When church members scold newcomers by Joseph Yoo
One time I went to a friend’s church for a momentous occasion: She was going to be baptized! She had been attending a small, older United Methodist congregation. She chose that church because of all the “grandmas and grandpas” that helped her along her journey. The church loved her because she was young, smart and had a servant’s heart.
It was a beautiful service and a holy moment to see her being baptized. Nothing could ruin the joy of this day, or so I thought.
After the service, there was a huge celebration. Her parents had driven down to celebrate and catered a wonderful, hearty lunch for the congregation.
As the celebration was winding down, I saw people much older than me starting to break down the room by taking down huge tables and stacking chairs.
You can take the kid out of Korea, but you can’t take the Korean out of the kid. It would be absolutely disrespectful for someone of my age to sit around and let people older than me work. So out of obligation to my culture and to genuinely be helpful, I got up and started to put away the tables and stack the chairs in the back of the fellowship hall.
We created a makeshift system of cleaning things up, and we were moving and having fun. That is until one of the members of the church stormed my way. She pointed her finger at me and said, “That is NOT how we put away the chairs!” Her aggressiveness caught me off guard.
During my college days, I had a campus job where I set up and broke down rooms for meetings, conventions and conferences. I was a professional room setter-upper and breaker-downer. Well, a retired one. On top of that, I’m a pastor. I set up rooms and break them down all the time. What I’m trying to say is, I knew what I was doing.
“We do NOT stack those chairs six high. They are supposed to be five to a stack. Please don’t help since you don’t know what you’re doing.” (Her emphasis on “not” was funny).
Fair enough.
So by the grace of God, I kept my mouth shut and simply just walked away. There was no compelling reason why those chairs had to be kept five to a stack. The chairs aren’t heavy enough to crack the tiles. Six chairs aren’t going to topple over. Remember, I’m a retired semi-professional when it comes to this stuff. But this was the way they did things.
As I made my way to say bye to my friend, the first snarky thought I had was, “No wonder this church is declining. A newcomer gets yelled at just for trying to help.” But I quickly repented of that sentiment then felt guilty for thinking it when a couple of the church members chased me down to apologize for the woman’s behavior.
“I’m sorry about her. She’s just like that. Thank you so much for helping. We’re sorry if it upset you.”
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has stories of such awkward experiences at church.
Like being asked by an usher to vacate your seat because that’s where the Johnsons sit and have been sitting for the past 50 years.
Like being asked to leave because your clothes are deemed unacceptable by the bouncer, er, usher at the door.
Like being asked to never come back because of your unconventional and untraditional family.
Like being scolded for not stacking the chair a certain way.
Okay, the last one isn’t such a big deal. And these are exceptions rather than the norm. But the thing about exceptions and norms is that people easily forget the norms and always remember the exceptions and assume those are the norm.
We should treat our newcomers and visitors not as newcomers and visitors but as guests. Going out of our way to be welcoming. Allowing grace if they commit a faux pas like sitting in the Johnsons' pew.
The Johnsons should be able to let it pass for one Sunday.
Our guests might already be pretty nervous about being surrounded by people they don’t know, so we should do our best to be hospitable and make them feel like they’re a part of our community.
In praise of small churches by Kira Schlesinger
While I was in Divinity School and throughout my discernment process for ordination, my one prayer was, “Please God, do not let me end up a solo clergyperson in a small church.” Over and over, I heard horror stories of small churches run like oligarchies that chewed up their priests and spit them out. I was more familiar with the large, program-sized churches — churches with semi-professional music programs, multiple clergy on staff, Christian formation programs that hosted brilliant scholars and famous preachers, and where most people in the pews were sheltered from the politicking and personality clashes of the leadership. So I prayed my prayer and much to my dismay, it went unanswered.
When the bishop’s office called to ask if I might be interested in a priest-in-charge position in a small church about 35 miles east of Nashville, I found myself saying yes. I was terrified but hopeful, ready to put to use the skills and concepts that I had learned and practiced through my graduate degree program and a Clinical Pastoral Education residency. On my first Sunday, I parked my car next to the “Reserved” spot, only to be told later that it was reserved for me.
