Gap Widens Between the Wealthy and the Poor

 © 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

President Barack Obama opened his State of the Union address Tuesday night by affirming that Americans are united by a belief "in opportunity for all -- the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead." He pointed out that "corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. ... too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by -- let alone get ahead. And too many still aren't working at all."
Economists at the University of Kentucky recently reported that one in seven Americans now participate in the government's $80 billion-a-year food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Other data show workers' earnings growing at the lowest rate compared to the growth of corporate profits in U.S. history.
Having a job is no longer a guarantee of self-sufficiency. Economists say "automation, globalization and outsourcing" have contributed to the shift from a preponderance of higher-paying jobs in manufacturing and high-tech sectors to fewer, often part-time positions without benefits, concentrated in lower-paying service industries. Americans have awakened to the rude reality that even higher education is not a guarantor of employment in one's chosen profession, or in any field, for that matter. Nor does it always prevent them from falling below the poverty line; about 28 percent of households receiving SNAP are headed by someone who has attended college.
Great economic disparity is found beyond the United States as well. Earlier this year the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a 60-page report called "Global Risks 2014," which predicts that social unrest related to the widening gap between the world's richest and poorest would have the greatest impact on the global economy in the next decade. Youth coming of age without adequate skills or employment opportunities are more apt to take out their frustration on governments and systems they see as unresponsive to their needs. "Disgruntlement can lead to the dissolution of the fabric of society, especially if young people feel they don't have a future," said Jennifer Blanke, the WEF's chief economist.
Gallup World also reported in January that according to their study of 131 countries, the richest 3 percent and the poorest 54 percent of residents (over half of those nations' populations) each hold 20 percent of the total collective household income.
This week, economists Barry Y. Cynamon and Steven M. Fazzari of Washington University, St. Louis, published their finding that 95 percent of American wage-earners, strapped for cash and credit and burdened by debt, can't sustain the same level of consumer spending that once drove nearly three quarters of the U.S. economy. Translation? Sluggish economic growth for the nation as well as for the individual and the family.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Climbing to Nowhere. Huffington Post
Why You Can't 'Bootstrap' Yourself Out of Poverty. Yahoo! Finance
Income Inequality Hurts Economic Growth, Researchers Say. The Washington Post
The New Face of Food Stamps: Working-Age Americans. Fox News
The Big Questions
1. What are some factors that lead to differences in income levels? Is income disparity an inevitable element in our economy, or is it avoidable? Is the work of some worth intrinsically more than that of others?
2. Is there something inherently wrong about income inequality? At what point might differences in income levels become so extreme that they could be viewed as obscene? Does it matter what led to the income inequality? Give examples of righteous or sinful ways of acquiring income that may lead to economic inequality.
3. Every financial interaction involves mutual exploitation (each person -- on both sides -- uses the transaction for profit). When does such exploitation become unjust?
4. Have you always had the same level of income throughout your life? If not, what has contributed to the variation in your income over time?
5. Why do you suppose we root for "Robin Hoods" to fleece the rich to give to the poor? Do you think Jesus would be on the side of Robin Hood, the super-rich, neither or both? Is income equalization a godly goal? Even if it is, does the attempt to achieve it justify sins of envy, covetousness and stealing? Is there an essential difference between taking from the poor to give to the rich, and taking from the rich to give to the poor?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Psalm 73:16-18, 23-25
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. ... Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. (For context, read 73:1-25.)
The writer begins this psalm by declaring that "God is good to ... the pure in heart" (v. 1). In spite of that belief, he struggles when he sees the easy life and wealth of the wicked, whom he envies (vv. 2-5, 12, 21-22); they arrogantly boast of their ability to oppress others and misuse earth's resources for their own follies without regard to God (vv. 6-9). Is God deaf, dumb and blind to the apparent inequities that are so obvious to us (vv. 10-11)? Is it of any use to live a clean life, only to suffer every day in relative poverty (vv. 13-14)?
Questions: How do you feel about CEOs who negotiate to pay their workers the lowest wages possible while holding out for million-dollar bonuses and golden parachutes for themselves? Why is trying to understand the inequities of life "a wearisome task" (v. 16)? Why does the psalmist say this kind of talk equals being "untrue to the circle of [God's] children" (v. 15)? To what does the psalmist turn his attention to reconcile himself to the apparent unfairness of the economic disparity he sees around him? How can you guard against bitterness and envy toward those who gain wealth unjustly?
2 Samuel 12:5-7, 9-10
He said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, ... Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? ... you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. (For context, read 12:1-17.)
