Survey Says 24 Percent of Americans Observe Lent

The Wired Word for the Week of February 26, 2017

In the News

Your denomination may or may not observe Lent, but if you've been among those who have complained about the secularization of Christmas and Easter, there's good news for you: Lent seems to lack such crossover appeal. It has remained a religious observance.

We don't need a nationwide survey to know that. All we have to do is pay attention when we're shopping and notice that, with the possible exception of Christian bookstores, there are no Lenten displays and no Lenten "carols" playing in the background. There are no elves or bunnies. And even in Christian bookstores, there are no Lenten candies for sale and no signs urging shoppers to hurry and purchase gifts before Holy Week arrives. About the only secular connection is that some restaurants will have more fish dishes on Fridays during Lent as options for those who might be giving up meat on that day throughout the season.

What a nationwide study does tell us, however, is that about 24 percent of Americans do observe Lent in some way.

That is among the findings of a just-released survey from LifeWay Research, a division of the Southern Baptist Convention's Sunday School Board.

Of course, some churchgoers don't personally observe Lent, even if their denominations do, but the survey also concluded that those who attend church at least once a month are more likely to participate personally in Lent than those who attend less regularly.

At The Wired Word, it strikes us that 24 percent of all Americans observing Lent, not just of American Christians, is a significant number. We also note that as used in the study, "observing Lent" seems to mean doing something differently in the religious realm from how one does it the rest of the year. In practice, that typically means "giving up" as a form of religious sacrifice something one ordinarily enjoys or undertaking to a greater degree some spiritual or charitable practice for the duration of Lent.

The study found that in addition to some Christians from Catholic churches and Protestant churches with liturgical traditions, nearly three in 10 evangelical Christians also now observe Lent. (Note: The study apparently uses "Protestant" in the broad sense to mean Christian denominations that are neither Roman Catholic nor Eastern Orthodox. We are aware not all of these groups embrace the Protestant label. Also, the study seems not to have inquired about members of Eastern Orthodox churches, a Christian group that also observes Lent.)

Commenting on the fact that Lent hasn't been embraced by secular society, LifeWay Research executive director Scott McConnell speculated that such is the case because there are no social benefits to Lent, such as giving gifts or having family gatherings.

"Lent is not about having your best life now," McConnell said. "Those who observe it believe they are giving up things they want in order to focus on what God wants. There's little popular appeal in that."

Lifeway also asked respondents who said they observe Lent how they do it. About 57 percent said they fast from a favorite food or beverage, and about the same number said they attend church services. Some 39 percent say they pray more, 38 percent give to others, 35 percent fast from a bad habit, and 23 percent give up a favorite activity.

Lent is a season of 40 days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday (March 1this year) and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The 40-day period represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

Lent is typically a time of self-examination, reflection and repentance, in preparation for the coming of Easter. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the 40 days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter."

More on this story can be found at these links:

Eat, Pray, Lent: Here's What Americans Actually Abstain From. Christianity TodayGiving Up Lent for Lent. LifeWay ResearchWhy Doesn't My Church Observe Lent? Ken Collins' Website

The Big Questions

1. What, if anything, does your denomination do to differentiate the period between AshWednesday and Easter from other times of the year? What benefit does that seem to have for the congregation?

2. If your congregation officially observes Lent, what, if anything, do you personally do to keep it? If you don't personally do anything different from other times, why not? If your congregation does not observe Lent, do you think anything spiritually speaking could be gained by doing so? Explain your answer.

3. How do you respond to LifeWay Research director McConnell's statement that "Lent is not about having your best life now. Those who observe it believe they are giving up things they want in order to focus on what God wants"?

4. If, during a previous Lenten season, you have done something intentionally to observe it -- either giving up something, undertaking a new spiritual discipline or engaging in additional good works -- what benefit, if any, did you receive from doing so?

5. Does God receive anything from our Lenten sacrifices and disciplines? How do we know? Compare and contrast the sacrifices that went on in the temple with our sacrifices during the season of Lent.

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Matthew 4:1-2
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. (For context, read 4:1-11.)

Jesus' period of temptation, told here by Matthew, along with the parallel accounts in Mark 1 and Luke 4, is the primary basis for the season of Lent. The tempting of Jesus came right after his baptism and right before he began his public ministry. Thus for Jesus, this wilderness experience was a time of spiritual refining and preparation.

In the Bible's use of numerology, 40 often conveys not only a significant period of time, but also a time of struggle or testing, or a time of preparation for some special action by God.

Question: What other "40" events in the Bible can you name? (See Genesis 7:4; Exodus 24:18; Numbers 13:25; Deuteronomy 2:7; Judges 3:11; 1 Samuel 17:16; 2 Samuel 5:4; 1 Kings 19:8; Nehemiah 9:21; Jonah 3:4; Acts 1:3; Acts 7:23, 30.)

Luke 9:51
When the days drew near for ]Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. (For context, read 9:51-56.)

In a sense, this verse marks the beginning of Jesus' personal "Lent." This is the point at which his public ministry ceases and he begins his journey toward Jerusalem and the Cross. Though he knew full well what awaited him, he resolutely, "set his face" toward that end point. After this moment, Jesus does not disappear from the public eye, but his mission becomes less to teach the crowds and more to prepare his disciples for the agony to come and to fulfill his calling to die.

Questions:In what sense was this period also a kind of "Lent" for the Twelve? (See Matthew 20:17-19.) To what extent does it seem that the apostles do not understand the point of Jesus going to Jerusalem? Did they receive the same benefit as Jesus for going with him?

Luke 18:9-14
[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted." (No context needed.)

This is Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, a story that illustrates two ways people can view themselves in relationship to sin. The Pharisee says I don't have any sin; the tax collector says, I am sin itself.

The Pharisee is dealt with first. His behavior is obnoxious and insufferable. The Pharisee's "prayer" is more like a litany of self-praise. He only acknowledges or "thanks" God for the fact that he is "not like other people." He cites a list of obvious sinners "thieves, rogues, adulterers," and even includes his neighbor-in-prayer "this tax collector." Besides stipulating what he is not, this Pharisee goes on to list what he is -- one so observant of the minutiae of the law that he fasts twice a week (once was generally all that was required) and pays the required tithe on his income. The Pharisee, without any sense of his own sinfulness or unworthiness, can have no true sense of God's grace.

