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April 15, 2012–Scars That Heal

Contributed by Jay McDivett, Mequon, WI

 

 

Warm-up Question

Tell a story about one of your scars. Or, if you don’t have any (or it makes you uncomfortable), tell a story about a childhood injury that you remember (what happened, how long did it hurt, etc.).

Scars That Heal

On April 2, One Goh, a former student at Oikos University, a small Christian school in Oakland, CA, shot 10 people, killing 7, in a place that had been known as a safe place for immigrants to begin a new life and a new career in the U.S.A. While the student body is largely Korean, the victims Goh murdered – execution-style – were from all over the world.

Since then, details have emerged that Goh was upset over being expelled from the school, as well as being teased for his grasp of the English language. He may also have had difficulty getting along with women. Regardless of his motivation and/or mental state, the result has devastated this school, the city, and its many immigrant communities.

And so, as Christians everywhere began to celebrate Holy Week, with its re-telling of the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross and grave, the Oikos tragedy serves as yet another reminder that violence, exclusion, bullying, execution, and the complicated lives of immigrants living in a foreign culture (all of which are present in the Holy Week stories) are not a thing of the past. These are new wounds opened up in a Christian community that must wrestle with the reality of death in the midst of a season that promises life.

 

Discussion Questions

  • How do you understand events like the Oikos tragedy in terms of your faith? What questions do these headlines raise for you?
  • Could something like this ever happen at your school? Why or why not?
  • How should One Goh be treated  by the families of the victims, the community, the church, and the justice system? What would you want to see happen to him if you were a part of the community affected by his actions?

 

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 15, 2012 (Second Sunday of Easter)

Acts 4:32-35

1 John 1:1–2:2

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

Last Sunday, we celebrated God’s victory over death with the festival of the Resurrection. Most churches pull out all the stops on Easter Sunday.  Lots of regulars, visitors and occasional church-goers (what some call “Christmas and Easter” or “C&E” folks) dress in their Easter finest and are treated to festive music, beautiful decorations, egg hunts, lavish breakfasts… It’s a festive day. And why not? We are, after all, “Easter people.” We live by the story of the resurrection. As baptized people, we are joined to Jesus in his death so that we might be joined to him in his eternal and abundant life as well. This is good news!! It deserves a joyful noise, a beautiful day, a festival.

And yet, every year, the Sunday after Easter always features another story, the story of unfairly named “Doubting Thomas” longing to see Jesus’ scars. Imagine that.  The lesson for almost every other Sunday in the church year changes from year to year in the three-year lectionary cycle, the Second Sunday of Easter always tells a story about doubt and scars. Why?

There are many reasons, to be sure, but perhaps the most meaningful is this: The church knows full well that while the Resurrection declares God’s final and total victory over sin and death, most of the world – including, of course, most Christians – are still living in a world full of violence and tragedy, hunger and poverty, brokenness and sorrow. It is sometimes hard to hold onto the victory of Easter in one hand while holding a newspaper, smartphone, Facebook, or Twitter feed in the other. In public and private ways, Christian lives are still mired in all the stuff that Jesus came to destroy.

That kind of thing can make a person begin to doubt. 2000 years later, the Easter story (and the Church which bears this story on its lips) has yet to vanquish all the pain and suffering we live with. Indeed, it often feels like things are just getting worse.

So what do we do with this reality? How do we celebrate the resurrection while also being honest about the world of woe in which so many of our neighbors and ourselves are living in? Thomas gives us some great keys to living with this mystery:

  1. Stick around: This story takes place over the course of two weeks – or, at least, two weekends. For a reason known only to God and him, Thomas missed the first appearance of Jesus in the upper room (maybe because instead of huddling in fear behind locked doors, Thomas alone was brave enough to go out in the streets and keep on doing the work Jesus called the disciples to do…). Missing out made him ask for the same proof that the rest of the disciples literally got handed to them, the scars. But his doubt and questions didn’t make him give up. Instead, he shows up to worship again the next week—and meets Jesus meets. While it’s great to have lots of people show up for Christmas and Easter, we miss a lot if we only show up for the glitz and glory. Every week, Jesus walks through locked doors and shows us the signs of his love with his own broken hands. Keep showing up. Stick around.
  2. Ask tough questions: Church is not a place for people who’ve got it all figured out. Church is a place for people who live with doubt and questions. Everyone doubts and questions – ask your pastor and she’ll tell you, even (or especially) pastors have doubts. But even when it’s hard to believe, we believe that the gift of faith is a gift given to a community – to a family of broken, doubting, fearful people who are all desperate to hear a word of hope in the midst of a world that seems to be falling apart. We’re in this together, but we don’t get far when we pretend we’ve got it all figured out. Bring your questions to church. You’re in good company.
  3. Look for the scars: Barbara Lundblad, an ELCA pastor and professor, asked some great questions about this text in a sermon: Why does Jesus have scars? If God could raise Jesus from the dead, why couldn’t God fix him up and take away his scars? What’s in the scars? It seems that the scars, far from being a mark of shame, are actually signs of life: The scars tell us that Jesus was exactly who he said he was, the Word made flesh. Jesus is a real human being. Jesus knows in his own flesh and blood the pain and suffering of being alive in a broken world. Jesus is God close enough to know exactly what people like you and me are going through. And Jesus knows that even after the resurrection, there are still open wounds longing to be healed. The scars tell us that Jesus is still in the middle of it all. Jesus wears on his own body the marks of a world gone mad, and Jesus will not stop living and loving this world with his whole self until every open wound has been touched by the grace of the living God.

