Prepare (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the whole group.)
Luke 14:25–33 gives us two of Jesus’ hardest sayings: that anyone who doesn’t “hate” their family and life itself cannot follow him, and that disciples must give up all their possessions. These statements sound extreme, but some context helps.

At the start of the passage a large crowd is following Jesus. Crowds have been gathering around him since the very beginning of his ministry in Luke. Each time, Jesus makes it clear that following him is costly. Here, he uses deliberately shocking, hyperbolic language to force the crowd to consider what discipleship really requires.

In the first-century Jewish world, family responsibilities were foundational. To abandon or even appear to neglect them could bring severe social, physical, and material consequences. So when Jesus says his followers must “hate” even their own families, it would have landed even more harshly then than it does for us now. The word “hate” here doesn’t mean hostility but comparison—it points to the idea of loving something less than something else. Jesus is saying that following him requires placing him above everything else, even the most important commitments and possessions in life. That’s why, after offering two examples that show the importance of counting the cost—one about building a tower and one about a king preparing for war—Jesus concludes by saying that anyone who wants to follow him must be willing to give up all their possessions.

This passage reminds us that discipleship is not casual. It demands reordering our loves, loosening our grip on what we hold most dear, and choosing Christ first.

Opening Exercise

• In a pair or a group of three, tell of the best volunteer experience you have ever had and what made it the best?

Read Aloud

• Luke 14:25-33

Discipleship, Time, and Loving Less
Today we celebrate God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday across the ELCA. Since it began in September 2013, this day has invited congregations to show the love and concern God’s people have for one another. Through acts of service—big and small—we explore one of our most basic Lutheran convictions: by God’s grace we are free to love and serve our neighbor. We don’t have to do that. We want to do it in response to the love and grace God has first given us.

But there’s a challenge to loving and serving—and it’s one many of us face every day: time. Many studies indicate that one of, if not the, biggest barrier to serving or volunteering is lack of time. And with little to no concrete data, but with a fair amount of certainty, I’d bet that lack of time is what keeps many teens from becoming more involved at church or in the youth group. Sports, school, band, dance, a job, and any number of other things are competing priorities that make it hard to serve or get engaged. It’s not that the things we do aren’t good or worthwhile. But, sometimes, what we love most prevents us from responding to the love God calls us to share.

This tension echoes Luke 14:25–33, where Jesus challenges the crowd with the cost of discipleship. He uses shocking language, saying that anyone who doesn’t “hate” their family and possessions cannot follow him. Yet, I don’t think “hate” here means hostility or contempt. Rather, I read it as loving something less than something else. Jesus is asking the crowd to consider: what do we love most? And are we willing to place him above all—even our family, our possessions, our time?

Like the crowds following Jesus, many of us want to do good in the world—but feel we don’t have the time. And yet, hidden in Jesus’ hard words is an invitation: an invitation to reorder our loves and to follow him—not alone, but alongside others. With the school year starting and schedules filling up, this is a moment to pause and reflect: what in our lives is getting more of our love and attention than God? How might we choose differently so that we can live into the service God calls us to? 

God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday is a small reminder that discipleship is costly—but it is also a gift. The gift is not just the work we do for others, but the chance to follow Jesus together, letting our lives bear witness to God’s love in a world that desperately needs it.

Reflection Questions

• What sticks out to you most in the scripture passage we read and why?
• When Jesus says we have to “give up all our possessions,” what do you think he means? Do you hear that as literal, or pointing to something else?
• Why do you think Jesus talks about following him in such extreme ways? What does that show us about what discipleship means?
• If you were to love other things less and take discipleship more seriously in the year ahead, how would your life be different, if at all?

Closing Activity

• Have each person list how they spend their time during the week. Suggest checking their phone’s screen time for a reality check. Then ask: Is this how you want to spend your life? What’s missing? What would you take off?
• Come up with a list of service events you and your young people can do throughout the year.

Prayer
Gracious God, our hearts are pulled in many directions. We give our time and energy to so many things—some good, some not so good. And yet you call us first to follow you. Teach us to love what you love, and to serve as you serve, so that our lives show your grace at work in us. Forgive us when we chase after lesser things, and keep drawing us back by your mercy. Strengthen us to count the cost of discipleship, and to discover in it the joy of life with you. Amen.

Bio
Cogan Blackmon is a pastor who believes the church is at its best when it listens closely to the stories people carry. As Associate Pastor of Cross of Grace Lutheran Church in New Palestine, Indiana, and editor of Faith Lens, he explores the intersection of scripture, culture, and everyday life, sharing reflections that help readers see faith in fresh ways. Outside of ministry and editing, you’ll likely find him with a cup of coffee in hand, exploring local food and beverage venues with his family, or listening to folk and Americana music.

