Prayer: Let us be the change in our communities by being generous, inclusive, compassionate, forgiving and doing your justice. Amen.
Reading: Romans 12: 2 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Our family loves Batman. To be more specific, my husand and the kids love Batman; I come along for the ride and help with Batman-related craft projects. If the craft projects can include Lego-Batman, so much the better. A couple of summers ago when my husband had Lyme’s disease, we found out that for the next few years, he might be immune to Lyme’s because of a single bite from a tic. (I suspect that tic was radioactive. It’s how all superheroes get their powers, isn’t it?) It turns out the summer theme at Camp Mount Luther this summer was super-hero related. Borrowing from the Marvel Agents of SHIELD, Camp Mount Luther taught us about being Agents of CHANGE. The themes for each day were Generosity, Inclusion, Compassion, Justice, and Forgiveness. I feel pretty sure that each of these themes should have its own superhero character. I mean, can’t you just see Captain Compassion standing in the breeze with his hands on his hips, gazing into the setting sun with a sparkling smile on his face? Or Generosity-Girl with her utility belt of ways to help others and fabulous boots to get her where help is needed? Or Inclusion-Man with arms that are wide enough to include everyone. The possibilities are limitless. But unlike the superheroes that we’ve read about for years, the superheroes that we learned about this summer were the kind that all of us can be. I wonder what we could learn from Justice-Cat or the Forgiveness Twins. I wonder how our congregations could transform our community by bringing these ideas there. The thing about this theme is, it’s not just for kids. There has probably been a time or two in your own life when you were Captain Compassion or Generosity Girl. Because the Gospel has a way of bringing that out in people. Somehow, despite our capacity to be Greed-Guy or Lying-Lady, God has a way of transforming us. And it’s not a radioactive bug bite. It’s so much better than that. It’s the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter Sunday that make us all Children of God. Made Whole. Loved Beyond Measure. Those are super-powers indeed. I hope when you look through your super-hero Grace-Goggles (it’s in the tool-belt!) you see super heroes all around you. I hope you even see one in yourself. But in the meantime, know that at the Hershberger home, there is a plaque that reads: Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then ALWAYS BE BATMAN. May your own super-powers be even better than a utility belt. May you see God’s grace all around you. --Sarah Hershberger
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