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May 30-June 6, 2007

Homeless wanderer becomes
homeroom hero

Warm-up Question:

What sort of support do you receive daily from people and organizations around you? What would life be like without this support?

 

D.J. Graffree was no stranger to hard times. The eleven-year-old lived on the streets in Mississippi where he once slept in a trash bin to stay warm. He has lived with little to no supervision. He had to steal to eat and was even whipped with chains. His mother would be in jail when D.J. was sent to live with relatives in Decatur, Alabama.

At first his adult-like ways unsettled people, but D.J. was forced to grow up fast and his sufferings had caused him to have an adult demeanor. His experiences made it difficult for him to fit in with peers. He was rebellious with authorities and distrusted adults. He had been kicked out of the Mississippi school system and administrators and officials in his new school in Decatur were not sure how things would work out.

Things have worked out just fine. Two weeks ago D.J. Graffree was named Decatur City School’s Elementary Student of the Year.

With the support of his guardian and teachers, D.J began to be affirmed and noticed for the positive things he was doing in the classroom. Beginning with small things like raising his hand when he wished to speak, he eventually used his maturity to become a leader. He began tutoring kindergarten students and won an anti-smoking poster contest.

These kinds of successes do not happen as often as teachers and principals would enjoy, but even one story of hope and change is enough to encourage a whole community.
 

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, June 3, 2007.
(Text links are to oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection
How many of you boast in your sufferings? I mean really stand up and say, “I am so glad today was awful!” It is strange to imagine boasting in the very things it seems we are meant to avoid, suffering in this life. Yet Paul says he boasts in the hardships he has endured, and trust me, these are plenty (read 2 Corinthians 11:22-33).

Why boast in hard times? Why celebrate hardship?

Paul writes that “since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2) He speaks first of boasting in hope. He boasts that we have a hope that we share through what Jesus has done through the cross and empty tomb—access to the great grace of God. But where do we see this hope?

Paul continues, “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) Paul recognizes that hope comes not just out of good times but also through suffering that we see in ourselves and those around us.

Jesus’ gift comes through great suffering. He endures an unjust death on the cross and through this we are given hope. Perhaps this is a model in which we too must live to understand: suffering can and does produce hope. Just as D.J.’s story was so remarkable in light of his own suffering, it is all the more remarkable in the way it could teach him about his own strength and the strength of those who surround him. It would teach him how in enduring a harsh life this could build character in him, a way of living and seeing the world that could benefit those around him. He could become a sign of hope to those who may experience the same.

Our own suffering is something that teaches us about ourselves and our ability to survive. God does not cause this suffering, but as it is certain that God’s ability can transform a cross into an empty tomb, the good news can transform our own suffering into a sign of hope. Consider how your suffering can become a sign of hope for those around you; a light of good news in a person’s dark life. Consider how you may be a sign of resurrection to a cross-weary world.

Yes, boast in your suffering, for in it we may see hope.

Quotes

  • You don't have to suffer to be a poet; adolescence is enough
    suffering for anyone.
    John Ciardi (1916-1986)
     
  • Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering—and it's all over
    much too soon.
    Woody Allen (1935- )
     
  • Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the
    overcoming of it.
    Helen Keller (1880-1968)
     
  • Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers.
    Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
     
  • You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase: make use of suffering.
    Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Discussion Questions

  1. Think of a time that was very difficult for you. Who were people who helped you through this experience? What did they do to help?
  2. Remembering what it is you have had to overcome, what is it you have learned from the experience? What positive things did this teach you about yourself and those around you?
  3. Having learned what you have, how has this shaped you into the kind of person you have become? What has this experience taught you about yourself?
  4. And a hard question: Given what you have learned, would you go through this again? Would you be willing to suffer again with someone else who is going through the same type of things you have experienced?

Activity Suggestions

  • Suffering Speaker:
    My guess is that every church has members who have undergone a trauma that is known by many (i.e., surviving a natural disaster, suffering the loss of a family member, recovery from substance abuse, surviving cancer, experiencing war, being imprisoned, living with a life-threatening illness, etc.) Invite this member to the class as an opportunity to share and witness to the ways they learned and lived through the experience. Ask them to tell what this experience taught them about life and faith. Give students time to ask questions, but let the speaker know that they only need respond as they are comfortable. Pray together for the guest speaker and for one another at the conclusion of your time together.
     
  • Transformation to Resurrection:
    In the discussion above, people may have shared ways in which they have suffered and what they learned from the experience. This would be a terrific time to teach how we take our experiences and transform them into ministry. If one student is comfortable sharing what it is they suffered, consider together as a class how this may be used to help others. How could someone who suffered an eating disorder help others? How does someone who has lived with abuse support others who may deal with the same? How does suffering through a learning disorder lead us to recognize and support others who may wrestle with this issue? Consider what excitement it may bring to your group to transform this death into resurrected hope and consider this a ministry of your study group.
     
  • Become Peer Ministers
    Consider training your youth in peer ministry skills so that they are further equipped to care for and support each other and others around them at home, school, and in the community. The National Peer Ministry Training Center has both training and resources available for congregations and synods. http://www.peerministry.org/

 

  Closing Prayer
Jesus, you are our hope. Through your suffering, death, and resurrection we have hope for our whole world. Teach us to learn from our own suffering knowing that you can work in us to transform this into hope for our community. Help others see your resurrection in us. We pray this in your name. Amen

 

Contributed by Pastor Jay Gamelin
University Lutheran Chapel
Columbus, OH
 

Permission to reproduce for local use. Copyright © 2007 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. ELCA Youth Ministries. 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2447. To offer your comments or responses to Faith Lens, e-mail:  rod.boriack@elca.org.

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