Scars are holy. They tell stories about where we’ve been, how we’ve been hurt, and what it takes to be healed. Sometimes, when a wound is fresh – especially if it’s deep and nasty – it’s hard to believe that we will ever be healed. But no one bleeds forever. Healing happens, on this and on every side of death. Just ask Jesus; he’s been there. He’s still there. And he always will be. And thanks be to God for that. Amen.

Discussion Questions

  • How comfortable are you discussing your doubts, questions, and fears at church? Who can you talk to? What would make you feel more – or less – comfortable?
  • When is it easy to believe in Jesus and the resurrection? When is it hard?
  • What can you do to help people with questions and doubts feel comfortable with church people?

Activity Suggestions

You will need several recent newspapers and/or magazines, newsprint (or other paper), markers, scissors, glue sticks, and either one very large picture of the resurrected Jesus with scarred hands or one copy of it for each participant (a great icon by William Hart McNichols can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/6lwcug5). Invite participants to tear/cut headlines and/or pictures from newspapers that tell stories of open wounds, scars, violence, etc; and/or they can write/draw their own stories/words/prayers on newsprint. Light candles, play ambient music, dim the lights – whatever helps set a prayerful mood. Use the glue sticks to affix the signs of brokenness to the picture of Jesus – around the scars, on his heart, wherever it feels meaningful. When you’re finished, look at the one big picture or share each other’s individual pictures together. Close in prayer.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, sometimes it’s hard to believe in hope and life when we think about the pain and suffering in the world and in our lives. Help us to see in your scarred hands the signs of your presence – with us and with all who suffer. Give us the faith to trust that you hold the whole world in your nail-scarred hands and that you will stop at nothing to heal every open wound. Be with us (and those we name before you now ______ [names/events from the pictures may be included here]), and give us life. Amen.

February 9-15, 2011–Sticks and Stones

Contributed by Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

Warm-up Questions

Have you ever heard the little rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?”  Do you believe it’s true?  Why or why not? What is the most encouraging thing that you can remember someone saying to you?  How did it make you feel?

Sticks and Stones

The suicide of Phoebe Prince, on January 14, 2010, brought international attention to the problem of bullying in U.S. schools.  Prince, a 15 year old freshman, had moved from Ireland to South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she suffered months of bullying from school classmates, both physically and over the internet.  On March 29, 2010, nine teenagers were indicted on charges which included statutory rape, violation of civil rights with bodily injury, criminal harassment, and stalking.  Their trials are set to begin later this year.

Despite an increased awareness of its extent (especially as practiced through such means as text messaging and social media), bullying  is proving to be an extremely difficult problem to contain.  In one recent study, 77 per cent of those asked reported being bullied at some point.  And though their deaths were not  as widely publicized as the suicide of Phoebe Prince, other teens haven taken their own lives as a result of bullying.

For two other examples see:  http://ksax.com/article/stories/s1928689.shtml and  http://www.wpxi.com/news/26520571/detail.html

Discussion Questions

  • Do you believe bullying or cyber-bullying is a problem in your school or setting?  If so, do you think the problem is getting worse?
  • Have you or a friend ever been the victim of rumors, gossip, or bullying?  What was the experience like?  How did it affect you?  Did anyone stand up for you or your friend, and if so, what was that like?
  • Have you ever used rumors, gossip, or other acts to get back at someone?  In the end, what was the result? 

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, February 13, 2011 (Sixth Sunday after Epiphany)

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Matthew 5:21-37

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

This week’s gospel lesson continues Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, a section of teaching that is directed primarily to his followers and disciples.  What is especially notable about these verses is the pattern which Jesus uses.  “You have heard that it was said…But I say to you….”  It is a pattern that points both backward and forward.  It points backward to the Torah (the Law) and to the oral tradition surrounding Torah’s interpretation; it points forward to Jesus’ true identity as the One sent from God who has the authority to interpret Torah rightly.   As we heard in last week’s gospel lesson, Jesus did not come to abolish either the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17-18).  As it is, Jesus’ teaching in this passage gets to the root of things, demonstrating that the commands of the Law have at their heart a blueprint for what it means to be fully, genuinely, and gloriously human within a covenantal relationship with God.