Brian Hiortdahl, Overland Park, KS

Warm-up Question

If you knew you had only a short time to live and were granted one last wish, what would it be?

Last Wishes

Five year old Chen Xiaotian was diagnosed with brain cancer within months of his mother learning that she had uremia.  After two years, both conditions worsened.  Chen, 7, knowing he would die, was aware that his kidney might save his mother.  He pleaded with her to let him save her life.  Two hours after Chen’s death, his mother received his kidney.  Two other persons benefited from Chen’s gift of life.  His other kidney was transplanted to a 21-year old woman and a 26-year old man received Chen’s liver.

For further information:  video    news story

Discussion Questions

• How does this story make you feel?
• Would you want to be an organ donor?  Why or why not?
• Can you think of other examples where something good came out of tragedy?

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 11:1-18

Revelation 21:1-6

John 13:31-35

(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.

Gospel Reflection

Jesus, knowing he will die, shares one final evening with his disciples.  He begins by washing their feet (despite initial resistance from Peter) and sharing bread with his betrayer.  After doing this, he states his dying wish as a new commandment:  Love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.

Later that same evening, after repeating this commandment (15:12), Jesus elaborates:  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends (15:13).  Like Chen, Jesus sees life for others coming from his death.  On this night in the other gospels, Jesus institutes his supper of Holy Communion—his life continuing to live inside his disciples’ bodies, giving them new strength.

This is how Jesus is “glorified.”  For him, glory does not come from fame or riches or popularity or success or adulation.  It comes through death.  He does not receive glory in, but radiates it out through the love his disciples show and share, following his lead.  His final wish is not anything for himself, but for the ongoing blessing of others.

Discussion Questions

• What parallels do you see between Chen and Jesus?
• How do you define glory?  How does that compare with how the world and Jesus define it?
• In what tangible ways do members of your group/family/church “love one another”?  Would others recognize that you are Jesus’ disciples by the way that you treat one another?
• Who would you be willing to die for?

Activity Suggestions

• As a group, wash one another’s feet.  Follow with discussion about how it feels.  After that, make plans for washing the feet of others you know, perhaps in a homeless shelter, nursing home, or another setting with people who are often overlooked or undervalued.  Who would benefit from this form of loving service in your community?
• Research the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  What stories from their work inspire you?

Closing Prayer

God of glory, graciously continue to fill our hearts, our bloodstreams, and our lives with the love of Jesus.  Strengthen us to love one another and teach us how to give life to others.  Comfort the dying and give them, like Chen, an opportunity to help others live.  Transform all our troubles into glory through Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Lord.  Amen

Contributed by Brian Hiortdahl, Overland Park, KS

Warm-up Question

What scares you?

Confused, Scared, and Depressed

Alex Hribal, a sophomore at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, sits in custody after a recent rampage during which he stabbed multiple people at his school with kitchen knives.  Hribal’s attorney describes him as “confused, scared, and depressed.”

Discussion Questions

• Do you feel any sympathy for Alex?  Why or why not?
• What do you think is the best strategy for keeping schools safe from violence?  What role do students play in school safety?
• Could something unthinkable like this happen in a church youth group setting?  Why or why not?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 27, 2014 (Second Sunday of Easter)

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

1 Peter 1:3-9

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

The gospel writer John presents the disciples looking just like Alex Hribal:  confused, scared, and depressed.  Their doors are locked in fear.  No doubt the authorities know that they are tied to Jesus, a criminal perceived to be so dangerous that he had to receive the death penalty.  As his known accomplices, the disciples are likely targets of some form of crackdown, especially now that a rumor is going around that Jesus has risen from the dead and is alive again.

 They also have reason to fear Jesus himself.  Most of them had denied him if not also betrayed him, running away and abandoning him in his darkest hour.  Will he confront them with their failure?  Will they have to answer to him for their terrible moment of disloyalty and cowardice?

The stone door of the tomb couldn’t keep Jesus in, and the locks on the disciples’ doors couldn’t keep him out.  He did confront them…with words of surprising grace.  Peace be with you, he said.  Then he showed them where he himself had been stabbed.

After this, he gave them his Spirit and a new mission:  forgiveness.  They were given the responsibility of giving to the world exactly what he had given them.  He is essentially reframing his commandment to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. One characteristic of this complete love is that it casts out fear.  (See John 13:34 and 1 John 4:18.)  Forgiveness banishes all of the brokenness in relationships (guilt, shame, distrust, fear, isolation), making those relationships safe enough that love can be possible and complete again, and hearts can live in peace.