The tax collector makes no such claims. The occupation of tax collector was a particularly despised by first-century Jews. The tax collector made his living by collecting the taxes imposed by the occupying forces of Rome. While this would have been enough to make him unpopular on its own, the tax collector necessarily added insult to injury. Because he received no wages from the Romans to do this work, he earned his living by charging more than the Romans required and pocketing the difference. In effect, the tax collector was both a usurer and a user of his people. But he recognizes his sinfulness and asks for mercy, and of the two, only he goes away forgiven.

Jesus' story helps us to see that God views people as righteous only when they recognize their own sinfulness and repent of it.

Questions: Of the two men in the parable, which one seems to have a sense of the Lenten mood, even if that season did not exist back then? Why? Do you identify with either of these men? Why or why not? Might there be a middle position between these two, and if so, how might that person benefit from Lent?
Which of the two characters in the parable would we want at our church? Would we prefer the tither, whose official position would give him standing in the community that would reflect well on us, whose ability to pray in public would make him an ideal worship leader, and who would probably just fit in better with all of us? Do we like people who set the bar higher for repentance and humility? What can we learn personally from this parable.

Psalm 51:16-17
For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (For context, read 51:1-17.)
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect. (No context needed.)

There are many verses in both testaments that speak of sacrifice, including but by no means limited to Hosea 6:6; Proverbs 21:3; Hebrews 13:15-16, as well as those quoted above from Psalm 51 and Romans 12. Without making a distinction in what sort of sacrifice the verses are talking about, it's possible to read some of these verses as contradicting others.

In essence, however, they all have the same root message: Any sacrifice, whether of an animal slain during worship in the temple or of coffee given up for Lent is meaningless spiritually if the person making the sacrifice is just going through the motions and not personally committed to loving God and neighbor.

Thus, Psalm 51 and Romans 12, though written centuries apart, say essentially the same thing. Both call for a living sacrifice, though only Romans uses that terminology.

The words translated as spiritual worship can also be translated as "reasonable gutty service." The Greek logikyn can be translated rational or reasonable, and latreia was sometimes used to refer to the servant who did the cleanup around the temple. It is the root word for both liturgy and latrine. The Romans scripture encourages us to push our comfort level during Lent, in terms of service to others, and giving up some measure of dignity to do so.

Questions: In what specific ways is "a broken and contrite heart" a good thing? In what ways does Lent invite you not to be "conformed to this world"? How might the disciplines of Lent help you "discern what is the will of God" for you personally?

Matthew 16:24…If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (For context, read 16:24-27.)

The self-denial of Lent, often expressed in some form of fasting, is based on this statement by Jesus, which is a call to discipleship. By self-denial here, however, Jesus meant turning our backs on our own wills and surrendering to his will every day, abandoning our way for his way all the time. It means to dethrone self and enthrone God constantly.

In that sense, Lent can create a mistaken understanding that denying oneself is merely a seasonal activity. Mardi Gras, the "Fat Tuesday" festivities before Ash Wednesday, can further water down the call to self-denial by encouraging pigging out ahead of time as if to compensate for the subsequent (and short-term) self-denial of Lent.

In the plus column, however, Lent comes as an annual reminder of our ongoing commitment to follow Jesus.

By the way, bearing our cross does not mean putting up with diabetes, arthritis, a bad knee while waiting for a replacement joint, or living with family problems. It means doing the work to which Christ calls us, even when that means we are treated unjustly as a result.

Questions: What is wrong with calling a personal problem "my cross to bear"? Whose cross is Jesus calling us to carry? What does that cross look like? How can Lent help us learn that?

For Further Discussion

1. Discuss these four perspectives on Lent:

a) TWW team member Peter Surran pastors a Baptist church where Lent is not usually observed. He says that Lent is a "hard sell" in his church because it's perceived as "a Catholic thing." He adds that in a denomination that stresses "faith alone" to such a large extent, it's difficult to explain why we would need to make sacrifices of any kind because, as the song says, "Jesus Paid it All!"
            Still, during the Lenten season, says Peter, "I talk about it being a time for an intentional 'decluttering' of our lives so we can focus on developing our relationship with God. I also emphasize adding prayer or Bible reading to replace some other habits that are not quite as helpful in that endeavor."
b) TWW team member Liz Antonson is co-pastor of a Full Gospel congregation. She says, "Loosely we use the liturgical year as a way to sanctify time, to take advantage of special biblical events and teachings other than Christmas and Easter." She notes that in the expressions of Christendom such as Lutheran, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic, the liturgical year is the celebration of a series of religious feasts and seasons intended to make sacred the ordinary time of the calendar. "We have taken a page from their book not only to make time special but to introduce a variety of subjects that might be overlooked without the structure; it gives opportunity to shed light on church history and tradition."
c) TWW team member Mary Sells, who is a Roman Catholic, says, "No doubt in our society, even among true believers, humbling ourselves to follow God more closely takes effort that we often are not willing to commit for more than a day or two. Six weeks of Lent to make a commitment to a sacrificial change? Some of us get hung up on 'giving up' something we know is bad for us anyway. (Is that a true sacrifice?) Yet I think what God really wants as we prepare for the holy Easter season is closeness with him. Adopting an attitude of being aware of God's presence every day, being thankful and grateful each day for something that God made possible, doing a good deed for someone else, etc. -- those are things that will bring fruit of the Spirit over time and perhaps make one want to commit to other faith building.
            "God is not asking us to suffer during Lent; He simply wants us to behappier by being closer to him."
d) TWW team member Stan Purdum is a United Methodist pastor and says that in his denomination, the Lenten emphasis is often less on sacrifice and more on a special study of scripture or spiritual growth materials. But he adds, "I grew up in the Salvation Army. Back then, the SA did not observe Lent per se, but they did use that period of time to promote a mission offering called 'Self-Denial.' Now, checking online, I see that the SA provides Lenten materials for their churches."

