As

mem

bers

of t

he E

vang

elic

al L

uthe

ran

Chur

ch in

Am

eric

a, th

roug

h EL

CA W

orld

Hun

ger,

we

com

mit

to p

ursu

ing

a w

orld

of j

ustic

e

whe

re a

ll ar

e fe

d. Y

our g

ifts

to E

LCA

Wor

ld

Hun

ger s

uppo

rt e

ff ec

tive

prog

ram

s in

nea

rly

60 c

ount

ries,

incl

udin

g th

e U

nite

d St

ates

.

Thro

ugh

your

gift

s, th

is ch

urch

is e

mpo

wer

ed

to a

ccom

pany

our

com

pani

ons a

nd n

eigh

bors

resp

ondi

ng to

hun

ger a

nd p

over

ty a

roun

d th

e w

orld

.

8765

We

st H

igg

ins

Ro

ad

• C

hic

ag

o, I

L 60

631-

4101

8

00

-638

-352

2, e

xt. 2

616

• E

LCA

.org

/hu

ng

er •

hu

ng

er@

elc

a.o

rg

Adv

ent

ST

UD

Y

The

sto

ry o

f Adv

ent i

s a

stor

y of

hun

ger.

A pe

ople

’s h

unge

r for

sal

vatio

n, th

e fl e

eing

hol

y fa

mily

’s h

unge

r for

saf

ety

and

the

wor

ld’s

hun

ger f

or a

new

daw

n. It

is a

sea

son

whe

n w

e aw

ait t

he

one

who

will

“gi

ve li

ght t

o th

ose

who

sit

in d

arkn

ess

and

in th

e sh

adow

of

dea

th”

(Luk

e 1:7

9a).

Adve

nt h

ope

draw

s us

into

the

wor

ld a

s pe

ople

of

pro

mis

e, p

eopl

e fo

r who

m th

e “s

hado

w o

f dea

th”

cast

by

deep

hun

ger

and

pove

rty

arou

nd th

e w

orld

is n

ot G

od’s

fi na

l wor

d to

God

’s p

eopl

e. In

Ad

vent

, we

refl e

ct o

n ho

w fa

r the

Lor

d ha

s le

d us

and

how

far w

e ha

ve y

et

to g

o to

war

d a

wor

ld in

whi

ch a

ll ar

e fe

d. A

s w

e pr

epar

e fo

r the

arr

ival

of

God

’s S

on, t

his

seas

on o

ff ers

an

impo

rtan

t opp

ortu

nity

to re

fl ect

on

the

mys

tery

and

exc

item

ent o

f the

pro

mis

e fr

om G

od.

This

Adv

ent,

we

invi

te y

ou to

jour

ney

with

ELC

A W

orld

Hun

ger t

hrou

gh

the

Scri

ptur

e re

adin

gs fo

r thi

s se

ason

. Thi

s st

udy

take

s us

thro

ugh

each

w

eek

of A

dven

t with

dev

otio

ns b

ased

on

the

lect

iona

ry, q

uest

ions

for

refl e

ctio

n, p

raye

rs a

nd h

ymn

sugg

estio

ns. T

he s

tudy

can

be

used

as

a gu

ide

for w

orsh

ip, a

dult

stud

y fo

rum

s or

per

sona

l dev

otio

ns a

t hom

e.

Bles

sing

s re

late

d to

our

chu

rch’

s re

spon

se to

hun

ger a

nd p

over

ty a

re a

lso

incl

uded

.

Each

wee

k’s

them

e:•

Shar

ed v

ulne

rabi

lity

(Mat

thew

24)

• Th

e “g

ood

frui

t” o

f rep

enta

nce

(Mat

thew

3)

• Ca

re fo

r cre

atio

n (M

atth

ew 11

; Isa

iah

35)

• Fi

ndin

g G

od in

une

xpec

ted

plac

es (M

atth

ew 1)

Que

stio

ns, c

omm

ents

or f

eedb

ack

on th

e re

sour

ce c

an b

e di

rect

ed

to h

unge

r@el

ca.o

rg. F

or m

ore

ELC

A W

orld

Hun

ger r

esou

rces

, vi

sit E

LCA

.org

/Hun

ger/R

esou

rces

.

May

you

and

you

r com

mun

ity b

e bl

esse

d, e

nric

hed

and

chal

leng

ed b

y th

is

Adve

nt re

sour

ce, a

nd m

ay th

e st

irri

ngs

of th

e se

ason

take

root

with

in y

ou.

— E

LCA

Wor

ld H

unge

r te

am

Ble

ssings

Bles

sing

of f

ood

bask

ets

Toda

y, w

e as

k Go

d’s b

less

ing

on th

ese

bask

ets o

f foo

d,

That

they

may

nou

rish

thos

e w

ho re

ceiv

e th

em,

That

they

may

disp

lay

the

boun

ty o

f God

in th

eir c

onte

nts,

That

they

may

show

the

frui

ts o

f lov

e of

nei

ghbo

r,Th

at th

ey m

ay o

pen

our e

yes t

o ou

r dep

ende

nce

on o

ne a

noth

er,

That

they

may

be

rem

inde

rs o

f the

goo

dnes

s God

has

pro

mise

d us

all.

