Two Pair

Matthew 6:25-33

…do not worry about your life, or…what you will  wear.  v.25

     I sent to college before the days when the basic uniform for everyone was a pair of jeans.  Though I was far from poor, I did go to college with just two pair of wash and wear, olive green pants.  I’m sure I also owned a suit I could wear on Sundays, but the other six days these two pair of pants did me just fine.  I would wear one and wash the other without worrying about mixing or matching my shirts and pants.

     Fast forward over fifty years.  Over the years I have accumulated more than two pair of pants.  Because of weight gain and loss, I have at least two sets of different sized  pants to choose from.  Beyond five pairs of jeans, I find in my closet the pants I used to wear to work:  polyester pants, cotton pants, wool pants, blended fabric pants.  Some pants are grey, others blue, some brown, tan, taupe, green, and yes, even two pair of olive-green pants.  I have accumulated enough pairs to at least go a couple of weeks and never wear the same pants twice.

      It takes longer to get dressed these days because I need to match, to some degree, shirt and pants or sweater and pants, or blazer and pants.  I need to think about what the occasion might require or what others might wear.  Dressing is definitely more complicated than in those college years.

       I would like life to be simpler!  It certainly can be, but that will require a reminder that I too live in the shadow of the cross.  I walk daily in the valley of the shadow of death.   I need a reminder that I do live my life in the light of the resurrection, too.  I need to remember that the abundant life isn’t found in an abundance of pants or in the abundance of anything.  The abundant life is found in a relationship, a working relationship with the God of all things.

        The God who clothes me wants to clothe the world.  The Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the dead has a mission to preserve and protect and provide for those whom God loves dearly.  Perhaps this is the season I can finally purge my closet and clothe, if not the naked, then anyone who has only one or two pair of pants to their name.

Prayer:  O God who clothes the world in beauty, we give thanks for the promise of white robes as your people assemble around your heavenly throne.  Help us to see each other as worthy recipients of these robes of glory.  In the meantime, we give thanks for thrift shops and those who work in them to robe people in glory here and now.  Amen.

 Fast:  By setting aside a blanket or pillow to give away.

 Act:  Buy shoes for a children’s clothes closet

                         OR $1 for Lutheran World Relief projects

Who sinned?

John 9:1-41

Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? v. 1

    Whose fault is it anyway?  Whose fault is it that people live in poverty?  Whose fault is it that people can’t just pull themselves up by their bootstraps?  Whose fault is it that people get sick?  Whose fault is it that people live on welfare?

      If it’s not their own fault, it must be their upbringing or their environment, or their poor choices, or something that puts them in this wretched condition?  It’s not my fault.  Why should I help them?

      These are the questions that echo from the story of Jesus healing a man born blind.  It wasn’t the Pharisees or Sadducees or other religious leaders, but Jesus’ own disciples who ask, “Whose fault is it?”  “Who sinned, this man or his parents…?” The conventional wisdom said that bad outcomes were signs of bad input on someone’s part.  

      Where others see barriers, Jesus sees opportunities.  He sees the opportunity with this man born blind to do good and so give glory to God.  Jesus is not saying, of course, that the man was blinded in order to give Jesus some good to do.  But Jesus took the opportunity in this situation to reveal God’s glory, God’s ultimate redeeming love.

     When we encounter people in desperate situations, Can we imagine that those situations are not wholly of their own making?  If so, our encounters become opportunities to bring help and hope to those in need.  The gift of the man’s blindness, the gift of those in need of food or water, or clothes, or healing is the opportunity we are given to offer not only our presence, but also our help.

     Jesus told his parable of the sheep and the goats as the cross of Golgotha stretched a long shadow over his life.  We live in the shadow of death ourselves.  We have the opportunities to join God in the shadows to do good, to offer hope and help.

Pray:  O God who clothes the world in beauty, we daily live our lives in the shadow of the cross.  Help us to see in this darkness the opportunity to do good, to join in blessing the world in your name.  Amen.

Fast:  By repairing one item of clothing

Act:  Buy shoes for a children’s clothes closet

          OR $1 for ELCA World Hunger Relief projects

Coats and Cloaks

Matthew 5:38-42

…if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well.  v. 40

    In these verses Jesus takes the old adage, “an eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth” to a new level.  This particular vision of justice improved on the law of the jungle that demanded escalating retribution for a wrong.  The retribution should be commensurate with the wrong.

      Jesus commands a new justice.  A justice that moves in the opposite direction—overcompensation.  Turn the other cheek.  Forced to go one mile, go two. Give to everyone who begs, do not refuse anyone who want to borrow.  If someone wants your coat, give him your cloak also.