2. Respond to this. As reported in TIME magazine, Pope Francis says that fasting must never become superficial. He quotes the early Christian mystic John Chrysostom who said: "No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great."
            Francis agrees that the Lenten season is a good time for penance and self-denial. But he says that these activities must truly enrich others: "I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt."
            In his 2015 Lenten message, the pope wrote, "Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience." He added, "whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God's voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades."
            But, said Francis, when we fast from this indifference, we can began to feast on love.

3. Comment on this, from Rachel Olsen Cocar, co-pastor at First Baptist Church of Dixon, Illinois, and a music teacher at a Catholic school. "In my Baptist upbringing, Lent was observed but not stressed in the same way I've observed in other traditions. ... When I asked my young students last week about Lent and what we do during those six weeks they responded with things like, 'Feel really sad!' or 'Don't do anything fun,' or 'Stop eating meat on Fridays.'
            "Is [Lent] about giving something up but adding something else in its place? ... I have tried both successfully and unsuccessfully in the past to give up something. I gave up TV a few times and actually really enjoyed it and felt like it drew me closer to God. But I've also set myself up for failure and guilt by giving up something and not being able to stick with it. It draws me back to the question, what am I really trying to achieve during Lent? Can I achieve that same goal by adding something to my routine rather than taking away?"
            Perhaps another question is, What is God wanting us to achieve during Lent?

Responding to the News

Whether or not you will observe Lent per se, this is a good time to embrace one or more of the spiritual disciplines: prayer, Bible reading, meditation, fasting, journaling, service, tithing.

You might also check what resources your denomination offers for this time of year.

If you do not observe Lent, but nonetheless desire a discernment time of faith, consider taking a "daily retreat" with God each day during the six-week period in the form of perhaps a half-hour of Bible reading and prayer.

Prayer

Lamb of God, come into our midst. Provide us with your presence so that we might be more fully aware of your call during this time. Walk with us on this journey, and may it have meaning and direction for our worship and for the lives we live daily. Amen

Oroville Dam Spillway Failure Leads to Short-Notice Evacuation for Thousands

The Wired Word for the Week of February 19, 2017

In the News

Following days of heavy rain, a failure in the auxiliary spillway of northern California's Lake Oroville Dam led last week to an emergency evacuation of as many as 188,000 people from three counties downstream from the dam. The evacuation order came on short notice and resulted in traffic gridlock as residents sought higher ground. The state ordered about 23,000 National Guardsmen to be ready for "immediate deployment if the dam spillway should fail" to help with evacuation and relief efforts.

The fear was that the breakdown of the auxiliary spillway bed could cause erosion farther up the spillway, causing its concrete top to give way and release an uncontrolled 30-foot tall wall of water racing down the valley. There was also some concern that the erosion could spread and undermine the dam itself.

Hours after the evacuation was ordered, the Department of Water Resources said the erosion on the emergency spillway was not advancing as fast as they initially thought.On Tuesday, with the rain subsided and the water level behind the dam sufficiently lowered, the evacuation order was ended and residents were allowed to return home.

The Lake Oroville Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California. At 770 feet high, it is the tallest dam in the United States, providing for water supply, hydroelectricity generation and flood control. Due to the rains earlier this month, dam operators began an ongoing flood control release of about 50,000 cubic feet per second down the primary spillway, which is a concrete structure. During this release, a crater, eventually becoming 300 feet wide, 500 feet long and 45 feet deep, opened in the primary spillway.  High inflows to Lake Oroville forced dam operators to continue using the damaged spillway, causing additional damage.

To prevent even further damage, operators decided to allow the water to rise to the point where it would flow over the top of the auxiliary spillway, which has a concrete top but is soil on its slope. Although the dam was completed in 1968, this was the first occasion the auxiliary spillway was used.

Once the lake rose to the level of the auxiliary spillway top, which was built several feet below the height of the main dam, and a massive volume of water flowed down it, its slope began eroding. Sunday's evacuation order came after engineers spotted a hole on the concrete lip of the auxiliary spillway and told authorities that it could fail within the hour.

Although the auxiliary spillway had been designed for this purpose, some observers say that it has been insufficiently maintained, as, apparently, was the primary spillway. In fact, critics say the United States has many poorly maintained dams.

In 2005, three environmental groups filed a motion with the federal government as part of Oroville Dam's relicensing process, urging officials to require that the dam's emergency spillway be armored with concrete, rather than remain as an earthen hillside. The groups said the dam did not meet modern safety standards because extreme rain and fast-rising water would overwhelm the main concrete spillway, then flow down the emergency spillway, and that could cause heavy erosion that would create flooding for communities downstream and threaten the lives of those living there.

Emergency repairs continue on the spillways at the Oroville Dam.   

More on this story can be found at these links:

After Chaotic Exodus, Threat From Troubled Northern California Dam Eases. CBS News
Evacuations Below Oroville Dam Remain in Effect As Officials Try to Make Repairs Before New Storm. Los Angeles TimesHere's the Nightmare Scenario at Oroville Dam That Officials Are Fighting to Prevent.Los Angeles Times
Oroville Dam: Feds and State Officials Ignored Warnings 12 Years Ago. The Mercury News
Oroville Dam, A Failure to Communicate. Scott CahillOroville Dam. Wikipedia

The Big Questions

1. To what degree is the decision to follow Jesus a once-for-all event? To what degree is it something that needs ongoing maintenance?

2. What is the difference between spiritual growth and spiritual maintenance? Why are both important? Where do they intersect?

3. What methods, if any, do you use to maintain your spiritual well-being? When has careless maintenance resulted in a spiritual failure?

4. What have you learned from times you have paid attention to what was happening in your inner spirit? What have you learned from times you have not paid such attention?

5. If you have ever experienced a sudden interruption in your life -- such as having to leave your home on short notice with no assurance it would be there when you returned -- how, if at all, did that change your perspective on what's valuable?  What changes, if any, did you make in where or how you resided thereafter? Did your spiritual preparations and disciplines change once you'd faced calamity? Did it get your spiritual attention?

