The Charleston tragedy: How should we respond? by F. Willis JohnsonThe ugliness of hatred and its historic vestiges have again darkened a sacred space. This is not the first time the black church has felt the wrath of white supremacy. White supremacy has long influenced the life of black congregations and the individuals they serve. During the 1800s, white supremacists would attack black religious organizations to stir fear among black leaders and to squelch efforts of black uplift. Tragedies like Charleston remind us of 16th Street Baptist Church and the bombing that killed four little girls. The work of arsonists who set fire to a string of churches in the south in the mid 1990s. Or three men in Massachusetts imprisoned for burning a predominantly black church in protest to President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign.
The black church was founded in response to anti-black hatred, resistance and terrorism. This is particularly true of the African Methodist Episcopal connection established under the leadership of Richard Allen because, “…as being forcibly denied access to the Methodist church based on their skin.”
Since its formation the black church has been different and multi-dimensional in scope. By default and for its survival the black church had to be different and all-encompassing. Albert J. Raboteau accounts for the origins of these complexities in his discourse on the religious history of African-Americans. Raboteau writes:
The history of African-American religion exemplifies America’s long and dramatic engagement with ethnic pluralism and the central role race in shaping American life. Thousands of Africans from diverse cultures and religious traditions, forcibly transported to America as slaves, retained many African customs even as they converted to Christianity. Before and after the Civil War, African-Americans drew religion to its moral and prophetic calling making it the center not only of African-American culture but a challenging ethic of equality and dignity throughout American society.*
In the wake of recent events and a barrage of theological queries that overwhelmed even me, we can draw strength from the experience and explication of the African Methodist Episcopal church. Our Methodist kin’s motto should encourage and embolden our spirits: God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, Holy Spirit our Comforter, Humankind our Family.
God is with us.
While we may not understand the providential nature of God, it is what it is. God is, even in tragedy, God whom is present. It’s not by accident that, even in this moment, God reminds us of that by fact by the very location where such things happen. There is no right place for wrong action. There’s no right way to do things that are unrighteous. For evil, there are no lines of demarcation in this life. God is Emanuel. God is with us. Even right now, and as I’ve talked with people, they’re most disturbed by the brazen nature of this and other violent acts. The malice and the motivation is obviously racial intolerance. The fact that a 21-year-old could be so bigoted in his beliefs, and diabolical in arriving early, listening to the word of God, and then think he’s doing someone a favor by not killing them so she would tell the community why it happened leaves even the most devout bewildered. Still God is Emanuel.
Christ our Redeemer
What is our response? Our response at all times, in Christ, is focused on redemption. I don’t know how you redeem or reconcile at this point other than expressions of forgiveness, expressions of tribute. At some point we have to take off our sackcloths. Likewise “lady justice” must be unmasked to the reality that what is politically and constitutionally right is not always righteous. We need to live up to the spirit of law, not the letter of the law. Our practices have to be consistent with our faith because no one knows the day or the hour.
Holy Spirit, comfort us
Our hearts are pierced by the pressing interrogative of Rabbi Harold Kushner, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” These are critical times for the church. Amid uncertainty, lives are being questioned whether they matter. Anti-otherness, indecency and violence are challenging our communal existence. Yet, the calls to remain steadfast in faithfulness are before us. Healing is both a painful and protracted process. But help, comfort and better days are promised.
Humankind our family
War, retaliation and retribution are not the answer. The only thing that will conquer hate is our deciding to love. Such is the imperative of discipleship to love. Love that is unconditional. Situations may result in catastrophe. Circumstances may seemingly justify condemnation, but that’s not what Christians are allowed to do. We are not allowed to counter-punch. We are required to love in the face of pain, prejudice and persecution, doing so unconditionally.
This is a tragedy not just to Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal in Charleston. It is a tragedy felt across faith traditions. An evil enacted against the human family. The African Methodist Episcopal church is a strand of the Wesleyan tradition, and we need to understand how its trauma inextricably impacts us, then infinitely enlist to respond to it.
*Albert J. Raboteau. Canaan Land: A Religious History of African Americans (New York: Oxford Press, 2001), ix.
F. Willis Johnson is the senior minister of Wellspring Church in Ferguson, Missouri.
Can the church reckon with racism? by Mark LockardThis fall, the character of Miles Morales, teen son of an African American father and Puerto Rican mother, will become Spider-Man in Marvel’s main comic book universe. Miles has already filled the role of Spider-Man in the “Ultimate” comic book series, though Peter Parker has continued to sling webs and foil evil in the main comic line.
This announcement is an exciting one for me, even though (full disclosure) Spider-Man has never been one of my favorite characters or comic book reads. Still, comics are founded on their ability to shift and morph, so when one is able to do so in a new and compelling way, I’m on board. Of course, many die-hard fans would probably call me blasphemous. I suppose that if major changes were happening to a character I cherished more, I might feel differently. But this case is a bit more complex, and therefore problematic, than that.
There will of course be misplaced outrage — which is another troubling piece of our current society’s reaction to anything — over the decision to have a bi-racial character replace Peter Parker, a white male, behind the iconic mask. I can say so with confidence because of the vitriol that followed the announcements of a woman in the role of Thor and a black man in the role of Captain America.
Racism has the insidious ability to show up in both large and small ways. People being hateful over a comic book character pales in comparison to the horror of Charleston, where a racist individual, emboldened by a wider culture willing to dismiss or outright ignore the realities of white supremacy (especially white male supremacy), slaughtered nine people. But that’s the nature of the virus that is societal racism: it infects broadly, shows up in multiple ways and is far from easily eradicated.
What is a Christian to do? When events like Charleston occur, we, sadly, have been through similar situations enough times to follow an unspoken script. We condemn (though not always in the right way), we pray, we announce solidarity, and then we move on to the next issue. It’s a cycle that has become heavily problematic, almost to the point where our handling of racism is becoming as troubling as the racism that prompts our reaction.
We can, and should be, shocked to conversation and reaction by the large events, by brutal murder and racist violence. But the Christian community must become proactive; the conversation must be continual and ongoing, even when things seem quiet and we feel like we can lay off the rigorous work of healing the divides of the past that persist into the present. Maybe Christian communities can become better at noticing when racism appears in the mundane. Maybe, for example, when veiled, hateful comments arise over a fictional, historically white character being replaced by a half-Black, half-Latino character, the Church can be among the first to respond. By keeping the dialogue going, by fueling the discussion with the everyday instances of racism that we start taking time to notice, maybe we can become more equipped to address the beast which has so sadly been allowed to grow in our midst.
So the Christian community must become proactive. The Christian community must also become provocative. Just as Jesus forces us to rest with uncomfortable truths about the nature of power and the life of the kingdom, we must speak into our culture about the uncomfortable realities of privilege and racial oppression. It is often difficult for the Church, with its rooted traditions and long, arcing history to embrace newness, especially when that newness calls for large-scale shifts in nature of our social fabric. But we must.
We must because right now, our current script is failing us. Right now, we are purely reactionary. The continued existence of a culture that shapes and gives power to a killer like Dylann Roof is evidence of that. Right now, hate, rather than grace, is systemic. Yet we are a people of good news. And the good news here is that the church can lead the movement for change. In Christ, we have the model for deep transformation. In Christ, we have the model of incarnational life, of radical hospitality, of grace and acceptance which literally knows no limits.
Racism, in all its forms, feeds on exclusion. Inclusion must be the nature of the Church, as the life and teachings of Jesus taught us it should be; if it is, the national tolerance (and willful ignorance) which fuels this persistent social disease will become both clearer and more abhorrent to those of us committed to the abundant life. Steps toward an identity of inclusion will include our admitting how we have failed our neighbors, how we have let oppression and systemic injustice feed on our unwillingness to act.
Inclusion will begin with a stark acknowledgement of our failures. It will continue with real dialogue about privilege, poverty, opportunity and oppression, all of which are factors wrapped up in systemic racism. And, if the Church is serious about inclusion, such dialogue will lead to actions that address the injustices committed by those in power, the needs of those on the margins and the systemic attitudes that lead individuals and communities to place themselves above their neighbor and against the very being of God.
God gives us the call to lead and enact change. As Peter Parker's uncle Ben said, "with great power comes great responsibility." And if the Church can’t, or won’t, take up the responsibility to channel the power and love of Christ in order to lead such change? Then we may be forced to acknowledge our uselessness, as outdated a relic as the flags of racist nations long gone.
7 of the most dangerous church cultures I've observed by Ron EdmondsonI was talking with a couple of pastors recently about leading in church revitalization and growth. Both of these pastors are seasoned church leaders who have far more experience in total than I have in vocational ministry.
Mostly I listened to their stories. Both are currently in difficult pastorates. One of them serves in a church that has a history of very short-term pastorates. The other is in a church that has seen a roller coaster trend in church attendance — every time they get in a season of growth it's followed by a season of decline — sometimes rapid decline.
Frankly, I prefer to have conversations about opportunities and possibilities than about challenges and frustrations. But get a few pastors in the room and there will be some war stories. Leading towards health in a church can be a battle sometimes.
Just like it’s been said numerous times: Leading people would be easy if it weren’t for the people.
I tried to encourage them in their call and offered a few suggestions for them in their current situations. But the conversation stayed on my mind for days afterwards.
A few days after this conversation, I was talking with another pastor friend reflecting on what I'd heard in the previous conversation. I didn’t share names or specific situations, but it led us to a discussion about church cultures.
Every church has its own culture.
Both of the pastors in the original conversation just seemed to find themselves in some very bad church cultures.
I’ve seen lots of different cultures while consulting and working with churches for over a decade.
Regardless of what some believe, there are some healthy churches.
And there are some that aren't so healthy.
It always breaks my heart to encounter a church that is ready to implode. Frankly, some churches live in that tension continually. Some cultures are dangerous — toxic even.
Why do some churches seem to have such a hard time keeping church staff for any significant length of time? It usually has something to do with the culture of the church.
Why are some churches more resistant to change than others? It almost always reflects back to the culture of the church.
Why do some churches have a history of church splits? Culture.
This friend in the second conversation said to me, “There’s a blog post for you. You need to talk about some of those dangerous cultures.”
Sadly, according to numerous statistics, more churches are in decline or have plateaued than are growing. Certainly not all growing churches are healthy. I would never define a “healthy” church exclusively as growing church. I do believe, however, that most healthy churches will eventually grow.
Some of that health in a church depends on the culture of the church. How do people respond to church leadership? How do they respond to each other? How do they react to change? How are decisions made? What upsets people most? What is the atmosphere — the mood — of the church during the week and on Sunday? How does the church treat vocational staff?
All those are usually relative to and indicative of church culture.
So I decided to post about some of the more dangerous church cultures I have observed. Most likely you’ll have some of your own to share.
Here are seven of the most dangerous church cultures:
- Selfish – Some churches are filled with people who think they have to have it their way. And they fold her hands — and sometimes hold their money — until they get it.
- Prideful – This is a culture with people that are proud of their heritage — which is a good thing — but are resting on their laurels. They refuse to realize it’s no longer the “good ole days”. Their pride keeps in the past keeps them from embracing the future. They resist any ideas that are different from the way things have always been done.
- Rigid – A rigid culture would never kill something, even if it isn’t working. These churches do tradition well. They don’t do change well. Try to change and it’ll be the death of you.
- Cliquish – I’ve heard this from so many people who felt they just couldn’t break into the already established groups within the church. In this culture, it takes years for people to feel included, find a place of service or begin to lose the “new person” label.
- Bullying – Sometimes this is disguised and called church discipline, but in some of the stories I’ve heard I would tend to call it legalistic. If it’s a “one strike you’re out” culture or people are made to feel they can’t be real about their struggles for fear of retribution, the picture of grace that Christ died on the cross to provide is diminished. People are encouraged to put on masks to hide their struggles.
- Stingy – In this culture, there is a greater concern that the balance sheet look attractive than meeting the needs that God brings their way. This church rarely walks by faith because that seems too irresponsible.
- Depraved – This one may in some ways be a summary of the previous six — because there is sin in all of these cultures — but I wanted to expose it on its own. If the Bible is left in the rack attached to the pew and no longer the foundation guide for the church, the culture will obviously suffer. Church culture can begin to decay whenever the focus is more on things like money, programs, buildings , even worship style — as good as all of those can be — rather than on living our lives as children of God for the glory of God. Whatever distracts us from the very core of the church — our Gospel mission and calling — will injure our church culture.
What dangerous cultures have you seen?
I should mention again — especially to those outside the church, those who have experienced pain from these type churches, or those entering into the ministry in whom I may have raised caution — there are healthy churches. There are healthy church cultures. There are no perfect churches, but there are some who have staff with long tenures, where change is manageable and where people truly live out the biblical model of church.
And, as someone who loves the local church, that’s where I hope to lend help in the majority of posts I share. In a future post I will try to expand on some thoughts and experience I have in helping to change church cultures.
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
Reuniting Christology and sexology
By Talbot DavisDon't you hate it when your strongest disagreement is with your closest friends?
Here's how that's working in my life. In the same-sex relationship, intimacy and marriage debate that is currently dominating United Methodist news, I have a collection of colleagues with whom I am in substantial agreement on almost every theological issue.
That is, we hold to a high view of the authority of Scripture, an ongoing concern for the salvation of all people, a belief in the continuing work of the Holy Spirit, and most essentially, a commitment to what is commonly called a "high Christology."
By "high Christology" I mean an understanding that Jesus is not godly. He is God. He is not a great man. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is not one of many. He is the one and only. Along with my friends, I treasure the truths we read in John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:1-4 and Philippians 2:5-11. Every knee really will bow and every tongue really will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And yet a number of those same "high Christology" colleagues also embrace a new relational ethic in which same-sex marriages would ultimately be approved by and occur in United Methodist churches. With great passion and convincing articulation, they claim that you can at the same time affirm the historic creeds of the Christian faith and an evolving understanding of human sexuality. The list of these friends includes people like Steve Harper, one of my seminary professors, Adam Hamilton and Michael Slaughter, Methodism’s highest profile voices, and the voices you hear among the new cadre of colleagues from the Via Media Methodists site (an organization which, to be clear, has taken no official stand on changing the language in the Book Of Discipline.)
So I want to share a few lines with you on why I believe such a view is both intellectually and biblically untenable. In short, why a high Christology must be reunited with an ancient sexology. My points below will center primarily-though-not-exclusively on Paul's texts, as he is the source of both the strongest language and the greatest disagreement in the same-sex marriage debate.
1. Pauline consistency. The New Testament's strongest proclamations regarding the divinity of Christ are in the letters of Paul. Specifically, Colossians 1 & 2, Philippians 2, and 1 Corinthians 15. For Paul, Jesus is Risen King, not wandering prophet. Paul is not alone here, of course — John 1 and Hebrews 1 are certainly part of Christology's Mt. Rushmore — yet his voice is both persistent and persuasive.
Yet that same Paul is every bit as consistent and clear regarding Christian sexual ethic: celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in heterosexual marriage. Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 and even the comprehensively simple command of 1 Corinthians 7:2: "But since there is sexual immorality occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband." I don't think we can celebrate Paul in one breath and disregard him with another.
2. Resurrection ethics. Paul's rhetorical logic in 1 Corinthians creeps up on most of us. He argues for sexual restraint from Christ's resurrection. Let me show you what I mean.
What is a presenting dilemma in 1 Corinthians? Sexual permissiveness, manifest most egregiously with the man who "is sleeping with his father's wife" (1 Cor 5:2).
What is the solution? "Flee sexual immorality" (6:18).
Why? "Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit" (6:19).
Why are our bodies so significant? Because they will be raised from the dead (15:12-13).
And how do we know our bodies will be raised from the dead? Because "Christ has been raised from the dead" (15:12).
The ethics of chapters 5 and 6, then, cannot be separated from the theology of chapter 15. We who claim Christ live into a resurrection ethic in which our bodies are holy because they are everlasting.
Adam Hamilton has said, "Orthodoxy relates to theological essentials captured in the creeds." But when did we separate the theological from the ethical? Isn't that why James is in the canon?
The notion that Jesus' resurrection is "theological" or "creedal" while our sexual behavior is merely ethical is exactly the kind of Greek-not-Hebrew thinking that Paul spends most of 1 Corinthians correcting. I fear my UMC colleagues are falling prey to their own modern-day Gnosticism, as much as I'm sure that thought shocks them. As I have written earlier, your body is the most theological thing about you.
Of course, the creeds don't mention homosexuality specifically. They don't mention adultery either. Does that mean faithfulness in marriage is no longer part of orthodoxy? That orthodoxy is only what you believe in your head and not what you do with your body? Such a dichotomy deserves a place in the dustbin of history, along with the Gnosticism of which this thinking is simply a 21st century derivative.
3. Modern hubris. During a conversation I had with a "high Christology" friend one time, he remarked with great confidence that when Paul speaks of same-sex relationships in Romans 1 he was no doubt referring to exploitive relationships, up to and including pedopholia. Indeed, my friend said, Paul could have no concept of a modern-day monogamous same-sex romance.
However, as Ben Witherington and Richard Hays have shown, Paul's language in Romans gives no hint of exploitation and every indication of equality. Indeed Paul's acknowledgment of female-centric homosexuality mitigates the modern theory that he was speaking of male masters and boy slaves. We do ourselves a disservice with we assume that we are the sexual sophisticates and Paul was a simpleton. Paul lived and ministered in the midst of a culture that was every bit as oversexed as is our own.
4. The fallacy Of The women's ordination - racial equality - homosexual inclusion argument. Those on my theological left frequently argue that in the same way the church progressed through the years to embrace female ordination and racial equality, so it is moving in the right direction when it comes to homosexual marriage. It's the right side of history argument in religious clothing.
And it is purely an invention of convenience. Even the most conservative among us in the United Methodist Church acknowledge that within the Bible there is conversation (that's why we call it a library at Good Shepherd.) And when it comes to women's issues, the subject of slavery, and even harmonious relationships within the church, there is conversation within the books of the Bible. Conversation within leads to conversation beyond, and that's why the UMC has heard the "yes" of Acts 2 louder than the "no" of 1 Timothy 2 when it comes to the ordination of women.
However, there is no such conversation within and among the texts of Scripture when it comes to homosexual intercourse. Every mention is negative. Consensus within mandates fidelity beyond.
So here is my plea to my Christological friends: Recognize the logical impossibility of your position. Elevate your sexology to the deservedly lofty heights of your Christology.
Because just as Jesus is not ours to reimagine, neither is marriage ours to redefine.
How to dream like Jesus
By Rebekah Simon-PeterLately I’ve been thinking a lot about the dreams of Jesus. Not his nighttime dreams. But the dream that drove him day by day. It was never far from his awareness. He talked about it, taught about it and prayed about it. Both his healings and his post-resurrection interactions reflected it. As I write about in "The Jew Named Jesus," it was his self-stated reason for coming.
Call me crazy, but I think if we were to recapture Jesus’ own dream, our lives as followers would be fuller and richer. Our discipleship would be truer. Our churches would be reinvigorated. The world would be transformed.
What was Jesus’ dream? In a nutshell: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We think of this line as part of the Lord’s Prayer. But I think of it as Jesus’ dream. His dream for us, for humanity, for all creation. The kingdom figured in everything Jesus did. First he announced it, then he enacted it through miracles and healings, then God inaugurated it through his resurrection.
What is Jesus’ dream? That the beautiful, creative, abundant, gracious, life-giving, blessed intentions of God would be as fully realized on earth as they already are in heaven. That heaven would be reflected here on earth. That we would fully embody God’s will in all our dealings.
So that means a few things: First, the well-being of the earth is essential to Jesus’ own dream. This is where God’s salvation plays out, not in an afterlife. Second, it means we’re called to be active participants. Third, it means that we have to elevate our consciousness beyond the physical to sense the deep spiritual movement of the Divine will and consciousness within us. In other words, we have to let the dream move us to new actions, new conversations and new ways of being.
Pope Francis has caught the dream. In his recent encyclical, "Laudato Si’: On the Care of our Common Home," he articulates a new vision of the kingdom of God here on earth. Where both the poor and the planet receive preferential treatment.
He also articulates what it takes to get there. “Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. … A great cultural, spiritual, and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal.” (¶ 202)
United Methodist bishops, too, have written about the need for renewal.
The necessity of human renewal, of reimagining what it means to be human, was made devastatingly clear when an armed 21-year-old man joined a prayer meeting and Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston S.C.
Less than an hour later, Dylann Roof, a white southerner with racist beliefs opened fire on this inclusive gathering. Nine black spiritual and civic leaders, including three pastors, one of whom — Rev. Clementa Pinckney —was a respected state senator, lay dead.
Followers of Jesus, this is a potent time to embrace Jesus’ dream and make it our own. Here are some insights about how to dream like Jesus from the week just past:
The best way to dream like Jesus is to practice the kingdom of God, here and now.
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of "The Jew Named Jesus" and "Green Church."
4 huge issues we're facing in America today
By Don Underwood
Rev. Don Underwood issues a statement and challenge about working toward a better America.
Don is the senior pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas and the author of "The Long View: Reflections on Life, God, and Nature." He blogs at DonUnderwood.org.
5 factors that create a culture of hate
By Christy Thomas
I am not going to do any second-guessing as to background and causation of the tragedy in South Carolina. The facts themselves are horrific enough: A young white man spends some time in worship in a historically black church and then kills nine of them including the pastor.
Somewhere along the line, he learned that hating those who are different is a permissible, possibly even admirable, way to live.
Instead of dealing with what may have or may not have happened in his upbringing, I want to suggest some larger societal factors that I think are coming into play here. Perhaps we can address the roots of the problem, not just chop off more of the visible growth.
It seems to me that there are five primary factors that contribute to our current culture of hate.
1. The fear of those who are different from us is probably programmed deep into our DNA. Fear has promoted survival for most of human existence, or at least promoted survival for the group that feared the most and attacked that which was feared most effectively. The victors passed their fear genes along to us. Until we get to know “the other” on a personal, free give-and-take level, fear remains the primary emotion when encountering the unknown. It can’t be eliminated by logic. Jonathan Haidt’s book "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion" explains this process well.
2. The smaller our boundaries, whether those boundaries are educational, social, religious, financial and/or geographical, the higher the fear of the outsider. A smaller world in any area gives inadequate experience to learn the habits that welcome people outside our own known world. Read stories of those who managed to leave communities with high walls: Almost without fail, people who leave will say they were taught that everyone outside their group was evil and out to destroy them. Here’s a short one that describes the system of tight boundaries pretty well.
3. When tight boundaries are reinforced by religious and political leaders, there is nearly always an assumption that God’s favor rests only upon those inside. That assumption makes those on the outside disposable, even less than human. This NPR article helps to expand on that thought. A quotation:
"During the Holocaust, Nazis referred to Jews as rats. Hutus involved in the Rwanda genocide called Tutsis cockroaches. Slave owners throughout history considered slaves subhuman animals. In 'Less Than Human,' David Livingstone Smith argues that it’s important to define and describe dehumanization, because it’s what opens the door for cruelty and genocide."
We must never forget the Christian church in our own country did indeed support the idea that slaves were not fully human. In much of the world today, women still carry the stigma of being less than human. Here’s a resource about the world tragedy if you want to know more.
4. When our social and religious institutions routinely segregate us from contact with “the other,” we lower our chances of eliminating prejudice. The “other” can be anyone older or younger, smarter or less gifted academically, more athletically talented as opposed to those of us who seriously can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, the “elite” flyers or those in the crowded back of the plane, the physically fit or the girth-blessed couch potatoes. More and more, we find ourselves and especially our children segregated into “affinity” groups. Such groups increase the likelihood of group cohesion and lower possible friction and discomfort. As a result, we don’t learn tolerance. We are reinforced in our thinking that our way is the only right way.
In my work as a professional church visitor, I notice that larger churches simply do not welcome children or youth in worship. They are sent to their own spaces, with their own kind, with their own age groups. Sure, it makes adults more relaxed in worship and children more entertained by not being in worship. But it also reinforces the message that only what children or youth hear from their peers has any value for their growth–and that is dangerous, to put it mildly.
5. The current culture of picking and choosing our news and other information only from sources that already agree with us has the unfortunate side effect of raising the hate level. Our own prejudices become solidly reinforced. They may become so reinforced that even the idea they are prejudices and not “objectively” true becomes anathema. The awareness of how easy it is to live in a constant state of self-deception simply disappears. For an excellent book on that subject, try "Leadership and Self-Deception." It’s a simple and quick read, full of wisdom. It also offers practical ways to help us become more aware of the ways we rationalize our own prejudices and our dislike of the “other.”
I offer this list as one possible starting place to address the cultural realities of our increasingly polarized and factionalized world. If each could take one step daily where we lower a barrier and see our own prejudices more clearly, we could indeed make some significant progress.
How megachurches have killed the practice of prayer By Christy Thomas
It suddenly dawned on me last Sunday: Prayer is not media-friendly.
In this past year, I’ve visited over forty different types of churches, writing up my experiences for a regional newspaper. I then post the columns on this blog and write a more thorough analysis of what I saw and experienced.
Many of the places I visited are quite large, often multi-site. Messages come from the lead pastor, nearly always a charismatic and photogenic younger man. Most are live-streamed, using multiple stationary cameras along with an ever-moving boom camera to help keep the TV/Web-streaming audience engaged.
Few of the worship services I attended had time set aside for prayer. None of those with live-streaming do. Why? Churches web-streaming their services dare not practice silence or quietness. Music, movement, words and enthusiasm must fill each millisecond. It’s the nature of media — silence in a broadcast is the kiss of death.
Almost all the very large churches I’ve visited follow the same worship formula: no spoken greeting, but opens with 20-25 minutes of very loud music accompanied by dancing girls. High-speed video announcements follow and then a 30-45 minute sermon by the big-name pastor which is usually done by video. Perhaps another song and a dismissal. While money is earnestly desired, the act of receiving the offering and dedicating it to God as a part of worship has nearly disappeared. Membership covenants that mean a pledge of a certain income percentage keep the coffers full. And prayer is nearly non-existent.
That’s what hit me so hard on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Much of that service was spent in prayer, both corporate and private. We acknowledged the presence of God in prayer. We confessed our sins together, first with a written prayer, second with private prayer. We prayed for the world at large and then for those closest to our hearts. We prayed together the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. We were still. We had silence.
There were no cameras. There was no broadcast. It was just us.
Most find prayer a difficult discipline to master, coming easy to few, if any. It is also an essential discipline for those who wish to move to spiritual maturity.
Most megachurches work diligently to channel people into smaller home/study groups. I assume prayer takes place there. However, the practice of prayer is not modeled or experienced in the larger worship gatherings. Those who get their entire spiritual nourishment from webcasts have never seen any more than a token prayer.
I’ve written before about how megachurches have accidentally killed Christian community. It appears another death follows their ever-enlarging territory. We are all the poorer because of it.
Christy blogs at ChristyThomas.com.
The church and homosexuality: Finding a way forward
By Jason Byassee
The months leading up to General Conference are sure to see a raft of proposals on homosexuality in the United Methodist Church. Being a centrist denomination by inclination many of these will seek to scratch out ground for compromise. This article does not. I rather suggest, as a sort of theological conservative, how liberals on this topic ought to argue to try and convince someone like me. In short, the argument “Who cares about Christ, Scripture or fidelity? We need inclusivity!” is doomed to fail from the start and should. An argument that says “lifelong monogamous fidelity between two people is difficult, beautiful, and could be something the Holy Spirit is asking us to bless between two people of the same gender” is an argument I have to respect, and might even agree with.
We all know the stakes are high. Some years ago the pastors of the 100 largest United Methodist churches wrote a letter suggesting they’d prefer to split off from the UMC. These churches provide a disproportionate amount of the money to the denomination. They can’t do it, our rules are clear, or they’d have to leave behind the property and the money. We are unusual in being a mainline liberal denomination that hasn’t made provision for gay and lesbian ministers or weddings. And it’s because of our polity — parishes can’t choose their own ministers. Other denominations can say “If you don’t want a gay minister, just don’t hire one.” No one planned for this fluke of our polity to have this effect on how we discuss this issue. But maybe it’s a gift from God. Churches should not get to pout and get their way just because they are large and influential. The whole church should do what God wants, however risky. On that we should all be agreed.
Some initial observations: Tony Campolo used to say he didn’t want to argue with anybody on this topic who was unable to admit they might be wrong. This issue is really difficult. If a schism somehow erupts in our denomination, the newly conservative break-off will have to keep discussing it exhaustively. What can gay people do or not do? Attend? Join? Teach Sunday School?
Conservatives in the church on this question need to hear something. They’re not necessarily mean or bigoted; they’re trying to live their faith and love the Bible, which is what we’re here for. Liberals in the church on this question need to hear something. Their desire to be accepting and inclusive is not anti-biblical a priori. They’re trying to embrace those whom others most reject, which is precisely what Jesus does.
Our worst nightmare as a denomination is breaking up such that individual congregations have to decide, via some ghastly vote, on which Methodist group to join. This would split my vibrant and wonderful congregation right down the middle. But certain activists on this issue don’t care that they’d be ripping apart local churches on their way to some blessed future of getting what they want.
Talk of schism is really about conservatives in our denomination not getting their way enough. Each vote in the last several quadrennia has been more conservative than the last. The right is winning in our church, though it’s losing in broader American culture. This is the side I’m more sympathetic with, so I can ask, why are we behaving this way? The UMC is growing in places like Côte d’Ivoire and shrinking in places like California. Every UM on the planet has equal representation at General Conference, and with growth in conservative areas, like the Southeast, and shrinkage in liberal areas, like New England and the Midwest, our votes are tilting to the right. Yet some liberal judicatories are ignoring this church law and have done so for some time. Conservatives are tired of fighting for it and of being painted as bigots. In our broader culture it’s becoming impossible to be a conservative on this question without being considered a bigot. And Methodists aren’t good at being out of step with our broader culture. Especially in tall steeple settings like Boone Methodist. We tend to go with the broader flow of our society. This is good in some ways — we’re a church for our town. It’s awful in others — we failed on slavery and Civil Rights. The left in our denomination is afraid we’re not on the right side of history. I often tell conservatives on the gay question their best way forward is enthusiastically to do ministry among non-white populations and to promote talented women toward ordination. Otherwise it looks like we’re just fighting the civil rights movement over. There is no extra credit with Jesus just for being conservative.
It’s important to remember this “issue” is not just an “issue.” It’s about people whom you and I had better love. And then it’s appropriately hard. The question is this: Does a Christ-follower need to agree only to celibacy or to lifelong monogamous fidelity to someone of the opposite sex, or can homosexual relationships of lifelong monogamous fidelity also be pleasing to God? The answer is made complicated by fact that we shrug at divorce (which Jesus says a lot more about than the zero he says on this. Careful, liberals — Jewish law is authoritative when it is deferred to, not just when it’s referred to.) I’m guessing there’s no appetite for congregations like my former one to crack down on divorcees in the name of biblical faithfulness.
The arguments for inclusion of gays and lesbians without required celibacy include these: Homosexuality is only mentioned in some seven verses depending on how you count, this is a new version of the civil rights movement, gay people report to having always felt this way, and science increasingly suggests they are right biologically. A conservative argument has to respond this way. The seven verses may not be impressive by themselves. But the argument from Paul that says male/female marriage reflects Christ’s marriage to the church is more impressive. That’s where my own tilting toward conservativism comes from. What has worked for Israel and the church for millennia shouldn’t be changed in 10 minutes. The burden of proof is always on those who want to make a major change in morals or doctrine. If God wants us to change on this, we will eventually. What’s the big hurry? I suspect it’s analogous to race. But modern racism is so horrible we have to root out every vestige of it and repent in full of white supremacy. On homosexuality we will never say, “Oops, our preference for heterosexuality was dangerously wrong, we all repent out of it.” We might say that the benefits and rigors of opposite-gender marriage might be extended also to same-sex couples. And as for the analogy, 400 years of slavery and a century of Jim Crow doesn’t equal the inability to get married in the state of Alabama. This is not the “same” as the civil rights movement. Every analogy limps, the writer says, and this analogy limps more than most.
One more conservative argument I respect is this: Being born with an inclination does not make one act upon it and does not make it morally acceptable. Christianity is cross-bearing. It is supposed to be difficult. We are all born with sin woven into our nature, and rooting it out is difficult and painful. Being Christian will require self-denial. If I acted on everything I wanted, sexually or otherwise, I’d be in jail. And people can change quite fundamental things about themselves, as every recovered alcoholic shows. This is easy for me to say I realize, because this not being my particular cross to bear.
In Protestantism having no celibacy vows among priests or monks or nuns hurts us. Protestantism’s way of constantly splintering into tiny factions is a constant counter-witness to the unity of the church for which Christ is praying for now (John 17). Schism is disobedience. Talk of leaving and splitting and going alone is just regenerating Protestantism, with its claim to be “purer” than whoever it leaves behind. It’s why the North Carolina mountains have a Baptist church in every holler. The end of this absurd way is a church of one person, whose liturgy says ‘I’m better than everyone else,’ with no need for Jesus.
I find I spend a lot of my time trying to push liberals to argue better. This is not civil rights, we can’t dismiss the Bible as dumb or retrograde and expect conservatives even to listen. How do we talk about it then? I suggest two ways borrowed from gay theologians I admire. These are not arguments that necessarily convince me — they’re arguments I respect and would have to listen to. Conservatives are really thinking of leaving because liberals seem to hate what they love — Jesus and Scripture and salvation. These are arguments that love Jesus and Scripture and salvation.
One, drawing on Eugene Rogers’ work in “Sexuality and the Christian Body,” we Gentiles are by nature unclean. We are far from God, foreigners, without hope in the world. Until Christ makes us clean. In Paul’s imagery Israel is the tree, and Christ grafts us in as unnatural branches. Certainly homosexual acts are unclean in themselves, as are all Gentiles. But in Christ, unclean things are made clean in ways that seem initially repugnant to God’s people but which we then come to realize are grace-filled. This is taking Paul to a place Paul did not go (his arguments in Romans 1 make that clear to me), but it is a biblically informed argument with a central place for Christ’s saving work, so I admire it.
Two, drawing on James Alison’s work, which draws on Rene Girard’s: We human beings know who we are by whom we scapegoat (think here of the junior high playground or locker room — that’s just humanity in all our ugliness). We gang up and kick someone out, exclude or murder them, and so cement our societies. In Christ, God enters this scapegoating mechanism … as the scapegoat. The victim at our hands returns to us not with the vengeance as we might expect but with grace, which explodes the entire system of scapegoating. We know ourselves now not by violence but by recognizing with horror and then gratitude that our victim is our God and forgives and loves us. As God undoes scapegoating we recognize the way we do it and repent of it. And this repentance should mark Christians’ interactions with gays and lesbians.
These are terribly short versions of really complex arguments. I suspect they’re stronger together than they are individually. They add up to a place that says something like this: We recognize marriage as that between a male and a female because in that difference we see the grace-filled difference between Christ and his church. What of these long-committed gay or lesbian couples whose relationship surprisingly also witnesses to that difference? We might say, “Well, that’s surprising, these two teach the rest of us about Christ and church, the Holy Spirit must be asking us to bless their relationship also.” It’ll be a caveat, an asterisk, an exception to our norm of opposite-gender marriage. It won’t be a new rule, we will not repent of “heterosexism” or whatever, this is not an analogy to civil rights or racism (if it were we would have to repent of all opposite-sex attraction). It is a surprise, one that says “Huh, we didn’t expect this, but God seems to want us to bless these relationships also, because God has blessed them.”
I know this satisfies no one. Conservatives want a clearer rejection of gay practice. Liberals want a clearer acceptance. But we Gentiles are an asterisk. A surprise. On our own we’re not Israel, not clean, not God’s people. In Christ we have been made acceptable, God’s people. That’s weird and surprising. We call it grace, and are glad to offer it to others.
The proof is in the kugel: On proving God
By Clifton Stringer
Does a delicious serving of kugel prove the existence of God?
I like proofs for the existence of God. I want Christians and others to understand that Christians are not people who check their brains at the door when they walk into church. Since I was in college, and in some ways before, I found my heart desiring that my atheist and agnostic friends might know and experience God's great love for them in Jesus Christ. This heartfelt desire led me to read works of Christian apologetics, that I might argue well enough to clear away atheists' "intellectual road-blocks" to trusting Jesus.
Moreover, scriptures like Romans 1:19-20 and 1 Peter 3:15 seem together to warrant the kind of thinking involved in pondering proofs for the existence of God. Thomas Aquinas, at the very least a strong contender for the title of Best Theologian Ever,thought God's existence philosophically demonstrable. Holding that God's existence is philosophically knowable apart from faith is a strong claim about the value of human reason and so of the dignity of the human creature. In the 19th century the Roman Catholic Church committed itself formally in this direction at Vatican I. Among evangelical Protestants one encounters plenty of arguments for the existence of God, of various levels of quality, in the apologetic literature.
On the other hand, there are dangers in putting too much weight on philosophical proofs of God's existence. Philosophical proofs for God's existence rarely persuade atheists. Even if they do persuade someone, one has created some kind of theist or deist, not a Christian. Is the God one thinks exists at the end of one's proof Israel's God, the living Trinity revealed in the Bible? Further, a Christian who works on proofs for God's existence may often find herself thinking she doesn't have a proof that works. Ought she abandon the faith when she can't work the philosophical proof, or becomes convinced that a proof she thought works doesn't? Moreover, there is the matter of the church's intellectual culture. An intellectual culture bent on philosophically proving God risks turning Christianity into a universal philosophy rather than a divinely revealed gospel about the Son of God delivering humanity from sin through his death and resurrection. So there is certainly a sense many Christians have that putting too much weight on philosophical proofs for God has its dangers.
But one can always try a good kugel.
Karl Barth, the great 20th century Swiss Reformed theologian, tells this story:
"Frederick the Great once asked his personal physician Zimmermann of Brugg in Aargau: 'Zimmermann, can you name me a single proof of the existence of God?' And Zimmermann replied, 'Your Majesty, the Jews!' By that he meant that if one wanted to ask for a proof of God, for something visible and tangible, that no one could contest, which is unfolded before the eyes of all men, the we should have to turn to the Jews."(Dogmatics in Outline, 75.)
Of course, Zimmermann's answer is not the kind of proof modern post-Enlightenment folk want. But that is part of Barth's point. For Barth, a Christian's vocation (intellectual and otherwise) is to witness to Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ reveals himself to the world not as the conclusion of a Neoplatonic or Aristotelian philosophical demonstration, nor as a safe bet at the end of a bout of cosmological probability calculation. Rather, Jesus Christ appears as Israel's Christ, the Messiah of the single tiny people to whom God has bound himself in love by a covenant such that this people "embodies in history the free grace of God for us all" (74).
To understand Jesus Christ is not to understand him as the conclusion of a philosophical argument one could leave unchanged if Israel never existed: to know the true God truly, for Barth, is to know Jesus the Christ of Israel. He writes that "Israel is nothing apart from Jesus Christ" — for the whole history of the Old Testament, for Barth, leads toward and is fulfilled in God's self-revelation in the man from Nazareth. And at the same time, for Barth, "we also have to say that Jesus Christ would not be Jesus Christ apart from Israel" (74).
Barth thus invites us to be humbled, awestruck, delightedly grateful at the historical fact of the Jewish people. For,
"there they are to the present day. Hundreds of little nations in the Near East have disappeared in the huge sea of nations; and this one tiny nation has maintained itself. And when today we speak of Semitism or anti-Semitism, we think of the tiny nation, which remarkably still keeps to the fore, is still recognizable, physically and spiritually..." (75).
To be awestruck at the fact of the Jews is to be awestruck and grateful before the God who in Jesus Christ is revealed as "Emmanuel... God is with us" (Matthew 1:23).
Barth maintains that "in the person of the Jew there stands a witness before our eyes, the witness of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and in that way with us all. Even one who does not understand Holy Scripture can see this reminder" (75).
Does that delicious kugel prove the existence of God?
There is a Jewish deli called Zaftig's not far from where we live in Boston. I've never studied the recipes philosophically, but the Reubens and kugel keep me going back.
Clifton Stringer is a Ph.D. student in Historical Theology at Boston College and the author of "Christ the Lightgiver" in the Converge Bible Studies series.
Doritos tacos and the church
By Joseph Yoo
I can’t verify how true it is, but I received this information recently in my Twitter feed from the account Google Facts:
I remember when Taco Bell first started rolling out the Doritos tacos. I hadn’t been to Taco Bell for a while because of the meat controversy. But when I saw the commercial, I was disgustingly curious. It was a mix of, “What in the world? … Why?” with “I have to try one.”
So I did. And I loved it. My passion for Taco Bell had been reignited (much to the detriment of my health).
I wish I'd been there at the creative meeting as they were tossing around ideas for the next big thing. I picture the meeting going something like this:
“C’mon people! None of these ideas are good! We need something drastic! Something to take people’s mind off of our meat controversy! Something… something different!” The room is silent except for the annoying young intern snacking away on his Doritos. But a thought strikes that young intern, and he tentatively raises his hand.
“Uh, sir?”
“Yes, new kid. What is it?” the boss responds.
“Everyone likes Doritos. It’s like the American snack. No one complains when they pick the bag of Doritos from one of those mixed chip boxes. I mean, everyone tries to trade the Fritos, but everyone is satisfied with the Doritos.”
“Go on…”
“This might be crazy. But, what if, I mean just what if we make an entire taco shell out of the Doritos? Everyone loves our tacos. Everyone loves Doritos. Let’s combine them and see what happens?”
“Kid, this just might be crazy enough to work!”
This probably isn't how things really went down. I bring up the Doritos Tacos and this imaginary scenario because often our churches lack the courage to think a bit out of the box. (Yes, I do believe that the introduction of the Doritos Tacos was “out of the box” thinking — whatever that box may be.)
I think we often lack the spirit to lead off a meeting with, “This may be crazy …”
Because we just may be too invested in order, in structure, in building maintenance. It’s one thing to risk everything you have when you have nothing to lose but it’s a completely different story when you have a lot more to lose. And we just may have too much to lose to risk everything. We may be too quick and too willing to embrace the status quo — the “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Creativity can be seen as dangerous and unnecessary when you have bills to pay, matriarchs and patriarchs to please and a campus to look after.
Tina Fey, in her book “Bossypants," writes that the second rule in improvisation (the first rule is to say yes) is, “not only to say ‘yes,’ but ‘yes, and.’ You are supposed to agree and then add something of your own.” No matter how crazy, outlandish or stupid the scenario your partner (or team) comes up with, your job is to say, “Yes, and” — to add to it, to run with it, to make it crazier. The moment you acknowledge how stupid, implausible or crazy the scenario is — or even hesitate — you lose the momentum. The scene is over.
It seems to me the church’s response is never really, “Yes, and” but more along the lines of, “Yes, but,” “Yea, well,” “Mmmm...” or the dreaded dead end of, “We should pray about it.” (We should pray about it — absolutely!—but that line is often used more as a way to stop talking about the new idea or new ministry rather than sincerely praying as a community for discernment).
I'll admit, sometimes people come forward with an idea that I can’t respond to because I’m biting my tongue to keep from laughing. Sometimes I'm thinking about the finances and the cost of going through with it.
But what if? What if we all approached ministry with, “Yes, and.” What if, in our meetings, we encouraged people to start sentences with, “This might be crazy, but…” and instead of instantly dismissing the thoughts, we said, “Yes, and” and built upon that crazy idea. That crazy idea just might be the catalyst for a new fruit-filled journey for our ministry.
In our weighing our limitations, in our balking and hesitating, in our dismissing, in our clinging to the status quo, perhaps we're forgetting that with God, all things are possible.
Let's encourage one another to live in the "Yes, and..."
And don’t knock the Doritos Tacos until you’ve tried them.
This Sunday, June 28, 2015Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
OUT OF THE TRENCHES by Tracey Allred
Mark 5:21-43
I have often heard the expression you’ll never find an atheist in a foxhole. That is to say that when someone is facing the possibility of death, there are few who will truly believe there is no God. I have never spent time in a foxhole, but I have spent quite a bit of time in hospitals as a pastoral care giver. I have observed that the foxhole statement is also true in times of health crisis and death. There are few who do not look up for answers when they find themselves flat on their backs. Today’s text is a miracle narrative dealing with this very faith phenomenon. The great news of this Gospel text is Jesus’ reaction to their desperation.
The chapters preceding Mark 5 deal primarily with early ministry events like the first healing, calling of disciples, and the reactions of the crowd to Jesus’ early teaching. Chapter 5 delves into specific miracles of Jesus. It is important to remember that in Mark there is special consideration given to the faith of the nonapostles. Often in Mark the twelve disciples are the last to understand Jesus’ words or actions. Instead, there are ordinary believers whose faith sets them apart. Jesus often uses these examples of faith as teachable moments for his disciples and his critics. Today’s text deals with two examples of faith—individuals whose perhaps desperation-driven faith teaches an important lesson about Jesus. After delivering the demon-possessed man, Jesus crosses to the other side of the lake where a large crowd has gathered. There he is approached by a synagogue leader, Jairus, who humbly approaches Jesus, falls at his feet, and begs Jesus to come and heal his ailing daughter. From scripture, we well know that synagogue leaders were not often followers of Jesus, yet the desperation of this father led him to approach Jesus for healing.
Jesus is filled with compassion and agrees to go to the man’s daughter. At the possibility of witnessing a miracle, the already assembled crowd presses on with Jesus and Jairus as they journey the street toward Jairus’s home. The crowd must be so large and the street so narrow that they are practically arm-to-arm as they move. In the midst of that crowd a woman approaches and reaches to touch Jesus. This woman was also motivated to seek him through desperation, as she had been bleeding for twelve years—a condition causing not only physical suffering but also spiritual suffering as a Jew. She presumably cannot even get close enough to speak to him, but believes correctly that she may be healed if she can merely touch him. Even with the crowd so close, Jesus realized that he had been touched, and stopped to acknowledge her. Just as he finished speaking with the woman, some men came from Jairus’s house reporting that the girl had died. Against the suggestion of these men, Jesus urges Jairus not to be afraid but to continue to believe. Upon entering the room with the girl’s parents and the inner circle of the disciples, Jesus commands that the girl get up and she does.
Both Jairus and the nameless bleeding woman are desperate. Jairus feels the desperation of a parent losing a child and consequently is willing to do whatever it takes to restore her health. The woman feels the desperation of someone experiencing a chronic debilitating health problem and reaches to perhaps the last one that might provide her relief. Both reach out to Jesus in utter faith that Jesus is the answer to their desperate situations. Their faithfulness is particularly outstanding as told by Mark, since Jesus’ own disciples and friends struggle to believe. I think that the most significant theological lesson to be learned from this text deals with Jesus’ reaction to Jairus and the woman. In both situations, Jesus does more than heal. Jesus demonstrates that he is more than a magician or miracle man. Jesus acts out of his compassion. He embraces and blesses the individuals for their faith. He feels their desperation and demonstrates that his healing is more than physical. It is more than a magical or medicinal touch; it is a life-changing encounter.
We do not know the rest of the story for Jairus and the woman, but in most cases in the Gospels, those who experienced Jesus in this way became lifelong followers.
Some of us might find ourselves in actual foxholes (and God bless those who do)! Most of us will not. All of us, however, will find ourselves in a desperate situation at least once in our lives. Hopefully, this will not be when we reach for God for the first time. If it is, this text promises that God will respond to our touch. This text also promises that whenever we reach for Jesus, Christ will respond with compassion and understanding. We are not alone. We are not untouchable in our grief and suffering. We are not beyond hope. Jesus will always respond to our touch and cry for help. All we must remember is that Christ is there for us to call, whether we’re in a foxhole, a physical crisis, or just need a touch from the Master.
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: JUNE 28, 2015 by Mary Petrina Boyd
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
THEME IDEAS
Today’s texts address the reality of human suffering: lives lost in battle, the debilitating cost of chronic disease, the death of a child, the cry of despair. God comes to those in pain with healing and grace, restoring life and hope, offering the abundance of steadfast love, bringing peace to troubled souls. This is the vision of living in shalom, a world of God’s peace, where all find healing and peace and where everyone has enough to thrive. In response to God’s amazing gifts, we are called to build that community as we live generous lives, offering from our abundance, that others might simply live.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 130)
Wait for the Lord, like those who hope in God’s mercy.
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Watch for God, like those who eagerly await the morning.
We watch for God, whose power redeems us.
Hear God’s hopeful word, like those who long for pardon.
Sing praise to God and rejoice in God’s love.
Opening Prayer (Mark 5)
Loving God,
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 130, Mark 5)
Out of the depths of despair,
we cry to you, O God.
We are lost in a world
of pain and suffering.
When we put our trust in weapons of war,
we find no peace.
When we put our faith in our own resources,
we feel the ache of our true needs.
When we put our hope in the health of our bodies,
we suffer pain and find no healing.
Come to us, O God.
Forgive our doubts and fears.
Heal our brokenness,
that we may rejoice in your steadfast love. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 130)
There is forgiveness and healing with God.
God’s steadfast love
has the power to redeem our brokenness
and make us whole.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Mark 5)
The love of Christ touches every person, transforming us with grace. Greet your sisters and brothers with this love. Share God’s peace.
Response to the Word (2 Samuel, 2 Corinthians 8, Mark 5)
Loving God,
let your word speak to our hearts.
Come and heal our brokenness
and restore us to life.
Comfort our grieving hearts.
Teach us to share from our abundance.
By your word,
transform us into your holy people. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (2 Corinthians 8)
Paul challenged the church at Corinth to recognize their abundance, that they might share with those in need. God calls us to give out of our bounty, that all might have enough to live on without fear. With eager hearts, let us joyfully give out of our abundance.
Offering Prayer (2 Corinthians 8)
Gracious God,
we thank you for our present abundance
and for the many blessings
you have bestowed upon this community.
We thank you for our faith,
for our knowledge of you,
and for the assurance of your love.
May all these gifts be a blessing
to those in need. Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Mark 5)
Christ’s touch has healed you.
God’s love has restored you.
The Spirit goes with you.
Go in peace to share the joy of God’s love.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Mark 5)
Come, bring your pain.
Draw close to Christ.
Reach out to touch Jesus.
Find healing and peace in his love.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 130, Mark 5)
God’s love is steadfast.
God’s power is great!
God heals our brokenness and gives us peace.
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2008 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2016” is now available.
WORSHIP CONNECTION: JUNE 28, 2015 by Nancy C. Townley
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1
L: Lord, come into our hearts today.
P: Heal us from all our pain.
L: Lord, come into our lives today.
P: Bring us hope and peace.
L: Come, let us worship God who brings hope and peace.
P: Praise be to God for God’s healing mercies. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2
L: Out of the depths of our lives, we call to you, O Lord.
P: Lord, hear our cries!
L: Hear our voices!
P: Lord, hear our cries!
L: Heal our wounds, restore our lives.
P: Lord, hear our cries and heal our lives. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, “Cares Chorus”, p. 2215, offer the following call to
worship as directed]
L: When our lives feel burdened, what shall we do?
P: When we need healing for our bodies and souls, what shall we do?
L: When all around us, things seem to be in turmoil, to whom shall we turn?
P: When no one seems to understand our sorrow, to whom shall we turn?
Soloist: singing “Cares Chorus” one time through
L: Lord, you lift our burdens!
P: Lord, you heal our souls and bodies!
L: Lord, you calm the stormy seas of our lives!
P: Lord, you understand our fears.
L: Thanks be to God.
P: AMEN.
Soloist: singing “Cares Chorus” one time through
Call to Worship #4
L: Come into the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving!
P: Serve the Lord with great gladness!
L: Know that God is truly with you!
P: Rejoice!
L: Come, let us worship the ever-present God!
P: Let us celebrate with song and prayer God’s love for us. AMEN.
PRAYERS, READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer:
Lord of healing and mercy, remind us again of your power to heal our lives from fears and mistrust. Open our hearts to believe in your restorative power and your great compassion for us. Give us healing and make us agents of peace for you in this, your World. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession:
Merciful Lord, we are so fearful these days. We encounter economic situations which threaten to destroy our lives; we encounter anger, fear and hostility, and we feel as though we are about to drown. We want to place our trust in you, but so many times before, when we have trusted others, we have been let down. Help us to truly trust your mercy and love. Heal and forgive our fears and sins. Open our hearts to receive your mercy and help us to become your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance:
Feel the touch of Christ on your heart! You are healed and forgiven! Rejoice! God is with you now and always! AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer:
Healing Lord, there are so many situations we have encountered which require healing and restoration. We try to do the best we can, but we cannot rely on our own strength and skills to bring about the complete healing that is so desperately needed. Help us to place our trust in you. Help us to work effectively to promote situations of healing and hope. We have come before you with so many concerns on our hearts. There seems to be no end to the desperate needs of your people, O Lord. Yet you love and hear all of us as we pray. You surround us with your love and healing mercies. You lift us gently and give us courage to work for you in ministries of peace and love. We praise and thank you for all of this as we offer this prayer in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Reading:
Pastor: Come, all who need healing!
Reader 1: Heal my heart from anger!
Reader 2: Heal my spirit from fear!
Reader 3: Heal my life from persecution!
Reader 4: Heal my alienation from family!
Reader 5: Heal my addictions!
Reader 6: Heal my doubt!
Reader 7: Heal my faithlessness!
Reader 8: Heal my waywardness!
Reader 9: Heal my apathy!
Pastor: Come, all who are burdened. The Lord offers healing. Come forward for blessing and healing touch. Come for prayer and gentle forgiveness. Come and receive the anointing oil of blessing. Come.
[Under the direction of the ushers, people who wish prayers come forward. Each of the readers, representing the afflictions of which they have spoken, come to be healed. Music should be softly playing in the background while people are receiving anointing.]
Pastor: (when all have come forward and received anointing): Know that the power of the Lord has been poured upon you. You have received forgiveness and strength to deal with those things which have been burdens. Place your whole trust in God and receive God’s blessing of love and peace. AMEN.
Benediction:
Beloved of God, healed and forgiven, blessed and strengthened: go forth to be a blessing to others, proclaiming the love and mercy of God in all that you do and say! AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is: GREEN
[Note: today is a day in which healing and hope is being offered. The green fabric and candle represent new life offered in our healing. The burlap or rough fabric represent our need for healing. If the Pastor is planning a type of “healing service” the reading offered for this week will work nicely with this worship setting]
SURFACE: Place a 12” riser at the center of the back on the worship table. Place an 8” riser on each side of the 12” riser.
FABRIC: Cover the entire worship center with a very light celery green, a cool spring-like color. In the center of the table, on the 12” riser and trailing forward across the table, place a 14-20” strip of rough fabric such as burlap or monk’s cloth. Wrinkle it up and make sure that it is not placed smoothly.
CANDLES: Place an 8” white pillar candle on the 8” risers on either side of the 12” riser on the worship table. On the center of the table, on the rough fabric, place a green 3” pillar candle.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE: Place ivy or other trailing plants on either side of the candles so that some of the trailing vines may spill down over the table, toward the floor. These plants are used to “soften” the edges of the worship center and to create texture and dimension.
ROCKS/WOOD: You may place some small stones near the rough fabric on the worship center to create a special texture.
OTHER: Place a brass cross on the 12” riser at the center back of the worship table.
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: JUNE 28, 2015 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27.David's grief for Saul and Jonathan provides adults a counterpoint to the Gospel story about healing and resurrection. But the poem assumes a detailed knowledge of the relationships between Saul, Jonathan, and David, and a mature understanding of death and grieving. Consequently, it is not a compelling reading for children.
The alternative Old Testament readings ( 1 Samuel 18:1-5 and Psalms 133) focus on the friendship of David and Jonathan, featured nowhere else in this cycle of David texts. Telling additional stories about David and Jonathan, preaching about their unlikely friendship, and building liturgy focused on friendship, can produce a worship experience in which both children and adults can participate fully.
Psalm: 130. When it is read with great emotion, children hear this as a prayer which might have been prayed by David after Saul and Jonathan died, by Jarius while his daughter was so ill, or by the woman who had been sick for twelve years. They gather this more from the feeling of phrases such as "Out of the depths I cry to you," than from intellectual understanding of the poem as a whole. Much of the vocabulary and many of the concepts require more explanation than is possible in worship.
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43. This double story offers two more examples of faith in action. Children love the synagogue leader, a father who risked his office and what his friends might think, to ask Jesus to heal his terminally ill daughter. Shy children, especially, admire the woman who quietly reached out to touch Jesus, believing he could heal her. Preaching on these stories, however, generally leads to discussions of adult concerns (wholeness, uncleanness, the meaning of new life) and abstract ideas (the link between faith and healing), which are beyond children. Last week's examples fighting a giant and facing a storm are easier to use in meaningfully exploring faith with both adults and children.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 8:7-15. This is basically a passage about sharing. Paul wants the Corinthians to share some of what they have with Christians in Jerusalem who have great need at the moment. He promises that when the Corinthians are the needy ones, the Christians in Jerusalem will take up an offering for them. He is not calling for sacrificial giving, but sharing some of our plenty.
It is possible to tie in such sharing with the friendship between David and Jonathan. Generous sharing among friends is not something duty forces us to do, but something we want to do.
Watch Words
Believing and having faith mean putting your thoughts into action.
To heal is to cure a person of a disease. To make whole is interpreted literally and thus produces interesting but not very useful mental pictures of the woman who had been bleeding for years. Today, save means either to rescue from identifiable trouble or to set aside for future use. Use it carefully in exploring the Gospel story.
Though 2 Corinthians suggests a stewardship sermon, do not use the word stewardship which relates to doing our duties well. Speak instead of sharing, which arises from generous concern for people we care about. If you use benevolences orbenevolent frequently in your worship, take time to define the terms and paraphrase the sentences in which they are used.
Let the Children Sing
Sing about Christ's power with the hymns you sang during Easter. The repeated phrases make "When Morning Gilds the Skies" a first choice.
Most church-school and vacation-Bible-school songbooks contain songs about generous love. "Love, Love, Love, That's What It's All About," and other such songs may be sung by children's classes or Bible-school groups as anthems.
If you feature the friendship of David and Jonathan on a communion Sunday, sing "I Come with Joy." Alert the children to listen for lines about friendship among God's people.
The Liturgical Child
1. To emphasize the story-within-a-story in Mark, have the passage read by two readers. The first reads from the usual lectern. The second reads either from the pulpit or stands beside or in front of the lectern, to highlight the interruption. The readers should practice reading the verses in order to communicate their urgency.
male reader:21-24
female reader: 25-34
male reader: 35-43
2. Before reading the Epistle, describe the situation in Jerusalem and in Corinth. Ask worshipers to listen for what Paul wanted the people in Corinth to do and why he wanted them to do it. Begin the sermon with comments on that.
3. Before collecting the offering, briefly describe several specific ways your congregation will use the money to share what you have with others. If possible, name sharing efforts with which the children are familiar and in which they have shared time and energy, as well as money.
4. Offer a series of bidding prayers about friends, pausing after each for worshipers to follow the worship leader's directions. Bid worshipers to identify and pray for friends who are older; then younger; then the same age they are. Instruct them to think about and pray for a friend who lives in another town. Ask them to name to themselves, and to God, one friend with whom they are not getting along at the moment. Urge them to think, with God, of ways to work things out with that friend. Suggest that they name to God all their friends in your congregation, and then thank God for something special about each one. Encourage them to identify a person who needs their friendship, and to make a promise to God about offering that friendship this week.
Sermon Resources
1. Explore the spirit of generosity that lay beneath Paul's call to share, by describing two brothers who shared a bedroom. They had their own dressers and desks, but most of their toys and important things were scattered all over the room and under the beds. Stuff was everywhere. At homework time, one brother's "Have you seen my pencil?" generally was answered, "Who knows! Try this one." Though they had their fusses, they usually got along.
Then trace a spiral of selfishness that began when one brother said, "This is mine. Don't even touch it!" and escalated, with each one identifying what was his, until they drew a line down the middle of the room and posted STAY OUT signs. From that time on, there was constant bickering and checking, to make sure that one did not have anything that was the other's.
2. Jess and Leslie, in "Bridge to Terabithia," by Katherine Paterson, provide a modern example of friendship like that of David and Jonathan. Jess, from a poor rural family, and Leslie, whose family is well-off financially and educationally, forge a creative friendship which ends with Leslie's accidental death. Both their friendship and Jess's grief parallel that of David and Jonathan. This award winner has been read by many fifth- and sixth-graders.
3. If you give the children the puzzle on the Worship Worksheet, use the word benevolent repeatedly, to help build their familiarity with it.
SERMON OPTIONS: JUNE 28, 2015
Lament for Fallen Warriors
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Christians should lament the fall of Christian warriors (those falling into sin) as surely as David lamented the death of Saul and Jonathan. His lament for Jonathan wasn’t surprising. They were best friends. His lament of Saul, on the other hand, was extraordinary, because Saul had relentlessly hated and hounded him. David was deeply grieved over Saul’s death because Saul was God’s anointed, the king of Israel.
Christians should grieve the fall into sin of any other Christian because we are God’s elect; chosen for his glory. Our lament for fallen Christians will convey the same attitudes as David’s lament for Saul.
I. The Attitude of Forgiveness of the Fallen
The whole tone of David’s funeral elegy for Saul reflects his forgiveness of Saul. The greatest need of a fallen Christian is God’s forgiveness. The second great need is forgiveness by fellow believers.
The prodigal son’s father forgave him freely and threw a party to celebrate his homecoming. But the older brother withheld his forgiveness and refused to attend the party. That must have deprived the younger brother of a critical ingredient for him to ever enjoy and benefit fully from the restoration of relationship with his father. When we withhold forgiveness from fallen brothers and sisters in Christ, we deprive them of an essential ingredient for continued growth in Christ: the joy of Christian fellowship.
II. The Attitude of Positive Talk About the Fallen
David’s lament forbade negative discussions about Saul’s and Jonathan’s defeat and death. Instead, David wrote of the victories and strengths of the regal father and son. He encouraged others to do the same.
In a critical football game, a running back fumbled away his team’s last-minute opportunity to tie or win the game. His teammates who patted him on the back and encouraged him did the Christian thing. A member of the other team who cursed and ridiculed him did the ungodly thing.
All around us are brothers and sisters who are struggling with life’s challenges. They may be struggling with marriage; or having difficulties with children; or facing vocational insecurity or even loss of a job. There could be any number of reasons for their struggle, but there is only one Christian response: to love, encourage, and be Christ’s presence in the life of that brother or sister.
When Christians fall, the last word they need to hear from a brother or sister is a harsh word of judgment and criticism. They desperately need a word of forgiveness and encouragement. (Jerry E. Oswalt)
Attention: This is Not a Sermon About Sex!
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Several years ago a minister pondered how to maintain decent crowds for Stewardship Sunday. The topic has an uncanny way of emptying pews, and he labored at how to avoid that. So he announced in the church newsletter that next week’s sermon would be entitled: “Everything You Need to Know About Sex.” Predictably, come Sunday morning the pews were jammed. Even the C-and-E (Christmas and Easter) Christians had added a third worship service to their annual repertoire.
After the hymn of preparation, the pastor noted how quiet the sanctuary became. The listeners sat on the edge of their seats, anxious to hear the latest word on the world’s hottest topic. The pastor mounted the steps into the pulpit, looked at the congregation, and said: “Sex was created by God as an expression of love between husbands and wives and a way of propagating life on planet Earth. Now that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about stewardship.”
No games and no gimmicks today. Instead we need to be honest and up front about this topic. Stewardship is a biblical priority. What we do with what we have been given is a subject regularly addressed in both the Old and New Testaments. In today’s lesson Paul challenges the Corinthians to put their money where their mouths are, to back up their professions of charity with the practice of giving.
I. Authentic Stewardship Requires Faithfulness
Paul was collecting an offering for the church in Jerusalem. Various Christian communities (including some of rather meager means) had contributed. Corinth, of course, was a city of considerable financial ability. The believers there were capable of supporting the mission significantly. They obviously had expressed their support verbally. Now Paul was asking them to follow through. He spoke of their “readiness in desiring it” being matched by their willingness to “complete it out of what you have” ( 2 Cor. 8:11, RSV).
How easy it is to talk a good game about faith without being faithful. How easy it is to preach love without loving, to teach forgiveness without forgiving, to testify about missions without helping and healing, to verbally champion youth ministries without contributing or programming, to talk evangelism without inviting. Perhaps the Corinthian church was at that point, talking a good game about stewardship without being faithful stewards. Meanwhile the needs of the poor in Jerusalem were not effectively met by mere talk.
II. Authentic Stewardship Requires Giving Ourselves First
Paul said that Jesus is the model for Christian stewards: “[f]or your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (v. 9). It is an image of self-giving love that always places a priority on others.
General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, used to send handwritten Christmas cards to all his workers. Booth signed the cards with a single word. It was a word designed to keep them focused. It was a word designed to remind them of their calling and their duty. It was a word designed to drive them past verbalizing faith to authentic fidelity. Every card he signed with the single word: Others.
We, too, are called by God to think of others, to share with others, to love and serve and help and heal others. And few Christian disciplines accomplish all that half as effectively as the stewardship of our finances, by which the church wraps its arms of compassion around the world, healing hurts and lifting high the cross. (Michael Brown)
Desperate
Mark 5:24-34
The woman was sick. Mark tells us she had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She went to many doctors, but none had been able to help her. Instead, her condition had grown worse.
She received reports of this man called Jesus and how he was having a remarkable effect on people. She knew what she had to do: she would go to Jesus. He would heal her.
When she gets there it is a mob scene. The crowds were pressing against Jesus. The woman believed that if she could just touch him—just the hem of his garment—she would get well. She reaches out and touches his cloak—and she is cured.
Most of us have not had this kind of experience. We are captured by the faith of the woman. She did not just believe that Jesus had the power to heal her—she was convinced that if she just touched his robe, the hem of his garment, she would be cured. She forces us to reexamine our faith in the mystery around us—that which can’t be explained and is beyond reason. Whether you call it mystery, magic, or grace, Christianity has always been filled with elements that involve a trust in something supernatural.
In many quarters of the church we have tried to ignore this mystery. We have attempted to make the Christian faith rational. Meanwhile, all around us and deep within us is a hunger that reaches out for expression. We see it in the rise of witchcraft, tarot cards, and astrology.
But there is more to human life than just reason. There is a mind, and a heart, and mystery and wonder, and powers and principalities we can’t explain. Jesus invites us to love the Lord our God with all of our minds—which means that we are to use and respect and appreciate the power of reason and our minds—and we are to love the Lord with all our heart and emotions and instincts, and we are to offer our souls, which is to commit ourselves to the grace of God that surrounds us. If we can just touch the grace of God, then our sin-sick world can be healed. (Rick Brand)Ministry Matters
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United Methodist bishops, too, have written about the need for renewal.
The necessity of human renewal, of reimagining what it means to be human, was made devastatingly clear when an armed 21-year-old man joined a prayer meeting and Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston S.C.
Less than an hour later, Dylann Roof, a white southerner with racist beliefs opened fire on this inclusive gathering. Nine black spiritual and civic leaders, including three pastors, one of whom — Rev. Clementa Pinckney —was a respected state senator, lay dead.
Followers of Jesus, this is a potent time to embrace Jesus’ dream and make it our own. Here are some insights about how to dream like Jesus from the week just past:
- Dream a bigger dream. This sweeps people up with you and creates a current that moves things forward. Family members of the slain forgave the killer. They urged him to repent. They did this not to let him off the hook. Or to whitewash racism. But to free themselves of hatred and revenge. And to be ready for a better future.
- Speak up even when powerful forces threaten you. Climate change “skeptics”, whose funding can be traced back to the fossil fuel industry, sought vigorously to dissuade Pope Francis from speaking out on climate change, or at least to include their perspective in his paper. Pope Francis, a chemist by training, and a lifelong advocate of the poor, instead chose to call all humans to a vision where our common good outweighs the financial interests of some corporations.
- Love is the answer. In conversations with clergy from a variety of denominations, I have been struck by the cynicism and despair the church shooting has engendered. Love wins. Love always wins. Keep hope alive.
- Do justly. The search for justice is not easy. Biblical definitions of justice do not equal revenge, but of all creation living together in peace and harmony. What can you do in your corner of the world to create a world that works for all creatures and all people?
The best way to dream like Jesus is to practice the kingdom of God, here and now.
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of "The Jew Named Jesus" and "Green Church."
4 huge issues we're facing in America today
By Don UnderwoodRev. Don Underwood issues a statement and challenge about working toward a better America.
Don is the senior pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas and the author of "The Long View: Reflections on Life, God, and Nature." He blogs at DonUnderwood.org.
5 factors that create a culture of hate
By Christy ThomasI am not going to do any second-guessing as to background and causation of the tragedy in South Carolina. The facts themselves are horrific enough: A young white man spends some time in worship in a historically black church and then kills nine of them including the pastor.
Somewhere along the line, he learned that hating those who are different is a permissible, possibly even admirable, way to live.
Instead of dealing with what may have or may not have happened in his upbringing, I want to suggest some larger societal factors that I think are coming into play here. Perhaps we can address the roots of the problem, not just chop off more of the visible growth.
It seems to me that there are five primary factors that contribute to our current culture of hate.
1. The fear of those who are different from us is probably programmed deep into our DNA. Fear has promoted survival for most of human existence, or at least promoted survival for the group that feared the most and attacked that which was feared most effectively. The victors passed their fear genes along to us. Until we get to know “the other” on a personal, free give-and-take level, fear remains the primary emotion when encountering the unknown. It can’t be eliminated by logic. Jonathan Haidt’s book "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion" explains this process well.
2. The smaller our boundaries, whether those boundaries are educational, social, religious, financial and/or geographical, the higher the fear of the outsider. A smaller world in any area gives inadequate experience to learn the habits that welcome people outside our own known world. Read stories of those who managed to leave communities with high walls: Almost without fail, people who leave will say they were taught that everyone outside their group was evil and out to destroy them. Here’s a short one that describes the system of tight boundaries pretty well.
3. When tight boundaries are reinforced by religious and political leaders, there is nearly always an assumption that God’s favor rests only upon those inside. That assumption makes those on the outside disposable, even less than human. This NPR article helps to expand on that thought. A quotation:
"During the Holocaust, Nazis referred to Jews as rats. Hutus involved in the Rwanda genocide called Tutsis cockroaches. Slave owners throughout history considered slaves subhuman animals. In 'Less Than Human,' David Livingstone Smith argues that it’s important to define and describe dehumanization, because it’s what opens the door for cruelty and genocide."
We must never forget the Christian church in our own country did indeed support the idea that slaves were not fully human. In much of the world today, women still carry the stigma of being less than human. Here’s a resource about the world tragedy if you want to know more.
4. When our social and religious institutions routinely segregate us from contact with “the other,” we lower our chances of eliminating prejudice. The “other” can be anyone older or younger, smarter or less gifted academically, more athletically talented as opposed to those of us who seriously can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, the “elite” flyers or those in the crowded back of the plane, the physically fit or the girth-blessed couch potatoes. More and more, we find ourselves and especially our children segregated into “affinity” groups. Such groups increase the likelihood of group cohesion and lower possible friction and discomfort. As a result, we don’t learn tolerance. We are reinforced in our thinking that our way is the only right way.
In my work as a professional church visitor, I notice that larger churches simply do not welcome children or youth in worship. They are sent to their own spaces, with their own kind, with their own age groups. Sure, it makes adults more relaxed in worship and children more entertained by not being in worship. But it also reinforces the message that only what children or youth hear from their peers has any value for their growth–and that is dangerous, to put it mildly.
5. The current culture of picking and choosing our news and other information only from sources that already agree with us has the unfortunate side effect of raising the hate level. Our own prejudices become solidly reinforced. They may become so reinforced that even the idea they are prejudices and not “objectively” true becomes anathema. The awareness of how easy it is to live in a constant state of self-deception simply disappears. For an excellent book on that subject, try "Leadership and Self-Deception." It’s a simple and quick read, full of wisdom. It also offers practical ways to help us become more aware of the ways we rationalize our own prejudices and our dislike of the “other.”
I offer this list as one possible starting place to address the cultural realities of our increasingly polarized and factionalized world. If each could take one step daily where we lower a barrier and see our own prejudices more clearly, we could indeed make some significant progress.
How megachurches have killed the practice of prayer
By Christy ThomasIt suddenly dawned on me last Sunday: Prayer is not media-friendly.
In this past year, I’ve visited over forty different types of churches, writing up my experiences for a regional newspaper. I then post the columns on this blog and write a more thorough analysis of what I saw and experienced.
Many of the places I visited are quite large, often multi-site. Messages come from the lead pastor, nearly always a charismatic and photogenic younger man. Most are live-streamed, using multiple stationary cameras along with an ever-moving boom camera to help keep the TV/Web-streaming audience engaged.
Few of the worship services I attended had time set aside for prayer. None of those with live-streaming do. Why? Churches web-streaming their services dare not practice silence or quietness. Music, movement, words and enthusiasm must fill each millisecond. It’s the nature of media — silence in a broadcast is the kiss of death.
Almost all the very large churches I’ve visited follow the same worship formula: no spoken greeting, but opens with 20-25 minutes of very loud music accompanied by dancing girls. High-speed video announcements follow and then a 30-45 minute sermon by the big-name pastor which is usually done by video. Perhaps another song and a dismissal. While money is earnestly desired, the act of receiving the offering and dedicating it to God as a part of worship has nearly disappeared. Membership covenants that mean a pledge of a certain income percentage keep the coffers full. And prayer is nearly non-existent.
That’s what hit me so hard on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Much of that service was spent in prayer, both corporate and private. We acknowledged the presence of God in prayer. We confessed our sins together, first with a written prayer, second with private prayer. We prayed for the world at large and then for those closest to our hearts. We prayed together the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. We were still. We had silence.
There were no cameras. There was no broadcast. It was just us.
Most find prayer a difficult discipline to master, coming easy to few, if any. It is also an essential discipline for those who wish to move to spiritual maturity.
Most megachurches work diligently to channel people into smaller home/study groups. I assume prayer takes place there. However, the practice of prayer is not modeled or experienced in the larger worship gatherings. Those who get their entire spiritual nourishment from webcasts have never seen any more than a token prayer.
I’ve written before about how megachurches have accidentally killed Christian community. It appears another death follows their ever-enlarging territory. We are all the poorer because of it.
Christy blogs at ChristyThomas.com.
The church and homosexuality: Finding a way forward
By Jason ByasseeThe months leading up to General Conference are sure to see a raft of proposals on homosexuality in the United Methodist Church. Being a centrist denomination by inclination many of these will seek to scratch out ground for compromise. This article does not. I rather suggest, as a sort of theological conservative, how liberals on this topic ought to argue to try and convince someone like me. In short, the argument “Who cares about Christ, Scripture or fidelity? We need inclusivity!” is doomed to fail from the start and should. An argument that says “lifelong monogamous fidelity between two people is difficult, beautiful, and could be something the Holy Spirit is asking us to bless between two people of the same gender” is an argument I have to respect, and might even agree with.
We all know the stakes are high. Some years ago the pastors of the 100 largest United Methodist churches wrote a letter suggesting they’d prefer to split off from the UMC. These churches provide a disproportionate amount of the money to the denomination. They can’t do it, our rules are clear, or they’d have to leave behind the property and the money. We are unusual in being a mainline liberal denomination that hasn’t made provision for gay and lesbian ministers or weddings. And it’s because of our polity — parishes can’t choose their own ministers. Other denominations can say “If you don’t want a gay minister, just don’t hire one.” No one planned for this fluke of our polity to have this effect on how we discuss this issue. But maybe it’s a gift from God. Churches should not get to pout and get their way just because they are large and influential. The whole church should do what God wants, however risky. On that we should all be agreed.
Some initial observations: Tony Campolo used to say he didn’t want to argue with anybody on this topic who was unable to admit they might be wrong. This issue is really difficult. If a schism somehow erupts in our denomination, the newly conservative break-off will have to keep discussing it exhaustively. What can gay people do or not do? Attend? Join? Teach Sunday School?
Conservatives in the church on this question need to hear something. They’re not necessarily mean or bigoted; they’re trying to live their faith and love the Bible, which is what we’re here for. Liberals in the church on this question need to hear something. Their desire to be accepting and inclusive is not anti-biblical a priori. They’re trying to embrace those whom others most reject, which is precisely what Jesus does.
Our worst nightmare as a denomination is breaking up such that individual congregations have to decide, via some ghastly vote, on which Methodist group to join. This would split my vibrant and wonderful congregation right down the middle. But certain activists on this issue don’t care that they’d be ripping apart local churches on their way to some blessed future of getting what they want.
Talk of schism is really about conservatives in our denomination not getting their way enough. Each vote in the last several quadrennia has been more conservative than the last. The right is winning in our church, though it’s losing in broader American culture. This is the side I’m more sympathetic with, so I can ask, why are we behaving this way? The UMC is growing in places like Côte d’Ivoire and shrinking in places like California. Every UM on the planet has equal representation at General Conference, and with growth in conservative areas, like the Southeast, and shrinkage in liberal areas, like New England and the Midwest, our votes are tilting to the right. Yet some liberal judicatories are ignoring this church law and have done so for some time. Conservatives are tired of fighting for it and of being painted as bigots. In our broader culture it’s becoming impossible to be a conservative on this question without being considered a bigot. And Methodists aren’t good at being out of step with our broader culture. Especially in tall steeple settings like Boone Methodist. We tend to go with the broader flow of our society. This is good in some ways — we’re a church for our town. It’s awful in others — we failed on slavery and Civil Rights. The left in our denomination is afraid we’re not on the right side of history. I often tell conservatives on the gay question their best way forward is enthusiastically to do ministry among non-white populations and to promote talented women toward ordination. Otherwise it looks like we’re just fighting the civil rights movement over. There is no extra credit with Jesus just for being conservative.
It’s important to remember this “issue” is not just an “issue.” It’s about people whom you and I had better love. And then it’s appropriately hard. The question is this: Does a Christ-follower need to agree only to celibacy or to lifelong monogamous fidelity to someone of the opposite sex, or can homosexual relationships of lifelong monogamous fidelity also be pleasing to God? The answer is made complicated by fact that we shrug at divorce (which Jesus says a lot more about than the zero he says on this. Careful, liberals — Jewish law is authoritative when it is deferred to, not just when it’s referred to.) I’m guessing there’s no appetite for congregations like my former one to crack down on divorcees in the name of biblical faithfulness.
The arguments for inclusion of gays and lesbians without required celibacy include these: Homosexuality is only mentioned in some seven verses depending on how you count, this is a new version of the civil rights movement, gay people report to having always felt this way, and science increasingly suggests they are right biologically. A conservative argument has to respond this way. The seven verses may not be impressive by themselves. But the argument from Paul that says male/female marriage reflects Christ’s marriage to the church is more impressive. That’s where my own tilting toward conservativism comes from. What has worked for Israel and the church for millennia shouldn’t be changed in 10 minutes. The burden of proof is always on those who want to make a major change in morals or doctrine. If God wants us to change on this, we will eventually. What’s the big hurry? I suspect it’s analogous to race. But modern racism is so horrible we have to root out every vestige of it and repent in full of white supremacy. On homosexuality we will never say, “Oops, our preference for heterosexuality was dangerously wrong, we all repent out of it.” We might say that the benefits and rigors of opposite-gender marriage might be extended also to same-sex couples. And as for the analogy, 400 years of slavery and a century of Jim Crow doesn’t equal the inability to get married in the state of Alabama. This is not the “same” as the civil rights movement. Every analogy limps, the writer says, and this analogy limps more than most.
One more conservative argument I respect is this: Being born with an inclination does not make one act upon it and does not make it morally acceptable. Christianity is cross-bearing. It is supposed to be difficult. We are all born with sin woven into our nature, and rooting it out is difficult and painful. Being Christian will require self-denial. If I acted on everything I wanted, sexually or otherwise, I’d be in jail. And people can change quite fundamental things about themselves, as every recovered alcoholic shows. This is easy for me to say I realize, because this not being my particular cross to bear.
In Protestantism having no celibacy vows among priests or monks or nuns hurts us. Protestantism’s way of constantly splintering into tiny factions is a constant counter-witness to the unity of the church for which Christ is praying for now (John 17). Schism is disobedience. Talk of leaving and splitting and going alone is just regenerating Protestantism, with its claim to be “purer” than whoever it leaves behind. It’s why the North Carolina mountains have a Baptist church in every holler. The end of this absurd way is a church of one person, whose liturgy says ‘I’m better than everyone else,’ with no need for Jesus.
I find I spend a lot of my time trying to push liberals to argue better. This is not civil rights, we can’t dismiss the Bible as dumb or retrograde and expect conservatives even to listen. How do we talk about it then? I suggest two ways borrowed from gay theologians I admire. These are not arguments that necessarily convince me — they’re arguments I respect and would have to listen to. Conservatives are really thinking of leaving because liberals seem to hate what they love — Jesus and Scripture and salvation. These are arguments that love Jesus and Scripture and salvation.
One, drawing on Eugene Rogers’ work in “Sexuality and the Christian Body,” we Gentiles are by nature unclean. We are far from God, foreigners, without hope in the world. Until Christ makes us clean. In Paul’s imagery Israel is the tree, and Christ grafts us in as unnatural branches. Certainly homosexual acts are unclean in themselves, as are all Gentiles. But in Christ, unclean things are made clean in ways that seem initially repugnant to God’s people but which we then come to realize are grace-filled. This is taking Paul to a place Paul did not go (his arguments in Romans 1 make that clear to me), but it is a biblically informed argument with a central place for Christ’s saving work, so I admire it.
Two, drawing on James Alison’s work, which draws on Rene Girard’s: We human beings know who we are by whom we scapegoat (think here of the junior high playground or locker room — that’s just humanity in all our ugliness). We gang up and kick someone out, exclude or murder them, and so cement our societies. In Christ, God enters this scapegoating mechanism … as the scapegoat. The victim at our hands returns to us not with the vengeance as we might expect but with grace, which explodes the entire system of scapegoating. We know ourselves now not by violence but by recognizing with horror and then gratitude that our victim is our God and forgives and loves us. As God undoes scapegoating we recognize the way we do it and repent of it. And this repentance should mark Christians’ interactions with gays and lesbians.
These are terribly short versions of really complex arguments. I suspect they’re stronger together than they are individually. They add up to a place that says something like this: We recognize marriage as that between a male and a female because in that difference we see the grace-filled difference between Christ and his church. What of these long-committed gay or lesbian couples whose relationship surprisingly also witnesses to that difference? We might say, “Well, that’s surprising, these two teach the rest of us about Christ and church, the Holy Spirit must be asking us to bless their relationship also.” It’ll be a caveat, an asterisk, an exception to our norm of opposite-gender marriage. It won’t be a new rule, we will not repent of “heterosexism” or whatever, this is not an analogy to civil rights or racism (if it were we would have to repent of all opposite-sex attraction). It is a surprise, one that says “Huh, we didn’t expect this, but God seems to want us to bless these relationships also, because God has blessed them.”
I know this satisfies no one. Conservatives want a clearer rejection of gay practice. Liberals want a clearer acceptance. But we Gentiles are an asterisk. A surprise. On our own we’re not Israel, not clean, not God’s people. In Christ we have been made acceptable, God’s people. That’s weird and surprising. We call it grace, and are glad to offer it to others.
The proof is in the kugel: On proving God
By Clifton StringerDoes a delicious serving of kugel prove the existence of God?
I like proofs for the existence of God. I want Christians and others to understand that Christians are not people who check their brains at the door when they walk into church. Since I was in college, and in some ways before, I found my heart desiring that my atheist and agnostic friends might know and experience God's great love for them in Jesus Christ. This heartfelt desire led me to read works of Christian apologetics, that I might argue well enough to clear away atheists' "intellectual road-blocks" to trusting Jesus.
Moreover, scriptures like Romans 1:19-20 and 1 Peter 3:15 seem together to warrant the kind of thinking involved in pondering proofs for the existence of God. Thomas Aquinas, at the very least a strong contender for the title of Best Theologian Ever,thought God's existence philosophically demonstrable. Holding that God's existence is philosophically knowable apart from faith is a strong claim about the value of human reason and so of the dignity of the human creature. In the 19th century the Roman Catholic Church committed itself formally in this direction at Vatican I. Among evangelical Protestants one encounters plenty of arguments for the existence of God, of various levels of quality, in the apologetic literature.
On the other hand, there are dangers in putting too much weight on philosophical proofs of God's existence. Philosophical proofs for God's existence rarely persuade atheists. Even if they do persuade someone, one has created some kind of theist or deist, not a Christian. Is the God one thinks exists at the end of one's proof Israel's God, the living Trinity revealed in the Bible? Further, a Christian who works on proofs for God's existence may often find herself thinking she doesn't have a proof that works. Ought she abandon the faith when she can't work the philosophical proof, or becomes convinced that a proof she thought works doesn't? Moreover, there is the matter of the church's intellectual culture. An intellectual culture bent on philosophically proving God risks turning Christianity into a universal philosophy rather than a divinely revealed gospel about the Son of God delivering humanity from sin through his death and resurrection. So there is certainly a sense many Christians have that putting too much weight on philosophical proofs for God has its dangers.
But one can always try a good kugel.
Karl Barth, the great 20th century Swiss Reformed theologian, tells this story:
"Frederick the Great once asked his personal physician Zimmermann of Brugg in Aargau: 'Zimmermann, can you name me a single proof of the existence of God?' And Zimmermann replied, 'Your Majesty, the Jews!' By that he meant that if one wanted to ask for a proof of God, for something visible and tangible, that no one could contest, which is unfolded before the eyes of all men, the we should have to turn to the Jews."(Dogmatics in Outline, 75.)
Of course, Zimmermann's answer is not the kind of proof modern post-Enlightenment folk want. But that is part of Barth's point. For Barth, a Christian's vocation (intellectual and otherwise) is to witness to Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ reveals himself to the world not as the conclusion of a Neoplatonic or Aristotelian philosophical demonstration, nor as a safe bet at the end of a bout of cosmological probability calculation. Rather, Jesus Christ appears as Israel's Christ, the Messiah of the single tiny people to whom God has bound himself in love by a covenant such that this people "embodies in history the free grace of God for us all" (74).
To understand Jesus Christ is not to understand him as the conclusion of a philosophical argument one could leave unchanged if Israel never existed: to know the true God truly, for Barth, is to know Jesus the Christ of Israel. He writes that "Israel is nothing apart from Jesus Christ" — for the whole history of the Old Testament, for Barth, leads toward and is fulfilled in God's self-revelation in the man from Nazareth. And at the same time, for Barth, "we also have to say that Jesus Christ would not be Jesus Christ apart from Israel" (74).
Barth thus invites us to be humbled, awestruck, delightedly grateful at the historical fact of the Jewish people. For,
"there they are to the present day. Hundreds of little nations in the Near East have disappeared in the huge sea of nations; and this one tiny nation has maintained itself. And when today we speak of Semitism or anti-Semitism, we think of the tiny nation, which remarkably still keeps to the fore, is still recognizable, physically and spiritually..." (75).
To be awestruck at the fact of the Jews is to be awestruck and grateful before the God who in Jesus Christ is revealed as "Emmanuel... God is with us" (Matthew 1:23).
Barth maintains that "in the person of the Jew there stands a witness before our eyes, the witness of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and in that way with us all. Even one who does not understand Holy Scripture can see this reminder" (75).
Does that delicious kugel prove the existence of God?
There is a Jewish deli called Zaftig's not far from where we live in Boston. I've never studied the recipes philosophically, but the Reubens and kugel keep me going back.
Clifton Stringer is a Ph.D. student in Historical Theology at Boston College and the author of "Christ the Lightgiver" in the Converge Bible Studies series.
Doritos tacos and the church
By Joseph YooI can’t verify how true it is, but I received this information recently in my Twitter feed from the account Google Facts:
Doritos tacos have pulled Taco Bell out of a sales slump.
So I did. And I loved it. My passion for Taco Bell had been reignited (much to the detriment of my health).
I wish I'd been there at the creative meeting as they were tossing around ideas for the next big thing. I picture the meeting going something like this:
“C’mon people! None of these ideas are good! We need something drastic! Something to take people’s mind off of our meat controversy! Something… something different!” The room is silent except for the annoying young intern snacking away on his Doritos. But a thought strikes that young intern, and he tentatively raises his hand.
“Uh, sir?”
“Yes, new kid. What is it?” the boss responds.
“Everyone likes Doritos. It’s like the American snack. No one complains when they pick the bag of Doritos from one of those mixed chip boxes. I mean, everyone tries to trade the Fritos, but everyone is satisfied with the Doritos.”
“Go on…”
“This might be crazy. But, what if, I mean just what if we make an entire taco shell out of the Doritos? Everyone loves our tacos. Everyone loves Doritos. Let’s combine them and see what happens?”
“Kid, this just might be crazy enough to work!”
This probably isn't how things really went down. I bring up the Doritos Tacos and this imaginary scenario because often our churches lack the courage to think a bit out of the box. (Yes, I do believe that the introduction of the Doritos Tacos was “out of the box” thinking — whatever that box may be.)
I think we often lack the spirit to lead off a meeting with, “This may be crazy …”
Because we just may be too invested in order, in structure, in building maintenance. It’s one thing to risk everything you have when you have nothing to lose but it’s a completely different story when you have a lot more to lose. And we just may have too much to lose to risk everything. We may be too quick and too willing to embrace the status quo — the “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Creativity can be seen as dangerous and unnecessary when you have bills to pay, matriarchs and patriarchs to please and a campus to look after.
Tina Fey, in her book “Bossypants," writes that the second rule in improvisation (the first rule is to say yes) is, “not only to say ‘yes,’ but ‘yes, and.’ You are supposed to agree and then add something of your own.” No matter how crazy, outlandish or stupid the scenario your partner (or team) comes up with, your job is to say, “Yes, and” — to add to it, to run with it, to make it crazier. The moment you acknowledge how stupid, implausible or crazy the scenario is — or even hesitate — you lose the momentum. The scene is over.
It seems to me the church’s response is never really, “Yes, and” but more along the lines of, “Yes, but,” “Yea, well,” “Mmmm...” or the dreaded dead end of, “We should pray about it.” (We should pray about it — absolutely!—but that line is often used more as a way to stop talking about the new idea or new ministry rather than sincerely praying as a community for discernment).
I'll admit, sometimes people come forward with an idea that I can’t respond to because I’m biting my tongue to keep from laughing. Sometimes I'm thinking about the finances and the cost of going through with it.
But what if? What if we all approached ministry with, “Yes, and.” What if, in our meetings, we encouraged people to start sentences with, “This might be crazy, but…” and instead of instantly dismissing the thoughts, we said, “Yes, and” and built upon that crazy idea. That crazy idea just might be the catalyst for a new fruit-filled journey for our ministry.
In our weighing our limitations, in our balking and hesitating, in our dismissing, in our clinging to the status quo, perhaps we're forgetting that with God, all things are possible.
Let's encourage one another to live in the "Yes, and..."
And don’t knock the Doritos Tacos until you’ve tried them.
This Sunday, June 28, 2015Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43
Lectionary Texts:
2 Samuel 1:1 Sha’ul had died, and David had been two days in Ziklag after returning from the slaughter of the ‘Amaleki.
17 Then David pronounced this lament over Sha’ul and over Y’honatan his son, 18 in order to teach the people of Y’hudah [not to underestimate] archery (the lament has been written down in the book of Yashar):
19 “Your glory, Isra’el, lies dead on your high places!
How the heroes have fallen!
20 Don’t speak of it in Gat;
don’t proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon;
then the daughters of the P’lishtim won’t rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised won’t gloat.
21 “Mountains of Gilboa — may there be on you
no dew, no rain, no fields with good crops;
because there the shields of the heroes were dishonored,
the shield of Sha’ul was no longer rubbed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the dead, from the flesh of heroes,
the bow of Y’honatan did not retreat
or the sword of Sha’ul return unsatisfied.
23 Sha’ul and Y’honatan, loved and gracious while alive,
were not separated even in death;
they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
24 “Daughters of Isra’el, weep over Sha’ul!
He clothed you luxuriously in scarlet
and put gold jewelry on your clothing.
25 “How the heroes have fallen in the heat of battle,
Y’honatan killed on your high places!
26 I grieve for you, my brother Y’honatan,
you meant so much to me!
Your love for me was deeper
than the love of women.
27 How the heroes have fallen
and the weapons of war perished”
Psalm 130:(0) A song of ascents. By David:
(1) Adonai, I call to you from the depths;
2 hear my cry, Adonai!
Let your ears pay attention
to the sound of my pleading.
3 Yah, if you kept a record of sins,
who, Adonai, could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you will be feared.
5 I wait longingly for Adonai;
I put my hope in his word.
6 Everything in me waits for Adonai
more than guards on watch wait for morning,
more than guards on watch wait for morning.
7 Isra’el, put your hope in Adonai!
For grace is found with Adonai,
and with him is unlimited redemption.
8 He will redeem Isra’el
from all their wrongdoings.
2 Corinthians 8:7 Just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in diligence of every kind, and in your love for us — see that you excel in this gift too. 8 I am not issuing an order; rather, I am testing the genuineness of your love against the diligence of others. 9 For you know how generous our Lord Yeshua the Messiah was — for your sakes he impoverished himself, even though he was rich, so that he might make you rich by means of his poverty. 10 As I say, in regard to this matter I am only giving an opinion. A year ago you were not only the first to take action but the first to want to do so. Now it would be to your advantage 11 to finish what you started, so that your eagerness in wanting to commence the project may be matched by your eagerness to complete it, as you contribute from what you have. 12 For if the eagerness to give is there, the acceptability of the gift will be measured by what you have, not by what you don’t have. 13 It is not that relief for others should cause trouble for you, but that there should be a kind of reciprocity: 14 at present your abundance can help those in need; so that when you are in need, their abundance can help you — thus there is reciprocity. 15 It is as the Tanakh says,
“He who gathered much had nothing extra,
and he who gathered little had nothing lacking.”[a][Footnotes:
2 Corinthians 8:15 Exodus 16:18]
Mark 5:21 Yeshua crossed in the boat to the other side of the lake, and a great crowd gathered around him. 22 There came to him a synagogue official, Ya’ir by name, who fell at his feet 23 and pleaded desperately with him, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please! Come and lay your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”
24 He went with him; and a large crowd followed, pressing all around him. 25 Among them was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years 26 and had suffered a great deal under many physicians. She had spent her life savings; yet instead of improving, she had grown worse. 27 She had heard about Yeshua, so she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe; 28 for she said, “If I touch even his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Instantly the hemorrhaging stopped, and she felt in her body that she had been healed from the disease. 30 At the same time, Yeshua, aware that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His talmidim responded, “You see the people pressing in on you; and still you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, frightened and trembling, because she knew what had happened to her, came and fell down in front of him and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your trust has healed you. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house came, saying, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the rabbi any longer?” 36 Ignoring what they had said, Yeshua told the synagogue official, “Don’t be afraid, just keep trusting.” 37 He let no one follow him except Kefa, Ya‘akov and Yochanan, Ya‘akov’s brother. 38 When they came to the synagogue official’s house, he found a great commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 On entering, he said to them, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead, she’s just asleep!” 40 And they jeered at him. But he put them all outside, took the child’s father and mother and those with him, and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talita, kumi!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 At once the girl got up and began walking around; she was twelve years old. Everybody was utterly amazed. 43 He gave them strict orders to say nothing about this to anyone, and told them to give her something to eat.
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43
Lectionary Texts:
2 Samuel 1:1 Sha’ul had died, and David had been two days in Ziklag after returning from the slaughter of the ‘Amaleki.
17 Then David pronounced this lament over Sha’ul and over Y’honatan his son, 18 in order to teach the people of Y’hudah [not to underestimate] archery (the lament has been written down in the book of Yashar):
19 “Your glory, Isra’el, lies dead on your high places!
How the heroes have fallen!
20 Don’t speak of it in Gat;
don’t proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon;
then the daughters of the P’lishtim won’t rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised won’t gloat.
21 “Mountains of Gilboa — may there be on you
no dew, no rain, no fields with good crops;
because there the shields of the heroes were dishonored,
the shield of Sha’ul was no longer rubbed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the dead, from the flesh of heroes,
the bow of Y’honatan did not retreat
or the sword of Sha’ul return unsatisfied.
23 Sha’ul and Y’honatan, loved and gracious while alive,
were not separated even in death;
they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
24 “Daughters of Isra’el, weep over Sha’ul!
He clothed you luxuriously in scarlet
and put gold jewelry on your clothing.
25 “How the heroes have fallen in the heat of battle,
Y’honatan killed on your high places!
26 I grieve for you, my brother Y’honatan,
you meant so much to me!
Your love for me was deeper
than the love of women.
27 How the heroes have fallen
and the weapons of war perished”
Psalm 130:(0) A song of ascents. By David:
(1) Adonai, I call to you from the depths;
2 hear my cry, Adonai!
Let your ears pay attention
to the sound of my pleading.
3 Yah, if you kept a record of sins,
who, Adonai, could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you will be feared.
5 I wait longingly for Adonai;
I put my hope in his word.
6 Everything in me waits for Adonai
more than guards on watch wait for morning,
more than guards on watch wait for morning.
7 Isra’el, put your hope in Adonai!
For grace is found with Adonai,
and with him is unlimited redemption.
8 He will redeem Isra’el
from all their wrongdoings.
2 Corinthians 8:7 Just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in diligence of every kind, and in your love for us — see that you excel in this gift too. 8 I am not issuing an order; rather, I am testing the genuineness of your love against the diligence of others. 9 For you know how generous our Lord Yeshua the Messiah was — for your sakes he impoverished himself, even though he was rich, so that he might make you rich by means of his poverty. 10 As I say, in regard to this matter I am only giving an opinion. A year ago you were not only the first to take action but the first to want to do so. Now it would be to your advantage 11 to finish what you started, so that your eagerness in wanting to commence the project may be matched by your eagerness to complete it, as you contribute from what you have. 12 For if the eagerness to give is there, the acceptability of the gift will be measured by what you have, not by what you don’t have. 13 It is not that relief for others should cause trouble for you, but that there should be a kind of reciprocity: 14 at present your abundance can help those in need; so that when you are in need, their abundance can help you — thus there is reciprocity. 15 It is as the Tanakh says,
“He who gathered much had nothing extra,
and he who gathered little had nothing lacking.”[a][Footnotes:
2 Corinthians 8:15 Exodus 16:18]
Mark 5:21 Yeshua crossed in the boat to the other side of the lake, and a great crowd gathered around him. 22 There came to him a synagogue official, Ya’ir by name, who fell at his feet 23 and pleaded desperately with him, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please! Come and lay your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”
24 He went with him; and a large crowd followed, pressing all around him. 25 Among them was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years 26 and had suffered a great deal under many physicians. She had spent her life savings; yet instead of improving, she had grown worse. 27 She had heard about Yeshua, so she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe; 28 for she said, “If I touch even his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Instantly the hemorrhaging stopped, and she felt in her body that she had been healed from the disease. 30 At the same time, Yeshua, aware that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His talmidim responded, “You see the people pressing in on you; and still you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, frightened and trembling, because she knew what had happened to her, came and fell down in front of him and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your trust has healed you. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house came, saying, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the rabbi any longer?” 36 Ignoring what they had said, Yeshua told the synagogue official, “Don’t be afraid, just keep trusting.” 37 He let no one follow him except Kefa, Ya‘akov and Yochanan, Ya‘akov’s brother. 38 When they came to the synagogue official’s house, he found a great commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 On entering, he said to them, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead, she’s just asleep!” 40 And they jeered at him. But he put them all outside, took the child’s father and mother and those with him, and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talita, kumi!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 At once the girl got up and began walking around; she was twelve years old. Everybody was utterly amazed. 43 He gave them strict orders to say nothing about this to anyone, and told them to give her something to eat.
John Wesley's Notes-commentary for 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Verse 1
[1] Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
Ziklag — Which though burnt, yet was not so consumed by the fire, that David and his men could not lodge in it.
Verse 18
[18] (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher. #1#
Judah — These he more particularly teacheth, because they were the chief, and now the royal tribe, and likely to be the great bulwark to all Israel against the Philistines, upon whose land they bordered; and withal, to be the most true to him, and to his interest.
The bow — That is, of their arms, expressed, under the name of the bow, which then was one of the chief weapons; and for the dextrous use whereof Jonathan is commended in the following song: which may be one reason, why he now gives forth this order, that so they might strive to imitate Jonathan in military skill, and to excel in it, as he did.
Jasher — It is more largely and particularly described in the book of Jasher.
Verse 19
[19] The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
Beauty — Their flower and glory. Saul and Jonathan, and their army.
High places — Heb. upon thy high places; that is, those which belong to thee, O land of Israel.
How — How strangely! How suddenly! How universally!
Verse 20
[20] Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
Tell it not — This is not a precept, but a poetical wish; whereby he doth not so much desire, that this might not be done, which he knew to be impossible; as, express his great sorrow, because it would be done, to the dishonour of God, and of his people.
The daughters — He mentions these, because it was the custom of women in those times and places to celebrate those victories which their men obtained, with triumphant songs and dances.
Verse 21
[21] Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
Let there be, … — This is no proper imprecation; but a passionate representation of the horror which he conceived at this publick loss; which was such, as if he thought every person or thing which contributed to it, were fit to bear the tokens of divine displeasure, such as this is, when the earth wants the necessary influences of dew and rain.
Fields of offerings — That is, fruitful fields, which may produce fair and goodly fruits fit to be offered to God.
Vilely — Dishonourably: for it was a great reproach to any soldier, to cast away or lose his shield.
Cast away — By themselves, that they might flee more swiftly as the Israelites did, and Saul with the rest.
As though, … — As if he had been no more, than a common soldier: he was exposed to the same kind of death and reproach as they were.
Verse 22
[22] From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
Not back — Without effect: their arrows shot from their bow, and their swords did seldom miss, and commonly pierced fat, and flesh, and blood, and reached even to the heart and bowels.
Returned not, … — But filled and glutted with blood: for the sword is metaphorically said to have a mouth, which we translate an edge; and to devour. And this their former successfulness is mentioned as an aggravation of their last infelicity.
Verse 23
[23] Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant #1# in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Lovely — Amiable, and obliging in their carriage and conversation, both towards one another, and towards their people: for, as for Saul's fierce behaviour towards Jonathan, it was only a sudden passion, by which his ordinary temper was not to be measured; and for his carriage towards David, that was from that jealousy and reason of state which usually engageth even well-natured princes, to the same hostilities. But it is observable, that David speaks not a word here of his piety; but only commends him for those things which were truly in him. A fit pattern for all preachers in their funeral commendations.
Swifter, … — Expeditious in pursuing their enemies, and executing their designs; which is a great commendation in a prince, and in a soldier.
Stronger, … — In regard of their bodily strength, and the courage of their mind.
Verse 24
[24] Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
Daughters — These he mentions; because the women then used to make songs both of triumph, and of lamentation, and, because they usually are most delighted with the ornaments of the body here following.
Clothed you — This he did, because he procured them so much peace as gave them opportunity of enriching themselves: and, because he took these things as spoils from the enemies, and clothed his own people with them.
Verse 25
[25] How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
Thine — Which were in thy country, and (had not thy father disinherited thee by his sins) in thy dominions.
Verse 26
[26] I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
Distressed — That is, for the loss of thee. For, besides the loss of a true friend, which is inestimable; he lost him who both could, and undoubtedly would have given him a speedy, and quiet, and sure possession of the kingdom, whereas now, he met with long and troublesome interruptions.
Of women — That is, that love wherewith they love their husbands, or children for their affections are usually more ardent than mens.
Psalm 130
Verse 3
[3] If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Mark — Observe them accurately and punish them as they deserve.
Stand — At thy tribunal.
Verse 4
[4] But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Forgiveness — Thou art able and ready to forgive repenting sinners.
Feared — Not with a slavish, but with a childlike fear. This mercy of thine is the foundation of all religion, without which men would desperately proceed in their impious courses.
Verse 5
[5] I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
I wait — That he would pardon my sins.
Verse 6
[6] My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
They — Whether soldiers that keep the night-watches in an army, or the priests or Levites who did so in the temple.
Verse 7
[7] Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
Israel — Every true Israelite.
Plenteous — Abundantly sufficient for all persons who accept it upon God's terms.2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Verse 9
[9] For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
For ye know — And this knowledge is the true source of love.
The grace — The most sincere, most free, and most abundant love.
He became poor — In becoming man, in all his life; in his death.
Rich — In the favour and image of God.
Verse 12
[12] For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
A man — Every believer.
Is accepted — With God.
According to what he hath — And the same rule holds universally. Whoever acknowledges himself to be a vile, guilty sinner, and, in consequence of this acknowledgment, flies for refuge to the wounds of a crucified Saviour, and relies on his merits alone for salvation, may in every circumstance of life apply this indulgent declaration to himself.
Verse 14
[14] But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
That their abundance — If need should so require.
May be — At another time.
A supply to your want: that there may be an equality — No want on one side, no superfluity on the other. It may likewise have a further meaning:-that as the temporal bounty of the Corinthians did now supply the temporal wants of their poor brethren in Judea, so the prayers of these might be a means of bringing down many spiritual blessings on their benefactors: so that all the spiritual wants of the one might be amply supplied; all the temporal of the other.
Verse 15
[15] As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
As it is written, He that had gathered the most had nothing over; and he that had gathered the least did not lack — That is, in which that scripture is in another sense fulfilled. Exodus 16:18Mark 5:21-43
Verse 21
[21] And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
Luke 8:40.
Verse 22
[22] And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
One of the rulers of the synagogue — To regulate the affairs of every synagogue, there was a council of grave men. Over these was a president, who was termed the ruler of the synagogue. Sometimes there was no more than one ruler in a synagogue. Matthew 9:18; Luke 8:41.
Verse 25
[25] And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
Matthew 9:20; Luke 8:43.
Verse 37
[37] And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
John, the brother of James — When St. Mark wrote, not long after our Lord's ascension, the memory of St. James, lately beheaded, was so fresh, that his name was more known than that of John himself.
Verse 40
[40] And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
Them that were with him — Peter, James, and John.
Verse 43
[43] And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.
He charged them that no man should know it — That he might avoid every appearance of vain glory, might prevent too great a concourse of people, and might not farther enrage the scribes and Pharisees against him; the time for his death, and for the full manifestation of his glory, being not yet come.
He commanded something should be given her to eat — So that when either natural or spiritual life is restored, even by immediate miracle, all proper means are to be used in order to preserve it.
Verse 1
[1] Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
Ziklag — Which though burnt, yet was not so consumed by the fire, that David and his men could not lodge in it.
Verse 18
[18] (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher. #1#
Judah — These he more particularly teacheth, because they were the chief, and now the royal tribe, and likely to be the great bulwark to all Israel against the Philistines, upon whose land they bordered; and withal, to be the most true to him, and to his interest.
The bow — That is, of their arms, expressed, under the name of the bow, which then was one of the chief weapons; and for the dextrous use whereof Jonathan is commended in the following song: which may be one reason, why he now gives forth this order, that so they might strive to imitate Jonathan in military skill, and to excel in it, as he did.
Jasher — It is more largely and particularly described in the book of Jasher.
Verse 19
[19] The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
Beauty — Their flower and glory. Saul and Jonathan, and their army.
High places — Heb. upon thy high places; that is, those which belong to thee, O land of Israel.
How — How strangely! How suddenly! How universally!
Verse 20
[20] Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
Tell it not — This is not a precept, but a poetical wish; whereby he doth not so much desire, that this might not be done, which he knew to be impossible; as, express his great sorrow, because it would be done, to the dishonour of God, and of his people.
The daughters — He mentions these, because it was the custom of women in those times and places to celebrate those victories which their men obtained, with triumphant songs and dances.
Verse 21
[21] Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
Let there be, … — This is no proper imprecation; but a passionate representation of the horror which he conceived at this publick loss; which was such, as if he thought every person or thing which contributed to it, were fit to bear the tokens of divine displeasure, such as this is, when the earth wants the necessary influences of dew and rain.
Fields of offerings — That is, fruitful fields, which may produce fair and goodly fruits fit to be offered to God.
Vilely — Dishonourably: for it was a great reproach to any soldier, to cast away or lose his shield.
Cast away — By themselves, that they might flee more swiftly as the Israelites did, and Saul with the rest.
As though, … — As if he had been no more, than a common soldier: he was exposed to the same kind of death and reproach as they were.
Verse 22
[22] From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
Not back — Without effect: their arrows shot from their bow, and their swords did seldom miss, and commonly pierced fat, and flesh, and blood, and reached even to the heart and bowels.
Returned not, … — But filled and glutted with blood: for the sword is metaphorically said to have a mouth, which we translate an edge; and to devour. And this their former successfulness is mentioned as an aggravation of their last infelicity.
Verse 23
[23] Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant #1# in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Lovely — Amiable, and obliging in their carriage and conversation, both towards one another, and towards their people: for, as for Saul's fierce behaviour towards Jonathan, it was only a sudden passion, by which his ordinary temper was not to be measured; and for his carriage towards David, that was from that jealousy and reason of state which usually engageth even well-natured princes, to the same hostilities. But it is observable, that David speaks not a word here of his piety; but only commends him for those things which were truly in him. A fit pattern for all preachers in their funeral commendations.
Swifter, … — Expeditious in pursuing their enemies, and executing their designs; which is a great commendation in a prince, and in a soldier.
Stronger, … — In regard of their bodily strength, and the courage of their mind.
Verse 24
[24] Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
Daughters — These he mentions; because the women then used to make songs both of triumph, and of lamentation, and, because they usually are most delighted with the ornaments of the body here following.
Clothed you — This he did, because he procured them so much peace as gave them opportunity of enriching themselves: and, because he took these things as spoils from the enemies, and clothed his own people with them.
Verse 25
[25] How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
Thine — Which were in thy country, and (had not thy father disinherited thee by his sins) in thy dominions.
Verse 26
[26] I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
Distressed — That is, for the loss of thee. For, besides the loss of a true friend, which is inestimable; he lost him who both could, and undoubtedly would have given him a speedy, and quiet, and sure possession of the kingdom, whereas now, he met with long and troublesome interruptions.
Of women — That is, that love wherewith they love their husbands, or children for their affections are usually more ardent than mens.
Psalm 130
Verse 3
[3] If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Mark — Observe them accurately and punish them as they deserve.
Stand — At thy tribunal.
Verse 4
[4] But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Forgiveness — Thou art able and ready to forgive repenting sinners.
Feared — Not with a slavish, but with a childlike fear. This mercy of thine is the foundation of all religion, without which men would desperately proceed in their impious courses.
Verse 5
[5] I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
I wait — That he would pardon my sins.
Verse 6
[6] My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
They — Whether soldiers that keep the night-watches in an army, or the priests or Levites who did so in the temple.
Verse 7
[7] Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
Israel — Every true Israelite.
Plenteous — Abundantly sufficient for all persons who accept it upon God's terms.2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Verse 9
[9] For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
For ye know — And this knowledge is the true source of love.
The grace — The most sincere, most free, and most abundant love.
He became poor — In becoming man, in all his life; in his death.
Rich — In the favour and image of God.
Verse 12
[12] For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
A man — Every believer.
Is accepted — With God.
According to what he hath — And the same rule holds universally. Whoever acknowledges himself to be a vile, guilty sinner, and, in consequence of this acknowledgment, flies for refuge to the wounds of a crucified Saviour, and relies on his merits alone for salvation, may in every circumstance of life apply this indulgent declaration to himself.
Verse 14
[14] But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
That their abundance — If need should so require.
May be — At another time.
A supply to your want: that there may be an equality — No want on one side, no superfluity on the other. It may likewise have a further meaning:-that as the temporal bounty of the Corinthians did now supply the temporal wants of their poor brethren in Judea, so the prayers of these might be a means of bringing down many spiritual blessings on their benefactors: so that all the spiritual wants of the one might be amply supplied; all the temporal of the other.
Verse 15
[15] As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
As it is written, He that had gathered the most had nothing over; and he that had gathered the least did not lack — That is, in which that scripture is in another sense fulfilled. Exodus 16:18Mark 5:21-43
Verse 21
[21] And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
Luke 8:40.
Verse 22
[22] And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
One of the rulers of the synagogue — To regulate the affairs of every synagogue, there was a council of grave men. Over these was a president, who was termed the ruler of the synagogue. Sometimes there was no more than one ruler in a synagogue. Matthew 9:18; Luke 8:41.
Verse 25
[25] And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
Matthew 9:20; Luke 8:43.
Verse 37
[37] And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
John, the brother of James — When St. Mark wrote, not long after our Lord's ascension, the memory of St. James, lately beheaded, was so fresh, that his name was more known than that of John himself.
Verse 40
[40] And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
Them that were with him — Peter, James, and John.
Verse 43
[43] And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.
He charged them that no man should know it — That he might avoid every appearance of vain glory, might prevent too great a concourse of people, and might not farther enrage the scribes and Pharisees against him; the time for his death, and for the full manifestation of his glory, being not yet come.
He commanded something should be given her to eat — So that when either natural or spiritual life is restored, even by immediate miracle, all proper means are to be used in order to preserve it.
_________________________________
Upper Room Ministries, a ministry of Discipleship Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004 United States
___________________________________
___________________________________
Sermon Story "Mourning or Lamenting" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 28 June 2015 with Scripture: 2 Samuel 1:1 Sha’ul had died, and David had been two days in Ziklag after returning from the slaughter of the ‘Amaleki.
17 Then David pronounced this lament over Sha’ul and over Y’honatan his son, 18 in order to teach the people of Y’hudah [not to underestimate] archery (the lament has been written down in the book of Yashar):
19 “Your glory, Isra’el, lies dead on your high places!
How the heroes have fallen!
20 Don’t speak of it in Gat;
don’t proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon;
then the daughters of the P’lishtim won’t rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised won’t gloat.
21 “Mountains of Gilboa — may there be on you
no dew, no rain, no fields with good crops;
because there the shields of the heroes were dishonored,
the shield of Sha’ul was no longer rubbed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the dead, from the flesh of heroes,
the bow of Y’honatan did not retreat
or the sword of Sha’ul return unsatisfied.
23 Sha’ul and Y’honatan, loved and gracious while alive,
were not separated even in death;
they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
24 “Daughters of Isra’el, weep over Sha’ul!
He clothed you luxuriously in scarlet
and put gold jewelry on your clothing.
25 “How the heroes have fallen in the heat of battle,
Y’honatan killed on your high places!
26 I grieve for you, my brother Y’honatan,
you meant so much to me!
Your love for me was deeper
than the love of women.
27 How the heroes have fallen
and the weapons of war perished”
As we read about Kingd David coming back from a victory against one of his enemies, we read of his mourning and grieiving for the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. Yes, King Saul on several occassions wanted to kill David, but David would not lay a hand upon King Saul because of King Saul being God's anointed. Yes, David was anointed by Samuel, God's Prophet, to replace King saul, David refused to kill King Saul. David lamenting for the death of Saul and Jonathan saying that the might have fallen and how he loved Jonathan as a brother even greater than any women. David even shared that King Saul disinherited Jonathan from his rightful inheritance because of King Saul's sin against God. The lesson we have from this lamenting of David is that never be joyous over the death of one's enemies because they could have returned to God and become friends rather than enemies. We see the call of God for reconciliation and retstorative justice, not retributive justice where we take revenge and gloat over our enemies death. Yes, this is hard speicfically if there are deaths of people who are innocent and people kill them because they are the wrong king of people we should seek restorative justice. As we seek to live out God's Holiness for all people, we come to take and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to receive God's merciful grace to give to all other people. We come to receive singint the Hymn "Ready to suffer grief or pain" by Author: A. C. Palmer
1. Ready to suffer grief or pain,
Ready to stand the test;
Ready to stay at home and send
Others if He sees best.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
2. Ready to go, ready to bear,
Ready to watch and pray;
Ready to stand aside and give
Till He shall clear the way.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
3. Ready to speak, ready to think,
Ready with heart and mind;
Ready to stand where He sees fit,
Ready HIs will to find.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
4. Ready to speak, ready to warn,
Ready o’er souls to yearn;
Ready in life or ready in death,
Ready for His return.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
____________________________
17 Then David pronounced this lament over Sha’ul and over Y’honatan his son, 18 in order to teach the people of Y’hudah [not to underestimate] archery (the lament has been written down in the book of Yashar):
19 “Your glory, Isra’el, lies dead on your high places!
How the heroes have fallen!
20 Don’t speak of it in Gat;
don’t proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon;
then the daughters of the P’lishtim won’t rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised won’t gloat.
21 “Mountains of Gilboa — may there be on you
no dew, no rain, no fields with good crops;
because there the shields of the heroes were dishonored,
the shield of Sha’ul was no longer rubbed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the dead, from the flesh of heroes,
the bow of Y’honatan did not retreat
or the sword of Sha’ul return unsatisfied.
23 Sha’ul and Y’honatan, loved and gracious while alive,
were not separated even in death;
they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
24 “Daughters of Isra’el, weep over Sha’ul!
He clothed you luxuriously in scarlet
and put gold jewelry on your clothing.
25 “How the heroes have fallen in the heat of battle,
Y’honatan killed on your high places!
26 I grieve for you, my brother Y’honatan,
you meant so much to me!
Your love for me was deeper
than the love of women.
27 How the heroes have fallen
and the weapons of war perished”
As we read about Kingd David coming back from a victory against one of his enemies, we read of his mourning and grieiving for the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. Yes, King Saul on several occassions wanted to kill David, but David would not lay a hand upon King Saul because of King Saul being God's anointed. Yes, David was anointed by Samuel, God's Prophet, to replace King saul, David refused to kill King Saul. David lamenting for the death of Saul and Jonathan saying that the might have fallen and how he loved Jonathan as a brother even greater than any women. David even shared that King Saul disinherited Jonathan from his rightful inheritance because of King Saul's sin against God. The lesson we have from this lamenting of David is that never be joyous over the death of one's enemies because they could have returned to God and become friends rather than enemies. We see the call of God for reconciliation and retstorative justice, not retributive justice where we take revenge and gloat over our enemies death. Yes, this is hard speicfically if there are deaths of people who are innocent and people kill them because they are the wrong king of people we should seek restorative justice. As we seek to live out God's Holiness for all people, we come to take and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to receive God's merciful grace to give to all other people. We come to receive singint the Hymn "Ready to suffer grief or pain" by Author: A. C. Palmer
1. Ready to suffer grief or pain,
Ready to stand the test;
Ready to stay at home and send
Others if He sees best.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
2. Ready to go, ready to bear,
Ready to watch and pray;
Ready to stand aside and give
Till He shall clear the way.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
3. Ready to speak, ready to think,
Ready with heart and mind;
Ready to stand where He sees fit,
Ready HIs will to find.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
4. Ready to speak, ready to warn,
Ready o’er souls to yearn;
Ready in life or ready in death,
Ready for His return.
Refrain:
Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill;
Ready for service lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.
____________________________
Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
____________________________
____________________________
OUT OF THE TRENCHES by Tracey Allred
Mark 5:21-43
I have often heard the expression you’ll never find an atheist in a foxhole. That is to say that when someone is facing the possibility of death, there are few who will truly believe there is no God. I have never spent time in a foxhole, but I have spent quite a bit of time in hospitals as a pastoral care giver. I have observed that the foxhole statement is also true in times of health crisis and death. There are few who do not look up for answers when they find themselves flat on their backs. Today’s text is a miracle narrative dealing with this very faith phenomenon. The great news of this Gospel text is Jesus’ reaction to their desperation.
The chapters preceding Mark 5 deal primarily with early ministry events like the first healing, calling of disciples, and the reactions of the crowd to Jesus’ early teaching. Chapter 5 delves into specific miracles of Jesus. It is important to remember that in Mark there is special consideration given to the faith of the nonapostles. Often in Mark the twelve disciples are the last to understand Jesus’ words or actions. Instead, there are ordinary believers whose faith sets them apart. Jesus often uses these examples of faith as teachable moments for his disciples and his critics. Today’s text deals with two examples of faith—individuals whose perhaps desperation-driven faith teaches an important lesson about Jesus. After delivering the demon-possessed man, Jesus crosses to the other side of the lake where a large crowd has gathered. There he is approached by a synagogue leader, Jairus, who humbly approaches Jesus, falls at his feet, and begs Jesus to come and heal his ailing daughter. From scripture, we well know that synagogue leaders were not often followers of Jesus, yet the desperation of this father led him to approach Jesus for healing.
Jesus is filled with compassion and agrees to go to the man’s daughter. At the possibility of witnessing a miracle, the already assembled crowd presses on with Jesus and Jairus as they journey the street toward Jairus’s home. The crowd must be so large and the street so narrow that they are practically arm-to-arm as they move. In the midst of that crowd a woman approaches and reaches to touch Jesus. This woman was also motivated to seek him through desperation, as she had been bleeding for twelve years—a condition causing not only physical suffering but also spiritual suffering as a Jew. She presumably cannot even get close enough to speak to him, but believes correctly that she may be healed if she can merely touch him. Even with the crowd so close, Jesus realized that he had been touched, and stopped to acknowledge her. Just as he finished speaking with the woman, some men came from Jairus’s house reporting that the girl had died. Against the suggestion of these men, Jesus urges Jairus not to be afraid but to continue to believe. Upon entering the room with the girl’s parents and the inner circle of the disciples, Jesus commands that the girl get up and she does.
Both Jairus and the nameless bleeding woman are desperate. Jairus feels the desperation of a parent losing a child and consequently is willing to do whatever it takes to restore her health. The woman feels the desperation of someone experiencing a chronic debilitating health problem and reaches to perhaps the last one that might provide her relief. Both reach out to Jesus in utter faith that Jesus is the answer to their desperate situations. Their faithfulness is particularly outstanding as told by Mark, since Jesus’ own disciples and friends struggle to believe. I think that the most significant theological lesson to be learned from this text deals with Jesus’ reaction to Jairus and the woman. In both situations, Jesus does more than heal. Jesus demonstrates that he is more than a magician or miracle man. Jesus acts out of his compassion. He embraces and blesses the individuals for their faith. He feels their desperation and demonstrates that his healing is more than physical. It is more than a magical or medicinal touch; it is a life-changing encounter.
We do not know the rest of the story for Jairus and the woman, but in most cases in the Gospels, those who experienced Jesus in this way became lifelong followers.
Some of us might find ourselves in actual foxholes (and God bless those who do)! Most of us will not. All of us, however, will find ourselves in a desperate situation at least once in our lives. Hopefully, this will not be when we reach for God for the first time. If it is, this text promises that God will respond to our touch. This text also promises that whenever we reach for Jesus, Christ will respond with compassion and understanding. We are not alone. We are not untouchable in our grief and suffering. We are not beyond hope. Jesus will always respond to our touch and cry for help. All we must remember is that Christ is there for us to call, whether we’re in a foxhole, a physical crisis, or just need a touch from the Master.
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: JUNE 28, 2015 by Mary Petrina Boyd
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
THEME IDEAS
Today’s texts address the reality of human suffering: lives lost in battle, the debilitating cost of chronic disease, the death of a child, the cry of despair. God comes to those in pain with healing and grace, restoring life and hope, offering the abundance of steadfast love, bringing peace to troubled souls. This is the vision of living in shalom, a world of God’s peace, where all find healing and peace and where everyone has enough to thrive. In response to God’s amazing gifts, we are called to build that community as we live generous lives, offering from our abundance, that others might simply live.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 130)
Wait for the Lord, like those who hope in God’s mercy.
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Watch for God, like those who eagerly await the morning.
We watch for God, whose power redeems us.
Hear God’s hopeful word, like those who long for pardon.
Sing praise to God and rejoice in God’s love.
Opening Prayer (Mark 5)
Loving God,
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 130, Mark 5)
Out of the depths of despair,
we cry to you, O God.
We are lost in a world
of pain and suffering.
When we put our trust in weapons of war,
we find no peace.
When we put our faith in our own resources,
we feel the ache of our true needs.
When we put our hope in the health of our bodies,
we suffer pain and find no healing.
Come to us, O God.
Forgive our doubts and fears.
Heal our brokenness,
that we may rejoice in your steadfast love. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 130)
There is forgiveness and healing with God.