Amen

.

Bles

sing

of c

loth

ing

Mig

hty

God,

our

shie

ld a

nd p

rote

ctor

, by

your

han

d w

e ar

e su

stai

ned

and

shel

tere

d. W

e co

nfro

nt o

ur v

ulne

rabi

lity

with

trus

t in

you

r pro

mise

s to

us a

nd w

ith fa

ith in

you

r abu

ndan

t pro

visio

n fo

r our

eve

ry n

eed.

Whe

n th

e fi r

st h

uman

s disc

over

ed th

eir

nake

dnes

s and

vul

nera

bilit

y to

one

ano

ther

and

to c

reat

ion,

you

cr

afte

d th

em c

loth

ing

to p

rote

ct th

em fr

om th

e el

emen

ts. A

s we

face

a c

old

and

unpr

edic

tabl

e w

inte

r, ke

ep o

ur e

yes a

nd h

eart

s op

en to

our

nei

ghbo

rs w

ho to

day

are

vuln

erab

le. B

less

thes

e gi

fts

of c

loth

es th

at th

ey m

ay b

ring

com

fort

and

war

mth

to th

ose

in

need

. Let

thes

e gi

fts b

e sy

mbo

ls of

the

perf

ect c

loth

ing

of C

hrist

, w

hich

uni

tes u

s as o

ne c

omm

unity

in J

esus

Chr

ist a

nd h

eirs

of h

is pr

omise

. Am

en.

Bles

sing

of o

ff er

ing

Abun

dant

God

, all

crea

tion

disp

lays

you

r goo

dnes

s. Fo

r the

hu

ngry

, you

pro

vide

food

. For

the

thirs

ty, y

ou g

ive

wat

er. T

o th

e w

ande

ring,

you

pro

mise

a h

ome.

You

hav

e bl

esse

d us

with

you

r gi

fts t

hat w

e m

ay b

e yo

ur h

ands

and

feet

to sh

are

thes

e gi

fts w

ith

our n

eigh

bors

. Ble

ss th

ese

off e

rings

, tha

t the

y m

ay b

e sig

ns o

f you

r gr

ace

in o

ur w

orld

. As w

e sh

are

with

oth

ers,

keep

us m

indf

ul o

f our

ow

n ne

ed –

for f

ood,

wat

er, s

helte

r and

com

mun

ity. M

ay o

ur g

ifts

be a

n in

vita

tion

to a

dee

per r

elat

ions

hip

with

eac

h ot

her a

nd w

ith

you.

In th

e na

me

of J

esus

Chr

ist, y

our g

ift to

the

wor

ld. A

men

.

Wee

k 4

: God

in U

nexp

ecte

d Pl

aces

Refl

ecti

on q

uest

ions

1) W

hen

have

you

enc

ount

ered

God

in

unex

pect

ed p

lace

s?

2) I

n Sc

riptu

re, G

od o

ften

cho

oses

une

xpec

ted

peop

le

to b

e in

stru

men

ts o

f God

’s re

vela

tion:

a sh

ephe

rd

boy,

a st

utte

ring

prop

het,

a pr

egna

nt te

enag

er. W

hat

does

this

say

abou

t God

? Wha

t doe

s thi

s say

to u

s ab

out w

hat i

t mea

ns to

be

peop

le o

f God

?

3) H

ow c

an o

ur c

hurc

h re

mai

n op

en to

God

’s pr

esen

ce

amon

g pe

ople

in p

over

ty w

ithou

t mak

ing

pove

rty

itsel

f see

m b

less

ed b

y Go

d?

Pray

er

God

of a

ll ou

r hop

es, w

e w

ait w

ith e

xpec

tatio

n fo

r th

e co

min

g of

you

r son

into

our

wor

ld. F

orgi

ve u

s fo

r the

way

s in

whi

ch w

e ha

ve c

lose

d ou

r eye

s and

he

arts

to y

our w

ord

and

pres

ence

. As w

e lo

ng fo

r Ch

ristm

as D

ay, k

eep

our e

yes o

pen

to y

our p

rese

nce

in o

ur m

idst

– in

one

ano

ther

, in o

ur n

eigh

bors

, in

the

peop

le a

t our

doo

rs. O

pen

our h

eart

s to

rece

ive

the

trut

h an

d pr

omise

you

reve

al to

us t

hrou

gh e

ach

othe

r and

all

crea

tion.

In y

our n

ame

we

pray

. Am

en.