      Most of the time we give on the basis of need.  Before we are willing to make a contribution, we want to know that a true need exists.  We fear being taken advantage of.  Unfortunately, our world harbors many who make their way through scams and grifting.  Robo-callers want our social security numbers, our credit card numbers, our birth dates, etc.  Some charities spend more on fund-raising than on those in need.

      Yet many legitimate needs do exist.  Sometimes, the need is hidden.  A teenager who is homeless and is couch surfing may not want anyone to know that he or she is in need of underwear.  Another may skip school out of shame that they must wear the same clothes over and over while their peers sport the latest designer creations.  

       Winter finds the homeless person without a coat or without a blanket or without shoes.  If they should come asking, would we be willing to respond and, in fact, to go beyond responding in a minimal way?  Would we offer two coats, two blankets, two pairs of shoes, a warm place to sleep?

       Jesus lives among the homeless, the needy, the poor.  Can we go beyond justice to love?  Can we give our cloak, also, to those who need our coat?

Prayer:  God who clothes the world in beauty, among us many are homeless .  Help us to find the courage to provide shelter for those who are in need.   May we find joy in caring for each other.  Amen.   

Fast:  By reading the labels in your clothes to discover their origin.

 Act:  Set aside purged clothes to give to local clothes closet.

                        OR  $1 for  World Hunger Appeal water projects.

Death of Dorcas

Acts 9:36-39

All the widows stood…weeping and showing the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.  v. 39b

    As the first disciples went out into the world, they encountered many good people.  Tabitha (or Dorcas in Greek) lived in Lydda.  Well-known for her generosity, charity, and good works, Dorcas, however, died.  Not only her family felt her loss, but also the many who had received her generosity.

      She apparently had a God-given gift as a seamstress.  She used that gift not only for herself and her own family, but to benefit those in her community.  Widows were set adrift when a husband died.  These women were left without economic support and had to depend on the charity of others to survive.  Dorcas made sure that these women had more than rags to wear.

     People like Dorcas still run clothes closets especially for women and children.  Thousands of  mostly women sew quilts and tie blankets to give away to the survivors of natural disasters and unnatural migrations of refugees escaping war and violence.  

       Most of us can’t imagine losing everything in a fire, flood, tornado, or hurricane.  Yet that is very near to what the widows of Lydda experienced.  They faced a life with nothing. What a gift someone like Dorcas was to them.  What a grief they felt at her time of death.

     We might ask ourselves, “Would anyone grieve our passing because of our great generosity and our good works?”  Will anyone say of us, “you know, she (he) would give you the shirt off his back?”

      Dorcas was given another chance to fulfill this God-given ministry that she did among the widows.  Through Peter, God gave her life back.   The truth is we don’t have that opportunity.  This life and this time is our chance to serve those in need.  We live our days in the shadow of the cross and in light of the resurrection.  These are the days to be generous.

Pray:  O God who clothes the world in beauty, we give thanks for quilters and those who make and give away clothes. May these things made with loving hands provide comfort, warmth and dignity to those who receive them and joy to those who give them.  Amen.

Fast:  By purging one item from your clothes closet each day.

Act:  Purchase laundry supplies (basket, soap, towels, sheets, quarters) for  

             foster children aging out of foster care. 

                        OR contribute $1 to Lutheran World Relief

the Gift of Clothes

Genesis 3:20-21

“And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife and clothed them.”  v. 21

     Even when Adam and Eve have rebelled against God, been found out, and banished from the garden, the LORD GOD, doesn’t stop caring for them.  They aren’t sent packing from the Garden of Eden with nothing.  God provides these “garments of skins.”

      The author of these first stories believes in a generous God.  A God who not only provides the basics that allow people to survive, but a God who goes beyond the basics as well.  Clothes are a gift from God.

      While there may be a few people in equatorial regions who can do without clothing, most of us need clothes.  We need them not just out of modesty, but because they help us to live well.  Clothes insulate us against the cold and against the heat of the sun. Notwithstanding the shirtless construction worker or the pool lifeguard, clothes are essential to our well- being. 

       We do take this gift for granted and often fail to see them as a divine gift.  We say we manufacture our own clothes, grow the crops that produce the cotton or soybeans or flax, or collect the oil that produces polyester.  We shepherd the sheep for their wool.  We husband the worms that produce the silk we use in fine garments.  Cattle become belts and shoes and leather coats, and other animal skins provide the fur that produces coats for our bodies.  So, we take dubious credit for clothes.

