{"id":6305,"date":"2017-05-16T07:47:07","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T12:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=6305"},"modified":"2017-05-09T16:47:16","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T21:47:16","slug":"may-21-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/may-21-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"May 21, 2017&#8211;Building a Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What are you going to do this summer?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Building a Legacy<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6315 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846-250x166.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846-526x350.jpg 526w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2017\/05\/iStock-490658846.jpg 1256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Barack and Michelle Obama have pledged $2 million to summer youth job program in Chicago. The donation comes in the form of $1 million gifts to each of two organizations \u2013 One Summer Chicago and the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance. These programs offer jobs, apprenticeships, mentoring and recreation to thousands of young people in Chicago\u2019s South Side.<\/p>\n<p>One goal of these programs is to provide at risk youth something constructive to do during the summer, part of an effort to counter the violence that has plagued that city. But President Obama pointed to another important purpose of these programs.<\/p>\n<p>His presidential library will be built in that community and the former president has stated one goal of the center will be to boost employment in the area, during and after construction. The former president is quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying, \u201cWe want to make sure that some of those young people can get trained so people don\u2019t say, \u2018Why didn\u2019t you hire anybody from the neighborhood?\u2019 And the contractor says, \u2018We didn\u2019t have anybody who was trained.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The presidential center and museum are scheduled to open in 2021.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you have a summer job?<\/li>\n<li>Are summer employment programs important for young people?<\/li>\n<li>How will this donation affect President Obama\u2019s legacy?<\/li>\n<li>How does your summer plan \u2013 whether it includes work, studies, or just hanging out \u2013 prepare you for the future?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Sixth Sunday of Easter<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=361363407\">Acts 17:22-31<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=361363433\">1 Peter 3:13-22<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=361363462\">John 14:15-21<\/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><strong>Gospel Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today we see Jesus trying to leave a lasting impression with his disciples. He\u2019s trying to prepare them for their lives after his crucifixion and resurrection \u2013 events that, at this point, the disciples can\u2019t even imagine. Perhaps because he understands the confusion and emotion that will follow, he\u2019s kept the message as simple as possible: Love me. Keep my commandments.<\/p>\n<p>It sounds simple enough, but we know it isn\u2019t. Living a life of faith is challenging.\u00a0 Discerning God\u2019s purpose for our lives \u2013 discerning that greater purpose and also navigating the many smaller moment \u2013 is hard. Resisting the temptations and distractions of the world is difficult.<\/p>\n<p>In verse 8, Phillip says what many of us think, \u201cLord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.\u201d It would be a lot simpler to maintain the conviction of our faith if we had physical, tactile certainty of God\u2019s presence before us. But then we wouldn\u2019t need faith.<\/p>\n<p>But Jesus wants his followers to know that, in him, they have seen the face of God on earth and that God would never make plans for us that we don\u2019t have the ability and resources to fulfill. He will send the Holy Spirit, to walk with us. Though we do not have the physical presence of Jesus walking with us as he did with the disciples, the Holy Spirit is a comforter when we need healing or consolation, and a helper when we need guidance or the courage to live Christ\u2019s radical message in the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jesus says, \u201cIf you love me, keep my commandments.\u201d Is he referring to the Ten Commandments, or something else?<\/li>\n<li>Does following the commandments prove your love of God?<\/li>\n<li>As Jesus prepares to leave his disciples, what legacy has he left them? How does this prepare the disciples for their lives of witness?<\/li>\n<li>How do you see the promises Jesus made to his disciples in your life?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Activity Suggestions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Look ahead one year and list the things you need to accomplish in that time.<\/li>\n<li>Make a list of the help you will need from others to accomplish those goals.<\/li>\n<li>Share your lists with the group. (Depending on the size of the group, it may make sense to break into smaller groups.)<\/li>\n<li>Try to identify opportunities where you can provide the help that\u2019s on someone else\u2019s list.<\/li>\n<li>Pray together that each of the needs will be met.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Closing Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Merciful Father, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus, whose sacrifice has won our victory over death. And thank you for the many ways you bless us by providing, according to our needs, all that is necessary to fulfill your plan. Help us to listen to the voice of the Spirit of Truth and heed its divine guidance. And help us to be the voice of comfort and encouragement to one another. In Jesus\u2019s name we pray. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA \u00a0 Warm-up Question What are you going to do this summer? Building a Legacy Barack and Michelle Obama have pledged $2 million to summer youth job program in Chicago. The donation comes in the form of $1 million gifts to each of two organizations \u2013 One Summer Chicago and the Chicagoland [&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-6305","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>May 21, 2017-Building a Legacy - 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\/may-21-2017\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"May 21, 2017-Building a Legacy - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA \u00a0 Warm-up Question What are you going to do this summer? 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