This mission is tested immediately with Thomas, who was not present for the meeting.  Would they retaliate against him because he did not trust them?  Would they punish Thomas somehow for failing to believe their (rather unbelievable) news about seeing Jesus?  Or would they forgive him and include him in sharing the gift of peace they have just received from Christ’s open, wounded hands?

Discussion Questions

• Can Alex Hribal be forgiven by his victims?  Should he be?  What do you think Jesus would say to him?
• Do people fear Jesus and/or His church?  Why?  What can be done about it?
• Who is missing from your groups—at church, at school, at parties?  How can you break through their isolation with good news and include them?

Activity Suggestions

Identify someone you know who appears misunderstood, someone who seems to need more love and peace and compassion.  Pray for them.  Befriend them.  Invite them to accompany you at youth group or another social gathering.

Closing Prayer

God of second chances, we praise you for the resurrection of Jesus and his appearance to his frightened disciples.  Visit us with your peace and power.  Forgive us the ways in which we have wronged you and strengthen us to forgive others.  Replace our fears with faith and love and joy.  Bring all this bleeding world from death to life, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Contributed by Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

Warm-up Questions

• Who is the most famous or important person you have ever met, and what was the experience like? Or alternatively, if you could spend an afternoon with any one real person, currently alive or from the past, who would it be and why?
• What is the most meaningful part or worship for you?  What makes it so meaningful?

Who Needs Christ?

Amidst all of the holiday advertising last month, one Times Square billboard drew national attention.  Sponsored by American Atheists, its message sparked a lot of coverage and debate, both in the news and online, with one New York State Senator calling for it to come down. The following is an excerpt from the press release which accompanied the billboard’s launch:

Using motion graphics, the billboard proclaims, “Who needs Christ during Christmas?” A hand crosses out the word “Christ” and the word “NOBODY” appears. The display then says “Celebrate the true meaning of Xmas” and offers a series of cheery words: family, friends, charity, food, snow, and more. The commercial ends with a jovial “Happy Holidays!” from American Atheists and displays the organization’s website.

Now that January has come and our schedules and lives are getting back to some sort of post-holiday “normal,” it may be hard to think in terms of Christmas. But the question posed by the billboard is an important one for us to think about.  “Who needs Christ during Christmas?”  Or even more simply, “Who needs Christ at all?”  Increasingly people in our culture agree with the sign’s message.  Roughly one fifth of adults in the U.S. – and a third of young adults under 30 – claim no religious affiliation. Yet the witness of the Scriptures is that God is indeed present and active in our world and in our lives, and so during these Sundays after Epiphany we focus on exploring who the baby in the manger is and why and how his birth is good news for all people.

Discussion Questions

• What are your reactions to the message of this billboard?  What do you think its sponsors are trying to say and how do you feel about that?
• Many people these days claim to be “spiritual but not religious.”  What do you think that means?
• What are some of the reasons that people might have for not being “religious?”  For not being spiritual?
• Can you be a follower of Jesus without being religious?  Without being spiritual?
• Have you ever experienced a negative reaction or “push back” from other people because of your faith?  If so, how did you handle the situation?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, January 19, 2014 (Second Sunday after Epiphany)

Isaiah 49:1-7

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-42

(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

Who is John the Baptist?  Who is Jesus?  Who are we?  These are some of the questions that John (the gospel writer) addresses today as we continue our journey through the Epiphany season.

So first, who is John the Baptist?  Despite his great popularity and powerful appeal as a preacher and prophet, John is not the Messiah.  We hear this quite plainly, both in the opening words of the gospel (Jn. 1:6-9) and in John the Baptist’s own reply to those who come seeking to know what he is up to (Jn. 1:19-23).  Rather, John is “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” As such, his divine purpose is to reveal to Israel – and ultimately to the world – the Messiah (Jn. 1:31)

What then does John reveal?  First, that the person whom he was sent to make known is Jesus and that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Two times John uses this image to describe Jesus in today’s gospel.  It is an image that has connections both to the sacrificial system surrounding the Jewish Temple and to the Exodus event in which the blood of a lamb caused the final plague to pass over the households of the Israelites.  What’s more, Jesus will be crucified for the sake of the sin of the world on the day in which the Passover lambs are slaughtered (Jn. 19:14, 31, 42). This central part of Jesus’ identity is what we often sing about during Holy Communion after the bread and wine have been consecrated: “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us….”