Hym

n su

gges

tion

s

Awak

e! A

wak

e, a

nd G

reet

the

New

Mor

n EL

W 2

42M

y So

ul P

rocl

aim

s Yo

ur G

reat

ness

ELW

251

Une

xpec

ted

and

Mys

teri

ous

ELW

258

All E

arth

Is H

opef

ul E

LW 2

66

Wee

k 1:

A P

eopl

e of

Pro

mise

Isai

ah 2

:1-5

Mat

thew

24:

36-4

4

With

the

mem

ory

still

fres

h as

he

prea

ched

, the

Rev

. Jam

es A

. Fo

rbes

Jr. r

efl e

cted

on

the

deva

stat

ion

wro

ught

by

the

9/11

att

acks

on

New

Yor

k C

ity. H

e re

calle

d th

e st

ream

ing

mas

ses

leav

ing

Man

hatt

an, p

eopl

e of

eve

ry ra

ce, e

thni

city

and

cla

ss a

nd s

aw in

th

em th

e pa

in a

nd fe

ar s

o m

any

othe

r peo

ple

had

face

d th

roug

hout

hi

stor

y. H

e sa

w, t

oo, a

rem

arka

ble

unity

am

idst

the

chao

s –

“The

y ar

e al

l poo

r now

,” h

e ob

serv

ed.

Pove

rty

take

s m

any

form

s. T

o be

poo

r may

mea

n to

lack

mat

eria

l re

sour

ces,

to s

trug

gle

to p

ut fo

od o

n th

e ta

ble.

To

be p

oor m

ay m

ean

to la

ck m

eani

ngfu

l rel

atio

nshi

ps, t

o no

t fee

l wel

com

e at

any

tabl

e. T

o be

poo

r may

mea

n to

feel

spi

ritu

ally

em

pty,

to n

ot fe

el w

elco

me

even

at

the

Lord

’s ta

ble.

Phi

loso

pher

Abi

gail

Gos

selin

foun

d in

her

rese

arch

th

at h

ow w

e de

fi ne

the

prob

lem

of p

over

ty a

nd it

s ca

uses

det

erm

ines

ho

w w

e be

lieve

it s

houl

d be

sol

ved.

If p

over

ty is

eco

nom

ic, t

he

solu

tion

is e

cono

mic

. If p

over

ty is

spi

ritu

al, t

he s

olut

ion

is s

piri

tual

.

For P

asto

r For

bes,

pov

erty

goe

s de

eper

than

just

mat

eria

l, so

cial

or

spir

itual

lack

. To

be p

oor,

at it

s ro

ot, i

s to

be

vuln

erab

le –

vul

nera

ble

to s

udde

n ec

onom

ic s

win

gs, t

o in

secu

re e

mpl

oym

ent,

to d

isea

se o

r to

dis

aste

r.

In a

str

ange

twis

t in

the

Gos

pel,

Jesu

s co

mpa

res

wai

ting

for t

he c

omin

g re

ign

of G

od to

the

time

befo

re th

e fl o

od in

Gen

esis

, whe

n pe

ople

wer

e “e

atin

g an

d dr

inki

ng”

with

no

thou

ght t

o th

e co

min

g di

sast

er. T

his

is a

vu

lner

abili

ty m

any

com

mun

ities

toda

y kn

ow w

ell.

The

rem

inde

r of t

his

risk

is n

ot a

ple

asan

t tho

ught

. How

str

ange

that

Jesu

s w

ould

com

pare

so

met

hing

we

long

for –

the

com

ing

of th

e So

n of

Man

– to

som

ethi

ng

we

all t

ry to

avo

id –

the

deva

stat

ion

of a

nat

ural

dis

aste

r.

In th

e an

alog

y, Je

sus

rem

inds

us

of o

ur v

ulne

rabi

lity.

Just

as

we’

re re

ady

to s

epar

ate

the

wor

ld in

to u

s an

d th

em, t

he s

aved

and

the

dam

ned,

th

e ha

ves

and

the

have

-not

s –

Jesu

s re

min

ds u

s: W

e’re

all

poor

now

. Ye

t, tr

ue to

the

Gos

pel m

essa

ge, J

esus

turn

s th

at v

ulne

rabi

lity

on it

s he

ad w

ith a

pro

mis

e. T

he d

read

of a

peo

ple

wai

ting

for t

he n

ext fl

ood

to

com

e is

tran

sfor

med

into

the

hope

of a

peo

ple

save

d by

God

. The

vu

lner

abili

ty o

f our

sha

red

pove

rty

beco

mes

the

secu

rity

of o

ur s

hare

d fa

ith in

the

prom

ise

of G

od, d

escr

ibed

so

wel

l by

the

prop

het I

saia

h as

a

time

whe

n w

e w

ill “

wal

k in

the

light

of t

he L

ord”

(Isa

iah

2:5)

. Thi

s pr

omis

e co

mes

to li

ght a

s w

e ac

com

pany

nei

ghbo

rs in

the

mid

st o

f vu

lner

abili

ty, t

hrou

gh E

LCA

Wor

ld H

unge

r. Th

roug

h th

is s

igna

ture

m

inis

try

of th

e EL

CA

, Lut

hera

ns a

ckno

wle

dge

our s

hare

d po

vert

y w

hile

co

nfi d

ent t

hat t

he p

rom

ise

of G

od is

gre

ater

than

the

risk

we

face

and

th

at a

n en

d to

vul

nera

bilit

y is

not

onl

y po

ssib

le b

ut p

rom

ised

.

