{"id":7523,"date":"2019-11-26T07:37:48","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T12:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=7523"},"modified":"2019-11-19T17:15:58","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T22:15:58","slug":"december-1-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"December 1, 2019&#8211;Basis of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Dennis Sepper, Rosemont, MN<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Warm-up Question<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Do you ever think about the Second Coming of Jesus?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>What it will be like?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Basis of Hope<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-7538 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-525x350.jpg 525w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Colorado Springs, Colorado \u2013 Michael Martin was serving as a Mennonite youth pastor when news of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School came as a \u201cbreaking news\u201d story on his car radio.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The news touched and troubled Pastor Martin deeply.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>As he went about his ministry he couldn\u2019t shake the story and a feeling that he had to do something.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>A short time later Martin knew what he had to do.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Pastor Martin left his ministry and, with his father, learned to blacksmith. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>They launched a non-profit faith based organization called Raw Tools.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 They<\/span>\u00a0collect guns\u2014shotguns, rifles and handguns\u2014and transform them, shaping them into gardening tools which are then donated to community gardens all over the United States. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Not only did Michael Martin take the words of Isaiah 2:4 literally, but Raw Tools paid attention to the rest of Isaiah\u2019s words and part of their new ministry includes teaching and training people<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>around issues such as restorative justice, conflict mediation, and active-bystander training.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Martin really wants to give people hope, just like Isaiah did, that the current violence in our world is not the last word\u2026that God will have the last word and it will be a Word of peace and justice.<\/p>\n<p>Raw Tools website:<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rawtools.org\">www.rawtools.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What do you think about Michael Martin\u2019s ministry?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Does it make sense to you?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>In what way?<\/li>\n<li>Notice that there is an educational piece to Martin\u2019s work.\u00a0 How does that line up with Isaiah\u2019s words in verse 2:3?\u00a0 Is it important that our good works, our works of hope, be linked with some sort of instruction?<\/li>\n<li>What are some other signs of hope that our personal futures and the future of the world will be a place of peace and justice?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>First Sunday of Advent<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=441186534\">Isaiah 2:1-5<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=441186572\">Romans 13:11-14<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=441186606\">Matthew 24:36-44<\/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 C at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Congregations-and-Synods\/Worship\/Lectionary\/YearC\">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><b>Gospel Reflection<\/b><\/p>\n<p>December 1<sup>st<\/sup> marks the beginning of the church year season of Advent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Advent is a season of hope, preparation, and anticipation of the coming of God into our world and into our lives.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Advent creates this experience of preparation and anticipation by looking to the past (and remembering the coming of Jesus years ago), the present (how Christ comes to us today in Word and Sacrament and through the Holy Spirit), and the future (the promise that Jesus will come again).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The readings for this season are meant to \u201cwake us from sleep\u201d (Romans 13:11) and help us to be attentive to what God is doing in the world today.<\/p>\n<p>At first glance today\u2019s reading from Matthew is quite troubling.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Does Jesus really mean that his return will be like the flood in the time of Noah?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Will it be like the coming of a thief in the night?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Will suddenly some people be taken and others left behind?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>That doesn\u2019t seem like the kind of thing Jesus would teach or preach.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The clues to this reading are found in the first and the last verses.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0\u00a0They emphasize\u00a0that one,\u00a0<\/span>even Jesus doesn\u2019t know the time of his return because God is the one in charge and two, we should be ready for Jesus\u2019 coming in each moment.<\/p>\n<p>I often say to others that I hope that when Jesus returns I will be in the midst of my morning devotions with an open Bible in front of me and not when I am watching football with a bag of Cheetos on my chest!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We just do not know when that time will be.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>So, how do we stay awake and ready and prepared?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>About a month ago one of the pastors at the church I attend preached a sermon on prayer.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>He said that most of us learn as children to bow our heads, fold our hands and shut or eyes when we pray but he suggested a different posture for prayer which he called \u201cpraying with one eye open\u201d\u2026open to the concerns of others, to the needs of the communities we live in and to the needs of the world.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a helpful image as we think about the return of Jesus.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>While we go about our daily affairs we should keep an eye open to look for ways God is working in our lives and in the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We should look for signs of hope, at the least, and at most, join God in creating those signs of hope for others to see. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The world we live in still has many troubling elements.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>While we must do what we can do to address those things that harm and dehumanize people, we \u00a0always remember that God is in charge.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We place our trust and hope in God who entered our world in the past, is present in it now, and will come again \u00a0to bring God&#8217;s loving purposes for all creation to full fruition.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Such are the themes of Advent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>While we might be excited by the coming of the Christmas season, we should also hear God\u2019s call to think about and address the themes of Advent.<\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>God and Jesus have a habit showing up in unexpected places.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Have you ever experienced God or Jesus\u2019 presence at a time you did not expect it?<\/li>\n<li>Sometimes we can worry about the Second Coming of Jesus.