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Matthew 25:1-4
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids[a]took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. (For context, read 25:1-13.)

These are the opening lines of Jesus' parable of the 10 bridesmaids, where the five who brought extra oil so as to keep their lamps lit were ready when the groom came, whereas the five who didn't bring extra oil could not keep their lamps lit and thus missed the wedding party.

The parable is usually understood as calling for readiness for the return of Christ, but it can also teach about spiritual maintenance in general -- or, to use the metaphor from the parable, keeping our "lamps" lit.

Notice that the problem for the five bridesmaids who missed the party was not that the oil was hard to get. Actually, it was readily available, just not at the last moment in the middle of a crisis. If only those five had taken care of maintaining their oil supply ahead of time, as the other five had, they'd have had no problem.

Questions: What spiritual work do you need to do ahead of time so that sudden turns of events don't find you unready? How do you do that? Have you ever felt caught off guard spiritually? Were others willing to share from their wells of spirituality? Who was there for you at those times?

1 Corinthians 10:12So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. (For context, read 10:1-13.)

This admonition from Paul comes in the midst of his remarks about the spiritual failings of the ancient Israelites while in the wilderness en route from Egypt to Canaan. Paul recites these failings, not to pass on historical information, but as a cautionary tale to call his contemporaries to pay attention to their spiritual lives and not assume that everything's fine without diligent maintenance.

Questions: How does God demonstrate his faithfulness when you are being tempted to do wrong? What spiritual lessons have you learned from your personal history? Is it easier to withstand the spiritual storms that assail us by standing up to them, by kneeling, or by leaning on a fellow believer?

1 Peter 2:1-2Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation … (For context, read 2:1-10.)

It seems to us that in these two verses Peter talks about both spiritual maintenance and spiritual growth.

Ridding ourselves of our malice, etc., sounds like "taking out the trash," which in any household is a routine matter for sustaining a decent environment. While getting rid of such vices permanently can be a goal of spiritual growth, for most of us, the permanentexpulsion of the trashy attitudes is somewhat elusive. But we can work at it daily, taking out that day's trash. That's spiritual maintenance.

At the same time, we can be consuming spiritual milk, the primary elements of faith and the gospel. Restocking the refrigerator is a maintenance item as well, but the consumption of what's there helps us grow.

Question: How would you explain these two verses to someone who was a new convert to the Christian faith?

1 Peter 5:8Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. (For context, read 5:6-11.)
Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. (For context, read 4:2-6.)

Peter uses the word "discipline" in his warning above about not being "devoured" by Satan. In the sense Peter uses the word, it doesn't mean beating yourself up but "training yourself for the development of your inner being." Significantly, "discipline" is from the same root word as is "disciple," which refers to being a learner.

There are several practices that are collectively referred to as spiritual disciplines. They include but are not limited to prayer, Bible reading, attending worship, tithing, good works, fasting, journaling, giving thanks and meditation. In the Colossians verse above, Paul mentions two of these. (Because of personality and temperament differences, not everyone finds all of these equally helpful, but all have proven helpful for many.)

The spiritual disciplines are good for both spiritual growth and spiritual maintenance, and they can help us withstand that roaring adversary Peter mentions.

Questions: Which of the disciplines do you find most helpful? Why? Which ones do you find not helpful? Why?

For Further Discussion

1. Respond to this, from TWW team member Stan Purdum's sermon, "Turning Bread Into Stones": "You probably recognize that the sermon title is a reversal of the statement of Jesus' first temptation in the wilderness. According to Matthew 4, after Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, he was 'famished' (which has got to be something of an understatement!). Then the tempter comes to him and says, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' That apparently is within Jesus' ability, but he does not yield to that temptation. Instead he answers the tempter by quoting a verse from Deuteronomy: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
            "Since, unlike Jesus, none of us can change stones into bread, that specific notion would not tempt us. It occurs to me however, that the reverse is true; we sometimes turn bread into stones. That happens in our spiritual lives, when we fail to take nourishment from the means of grace God offers. Those means of grace include such things as prayer, Bible study, good works, giving, Communion, fasting and other religious activities. One way to think about this Bible story is as a reminder not to turn the bread of heaven into something as non-nourishing as stones by letting it sit unused."
            When and how have you turned divine bread into stones? How can avoid do so now?

2. Discuss together the following parable from Jesus, focusing on how it applies to the matter of spiritual maintenance: "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. ..." (Matthew 12:43-45)

3. Would you willingly move into an area downstream of a massive dam? How remote would the chance of a dam failure upstream have to be to put you at ease? Does trust factor into it?

4. Respond to this, from a TWW team member: "Dam repair tends to be low on politicians' spending priorities. It is not glamorous, nor does it offer major opportunities for political favoritism and cronyism. Nor do they often suffer consequences when emergencies occur. Maintenance spending always involves trade-offs, and [officials] often choose glamor (prestige) and quick comfort -- and are especially remiss when it's not their money and they are well insulated from consequences. (Economists call this socializing costs while privatizing benefits and losses.)"

5. To the extent you feel comfortable doing so, describe times when you needed or benefited from spiritual revival and renewal in your long-term relationship with God. What were the signs that the relationship was not what it used to be? Did you find the renewal within your own church? Another? Within your small group? Has this become a regular occurrence or a one-time event?

Responding to the News

This is a good time to learn more about the spiritual disciplines and decide how you might employ them in your spiritual life. Here is one place to start.

Prayer

Make me aware, O Lord, of the threats to my soul when I ignore the means of spiritual maintenance you have provided. Help me to be a diligent disciple. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Earth Is Making Its Own Water From Scratch

The Wired Word for the Week of February 12, 2017

In the News

Earth is making its own water -- from scratch -- deep inside its mantle.

That's the conclusion of a new study from researchers at the University College Dublin, the University of Saskatchewan and the State Laboratory for Superhard Materials in China after using computer simulations to study the reactions between liquid hydrogen and silicon dioxide (in the form of quartz), materials known to be present deep within Earth's mantle.