Wee

k 1:

A P

eopl

e of

Pro

mise

Wee

k 4

: God

in U

nexp

ecte

d Pl

aces

Thin

king

of f

amily

road

trip

s, T

hom

as la

men

ted

to h

is n

ew fr

iend

how

he

cou

ld n

ever

sle

ep in

a c

ar. T

he o

ther

boy

qui

etly

resp

onde

d, “

You

can

whe

n yo

u do

n’t h

ave

a ch

oice

.”

Man

y of

us

eage

rly

serv

e in

she

lters

, sou

p ki

tche

ns a

nd fo

od p

antr

ies,

lo

okin

g fo

rwar

d to

bri

ngin

g G

od to

the

lives

of t

he p

eopl

e w

e m

ight

m

eet.

Wha

t man

y of

us

are

not p

repa

red

for i

s th

e G

od th

at o

ther

s of

ten

brin

g to

us.

In th

e G

ospe

l les

son,

Jose

ph, r

aise

d on

sto

ries

of t

he H

ebre

w

Scri

ptur

es, d

id n

ot e

xpec

t to

fi nd

God

in th

e sc

anda

lous

pre

gnan

cy o

f hi

s so

on-t

o-be

-wife

, Mar

y. E

ven

Mar

y di

d no

t exp

ect t

his

(Luk

e 1:4

6-55

). Ye

t, G

od w

ho s

poke

on

mou

ntai

ntop

s an

d th

roug

h bu

rnin

g bu

shes

als

o ca

me

to a

n un

mar

ried

pre

gnan

t tee

nage

r. In

a d

ream

, Jos

eph

enco

unte

rs

a co

nfou

ndin

g tr

uth,

that

som

etim

es G

od is

reve

aled

in u

nexp

ecte

d w

ays

and

thro

ugh

unex

pect

ed p

eopl

e.

Dur

ing

that

wee

k w

ith M

ark,

Tho

mas

had

exp

ecte

d G

od to

sho

w u

p th

roug

h hi

mse

lf an

d to

reve

al h

ow g

ood

it fe

lt to

ser

ve o

ther

s. In

stea

d,

God

sho

wed

up

thro

ugh

Mar

k an

d hi

s fa

mily

and

reve

aled

to T

hom

as

and

the

rest

of t

he c

ongr

egat

ion

the

mor

e so

beri

ng tr

uth

of th

eir o

wn

priv

ilege

and

the

hars

h re

ality

of a

wor

ld in

whi

ch s

ome

have

so

muc

h an

d m

any

have

so

little

.

God

is re

veal

ed to

us

in o

ther

way

s, to

o –

in th

e ho

pe w

e ga

in

thro

ugh

stor

ies

of fa

mili

es fi

ndin

g st

able

hom

es a

nd in

the

impe

lling

di

ssat

isfa

ctio

n w

ith in

just

ice

and

ineq

uity

that

dri

ves

peop

le o

f fai

th

to w

ork

tirel

essl

y to

end

hun

ger,

pove

rty

and

hom

eles

snes

s. T

his

wor

k co

mes

to li

fe e

ach

day

thro

ugh

ELC

A W

orld

Hun

ger,

the

ELC

A’s

sign

atur

e re

spon

se to

hun

ger a

nd p

over

ty a

roun

d th

e w

orld

.

Som

etim

es G

od is

reve

aled

on

a m

ount

aint

op, w

ith fl

ashi

ng li

ghtn

ing

and

desc

endi

ng d

oves

. But

som

etim

es, G

od is

reve

aled

in a

n un

wed

, pr

egna

nt, t

eena

ge g

irl,

and

som

etim

es th

roug

h a

sand

y-ha

ired

10-y

ear-

old

boy

livin

g in

a b

eat-

up C

hevy

. As

we

wai

t for

the

birt

h of

Chr

ist o

n th

e ex

pect

ed C

hris

tmas

mor

ning

, we

keep

our

eye

s op

en fo

r the

pre

senc

e of

God

in o

ur m

idst

in th

e un

expe

cted

, too

.

Wee

k 4:

God

in U

nexp

ecte

d Pl

aces

Isai

ah 7

:10-

16M

atth

ew 1:

18-2

5

To s

ay th

at Jo

seph

mus

t hav

e be

en s

urpr

ised

whe

n hi

s fi a

ncée

“w

as

foun

d to

be

with

chi

ld”

is a

n un

ders

tate

men

t. An

ant

icip

ated

bab

y ca

n be

a

spec

ial t

hing

, but

for J

osep

h, M

ary’

s pr

egna

ncy

was

mor

e co

nfou

ndin

g th

an c

heer

ful.

In th

e m

idst

of h

is c

onfu

sion

, he

is v

isite

d by

an

ange

l in

a dr

eam

. The

mys

tery

of t

he s

oon-

to-a

rriv

e ba

by w

ould

n’t e

nd th

ere

for

Jose

ph, b

ut th

e m

essa

ge fr

om G

od w

as c

lear

: The

re is

som

ethi

ng s

peci

al

abou

t thi

s on

e. H

e w

ill n

ot b

e lik

e ot

her c

hild

ren.