\u00a0 A favorite author of mine once wrote that there is no evidence that the Jesus who returns will be any different than the Jesus we meet in the Gospels.\u00a0 Does that thought give you some comfort?\u00a0 Why or why not?\u00a0 What is the Jesus we meet in the Gospels like?<\/li>\n<li>How can we keep and respect the themes of Advent in the midst of the pre-Christmas craziness?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Activity Suggestions<\/b><\/p>\n<p>We are very good at sending out Christmas cards to wish those we love a Merry Christmas and blessings for the coming year.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>But what about those in our communities who may need a word of hope and assurance during the festive month of December.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>This week\u2019s activity seeks to give those folks a word of hope and encouragement.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Speak to your pastor and get a few names of people who are homebound or in the hospital, or perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance who you know needs some support.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Take the time to create an Advent card.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Think about the themes of Advent (hope, light and the fulfillment of God\u2019s promise) to create a unique card you can send to those who need it.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>You may want to include a verse from Scripture such as Isaiah 9:2, John 8:12, 1 Timothy 4:10, Romans 15:13-15 or Matthew 28:20.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Assure those brothers and sisters that God loves them, God is with them, God is for them and they can put their trust in God.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Part of our Advent preparation is \u201ckeeping one eye open\u201d to what God is doing in our world and then telling others about it.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>That way we plant the seeds that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will cause to grow into a garden of hope, peace and justice. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Closing Prayer<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Faithful God, we look at the world around us and at times we cannot see you at work in the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Send your Holy Spirit upon us and fill us with holy hope and the vision to see you at work in our lives, in our communities and in the world.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Empower us to speak a word of peace and hope to those who need to hear it and help us to prepare for the coming of our Savior, Jesus the Christ.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Amen. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dennis Sepper, Rosemont, MN Warm-up Question Do you ever think about the Second Coming of Jesus?\u00a0 What it will be like?\u00a0 \u00a0 Basis of Hope Colorado Springs, Colorado \u2013 Michael Martin was serving as a Mennonite youth pastor when news of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School came as a \u201cbreaking news\u201d story [&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-7523","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 1, 2019-Basis of Hope - 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-1-2019\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"December 1, 2019-Basis of Hope - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dennis Sepper, Rosemont, MN Warm-up Question Do you ever think about the Second Coming of Jesus?\u00a0 What it will be like?\u00a0 \u00a0 Basis of Hope Colorado Springs, Colorado \u2013 Michael Martin was serving as a Mennonite youth pastor when news of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School came as a \u201cbreaking news\u201d story [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-26T12:37:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2121\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"faithlens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"faithlens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"faithlens\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7\"},\"headline\":\"December 1, 2019&#8211;Basis of Hope\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-26T12:37:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1333,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Post\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/\",\"name\":\"December 1, 2019-Basis of Hope - Faith Lens\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-26T12:37:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/december-1-2019\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"December 1, 2019&#8211;Basis of Hope\"}]},{\"@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\\\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7\",\"name\":\"faithlens\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/53db3b51717c7bec114a3e1dd0d536804a7c8cbd5a7682c824ec5b186fe5957b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/53db3b51717c7bec114a3e1dd0d536804a7c8cbd5a7682c824ec5b186fe5957b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/53db3b51717c7bec114a3e1dd0d536804a7c8cbd5a7682c824ec5b186fe5957b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"faithlens\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/author\\\/faithlens\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"December 1, 2019-Basis of Hope - 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\/december-1-2019\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"December 1, 2019-Basis of Hope - Faith Lens","og_description":"Dennis Sepper, Rosemont, MN Warm-up Question Do you ever think about the Second Coming of Jesus?\u00a0 What it will be like?\u00a0 \u00a0 Basis of Hope Colorado Springs, Colorado \u2013 Michael Martin was serving as a Mennonite youth pastor when news of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School came as a \u201cbreaking news\u201d story [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/","og_site_name":"Faith Lens","article_published_time":"2019-11-26T12:37:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2121,"height":1414,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"faithlens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"faithlens","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/"},"author":{"name":"faithlens","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7"},"headline":"December 1, 2019&#8211;Basis of Hope","datePublished":"2019-11-26T12:37:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/"},"wordCount":1333,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg","articleSection":["Post"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/","name":"December 1, 2019-Basis of Hope - Faith Lens","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-26T12:37:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-821663034-300x200.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/december-1-2019\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"December 1, 2019&#8211;Basis of Hope"}]},{"@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\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7","name":"faithlens","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53db3b51717c7bec114a3e1dd0d536804a7c8cbd5a7682c824ec5b186fe5957b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53db3b51717c7bec114a3e1dd0d536804a7c8cbd5a7682c824ec5b186fe5957b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/53db3b51717c7bec114a3e1dd0d536804a7c8cbd5a7682c824ec5b186fe5957b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"faithlens"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/author\/faithlens\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7523","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\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7523"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7544,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7523\/revisions\/7544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}