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July 25-August 1, 2007

Elders take on world’s toughest problems

Warm-up Question:

What is the big change in the world that you are praying for–waiting for?

  

Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday this past week in South Africa by joining with other Nobel peace laureates, politicians, religious leaders, and development experts to form a "council of elders" dedicated to fostering peace and resolving global crises. The Elders are a group of leaders that will contribute their wisdom, independent leadership, and integrity to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems.

The current members are Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, *Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson, and Muhammad Yunus. Elders cannot currently be holding public office, and if they are, they must step down or resign their elected or appointed public office.

The Elders “will support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair,” Mandela said. Desmond Tutu has commented that “Despite all the ghastliness that is around, human beings are made for goodness. The ones who ought to be held in high regard are not the ones who are militarily powerful, nor even economically prosperous. They are the ones who have a commitment to try and make the world a better place. We–The Elders–will endeavor to support those people and do our best for humanity.”

While working independently, The Elders will work to complement, not duplicate or compete with the efforts of other organizations. They will seek opportunities to partner with established groups in ways that help shine a light on work already being done or to assist in bringing the group’s efforts to another level.

The new humanitarian alliance, called The Elders, was an idea of British entrepreneur Richard Branson (responsible for the Virgin Megastores, Virgin Airways, and Virgin Records) and musician Peter Gabriel. Branson helped raise the money necessary for the council of elders to work over the next three years. Funding for The Elders will come from independent sources and not from political or government sources.

The Elders have not begun their work yet, but they do have a Web site at http://www.theelders.org/. Information on each of the Elders can be found there. You are also invited to send comments and suggestions to The Elders through the Web site. 
 

*Desmond Tutu was speaker at the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering.

 

Discussion Questions

  1. What do you think about The Elders?
  2. The selection of Elders was very intentional. Why do you think it’s important to have a mix of former political leaders, a religious leader, banker, and other who have been involved in world issues on the council? What unique gifts, experiences, qualities, and perspectives do they bring?
  3. The problems of war, poverty, and illness in the world have been with us for a very long time. We’ve prayed and worked for solutions for a very long time. Do you think The Elders will make a difference after all these years? What will the public expectations be for them?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, July 29, 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.)

Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 138
Colossians 2:6-15, 16-19
Luke 11:1-13
 

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

Gospel Reflection
What’s one of the first things you notice about Luke chapter 11? The words to what we call The Lord’s Prayer—at least part of it. Similar words for the prayer are found in Matthew 9-13. It would be easy to stop with the first four verses of Luke 11 and say that’s what this text is all about. But wait, there’s more!

Verses 5-13 wander a bit, but there are a couple of important, interesting things here for us to ponder when it comes to life and prayer.

Perseverance—sticking with it and patience—is one of those things to ponder. We live in a culture in which we can get things instantly or very quickly. Things get fixed and we never have to get our hands dirty. We expect it. We’re used to it. Most of us have to confess—we like it. Patience is not expected, but immediate fulfillment of our order is. When we don’t get something as quickly as we expect we move on to someone who can give it to us. In general, we have very little perseverance or patience when it comes to what we want to buy, get, or solve.

When it comes to prayer and our expectations of God, it’s tempting to want answers and “order fulfillment” just as fast and easily. We’ve prayed for the end of hunger and poverty, so why are they still some of the world’s toughest problems? God must know the pain of those who suffer with AIDS and hear a zillion prayers for healing, but there’s still no cure or vaccine. We pray for God to patch up things with a friend we’ve been fighting with, and things are still tense. God, are you listening?

Perseverance is an exercise in faith. We know that God loves us, cares for us, and is fair and generous with us. It’s a promise we’re asked to trust and have faith in even if we don’t understand it. And at the same time, we’re not to just sit still waiting for things to fall into our lap or happen magically. To his disciples, Jesus says pray, ask, search, knock and make some noise, and don’t give up.

God’s answers and responses to our prayers—including the Lord’s Prayer we've memorized —may go beyond our wildest dreams or beyond what we can possibly imagine. The answers may never come in our lifetime and may cross generations—answers we’ll never witness. And the answer may be, “So, I’ve already given you life and good gifts. What will you do now?”

Discussion Questions

  1. Is there something you’re impatient with God about but that you keep praying for? If you’re comfortable in doing so, describe what it is. What are you impatient with yourself about?
  2. Thinking back to the news story about The Elders, the work they have been called to is probably what each of them has always done or been concerned about in some way, to “support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair.” In some ways, it’s nothing amazingly new or earth-shattering, but it’s still incredibly important to continue. What are the qualities of your life right now; including the simplest ones? What does your life say about what you believe in?
  3. Even if you are never chosen to be among The Elders or never become as wealthy and influential as Richard Branson, you are still called to pray, ask, search, knock and make some noise, and don’t give up. You are called to live. How do the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus make this possible? (We always talk about this in church, but it may not be that easy to describe or talk about. Feel free to fumble around the discussion!)

Activity Suggestions

  • Kingdom qualities
    Early in The Lord’s Prayer it refers to the coming of God’s kingdom. Make a list of what you believe are the qualities of God’s kingdom. What are people and communities like in the kingdom of God? List many as you can think of.
    • Looking at all the qualities on the list, which one or two are particularly important to you and guide your life, actions, and decisions in some way?
    • How can we work with each other and support each other in these things—as individuals, a congregation, and a larger community?
       
  • Speak to The Elders
    Log onto The Elders Global Village page at http://www.theelders.org/village/ and email your ideas to The Elders. Let them know what you are praying for… what you are living for.
     

  Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the good gifts you give us. Guide us with your Spirit to be generous with others and to take the risks of living life in ways that give attention to healing, justice, forgiveness, service, love and peace, knowing that these are the things of your kingdom that you desire for all people. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who also taught us to pray… (Pray together The Lord’s Prayer in the version and language you are familiar with.) Amen
 

Contributed by Rod G. Boriack
Chicago, IL

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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