The mantle is the mostly solid bulk of Earth's interior that lies between our planet's dense, superheated core and its thin outer layer, the crust. The mantle is about 1,802 miles thick, and makes up about 84 percent of Earth's total volume.

Until this study, there were two leading planetary science theories for the origin of water on Earth. The extra-planetary hypothesis holds that water came from external sources such as asteroids and comets. The native water hypothesis posits that water was carried in with the material from which the earth formed, mainly from adsorption of water molecules from the protosolar nebula. The new study presents evidence of "an additional native source for the origin and evolution of water on Earth." (The research paper abstract and how to order a copy can be found at the first link below.)

The study tested the reaction under different temperatures and pressures like those of the upper mantle 25 to 250 miles beneath the crust. The researchers found that at pressures 20,000 times greater than atmospheric pressure and at temperatures of about 2600 degrees F, the reaction between liquid hydrogen and silicon dioxide forms layers of water and of partially oxidized silicon. The over-pressured water from the silica-hydrogen reaction may be a possible trigger for deep earthquakes in the continental mantle lithosphere.

Earlier studies have discovered evidence of "several oceans' worth of water" in rocks as far down into Earth as 620 miles. What's new in this study is the possibility that the water may have gotten there not from space, but from within our planet itself.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Formation and Properties of Water From Quartz and Hydrogen at High Pressure and Temperature. Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Planet Earth Makes Its Own Water From Scratch Deep in the Mantle. New ScientistEarth's Water May Have Originated From Within the Planet's Mantle Not From Space. Tech Times
Mantle. National Geographic Society

Applying the News Story

This news pushes us to think about the creation of the world and God the Creator, as well as the concepts of nihilism and chaos, both of which are active, destructive forces in our world today. But Genesis tells us that in creating the world, God overrode those forces. We will explain that more in the Genesis 1 commentary below, but it's good to remind ourselves now that the gospel message points us to a time when chaos and nihilism are no more.

The Big Questions

1. In what ways was God's creation of the world a one-time thing? In what ways is it an ongoing event?

2. What are the implications for your life of God's creating activity continuing?

3. Where in the world today does chaos seem to have the upper hand? Where in your life does that seem to be so? How has God helped you deal with personal chaos?

4. Nihilism is a philosophy of nothingness, an extreme form of skepticism. The Latin root of nihilism also is seen in the word annihilate, to destroy completely. Nihilism takes many forms, some of which lead to despair and hopelessness. Other forms lead to violence and destruction. Where have you encountered this kind of thinking and how did it affect you?

5. What is the primary message of the creation story in Genesis 1:1--2:3?

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty .... (For context, read 1:1-13.)
Genesis 1:1-2 (NRSV)
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void .... (For context, read 1:1-13.)

The first two verses of Genesis contain a riddle about how God went about his creative work. That's because the ancient Hebrew text can be translated in two ways.

Do you see the slight difference above between the NIV and the NRSV translations? The NIV says that God started with nothing, and the earth as he first created it was formless and empty. The NRSV says that when God set out to create the earth, a formless version of it was already there. God then brought order to the existing formless version. (The implication is that God had previously created the formless earth.)

Both translations are faithful to the Hebrew text. (The NRSV, in fact, gives the other possible reading in a footnote.)

Bible scholars even have names for these two different ways of speaking about God's creation of the earth. The first one, which assumes God started with nothing, is called creatio ex nihilo, a Latin term that means "creation out of nothing."

The other version of the creation, where God had previously created the formless earth, is sometimes called "ordering chaos."

Either way, Genesis assures us that this world and we ourselves exist because God willed it so. So regarding the two versions, you might say, "What does it matter? Either way, God is the Creator." And you'd be right. But each interpretation tells us something valuable about God for the sake of our lives and the future of our world.

The creation-out-of-nothing view conveys that God is stronger than the power of nothingness. Political nihilism, for example, is the belief that the destruction of all existing political, social and religious order is a prerequisite for any future improvement. Thus, although some terrorists may claim their actions are faithful to some form of religion or are intended to demoralize their enemies, at their root they are nihilistic. Their actions are not merely resistant but wholly destructive. Against all of that, we have a creation story that tells us God is more powerful than nihilism. He takes nothingness and makes great worlds of it.

The other creation interpretation -- bringing of order to chaos -- tells us that God is greater than the most chaotic circumstances of life, whether in our personal situation or in the complexities of the world. In fact, one sign of his "godness" is that he imposes order on the bedlam of godlessness.

One instrument of chaos is vandalism. Those who vandalize aren't seeking to improve anything or to contribute anything positive to the world. Often they are causing havoc in the lives of people they don't even know. And for what? Who knows? The nature of chaos is that it defies logic.

There is another whole meaning of chaos that is used in physics today. Called chaos theory, it posits that certain physical systems, such as the movement of air currents that affect weather, seem chaotic to the point that their behavior is unpredictable. Yet against all kinds of chaos, including the disarray in our own lives, the creation story tells us that God is the One who brings ultimate order and gives ultimate meaning to even that which seems nonsensical to us.

Questions: What does it mean to you that in the beginning of everything, there was God, greater than the nothingness that preceded creation, and greater than the chaos and unpredictability that seems so much a part of life on this planet?
Several times during the creation process, God declared the results "good" (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). What does it mean when God says something was good? Was it perfect the way it was? Could it be improved? By us? By God?

Job 37:5
God thunders wondrously with his voice;
   he does great things that we cannot comprehend. (For context, read 37:1-13.)

The earth is making water from scratch? Wow! But then, the Bible gives us a context -- as in these words of Job, for example -- to not be surprised, while at the same time feeling awe.

TWW team member Mary Sells comments, "Should we be surprised that water is being created? It is as if our discovery of what God has already done makes it real and the longer we grasp a scientific understanding, the less important it becomes to us. For example, I know why the sun rises and sets, so I no longer find awe or beauty in it, only science? Yet -- are we capable of understanding God? Do we picture God sitting still while we, his creatures, continue to change?"