      We also tend to abuse this gift.  We fill our closets and our dresser drawers until they overflow. We cater to a fashion industry that tells us what is now, what is in style and what is out.  Pant legs widen and narrow, skirts rise and fall, necklines and backs plunge or rise.  Ties come and go, scarves are so last year, hats are a must or are seen as ridiculous.  

    Clothes are a gift—a gift of God.  We do well to give God thanks for clothes.

Pray:  God who clothes the world in beauty, you clothed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden in their time of need.  You provide shelter in times of storm and cover from the burning heat.  We give thanks for clothing and shelter. Amen.

Fast: From buying any new clothes this week.

Act:  Purchase new underwear and socks for homeless students

                        OR set aside $1 for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

Polyglot

Acts 2:1-13

…in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power. v. 12

     Jewish people from around the world gathered in Jerusalem that Pentecost Day.  We don’t know why they were there, but their presence speaks volumes about God’s intentions for God’s church.  The little band that followed Jesus welcomed people from near and far into their fellowship. 

     The Apostle Paul traveled throughout the Mediterranean area meeting strangers who became friends and leaders in the churches he founded.  Peter was called to invite the strangers in Macedonia into the life of those living the Jesus Way.  

      These apostles followed Jesus example when they reached out.  Jesus had served Galileans and Judeans, but also Syro-Phoenician, Romans, residents of the Decapolis, Samaritans.  All were welcome into the graceful steadfast love of God.

      Today people from almost every nation on earth profess their faith in the God revealed in Jesus the Christ.  Strangers are welcomed into thousands of Christian communities.  Stories are told and listened to as these believers tell of their experiences with a loving and living God.  We celebrate the rich diversity of people whom God calls into fellowship with us.  We hear a polyglot of voices all raised in praise and prayer.

       We thank God for strangers who are God’s gift to us, who bring the light of the resurrection into the darkness of the shadow of the cross.

            Prayer:  Join your prayers today with others as you gather with a local worshipping community to give thanks to the God of strangers who knows us down to the number of hairs on our head, and who meets us in those who are strangers to us. 

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Matthew 25:31-46

I was a stranger and you welcomed me. v. 35b

     They sat by themselves at one of the round tables, a weathered grandfather and his granddaughter, neither speaking amidst the other excited voices of families chatting with the Spanish speaking LIRS board members. But no one spoke to this pair. No one else could interpret Kiche, their upland ancient Mayan language.

     I was in Albuquerque with the LIRS board to witness the work of Lutheran Family Services of the Rocky Mts (LFSRM) which serves area immigrant and refugee people. In the lunchroom at the church, we met the asylum applicants who had seen their first friendly faces, had their first restful sleep, and finally filled their stomachs.

      I sat at a table with a very busy 2 ½ year old, the same age as my little grandchild, Killian, for whom I would do exactly what his parents did to keep him alive-flee. I don’t know all their stories: who was threatened, whose crops failed, whose life was in danger. I do know that people would rather have a good life in their own land if at all possible. I did see the machete marks on the Dad’s arm, violence being a main reason people risk their lives to come north. 

     As I think back on this memorable day, two things stand out vividly: one is of the old Mayan grandfather and what it must have taken to risk everything at the end of his life, for the sake of his granddaughter. And the second is that of all the hopeful families I met at lunch, probably all but one family will be deported back to whatever desperate situation caused them to flee.  Who are we?     

                                          –Ginny Hultquist, LIRS Board Member                        

PRAY:  God of  all peoples, we pray for all those who offer refuge and hospitality to those in need.  Bless the work of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service as they seek to serve the strangers who come among us.  May they be a beacon of hope to those who dwell in the darkness of change.  Amen.

FAST:  By including refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers in your prayers.

ACT:   Support local community efforts to reach out to immigrants. 

             OR set aside $1 for refugee work supported by ELCA World Hunger

Welcome

Matthew 18:1-5

Whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me. v. 5

     “You know you want coffee!”   They had worshipped with us that Sunday morning.  We happened to sit in front of them and shared the peace.  Afterward our pastor greeted them and welcomed them.  He even invited them to share coffee in the Sunday morning fellowship.  They hesitated and were about to walk out the church door.  “You know you want coffee!”  I said.  “I guess we could,” they replied.  Around the table we drank our coffee, ate our sweets, and had a delightful conversation.  We hoped they felt welcome. 

       Of course, these were people very much like us: Caucasian, middle aged, middle class, grown children, Midwesterners.  They were easy to welcome.    I wonder how different it would have been if they had been Syrian refugees, or Guatemalan immigrants, or migrant workers.  Language barriers and cultural barriers would be high hurdles to overcome.  The obviously gay couple, the transgendered person, even the person of color might be given a lukewarm welcome to our faith community.  