After David's adulterous affair with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah on the field of battle, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him. Nathan told him a story about a rich man who stole a poor man's only ewe lamb who was like a daughter to him, in order to fix a meal for a guest. David pronounced judgment upon the rich man, not realizing that in so doing, he was condemning himself. In spite of the many blessings (including multiple wives) God had showered upon him, David still took the one precious thing that belonged to a poor man: his only wife. The consequences of his actions were devastating and impacted his entire family and the nation.
Questions: Is there something about extraordinary wealth that causes individuals to believe and act as if they are above the law? What does Nathan's parable have to do with inequity? What fault did David find in the rich man in the story? What fault did God find with David? What specific "word of the Lord" had David despised? What is the relationship between David's actions toward Uriah and David's attitude toward God at that time?
Amos 5:11-12, 14-15
Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. ... Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate. (For context, read 5:11-15, 21-24.)
In ancient Israel, people seeking justice came to the city gate where judges held court. The prophet Amos says the people are sorely mistaken if they think that God, who is just, will accept their sacrifices, religious rituals and celebratory worship services even while they defraud the poor of justice and amass huge fortunes for themselves.
Questions: How might this severe indictment apply to the church? Does your congregation favor the rich? Are wealthy donors treated with kid gloves, or challenged from the pulpit by Jesus' words about wealth? What are modern equivalents of "pushing aside the needy in the gate" and "establishing justice in the gate"? How does your congregation advocate for the poor? How can you "let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream" (v. 24)?
Luke 16:13-15
[Jesus said,] "... You cannot serve God and wealth." The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God." (For context, read 16:13-15, 19-31.)
Right after this exchange with the Pharisees, Jesus tells the parable of a rich man, dressed in purple and fine linen, who feasted sumptuously every day, and Lazarus, a poor, sick man who lay in agony at his gate and who would have been happy to eat the scraps falling from the rich man's banquet table.
Both men died, and the tables were turned. Lazarus was carried up to heaven, while the rich man suffered in hell. When he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to relieve his torment, Abraham replied, "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony" (v. 25). In other words, "the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16). Then the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers about the judgment. (Even in hell, he had the gall to think he was entitled to be served by one he had despised on earth.) Abraham's response is that they should listen to Moses and the prophets; implied is "and repent."
Questions: What did the rich man prize that God viewed as an abomination? How do you suppose the rich man "justified himself in the sight of others"? Who is lying at the gate of your own house, sick, hungry and poor, whom you have ignored? Have you excused yourself for feasting while your neighbor suffers? What specific warnings from Moses and the prophets might Jesus have been thinking about that the rich man in the parable and the Pharisees who loved money needed to heed? Might we need to heed them too?
Ruth 2:15-17
When [Ruth] got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, "Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her." So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. (For context, read 2:1-19.)
Ruth, a poor widow, accompanied her widowed mother-in-law Naomi from Moab back to Israel, where she (Ruth) begged for the chance to work in the field to provide for their needs. According to Deuteronomy 24:21, those who reaped a harvest from their land were not to glean again, but were to leave the leftovers "for the alien, the orphan and the widow." So Ruth was not technically employed, but she had the right to work in the field so she and Naomi could survive. She found favor in the sight of a rich relative, Boaz, who was impressed by her strong work ethic, courage and compassion for Naomi. He gave his servants instructions to help Ruth gather enough to live on.
Questions: How is Boaz a useful model for the rich today in the way he related to the working poor? How is Ruth a useful model for people living on the edge of poverty today? What economic structures in our nation might impede efforts to lift up those in need and unable to help themselves? What economic structures might be established in our own country that might parallel Deuteronomy 24:21 to lift up aliens, orphans and widows?
For Further Discussion
1. Read 1 Timothy 5:17-18. If some workers are "worthy of double honor," and "the laborer deserves to be paid," what does this suggest about what constitutes "a fair wage," and is that figure different for different people? Why or why not? Who determines what is "a fair wage"? How much money is enough money? How much is too much money for one person to have?
2. Read Matthew 20:1-16. Is this parable relevant to the discussion about what constitutes "a fair wage"? If so, in what way? If not, what is the point of the parable?
3. Why do some Christians insist that it is impossible, unnecessary, impractical or even unchristian to seek income equality?
Responding to the News
This might be a good time to reflect on the Christian Post article "What Does the Bible Say About Income Inequality?" and its implications for the church and our society.
Closing Prayer
(based on Proverbs 30:7-9 and Matthew 6:11)

