Thursday, July 7, 2016

Elie Wiesel, Auschwitz Survivor and Witness for Those Who Perished in the Holocaust, Dies at 87

The Wired Word for the Week of July 10, 2016Elie Wiesel, who, after surviving a Nazi death camp in his teens, became a living witness for the six million Jews slain in the Nazi terror during World War II, died last Saturday at 87 at his Manhattan home.
While he was the author of 57 books, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, an activist for oppressed peoples and a humanities professor, he was defined more by the fact that his words and testimony pressed the memory of the Holocaust on the world's conscience. In receiving the Nobel Prize, he was described as "a messenger to mankind."
Writing in The New York Times about Wiesel's passing, Joseph Berger said, Wiesel "was defined not so much by the work he did as by the gaping void he filled. In the aftermath of the Germans' systematic massacre of Jews, no voice had emerged to drive home the enormity of what had happened and how it had changed mankind's conception of itself and of God."
Berger continued, "For almost two decades, the traumatized survivors -- and American Jews, guilt-ridden that they had not done more to rescue their brethren -- seemed frozen in silence."
"But by the sheer force of his personality and his gift for the haunting phrase," Berger said, "Wiesel, who had been liberated from Buchenwald as a 16-year-old with the indelible tattoo A-7713 on his arm, gradually exhumed the Holocaust from the burial ground of the history books."
Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel was born in 1928 into a Jewish family in Sighet, Romania, growing up with his parents and three sisters. All of that was disrupted in the spring of 1944 when the Nazis marched in and sent the city's Jews, including all of the Wiesel family, to death camps. The Wiesels were routed to Auschwitz, where the male and female members were separated.
The point of separation was the last time Wiesel ever saw his mother and one of his sisters, both of whom died in that camp.
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp," Wiesel wrote in his book Night, "which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God himself. Never."
Eventually Elie and his father were moved to another camp, Buchenwald, where the elder Wiesel died from dysentery, starvation and a beating by a German soldier.
On April 11, 1945, Elie Wiesel, having not eaten in six days, was among those liberated from the camp by the U.S. Third Army. He wondered why he had survived when millions of others had not. He eventually concluded that it must have been so that he could bear witness to what had happened. In his Nobel speech, he said that he had worked to "to keep memory alive" and "to fight against those who would forget." He did that, he said, "Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices."
In his first book, Night, Wiesel recounted the horrors he had experienced, and in subsequent writings, lectures, interviews and other openings, he bore witness to the great crime that was the Holocaust. "He came to personify the Holocaust survivor," Berger wrote.
Wiesel's experience led him to denounce persecution of other suffering populations as well, including targeted ethnic groups in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, the Darfur region of Sudan, South Africa and Latin America. He also condemned the burning of black churches in the United States.
In 1986, after receiving the Nobel Prize, he and his wife established the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to combat intolerance and injustice around the world through dialogue in general, and through programs for youth.
Wiesel was a prime mover in the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, and he continued to speak out about threats against Jews. Thus, in  2013, when the United States was in talks with Iran about limiting the latter's nuclear weapons capability, Wiesel urged President Obama to insist on a "total dismantling of Iran's nuclear infrastructure" and its "repudiation of genocidal intent against Israel."
Admitting that the death of one million children in the camps caused him to question God and even wonder about God's existence -- and despite his words in Night quoted above about "moments which murdered my God, Wiesel did not abandon faith. He regularly attended prayer in a nearby synagogue and became more devout as the years passed.
In a 2006 interview, Wiesel was asked what it was like having strangers ask him why he still believed in God. He responded, "You know who asks me the most? It's children. ...There are all the reasons in the world for me to give up on God. I have the same reasons to give up on man, and on culture and on education. And yet … I don't give up on humanity, I don't give up on culture, I don't give up on journalism … I don't give up on it." Likewise, he didn't give up on God.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Applying the News Story
Horrific trauma scarred Elie Wiesel's life early, and it set a for him a life's work as a witness to the massive atrocity that would later be called "ethnic cleansing." In that regard, Wiesel reminds us of some individuals in the Bible, especially the prophets, Paul and, of course, Jesus. But some of us have a special calling as well. This news gives us an opportunity to explore that.
The Big Questions
1. Who do you know personally whose life's work was set by trauma personally experienced?
2. What does it mean that one's very life becomes a witness to some significant reality? How is that different from simply giving a personal testimony? In what ways might the former be a divine calling?
3. How is it possible to maintain faith in God in the face of great tragedy? When have you found your faith in God challenged by personal loss or other tragic events that touched your life? How did you respond?
4. Do you agree that it is important not to let the Holocaust fade into the pages of history? Why or why not?
5. Wiesel has now died, but some structures he helped build, including his foundation and the Holocaust Memorial Museum, as well as his written works, continue his witness. What structures, if any, are you intentionally putting in place to be a witness to the things you believe after you are gone?
Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Jeremiah 16:1, 5, 8-9
The word of the LORD came to me: You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. … Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament, or bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, says the LORD, my steadfast love and mercy. … You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. For ... I am going to banish from this place, in your days and before your eyes, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. (For context, read 16:1-13.)
Jeremiah's ministry was to the people of Judah while that nation was in its final years. Not everyone believed that, but Jeremiah knew it was so, for the Lord had told him. He knew that before his life ended, Babylon would march against Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem. And when they did, they broke down the city walls, killed many of the people, leveled the king's palace, destroyed the temple, and forced many of those left into exile in Babylon.
When Jeremiah first starting warning the people of what was to come, however, things seemed to be going well enough in the land, and he was treated as a laughingstock, something he never let turn him from faithfully proclaiming God's word.
The verses above are from one of Jeremiah's sermons. He tells that God had told him that he must not marry or mourn or feast.
The command not to marry was unusual for prophets. Celibacy was rare among them, and some even used married life to illustrate or reinforce their prophetic messages. (e.g., Hosea 1:2-9; Isaiah 8:3-4; Ezekiel 24:15-27). But celibacy was likely either a sign that Jeremiah's life would be so hard that no wife or family should have to share it, or that Jeremiah was to be entirely focused on God with no distractions from a family. But when you add the prohibitions against mourning and feasting to the already harsh command to remain unmarried, it becomes clear that something more is meant by all of this. In effect, Jeremiah's life itself was to embody the message that normal life, with marrying, burying and rejoicing, was all soon going to be gone.
By not marrying, Jeremiah would taste in advance the isolation and loneliness that would be the fate of the people. By not feasting, he modeled the misery that would be their common lot. By not mourning in the traditional sense, he showed that in the future, while there would be plenty of death, the normal routines of time to bury and grieve would be gone. Without letting the people of Judah even bury their dead, the Babylonians would march them away into captivity.
Jeremiah's very life was a witness to all of this, as were other dramatic actions God called him to take. One such was when God told the prophet to put an actual yoke on his neck (Jeremiah 27)  and walk around publicly with it to dramatize the coming captivity of the people.
Questions: When has some unforeseen circumstance beyond your control infused your life with a new purpose? In what way have you embraced that purpose? In what ways have you tried to avoid embracing it?
Hosea 1:2
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD." (For context, read 1:2-9.)
Ruth 1:16-18, 22But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die -- there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!" When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. ... So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. (For context, read 1:1-22.)
The Hosea verse refers to another prophet -- Hosea -- whose very life and circumstances became a medium for God's message. God instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute, and that woman, Gomer, proved to be unfaithful to him. That dramatized, in microcosm, how Israel was treating God. Hosea's ongoing story, in which he brought Gomer back home again, also dramatized God's intended redemption of Israel.
Ruth's story is different from Hosea's in that she heard no direction from God, only a call from circumstances. During a time of famine in Israel, the Israelite Elimelech migrated to Moab with his wife Naomi and their two sons. After he died, the sons married Moabite women. After about 10 years, both sons died, leaving Naomi without the protection a male relative normally afforded a woman in that society.
Naomi advised her daughters-in-law to go back to their own people to find new husbands while she returned to her native Israel. One might imagine that she didn't want to become a burden to the young women, and she makes it clear she doesn't believe she has anything of value to offer them that might make it worth their while to stay with her.
"But Ruth clung to her" (v. 14). She chose to radically alter her life and to live in a land strange to her for the sake of her elder relative. In her circumstances, which didn't look good, Ruth found a purpose she hadn't expected for her life. Eventually, in Israel, things turned out quite well for Ruth, but she had no way of knowing that at the time Naomi chose to return.
Questions: When has some voluntarily chosen circumstance infused your life with new purpose? In what way have you embraced that purpose? In what ways have you tried to avoid embracing it?
Psalm 83:1-4
O God, do not keep silence;
 do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
Even now your enemies are in tumult;
 those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people;
 they consult together against those you protect.
They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
 let the name of Israel be remembered no more." (For context, read 83:1-8.)
Hatred of Jews -- anti-Semitism -- has been in place for centuries, as this psalm attests.
Questions: Why have Jews been singled out for such sustained persecution over time? What can be done to change anti-Semitic attitudes? How should Christians view the Jewish religion? How does the suffering of the Jews over the centuries square with their biblical presentation as the chosen people?
John 18:37 
Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." (For context, read 18:28-38.)
This is one of the places in the Gospels where Jesus states a purpose to his life: "... for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth."
This is not Jesus' only purpose or even his only statement of purpose but clearly, this is an important one.
While none of us can approach what Jesus has done, his understanding that his life is a witness to truth can be a model for us.
Questions: In what ways is your life a witness? A witness to what?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this: In his first book, Night, Wiesel told how in the death camp where he was, a child was hanged for everyone to see, slowly suffocating, too light to break his own neck. Wiesel wrote, "Behind me, I heard [a] man asking: 'Where is God now?' And I heard a voice within me answer him: '... Here He is -- He is hanging here on this gallows.'"
2. Discuss this: In her book A History of God, Karen Armstrong, using Wiesel as her source, writes, "Yet it is ... true that even in Auschwitz some Jews continued to study the Talmud and observe the traditional festivals, not because they hoped that God would rescue them but because it made sense." Armstrong also tells this story, again from Wiesel: "There is a story that one day in Auschwitz, a group of Jews put God on trial. They charged him with cruelty and betrayal. Like Job they found no consolation in the usual answers to the problem of evil and suffering in the midst of this current obscenity. They could find no excuse for God, no extenuating circumstances, so they found him guilty and, presumably, worthy of death. The Rabbi pronounced the verdict. Then he looked up and said that the trial was over: It was time for the evening prayer."
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Mary Sells: "Even having visited Auschwitz, I cannot fathom how one goes forward having lived and witnessed such cruel hatred and prejudice and injustice. Yet, Mr. Wiesel made it his life's mission to share his story, his truth, as boldly as possible to any and all who could learn and mend their ways. In a recent TWW lesson, we discussed that some who are not Christian might be following Jesus anyway by their ways and words. Such could be said of Mr. Wiesel."
4. Respond to this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "I was having a conversation with my daughter-in-law, who teaches high-school literature. We were discussing Night by Elie Wiesel, which is part of the curriculum along with, of course, The Diary of Anne Frank. Part of our conversation was that the Holocaust has to come alive for each generation. The first portal is these books. But perhaps, we thought, there has to be a movie about the Holocaust every 10 or 15 years or so from which we cannot turn away and which we cannot bear to watch."
5. Discuss this, from TWW team member David Lee: "As for Elie Wiesel, did you do the math? At the end of the war, he was 17. Compare him to what kids are like 70 years later, with this thought: Seventy years from now, will someone write about these days with the pathos of Wiesel?"
Responding to the News
This is a good time to consider whether circumstances have presented you with a God-given purpose, and in what way you should embrace it.
Prayer
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who provides, in so many personal ways, the means to remember and to act. We thank you for those voices which fast become silent, but who leave us their words in writing, far greater than any words ever written upon stones. May we carry these reminders, giving you that thanks, and may we act in response to them always. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Resettlers OK'd to Move Into Japanese Town Evacuated After Nuclear Plant Meltdown

The Wired Word for the Week of June 26, 2016
In the News
The Japanese town of Naraha is now open for repopulation. That's news only because it is the first of the communities in that country's nuclear exclusion zone to be declared ready for resettlement. (All restrictions were removed last September, but a report in the current issue of The New Republic has brought the reopening into the news now.)
Naraha, along with many other towns in northern Japan, was evacuated following a 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex -- caused by a massive tsunami.
On March 11, 2011, the east coast of Japan was hit with a tsunami that in some areas was as high as 133 feet, triggered by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded to hit Japan. Some 19,000 people died in the catastrophe. In the Fukushima prefecture (an administrative area) in northern Japan, the coastline area was hit with waves as high as 46 feet, where three nuclear reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex were affected, causing a major meltdown, releasing various types of radioactive material. Levels were high enough that an evacuation of all people within 12.5 miles of the site was ordered -- forcing the evacuation of thousands of people -- and residents within 18.5 miles were required to stay indoors. At various times, radionuclide levels above regulatory limits were found in many areas of Japan. Sensitive detectors in many parts of the world were able to detect fission products released in the accident.
In a country with lots of land like the Ukraine, where the Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred in 1986, evacuated towns have been left empty, but in densely populated Japan, this has not been deemed an option, and so a massive cleanup program has been undertaken, with the town of Naraha being the first in the nuclear exclusion zone to be declared fit for repopulation.
The decontamination efforts included cutting down trees, power-washing streets and removing two inches of topsoil in a 65-foot radius around buildings. While many observers believe the efforts are not enough, radiation measurements in the town are now at low levels and considered not to be a threat to humans.
The skepticism is evident in the fact that only about a 16th of the population has returned, and they are mostly seniors, some saying that their remaining lifetime wouldn't be that long in any case. Some 53 percent of evacuees are undecided about returning, but very few people middle age and younger have come back, and almost no one with children.
In some other towns, where only partial evacuation was ordered at the time of the meltdown and where those orders have since been lifted, about half of the former residents have returned. But Naraha is the first fully evacuated town to be reopened.
Whether more will come back to Naraha remains to be seen, but for the moment, the Japanese government and the town of Naraha have made a start at reclaiming the land for human habitation.
More on this story can be found at these links:
The Big Questions
1. We said in the introduction that those three words -- making a beginning -- are the secret to most of what gets accomplished in life, in our communities, in the church, in our faith.  In other words, as the adage states, every journey begins with the first step. Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. What is waiting for a start in your life? In your community? In your church? Is there anything about which you wonder if it could be God giving you a nudge? Are there real or self-constructed barriers that keep you from making a new start in the areas of your life where you desire change? What would have to happen for the barriers to come down?
3. If you are feeling a nudge toward making a start at some new thing, how might you test the idea to see whether it should be pursued? How is faith connected to making a beginning?
4. Who or what are the discouragers, opponents or distractions that try to prevent your starting? What weight should be given to their objections? Who or what are the encouragers, proponents or attractions that may -- wrongly -- encourage your starting? What weight should be given to these?
5. How much data should be gathered or planning should happen before making a start? Is there a point where just pushing ahead and trying something is preferable to gathering more information or doing more planning? Why?
6. Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, says that people do not change until the pain of changing is less than the pain of remaining the same. To what extent is this true or untrue in your life? What pain prevents you from moving forward in your faith path? In your life?
Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Ezra 3:8 
In the second year after their arrival ... Zerubbabel ... and Jeshua ... made a beginning, together with the rest of their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work on the house of the LORD. (For context, read 3:1-13.)
This is from the time after the Jews who had been in exile in Babylon had been permitted to return to their homeland in Judah. There in Jerusalem, they found the temple destroyed, and so they set up a makeshift altar to worship God.
Eventually, however, they decided that the temple should be rebuilt. There were massive hurdles to be overcomes, including stiff resistance from hostile groups around them. Nonetheless, as the verse above states, they "made a beginning" at the project, which was eventually completed.
In this case, making a beginning meant laying the foundation of the new temple. Obviously, finishing was also important, but finishing would not have been possible without first making a beginning.
Questions: Where do you need to take the first step, turn the first shovel full, sketch a quick plan, establish a beachhead ... get something moving? How will you do that? Did you find it easier to keep going on the project once you made a start? Were there setbacks that disheartened you more than before you started? Did you ever realize at some point that this was a direction for someone else rather than for you?
Haggai 1:2-4
Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD's house. Then the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? (For context, read 1:1-15.)
Although the returned exiles made a beginning on the new temple, the project eventually stalled until the prophets Haggai (see his words above) and Zechariah got the people moving again to finish what they had begun. The stalling of the project illustrates that in projects of our own, things can happen to derail us.
Once we start, the first thing that can put the brakes on the project -- and did, in fact, stall the temple project -- is the claim that no matter how hard we try, what we accomplish won't be as good as what somebody else could do. And that charge can come from our own lack of self-esteem or from others.
According to Ezra 3:12-13, while most of the people rejoiced that the work on the temple had begun, those old enough to remember the first temple, the one destroyed by the Babylonians, wept as they remembered the former temple. Perhaps some of them wept because they couldn't picture the new one as being as grand and ornate as the first one. If so, they would be the discouragers, saying, "It won’t be as good -- it won’t be good enough."
The second thing that can happen is outright opposition. In the case of this temple, the people who had occupied the land while the Jews were in exile interfered and even wrote to the Persian king with false charges against the builders. And sad to say, they were successful in delaying the completion of the temple for several years. Eventually, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, along with Haggai and Zechariah, got things going again, but it took time.
The third thing that can happen is that we get distracted or get our priorities mixed up. From Haggai's prophecy, we learn that once the opposition succeeded in stopping the work, Zerubbabel and the other builders turned their attention elsewhere, including to the improvement of their own homes. Thus when Haggai comes on the scene, he issues a stern call. He says to the builders, "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house [the temple] lies in ruins?" Haggai succeeded in getting the builders back on task.
Starting is always a sign of hope. Making a beginning is a statement of belief in a good outcome. And when we sense God calling us to make a beginning, at whatever that may be, it's important not to let discouragers or opponents or distractions turn us away.
Questions: What good intentions or worthy projects have gotten stalled in your life? Which ones should be reactivated? Why? When have you found it difficult, because of unresolved issues in your life, to work on something you knew was important? Did you have to resolve these conflicts before you could go forward with the thing that needed doing? Did you bury these feelings even deeper?
When have personal priorities hindered your commitment to the house of God and the work God has for you to do? What should you do when that happens?
Joshua 3:15-16
Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off ... Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. (For context, read 3:7-17.)
When God directed the people of Israel to cross the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, he made a way for them -- causing the Jordan to part and allowing them to cross on the riverbed. But God didn't just part the waters and say "Go ahead." Instead, the people were directed to follow the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant. And the waters didn't part until the priests' feet touched them.
In other words, the people were asked to trust God and make a beginning.
In the biblical story, starting across the Jordan was an act of faith, In the business world, making a beginning is also a way to see what will work. The best seller from a few years ago, In Search of Excellence, points out that what differentiates successful from less successful businesses was that the ones who are doing best all have a willingness to experiment and try things out before projects are in completed form. In other words, they will take an idea that is not fully developed and roll it out. The motto of these successful companies could almost be "Do it, fix it, try it."
Some of the less profitable businesses, in contrast, spent months or years planning new projects or products, but delayed introducing them until every possible bug in them was eliminated. If you are talking about developing a space shuttle, then anticipating every conceivable problem is vitally important, but in other things, getting most of the job done is often enough to find out if it will fly.
TWW team member Stan Purdum tells of applying this in a church he pastored: "We had conceived the idea of developing aSunday evening program, called Youth Club, for 4th, 5th and 6th graders, to run concurrent with our youth group meetings. For two years, we had talked about doing it, but had delayed starting it while looking for leadership. Finally, using the do-it-fix-it-try-it philosophy, we just announced a starting date and began. What we quickly discovered was that there was not enough interest from the kids in that age group to sustain the program, and after a few weeks we discontinued it. That left us free to turn our attention and energy elsewhere. If we had tried to get all the pieces in place before starting the program, we could have gone on putting a lot more work into something that wasn't going to fly no matter what we did. Sometimes going with the unfinished business you've got leads to a kind of resolution anyway -- in this case, to let the matter go. What we did not let go of, however, was our concern for the spiritual development of children, and we put some more effort into ourSunday school, where we did have the kids present."
Questions: Where in your church might making a beginning help you determine where attention and energies might best be concentrated? Where in your life might making a beginning help resolve an important question? Where in your faith might that practice help? When is making a beginning a godly thing to do?
Are you (and/or your church) willing to accept what some might call failure as a good sign to direct your energies elsewhere? Does the possibility of failure freeze you from trying things out that might or might not work?
Comment on this: Tenacity and persistence (not giving up) is only a virtue sometimes; other times the same behavior is stupidity and stubbornness.
John 7:17Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. (For context, read 7:14-18.)
Jesus said this in response to some who were questioning his teaching. We might paraphrase his statement as "If you want to know whether my teaching is from God, begin practicing it." Make a beginning.
Questions: What from your experience confirms your faith in Christ? What events in your experience have caused you to doubt rather than confirm your faith? How have you dealt with this?
Genesis 1:1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ... (For context, read 1:1-5.)
Revelation 21:5-7And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. (For context, read 21:1-7.)
When we make a start at something we suspect God might be calling us to, we are doing a godlike thing. The Bible opens with God himself making a start: "In the beginning, God created ...." And in the book that closes the Bible, Revelation, a voice from the throne of God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." This is the testimony of God who is the truth, the beginning, center and end of all creation. God the Alpha and God the Omega is a God who is present with us everywhere and at all times. When we begin what he calls us to, he is with us.
Questions: Revelation says all will be well for those who remain faithful. Is that enough for us to go forward in faith, regardless of the success or failure of a particular endeavor? As the Alpha and Omega God is present in all things -- including something that doesn't work -- have you been able to recognize God's presence in a false start or a rebirth after loss or sadness?
For Further Discussion
1. Are there parts of your church or family history that feel "radioactive"? Are there incidents in your church's past that have been traumatic enough that no one wants to "resettle" there?
2. Despite assurances that the area is safe (and we claim no scientific expertise in this matter) radioactivity is invisible. Perhaps even if it was safe, one would feel sick or even make oneself sick.  (In the Three Mile Island 2 accident, the only reported casualties were from people who were overcome by fear from the news reports.) The Bible tells us "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1) and that "... we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). How difficult is it for you (and your church) to go forward in faith when you can't see the result? Do you have conviction in things that are not seen? Do you find it easy or hard to walk by faith and not by sight? Would you be among those who returned to ancestral homes in the cleansed area or one of those who stayed in Babylon? What factors into your decision to start over or to remain where you are?
3. What do you think creates the trust relied upon by those in Japan who have returned home to start anew? What gives us faith and hope when we 'cannot go home again and have to start new elsewhere? What are the hidden dangers of staying in place. What are the hidden dangers of moving to greener pastures?
4. Referring to the people resettling Naraha, TWW team member Micah Holland said, "I remember being on a mission trip in Biloxi, Mississippi, after Katrina. I kept engaging the question, 'What does hope look like?' I think hope is one of the driving forces in moments like this. I saw hope in so many small ways through this trip and it was remarkable the joy in so many challenging moments.
             "I am also reminded of the text from Jesus in John 2:13-25, when Jesus says, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' Referring to his body being resurrected, it is an enlightening perspective on the balance between places like the temple and our focus of faith in Jesus, in the being of Christ. I see this scripture challenging our worship of places. Might be an interesting way to engage this topic in the rebuilding. What does the rebuild actually mean? Where is meaning found in new buildings?"
5. Comment on this: Regarding making a beginning, we heard a woman in her 30s who was unhappy with her job, say, "What I should really do is go to college, but that means it will be four years before I can be in a new career." A friend said to her, "Yes, but think about where you'll be in four years if you don't go back to school." (On the other hand, after four years in college, and considering costs and loans, the payback is very dependent upon what actually is studied; a sociology major and a mechanical engineering major are likely to have extremely different returns on investment.)
Responding to the News
This is a good time to think about what project and ministry ideas have been proposed but not implemented in your church at present. What might you do to "make a beginning" at them?
Prayer
O Lord, help me to let nothing you call me to do die from lack of my beginning it. And where it is your will, help me to finish it as well. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Thursday, June 16, 2016

50 Die in Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S. History

The Wired Word for the Week of June 19, 2016In the early morning of Sunday, June 12, a gunman opened fire inside a gay bar and dance club in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 and injuring 53. By 5 a.m. on Sunday, the gunman himself had been killed in a gun battle with police, bringing the death toll to 50. This mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub surpassed the 33 killed and 23 injured in the Virginia Tech attack of 2007.
On Sunday afternoon, President Obama labeled the rampage "an act of terror and an act of hate." On Monday, he reported that the gunman appeared to be motivated by extremist propaganda online. Although the shooter claimed allegiance to an Islamic State leader, authorities have not found any links connecting him to terrorist groups. Obama called the shooting a case of "homegrown extremism." House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said, "As we heal, we need to be clear-eyed about who did this. We are a nation at war with Islamist terrorists."
Many of the shooting victims were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where 29 were being treated, including five who were "in grave condition" as of Monday. Hospital officials reported that local blood banks had more than 600 units on hand due to a surge in donations after the shootings.
The gunman who carried out the attack was 29-year-old Omar Mateen, who was born in New York. The son of an Afghan immigrant, he grew up in Florida, obtained an associate's degree in criminal justice and held jobs as a security guard. He had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and he legally purchased the two guns used in the attack. 
But Mateen showed signs of emotional trouble and a volatile temper. Sitora Yusifiy, who was briefly married to Mateen, described him as an abusive husband who beat her repeatedly. "He was not a stable person," she told The Washington Post. "He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn't finished or something like that."
For several years, Mateen regularly attended the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, Florida. Imam Shafiq Rahman described him as "the most quiet guy" and said that there was "no indication at all that he would do something violent." But Rahman's 20-year-old son described Mateen as an "aggressive person."
Mateen's father insisted in interviews following the killings that his son's violent deeds had nothing to do with religion. But he did report that Mateen expressed anger toward gays. He recalled that a few months earlier his son had become enraged at the sight of two gay men being affectionate with one another. On Monday, a witness told The Orlando Sentinel that Mateen had visited the Pulse nightclub at least a dozen times prior to the attack, and had been seen with a drink at the bar. Mateen had also been active on gay dating apps.
In recent years, the shooter had twice been on the FBI's radar. In 2013, agents investigated him for making comments to co-workers about terrorist groups and for expressing a wish to martyr himself. Mateen explained that he made the remarks in anger because he felt that he was being teased for being Muslim. Then, in 2014, Mateen was investigated for possible ties to a suicide bomber who blew himself up in Syria. The FBI determined that there were no strong ties between Mateen and the bomber.
Investigators are still trying to determine what led up to the attack on Sunday. The FBI is working to determine what role anti-gay bigotry may have played, aware that the Islamic State has carried out a violent campaign against gay people. Videos have been released showing its members executing people they identify as homosexual. The New York Times reported that Mateen called 911 shortly before the attacks and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Condolences and offers of support have poured in from around the world. Vigils and memorials have been held, and the Eiffel Tower was lit in rainbow colors on Monday evening. The chief executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, said that the Orlando attack "tells us that terrorism knows no religion, boundary and geography. Terrorism must be eliminated."
Mark Galli of Christianity Today magazine wrote that he and his staff "are deeply grieved by the shooting in Orlando that killed 49 people. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to friends and family of the victims. In this case, the attack was targeted at one group, and so our prayers go up for gays, lesbians, and other sexual minorities who now live with a heightened sense of fear. We are glad to hear of so many Christians, from many theological persuasions, reaching out to comfort them in their grief."
More on this story can be found at these links:
The Big Questions
1. The shooter reportedly expressed anger at the sight of men showing affection toward each other in public. Regardless of your attitude toward people who are gay or lesbian, what is the justification for showing anger and rage toward a brother or sister? When is such emotion acceptable, if ever?
2. The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines hate crime as "a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin." How do the Orlando shootings fit the definition of hate crime? Why should Christians be especially concerned about crimes that are motivated by hate? Should an alleged motivation of hate even be a factor, or should the objective criminal actions be what is punished? Explain.
3. How is hate destructive? When we, as members of the church, feel intense anger or dislike or disgust about something, how do we keep it from boiling over into active hate that can do grave damage? Where have you seen hate doing damage to the developing spirits of children, to buildings that are vandalized in the community, and to congregations that end up splitting because they can't figure out how to get along and do ministry together?
4. In response to crimes such as the Orlando attack, many people direct hateful emotion against innocent people. Most of us have seen responses that blame innocent Muslims or innocent gun owners for this crime, at least in part. How have you been tempted, in these ways or others, to blame innocent people? Are there any other places or cases where you have been tempted like that? How did you respond to the temptation -- and is that how you should have responded? 
5. Robert Lynch, the Roman Catholic bishop of St. Petersburg, Florida, writes, "Attacks today on LGBT men and women often plant the seed of contempt, then hatred, which can ultimately lead to violence. Those women and men who were mowed down Sunday were all made in the image and likeness of God." Where do you see contempt and hatred leading to violence? What does it mean to you to take a stand for people "made in the image and likeness of God"?
Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 37:3-4Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. (For context, read 37:1-9.)
Sibling rivalry is as old as the Bible, going back to the first brothers, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). In the case of Joseph and his brothers, the brothers hate him because he has a dream that predicts that he will someday reign over them (vv. 5-8). The brothers sell him to some Ishmaelites and he is taken to Egypt, where he rises to power. Eventually he saves his family from trouble and says to them, "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people" (50:20).
Questions: What do you consider to be the major causes of hate between people? Why is it so hard to love the people around us, even our closest relatives? Have you had an experience of God turning hatred into love and evil into good? Describe.
Ecclesiastes 3:8 ... a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (For context read 3:1-8.)
TWW team member Frank Ramirez notes that while this verse might suggest that there is a God-ordained time for hatred and war, the author of Ecclesiastes is cataloging a list of things that happen, regardless of our will or God's intention. They are the result of free will, accident or circumstances, the sorts of things that we will encounter over the course of a lifetime. 
Questions: When have you found yourself hating someone, or a whole group of people? What was the cause of that hatred? Did you do anything about it? When have you found yourself the recipient of hatred? Was it because of something you did, or because of who you are (African-American, Hispanic, female, etc.)? Did you fight back against hatred?
Matthew 5:43-45
[Jesus said,] "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." (For context, read 5:38-48.)
Many civil rights activists deliberately chose the path of nonviolent resistance toward those who hated them, praying for those who beat them or sought to kill them, and refusing to return hatred for hatred. More recently we have seen African-American Christians who survived a vicious hate crime on the part of an armed white person who murdered innocent people in their church appear at his hearing and express forgiveness for the murderer.
Questions: What do you think is the most effective path of resistance against hatred? How do you understand Jesus' words, "Do not resist an evildoer" (v. 39)? What would Jesus do? What did Jesus do?
John 1:1-5In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (For context, read 1:1-18.)
John describes Jesus as the pre-existent Word of God, in the beginning with God and part of the creation of the universe. He is part of the creation of life as well, and John describes this life as "the light of all people." One of the strengths of this light is that it cannot be extinguished by the darkness of the world.
Questions: How do you see Jesus as the light of the world? What happens when his light shines into dark situations? Where do you see his light at work, when the darkness of hatred and violence is so strong? How can you reflect his light to people around you?
Romans 13:1
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. (For context, read 13:1-7.)
This is one of the few places where the New Testament touches on government and a Christian's relationship to the government. As with much of scripture, it is viewed in fairly absolute terms by some, as a mere suggestion by others, and with some fairly in-depth analysis by yet others. 
At a conference on terrorism and counterterrorism a few years ago, TWW consultant James Gruetzner was discussing this passage with one of the conference speakers. The speaker noted that there is no parallel passage in the Koran or other Islamic authorities that would differentiate between government and religious practices. He believed that that is one reason why religious law tends to be imposed in Muslim countries: Under Islam, even ostensibly secular rulers are responsible for enforcing Islamic law. Of relevance to the Orlando attack, at least eight Muslim countries actively impose the death penalty for homosexual acts (Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria [some sections], Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia [some sections], Sudan, Yemen). Areas controlled by the Islamic State also do so.
Questions: Where does one draw the line between obedience to governments and obedience to God? How firm does your understanding of what God commands have to be? How does one respond when government goes beyond its responsibilities, such as are delineated in the Romans passage? Does the lack of a separation between mosque and state within Islam have any effect on how Islam is viewed?
For Further Discussion
1. The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued a letter in response to the June 12 shooting, which says, "We believe that all people are created in God's image. All of humanity bears a family resemblance. Those murdered in Orlando were not abstract 'others,' they are us. But somehow, in the mind of a deeply disturbed gunman, the LGBTQ community was severed from our common humanity. ... We live in an increasingly divided and polarized society. Too often we sort ourselves into like-minded groups and sort others out. It is a short distance from division to demonization. [In Orlando], we witnessed the tragic consequences of this." In society today, where do you see us sorting ourselves into like-minded groups, and sorting others out? How is division connected to demonization? What is the solution?
2. According to Religion News Service, "Religious leaders from Pope Francis to the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sharply condemned the shooting. ... Muslim groups also condemned the killings." What is the significance of these condemnations? How can people of different faiths unite at a time like this?
3. TWW team member Jim Berger writes, "The church has disaster agencies prepared to respond to floods and hurricanes. But how do we respond to this horror? We can't send vans of workers to rebuild anything, so what do we do?" How would you respond to Berger's questions?
4. This past Sunday, a Chick-fil-A location in Orlando had its employees make sandwiches and tea, and provided them free of charge to volunteers at an Orlando blood donation center that was taking blood donations for the surviving victims of the attack. Chick-fil-A never opens on Sundays, and its CEO has spoken out against gay marriage. Yet, Chick-fil-A responded to this attack with tangible support for the victims. Discuss this response to the attack in the context of hatred, disagreement and love.
5. If the shooter had, in fact, visited the Pulse nightclub socially and used gay dating apps, he might have been experiencing a struggle with his own sexual orientation. How do our inner struggles often erupt in destructive ways? What spiritual resources can be employed to find peace with ourselves and with the people around us?
Responding to the News
Most acts of hate do not make the news, but they are damaging to people in communities across the country. Be attentive to words and deeds that show hate toward people of any race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation, and respond with Christian love.
Closing Prayer
We thank you, Lord, for sending Jesus to be the light of the world. May we reflect his light to others, and trust that darkness cannot overcome it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Thursday, June 9, 2016

Muhammad Ali, Seen by Many as "The Greatest," Dies at Age 74

The Wired Word for the Week of June 12, 2016

The boxer Muhammad Ali, who died on June 3 of complications from Parkinson's disease, was one of the greatest fighters of all time. Three times, he was heavyweight boxing champion of the world. But he made news outside the ring as well. In 1981, he reached out to a suicidal man, calling him his brother, and talked him off a ledge. The man had been there for several hours, shouting that he was "no good" and that the Viet Cong were coming to get him.
According to CBS News, a police spokesman said: "Ali did it all. ... He went up there and he talked to the guy until he came down. A police psychologist and a chaplain had tried -- but Ali got it done." That same year, TWW team member Henry Brinton ran into Ali in the concourse of the Atlanta airport and found him to be a warm and friendly person, not the superstar who called himself "the greatest" and once said, "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am."
Muhammad Ali was certainly larger than life, both inside and outside the boxing ring. He was a competitor in some of the most memorable matches in boxing history: a world heavyweight championship upset over Sonny Liston in 1964, the "Fight of the Century" against Joe Frazier in 1971, "Rumble in the Jungle" against George Foreman in 1974, and "Thrilla in Manila" against Joe Frazier in 1975. He claimed that he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Ali didn't hesitate to fight with his mouth as well as his fists. Referring to Sonny Liston, he said, "He's too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty like me!" He mocked Joe Frazier as ignorant and called him "the Gorilla." He nicknamed George Foreman "the Mummy" and said, "Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't." Ali was known for treating his opponents with contempt, and once said, "I'm so mean, I make medicine sick." And yet, he did not remain enemies with all of his adversaries. After Ali's death, Foreman said, "You don't want to live in a world without Muhammad Ali."
Outside of fighting, Ali was criticized for his social activism. One day after his first fight against Sonny Liston, Ali announced he had converted to Islam. Until that time, he was known by his birth name, Cassius Clay (he was named for the great abolitionist Cassius Clay), but he announced, "Clay was a white man's name, was a slave name, and I'm no longer Clay, no longer [a slave]. I'm now Muhammad Ali." Although this conversion made him seem sinister and distant to many conventional sports fans, he told a biographer, "The first time I felt truly spiritual in my life was when I walked into the Muslim temple in Miami." His conversion drew strong criticism from civil rights leaders like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who stated, "When Cassius Clay joined the Black Muslims, he became a champion of racial segregation and that is what we are fighting against." But as Ali matured, he drastically changed his views, declaring, "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."
While converting to Islam was not widely popular, Ali caused an even bigger uproar when he declared himself a conscientious objector and refused to fight in the Vietnam War. The war was still relatively popular when he took his stand, and he was vilified by many, even in the African American community. He was condemned as a draft dodger and criticized in Congress, but asserted that his Muslim beliefs prevented him from going to war. Instead of fleeing to Canada or Sweden, the heavyweight champion of the world stayed in the United States and resisted -- a stance that was important to many African-American troops.
"Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam," Ali asked, "while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?" The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called his decision to become a conscientious objector "a very great act of courage." Ali was arrested, lost his title and was banned from boxing professionally for three years. Later, the Supreme Court ruled in his favor and allowed him to return to boxing.
Beyond his victories in the ring and as a social activist, Ali's greatest strength was probably his ability to connect with people in the United States and around the world. A proponent of civil rights, he said, "Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong." As one of the best-known Muslims in the United States, he called for peace after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Presidents asked him to make diplomatic visits abroad. In 1990, he helped to return several hostages who were being held in Iraq.
Ali visited prisons and hospitals throughout his life, often using simple sleight-of-hand tricks to connect with adults and children. He continued to travel and make public appearances as long as he possibly could, and was a tireless advocate for Parkinson's disease patients and their caregivers. Doctors say that his Parkinson's disease was likely caused by the thousands of punches he took in the course of his career.
Was Ali arrogant? Of course. TWW team member Jim Berger recalls that Ali was once on a plane preparing for takeoff. The flight attendant came by and told him to buckle his seatbelt. He replied, "Superman don't need no seatbelt." The flight attendant replied, "Superman don't need no airplane, either. Buckle up!"
As proud as he was, Ali knew that "it's not bragging if you can back it up." He tried to back up his words with deeds, and as a result was seen as "the greatest" by many people around the world.. Some of his memorable sayings will continue to inspire, such as, "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." In his actions, he lived the truth of his pronouncement, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." Ali lived by his beliefs, knowing that you should "live every day as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right."
More on this story can be found at these links:
The Big Questions
1. Muhammad Ali boasted about his abilities as a boxer and said, "Braggin' is when a person says something and can't do it. I do what I say." When, if ever, is it acceptable to boast about your abilities?
2. Ali converted to Islam and abandoned what he called his "slave name," Cassius Clay. When have you taken a bold step in support of your faith? What change did you make in your life to signify this step?
3. Refusing service in Vietnam was a controversial stance in the 1960s, but Ali was willing to pay a price for his beliefs. What price are you willing to pay for your convictions? What message would such a stance send to the larger community?
4. Ali was a fighter for race relations and civil rights, using his words instead of his fists. What battles should Christians be involved in today? How should such fights be conducted?
5. Reflecting on his boxing career, Ali said, "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up." Can any job be an acceptable vocation, including "beating people up"? How do you see your work as your calling from God? What changes would you like to make to get closer to God's will?
Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Psalm 22:6-9I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; "Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver -- let him rescue the one in whom he delights!" Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother's breast. (For context, read 22:1-31.)
TWW team member Frank Ramirez notes that Psalm 22, a "suffering servant" passage, is often associated with Jesus (and was quoted by Jesus on the cross). But this is not the only interpretation. This psalm is a much more universal expression of our shared experience of suffering and alienation. Muhammad Ali certainly felt "scorned by others, and despised by the people" after converting to Islam and refusing to fight in Vietnam.
Questions: When, in your personal or collective experience, have you experienced suffering, alienation or despair? If you were vindicated, describe how this occurred. What did it feel like to be reconnected to God and to the people around you?
Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (For context, read 16:16-33.)
Ali was one of the first -- or at least one of the first most famous -- athletes known as much for an arrogant braggadocio as for athletic prowess. Some critics have posited that Ali "broke the ice" on such behaviors, leading them to become mainstream in American culture, for better or for worse.
The proverb appears to speak to this sort of haughty spirit, not the pride in a job well done (e.g., a plumber repairing a tricky leak, a lawyer writing a fair and explicit contract and, yes, perhaps even a fighter dominantly beating up his opponent). There is little doubt that, at least in his younger days, Ali had a haughty spirit. Ali -- and his public followers -- thrived on this sort of boasting and self-praise -- even before his latter-day turnaround. 
Questions: What are some ways that you are tempted toward a haughty spirit? Have you ever experienced "a fall" as a result? What kind of pride is appropriate, as you reflect on your work and life?
Matthew 25:37-40Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (For context, read 25:31-46.)
Jesus speaks of the judgment of the nations and predicts that the kingdom of God will be inherited by those who feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. It is revealed that some people have been serving Jesus without realizing that they were doing so. Could this have been true with the philanthropic work of Muhammad Ali? In the book The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis, some discover they have been unknowingly serving Aslan (the symbol for God) while overtly being an active, believing member of another faith.
Questions: What limitations do you place on being part of the family of God? Who is in and who is out? Are there non-Christians who are serving Jesus who may not know it? How do we know if we who consider ourselves Christians are really serving Jesus?
John 10:16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (For context, read 10:1-18.)
Jesus describes himself as "the shepherd of the sheep" and says that "the sheep follow him because they know his voice" (vv. 2, 4). He compares his role as shepherd to a thief and a hired hand who are not going to protect and care for the sheep. Then Jesus speaks of other sheep who will be brought into his fold in the future, creating one flock of faithful people following one shepherd.
Questions: What evidence do you see that people outside the Christian community are following the voice of Jesus? Where do you see people following dangerous leaders, the kind that Jesus calls thieves and hired hands? How can we join Jesus in the work of creating "one flock"?
John 18:36Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." (For context, read 18:28-38.)
After Jesus is arrested in Jerusalem, he is put on trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. Pilate asks him if he is "the King of the Jews" (v. 33), and Jesus dodges the question. Jesus says that his kingdom is not from this world, and acknowledges that his followers would be fighting for him if he led an earthly kingdom. Jesus concludes by saying that his mission is "to testify to the truth" (v. 37).
Questions: What things are worth a fight in this world? When is violence acceptable, whether in the boxing ring or in times of war? When is it right to testify to the truth in a non-violent way? How have you done this, or seen this done?
2 Corinthians 10:15-18We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the labors of others; but our hope is that, as your faith increases, our sphere of action among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may proclaim the good news in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in someone else's sphere of action. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends. (For context, read 10:1-18.)
Paul defends his ministry to the Corinthian Christians, and asks them to excuse him if he boasts "a little too much" (v. 8). He explains that his boasting has been within limits, and it has been designed to increase their faith and enlarge his sphere of Christian action. Paul wants the good news of the gospel to spread beyond Corinth, and says that any boasting should be done in the Lord.
Questions: Do you agree with Muhammad Ali that "it's not bragging if you can back it up"? Where do you see a connection between boasting and using one's gifts and knowledge to their fullest? How can bragging be a way of spreading a message and enlarging one's sphere of influence? When does it go too far and become ineffective?
2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (For context, read 4:6-8.)
The apostle Paul regularly uses athletic imagery, in this case both boxing and racing, in his letters. Paul used images like these because they spoke clearly to believers from the Gentile world. Boxing and an event called pankratos (which resembled modern mixed martial arts contests) were extremely popular, and the winners were immortalized in statuary and poetry. Although professional boxing has lost popularity in the United States in recent years, the title of "heavyweight champion of the world" was revered through much of the 20th century.
Questions: What constitutes lasting fame in your experience? Who are the real heroes in your life? in Christian history? In your opinion what, if anything, would make you a hero in God's eyes? in the eyes of fellow Christians?
For Further Discussion
1. Islam is considered to be one of the branches of the tree of Abraham, making Muhammad Ali part of the family of faith, created by our loving God. What is your view of Muslims in relation to Christians? How are they part of God's creation?
2. The apostle Peter says, "Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1). Ali showed malice toward opponents during his prize-fighting career, but then demonstrated great sincerity as a philanthropist. What do you think changed him? Where is the potential for such improvement in your life?
3. Ali made the observation, "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." How is this true for you? Where can the church provide opportunities for service?
4. Racism in the United States was a factor in Ali's decision to be a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Where do you see racism today? What can you do about it? How can the Christian community work to alleviate it?
5. Although Ali was called "the greatest" by himself and others, he had many flaws. Where do you see God using flawed people today? How can God use you?
Responding to the News
The death of Muhammad Ali is an opportunity to reflect on the life of a complex and charismatic human being. Use his life as an opportunity to reach out, in Christian love, to a person of another race or religion. Keep your eyes open for the image of God in people very different from yourself.
Closing Prayer
We thank you, God, for all the generations that rise and pass away, giving us new insights into the ways that you are at work in the world. Help us to see all people as your creations, and to appreciate the gifts you have given them. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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