Con

greg

atio

ns in

sou

thea

st M

ichi

gan

used

to h

ost a

rota

ting

hom

eles

s sh

elte

r for

wee

ks a

t a ti

me

in N

ovem

ber,

just

as

the

wea

ther

was

turn

ing

cold

. Dur

ing

thei

r wee

k of

hos

ting,

cot

s fi l

led

the

Sund

ay s

choo

l roo

ms.

Th

e na

rthe

x w

as tr

ansf

orm

ed in

to a

din

ing

room

and

gat

heri

ng s

pace

, an

d th

e offi

ce

beca

me

a sm

all m

edic

al c

linic

. As

gues

ts a

rriv

ed a

t one

co

ngre

gatio

n, T

hom

as d

rove

with

his

par

ents

to a

par

king

lot t

o pi

ck u

p a

fam

ily th

at w

as li

ving

in th

eir c

ar. T

hey

had

a so

n w

ho, l

ike

Thom

as,

was

onl

y 10

yea

rs o

ld, a

nd th

ey q

uick

ly d

isco

vere

d a

mut

ual i

nter

est

in c

omic

boo

ks a

nd fo

otba

ll. T

hrou

ghou

t the

wee

k, M

ark

and

Thom

as

play

ed g

ames

toge

ther

, wan

dere

d th

e ch

urch

, and

dev

elop

ed a

s m

uch

of a

fr

iend

ship

as

one

can

with

in s

uch

a sh

ort t

ime.

But f

or a

ll th

eir s

imila

ritie

s, M

ark

and

Thom

as w

ere

very

diff

eren

t boy

s.

They

bot

h lo

ved

com

ics,

but

Mar

k ha

d ne

ver o

wne

d on

e. T

hey

both

love

d fo

otba

ll, b

ut o

nly

Thom

as h

ad e

ver s

een

it on

a b

ig s

cree

n te

levi

sion

. A

mot

el to

one

boy

was

a s

tran

ge, n

ew p

lace

to re

turn

eac

h ni

ght a

fter

a

fun-

fi lle

d va

catio

n da

y. A

mot

el to

the

othe

r was

a s

tran

ge, n

ew p

lace

to

go

on th

ose

rare

occ

asio

ns w

hen

his

pare

nts

coul

d aff

ord

a ro

om.

Refl

ecti

on q

uest

ions

:

1)W

hat d

oes i

t mea

n to

be

vuln

erab

le?

2)W

hen

have

you

exp

erie

nced

vul

nera

bilit

y? H

ow h

asyo

ur fa

ith st

reng

then

ed y

ou in

tim

es o

f vul

nera

bilit

y?

3)In

wha

t way

s doe

s our

con

greg

atio

n ac

com

pany

peop

le in

the

mid

st o

f the

ir m

ater

ial v

ulne

rabi

lity?

Thei

r soc

ial v

ulne

rabi

lity?

The

ir sp

iritu

al v

ulne

rabi

lity?

4)W

hat d

oes i

t mea

n fo

r our

con

greg

atio

n to

be

peop

leof

pro

mise

at a

tim

e w

hen

“we’r

e al

l poo

r now

”?

Pray

er

Savi

ng G

od, w

ho b

ecam

e hu

man

and

took

on

our

vuln

erab

ility,

be w

ith u

s in

our p

over

ty a

nd o

pen

our

eyes

to se

e th

e hu

nger

and

pov

erty

of o

ne a

noth

er.

Stre

ngth

en o

ur fa

ith to

be

peop

le o

f pro

mise

in a

ll of

ou

r min

istrie

s. Us

e ou

r han

ds, f

eet a

nd w

ords

to m

ake

hope

visi

ble

in a

wor

ld w

here

all

are

vuln

erab

le. I

n th

e na

me

of y

our s

on, J

esus

Chr

ist, A

men

.

Hym

n su

gges

tion

s

Har

k, th

e G

lad

Soun

d! E

LW 2

39Lo

st in

the

Nig

ht E

LW 2

43Co

me,

Tho

u Lo

ng-E

xpec

ted

Jesu

s EL

W 2

54Co

mfo

rt, C

omfo

rt N

ow M

y Pe

ople

ELW

256

Wee

k 1:

A P

eopl

e of

Pro

mise

Wee

k 2:

Bea

ring

Frui

t

Isai

ah 11

:1-1

0M

atth

ew 3

:1-1

2

“Bea

r fru

it w

orth

y of

repe

ntan

ce”

(Mat

thew

3:8

). Th

is e

mph

asis

on

mer

it or

wor

thin

ess

rais

es a

bit

of a

que

stio

n fo

r Lut

hera

ns, w

ho

belie

ve th

at g

race

and

sal

vatio

n co

me

from

God

unm

erite

d, th

at w

e ca

n ne

ver b

e “w

orth

y” o

n ou

r ow

n of

all

God

has

to o

ff er i

n C

hris

t. Bu

t the

G

reek

wor

d tr

ansl

ated

as

“wor

thy”

her

e ca

n ha

ve o

ther

mea

ning

s. F

or

exam

ple,

it c

an m

ean

“befi

t,” s

o th

at g

ood

frui

t is

seen

as

born

e by

one

w

ho h

as re

pent

ed a

nd b

een

mov

ed b

y gr

ace.