O God of justice, defender of the poor, give us neither poverty nor riches; give us only the food that we need, lest we become fat and full of ourselves and say, "God? Who needs him?" Give us this day no less than our daily bread, lest in our poverty we become envious of those who have more than we do, and dishonor the name of our God by stealing to satisfy our greed. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Declining Access to Clean Water Creating Havoc Around the World

 © 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Residents of West Virginia sensed something was wrong when they smelled the scent of licorice in the air 10 days ago. Investigators discovered that about 7,500 gallons of a chemical known as 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM), used to clean coal, had leaked through a 1-inch hole in a 48,000-gallon Freedom Industries storage tank into the nearby Elk River about a mile upriver from a water treatment plant which supplies Charleston and residents of nine counties with drinking water.

The West Virginia American Water Company issued a do-not-use order for 300,000 customers who were told it was not safe to use tap water for drinking, cooking or washing. The order was lifted five days later, but not before 231 people had suffered from skin or throat irritation or chest or stomach discomfort caused by exposure to the contaminated water.

Charleston resident Jen Williamson wrote in an email to CNN, "The problem is that when they say the water is fine to drink, do we believe them?"

Scientists tell us that while about 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered with water, 97 percent of the earth's water is salt water unsuitable for human consumption. Less than 1 percent of all the water on earth is fresh water that we can easily use for drinking, agriculture, manufacturing and other purposes. We know that the average adult human body is made up of 57 to 60 percent water and that most people cannot survive more than three days without water, which is essential to life.

Some 1,500 miles southeast of Charleston, West Virginia, inhabitants of the town of Mirebalais in the poverty-stricken nation of Haiti are struggling with a water crisis of their own, four years after a devastating earthquake claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people.

Ironically, the very soldiers sent by the United Nations to aid that country in its time of need are now accused of starting a cholera epidemic back in the fall of 2010 when waste from their septic tank overflowed into the Artibonite River used by Haitians for bathing, washing clothes and kitchen utensils, cooking and drinking water.

In the three years that followed, nearly 700,000 cases of cholera were diagnosed in a country which had never recorded a single instance of the disease before. Because the soldiers at the U.N. base came from Nepal, where the same strain of cholera exists as that which has taken more than 8,000 Haitian lives, suspicions arose that they were responsible for the outbreak of the disease.

Meanwhile, 6,400 miles to the east, villagers of Akhshtr in Sochi, Russia, are vexed over the impact of large-scale construction for the Winter Olympics on access to clean water essential for agriculture, the economy and the health of the local population. Situated between the Olympic venues on the Black Sea and at alpine resorts, the mountain village has been without a reliable supply of water for more than five years.

Construction of a waste dump above their village and heavy truck traffic in the area destroyed the wells the villagers used for drinking water, and the water the authorities truck in to the village every week or so is insufficient to meet their needs. A water pump installed in 2010 worked for one day at a public event celebrating its installation, but then was shut off because it failed to pass inspection.

Nearly 5 percent of the world's population dies of dehydration every year. According to UNICEF, more than a billion people do not have access to safe water, and every day 6,000 children die of preventable water-related diseases.

More on this story can be found at these links:

West Virginia Chemical Spill Poses Unknown Threat to the Environment. National Geographic
Haitians Blame UN Soldiers for Cholera Crisis in Wake of Earthquake Disaster. PBS 
Russia: Olympic Construction Devastates Sochi Village. Human Rights Watch

The Big Questions

1. What are some of the factors that contribute to water shortages, inequitable distribution of safe water and lack of access to adequate clean water?

2. Parents used to quote this saying to their children to get them to scrub behind their ears: "Cleanliness is next to godliness." Is this idea supported by Scripture? How might this saying apply to today's stories?

3. What do these stories teach us not only about the importance of water but about the necessity for clean water? Think about the steady stream of information, entertainment, etc. that you consume every day. How much impure content can you consume without becoming spiritually sick? How important is it to take in only what is morally pure and holy? Is that even possible in our culture? Why or why not?

4. Once a stream of water has been contaminated by pollutants or poison, what does it take to restore it to usable condition? What does it take to restore people's trust in the safety of the water so that they are confident enough to return to the well, so to speak? Which is harder -- to clean up polluted water, or to restore people's confidence?

5. What is your level of trust with regard to authorities in the United States or in the world? What assurance do you require with regard to your water? Have you ever experienced a water shortage for an extended length of time? What was it like?

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

Genesis 21:19
Then God opened [Hagar's] eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. (For context, read 21:14-19.)

Sarah demanded that her husband Abraham send her slave Hagar and Hagar's son Ishmael, whom she had conceived with Abraham, away to eliminate Ishmael as a rival for Sarah's son Isaac's inheritance. Abraham did as Sarah asked and sent them into the wilderness with bread and water. When the water was gone, could death be far behind? But God heard the mother and child crying, and reassured Hagar that he had not abandoned them.

Questions: What did water represent to Hagar in her desperate situation? When have you been so down that you could not see God's provision right in front of your eyes? What did it mean to you to realize that there was "a well of water" from which you (and your loved ones) could drink? Should we follow Abraham's example and leave the care of people in crisis to God? Explain your answer.

Genesis 26:22, 32-33
[Isaac] moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he called it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." ... That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water!" He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day. (For context, read 26:18-33.)

Conflicts over water rights existed long before the water wars depicted in westerns. After Abraham died, the Philistines stopped up his wells. His son Isaac had to dig them all over again, but other herders claimed that the water belonged to them. Rather than quarrel over it, Isaac moved on and dug another well. Again he met with accusations and attacks from an adversary at Sitnah (which can mean "Satan," who is called "the Accuser of our brothers and sisters" in Revelation 12:10, MSG). So Isaac moved again and dug another well; this time no one troubled him further. God appeared to him, assuring him of his blessing; Isaac worshiped God and dug another well. After that, the leader of the first group of herders who had challenged him approached him seeking a peace treaty, which Isaac granted. Isaac's servants came to report that they had found water at the last well they had dug. It must have been a real gusher, because he named it Shibah (meaning "seven" or "oath").

Questions: Do you live according to an idea of plenty or scarcity when it comes to sharing or withholding resources? To whom do natural resources like water belong? When various interests all vie for the same resources, how should we decide how to allocate those assets? What enemies (people or things) have stopped up wells of life-giving water in your life? What can you learn from Isaac about how to respond to enemies who keep putting obstacles in your path? How does making peace with former enemies produce results as satisfying as finding that a well you dug in the desert is fed by seven streams?

Exodus 7:17-18, 24-25
Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD." See, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall be turned to blood. The fish in the river shall die, the river itself shall stink, and the Egyptians shall be unable to drink water from the Nile. ... And all the Egyptians had to dig along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the river. Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. (For context, read 7:17-25.)

When God tells Moses to go tell Pharaoh to let his people go out of Egypt, he indicates that one of the signs he will use to persuade Pharaoh is the pollution of the source of life for the Egyptians, the Nile River itself. Without any bottled water available at the corner store, the Egyptians had to resort to extreme measures to survive for a whole week without clean water.

Questions: Do you consider the destruction of natural resources an appropriate tactic in warfare? Is water pollution an act of God, an act of judgment or something else? Explain your position.

Exodus 15:25
[Moses] cried out to the LORD; and the LORD showed him a piece of wood [KJV: "a tree"]; he threw it into the [bitter] water, and the water became sweet. (For context, read 15:22-27.)

As the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, they searched for water for three days without success, putting their entire nation at risk of death. Then when they did locate water at Marah (which means "bitter"), they found the water unpalatable. Moses prayed, and God provided a solution.

Question: How does this incident hint at the spiritual salvation Christ would later win through his death on the cross (the tree) to remove the bitter poison of sin and bring sweetness back into our lives?

Exodus 17:5-6
The LORD said to Moses, "... I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (For context, read 17:1-7.)

Again the Israelites ran out of water in the wilderness and complained against Moses, who again prayed to God for a solution. God provides us with another word-picture of grace here. On the rock (translated elsewhere as "boulder," "refuge" and "God") at Horeb ("a desolate mountain of death parched by drought"), God provides for the needs of the people by inviting Moses to strike the rock so that the people might drink the water of life from the strong One they had abused.

Questions: Where do you see Jesus in this passage? Recall a time when God's grace unexpectedly gushed forth in the midst of dry places even though you had complained against him and questioned whether he was really present with you. What impact did that expression of God's grace have on you?

For Further Discussion

Read John 4:13-14 and 7:37-39. What is the nature of the living water Jesus offers? What must one do to receive it? How does it affect the one who drinks that water?

Responding to the News

Reflect on Proverbs 11:25: "A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water." How can you give water (literally and figuratively) this week? When might giving a cup of water be an act of real courage?

Closing Prayer

(drawn from Psalm 63:1; 107:35; 42:1-2; Isaiah 41:17, 18; 44:3; 49:10; John 4:15; Revelation 21:6; 22:17). People read the Prayer; Leader reads the Response.

Prayer: O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Response: He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
Prayer: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
Response: When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
Prayer: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
Response: I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.
Prayer: "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
Response: "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."
ALL: The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

Deep Cold Grips Much of U.S.

© 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

The meteorological term "polar vortex" entered the common parlance across the nation this week as temperatures plunged deeply below zero on Tuesday in a large part of the nation and all of the lower 48 states experienced readings below freezing, creating inconvenience for many and hardship for others. Authorities blamed the cold for at least 21 deaths, several of them from traffic accidents. Meteorologists say a polar vortex -- or, more specifically, a distorted polar vortex -- is the reason for the Arctic blast.
According to CNN International senior meteorologist Brandon Miller, a polar vortex "is circulation of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the northern pole in a counterclockwise direction -- a polar low-pressure system. These winds tend to keep the bitter cold air locked in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere." But, says Miller, "on occasion, this vortex can become distorted and dip much farther south than you would normally find it, allowing cold air to spill southward ... in any portion of the Northern Hemisphere."
On Monday, due to the extreme cold in Minnesota, the governor called off all public school for the whole state -- a matter that's usually left up to each district. Such a statewide shutdown had not been done since 1997.
In Chicago, Anana, the lone polar bear at the Lincoln Park Zoo, was kept in her 40ish-degree habitat because she has not grown the thick layer of fat that bears in their native Arctic develop to insulate themselves against bitter winter temperatures.
In the Deep South, hard freeze warnings were in effect from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle.
In cities across the Midwest and the Northeast, shelters have taken in record numbers of homeless people. With shelters over capacity, some churches have opened their doors to the homeless and those whose houses have heat outages.
In Lexington, Kentucky, an escaped inmate got so cold that he turned himself in so he could warm up. His fingers and toes were frostbitten.
As of Tuesday morning, 2,000 flights were canceled within, into or out of the United States, and passengers on three different Amtrak trains were stranded overnight in Illinois as the trains became stuck in snowdrifts.
The National Weather Service characterized this week's cold outbreak as "historic and life-threatening."

More on this story can be found at these links:
Polar Vortex: Deep Freeze Moves Across US. Sky News
Deep Freeze to Reach All Lower 48 States. News Channel 9
Frigid Air From the North Pole: What's This Polar Vortex? CNN
The Big Questions
1. Is there a moral aspect to life-threatening weather -- that is, are weather extremes "evil"? (We note that in his work the Divine Comedy, the Italian poet Dante pictured the ninth and innermost circle of hell as a solid sheet of ice.) If so, who is responsible for the evil? Explain your answer.
2. Would we be better off without the cold of winter? Why or why not? What does your answer say about those places that lack cold weather (much of the tropics) or lack warm weather (Antarctic)?
3. Where do you see God in weather events? How is God revealed in the choices people make during these events? In the ways they serve others? What ministries of your church are related to the extremes of weather?
4. How does deep cold affect your mood? What opportunities, spiritual and otherwise, does deep cold present?
5. When have you gotten caught in a figurative "distorted polar vortex"? What did you do to "come in from the cold"?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 8:22
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (For context, read 8:20-22.)
This is part of God's promise to himself after the great flood of Noah's day subsided -- the promise of an ordered cycle of seasons.
Questions: There is a difference, of course, in the usual cold of winter and the extreme cold of this week. Should we take the extremes of weather to mean anything in terms of God's governance of the world? Why or why not? How quickly do you bounce back from these extremes? Do you feel down? Joyful? Why?
1 Chronicles 11:22
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds .... He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. (For context, read 11:22-25.)
Benaiah was a member of King David's "mighty men," a kind of special-forces troop. The report above tells of him killing a lion. Many people in Israel kept sheep for food and wool, so a marauding lion was a real problem. And because it was winter, the small game that lions usually ate were seldom out of their burrows. Thus sheep, and especially lambs, were a natural target for lions, which, due to their hunger, were at their fiercest.
The chronicler comments that Benaiah killed the lion "on a day when snow had fallen." Snow is not as common in that part of the world as it is here, but it is not unheard of either. What Benaiah did in ridding the countryside of this marauding lion would have been remarkable at any time, but the chronicler seems to be saying that Benaiah turned the misery of winter to his advantage. While others huddled against the snow, Benaiah used it to track the lion.
Speaking symbolically, there are experiences in our lives that are winter experiences -- bad news, griefs, agonies, problems and the like. And in those times, we may be troubled by such beasts as impatience, a judgmental spirit, a foul temper, compulsions to do wrong things and so forth. We may well be able to get away from those things when other matters in our lives are going well. When things are all summer, our moral muscle or spiritual stamina may make little difference. But when the cold winds of bitter adversity or trouble blow, we may find that our lax attitudes or self-centered ways of living just make matters worse.
Question: How can we use the hardship of the winter experiences of our lives to slay some personal lions? If your job allows you to stay home, what do you do with the extra time that is given to you by snow days? Do you almost look forward to these opportunities? Do you act as if you have to accomplish something to justify the time off, or do you simply stop and relax?
Psalm 147:16-17
He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like crumbs -- who can stand before his cold? (No context needed.)
From the verses above, it's clear the author of this psalm believed that winter comes from God.
Questions: What do weather extremes suggest to us about the nature of God? Do we tend to define God within comfortable limitations? Are we truly ready for a God who can be revealed in extremes as well as within what we consider the norm?
Acts 28:1-2
After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it. (For context, read 27:39--28:2.)
Paul, under arrest and in the process of being transferred to Rome by ship, was in a shipwreck during a storm. Although the ship was lost, everyone on board was able to make it to the island of Malta, where the local residents treated them kindly. Because it was cold, the locals made a fire and welcomed all the shipwrecked people around it.
This incident provides a model for how cold can motivate people to offer the protection of warmth to those suffering from chilling weather. Homeless shelters are one way this is done, but in some communities, there aren't enough places for homeless people to get inside during dangerous cold, and thus some churches also open their doors. (In the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN area, for example, the homeless must first go to a permanent shelter; only if there is no space there, and once checked in under regular processes at the shelter, are they transported by shelter personnel to the church that is hosting that night.)
Questions: Would Christ encourage churches in offering shelter to the homeless during extreme cold weather? Why or why not? How difficult is it for you to accept help when buffeted by forces beyond your control?
During weather extremes, planes are often grounded and other forms of transportation are bottled up. Describe a time you simply could not get from point A to point B. How did you cope? What was your attitude and state of mind? Were you a help or a hindrance to others? How do we make times like this a blessing? When have you helped others who were stranded?
2 Timothy 4:21
Do your best to come before winter. (No context needed.)
Here, in the closing lines of a letter to his coworker Timothy, Paul urges him to join Paul "before winter." Winter storms and winds basically shut down sea travel in the Mediterranean during Greek and Roman times.
Question: Winter makes a lot of things difficult. How does winter fit into your understanding of God's providence? Do you feel like praising God more or less during times like these?
For Further Discussion
1. Do you expect people to share your attitudes toward weather extremes? If you are one of those who loves times like these, do you find that others resent your attitude? If you dread times like these, are you frustrated with those who don't share your fears?
2. Respond to this: One TWW team member recalls that during his seminary days in the late '70s, "the weather was so severe in the Chicago area that none of us could drive off the campus for days at a time. We were 'snowlocked.' One student made it his ministry to cross-country ski to the stores a few miles away to bring back milk for those families with children."
3. Comment on this: Studies show that those who live in wealthier regions have a greater chance of survival during deadly weather than those in poorer neighborhoods. However, studies also show that in some poor neighborhoods, the survival rate is very high, especially when compared to equally poor neighborhoods that are adjacent. One conclusion of such studies is that people living in neighborhoods with stronger social networks fare better than people who live in comparable, but less socially cohesive, neighborhoods. The stronger social networks include neighborhoods where people venture out onto the streets and the sidewalks to talk to one another -- neighborhoods with stores and restaurants, and of course social centers like churches, so people run into each other on a regular basis. Some churches have arrangements such that when weather is crippling, certain individuals make it a point to check up on those who are most at risk.
4. Respond to this: When Hurricane Charley devastated Port Charlotte, Florida, the Presbyterian Church couldn't find many of its members. With no phones, they sent deacons door to door to check on individuals. But all the street signs were gone, and all of the landmarks were blown down or destroyed. All the streets and houses looked the same, so it was a nightmare trying to find the homes and the people. Since then, many churches have been mapping their members' homes on GPS so they can be located in the dark or in a confusing situation.
Responding to the News
This is a good time to reach out, or plan how to reach out, to any of your members who may be vulnerable when weather extremes occur.
This is also a good time to consider how your church can minister to outsiders during extreme weather. As one idea, see http://shelteringchurches.wordpress.com/.
Closing Prayer

O God, when the cold is deep, let our love for one another be deep as well. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Icebreakers Unable to Reach Ship Stuck in Antarctic Ice; Helicopter Evac Instead

 © 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

On Christmas Day, the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, on a research cruise to Antarctica, sent a distress signal indicating that it had become locked into the frozen sea a few miles from the coast of that continent, with 74 people on board. Subsequently, icebreaker ships from three nations, China, France and Australia, have attempted to reach the Akademik Shokalskiy, but the severity of the weather and thickness of the sea ice have stymied all three.
On Monday, the third of the ships, the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis, which as the most powerful and heaviest of the three rescue vessels had the best chance of reaching the Akademik Shokalskiy, got to within 10 nautical miles of the stricken ship, but had to turn around to avoid becoming icebound itself.
The passengers and crew on board the Akademik Shokalskiy had sufficient food to remain with the ship for several more days, but after the failure of the icebreakers to reach the icebound ship, rescuers decided to remove most of the people aboard it by a helicopter flying from the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long ("Snow Dragon"), which has remained in the area. Thus, on Thursday, 52 passengers and four crew members were rescued by helicopter, leaving a skeleton crew on board the Russian ship in hopes that it can eventually be freed when the weather allows.
While not an icebreaker, the Akademik Shokalskiy is an ice-strengthened ship. It was built in Finland in 1982 for oceanographic research and refurbished in 1998 for Arctic and Antarctic work. Named after the Russian oceanographer Yuly Shokalskiy, the ship is owned by the Russian Federation's Far Eastern Hydrometeorological Research Institute and is currently chartered to Aurora Expeditions, an Australian expedition cruise line.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Helicopter Rescue Planned for Ship Stranded in Antarctica. CNN
Aurora Australis Abandons Attempt to Save Akademik Shokalskiy. Sydney Morning Herald
Akademik Shokalskiy Rescue: How Mission Came Undone by 'One Giant Meringue.' The Age
The Big Questions
1. What forms of "stuckness" -- literal or figurative -- have you experienced yourself or seen others affected by in life? (Note to teachers: If people have trouble coming up with examples, you could read the list from the second paragraph of the introduction above.) What solution, if any, did you find? Did the solution involve soliciting or receiving the help of others? Are you one of those who resists help or welcomes it?
2. Is the state of being stuck a gift of God, a work of Satan, a matter of fate or just something that happens in life? Can it sometimes be more than one of the above? Explain your answer.
3. With what spiritual opportunities does being stuck present us? What spiritual dangers are inherent in being stuck? What part does pride play in getting stuck?
4. What are some good ways to become "unstuck"?
5. Comment on this, from Robert Persig, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: "'Stuckness' shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding. An egoless acceptance of stuckness is the key to an understanding of all Quality in mechanical work as in all other endeavors."
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Exodus 14:13-15
But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward." (For context, read 14:5-29.)
Here's a case where the Israelites were stuck, with the Red Sea in front of the them and the Egyptian army in hot pursuit behind them. In fear, the people complained bitterly to Moses (see vv. 11-12), but Moses replied with the words above.
God, however, had a different word for the people than the one Moses gave them. Moses told the people that the way out of their stuckness was to do nothing themselves ("keep still") but to trust God to deliver them ("see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today"), but God told them to "go forward."
Questions: Is trusting God but taking no action ourselves usually the way forward from the things that trap us in life? Why or why not? Is waiting something you find comfortable? Frustrating? What does our society seem to think about waiting as a solution? How do we discern whether our current stuckness requires waiting or action? How can we tell when going forward is preferable to keeping still?
Genesis 26:18
Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names that his father had given them. (For context, read 26:17-22.)
Wells were a necessary source of water in the dry lands where the Hebrew patriarchs lived. Metaphorically, however, wells sometimes stand for sources of inspiration, the "water" from which can help us become unstuck when we are stymied by spiritual dryness, a lack of creativity, tough problems, writer's block and the like.
Questions: Notice that Isaac "dug again" the wells that had been dug in his father's day. In what ways might re-immersing ourselves in the things previous generations counted on help us find the way forward today? What new insights have you discovered, if any, when you returned to a previously solved situation? When you returned to a much mined biblical passage?
Lamentations 3:7-9
[God] has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with hewn stones ... (For context, read 3:1-3, 7-9, 22-24.)
1 Thessalonians 2:18
For we wanted to come to you -- certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again -- but Satan blocked our way. (For context, read 2:17--3:5.)
Here are two biblical interpretations of stuckness. The writer of Lamentations is talking about literally being trapped, with the people of Judah exiled in Babylon. Notice, however, that the writer says the real source of the stuckness is not the Babylonians, but God, who "has blocked my ways."
In the 1 Thessalonians passage, the apostle Paul alludes to circumstances that prevented him from returning to Thessalonica to visit the Christians there, "but Satan blocked our way." We don't know what those specific circumstances were -- perhaps a travel embargo or illness -- but Paul interprets them as being from the devil.
Questions: How can you determine when God is the source of your stuckness? When Satan is the source? Are these characterizations of the source of our stuckness even useful? Why or why not? How should we respond if we determine that God is the source of our stuckness? How should we respond if we determine that Satan is the source?
Matthew 2:1-2
... after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." (Matthew 2:1-12.)
This is from the story of the magi seeking Jesus. In popular imagery, we often picture these men as being led by the star the whole way to where Jesus was. But what the text says is that they saw his star "at its rising" (NRSV) or "in the east" (NIV), and thus, set off for Jerusalem (possibly thinking that that was where a king of Jews would probably be born). They ended up stuck in Jerusalem because they didn't have the information they needed to know where to go next. It was only after the chief priests and scribes, at Herod's request, reported that the birth would be in Bethlehem that the magi became "unstuck."

