?
• To which charity would you or do you give when you share your wealth?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, August 29, 2010 (Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Proverbs 25:6-7

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Luke 14:7-14

(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

Imagine that! Jesus eating, but this time not with ‘sinners,’ as we always like to mention. Instead Jesus is going to a respectable Sabbath dinner at the house of one of the religious leaders in town. But he was being watched to see how he would behave and what he might say. Perhaps, the other guests thought that Jesus only knew how to break bread with ‘sinners’ and ‘undesirables’.  Maybe they hoped that Jesus would be an interesting dinner guest.  After all, Jesus had just completed his teaching and preaching tour in the villages on his way to Jerusalem where some of the Pharisees warned him to stay away because Herod was after him. Jesus responds that that he will continue doing what he has been doing. (13:32-33)

Just before they all sit down to eat, Jesus takes a moment and heals someone on the Sabbath, with a questioning challenge to those gathered. (14:3)

Now Jesus turns his attention to those gathering guests, jockeying for the best seat at the table. Jesus warns them to be humble and to not assume a higher place so that they might be lifted up. Turning to the host of the dinner Jesus encourages him to not throw a party in hopes of getting something in return. Share your banquet of abundance with those who could never offer anything in return.

In our daily lives, we are surrounded with a “quid pro quo”, “tit for tat” way of surviving. We all know that you have to be savvy and crafty and do favors for those who might be able to help you out in the future. That is how we are taught to survive and succeed in school and business. We like to quote the Golden Rule, “do unto others,” often with the sense of “treat people as you hope to be treated by them.” We love films like Pay it Forward in which the main characters do something good in hope that it will spread, eventually—maybe hopefully—coming back to them.

Even the wealthy do-gooders like Gates and Buffett hope to make society better through education. If we invest in others, then it will eventually be better for all of us. All of this is certainly true, noble, and to be encouraged. Jesus radically suggests that we should share with those who cannot hope to repay us. Share from what we have because we are blessed. Give without expecting anything in return. Jesus’ promise is that there will be a reward of another kind in the time beyond time.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt like you have given and given and it hasn’t changed the person or the situation? How did that affect your attitude toward giving?
• How should we approach giving to those where it seems unlikely that our gift will make an obvious difference (alcoholics, drug addicts, etc.)?

Activity Suggestions

Learning About Local Ministries of Giving

Check out local food/clothing ministries and present the information to participants. Perhaps there is a local chapter of United Way that can help you see what kinds of organizations are near your congregation.

Other nationally based organizations that engage in feeding ministries include (but are not limited to) Bread for the World and ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

If your congregation already supports a local ministry such as a feeding program, food pantry, battered women’s shelter, homeless shelter, or literacy program, perhaps your group can participate by working with that ministry at some point in the near future.

 Half of All You Own

Anonymous giving of half of your group’s wealth…

Hand out paper and writing utensils and ask the participants to estimate their “wealth”…the value of all they personally own (how much would they have if they were to sell everything they have for cash) plus cash and savings…then ask them to cut that in half. Collect the sums (without names) and add it all together.  See how much money your group could accumulate.

Talk about whether or not they would survive giving half of what they own. What would that look like?  How would their lives change?  What could they accomplish with their combined wealth?

Discuss whether it is harder or easier to be generous when you are very wealthy.

Closing Prayer

God of grace and abundance, you have blessed your earth with the resources to meet the needs of your whole creation. Grant that we may receive with mindful thanksgiving what you have given us and then generously share it with those in need. We ask this in the name of the one who gave us his life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen