Ministry Matters . . . supporting Christian ministry with
resources, community, and inspiration – This Sunday, 12 January 2014
Perfection and Christian Faith by Alex Joyner
Almost Perfect
On April 2, 2013, Yu Darvish was almost perfect. The talented
pitcher for baseball’s Texas Rangers took the mound for his first start of the
season and proceeded to retire batters with remarkable efficiency. Through
eight innings, Darvish had not allowed a single hit, and he hadn’t allowed
anyone to get to base by means of a walk or a hit batter. There have only been
23 perfect games in the whole history of Major League Baseball. It takes 27
batters out to pitch a perfect game, and Darvish had already retired 24.
Anticipation was high going into the ninth inning. Players
stopped talking to Darvish in the dugout between innings, as is the custom when
a pitcher is working on a no-hitter. His pitch count was high for early in the
season, but the manager let him keep going. Darvish was developing a blister on
his hand, but he wasn’t going to stop pitching.
In the ninth inning, Darvish got two quick outs on three
pitches. Even though he was the pitcher for the visiting team that night,
Houston fans stood to cheer for Darvish. Only Marwin Gonzalez, the last hitter
in the Houston lineup, was between Darvish and history.
Darvish threw the ball and Gonzalez hit it right back to the
pitcher, but it went right between Darvish’s legs just under his glove. The
shortstop made a heroic dive to try and catch it, but it was into centerfield.
A base hit. Almost perfect. But not perfect.
“Be ye therefore perfect,” Jesus said to his disciples in the
King James Version of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:48). What could he have
meant by such an incredible command? The reason the perfect game is so
compelling is because it seems so impossible. To be perfect seems the rarest of
human possibilities. But Christian perfection, in streams like the Wesleyan
tradition, is not only possible but something we are told to expect. How do
Christians understand perfection in an imperfect world?
Pretentious and Impossible
Even if Darvish had made that last out, there would have been
many ways to describe the outing as imperfect. He didn’t have his best command.
He threw too many pitches. There was still room for improvement. So even our
category for human perfection allows room for growth, Does Jesus?
To say that Christians are called to be perfect is to invite the
worst kind of ridicule—which is just what John Wesley got, and for the same
reasons we might get it today if we were known for preaching perfection. On the
one hand, it seems a little pretentious. “Just who do those Christians think
that they are?” others might be tempted to say. “Perfect? I don’t think so.”
Then they could proceed to point out a thousand ways that we are not perfect.
On the other hand, it seems crushingly impossible. How will we
ever attain perfection when we know that there are so many places in our lives
that are imperfect? God knows we are weak instruments—earthen vessels. Telling
me that I need to be perfect when the level where I am is so far below perfect
that I could never attain it . . . well, that just seems cruel.
Wesley and Perfection
Wesley, however, clung to the language of perfection even when
friends advised him to tone it down. Throughout his life, he wrote sermons and
tracts to explain what he meant by perfection and why it was important. In
contrast to both Catholic and Calvinist understandings that talked of
perfection as a possibility “in the state of glory only,” Wesley insisted on
being open to perfection as a present reality.
Wesley was fully convinced of God’s desire for Christians to
experience a fully sanctified life as fruit of a life of holiness. He was just
as convinced that God has the power to bring this about. So if we deny the
possibility of full and entire sanctification in this lifetime, we are denying
the power of God’s grace to transform us and the world. To put it another way,
if we’re not desiring to be made holy in this lifetime, what are we desiring?
And what are we expecting?
What Perfection Is Not
The concept of perfection can be misleading. For Wesley, it did
not mean that a Christian who experienced perfection never made an error.
Christian perfection, in his understanding, is no cure for ignorance. It is
also not to be construed as freedom from mistakes. “Indeed,” Wesley wrote, “I
expect not to be free from actual mistakes till this mortal puts on
immortality.” Perfection also does not mean freedom from infirmities,
weaknesses, and temptations. The apostle Paul prayed that he might be delivered
from an infirmity (a “thorn in the flesh” he called it), and God’s answer back
to him was, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in
weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Weakness is not the opposite of perfection;
it’s a condition for it.
Wesley also believed that we never stop growing, even in a
condition of perfection. To whatever extent a person has progressed in the
Christian life, one “hath still need to ‘grow in grace’ and daily to advance in
the knowledge and love of God his [or her] Saviour.” This is quite different
from the cultural template of what perfection is. We often think of perfection
as a static state—unchanging. When you reach it, you’ve arrived. But Wesley’s
notion of perfection is dynamic. Christians are always changing and growing.
What Perfection Is
So what is perfection? Jesus gives the command “Be ye therefore
perfect” in the context of a series of teachings known as the Sermon on the
Mount. Jesus has been teaching about the countercultural realities of God’s
kingdom. He says some very hard things, such as “Love your enemies and pray for
those who harass you” (Matthew 5:44). This is what precedes Jesus’ command to
be perfect. The Common English Bible translates the command this way:
“Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete [perfect] in showing love
to everyone, so also you must be complete” (verse 48). Practically, for Wesley
as for Jesus, perfection looks like living out the Great Commandment to love
the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself.
This kind of perfection doesn’t intersect with definitions that
equate it with flawlessness or being without blemish. The American Society of
Plastic Surgeons reports that there were almost 1.6 million cosmetic surgery
procedures performed last year in the United States. Those procedures can
correct serious scarring, remove tumors, and improve hand function. But the top
five plastic surgery procedures in 2012 were breast augmentation, nose
reshaping, eyelid surgery, liposuction, and facelifts. The popularity of these
surgeries speaks to some deeper expectations about physical beauty, even
perfection, and how it can be achieved.
Athletes may fall victim to unrealistic expectations of
perfection as well. The goal of doing the best we can with our natural
abilities can spur an athlete to practice, study, and physical training. The
lure of performance- enhancing drugs that can do lasting damage is a common
danger in professional and other sports, however.
Bodies and Souls
These are ways our bodies can be injured by beliefs about
perfection. We can also do injury to our souls when shame and self-judgment
block the healing and transforming work of God in us. Believing we can never be
good enough for God or for others, we can fall into despair. Perfection feels
unattainable.
Above all else, though, being made perfect means being made
perfect in love, Love removes us from the burden of erecting barriers to keep
God and others out. It moves us to forget ourselves in self-giving acts of
service. Jesus called for difficult, uncomfortable, dangerous love. The
miraculous thing is that flawed, fallible people are the only ones qualified
for this perfection. They are the ones who experience God’s grace.
Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion
guide for classes and small groups. FaithLink motivates Christians to consider
their personal views on important contemporary issues, and it also encourages
them to act on their beliefs.
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Hearing God in 2014 by Shane Raynor
2014 could turn out like most other years... a few highs, a few
lows… nothing earth-shattering for most of us. Or it could be a year when all
hell breaks loose in the economy and there’s a major terrorist attack or some
other life-changing event that becomes a wake-up call for the United States and
the world.
If that were to happen, I wonder if we’d even see it coming.
Because depending on what news sources we use—conservative, progressive,
“impartial”, or a conspiracy theory tabloid site—we can pretty much find the
news and perspectives that we want to hear.
That concerns me greatly, because we’ve essentially become a culture of
multiple realities. And most of these realities aren’t telling the complete
story.
If something outrageous happens that should get our attention,
chances are it’s going to get lost in the noise, be written off as partisan
propaganda, or not taken seriously because of who reported it. That’s how
fragmented everything has become.
The church isn’t much different. Tribalism rules the day. That’s
not a totally bad thing—like-minded people can accomplish a lot for the Kingdom
together. But the downside is that we can become unbalanced and miss something
important if there’s no one there to challenge us and keep us out of our
doctrinal complacency.
The fact is, it’s comfortable finding churches, pastors, books,
and blogs that reinforce the opinions we already have. So that’s what we do.
But in our zeal to keep the heretics at bay, we’re probably squelching more
than a few prophets along the way. It happens. Paul said something to Timothy
about people who will “collect teachers who say what they want to hear because
they are self-centered. (2 Timothy 4:3)” Are we guilty of doing that?
How does God speak in this type of environment? How does truth
get recognized?
What is the Spirit saying to the churches? How can we hear God
more clearly? What major events are going to go down in 2014 that will be
opportunities for us to be salt and light?
I’m making it my business to hear God better this year. That means
taking Bible study to another level. It means making prayer a bigger priority.
It means listening more and talking less when I pray. And it means learning to
pray more effectively.
I heard someone say once that prayer is a spiritual technology.
If that’s true, how many of us have hit a prayer plateau because we’re using
the spiritual equivalent of a 1970’s rotary phone when we could be using a
Samsung Galaxy S4? (Speaking of technology, I’m finding that on most days I
have to get away from computers, tablets, and smartphones for few minutes if
I’m going to get a word from God. Apparently God isn’t too keen on texting.)
Finally there’s fasting—a discipline I like to think of as the
nuclear weapon of prayer. I don’t enjoy fasting at all, but I can’t get away
from the fact that whenever I fast, stuff happens. Fasting brings breakthrough,
and it helps me tune in to God’s voice in a way that prayer alone doesn’t. I
strongly believe that in the spiritual climate the church is facing right now,
especially in the west, our effectiveness at spreading the gospel and making
real disciples is going to be directly proportional to the amount of fasting
we’re doing. So if we’re not encouraging fasting in our congregations and
teaching believers how to fast, we need to start immediately.
Hearing God’s voice is dangerous, because we become accountable
for what we hear. But I believe not hearing his voice is even more dangerous.
So I’m going to tune in more this year.
What are you going to do to hear God’s voice better in 2014?
Shane Raynor is an editor at Ministry Matters and editor of the
Converge Bible Studies series from Abingdon Press. Connect with Shane on
Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. Sign up to receive Shane's posts free via
email.
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Fasting: A 'New' Discipline for a New Year by Melissa Slocum
2013 has come and gone, and the new year is less than a week
old. The good news is that, regardless of what 2014 brings, we can hold fast to
the truth that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!”
(Hebrews 13:8). Our culture has long considered the new year as an opportunity
to change, to grow, and to do things differently. To that end, we’ve developed
a tradition of making resolutions and setting goals for the year ahead. For
Christians the new year represents another 365 days to work toward an even
closer relationship with God. To facilitate that spiritual growth we might
commit to disciplines such as daily Bible readings, rigorous prayer habits,
volunteering to serve others, and weekly worship. One spiritual commitment that
is not terribly common in our culture is fasting.
Historically Speaking . . .
Fasting is an ancient spiritual practice that has been used by
adherents of almost every major religion. It involves denying oneself of
something, usually food and drink, for a period of time, such as from sunrise
to sunset. Prayers and devotional readings often accompany a fast and help one
focus on God, the community of faith, and living a holy life. Roman Catholic
Christians abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Fridays
during Lent. Protestant Reformers during the sixteenth century rejected
prescribed fasting but didn’t reject fasting altogether. Founder of Methodism
John Wesley, for example, included “fasting or abstinence” as an example of
“attending upon all the ordinances of God,” which was one of his three rules
for Methodist societies. We read about fasting throughout Scripture. For
example, in the Old Testament, fasting comes up often when people are in
mourning or when God’s people are preparing for battle (see Judges 20:22-26).
Queen Esther fasted and called her people to fast with her as she prepared to
risk her life on behalf of the Jewish people (see Esther 4:15-16). Daniel
fasted to seek wisdom from God (see Daniel 9:2-3).
Most of these biblical fasts involved abstaining from food and drink.
But fasting isn’t limited to what we eat. The prophet Isaiah, for example, told
the people of Judah that God was not satisfied with how they were fasting and
desired a different kind of fast: “Isn’t this the fast I choose . . . sharing
your bread with the hungry and bringing the homeless poor into your house,
covering the naked when you see them, and not hiding from your own family?”
(Isaiah 58:6-7). Fasting, whether from food or something else, when practiced
in the right spirit, draws one into a closer relationship with God and compels
one to serve others with even greater compassion.
Why Fast?
Fasting reminds us that we depend entirely upon God and helps us
identify with those who lack the necessities and luxuries that we enjoy.
Abstaining from food can help us identify with persons who are hungry and
motivate us to work to fight hunger and famine. Refraining from nonessential
activities such as watching television and playing video games gives a person
more time and energy to devote to relationships. And fasts of all sorts help us
put things in perspective and focus on the Source of our blessings.
At this time of year, when so many people have resolved to make
changes, we should reflect on ways we can grow spiritually. We should consider
fasting as one such option. We need not fast from food (particularly if doing
so is not an option for medical or health reasons), but we can abstain from
electronic or social media or shopping. And when we commit to a fast, we can
focus more clearly on God and turn our attention to the work that God calls us
to do.
This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital
resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study
guide can be purchased and downloaded here.
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Immersed in Change by Terri Elton
My life has been immersed in change. I know, I know…I’m not
alone. But jump in with me in reflecting on these moments, and let’s see if any
leadership lessons on leading change emerge.
First work.
I was chatting with a new student about last fall semester and
it suddenly occurred to me, last fall was a lifetime ago. We, Luther Seminary,
are living through a series of one year anniversaries—dates on the calendar
which remind us our course for the future has changed. In October our board had
their regular fall meeting – and we remembered it was last October when the
board discovered some financial concerns. In early November we quietly moved
past the one year anniversary of the resignation of our CFO. And coming at the
end of this semester will be the one year anniversary of our president’s
resignation. I remember how tired I was in January and into the spring, but I
had forgotten now much territory we had covered since December 2012. Talking
with students who were not around last fall was a bit surreal. I remember
living that life, but it seems like a distant memory now.
Lesson: Huge, disruptive change disorients people and plays with
their sense of time.
Leadership Questions: After the “crisis” has passed, how do
organizations regain a healthy sense of time? And how important is it to help
people gain some perspective? What is the role of noting one year anniversary’s
of significant moments in an organization’s history?
Second church.
On Reformation Sunday our congregation concluded a year of
celebrating our 50th anniversary. The past twelve months we had noted different
memories of the past, different moments in history which marked key parts of
our congregation’s story. And it all came to a head with a grand worship
experience and some gatherings on the last Sunday in October. Facing my 50th
birthday this summer, I realize the importance of reflecting on the past and
taking account of the twists and turns of one’s story—personally and
collectively. During the celebration I had the chance to share stories and
catch up with many people, some I had not seen in awhile and others who I see
but haven’t shared this deeply in some time. As the weekend ended and we
started the next 50 years, two things crossed my mind: we don’t do this often
enough and it matters what story we tell. As much as I treasured many aspects
of the celebration, I also noted the key parts of the story which were not told
– parts that were important to my almost 30 year experience there.
Lesson: What story we tell matters.
Leadership Questions: Who decides which story of an organization
will be told? How do we tell the breadth and the depth? How do we share the
joys and the challenges? How do we tell the story of the “old timers” and the
“newbies”?
Third home.
Our family has two seniors, one a senior in high school and the
other a senior in college. And being a senior is a year full of change. There
are celebratory endings—or series of “lasts”—and imagination about the future.
There are moments which force you to appreciate the current chapter and moments
which force decision about a future direction. There are anxieties and
honoring. There’s community to journey with and there are moments when “no one
understands.” Yes, all of those things are true, and often they are
paradoxical. Being a senior has its good days and stressful days. And living
with, trying to parent and support, two seniors has its own ups and downs. Yes
I’ve been there, but this isn’t my journey. Yes I have experiences, but I can’t
make other people’s decisions. Yes I know some things, but it’s not wise to let
learning moment go unattended. Being the parent means I have to roll with the
changes, but not get too drawn into them.
Lesson: Leading people in change requires staying relationally
connected while also not doing other people’s work.
Leadership Questions: How are we balancing being relationally
connected and only doing the work that is ours? Do we know our role? Do we know
what the work is and who’s it is?
As I continue to live in the midst of change, I’m noticing I
need moments to rest and to reflect. But I also need moments to grieve and let
go. I’m trying to find a healthy way through all three of these scenarios. I
know you have your own set of scenarios, and I hope these lessons and questions
might help you discover both an accompaniment partner and some fruitful lessons
for the journey.
Originally posted on Intersections by Terri Elton, 11/18/2013.
Used with permission.
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Welcome to Our Church (We Hope!) by Jerrod Hugenot
Open the doors. Turn on the lights. Ensure the pulpit has a
glass of water for the preacher.
For many churches, these three things are the first tasks of a
routine Sunday morning. Sometimes, churches have a rotation of volunteers.
Other churches have folks who have been doing this work quietly, without a
credit in the bulletin, for years, if not decades.
Such routines are essential for congregations. You might even
call them the “habits” churches need to be vital. And to this list, may we add
another essential task: “Welcoming all”?
As a minister, I’ve seen a lot of “interesting” choices made by
congregants who turned off a visitor long before the prelude finishes. Oftentimes,
churches will keep their grounds well-appointed and buildings sparkling, yet
the work of intentionally welcoming people has gone to seed long ago. Churches
can claim an open door policy yet undermine that message readily when the
non-verbal signals given off by congregants tell a person readily if they are
welcome or not.
Welcoming all goes far beyond Sunday morning. Knowing how to
communicate an effective “word of welcome” with a bulletin and a smile is just
scratching the surface. Ponder these questions: How does your church
communicate “welcome” in your community involvement? How do your missional
partnerships foster inclusion? Does the person in the back pews have just as
much investment in welcoming “the widow, the orphan and the sojourner” as much
as the minister, staff and lay leadership? Is it evident to the newcomer that
“welcome” is not a temporary perk of being “new”? (In other words, can the
sense of community and mutual support be easily discerned in how you interact
with one another, even those you’ve been around for years, and despite that,
you still like each other!)
To help cultivate the conversations awaiting your church, here
are some resources to help:
Practicing Our Faith is a now completed Lilly Foundation study
led by Dorothy Bass explores various faith practices through a series of books
and creative projects by churches and organizations. Regarding hospitality, a
rich gathering of resources around “practicing hospitality” and its many ways
can be found at the site here.
A book from this study is Making Room by Christine Pohl along
with a study guide.
Similarly, when welcoming visitors, other concerns (theological
and practical) arise:
How welcoming is your physical space to “outsiders looking in”?
Donna Claycomb Sokol recently wrote a good article that explores
this.
The United Methodist Church has a very thoughtful video for its
denominational emphasis on welcoming newcomers produced by UMCOM
A recent book on questions of inclusion exploring persons who
may be invisible or challenging for some congregants or congregations to
include: Radical Welcome Embracing God, The Other, and the Spirit of
Transformation by Stephanie Spellers
And finally, two tongue-in-cheek (yet on the mark) takes on the
matters:
9 Questions Church Visitors Aren't Asking (...but churches are
still trying to answer) by Matt Rosine
and a video What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? by Richard
Reisling
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The First Sunday and Its Communion by Ed Trimmer
The First Sunday in a new church is always interesting,
especially if you are not just a guest but are going to preach and pastor for a
period of time at this congregation. So this Sunday was my first Sunday in the
pulpit at my interim two point charge. It was also the first Sunday of the
month and thus communion at each church, and of course, each church did it differently.
Why did we ever use those little bitty wafers that are as dry as
hot sand?
Of course, the communion steward at one church was sick so a
last minute phone call to another lay member who graciously filled in. But I
discovered after I had served communion that no one had grape juice so it was
flat grape Fanta® from the refrigerator that they had poured into the little
communion cups. (Is it theologically appropriate to say YUCK!?)
At each church people were dressed informally as I was the only
male in a suit and tie, but the churches are as different as night and day. One
has incredible singing, the other uses taped music off the internet and the
“old” praise book published by Zondervan. One has about a dozen “children,” the
other had more children than adults in worship, a great problem to have but it
doesn’t always produce “income.” One church has a lot of professional folks and
the other church is full of “salt of the earth” working class. One church has a
“huge” Wednesday night program, the other a small Bible study on Wednesday
night. As different as they are, they are less than five miles from each other
as the crow flies. The driving is another thing. They have been on a charge
together for many, many years and found a way to work together. Isn’t that
cool!
I look forward to the next six months with them as they prepared
for the first full-time elder since they were a four point charge back in the
early 1970’s. I'll be sharing my experiences with you on this new adventure.
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Steps in the Right Direction by Brett Younger
Matthew 4:12-23
The crucial moments in which we choose directions for our lives
aren’t usually marked with caution signs, bright red flags, or even the feeling
that we are about to make a big decision. Some of the decisions that matter
most slip by without our even noticing. Some of the choices that seem small are
bigger than the ones that appear big. Because the sacred is present in the
ordinary, we can’t be sure that any decision is unimportant. Because life is
holy, every moment matters. Every day and hour is crucial.
Jesus is walking beside a lake one afternoon when he sees two
men in a rowboat waiting for unsuspecting fish to wander into their nets. It’s
hard to believe what happens next. Jesus offers them a job with no pay, and
they accept: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Matthew 4:19).
Why should they follow someone who uses such tortured metaphors?
Had the sales pitch been, “Come and make more money than you
could ever make fishing,” then it might make sense. But this invitation and
response seem unlikely. Four fishermen drop what they are doing and head off to
God-knows-where, to lives they can’t imagine.
People always try to explain away big-fish stories, and this one
is no exception. Some commentators suggest that young men often left their
occupations to become students of a rabbi. They say it sounds more unlikely to
us than it would have to people in the first century.
We read the story and assume that this isn’t the disciples’
first encounter with Jesus. Surely they knew Jesus before this. But Matthew
doesn’t seem to feel any need to explain why they would follow Jesus.
The disciples’ instant acceptance of Jesus’ peculiar invitation
is as dramatic as any moment we will ever encounter. On occasion, we face big
decisions about family, jobs, and faith. We stand at a fork in the road and
have to choose. We have moments when we feel that we have to act in a
particular way for reasons that we cannot completely explain. We feel the need
to sacrifice something we would rather keep in order to follow. We have taken a
few big risks. But most of the time, it isn’t that dramatic. We don’t drop
everything to start a new life very often. The calling of the disciples is more
spectacular than what happens to us most days.
Most of my life is routine. I go to work each morning. I always
have a list of things to do. There are phone calls to return, e-mails to
respond to, and meetings to attend. There are a dozen administrative details to
take care of. The urgency in what I do is usually the urgency of keeping up. Most
of it doesn’t feel holy. My day is filled with pleasant people. I receive too
much credit for what I do. My work is enjoyable, but it’s not spectacular.