Questions: When, if ever, have you felt awe about creation? How does that feeling affect how you live your life?  Should understanding be our measure of God's worth -- what we think we can know of him and his works? Why or why not?
God's answer to Job doesn't directly address Job's changing state of mind, from despair to anger, to the recognition that he shares some measure of misfortune with all humanity. God's description of the glory of creation seems to suggest to all of us that there is something very big going on, and we need a change of perspective. When did a view of some natural wonder, or an aspect of the animal kingdom you had never noticed or known before change your attitude toward life and God?

Colossians 1:16-17
... for in [Christ] all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (For context, read 1:15-20.)

These words are unlike Paul's usual vocabulary, and Bible scholars think he is here quoting an early Christian hymn. Paul's point in using the hymn is that the work of Christ makes visible the things of God. The hymn also asserts that Christ existed before the world was created and was God's agent in creation (cf. John 1:1-3). Moreover, with the "in him all things hold together" lyric, the hymn asserts that Christ gives coherence and meaning to world.

Questions: In what ways has Christ given coherence and meaning to you and your life? How has Christ made his presence visible in the world around you? In the people around you?

Revelation 22:12-13See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (For context, read 22:1-14.)

The first verses of the Bible tell about God's intent at the beginning of this world. Here, among the last verses of the Bible we hear God's assertions about God's continuing intent at the end of this world.

The verses above are from Jesus, identifying himself by the divine title he shares with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit: the "Alpha and Omega." These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and they have the same meaning as the phrase, "the first and the last," which is used elsewhere in scripture as a name for God the Father. What this conveys is that in the new age, the distinction between Christ and God will not be important or even clear. They both are the one Deity.

The sense of Alpha and Omega is that God is the origin and conclusion of everything. It symbolizes God's sovereignty over the world and the completeness of his being, as in the modern phrase, "everything from A to Z." But it also symbolizes that the God who overcame nihilism and chaos at the beginning remains over them at the end. Alpha and Omega means that the God who was at the beginning is the same God who is at the end. Some individuals may have chosen a path that leads them to hell, but God is not giving up his world to hell. Nor does he give up one of us who follow him.

So in the midst of the nihilism and chaos of this age, do not despair or give up. Continue to work for the kingdom of God, and trust that the God who was there so powerfully at the beginning is the same God who be there powerfully -- and in charge -- at the end.

Questions: In what ways can you work for the kingdom of God today? When do you do so? Does the thought of a new heaven and a new earth inspire you to work with God's creation for the glory of God? If so, in what ways?

For Further Discussion

1. Respond to this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez, commenting on the news about the earth creating its own water: "The assurance of the first creation story in Genesis (1:1-2:4a) is that creation is secure. This is in contrast to the old stories of Germanic, Greek and Mayan gods, where they were eventually overcome and chaos won. But in the Genesis story, there is no threat that chaos will re-emerge and eradicate order. God is in charge of everything, not fate or chance or chaos. 
            "So the earth creating its own water is an affirmation of the security of the system, but of course meteors destroy dinosaurs and we can self-eradicate ourselves through ecological irresponsibility or war. Ultimately the system will produce something else."

2. Discuss together Romans 8:18-21 as rendered by The Message: "... I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens."

3. Respond to these comments from Mike Massimino's book Spaceman. Massimino was on two missions to repair the Hubble Space Telescope and got to see Earth from outside his spacecraft: "We might discover life in other solar systems someday, but for now there's nothing but chaos and blackness and desolation for billions of light-years in every direction. Yet here in the middle of all that is this magnificent place, this brilliant blue planet, teeming with life. It really is a paradise. It's fragile, it's beautiful. It's perfection. You have to stop and ask yourself: What in creation could possibly be better than this?
            "And my thought looking down at the Earth was Wow. How much God our Father must love us that he gave us this home. He didn't put us on Mars or Venus with nothing but rocks and frozen waste. He gave us paradise and said, 'Live here.' It's not easy to wrap your head around the origins and purpose of the universe, but that's the best way I can describe the feelings I had" (pp. 201-202).

Responding to the News

Want to bolster your awe? Read Job 37:1-13.

Prayer

Together we praise you, O Lord, from whom we have rain from the heavens and abundance from the earth. Blessed be your name, now and forever. Amen.

President's Executive Order Suspends Immigration From Seven Countries

The Wired Word for the Week of February 5, 2017

In the News

On Friday, January 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing restrictions on immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, suspending all refugee admissions to the United States for 120 days and barring Syrian refugees indefinitely.

The order, titled "Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States," is intended to buy time to develop procedures for determining whether a person claiming to be a refugee actually is a refugee and will not pose a risk to U.S. citizens.

The president's action was quickly met with pushback from immigration attorneys representing individuals who were already traveling when the order was activated, from crowds who gathered at some airports to protest the order, from church groups and other organizations that believe the United States has a moral obligation to open its borders to those fleeing war and violence, from representatives of the nations included in the ban, from leaders of some other countries, the European Union and the African Union, and from some members of Congress, including several from President Trump's own party. Judges in Boston, New York, Seattle and Alexandria, Virginia, soon ruled against detention of persons already at airports or in transit.

At the same time, a poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed that 57 percent of Americans supported a temporary halt on refugees from the seven countries. The same poll found 33 percent opposed to the ban and 10 percent undecided.

The full text of the executive order can be found at the first link in the list below, but in summary, it does the following:

• Upgrades the current enhanced visa scrutiny for travelers from the seven nations previously designated as "countries of concern" by the Obama administration in its visa-waiver program. A 90-day moratorium on entry applies to six countries (Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Iran) and an indefinite moratorium applies to Syria. During the suspension period, the Department of Homeland Security and others are tasked with developing better screening methods than those currently in place.
• Sets in motion development and implementation of means to counter fraudulent entry into the United States.
• Suspends refugee admission for 120 days until an improved process for review and adjudication is in place; exception is Syria, where the ban lasts until changes are sufficient to make determinations on Syrian applicants.
• Prioritizes claims of religious minorities (per the claimant's nationality) claiming religious-based persecution.  
• Caps the refugee entry at 50,000 for 2017.
• Authorizes the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly make individual exceptions, especially for cases of religious persecution or undue hardship.
• Suspends the Visa Interview Waiver Program and expands the number of personnel able to conduct interviews in order to meet the increased demand.
• Enforces visa reciprocity laws (foreign nationals receive treatment similar to the way in which U.S. citizens are treated by foreign countries).
• Establishes transparency and data-collection requirements concerning terrorist and radicalist behavior of foreign nationals admitted to the United States.

While it remains to be seen what the long-term results of the order will be, the immediate fallout was chaotic, stressful and disruptive. Refugee families already en route to new homes in the United States were detained at airports for hours, while others waiting overseas saw their hopes dashed, or at minimum, delayed. Some of the confusion resulted from officials misinterpreting the directive, thinking it applied to permanent residents ("green-card holders"). Though they had valid visas in hand, one Syrian Christian family of six was turned back at the Philadelphia airport on Sunday. Confused by their options, they returned to Lebanon.

TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey said she'd heard from Iranian friends who are in her community at local colleges on student visas how stressful the situation is. One scholar's father made it into America to visit his son just before the executive order came down.

Partly due to comments then-candidate Trump was said to have made while running for office, some have viewed this executive order as a Muslim ban. But the vocabulary of the order does not seem to bear that out. The seven affected countries do indeed have Muslim-majority populations, but they are not the top sources of Muslim immigration to the United States and they have not produced terrorists in the same numbers as some other Muslim-majority countries not on the excluded list.

Critics have pointed out that the list of seven selected countries actually overlooks some whose citizens have committed terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, or are linked to them. For example, Muslims from Saudi Arabia, the country from which most of the 9/11 attackers came, can still visit this country. Syrians, meanwhile, have not committed a terrorist attack on U.S. soil and are fleeing a huge humanitarian crises. According to an analysis by the Cato Institute of terrorism risks through immigration, no one accepted to the United States as a refugee has been implicated in a major fatal terrorist attack since the Refugee Act of 1980 set up systematic procedures for accepting refugees into the United States.

However, with the exception of Iran, the countries included in the ban are all "failed states" where there is significant difficulty in obtaining information about people wanting to leave. And the U.S. State Department considers Iran a sponsor of terrorism.  

Given that terrorists have come from countries including some of these seven but also beyond them, it does leave open the question of how effective this ban will be in accomplishing the order's stated goal of ensuring "that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward it and its founding principles."

Nonetheless, Kenneth Palinkas, president of the union serving U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees in New York City, says he's confident the executive order will expose holes in how border screenings have been conducted in recent years, and ultimately improve detection of potential terrorist cells.

TWW team consultant James Gruetzner observed that the religious persecution priority of the executive order eliminates and makes neutral what some have considered an anti-Christian bias in U.S. immigration policy. (One example: Though Christians are about 10 percent of the Syrian population, they represent about 0.5 percent of refugees approved.)

Other U.S. presidents have issued visa bans, usually for six months, when they believed it warranted, along with waiver procedures -- for example, President Obama (2011, Iraq) and President Carter (1980, Iran).

Like the U.S. population as a whole, American Christians are divided about the ban. TWW editorial team member, Heidi Mann, gives voice to one position, supported by many church leaders across the theological spectrum, saying, "I am heartsick about the ban, be it temporary or permanent, of refugees and other immigrants who had been fully vetted for resettlement in the United States. It has always been core to the Judeo-Christian tradition, and has long been a part of my denomination, Lutheranism, to offer hospitality and assistance to refugees. What's more, though it hasn't always been practiced by the United States, it is what we claim to stand for: 'Give me your tired, your poor ....' Refugees have already suffered more than most of us will ever experience. To turn them away, when they have done absolutely nothing wrong, is shameful."

Supporters of the executive order don't necessarily dispute that statement, but maintain that the  question is whether a person who claims to be a refugee really is a refugee and has no harmful aim toward Americans.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States. The White House
What Trump's Executive Order on Immigration Does -- and Doesn't Do. The Atlantic
More Than Half of Americans Support Trump Immigration Ban: Poll. AL.com
Lawsuits Pile Up Against Trump's Vetting Policy for Seven Muslim Nations.The Washington TimesHow the Trump Administration Chose the 7 Countries in the Immigration Executive Order. CNN 
Union Prez on Ban: 'I Don't See It As a Bad Thing.' Boston HeraldTrump's Order Is a Balm for Christians, Not a Ban on Muslims. CNN Terrorism and Immigration: A Risk Analysis. Cato InstituteHow Many Fatal Terror Attacks Have Refugees Carried Out in the US? None. CNNPresident Trump, Please Think Again: Evangelical Leaders Plead for Rethink on Refugee Ban. Christian Today 
Refugee Ban, Border Wall: Religious Leaders Respond. Religion New Service

The Big Questions

1. What concerns and values might motivate those who want to restrict immigration? What concerns and values might motivate those who want to maintain or increase immigration?

2. What is at stake for Americans in how our immigration and refugee policies are defined and enforced? What is at stake for others around the world? What might be at stake for refugees who have fled genocide? for translators and others who have assisted the American military in the fight against terrorists? for terrorists who might claim refugee status to enter a country to help destroy it?

3. How, if at all, does Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as you love yourself" apply to immigration in general, and to immigration from countries from which terrorists have come and where it is difficult to check out the stories of people making refugee claims in specific?

4. In deciding how you feel about this executive order, what weight do you give to your national security concerns (if indeed you have such concerns)? What weight do you give your love-your-neighbor values? Does this have to be an either-or decision? Explain your answer.

5. Given the controversy raised by this executive order, what other instrument, if any, would better address the matter of security of Americans?

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Leviticus 19:34 (CEB)Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. (For context, read 19:33-34.)
Deuteronomy 27:19 (CEB)Cursed is anyone who obstructs the legal rights of immigrants, orphans, or widows. … (For context, read 27:11-26.)

These two verses set a biblical ground floor for any discussion involving treatment of immigrants. Clearly, in ancient Israel, immigrants were to be treated well -- and notice that there's no mention of what their religion might be -- except that they were required to act and behave in accordance with the laws of Israel's religion.

