{"id":33,"date":"2009-04-06T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-06T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/2009\/04\/06\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/"},"modified":"2009-08-24T12:56:40","modified_gmt":"2009-08-24T17:56:40","slug":"april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"April 8-15, 2009 &#8211; Obamania: The European tour part II"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by <strong><em>Jocelyn Breeland<br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong>Fairfax, VA<\/p>\n<p><strong>Warm-up Question:<\/strong> If you could be a groupie, which celebrity would you follow?<\/p>\n<p>President Barack Obama\u2019s recent trip to Europe, the first of his presidency, created a public frenzy that recalled his visit to Europe during the 2008 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>True, there was a lot of real work to be done this time, at the G-20 summit and in meetings with British, Russian, and other heads of state. Pundits (an expert, commentator, or opinion-leader) are divided over the value of what was accomplished. Most agree that the tone of the gatherings was more productive than would have been possible during the Bush administration.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the news reports, Americans could be forgiven for thinking the trip was more a tour by American royalty than an opportunity for serious work on the critical issues of our time.<\/p>\n<p>The screaming crowds that greeted Mr. Obama and his wife at many stops provided plenty of \u201cdistraction\u201d for the news media. Reporters seemed transfixed by the first couple\u2019s every move, especially Mrs. Obama. Breathlessly, they reported that she touched the queen! That she wore a sweater to Buckingham Palace! That she got emotional while speaking with a group of adoring school girls!<\/p>\n<p>Of course, some maintain that, despite the conspicuous display of admiration, not much of importance has changed in the relationship between the U.S. and its European partners. Yes, there were adoring crowds, but there were also large violent protests.<\/p>\n<h2>Discussion Questions<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Should European public opinion matter to Americans?<\/li>\n<li>What is it about President Obama that inspires such adoration?<\/li>\n<li>Are those who put President Obama on a pedestal setting themselves up for inevitable disappointment?<\/li>\n<li>What are your impressions of President Obama and his wife? How do your impressions shape your expectations of President Obama&#8217;s leadership?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 12, 2009 (Easter Sunday).<\/h2>\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=\"http:\/\/www.elca.org\/Growing-In-Faith\/Worship\/Lectionary\/Year-B.aspx\">Lectionary Readings<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026519\">Acts 10:34-43<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026552\">Isaiah 25:6-9<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026587\">Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (24)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026797\">1 Corinthians 15:1-11<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026829\">Acts 10:34-43<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=118136480\">Mark 16:1-8<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026890\">John 20:1-18<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\"><strong>Agnus Day<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Gospel Reflection<\/h2>\n<p>Jesus\u2019 followers were frightened and confused by his death. They\u2019d served with him for three years, so the confusion didn\u2019t result from not knowing Christ well enough, but from not yet comprehending the way he had transformed their lives. On Easter morning, Jesus gave the disciples the key to understanding what the prophets of the Old Testament had foretold, and what he had been trying to explain throughout his ministry.<\/p>\n<p>The story is simple; its meaning is earth-shattering. The tomb is empty because Jesus, once dead but now alive, has left. Skeptics said someone must have moved the body. But the miraculous resurrection isn\u2019t the only (or even the most important) headline of this tale.<\/p>\n<p>The amazing story that God begins to reveal on Easter morning is what Jesus\u2019 victory over death means to each of us. It\u2019s as if he gave us a beautifully wrapped present at Christmas, and at Easter we get to open it and see what\u2019s inside. Later, as we grow in faith we, like the disciples will understand and appreciate this gift more and more.<\/p>\n<p>Because God sacrificed his son for us, we have the assurance of eternal life. We can be sure that our creator, who can bring life from death, can protect and reclaim us no matter how dire our situation. Because of Jesus\u2019 sacrifice, our sins are forgiven. With this certainty, we can boldly do whatever God calls us to do.<\/p>\n<p>On Easter morning, the disciples were grieving and fearful. But we, who know the rest of the story, truly the greatest story ever told, can joyfully express our thanks to God for this gift. Alleluia! He is risen!<\/p>\n<h2>Discussion Questions<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What in today\u2019s Gospel makes the greatest impression on you?<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=106026969\">Mark 16:8<\/a> says the women said nothing about what they saw, because they were afraid. What of?<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family:arial\">If the disciples had fully understood what happened Easter morning, how do you think they would have reacted?<\/span><\/li>\n<li>How is your relationship with Jesus different from that of a celebrity groupie?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Activity Suggestion<\/h2>\n<p>Jesus Christ, the rock star, is going on. Create the official tour t-shirt. What words or images would appeal to Christians? What would draw the attention and appeal to non-believers?<\/p>\n<h2>Closing Prayer<\/h2>\n<p><em>Almighty God, this week we are celebrating your greatest gift to us &#8212; the life and sacrifice of your son Jesus. Words alone cannot express our intense gratitude. But in our songs, in our prayers, and in the way we care for each other and the world, we praise you, and glorify you. Thank you for continuing to walk with us everyday. When we\u2019re in trouble, comfort us with the assurance of your love, and the promise of life everlasting. In the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns, now and forever. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by Jocelyn Breeland Fairfax, VA Warm-up Question: If you could be a groupie, which celebrity would you follow? President Barack Obama\u2019s recent trip to Europe, the first of his presidency, created a public frenzy that recalled his visit to Europe during the 2008 presidential campaign. True, there was a lot of real work to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[928,574,891,573,334,254,570,319,569,572,452,575,541,793,571,506,410,568,404,544,449,576],"class_list":["post-33","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-barack-obama","tag-celebrities","tag-confusion","tag-death","tag-disciple","tag-easter","tag-europe","tag-faith","tag-fear","tag-g-20-summit","tag-gift","tag-grave","tag-jesus","tag-jocelyn-breeland","tag-mark-161-8","tag-obama","tag-promise","tag-prophecy","tag-resurrection","tag-sacrifice","tag-salvation","tag-tomb"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>April 8-15, 2009 - Obamania: The European tour part II - 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\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"April 8-15, 2009 - Obamania: The European tour part II - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contributed by Jocelyn Breeland Fairfax, VA Warm-up Question: If you could be a groupie, which celebrity would you follow? President Barack Obama\u2019s recent trip to Europe, the first of his presidency, created a public frenzy that recalled his visit to Europe during the 2008 presidential campaign. True, there was a lot of real work to [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-04-06T13:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2009-08-24T17:56:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ELCA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ELCA\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ELCA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f169c516bf8270a3c218b5c2e02231e1\"},\"headline\":\"April 8-15, 2009 &#8211; Obamania: The European tour part II\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-04-06T13:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2009-08-24T17:56:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":856,\"keywords\":[\"Barack Obama\",\"celebrities\",\"confusion\",\"death\",\"disciple\",\"Easter\",\"Europe\",\"faith\",\"fear\",\"G-20 summit\",\"gift\",\"grave\",\"Jesus\",\"Jocelyn Breeland\",\"Mark 16:1-8\",\"Obama\",\"promise\",\"prophecy\",\"resurrection\",\"sacrifice\",\"salvation\",\"tomb\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Post\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/\",\"name\":\"April 8-15, 2009 - Obamania: The European tour part II - Faith Lens\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-04-06T13:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2009-08-24T17:56:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f169c516bf8270a3c218b5c2e02231e1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"April 8-15, 2009 &#8211; Obamania: The European tour part II\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Lens\",\"description\":\"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f169c516bf8270a3c218b5c2e02231e1\",\"name\":\"ELCA\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ccdb0acb9edb3e1067167cd6a230dfee955f9145daa93a9c5f1654a6abbfc1d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ccdb0acb9edb3e1067167cd6a230dfee955f9145daa93a9c5f1654a6abbfc1d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7ccdb0acb9edb3e1067167cd6a230dfee955f9145daa93a9c5f1654a6abbfc1d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ELCA\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"April 8-15, 2009 - Obamania: The European tour part II - Faith Lens","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"April 8-15, 2009 - Obamania: The European tour part II - Faith Lens","og_description":"Contributed by Jocelyn Breeland Fairfax, VA Warm-up Question: If you could be a groupie, which celebrity would you follow? President Barack Obama\u2019s recent trip to Europe, the first of his presidency, created a public frenzy that recalled his visit to Europe during the 2008 presidential campaign. True, there was a lot of real work to [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/","og_site_name":"Faith Lens","article_published_time":"2009-04-06T13:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2009-08-24T17:56:40+00:00","author":"ELCA","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ELCA","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/"},"author":{"name":"ELCA","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/f169c516bf8270a3c218b5c2e02231e1"},"headline":"April 8-15, 2009 &#8211; Obamania: The European tour part II","datePublished":"2009-04-06T13:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2009-08-24T17:56:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/"},"wordCount":856,"keywords":["Barack Obama","celebrities","confusion","death","disciple","Easter","Europe","faith","fear","G-20 summit","gift","grave","Jesus","Jocelyn Breeland","Mark 16:1-8","Obama","promise","prophecy","resurrection","sacrifice","salvation","tomb"],"articleSection":["Post"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/","name":"April 8-15, 2009 - Obamania: The European tour part II - Faith Lens","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-04-06T13:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2009-08-24T17:56:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/f169c516bf8270a3c218b5c2e02231e1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/april-8-15-2009-obamania-the-european-tour-part-ii\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"April 8-15, 2009 &#8211; Obamania: The European tour part II"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/","name":"Faith Lens","description":"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/f169c516bf8270a3c218b5c2e02231e1","name":"ELCA","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ccdb0acb9edb3e1067167cd6a230dfee955f9145daa93a9c5f1654a6abbfc1d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ccdb0acb9edb3e1067167cd6a230dfee955f9145daa93a9c5f1654a6abbfc1d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ccdb0acb9edb3e1067167cd6a230dfee955f9145daa93a9c5f1654a6abbfc1d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ELCA"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}