My life doesn’t feel as adventurous as that of the disciples,
leaving their nets and following Jesus into the unknown. There are women and
men who live each day in danger because of their faith. There are people who do
astonishing, heroic works. Maybe someday we will do something spectacular. For
now, most of us feel called to less-dramatic discipleship. Most days, we answer
God’s invitation from within the situation in which we find ourselves.
Maybe Jesus’ disciples had days when their lives didn’t seem
sensational, as they walked up and down Galilee from village to village,
through Samaria to Jerusalem and back again. Maybe they had days when they
thought things were going too slow. On those days, perhaps their faithfulness
was more modest.
We tend to forget the importance of details in the journey of
faith. We focus on dramatic conversions, overwhelming encounters with God, and
powerful moments of prayer. We search for peak experiences and end up assuming
that some people are born with a spiritual talent that we just don’t have.
But God is in the details. God calls us every hour of every day.
God invites us to be friends, practice kindness, and pray for our daily bread.
We live out our faithfulness in worship, work, and study.
The routine, everyday ways in which we follow Jesus, the way we
read scripture, welcome strangers, and love the people with whom we live are
all crucially important.
The difference between the saints of the church and most of us
is not some spiritual talent that we don’t possess, but the way the saints’ everyday
habits, disciplines, and practices have prepared them to live extraordinary
lives.
God is at work in a variety of unspectacular ways. God is
present in every way that grace is shared, hope is proclaimed, and healing
comes. Love spreads word by word. The bucket fills drop by drop. Wrongs are
righted one by one.
Our calling is to be faithful, to live God’s grace on routine
days in ordinary ways. If we pay attention, then we will see that even as
unsurprising a life as most of us think we live is extraordinary: taking a
child to school; hugging someone you love good-bye; eating lunch with a friend;
trying to do a decent day’s work; talking to a neighbor; coming to worship.
There is no event so commonplace that God is not there. Every moment and every word
have possibilities.
Slowly but surely our priorities change. On the day they first
followed Jesus, the disciples were brash, impulsive, stubborn, and they smelled
of fish. They had to learn day by day how to be the church.
We grow in faith, not only in memorable, never-to-be-forgotten
moments, but also in forgettable moments when we decide to pray instead of
turning on the radio, to do better with the next hour than we did with the
last, and to give something that we would rather keep. We become faithful as we
confess a misspent hour, an unnecessary word, or a wasted opportunity. We start
to follow again and again.
In every moment, God offers us another opportunity to take a
step in the direction of Christ, to begin anew to live with purpose, hope, and
love.
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This Sunday
This Sunday 1/12/14
Worship Connection: January 12, 2014 by Nancy C. Townley
Baptism of the Lord
COLOR: White
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43;
Matthew 3:13-17
Call to Worship #1:
L: Welcome to worship this day!
P: We have come seeking God’s blessings and love.
L: They shall be given to you.
P: We have come seeking forgiveness and healing.
L: These will be offered to you. Open your hearts to receive
God’s Good News.
P: We open our hearts to all of God’s words and ways for us.
AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: In the very beginning, God separated the darkness and the
light. God called the Light "Day" and the Darkness, God called
"Night".
P: We were once people who dwelled in darkness, but God has
given us the true Light, Jesus Christ.
L: God has blessed us and adopted us as God’s own beloved
children, through the sacrament of Baptism.
P: The water of baptism brings to us healing and reconciliation;
it is a symbol of nourishment and cleansing.
L: This day is the day of the remembrance of Jesus’ Baptism.
P: As we hear the words of his baptism, let us be reminded of
our own adoption by God and celebrate the joyous connection to the Almighty
God.
Prayer of Confession
We are incredibly stubborn, O Lord. We have entered the season
in which Your Light has been given to the world, your blessings have been
poured out on the world, and yet all we can think about is our own problems,
our own needs, our own desires. Help us to desire you, Lord. Help us to yearn
for your presence. Pour your baptismal waters over us again, cleansing us from
our self-pity and arrogance. Nourish and heal us so that we may joyfully serve
you. Wash away our jealousy, greed, and all negative thoughts and behaviors
that stand in the way of our truly being the people you have called us to be.
Again let us receive the blessings offered in creation, in the birth and baptism
of Jesus, and in the ministry of the saints of light. We ask this in Jesus’
Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
The love of God is always offered to us, freely, joyfully, for
all eternity. Rejoice, dear friends, this is the Good News of our Lord. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
Creator God, when everything first began, water became a symbol
of refreshing, of washing away, of renewing. Through the waters of creation you
brought forth abundant life. We have gathered this day to remember Jesus’
baptism, how your Spirit proclaimed that He was your beloved Son in whom you
were very well pleased. Our spirits resound with that proclamation. In His
baptism, Jesus’ ministry was initiated. He dedicated his life to you completely
and without reservation. Help us to dedicate our lives to you, to offer our
best for you, to be of service to you by serving in your world. As we have
lifted before you the names of people near and dear to us who need your healing
touch and your tender mercies, we have also lifted ourselves up as people in
need of your grace. In our world there is war, oppression, hunger, and
alienation. We have not been good stewards of the world. We have not cared for
one another. Heal us and this world, Lord. Renew us with your life-giving
waters and re-affirm our baptisms as your children. Let us go forth to be
people of peace and mercy. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Litany
Psalm 29 A psalm of David (Common English Bible)
You, divine beings! Give to the Lord— give to the Lord glory and
power!
Give to the Lord the glory due his name! Bow down to the Lord in
holy splendor!