Whe

n w

e ha

ve e

xper

ienc

ed

God

’s g

race

, we

see

life

as g

ift a

nd in

turn

, wan

t to

shar

e ou

r gift

s w

ith

othe

rs. F

ruit

is n

ot th

e ca

use

of re

conc

iliat

ion;

it is

the

resu

lt.

John

the

Bapt

ist c

lear

ly c

omm

unic

ates

that

wha

teve

r fru

it th

e Ph

aris

ees

and

Sadd

ucee

s ar

e be

arin

g, it

isn’

t wor

th h

arve

stin

g. L

ater

in th

e G

ospe

l of

Mat

thew

, Jes

us d

escr

ibes

this

“ba

d fr

uit”

of t

he P

hari

sees

: “Th

ey ti

e up

hea

vy b

urde

ns, h

ard

to b

ear,

and

lay

them

on

the

shou

lder

s of

oth

ers

… th

ey lo

ve to

hav

e th

e pl

ace

of h

onor

at b

anqu

ets

… [t

hey]

lock

peo

ple

out o

f the

kin

gdom

of h

eave

n …

[the

y m

ake]

gol

d sa

cred

… [t

hey]

hav

e ne

glec

ted

the

wei

ghtie

r mat

ters

of t

he la

w: j

ustic

e an

d m

ercy

and

faith

” an

d so

on

(23:

4-23

). In

nea

rly

all t

he “

woe

s” Je

sus

ascr

ibes

to t

hem

, the

ce

ntra

l pro

blem

is th

at th

ey h

ave

tend

ed th

eir f

ruit

for s

how

and

not

fo

r the

goo

d of

thei

r nei

ghbo

rs.

Wee

k 3

: Be

arin

g Fr

uit

Refl

ecti

on q

uest

ions

1)H

ow d

o w

e ex

perie

nce

God’

s gra

ciou

snes

s thr

ough

the

natu

ral w

orld

? How

mig

ht a

vie

w o

f cre

atio

n as

“gift

” sha

pe o

ur a

ctio

ns to

day?

2)W

hat c

an fa

rmin

g an

d ag

ricul

ture

reve

al a

bout

God’

s gra

ce, G

od’s

wor

k in

the

wor

ld, a

ndhu

man

ity’s

rela

tions

hip

to th

e en

viro

nmen

t?

3)H

ow m

ight

our

con

greg

atio

n re

mai

n at

tent

ive

toth

e en

viro

nmen

t and

nat

ure,

eve

n du

ring

cold

,w

inte

r mon

ths?

Pray

er

Grac

ious

God

, eve

n in

win

ter,

your

love

is a

t wor

k pr

eser

ving

, pro

tect

ing

and

tend

ing

your

cre

atio

n.

Forg

ive

us fo

r the

way

s in

whi

ch w

e ha

ve n

egle

cted

ou

r res

pons

ibilit

ies a

s ste

war

ds o

f cre

atio

n. L

ead

us to

aw

aren

ess a

nd c

once

rn fo

r the

env

ironm

ent

in w

hich

you

hav

e m

ade

us, a

nd fo

r our

nei

ghbo

rs

calle

d to

wor

k w

ith th

e la

nd –

for f

arm

ers a

nd fi

eld

hand

s, ga

rden

ers a

nd g

row

ers.

We

give

you

than

ks

for t

he b

ount

y w

e en

joy

toda

y, an

d w

e lo

ok w

ith

long

ing

tow

ard

the

frui

tful

sprin

g to

com

e. A

men

.

Hym

n su

gges

tion

s

Peop

le, L

ook

East

ELW

248

Com

fort

, Com

fort

Now

My

Peop

le E

LW 2

56O

n Jo

rdan

’s B

ank

the

Bapt

ist’s

Cry

ELW

249

All E

arth

Is H

opef

ul E

LW 2

66

as a

trea

cher

ous

terr

ain

of c

halle

nges

to b

e na

viga

ted

but r

athe

r as

a bo

untif

ul g

arde

n, w

hich

we

are

calle

d to

tend

. The

thin

gs w

e he

ar a

nd

see

don’

t hig

hlig

ht a

pro

blem

we

mus

t sol

ve; r

athe

r, th

ey re

min

d us

of a

vo

catio

n to

whi

ch w

e ar

e ca

lled

and

the

plac

e w

e ha

ve b

een

set t

o do

so.