Questions: Why do you think this was the standard in ancient Israel? Do you think God intends the same standard to be applied today? Why or why not? Do you think the executive order discussed in the "In the News" section should be judged by this standard? Why or why not? What are some of the laws and political philosophies that immigrants into the United States should be required to accept and conform to? What if an immigrant refuses to do so?

Matthew 22:39
And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (For context, read 22:34-40.)

This is from Jesus, speaking about the two most important commandments. The first, he said, is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (v. 37). And then he made the statement above.

Speaking of this second command, author Marilynn Robinson, writes:

The temptation has always been to hold affirmations of this kind up to given reality and then to declare the two of them irreconcilable, the faith statements therefore unsustainable. … This is to deny the ethical meaning of such affirmations. Sigmund Freud said we cannot love our neighbor as ourselves. No doubt this is true. But the reality that lies behind the commandment, that our neighbor is as worthy of love as ourselves, and that in acting on this fact we would be stepping momentarily out of the bog of our subjectivity, then a truth is acknowledged in the commandment that gives it greater authority than mere experience can refute. There is a truth that lies beyond our capacities. Our capacities are no standard or measure of truth, no ground of ethical understanding. (The Givenness of Things [Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015], 99-100)

Questions: Does anything about the new immigration order call you to step out of your subjectivity? If so, in what way?

Psalm 122:6-9
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers." For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you." For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. (For context, read 122:1-9.)

Psalm 122 is a prayer for the well-being of Jerusalem. It shows, among other things, that praying for "security within [its] towers" -- that is, its boundaries -- was an appropriate prayer, even if that security was a come-and-go thing, subject to the tides of times and powers.

Questions: In the view of ancient Israel, the nation was most threatened when its people failed to keep faith with God. Is that view applicable to us today? Why or why not? Regarding our immigration policies, what does keeping faith with God look like?
Scripture says "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18) and "You were not given a spirit of fear" (2 Timothy 1:7). When have you made a decision out of fear? In retrospect do you regret or affirm that sort of decision?

1 Peter 2:13-14For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. (For context, read 2:13-17.)

The apostle Peter advised his Christian readers to accept the authority of "every human institution," pointing out that God sent them not only to praise those who do right but also to punish those who do wrong.

Questions: Does this specific executive order accomplish -- directly or indirectly -- either of those goals? Why or why not?

Matthew 10:16See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (For context, read 10:5-31.)

We have included this declaration of Jesus as a reminder that we do not live in a perfect world, and that there are "wolves" seeking to devour both us and what is good. There is a trade-off between being wise and being innocent, and, whatever God may ultimately desire, different people -- different Christians -- may find themselves differing on how to handle issues of major importance.

God has also called people to different tasks -- while God may have called a police officer to handcuff a suspect, he has probably not called those of us who are not in law enforcement to do the same. The question is how can we be wise enough to recognize what someone in authority might have to do, while remaining guiltless in our own actions?  

Questions: What are some of the trade-offs involved on the part of an authority and on the part of a citizen concerning being "wise" and being "innocent"?
How might Jesus' command to love our enemies apply here?

For Further Discussion

1. When did your ancestors come to America? What hardships did they face? How was their reception different from or similar to the reception immigrants may receive today in the United States? (If you are part or all Native American, you may focus on that or focus on that other portion of your ancestry).

2. Share and discuss the thesis from this blog with your class members. Also ask, "What other filters besides those mentioned in the blog might be in play here?" The Persuasion Filter and Immigration. Dilbert

3. Sociologist Helen Fein coined the term "universe of obligation" to describe how nations define their responsibility to their citizens and others. The universe of obligation is the circle of individuals and groups "toward whom obligations are owed, to whom rules apply, and whose injuries call for amends." Nations, societies, communities and individuals each have their own implicit universe of obligation. Those within the universe of obligation are seen as deserving of respect and protection; those outside may not be treated with the same care.
            Share and discuss the concept of the "universe of obligation" to consider how we define our responsibility to others. How do you think those who feel differently from you about the executive order would define the country's universe of obligation?

4. Tell some of these stories of people directly affected by the president's immigration order and invite class members to respond.

5. Ezra 9-10 tells of the religious leader Ezra ordering his fellow Jews who were married to foreign wives to send them away. With that in mind, comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "The dystopic vision of Ezra 9-10 is described by David Janzen as a witch hunt. He favors that term because societies under stress look for a scapegoat, often women, to blame. There are only about a hundred names listed in Ezra of "tainted" families out of a population of at least 20,000. These hundred foreign wives could not have been a real threat to the purity of the nation. Indeed, outsiders like Ruth contribute to the vitality of a culture.
            "But the need to establish sharp boundaries without ambiguity led these leaders to focus on an imaginary enemy. The real problem -- multicultural tradespeople who did not observe Sabbath restrictions and whose marketplaces were within easy access of Judah's population might have been the real cause of the stress. 
            "Our own society has demonstrated sharp reactions to stress. German-Americans were the subject of witch hunts during World War I, causing many churches to drop German language hymns and liturgies, and to display the American flag in church. For members of peace churches with German-American populations the stresses were even greater, leading to persecution, torture and even murder of conscientious objectors in camps.
            "Japanese Americans bore the brunt of the witch hunters during the Second World War. Brethren like the Smeltzers made themselves very unpopular because of their support of people in the internment camps.
            "Eryl W. Davies, in his book The Immoral Bible, suggests that when atrocities are presented as faithful living (we would include the rape of Dinah and the murders that followed in Genesis as well as mass kidnappings, rape and dismemberment as presented in Judges 19 in this category) faithful readers of scripture are expected to read and react, not accept such things as normal."

Responding to the News

This is a good time to learn what response, if any, your denomination has expressed about the immigration order. You may want to consider supporting your denomination's response or participating in directly in it.

Prayer

O Lord, help us as Americans to be as welcoming and hospitable as possible to those needing refuge, while also finding prudent ways to keep terrorism at bay. And help us do all we can to contribute to a worldwide environment where people have no need to flee their homelands. In Jesus' name. Amen.