The Lord’s voice is over the waters; the glorious God thunders;
the Lord is over the mighty waters.
The Lord’s voice is strong; the Lord’s voice is majestic.
The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees—
yes, the Lord shatters
the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull, makes Sirion
jump around like a young wild ox.
The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness—
yes, the Lord shakes the
wilderness of Kadesh.
The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks, strips the forests bare,
but in his temple
everyone shouts, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters; the Lord sits
enthroned—king forever!
Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his
people with peace!
Benediction, Blessing, Commission
Go forth joyfully. God is with you. Bring peace and hope to all
you meet. And may God’s eternal love shine through you always. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this day is white.
SURFACE: You might choose to plan a traditional altar for today:
two candles and a center cross. With the focus on a bowl and pitcher. If you
have a baptismal font you might use white flowers or fabric at the base to draw
attention to it for today.
FABRIC: Since the traditional color for this day is white, you
may want to cover the whole worship area with white cloth, including the riser
that is in front of the worship table. The cloth should be adequate to
"puddle" on the floor in front of the worship table and the front
riser. It should cover both table risers as well. Using approximately 6-8 yards
of silky medium to light blue fabric, beginning with the top left side riser,
weave the strip of fabric across the table, over the right side riser and then
over the riser in front of the worship center. You should have enough fabric so
that it drapes well and softly. Do not pull the fabric tightly. This blue
fabric represents water.
CANDLES: On the top of the left side riser, place three candles,
one 10" white pillar candle; one 8" white pillar candle, and one
6" pillar candle. On the right side riser, place 3 candles: one 4"
white pillar candle, one 3" white pillar candle, and one white votive
candle.
FLOWERS/PLANTS: Behind the riser on the left, place a fern or
other green leafy plant. Avoid plants with hard angular lines. Behind the right
side riser, place the same kind of plant that you used on the other side. Ferns
and other leafy plants may be placed at the base of the worship center, near
the front riser, but not in front of it. The blue "puddled" fabric
should spill down there.
ROCKS/WOOD: Near the base of the riser in front of the worship
center, place rocks of various sizes. Smaller rocks may be scattered on the
worship table itself, near the candles and the cross. Wood is not recommended
for this setting.
OTHER: Have a large clear glass bowl placed on the riser in
front of the worship area. Place about a dozen small stones in the bottom of
this bowl. On the center of the worship table, have a clear glass pitcher
filled with water. Make sure that someone will be able to reach this pitcher
without interference with the rest of the worship center. During the service
when the people have placed their rocks in the bowl, have someone (could be
pastor, worship team member, choir member) carefully pour the water over the
stones in the bowl, covering the stones, but not filling up the bowl to the
rim. Then place the pitcher out of the worship center, do not return it to the
table.
[Note: if you are having a baptism that day, reserve some
special colored glass flattened beads, for the person being baptized and any
members of the family to put into the bowl, signifying their adoption by God
into God’s holy family]
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Worship for Kids: January 12, 2014 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17. Children easily follow the action in
this story as it is read. When they are reminded that one purpose of baptism is
naming, or claiming identity as one of God's people, children are primed to
explore Matthew's use of the story of Jesus' baptism to tell us who Jesus is.
Matthew tells us that Jesus is both the Messiah ("This is my Son,"
from Psalm 2:9) and the suffering servant ("my servant, with whom I am
well pleased," from Isaiah's "suffering-servant" song). That
combination was unusual for Jewish readers and is unusual for today's children,
who seldom see a king as a servant, but usually as one to be served.
If it is pointed out, older children will follow with interest
Matthew's strategy (repeated throughout his Gospel) of quoting Old Testament
verses that would be familiar to his Jewish readers, to explain the importance
of who Jesus is and what Jesus did.
Epistle: Acts 10:34-43. Peter's sermon at the home of Cornelius
is a summary of Jesus' ministry and passion. Unfortunately, no translation
presents it in words and sentences children can understand. If it is introduced
as a very short story about the whole life of Jesus, from his baptism to his
death and resurrection, older children can trace the sequence of those events
as they are read.
The main value of reading this passage to children shortly after
Christmas is that it helps them connect the stories of Jesus the baby, with
those of Jesus the man.
Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9. There are two distinctive ways to
deal with this text.
1. The text can be read as an explanatory footnote to God's
statement at Jesus' baptism. Thus God is giving Jesus his "servant"
job description. Jesus is described as one whose whole life is to be dedicated
to working for justice and caring for those who need help. Just as we receive a
name and become one of God's people at our baptisms, Jesus received a name,
"My Son," and a job description, "my (Suffering) Servant,"
at his baptism. (It helps to point out before the reading that all the
"hes" and "yous" refer to Jesus.)
2. Or the text can be read in its Old Testament context, in
which the servant is the nation, or the faithful. Read thus, it becomes a
mission-oriented job description for the church. In this case, children should
be instructed to imagine that God is speaking directly to them and their
church. If worshipers follow in pew Bibles as Scripture is read, point out
before the reading that verse is just a very lengthy "God said." This
will help older children to follow God's interrupted message.
Psalm: 29. This psalm traces the path of a thunderstorm coming
in from the Mediterranean Sea, crossing the mountains, and moving out into the
desert. With help, children can hear the thunder out over the water (vss. 3-4),
watch the lightning break cedar trees and make the hills seem to skip in the
flashing strobe-light (vss. 5-7), and see the damage caused by hail (vs. 9).
The final verses speak to the frightened child in all of us, reminding us that
God is Lord of even the wildest storms, and praying that God will give us both
strength to survive the storm, and peace in spite of the storm.
