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June 6-13, 2007

Unique in her own way

Warm-up Question:

What makes you unique?

  

Do you know Kim Goodman? From Chicago, Illinois? She is one of a kind; a medical miracle; someone who is unique. There is only one pair of eyes like hers in the entire world. Absolutely amazing! Kim Goodman… her name still doesn't ring a bell?

Well, here is the solution to the riddle. Kim Goodman can pop her eyeballs to a protrusion of 11 mm (0.43 inches) beyond her eye sockets. This is a world record according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Her eyes were officially measured on the set of a television show that aired on June 13, 1998.

Kim is one of many people who are unique in their own way and have shown that uniqueness in front of an audience. The longest ear hair, about 2 inches, was measured on a man from India who proudly displays them on a picture of the Guinness World Record Web site. The longest leg hair was measured at about 4 inches on the left leg of an Australian. And if you wanted to know who can cut the most meat slices in an hour, do the most push-ups, or gave the most blood, you can check the book or the Web site as well.

The Web site receives hundreds of new world record attempts every week. They have strict rules about what is considered unique and what is not. Only a few people make it into the Guinness Book of World Records—most don't—but wanting to be one of a kind, wanting to be unique, that is something that most people aspire to be.

Guinness Book of World Records (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com)  

Kim Goodman’s popping eyeballs: www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/human_body/extreme_bodies/furthest_eyeball_popper.aspx

 

Discussion Questions

  1. What is the most amazing performance you have ever seen?
  2. What is a skill that you admire in others and that you would like to have?
  3. Is there anything that makes you unique that others admire in you? What is it?
  4. Why do you think people have the need to be unique and one-of-a-kind?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, June 10, 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.)

1 Kings 17:17-24
Psalm 30
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17

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

Gospel Reflection
“Jesus cares for people, especially the underprivileged.”

“Jesus forgives sins.”

“Jesus provides justification.”

“Jesus makes alive.”

Four statements of faith that describe what we believe about God’s son. Four characteristics that make Jesus unique to those who proclaim to be Christian. Four big sentences. All four characteristics of Jesus are discussed in today’s Gospel lesson. Here, they are more than abstract statements of faith; they become alive in a story.

In the beginning of his ministry, when Jesus was out and about showing himself as the Lord and teaching the people, he saw a funeral procession just outside of a city. Quickly, he realized that the young man who had died was the only son of a widow. The text does not tell us what the woman felt right at that second. She must have cried, because Jesus told her to stop weeping. We know from other sources about ancient Israel that the widow must have been at the lowest point in her life. Her child, her only son, had died. That was bad enough, but with the loss of him she also lost her provider for old age. Sons were supposed to care for their aging parents because daughters married and became part of their husband’s family. What should she do from now on? How could she even take care of her basic needs without a husband and without a son left? In addition to that, early death was often seen as a sign that one had sinned. And if the person who had died was young, as was the case here, people suspected that the parents had sinned.

“What had she done to deserve this,” the widow must have asked herself. And there was probably more than one person at that funeral procession who asked the same question. What horrible sin had this woman committed so that she would lose both her husband and her son?

Then, everything happened really fast. Jesus did not pity the dead young man. He felt sorry for the young man’s surviving mother whose future was cut off. So, he approached the casket, touched it, addressed the dead youth, and made him come alive. The youth sat up in the casket and began to talk. The widow had her son back! She would once again be taken care off now and in her old age. If she had committed any sins, they were forgiven at that moment. And in the eyes of the people, she was justified—no longer guilty. Jesus had accomplished all of this.

At the time, people expected the prophets of old to mysteriously return. They expected the end times to come when everything would be turned up side down. The great prophecies of the Jewish scriptures (that we now call the Old Testament) would come true, they thought. God would show himself. The dead would rise. The mighty would lose their power and the lowly would rejoice. Nothing would be the same. So, the people who witnessed this death and resurrection event thought that what Jesus had done was the beginning of the long-awaited end times. They spread the news about Jesus and his miracle everywhere. They thought that he was a prophet and that God had visited his people through him.

With the passing of 2,000 years, we know that the end times did not come then. We can’t predict when they will start. We also know that Jesus was not one of the old prophets that had returned. He was not even a simple prophet, but in reality God’s son. While prophets might have a very close connection to God and transmit divine messages, Jesus was God’s own flesh and blood. He was unique. In that sense, the onlookers were right. When Jesus took care of he widow and made her son come alive, God had indeed visited God’s people.

Discussion Questions

  1. Can you find more statements of faith such as the four listed in the beginning of the Gospel Reflection that describe who you believe Jesus is? What makes Jesus unique to you?
  2. Does being unique mean that a person is the only one who has a certain talent or ability? How do you define uniqueness?
  3. Why might people have had an easier time believing in Jesus back then when they personally witnessed his miracles? How does faith develop now, when we can no longer see Jesus as he heals people and raises the dead to new life? What causes us to believe in what we can’t see or touch?

Activity Suggestions

1.a) Raising the dead in Luke
Have Bibles or printouts of Luke 8:40-56 and Luke 7:11-17 ready. Ask participants (either individually or in small groups) to compare and contrast the two stories. What are similarities? What are differences?

1.b) What about today?
Be aware that this question is difficult to answer and might also raise some pastoral care issues. It might come up anyway, but you might also want to bring it up. If you are open and comfortable with leading a discussion that doesn’t provide definite answers, ask your group:

“If Jesus could raise the dead in order to help a poor widow, why does this not happen today? People are still dying young. People still suffer innocently. Why doesn’t God intervene?”

2. Is Jesus a prophet from of old?
Read Mark 6:7-16 and Matthew 17:1-13. In both texts, the people are confused about Jesus and his identity. Is he (like) Moses or Elijah? Is he John the Baptist? How do these texts answer the question of who Jesus is? Why didn’t people know exactly who Jesus was? Why are we sometimes unclear?

3. Sad widows and raised youth everywhere
Have Bibles or printouts of the following texts ready: Luke 7:11-17, 1 Kings 17:17-24, and 2 Kings 4:32-37. Compare and contrast the three stories:

  • What do we learn about the circumstances of the death?
  • What does the “healer” do in order to raise the young person from the dead?
  • What is the reaction of the young person and the mother or the witnesses to the event?

Was Jesus just a copy-cat? How do we deal with texts like these in which Jesus performs the same action as another person before him? Does that make him less unique?
 

  Closing Prayer
Almighty God, today, we heard of wonderful acts that were performed in your name or by your very own son, Jesus Christ. You are strong and powerful, God, and we praise you for the miracles that you do. We also ask you to help us become aware of your actions in our lives. They may be small. They may be less spectacular. And we might overlook them. So, help us to see you, almighty God, wherever you are: in the wonder of nature, in the face of another person, in the love that is given to us by others, and in the actions of our own hands as we try to live a godly life in your name. Amen
 

Contributed by Pastor Claudia Bergmann
Eisleben, Germany
 

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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