{"id":5968,"date":"2016-11-01T08:11:38","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T13:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=5968"},"modified":"2016-10-21T12:15:50","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T17:15:50","slug":"november-6-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/november-6-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"November 6, 2016&#8211;Working Together Despite Disagreement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you woke up from a 30-year coma and turned on the news, what do you think would surprise you most about the world today?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Working Together Despite Disagreement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5989\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"shutterstock_394199542\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542-467x350.jpg 467w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/11\/shutterstock_394199542.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>On Tuesday, November 8, Americans will go to the polls to vote elect a new president.\u00a0 Whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is elected, chances are that at least 40% of the country will be bitterly disappointed with the result.\u00a0 Sadly this election season may have set a new record for mean-spirited exchanges, dirty tactics and vocalized anger.\u00a0 Instead of offering solutions for how we might feed the hungry, lift up the poor, or work for peace in the world, the campaigns have focused on personal attacks, on lifting up negative news about our country, and on reinforcing partisanship. \u00a0If one estimate is correct, our country will have spent $5 billion dollars on this campaign season which has sowed seeds of division and highlighted the worst traits of our political system.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of who wins the election, there are real issues in our country which need to be addressed.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How do we provide assistance to those who are unemployed or underemployed?<\/li>\n<li>How do we lift up those without a voice who are left out of mainstream life?<\/li>\n<li>How do we work for racial equality and erase socio-economic segregation?<\/li>\n<li>How do we create safe communities for all citizens and safe working conditions for those who serve and protect others?<\/li>\n<li>How do we prioritize governmental functions like protection, infrastructure, and social services?<\/li>\n<li>How do we care for those who are sick in mind, body, or spirit?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The answers to these questions and hundreds of others will be hard to find, but one thing is sure, they will not be found without cooperation and compromise.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign we just experienced and the last 30 plus years of political discourse have created an \u201cus verses them\u201d mentality in the political realm, but regardless of which political party you support, you and I are each citizens of the same country, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.\u00a0\u00a0 We may not all agree about tax rates, military budgets, or health care, but if we commit to working together, to showing love to our enemies, to offering kindness in the face of hate, and to treating others the way we want to be treated, then despite our disagreements we can began to seek the common good and build up the whole community.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Would you ever consider going into politics? Why or why not?<\/li>\n<li>If you could change one thing about our political system, what would it be?<\/li>\n<li>If you had 5 billion dollars to spend to make the world better, how would you invest it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>All Saints Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=344062882\">Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=344062918\">Ephesians 1:11-23<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=344063066\">Luke 6:20-31<\/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=\"http:\/\/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<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gospel Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During his ministry, Jesus encountered plenty of opposition.\u00a0 Some religious leaders saw him as a threat and disagreed with his teaching.\u00a0 Some political leaders worried that he might start a rebellion.\u00a0 Some neighbors were stirred to anger by his words and refused to hear him.\u00a0 In his place, you or I might have given up on our mission, but not Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus continues to speak God\u2019s Word in the face of opposition &#8211; lifting up a vision of God\u2019s kingdom and calling God\u2019s people to faithfulness.\u00a0 Jesus words may not have always made him friends, but they provided hope, inspired introspection, and offered a better way forward for the world.<\/p>\n<p>For those who were struggling in life, the hope Jesus proclaimed was undeniable. \u201cBlessed are you who are poor,\u201d Jesus said, \u201cfor yours is the kingdom of God.\u201d(Luke 6:20)\u00a0 In that time, kingdoms weren\u2019t for the poor.\u00a0 Kingdoms were for the rich and the social elite and if you weren\u2019t born into money or status, it was virtually impossible to change you station in life.\u00a0 Jesus, however, makes it clear that God\u2019s kingdom welcomes the poor and the outcast, not just the rich and well-connected.\u00a0 God\u2019s kingdom is a place where all are on equal footing and welcomed to God\u2019s table of grace.\u00a0 For the poor, the weeping, the reviled, and the excluded in this life Jesus is essentially reaching out with loving arms, embracing them and helping them \u00a0know they are loved by God.<\/p>\n<p>For those who are rich and prosperous, Jesus\u2019 words invite introspection and repentance.\u00a0 \u201cBut woe to you who are rich,\u201d Jesus says, \u201cfor you have received your consolation.\u201d (Luke 6:24)\u00a0 In that time if you were wealthy, it was thought to be a sign that God favored you.\u00a0 Jesus, however, offers a different interpretation.\u00a0 Wealth, Jesus seems to be saying, is fleeting, so if you have invested your whole heart in simply accumulating and enjoying the riches of this world, then you have invested poorly.\u00a0 Instead of investing your heart in worldly wealth, invest in building a relationship with God and in sharing the gifts you have been given.\u00a0 The abundance of God eternal kingdom far exceeds what you can accumulate for yourself in this world.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, Jesus follows his words of hope and his call for repentance by offering advice for all of God\u2019s people to help them live more effectively in relationship with one another.\u00a0 Love your enemies,\u201d Jesus says, \u201cdo good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. . . . Do to others as you would have them do to you\u201d (Luke 6:27-28, 31).\u00a0 Worldly kingdoms and political parties may try to eliminate their enemies, may speak out against those who disagree with them, and may strike back against those who oppose them, but God\u2019s kingdom is different.\u00a0 Whether you see yourself on the \u201cblessed\u201d side of the equation or the \u201cwoe\u201d side of the equation, Jesus suggests that the way forward in life is love, not hate; generosity, not selfishness; prayer, not retribution.<\/p>\n<p>The problems in our world today are complex. The division between groups is deep, but if we can commit to following Jesus\u2019 advice and treating others the way that we want to be treated, then perhaps we can start to make progress in building both healthier, stronger relationships with one another and a healthier, better world for all God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When you are facing problems, where do you find hope and help?<\/li>\n<li>Loving your enemy is hard. What does it look like for you to love your enemy?\u00a0 What does it look like for a country to love its enemy?<\/li>\n<li>How do you want others to treat you at school, at church and at home? Give one example of how you might treat someone in the way that you want to be treated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Activity Suggestions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Circle of Complements:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Option 1:<\/em> Have the group sit in a circle and invite each person to offer a complement to the person next to them.\u00a0 If the group doesn\u2019t know each other well, you might need to prompt that you could offer one positive statement about the other person\u2019s appearance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>Option 2:<\/em> Have the group sit in a circle and invite each person to offer one positive statement about themselves.\u00a0 Encourage the group to affirm and support the statements.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Declare Random Act of Kindness Day:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Invite the members of the group to undertake one random act of kindness per day for an entire week. Encourage the group to be prepared to talk about what they did and how it made them feel the next time the group gathers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Closing Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Loving God, we give you thanks for your presence with us in times of joy and in times of need.\u00a0 Be with our country as we prepare for the presidential election.\u00a0 Regardless of the results, help us all seek ways to work together to build up the whole community.\u00a0 Inspire each of us, by your love and by Jesus\u2019 teachings, to care for one another and to treat others as we would like to be treated.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA \u00a0 Warm-up Question If you woke up from a 30-year coma and turned on the news, what do you think would surprise you most about the world today? Working Together Despite Disagreement On Tuesday, November 8, Americans will go to the polls to vote elect a new president.\u00a0 Whether Donald Trump [&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-5968","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>November 6, 2016-Working Together Despite Disagreement - 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\/november-6-2016\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"November 6, 2016-Working Together Despite Disagreement - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA \u00a0 Warm-up Question If you woke up from a 30-year coma and turned on the news, what do you think would surprise you most about the world today? 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