      It’s often difficult for the beloved community, the community commanded to “love one another,” to be a community of welcome.   We treat the stranger, especially the ones that seem strange,  with suspicion.  Given that fact, we shouldn’t be surprised that the wider community in which we live has an even more difficult task welcoming and including the stranger into their world.  

     Should the presence of a stranger be a sign to us that God is present?  The welcome we offer is not only to the stranger, but also to the God who often comes to us incognito.   

PRAY:  God of all peoples, we pray for all those who guard the borders and those who make decisions about refugees, and asylum seekers.  Bless members of the border patrol, asylum lawyers and judges.  May they be given wisdom in their decisions, mercy in their judgements, and direction in their work.  Amen.

FAST:  By looking for the presence of God in the face of a stranger.

ACT:  Set aside a blanket or quilt for LWR 

             OR set aside $1 for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-30

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” v. 5b

      Jesus is the stranger in this story.  Jesus is in Jericho, which is home to Zacchaeus, the chef tax collector and, therefore, a rich man.  He’s gotten rich by casting his lot with the occupiers of Israel.  His community sees him as a traitor. 

     Zacchaeus knows enough about Jesus to arouse his curiosity at least.  He knows enough that he’s willing to climb a tree to see.  Who is this stranger, really?   Seeing Zacchaeus in the tree, Jesus, the stranger, demands hospitality.  “I’m going to your house today.”  The story tells us that Zacchaeus happily welcomed Jesus. We might wonder how glad his household was for the extra mouths, but they probably took it in stride as just part of the rules of Mideastern hospitality.

      The presence of this stranger changes Zacchaeus’ life.  At the table where he welcomes the stranger, he promises to operate his business in a different way.  He will make amends for his past, treat people fairly in the present, and become a generous person in his future.  The power and promises of God work though the presence of a stranger welcomed into his home, his friendship circle, his economic life. 

        Again, in Matthew 25, Jesus says that when we welcome the stranger who is among “the least of these,” we welcome him.  The stranger is a gift to us.  Can we thank God for the gift?  Who is the person demanding to come to our house, our church, our community?  How will they change our lives when we offer hospitality?  Living as we do in the shadow of the cross and in light of the resurrection, what shape does our life take as we consider the past, present and future?  

            PRAY: God of all peoples, when Ruth, a citizen of Moab,  immigrated with her mother-in-law to Israel, the community welcomed her, and she found a home.   Help us to be a welcoming community to the immigrants among us who bring their talents and cultures to deepen our common humanity.  Amen.

FAST:  By reaching out to a stranger in your community.

ACT:  Set aside a letter or card to express your own views on the status of refugees, immigrants, or asylum seekers

             OR  $1 for  World Hunger Appeal refugee projects.

A Wandering Aramean

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

“A wandering Aramean was my ancestor…” v. 5b

      God’s people gathered for worship to bring their offerings to God.  In that time of giving they remembered that as a people they once were strangers in the land they occupied.  Their ancestor, Abraham, had journeyed from Ur of the Chaldees at God’s command.  Abraham was a late comer to the land of Israel.

      In their history as a people they also acknowledged their time in Egypt.  They were slaves whom Moses had led out of Egypt, through the Wilderness.  God had given them this land.  None of them were native born in this place.  None of them had claim on the land except by God’s promise.  They were refugees, migrants, strangers in this new home.

      As strangers in a strange land, we understand their experience.  Most of us have ancestors who crossed an ocean seeking a better life or a fortune, or possible even sought just enough to eat.  Some arrived in the holds of slave ships or sneaked across a border.  Many, at first, were treated badly because they were different.  Many, over time, came to consider this country “home.”  However, all of us in this country descend from strangers.  

       As the people of Israel worshipped, they remembered their history.  They were migrants, wanderers, seekers whom God was leading to good places.   How shall we treat those migrants, immigrants, aliens who still come seeking safety, freedom, choice in a new land?  How shall we greet these strangers who come to us? Can we suspect that God is also leading them to good places?  Perhaps among us?   How do we welcome the stranger to people living daily in the shadow of the cross?

PRAY:  God of all peoples, your servants Abraham and Sarah once were refugees in Egypt in times of need.  Your son, Jesus, fled with Joseph and Mary to escape the sword of Herod.  Help us to welcome refugees in their time of need. Amen.

FAST:  From judgment against refugees and asylum seekers.

Act:  Set aside items for health kits given through LWR

             OR set aside $1 for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.