As such, the commands that Jesus gives here are not moral admonitions – a set of do’s and don’t’s – by which persons might attempt to make themselves “good enough” for God, but rather a picture of life in the renewed and renewing community that God brings into being through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  God is serious that God’s people know life, and so murder is attacked at its very root: smoldering anger and words which only serve to tear down or abuse.  God is serious about life-giving relationships grounded in mutuality, love, and respect, and so lust and lies–attitudes and actions that disrupt even the most fundamental relationships of marriage and family–are also attacked.

Yes, God is serious that we know life.  So serious, in fact, that Jesus drives home the point with another feature of this passage, wildly exaggerated images which  tickle the imagination.  Verses 29 – 30 contain obvious examples.  Plucking out eyes and cutting off hands are not to be taken literally, but we get the point.  In your discussion, you may also want to point out the rather comical picture in verses 23 – 24 of traveling all the way to the Temple in Jerusalem (at least a three day journey by foot for many of Jesus’ hearers), buying an appropriate sacrificial animal, suddenly remembering a relationship gone wrong, and then leaving your “gift” to hang out on its own in the Temple while you spend a week on a round trip just so you can make things right.  It just wouldn’t happen.  And yet here again the point is clear.  We are called to live out day by day the forgiveness we ourselves have received from God, so that when we come to worship there is no anger between us and our neighbors, especially when these neighbors are our sisters and brothers in Christ.

This is a passage pregnant with possibilities for study and discussion.   And while the following questions focus on the power of our words, especially as we strive to be for one another a radical community of love and grace, you might also talk together about such counter-cultural themes as forgiveness (Matt. 5:23-26), sexual purity (Matt. 5:27-30), what makes for true and faithful relationships (Matt. 5:31-32) and personal integrity (Matt. 5:33-37).

Discussion Questions

  • As you read this passage, what are the verses that jump out at you?  Why?
  • Do you believe that it is possible to follow Jesus’ commands in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount?  If you say “Yes,” what do you make of verses 22-23 and 28-30?  If you say, “No,” then why do you think Jesus would give us commands and instructions that he knew we cannot keep?
  • Knowing that Jesus is talking primarily to his followers and disciples, what do his teachings here say about our relationship with God?  Do you believe they are prescriptive – something we have to do in order to have a relationship with God, or descriptive – a picture of the life God would have us to know and enjoy?
  • By addressing dealing with anger and our use of insults and language intended to hurt or tear down another person, how does Jesus get at the root of murder?  Is it possible to “kill” another person without harming them physically?
  • What do Jesus’ words say to us about our relationships with one another as Christian brothers and sisters?  How would our group look if we were as quick to forgive and lovingly careful with our words, thoughts, and actions as Jesus calls us to be? What specific things might we do to encourage one another more?

Activity Suggestions

  • Catechism Connection Read together Martin Luther’s explanation of the Eighth Commandment in the Small Catechism.  Discuss together the following:

According the Luther, in what ways do we “murder” or “destroy” people with our words?

Looking at the positive actions in the Small Catechism, what are some of the ways in which Martin Luther says that we can live out our faith when it comes to using our words?  Can you think of specific examples of how this might look in your everyday lives?  Make a list and covenant together to try out some of what you come up with.

If there is anyone that you know who you believe is currently the focus of rumors, gossip, or bullying, consider the things that you might do to be for that person an alternative community of love, support, and grace.

  • Wounded Healers Give participants a few minutes to think of a time when they have been hurt.  It can be a physical hurt like a broken arm, or another type of “hurt,” such as a broken heart or a damaging comment.  Have them come up with a motion that in some way symbolizes their hurt.  Bring the group back together and have each person demonstrate their motion without talking.  Choose about a third of those who are participating to be “wounded.”  The rest are “healthy”.  Again without talking, it is the job of the healthy ones to come alongside those who are wounded and to help them by taking on their motion.  Those who are wounded should not give up their “hurt” until those helping them truly understand (that is, have copied their motion exactly).  Once they have given up their hurt, they become healthy and can help others.  Continue as long as the group remains interested.

Debrief:

What was it like to have someone try to really understand your wound?

What was it like to try to truly understand someone else?  What did it take?

What do you think the main point of this activity is?

How is this activity a picture of what it means to be an intentional Christian community?

Note:  You might also read “The Ragman” by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, in the waters of baptism you name us and claim us and make us your own.  Thank you for the gift of new life and for the invitation to experience that life in the community of your church.  Fill us with your Spirit.  Guide our thoughts, our words, and our actions, that we may build one another up and not tear each other down.  Make us quick to forgive and eager to be your hands and voice in a world so hungry to experience good news.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.