The Gospel text for Sunday, March 8, “The Raising of Lazarus,” is found in John 11:1–45. This has been one of my favorite texts for years, ever since I edited an LWT article. The author* wrote something along the lines of “Jesus saved Lazarus from premature death. Unlike Jesus, Lazarus will die again. As followers of Jesus, that’s our challenge, too…to save our neighbors from premature death.

Until that day, this text spoke to me about what Jesus could do (raise people from the dead) and what Jesus was about to do (head to Jerusalem and the cross). Now, when I hear this passage of Scripture I also hear a reminder of what I can do. I am response-able for helping to save my neighbor from premature death.

Premature death: One child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes. The average life expectancy of a female in Zimbabwe is 37 years; the average life expectancy of a female in the United States is 80 years.**

Life-saving difference: Literacy programs teach parents how to read, and scholarship programs help their children attend graduate from primary school and beyond; wells and reservoirs bring life-giving water to whole communities; animal and agriculture projects help families put food on the table and money in the bank. ELCA domestic hunger grants help congregations, organizations, and ministries help neighbors close to home meet today’s needs and build a better future.

Response-able: We can give generously to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. We can send advocacy e-mails. We can donate our time and volunteer. Throughout the year we can link our congregations to ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Response.

With God’s grace and spirit: Our eyes open to the needs around us. Our arms open to embrace neighbors we’ll never meet. Our hearts open to care about the people behind the statistics. Our imaginations open to see the possibilities of God. Our hands open in service and generosity.

*I believe the author to be the Rev. Phyllis Kersten, but my sources are unavailable for confirmation.
**The appendices at the back of Bread for the World Institute’s annual reports are a great source for statistical information.

How fun! Visit the link the link below to see how St. Luke’s Lutheran in Muskegon, Michigan has “webbified” the ELCA World Hunger 40-day plus calendar for congregational use during Lent. Thanks to Phil O. for passing this information on; feedback on resources is very helpful! Share what’s working (or not working) in your congregation by posting a comment here or sending an e-mail to hunger@elca.org Blessings! Sue-s

This Lent we are using the 40 day plus calendar with the offering banks. We are using the recommended table prayers at our church meals each week and have incorporated it into our website (http://www.stlukesnortonshores.com/html/40_days_world_hunger.html) It has been well received and a great tool.
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
Muskegon, Michigan

I had two opportunities to reflect on “going to the well” this weekend. On Saturday a good friend and I spent the day at the “Global Luther” conference held at Northwestern University. I followed most of the academic presentations and panels and my notes reflect aha moments, questions, and flashes of inspiration. The agenda allowed good breaks for lunch and dinner, and my friend and I made good use of them in Evanston. I arrived home after 10 p.m., feeling refreshed.

Sunday morning I served as lector at church…and the Gospel lesson, about the Samaritan woman who encounters Jesus at the well, was read by Pastor Kristi (narrator), Alpha (Jesus), and me (the Samaritan woman). It was a renewing service from start to finish.

Going to the well. Life-giving water. In the middle of hard, good work, sometimes we forget to take a drink. Sometimes we don’t realize that we are parched.

For me “going to the well” meant attending a conference outside of my work life, having lovely meals with a friend, and soaking up the Spirit during Sunday morning worship. What does it mean for you? Are you in need of a drink?

I spend some time most every week at the library. In the past month or so, I’ve noticed a homeless woman who seems to be spending quite a lot of time there, too. She’s always in the same chair, with a couple of small bags in the chair next to her. Most days, she also has three or four books on the little table that swings from the arm of her chair. Last week, she was walking around in her stocking feet as her boots dried next to the baseboard heater. I remember thinking that it looked like a fairly pleasant way to spend the afternoon – probably a welcome respite. But then again, I thought, what do I know?

When I was at the library today, she was there too, with her nose in a book, just like me. It was 41 degrees or so outside at the time, positively balmy for Chicago in January. But now, at 9:30 p.m., my outdoor thermometer says it’s 7, and with the windchill, I’m sure it’s well below zero. The poor weatherman on TV is looking miserable as the snow blows sideways around him. And I’m sure he’s only out for a few minutes!

I wonder where my fellow-reader is right now. These are the Chicago suburbs. There’s not a series of warming centers like in the city. I know Journeys from PADS to HOPE offers shelter around here, as do PADS organziations throughout the suburbs. I hope she’s able to get to one – or has some other warm place to go. And as I think about her, I’m 1) really grateful for my own warm house, 2) really glad that PADS is one of the organizations my church supports, and 3) fervent about my work with ELCA World Hunger, which is so dedicated to addressing root causes of hunger and poverty. No one should have to wonder where to find heat on a night like this.