Jesus is also the one upon whom the Holy Spirit descends and remains.  Unlike last week’s gospel reading from Matthew, we do not actually get to witness Jesus’ baptism in John’s gospel.  Instead, we hear John the Baptist’s witness – his testimony about Jesus – as sort of a flashback.  For John himself, this was the sign that he was looking for (Jn. 1:33).  Not only is the Holy Spirit the marker of Jesus’ true identity and the power of God at work in and through him, the Spirit is the gift the Jesus gives to those who believe and follow him (Jn. 20:21-23).

Finally, in terms of who Jesus is, John makes an astounding claim: “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”  In my congregation we read the opening section of John’s gospel as part of our candlelight services on Christmas Eve.  In a darkened sanctuary illuminated by the glow of a hundred or so candles we hear about the Word of God becoming flesh, about the One who is the “true light” of the world, about God’s only Son through whom we have all received grace upon grace.  John the Baptist points to Jesus as being this One.  It is a claim, of course, that many today deny.

Which brings us to the third question this passage addresses: Who are we?  In the second part of our gospel reading John the Baptist’s witness – his sharing of his faith in who Jesus is – moves two of his own followers to find out more about this “Lamb of God.”  Seeing them following him, Jesus asks them, “What are you looking for?” For all who read John’s gospel, this is more than simply a casual question.  It is a question that we are asked, too.  When it comes to the future, when it comes to our lives, when it comes to Jesus, what are we looking for?  And, like the two disciples, are we ready to accept Jesus’ invitation to us to “Come and see?”

So, what did they “see” when they were with Jesus that day?  We aren’t told, only that, whatever it was, it led these two seekers to a point where it was no longer John’s witness but their own experience of being with Jesus that caused them to follow him.  One of them, Andrew, is so moved that he, in turn, also becomes a witness, inviting his brother, Simon to come and see.  Simon, who we also know as Peter, became one of the most central disciples in the whole gospel story.  At this point there is a lot yet to happen before he truly begins to understand what it means for Jesus to be Lamb of God and Messiah.

Perhaps that is also something for us to take away from our gospel for this week.  It is not perfection in understanding or completeness of knowledge that John (the gospel writer) is aiming for in his account of God’s great love for us in Jesus.  John is aiming for faith – that we might come to believe in Jesus ourselves and, in believing, to discover true and abundant life.  Here, by the Jordan River, he looks back to the very beginning, to the mysterious and powerful proclamation of his opening words, and, at the same time, forward to the cross, to the very place where the image of Jesus as Lamb of God finds its fulfillment.

Discussion Questions

• The following are some of the titles and epithets that people have given to Jesus.  Which one(s) is (are) most meaningful to you? Why?

Son of God           Emmanuel                   Prince of Peace           Man or Sorrows

Good Shepherd     Lamb of God              Friend of Sinners        Teacher

Lord                      Light of the World      Bread of Life              Messiah

• Who in your own life has shown / brought you to Jesus?  In what ways have they witnessed to their faith?
• John the Baptist’s role was to point other people to Jesus.  If, as they say, actions speak louder than words, what are some practical, real-life ways that you might help other people know about Jesus and experience his love?
• Why do you need Jesus?

Activity Suggestion

Act out the gospel lesson.  Try to imagine why Andrew is so eager to introduce others to Jesus.  What about Jesus do you think made him so excited that he couldn’t wait to tell Simon Peter?  Have you ever had the chance to invite someone else to “Come and see?”  If so, how did it go? Have those acting other parts give typical reactions to talking about Jesus with friends and acquaintances.  Talk about how this story might be seen as a model for doing evangelism.

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, in the waters of baptism you name us and claim us and make us your very own.  Thank you for your love and for the forgiveness and new life that is ours through Jesus. As we seek to be his followers in our often messy and complicated world, place into our lives people and events who will remind us of who and whose we truly are.  Help us, in turn, to be living signs of your love and grace in the lives of those around us.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Contributed by Bill King, Blacksburg, VA

Warm-up Question

Think about a challenge which you have set for yourself.  What drives you to succeed?  What motivates you when the going gets tough?

Ut Prosim

On August 20^th, after 60 hours in the water, Diana Nyad had to abandon her latest attempt to swim the Straits of Florida, a distance of 103 miles from Havana to Key West.  The 62 year old endurance swimmer holds a world record for the longest ocean swim—102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Jupiter, Florida—but the challenges she faced in the Straits proved insurmountable.  After the first night, her lips, arms, hands, and neck were painfully swollen due to jellyfish stings.  At the end a lightning-filled storm blew her off course and made staying in the water extremely dangerous.

