Prayer: May our humility show we are part of a bigger team, O God. Amen.
Reading: Romans 12: 3-6a (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: From time-to-time I say about a certain individual, “Perhaps he thinks more highly of himself than he ought.” And, of course, just making that judgment brings into question my own humility. Just by making the judgment, perhaps I think more highly of myself than I ought. And so it goes. Our society prompts us to promote ourselves as high as we can. Football, basketball, volleyball, band—you name it. WE ARE NUMBER ONE Hold up your foam hand, index finger high Terrible towels. Rally towels. Have you seen the T-shirt? “We don’t play to come in second.” I’m not knocking team spirit or excitement of our teams’ winning—perhaps even national championships. That is what competition is all about. Here’s what I’m thinking. How much does the corporate experience, in this case school spirit, influence our estimation of ourselves as individuals? Sports and bands in some ways level out individualism. There may be franchise players and first chair piccolos, but ultimately it takes the contributions of every player to make the organization successful. “Think with sober judgment,” says St. Paul. Think,” What contributions do I make to this effort? What offerings of others bring us all success?” Finally, it not about me, but it is about us—even when we are successful. --Jim Bricker
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