Watch Words
Do not assume that children know that Messiah means God's king,
or that suffering servant was a term that referred to a person or group of
persons who would suffer in order to rescue God's people. Speak of Jesus as the
Serving King for clarity with children.
Translate Isaiah's bruised reeds and dimly burning wicks into
people who have serious problems.
Explain that Peter hanging on a tree is another way to say that
he was crucified.
Let the Children Sing
Sing "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus" or "O Sing a
Song of Bethlehem," to review Jesus' life.
Praise Christ with "Come, Christians, Join to Sing,"
with its chorus of repeated Alleluias.
Pair "Fairest Lord Jesus" with Psalm 29, to celebrate
God's lordship over nature.
The Liturgical Child
1. Psalm 29 is a text for Baptism of the Lord also in Year C of
this series. "The Liturgical Child" for that day gives directions for
a congregational reading of this psalm, complete with stormy sound effects.
2. If baptisms are part of today's worship, introduce them with
emphasis on the fact that baptism gives one a new identity as a child of God, a
member of God's family, a disciple, and so on. Invite children to sit or stand
near the baptismal font to hear this explanation and to observe the sacrament
where they can see well.
3. Select as an affirmation of faith for the day a creed that
tells the story of Jesus in simple language. The Apostles' Creed is one that
many children know and that can be read easily by older children who do not
know it. In the invitation to recite the creed, urge the worshipers to pay
partiular attention to what it says about Jesus.
4. Provide illustrations of Jesus' activities as the Serving
King. Point out any examples in stained-glass windows, paintings, or symbols in
the sanctuary. Consider posting around the sanctuary large pictures of Jesus at
work (from the church school picture files).
5. If you focus on the Isaiah text in its Old Testament
perspective, paraphrase it to address the congregation in the Charge and
Benediction:
God says, Behold, you are my servants, whom I uphold. You are my
chosen, in whom I delight. I have put my Spirit upon you, to bring forth justice
in all the world. Do not be discouraged or accept failure. Justice will be
done. Remember, I am the Lord. I have called you. I have taken you by the hand
and led you. You will be a light to the nations.
Sermon Resources
1. Open the sermon by talking about the significance of names.
Tell your full name and explain what the pars of that name say about you (i.e.,
you are a member of a given family, and you may have been given a significant
first or middle name). You may or may not want to pay attention to the titles
such as Miss, Ms. Mrs., Mr., Reverend, or Doctor, added to names to tell more
about who a person is.
Next, speak about names given at baptism. Point out that a
person's given name is always stated. Then note any other names that are given
in your congregation's rite. For example, in the Presbyterian ritual, the words
are, "(Given name), Child of God." Explain what it means to accept
those new names.
Finally, explore the new names Jesus received at his baptism: My
Son and Suffering Servant.
2. Introduce and explore the title Serving King to describe
Jesus. Compare that vision of a king with the kings in fairytales or a winner
in the game King of the Hill. Cite familiar stories about Jesus to show how
Jesus lived up to that title. Describe life for his subjects in the kingdom of
Jesus, the Serving King.
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Sermon Options: January 12, 2014
BRINGING JUSTICE, AND GENTLY
Isaiah 42-9
If you ask a child, "What do you want to be when you grow
up?" it's unlikely you'll receive the answer, "I want to be a
servant." "Servant" is not found on any of the lists of hot new
careers for the rest of the nineties. Yet servanthood is at the essence of our
faith. Indeed, God chose the image of the servant to describe the One God would
send to give his life on our behalf. What does Isaiah tell us about the role
played by his servant—and about our own role as servants of Christ?
I. The Servant Belongs to God
Three things characterize the servant in this portion of Isaiah
42. First, the servant is firmly grounded in Yahweh's support. The servant's
introduction is framed with ascriptions that link the servant closely with God:
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,/my chosen, in whom my soul
delights" (v. 1). Further, "I have put my spirit upon him." The
servant is clearly God's servant, someone whose very identity and purpose are
derived from God who has chosen that one for service.
II. The Servant Is Committed to Justice
The servant's role is clearly defined: to bring justice to the
nations and on earth. This focus is mentioned three separate times in three
verses (vv. 1, 3-4).
III. The Servant Is Motivated by Grace
Finally, the servant will do the work of justice with care,
gentleness, and perseverance. Justice will be brought about without the
servant's voice having been raised, without a wick being snuffed out, and
without the servant having been overcome by the size or difficulty of the
mission. The images of restraint particularly (bruised reed unbroken, dimly lit
wick unquenched) give new meaning to the word grace. If justice is the mission,
it is not to be marched in by a lockstepping holy army, but cupped in hand,
cradled in arms, shielded by the body.
In Frederick Buechner's fictional account of Jacob, The Son of
Laughter, God is sometimes called "the Shield," meaning that God
"is always shielding us like a guttering wick...because the fire he is
trying to start with us is a fire that the whole world will live to warm its
hands at. It is a fire in the dark that will light the whole world home."
This profile of identity and task leaves us with a picture of
"the servant" that is both inspiring in its tenderness and exemplary
for any life of faith. Not only does the image of such a strong yet gentle
worker of justice give us pause, it also becomes a model for how we live our
lives and pattern our Christian labors. (Paul L. Escamilla)
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
Acts 10:34-43
A balloon vender was letting one balloon after another go up
into the sky in order to entertain the children who had gathered to admire the
balloons. Most of his balloons were gone when an African American child came up
to him and said, "Mister, if you had a black balloon, would it go up into
the sky like the others?"
The balloon vender, showing wisdom and perception that his
occupation belied, understood what the child was really asking. He knelt down
and said, "It's not the color of the balloon that matters; it's what's
inside that makes it go up."