Nyad has made four attempts to swim the Straits since 1972.  She has been foiled by jellyfish stings, an 11 hour asthma attack, a shoulder injury, adverse weather, and strong currents.  Nyad swims without a shark cage and depends on boats, divers, and electronic shark repellant to keep the predators at bay.  But no good tools exist to deal with jellyfish.  Nyad admitted that she was naïve not to anticipate the problems from jellyfish, because they are proliferating throughout the world’s seas.

Nyad says she continues to feel vital and is prepared to try again.  She hopes that her efforts will inspire others her age to push their limits.  “When I walk up on that shore in Florida, I want millions of those AARP sisters and brothers to look at me and say, ‘I’m going to go write that novel I thought it was too late to do. I’m going to go work in Africa on that farm that those people need help at. I’m going to adopt a child. It’s not too late; I can still live my dreams.’ ”

Discussion Questions

• What do you think of Nyad’s goal to swim the Straits; is this an appropriate use of time, money, and energy—both her own and others?
• What do you think most motivates her?  The article contains one answer; what are some other possibilities?
• How do you judge her failure to anticipate the jellyfish stings, particularly since she had encountered them in previous attempts?
• What is the difference between making a wise decision and just being a quitter?  How do you know when to just “push through the pain?”

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 21, 2012 (Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost)

Isaiah 53:4-12

Hebrews 5:1-10

Mark 10:35-45

(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

Motivation matters.  As the disciples and Jesus travel toward Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week, there is no reason to believe that James and John are anything but sincere in their desire to follow Jesus.  Perhaps, as the ironic exchange about drinking the cup suggests, they do not fully understand what it will mean to walk with him.  But they have no qualms about calling Jesus Lord and teacher; they are hitching their fate to his.  The problem is their motivation.

Despite Jesus’ repeated efforts to make them see what is coming, they still have images that are more about coronation than crucifixion.  They see themselves as prime ministers in the new regime.  In short, they are focused on all the benefits of a close association with Jesus.  Their motivation is at bottom self-interest.  Like campaign contributors shrewdly calculating who can do them the most good, they have decided to back this candidate—and they ask for “assurances” that their loyalty will be rewarded.

Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) is the motto of the university at which I serve as campus pastor.  I have always liked that motto because it emphasizes to students that the education they receive here is supposed to be more than the passport to a very lucrative job and to the faculty that their research has a higher goal than personal resume building.  Even in the heat of the college football season I would never suggest that God is a Virginia Tech Hokie, but in my more whimsical moments I can image Jesus handing James and John a VT T-shirt, with Ut Prosim emblazoned across the front, and saying, “Guys, think about it.”

Ut Prosim.  There are a lot worse summaries of what following Jesus means.  There is nothing wrong with giving thanks for the sense of peace we find in knowing we are loved beyond measure.  We ought to rejoice when the community in Christ gives us a sense of belonging and purpose.  Of course our hearts swell in thanksgiving for the salvation offered us in Christ.  But finally, we are blessed to be a blessing; we are filled up so that we can be a reservoir of living water for others.

Virtually all the people reading this mediation are incredibly privileged.  Compared to the rest of the world we enjoy the untold advantages of wealth, education, opportunity, and a peaceful homeland.  Most of all we know what it means to walk in the company of Jesus.  So how will we use those gifts; what is going to motivate us when we step outside the church and into a messy world?  I am sure that Diana Nyad, in our opening news story, is driven in large part by a personal need to succeed, but I believe her when she says she also wants to inspire others.  If we can achieve even that amount of mixed motivation, we are on the road to understanding what Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”

Discussion Questions

• If you had to sum up what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in four words or less, what would you say?
• James and John are inappropriately focused on the benefits of following Jesus to the exclusion of understanding what it means to serve him and to serve others in his name.  Can you think of contemporary examples where this is the case?
• Talk about what motivates you to be part of your youth group, to attend church (let’s be real about this), to go on service trips, to volunteer?

Activity Suggestions

Using the answer you gave to the first question following the gospel reflection, consider making a T-Shirt which displays your understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.  You can either come to a consensus and make one for your whole group or have each person make his or her own shirt.

Closing Prayer

God of unlimited blessings, we remember with thanksgiving all that we have received from your hand.  Make us keenly aware that gifts are given in trust, that we may reflect your love for the world and ease the suffering of your children.  We pray in the name of Him who modeled a life of service, Jesus our Lord.  Amen.