God’s steadfast love
has the power to redeem our brokenness
and make us whole.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Mark 5)
The love of Christ touches every person, transforming us with grace. Greet your sisters and brothers with this love. Share God’s peace.
Response to the Word (2 Samuel, 2 Corinthians 8, Mark 5)
Loving God,
let your word speak to our hearts.
Come and heal our brokenness
and restore us to life.
Comfort our grieving hearts.
Teach us to share from our abundance.
By your word,
transform us into your holy people. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (2 Corinthians 8)
Paul challenged the church at Corinth to recognize their abundance, that they might share with those in need. God calls us to give out of our bounty, that all might have enough to live on without fear. With eager hearts, let us joyfully give out of our abundance.
Offering Prayer (2 Corinthians 8)
Gracious God,
we thank you for our present abundance
and for the many blessings
you have bestowed upon this community.
We thank you for our faith,
for our knowledge of you,
and for the assurance of your love.
May all these gifts be a blessing
to those in need. Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Mark 5)
Christ’s touch has healed you.
God’s love has restored you.
The Spirit goes with you.
Go in peace to share the joy of God’s love.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Mark 5)
Come, bring your pain.
Draw close to Christ.
Reach out to touch Jesus.
Find healing and peace in his love.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 130, Mark 5)
God’s love is steadfast.
God’s power is great!
God heals our brokenness and gives us peace.
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2008 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2016” is now available.
WORSHIP CONNECTION: JUNE 28, 2015 by Nancy C. Townley
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1
L: Lord, come into our hearts today.
P: Heal us from all our pain.
L: Lord, come into our lives today.
P: Bring us hope and peace.
L: Come, let us worship God who brings hope and peace.
P: Praise be to God for God’s healing mercies. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2
L: Out of the depths of our lives, we call to you, O Lord.
P: Lord, hear our cries!
L: Hear our voices!
P: Lord, hear our cries!
L: Heal our wounds, restore our lives.
P: Lord, hear our cries and heal our lives. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, “Cares Chorus”, p. 2215, offer the following call to
worship as directed]
L: When our lives feel burdened, what shall we do?
P: When we need healing for our bodies and souls, what shall we do?
L: When all around us, things seem to be in turmoil, to whom shall we turn?
P: When no one seems to understand our sorrow, to whom shall we turn?
Soloist: singing “Cares Chorus” one time through
L: Lord, you lift our burdens!
P: Lord, you heal our souls and bodies!
L: Lord, you calm the stormy seas of our lives!
P: Lord, you understand our fears.
L: Thanks be to God.
P: AMEN.
Soloist: singing “Cares Chorus” one time through
Call to Worship #4
L: Come into the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving!
P: Serve the Lord with great gladness!
L: Know that God is truly with you!
P: Rejoice!
L: Come, let us worship the ever-present God!
P: Let us celebrate with song and prayer God’s love for us. AMEN.
PRAYERS, READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer:
Lord of healing and mercy, remind us again of your power to heal our lives from fears and mistrust. Open our hearts to believe in your restorative power and your great compassion for us. Give us healing and make us agents of peace for you in this, your World. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession:
Merciful Lord, we are so fearful these days. We encounter economic situations which threaten to destroy our lives; we encounter anger, fear and hostility, and we feel as though we are about to drown. We want to place our trust in you, but so many times before, when we have trusted others, we have been let down. Help us to truly trust your mercy and love. Heal and forgive our fears and sins. Open our hearts to receive your mercy and help us to become your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance:
Feel the touch of Christ on your heart! You are healed and forgiven! Rejoice! God is with you now and always! AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer:
Healing Lord, there are so many situations we have encountered which require healing and restoration. We try to do the best we can, but we cannot rely on our own strength and skills to bring about the complete healing that is so desperately needed. Help us to place our trust in you. Help us to work effectively to promote situations of healing and hope. We have come before you with so many concerns on our hearts. There seems to be no end to the desperate needs of your people, O Lord. Yet you love and hear all of us as we pray. You surround us with your love and healing mercies. You lift us gently and give us courage to work for you in ministries of peace and love. We praise and thank you for all of this as we offer this prayer in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Reading:
Pastor: Come, all who need healing!
Reader 1: Heal my heart from anger!
Reader 2: Heal my spirit from fear!
Reader 3: Heal my life from persecution!
Reader 4: Heal my alienation from family!
Reader 5: Heal my addictions!
Reader 6: Heal my doubt!
Reader 7: Heal my faithlessness!
Reader 8: Heal my waywardness!
Reader 9: Heal my apathy!
Pastor: Come, all who are burdened. The Lord offers healing. Come forward for blessing and healing touch. Come for prayer and gentle forgiveness. Come and receive the anointing oil of blessing. Come.
[Under the direction of the ushers, people who wish prayers come forward. Each of the readers, representing the afflictions of which they have spoken, come to be healed. Music should be softly playing in the background while people are receiving anointing.]
Pastor: (when all have come forward and received anointing): Know that the power of the Lord has been poured upon you. You have received forgiveness and strength to deal with those things which have been burdens. Place your whole trust in God and receive God’s blessing of love and peace. AMEN.
Benediction:
Beloved of God, healed and forgiven, blessed and strengthened: go forth to be a blessing to others, proclaiming the love and mercy of God in all that you do and say! AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is: GREEN
[Note: today is a day in which healing and hope is being offered. The green fabric and candle represent new life offered in our healing. The burlap or rough fabric represent our need for healing. If the Pastor is planning a type of “healing service” the reading offered for this week will work nicely with this worship setting]
SURFACE: Place a 12” riser at the center of the back on the worship table. Place an 8” riser on each side of the 12” riser.
FABRIC: Cover the entire worship center with a very light celery green, a cool spring-like color. In the center of the table, on the 12” riser and trailing forward across the table, place a 14-20” strip of rough fabric such as burlap or monk’s cloth. Wrinkle it up and make sure that it is not placed smoothly.
CANDLES: Place an 8” white pillar candle on the 8” risers on either side of the 12” riser on the worship table. On the center of the table, on the rough fabric, place a green 3” pillar candle.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE: Place ivy or other trailing plants on either side of the candles so that some of the trailing vines may spill down over the table, toward the floor. These plants are used to “soften” the edges of the worship center and to create texture and dimension.
ROCKS/WOOD: You may place some small stones near the rough fabric on the worship center to create a special texture.
OTHER: Place a brass cross on the 12” riser at the center back of the worship table.
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: JUNE 28, 2015 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27.David's grief for Saul and Jonathan provides adults a counterpoint to the Gospel story about healing and resurrection. But the poem assumes a detailed knowledge of the relationships between Saul, Jonathan, and David, and a mature understanding of death and grieving. Consequently, it is not a compelling reading for children.
The alternative Old Testament readings ( 1 Samuel 18:1-5 and Psalms 133) focus on the friendship of David and Jonathan, featured nowhere else in this cycle of David texts. Telling additional stories about David and Jonathan, preaching about their unlikely friendship, and building liturgy focused on friendship, can produce a worship experience in which both children and adults can participate fully.
Psalm: 130. When it is read with great emotion, children hear this as a prayer which might have been prayed by David after Saul and Jonathan died, by Jarius while his daughter was so ill, or by the woman who had been sick for twelve years. They gather this more from the feeling of phrases such as "Out of the depths I cry to you," than from intellectual understanding of the poem as a whole. Much of the vocabulary and many of the concepts require more explanation than is possible in worship.
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43. This double story offers two more examples of faith in action. Children love the synagogue leader, a father who risked his office and what his friends might think, to ask Jesus to heal his terminally ill daughter. Shy children, especially, admire the woman who quietly reached out to touch Jesus, believing he could heal her. Preaching on these stories, however, generally leads to discussions of adult concerns (wholeness, uncleanness, the meaning of new life) and abstract ideas (the link between faith and healing), which are beyond children. Last week's examples fighting a giant and facing a storm are easier to use in meaningfully exploring faith with both adults and children.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 8:7-15. This is basically a passage about sharing. Paul wants the Corinthians to share some of what they have with Christians in Jerusalem who have great need at the moment. He promises that when the Corinthians are the needy ones, the Christians in Jerusalem will take up an offering for them. He is not calling for sacrificial giving, but sharing some of our plenty.
It is possible to tie in such sharing with the friendship between David and Jonathan. Generous sharing among friends is not something duty forces us to do, but something we want to do.
Watch Words
Believing and having faith mean putting your thoughts into action.
To heal is to cure a person of a disease. To make whole is interpreted literally and thus produces interesting but not very useful mental pictures of the woman who had been bleeding for years. Today, save means either to rescue from identifiable trouble or to set aside for future use. Use it carefully in exploring the Gospel story.
Though 2 Corinthians suggests a stewardship sermon, do not use the word stewardship which relates to doing our duties well. Speak instead of sharing, which arises from generous concern for people we care about. If you use benevolences orbenevolent frequently in your worship, take time to define the terms and paraphrase the sentences in which they are used.
Let the Children Sing
Sing about Christ's power with the hymns you sang during Easter. The repeated phrases make "When Morning Gilds the Skies" a first choice.
Most church-school and vacation-Bible-school songbooks contain songs about generous love. "Love, Love, Love, That's What It's All About," and other such songs may be sung by children's classes or Bible-school groups as anthems.
If you feature the friendship of David and Jonathan on a communion Sunday, sing "I Come with Joy." Alert the children to listen for lines about friendship among God's people.
The Liturgical Child
1. To emphasize the story-within-a-story in Mark, have the passage read by two readers. The first reads from the usual lectern. The second reads either from the pulpit or stands beside or in front of the lectern, to highlight the interruption. The readers should practice reading the verses in order to communicate their urgency.
male reader:21-24
female reader: 25-34
male reader: 35-43
2. Before reading the Epistle, describe the situation in Jerusalem and in Corinth. Ask worshipers to listen for what Paul wanted the people in Corinth to do and why he wanted them to do it. Begin the sermon with comments on that.
3. Before collecting the offering, briefly describe several specific ways your congregation will use the money to share what you have with others. If possible, name sharing efforts with which the children are familiar and in which they have shared time and energy, as well as money.
4. Offer a series of bidding prayers about friends, pausing after each for worshipers to follow the worship leader's directions. Bid worshipers to identify and pray for friends who are older; then younger; then the same age they are. Instruct them to think about and pray for a friend who lives in another town. Ask them to name to themselves, and to God, one friend with whom they are not getting along at the moment. Urge them to think, with God, of ways to work things out with that friend. Suggest that they name to God all their friends in your congregation, and then thank God for something special about each one. Encourage them to identify a person who needs their friendship, and to make a promise to God about offering that friendship this week.
Sermon Resources
1. Explore the spirit of generosity that lay beneath Paul's call to share, by describing two brothers who shared a bedroom. They had their own dressers and desks, but most of their toys and important things were scattered all over the room and under the beds. Stuff was everywhere. At homework time, one brother's "Have you seen my pencil?" generally was answered, "Who knows! Try this one." Though they had their fusses, they usually got along.
Then trace a spiral of selfishness that began when one brother said, "This is mine. Don't even touch it!" and escalated, with each one identifying what was his, until they drew a line down the middle of the room and posted STAY OUT signs. From that time on, there was constant bickering and checking, to make sure that one did not have anything that was the other's.
2. Jess and Leslie, in "Bridge to Terabithia," by Katherine Paterson, provide a modern example of friendship like that of David and Jonathan. Jess, from a poor rural family, and Leslie, whose family is well-off financially and educationally, forge a creative friendship which ends with Leslie's accidental death. Both their friendship and Jess's grief parallel that of David and Jonathan. This award winner has been read by many fifth- and sixth-graders.
3. If you give the children the puzzle on the Worship Worksheet, use the word benevolent repeatedly, to help build their familiarity with it.
SERMON OPTIONS: JUNE 28, 2015
Lament for Fallen Warriors
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Christians should lament the fall of Christian warriors (those falling into sin) as surely as David lamented the death of Saul and Jonathan. His lament for Jonathan wasn’t surprising. They were best friends. His lament of Saul, on the other hand, was extraordinary, because Saul had relentlessly hated and hounded him. David was deeply grieved over Saul’s death because Saul was God’s anointed, the king of Israel.
Christians should grieve the fall into sin of any other Christian because we are God’s elect; chosen for his glory. Our lament for fallen Christians will convey the same attitudes as David’s lament for Saul.
I. The Attitude of Forgiveness of the Fallen
The whole tone of David’s funeral elegy for Saul reflects his forgiveness of Saul. The greatest need of a fallen Christian is God’s forgiveness. The second great need is forgiveness by fellow believers.
The prodigal son’s father forgave him freely and threw a party to celebrate his homecoming. But the older brother withheld his forgiveness and refused to attend the party. That must have deprived the younger brother of a critical ingredient for him to ever enjoy and benefit fully from the restoration of relationship with his father. When we withhold forgiveness from fallen brothers and sisters in Christ, we deprive them of an essential ingredient for continued growth in Christ: the joy of Christian fellowship.
II. The Attitude of Positive Talk About the Fallen
David’s lament forbade negative discussions about Saul’s and Jonathan’s defeat and death. Instead, David wrote of the victories and strengths of the regal father and son. He encouraged others to do the same.
In a critical football game, a running back fumbled away his team’s last-minute opportunity to tie or win the game. His teammates who patted him on the back and encouraged him did the Christian thing. A member of the other team who cursed and ridiculed him did the ungodly thing.
All around us are brothers and sisters who are struggling with life’s challenges. They may be struggling with marriage; or having difficulties with children; or facing vocational insecurity or even loss of a job. There could be any number of reasons for their struggle, but there is only one Christian response: to love, encourage, and be Christ’s presence in the life of that brother or sister.
When Christians fall, the last word they need to hear from a brother or sister is a harsh word of judgment and criticism. They desperately need a word of forgiveness and encouragement. (Jerry E. Oswalt)
Attention: This is Not a Sermon About Sex!
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Several years ago a minister pondered how to maintain decent crowds for Stewardship Sunday. The topic has an uncanny way of emptying pews, and he labored at how to avoid that. So he announced in the church newsletter that next week’s sermon would be entitled: “Everything You Need to Know About Sex.” Predictably, come Sunday morning the pews were jammed. Even the C-and-E (Christmas and Easter) Christians had added a third worship service to their annual repertoire.
After the hymn of preparation, the pastor noted how quiet the sanctuary became. The listeners sat on the edge of their seats, anxious to hear the latest word on the world’s hottest topic. The pastor mounted the steps into the pulpit, looked at the congregation, and said: “Sex was created by God as an expression of love between husbands and wives and a way of propagating life on planet Earth. Now that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about stewardship.”
No games and no gimmicks today. Instead we need to be honest and up front about this topic. Stewardship is a biblical priority. What we do with what we have been given is a subject regularly addressed in both the Old and New Testaments. In today’s lesson Paul challenges the Corinthians to put their money where their mouths are, to back up their professions of charity with the practice of giving.
I. Authentic Stewardship Requires Faithfulness
Paul was collecting an offering for the church in Jerusalem. Various Christian communities (including some of rather meager means) had contributed. Corinth, of course, was a city of considerable financial ability. The believers there were capable of supporting the mission significantly. They obviously had expressed their support verbally. Now Paul was asking them to follow through. He spoke of their “readiness in desiring it” being matched by their willingness to “complete it out of what you have” ( 2 Cor. 8:11, RSV).
How easy it is to talk a good game about faith without being faithful. How easy it is to preach love without loving, to teach forgiveness without forgiving, to testify about missions without helping and healing, to verbally champion youth ministries without contributing or programming, to talk evangelism without inviting. Perhaps the Corinthian church was at that point, talking a good game about stewardship without being faithful stewards. Meanwhile the needs of the poor in Jerusalem were not effectively met by mere talk.
II. Authentic Stewardship Requires Giving Ourselves First
Paul said that Jesus is the model for Christian stewards: “[f]or your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (v. 9). It is an image of self-giving love that always places a priority on others.
General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, used to send handwritten Christmas cards to all his workers. Booth signed the cards with a single word. It was a word designed to keep them focused. It was a word designed to remind them of their calling and their duty. It was a word designed to drive them past verbalizing faith to authentic fidelity. Every card he signed with the single word: Others.
We, too, are called by God to think of others, to share with others, to love and serve and help and heal others. And few Christian disciplines accomplish all that half as effectively as the stewardship of our finances, by which the church wraps its arms of compassion around the world, healing hurts and lifting high the cross. (Michael Brown)
Desperate
Mark 5:24-34
The woman was sick. Mark tells us she had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She went to many doctors, but none had been able to help her. Instead, her condition had grown worse.
She received reports of this man called Jesus and how he was having a remarkable effect on people. She knew what she had to do: she would go to Jesus. He would heal her.
When she gets there it is a mob scene. The crowds were pressing against Jesus. The woman believed that if she could just touch him—just the hem of his garment—she would get well. She reaches out and touches his cloak—and she is cured.
Most of us have not had this kind of experience. We are captured by the faith of the woman. She did not just believe that Jesus had the power to heal her—she was convinced that if she just touched his robe, the hem of his garment, she would be cured. She forces us to reexamine our faith in the mystery around us—that which can’t be explained and is beyond reason. Whether you call it mystery, magic, or grace, Christianity has always been filled with elements that involve a trust in something supernatural.
In many quarters of the church we have tried to ignore this mystery. We have attempted to make the Christian faith rational. Meanwhile, all around us and deep within us is a hunger that reaches out for expression. We see it in the rise of witchcraft, tarot cards, and astrology.
But there is more to human life than just reason. There is a mind, and a heart, and mystery and wonder, and powers and principalities we can’t explain. Jesus invites us to love the Lord our God with all of our minds—which means that we are to use and respect and appreciate the power of reason and our minds—and we are to love the Lord with all our heart and emotions and instincts, and we are to offer our souls, which is to commit ourselves to the grace of God that surrounds us. If we can just touch the grace of God, then our sin-sick world can be healed. (Rick Brand)Ministry Matters
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