Once they headed from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, however, "the star that they had seen at its rising" (v. 9) went ahead of them and eventually stopped over where the child was.
Question: In what ways does more information sometimes help you become unstuck?
Luke 18:3-4
In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent." For a while he refused ... (For context, read 18:1-8.)
This is from Jesus' parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Though she had a legitimate case, she had no clout, so the judge was inclined to ignore her pleas. But finally, because she kept pestering him, he gave her her day in court. He said, "I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming" (v. 5).
Questions: In this widow's situation, perseverance seems to be the key to having the way forward opened up. In what blocked situations do you need to persevere? Why?
Mark 2:3-4
Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. (For context, read 2:1-12.)
The paralyzed man in this passage was stuck not only because of his paralysis, but also because his access to Jesus was blocked by a crowd. In this case, the first step to becoming unstuck was the help of his friends who, because they believed Jesus could help him, made the effort to open the roof and get him into Jesus' presence.
Question: When has the faith of friends helped you get past some blockage in your life?
For Further Discussion
1. Comment on this: While in seminary, a young man who'd been raised a silent-meeting Quaker was invited to be the student pastor at an Evangelical Friends Church in rural Indiana. He was a bit unsure how to lead worship in a church accustomed to a vocal ministry, but he figured he'd just follow his heart. Thus, during his first service at the church, the entire congregation sat for an hour in total silence because the young man did not feel moved by the Spirit to speak that Sunday. Following the service, a church elder came to him and said, "Friend, if you wish us to feel moved by the Spirit to pay you next week, you should come prepared to be inspired to preach."
2. Respond to this, from TWW team member Stan Purdum: "Some years ago, my brother Scott and I spent several days backpacking on the Sheltowee Trace, a long trail in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. We had a map, and the trail was also marked by blazes painted on trees periodically. About a day out, we discovered that a lengthy section of the trail had been newly rerouted. We found ourselves hiking in deep forest for more than a day on trail that no longer matched our map. And since this portion of the trail was so new, it had not had enough traffic to tramp it out clearly. We often came to places where the trail was so faint we weren't sure where it went next. The blazes were about a tenth of a mile apart, not nearly close enough on unbeaten trail. We were stuck several times a day, not knowing where to go next. The way we had to proceed was for one of us to remain where we'd lost the trail while the other walked around until finding the next blaze. Often we lost sight of each other while doing this. If I found the next blaze, I would call to Scott and he would follow my voice to where I stood. If I didn't find it, I'd follow Scott's voice back to the last blaze, and then try a different direction. In this manner, and with much backtracking and guessing, we finally found our way through to where the new section of trail rejoined the more beaten path. We arrived feeling very much like pioneers."
     Stan adds, "There is very little clear trail in many areas of our lives. We often have to find new paths to make our friendships, marriages, jobs, family relationships and so forth work, and sometimes that's a trial-and-error process."
     Share about a time when you were aided or when you helped another in walking in faith. Whom has God placed in your life who functions as a partner in faith for you?
3. Read Numbers 22:22-35. What was the significance of the way being blocked against Balaam's passage? What danger did it present? What opportunity?
Responding to the News
Consider this: With an active, vital connection with our Creator intact, the life problems that stymie us often don't seem quite as insurmountable as they did before. Our church-going grandparents knew that. They used to sing a little chorus about stuckness, and it went like this:
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can't tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible.
He does the things that others cannot do.
Closing Prayer

Guide us in your ways, O Lord, that we may live fully as your people. In Jesus' name. Amen.