{"id":10166,"date":"2023-12-12T07:59:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T12:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10166"},"modified":"2023-12-05T14:17:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T19:17:36","slug":"december-17-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-17-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"December 17, 2023&#8211;Hope in the Wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Dennis Sepper, Rosemount, MN<\/b><\/p>\n<h4><b>Warm-up Question<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>How do you react when things do not go your way?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>How do you get though the rough times in life? <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Hope in the Wilderness<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Bernhardt Ingemann was born on May 28, 1789, the son of a Lutheran Pastor who died when Ingemann was 11 years old.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Bernhardt entered the University of Copenhagen in 1806.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The following year, when the British attacked Copenhagen to prevent Napoleon from taking the Norwegian-Danish navy, Ingemann helped to defend the city.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>His apartment and his early works were burned in the siege.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>In 1809 he lost his mother, three brothers, and a niece in a tuberculosis epidemic, a tragedy reflected in much of his later poetry.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Ingemann was a sensitive, soft-spoken person with few friends.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>However, as a writer of children\u2019s stories, he was second in popularity only to Hans Christian Andersen, whom he counted among his friends.<\/p>\n<p>In 1825, Bernhardt Ingemann wrote a Danish hymn for the season of Advent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Its themes include expectant song, light through darkness, ransom, and rejoicing\u2014many of the Advent themes.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The hymn is still popular today.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We know it as \u201cThrough the Night of Doubt and Sorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From elementary school all the way through college;<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>school teachers, principals, student life staff and counselors teach students how to be \u201cresilient.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Resilience is defined as \u201cthe capacity to withstand\u00a0or to recover quickly from difficulties\u201d in life.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Resilience is a good quality to have.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>No matter what our age might be, we have to face some challenging circumstances or experiences.<\/p>\n<p>This Third Sunday of Advent has been known as Gaudete Sunday or the Sunday of Joy.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes this Sunday is represented in the Advent wreath by a pink candle instead of the usual blue or purple.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>In our second lesson text, Saint Paul encourages us to \u201crejoice always.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>This is where the characteristic of resilience comes to be a strength.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Facing tough times and coming through them often leads to personal growth and even a stronger resolve of character.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, as Christians, we have the faith and the promise of God that no matter what happens in the world or in our lives, Jesus is with us to bear us up and carry us through.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We can manufacture joy by playing a favorite game or eating a favorite food, but those do not last very long.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Our joy, our resilience, comes from God and Christ.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>That is what helped Bernhardt Ingemann not only cope with the difficulties of his life, but also gave him the strength to write the words to a hymn that is as meaningful to us today as it was to him and those around him back then.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Read the words to Ingemann\u2019s hymn (ELW 327, LBW 355).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Where do you see words of hope?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Words of joy?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Words which would reveal resilience?<\/li>\n<li>Hope and light are major themes of Advent.\u00a0 Where do you see signs of hope today?\u00a0 Where is there light shining in the darkness?<\/li>\n<li>What \u00a0hymn or song \u00a0instills hope in you?\u00a0 What hymn or song \u00a0brings you joy?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Third Sunday of Advent<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=568698644\">Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=568698682\">1 Thessalonians 5:16-24<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=568698716\">John 1:6-8, 19-28<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. 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<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Congregations-and-Synods\/Worship\/Lectionary\/YearB\"> Lectionary Readings.<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><b>Gospel Reflection<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10184 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-1024x725.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-768x544.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-1536x1088.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-2048x1451.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-250x177.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/12\/iStock-186327327-494x350.jpg 494w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>People tried to avoid the wilderness.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Yet, people were willing to enter the wilderness to seek John the Baptist.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes entering the wilderness is what people do in order to gain something like peace or joy.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We cannot always avoid facing a bad situation or somehow make it better.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The best we can do is pray and remember the promise of God and Jesus that they are always with us, no matter what has happened.<\/p>\n<p>Notice that some of the people in today\u2019s gospel text believed that John might be the promised messiah or the prophet Elijah coming back into the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>One of our tasks in life is to figure out who we are called to be.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Who are we in the world and in our communities?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Most times the people closest to us help us figure that out.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>They tell us what they see as our strengths or what talents they see in us.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>But sometimes people place expectations on us that are not as good for us.<\/p>\n<p>That is what<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>happens to John the Baptist.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>People really want him to be the Messiah, the Chosen One.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>They would accept John as the Christ in a moment.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>However, John knows his place.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The Bible says \u201cHe [John] confessed and did not deny, but confessed, \u2018I am not the Messiah.\u2019\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>John knows he is a witness to the coming of Jesus, the true Messiah. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes we humans forget our place.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We fool ourselves into believing we can fix any problems that come our way, forgetting that we are God\u2019s creatures and it is God and Jesus who can get us through the troubled times.<\/p>\n<p>In the opening verses of today\u2019s Gospel text, the author John refers to Jesus as \u201cthe light.\u201d Later in John\u2019s Gospel Jesus refers to himself as the \u201clight of the world\u201d (John 8:12).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>In a world where electricity did not exist, light in the darkness was a blessing.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus, as the light entering the darkness of the peoples\u2019 lives and giving light to one\u2019s path forward, is a powerful symbol of what Jesus means to the people and to the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>When we find ourselves in times of darkness, the light of Jesus can give us hope and see us through whatever difficulty we are in.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>What are some of the wildernesses in the world today?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Are people willing to face and enter the wilderness in order to grow and gain strength?<\/li>\n<li>How do we Christians bear witness today to the presence of Jesus?<\/li>\n<li>Is the symbol of light still a powerful one in our day?\u00a0 Why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Activity Suggestion<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>As children we sang the song \u201cThis Little Light of Mine, I\u2019m Gonna\u2019 Let it Shine.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Think of one of your gifts or characteristics that you can let shine for your friends and your community.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Identify a gift in one other person and tell them how that gift is shining for others.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Closing Prayer<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Loving God, let the light of Jesus shine in our lives, in our communities and in the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Help us to be like John the Baptist, knowing our place before you.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Help us also to be like John in bearing witness to Christ and the hope Jesus\u2019 presence can give.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Guide us in the Advent days ahead until we sign the carols and hymns of Christmas announcing the birth of Jesus.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Amen<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dennis Sepper, Rosemount, MN Warm-up Question How do you react when things do not go your way?\u00a0 How do you get though the rough times in life? \u00a0 Hope in the Wilderness Bernhardt Ingemann was born on May 28, 1789, the son of a Lutheran Pastor who died when Ingemann was 11 years old.\u00a0 Bernhardt [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>December 17, 2023-Hope in the Wilderness - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-17-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"December 17, 2023-Hope in the Wilderness - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta 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