At it

s ro

ot, t

his

voca

tion

is a

col

labo

rativ

e pa

rtne

rshi

p in

whi

ch w

e co

me

to s

ee th

e pr

esen

ce o

f God

in, t

hrou

gh, a

roun

d an

d w

ith u

s –

enri

chin

g ou

r lab

ors

and

shap

ing

our w

orld

. Mar

tin L

uthe

r wri

tes,

“G

od

is e

ntir

ely

pres

ent,

pers

onal

ly a

nd e

ssen

tially

, in

Chr

ist o

n ea

rth

in h

is

mot

her’s

wom

b, in

the

crib

, in

the

tem

ple,

in th

e w

ilder

ness

, in

citie

s,

in h

ouse

s, in

the

gard

en, a

nd in

the

fi eld

.” T

he c

all t

o ca

re fo

r cre

atio

n is

the

call

to d

raw

nea

r to

the

pres

ence

of G

od in

the

wor

ld a

roun

d us

, in

the

rest

ored

rela

tions

hips

bet

wee

n us

and

our

nei

ghbo

rs, a

nd in

the

life-

givi

ng re

latio

nshi

p be

twee

n hu

man

s an

d th

e la

nd.

Thro

ugh

ELC

A W

orld

Hun

ger,

our c

hurc

h is

acc

ompa

nyin

g ou

r ne

ighb

ors

as w

e le

arn

toge

ther

wha

t it m

eans

to b

e st

ewar

ds o

f God

’s

good

cre

atio

n. In

Ban

glad

esh

and

Mal

awi,

whe

re w

ater

leve

ls a

re

drop

ping

at a

larm

ing

rate

s, E

LCA

Wor

ld H

unge

r and

loca

l par

tner

s ar

e he

lpin

g sm

all f

arm

ers

culti

vate

dro

ught

-tol

eran

t ric

e th

at re

quir

es 3

0 pe

rcen

t les

s w

ater

to g

row

. In

Nic

arag

ua, o

ne o

f the

cou

ntri

es h

arde

st

hit b

y cl

imat

e ch

ange

, ELC

A W

orld

Hun

ger a

nd th

e Lu

ther

an C

hurc

h of

Fai

th a

nd H

ope

in N

icar

agua

are

hel

ping

fam

ilies

lear

n ne

w w

ays

to

grow

and

irri

gate

cro

ps, a

s w

ell a

s pr

actic

es to

pro

tect

them

selv

es fr

om

natu

ral d

isas

ters

.

Goo

d ne

ws

for c

reat

ion

is g

ood

new

s fo

r peo

ple

in p

over

ty, w

ho a

re

part

icul

arly

vul

nera

ble

to th

e w

orst

eff e

cts

of c

limat

e ch

ange

. God

’s

prom

ise,

as

Isai

ah m

akes

cle

ar, i

s fo

r rec

onci

liatio

n of

all

of c

reat

ion,

of

a ti

me

whe

n “t

he d

eser

t sha

ll re

joic

e an

d bl

osso

m”

(Isa

iah

35:1-

2)

and

whe

n “w

ater

s sh

all b

reak

fort

h in

the

wild

erne

ss a

nd s

trea

ms

in

the

dese

rt”

(Isa

iah.

35:

6). T

hrou

gh E

LCA

Wor

ld H

unge

r, th

is c

hurc

h is

he

lpin

g m

ake

this

tran

sfor

mat

ion

visi

ble

in c

omm

uniti

es li

ke E

unic

e’s,

w

here

“th

e bu

rnin

g sa

nd”

can

ofte

n m

ean

hung

er a

nd h

ards

hip.

Wee

k 3

: Be

arin

g Fr

uit

If th

at is

wha

t bad

frui

t is,

wha

t is

good

frui

t tha

t “be

fi ts”

repe

ntan

ce?

We

get a

hin

t fro

m Is

aiah

, who

m Jo

hn th

e Ba

ptis

t quo

tes.

The

Old

Te

stam

ent p

roph

et d

escr

ibes

“a

shoo

t fro

m th

e st

ump

of Je

sse”

on

who

m “

the

Spir

it of

the

Lord

sha

ll re

st”

(Isa

iah

11:1-

2): “

with

ri

ghte

ousn

ess

he s

hall

judg

e th

e po

or, a

nd d

ecid

e w

ith e

quity

for t

he

mee

k of

the

eart

h” (1

1:4).

Thro

ugh

him

, will

com

e a

peac

e so

com

plet

e th

at “

the

wol

f sha

ll liv

e w

ith th

e la

mb”

(11:6

). W

hat k

ind

of fr

uit i

s pr

oduc

ed b

y th

ose

reco

ncile

d to

suc

h a

One

?

By g

race

we

are

set f

ree

from

the

“hea

vy b

urde

ns”

of th

e la

w. M

artin

Lu

ther

, tho

ugh,

mak

es c

lear

that

this

free

dom

has

a p

urpo

se a

nd

that

pur

pose

is fo

und

in th

e w

ell-b

eing

of t

he n

eigh

bor.