Regardless of our racial or cultural background, and regardless
of what we have done wrong in the past, there is Someone who can always cause
us to go up if he is inside us. His name is Jesus.
I. Christ Breaks Down Racial Barriers That Separate Us from One
Another (vv. 34-37)
Jesus came to break down racial barriers. He gave his disciples
the Great Commission to go to "all nations" (Matt. 28:19-20). He went
to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) . It took a lot to convince Peter
that Christ had broken the racial barrier. The words of Jesus, a trance, a
vision, a miracle, and the conversion of Gentiles in Acts 10 were finally
enough to cause him to make the bold declaration about the universality of the
gospel in these verses.
However, even all that Peter experienced did not remove all the
residue of racism in him. About eighteen years later in Antioch, he joined his
Jewish brothers in snubbing the Gentile Christians and refusing to eat with
them. The apostle Paul publicly challenged him, and he stood corrected. This
public work of Christ all started with his baptism. It is our common baptism
into Christ that makes us brothers and sisters in him and transcends all
barriers between people, including race.
II. Christ Breaks Down Barriers of Sin That Separate Us from God
(vv. 38-39, 43)
The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Your iniquities have been
barriers/ between you and your God" (59:2). As Peter preached the story of
Jesus, he included the indispensable element of the cross. It was on the cross
that Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins so that the barrier erected by sin
would be taken away. The veil of the Temple was rent, and now all those who
call on the name of Jesus have full access to the presence of God because he
died to secure our forgiveness.
As Peter stated, "Everyone who believes in him receives
forgiveness of sins through his name" (v. 43). When someone receives him,
immediately he takes away the penalty of sin, gradually he takes away the power
of sin, and ultimately he will take away the presence of sin.
III. Christ Breaks Down the Barrier of Death That Separates Us
from Eternal Life (vv. 40-42)
In his gospel sermon Peter also included the resurrection of
Jesus. The apostolic preachers had little novel to say. They repeated the story
of Jesus, and that was adequate to bring people to conviction of their need for
him as their Savior. How sad that people have heard the story of Jesus so many
times that it has little effect on them. No matter how trained preachers are,
or how well they can turn a phrase, Christian preachers must never get away
from repeating the simple story that tells the good news of Jesus.
Part of the gospel story is the event of God raising Jesus from
the dead. In fact, this truth is so important that Paul wrote, "If Christ
has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has
been in vain" (1 Cor. 15:14) . But the truth is that Christ has been
raised, and through his resurrection, he secured eternal life for all those who
follow him ( Rom. 6:4-5). (N. Allen Moseley)
THE VOICE OF BLESSING
Matthew 3:13-17
Sometimes we preoccupy ourselves with important questions to the
extent that we overlook equally important questions. For example, Matthew
3:13-17 often finds us asking the question, "Why did Jesus have to be
baptized?" But let us not overlook the equally important question,
"What did baptism mean to Jesus?" Did it mean the time of the kingdom
of God is now? Surely. Did it mean an identification with the Father? I think
so. But it was also an experience of blessing for Jesus. God said, "You
are on the right track. Continue with my blessing." The voice of blessing
is one that many people take for granted. Many people wander through life, like
Esau, searching for a blessing that is never pronounced.
A single mother, upon leaving for a date, shuts the door on her
teenage daughter who is staying home alone—again. "If only she didn't look
so much like her father."
An adult male sits in church today dreading the Parent
Dedication Service, asking, "Why did my parents abandon me?"
On the other hand, Bobby, who was as athletically gifted as a
hoe handle, did not make his high school baseball team, to no one's surprise.
But he did ask to be the manager—some said "batboy"—and he became a
part of the team. He played the hand that he had been dealt.
What's an "unblessed child" to do? Feel inferior?
Strike out in bitterness? Curse the dark silence of a voice never heard? The
answer is found in the One who emerged from the Jordan hearing the voice of
approval, "You are my Son. You are headed in the right direction. Continue
all the way to the cross." All the way to the cross!
Blessing involves responsibility. Jesus lived in obedience after
receiving the blessing. He took the hand he had been dealt and he played it.
That's what we can do. That may be all we can do. We must be like Jesus and let
nothing deter us. The crowds wanted to make him king. He resisted. His best
friend wanted to talk him out of it. He refused. Judas tried to force another course.
Jesus chose to play the hand God had dealt. We can do the same. Parents and
other significant adults will fail to bless us even under the best of
circumstances. Other times we will not feel worthy of blessing. That is
true—we're not worthy. As in Jesus' most famous story, the parent waits to
bless whether or not we are worthy. God's presence depends not on our
faithfulness but on God's. So we continue.
Keith Miller asked, "Who gives you your grade?" Who is
the audience to whom we play out the drama of our lives? It can be an audience
of the One who will never fail to be with us as we carry out God's will. John
Claypool quotes a rabbi who once said, "When I stand before God, He will
not ask me why were you not Abraham, Jacob or David?" He will ask, "Why
were you not Bernie?" In 1969, Bob Whelan, six two and two hundred pounds,
departed for Vietnam. Within a year this fine athlete returned weighing
eighty-seven pounds. A land mine had blown away both legs. A long recovery
followed. Never did he bow to despair or see himself as unblessed.
"Before," he said, "I had one hundred options. Now, only five,
but I'll make the best of those five."
In 1990, Bob Whelan completed the Boston Marathon. He covered
all twenty-six miles-plus running on his hands and arms—hopping much like a
frog. When he crossed the finish line, few dry eyes were seen. He is a winner.
He chose to look to God in gratitude for what he was, not what he was not. He
played the hand he was dealt. So can we, for each of us already has the
blessing. (Gary L. Carver)
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United Methodist Church’s Ministry Matters
201 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37202 United States
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