Our

“fr

uit”

is

suc

cule

nt a

nd s

wee

t, no

uris

hing

thos

e G

od b

ring

s to

our

orc

hard

. “T

his

dem

onst

rate

s th

at w

e ar

e ch

ildre

n of

God

,” h

e w

rite

s, “

cari

ng

and

wor

king

for t

he w

ell-b

eing

of o

ther

s an

d fu

lfi lli

ng th

e la

w o

f Chr

ist

by b

eari

ng o

ne a

noth

er’s

bur

dens

.” T

he fr

uit t

hat “

befi t

s re

pent

ance

” is

fr

uit t

hat g

row

s as

gift

– te

nded

by

God

’s g

race

– a

nd th

at is

har

vest

ed

as g

ift –

off e

red

for t

he g

ood

of th

e ne

ighb

or. W

hen

we

supp

ort E

LCA

Wor

ld H

unge

r thr

ough

gift

s of

tim

e, ta

lent

and

fi na

nces

, we

join

ne

ighb

ors

arou

nd th

e w

orld

and

acr

oss

the

U.S

. bea

ring

goo

d fr

uit.

Wee

k 2:

Bea

ring

Frui

t

Refl

ecti

on q

uest

ions

:

1) W

hat d

oes i

t mea

n to

be

reco

ncile

d to

God

? To

our

nei

ghbo

r?

2) W

here

do

we

see

good

frui

t bei

ng b

orne

in

our c

ongr

egat

ion?

3) A

dven

t is a

seas

on o

f hop

eful

long

ing

for t

he c

omin

g of

Chr

ist. H

ow d

oes t

his c

hurc

h re

spon

d to

the

othe

r “ho

pefu

l lon

ging

s” w

ithin

our

com

mun

ity –

for

peac

e, ju

stic

e an

d w

elln

ess?

Pray

er

Grac

ious

God

, thr

ough

who

m a

ll cr

eatio

n bl

oom

s, re

min

d us

, as w

e aw

ait t

he b

irth

of C

hrist

, of t

he

expe

ctan

t lon

ging

of o

ur w

orld

for y

our g

ood

frui

t. Te

nd u

s and

form

us t

o be

a c

hurc

h w

hose

frui

t be

fi ts y

our g

ift o

f rec

onci

liatio

n, p

eace

and

just

ice.

In

your

gra

ciou

s nam

e w

e pr

ay, A

men

.

Hym

n su

gges

tion

s

Har

k! A

Thr

illin

g Vo

ice

Is S

ound

ing

ELW

246

On

Jord

an’s

Ban

k th

e Ba

ptis

t’s C

ry E

LW 2

49Bl

esse

d Be

the

God

of I

srae

l ELW

250

Wee

k 2:

Bea

ring

Frui

t

Wee

k 3:

Hea

ling

of th

e W

hole

Wor

ld

Isai

ah 3

5:1-

10M

atth

ew 11

:2-1

1

Euni

ce is

a s

ubsi

sten

ce fa

rmer

in a

sm

all t

own

in S

outh

Afr

ica.

With

out

othe

r mea

ns o

f em

ploy

men

t, Eu

nice

is d

epen

dent

on

the

natu

ral

envi

ronm

ent a

roun

d he

r. Sh

e m

ay n

ot k

now

soi

l sci

ence

, but

she

doe

s kn

ow th

at th

e on

ce fe

rtile

soi

l tha

t pro

duce

d bo

untif

ul c

rops

is n

ow

bone

dry

. “Th

e gr

ound

,” s

he s

ays,

“us

ed to

be

soft

and

eas

y to

dig

by

hand

; wat

er w

as fr

eely

ava

ilabl

e ju

st u

nder

the

surf

ace

and

food

was

pl

entif

ul. B

ut n

ow th

e la

nd is

dry

and

har

d an

d th

ere

is n

o w

ater

und

er

the

surf

ace;

eve

n ou

r sm

all l

ake

has

drie

d up

.” S

he h

as a

lso

notic

ed

that

the

rain

s ha

ve b

ecom

e m

ore

erra

tic. T

hey

are

less

freq

uent

, but

w

hen

they

do

com

e, th

e ra

in is

so

hard

that

thei

r fi e

lds

fl ood

, was

hing

aw

ay v

alua

ble

crop

s an

d se

eds.

And

Eun

ice

is n

ot a

lone

. In

wes

tern

U

gand

a, fo

r exa

mpl

e, fa

rmer

s fi n

d th

emse

lves

in th

e sa

me

clim

ate

situ

atio

n, u

nabl

e to

gro

w c

assa

va, b

anan

as o

r soy

bea

ns. I

n re

cent

yea

rs,

Nic

arag

ua h

as fa

ced

the

wor

st d

roug

ht it

has

see

n in

mor

e th

an fo

ur

deca

des,

cau

sing

ext

rem

ely

high

rate

s of

hun

ger.

In S

crip

ture

, we

hear

God

’s in

vita

tion

to e

njoy

the

frui

ts o

f cre

atio

n.

We

hear

God

’s c

all t

o be

tend

ers

of th

e ga

rden

. And

, with

Pau

l, w

e he

ar

crea

tion

“gro

anin

g,”

“lon

ging

for t

he re

veal

ing

of th

e ch

ildre

n of

God

” (R

oman

s 8:

19-2

3). B

ut w

e al

so h

ear t

he p

rom

ise

of o

ur C

reat

or w

hose

cr

eatio

n is

a g

ift, a

nd th

is is

our

sta

rtin

g po

int.

We

do n

ot s

ee th

e w

orld