Over the next six months, the congregation and I got to know each other, and I like to think that we were both pleased with what we found. Much to my surprise, my small town Southern church housed quite a few people who were theologically and/or politically liberal. Much to their surprise, I was doing a decent job, considering it was my first call. As we close in on three years of ministry together, I give thanks that my prayer wasn’t answered.
I know from the stories my clergy colleagues tell that I am lucky. There are a lot of dysfunctional churches out there. But complaining about one’s church is also a form of bonding among clergy, trying to outdo one another with stories of inappropriate behavior and misguided ideas. It is harder to celebrate our successes, especially in small churches. I can point to a small increase in our average Sunday attendance and an uptick in giving, but that isn’t the whole picture. When I bury more people than I baptize, when I look out on a Sunday morning and see mostly gray hair, when I covet my colleagues’ churches who livestream their services and have multiple Christian formation offerings on Sunday mornings, it’s easy to get discouraged. The headlines screech that my denomination is dying, and churches like mine are closing, and I wonder whether or not my church will still exist in fifteen or twenty or twenty-five years.
My experience at Epiphany has taught me that small churches like mine are what the Church should be. Everyone pitches in; nearly everyone contributes in at least a small way. People take care of one another. I get pastoral updates on people that parishioners run into in the grocery store. In a culture where a true feeling of community seems to be disappearing, I have seen that spirit of community operate in my church. Over the past three years, I have cherished getting to know my parishioners’ stories — their heartbreaks and traumas and joys. It allows me to know when to challenge them to live more fully into their baptismal vows and when to offer them the comfort of God’s love and grace.
I love my church. I love the way they are open to new ideas and experiences, from starting an Easter Vigil service to celebrating Pentecost outside to participating in a community 5K together as a team. I love that they genuinely love each other, even when they drive each other crazy. I love that every kid in our congregation has eighteen grandparents, that when a baby starts shrieking or I fumble the words in the liturgy, we all smile and laugh and keep going. I love getting texts and e-mails with items of interest or funny jokes. I love knowing everyone’s names and being introduced to their family and friends. I love that they are comfortable telling me when I’ve messed up or upset them and allow me to apologize. Most of all, I love that we are fumbling through this messy, heart-breaking life together with God’s help.
I never wanted to serve a small church, and I certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with it. As churches like mine continue to die out, I worry about the future of the Body of Christ. Bigger churches with bigger budgets have a lot to offer, but so do smaller churches. We need one another. We need each other’s gifts. As the Church has adopted the corporate mentality of the culture, bigger seems to equal better. If a clergy person serves a larger church, he or she must be more talented and gifted than one serving a smaller church, so the thinking goes. But what a small church might lack in numbers and budget, is more than made up for by the sweet, sweet spirit in that place.
This piece originally appeared on Called to Endure.
Why is worship important? by Jim Hawkins
The heart of worship
Worship is so integral to the life of the church that when we say we are “going to church,” what we most often mean is that we will be attending a worship service. Worship is mentioned in Scripture, from the first book (the difference between how Cain and Abel worshipped God in Genesis 4, Noah and his family worshipping after the Flood in Genesis 8:20-22, and more) to the last book, where much of Revelation is a vision of heavenly worship. Clearly worship is important. But what is worship?
Worship includes proclamation of God’s Word, yet worship is more than Scripture lessons and a sermon. For some people, music is their favorite element of worship; yet even for music lovers, worship is more than a collection of songs. We pray during worship, yet worship is more than prayer. People need to gather for worship to happen, yet worship is much more than just a meeting. Clearly worship is more than the sum of its parts.
“The heart of worship, at least for Jews and Christians, is the celebration of God,” wrote John E. Burkhart in his book“Worship.” “True celebration of God is quite festive, sometimes almost playful, and conspicuous in its gladness as it takes delight in what God is about … Such worship celebrates God, the God known by prophets, psalmists, and apostles, and by multitudes of Jews and Christians, for whom worship is not a duty but a privilege, not a burden but a delight. Worship gladly celebrates the God whose character is caring and sharing, the God who is indecorously gracious.”
Crucial for faith
People of faith have realized for millennia that in worship, we remember who God is and who we are to be as God’s people. Worship was crucial to the first Christians. The Acts of the Apostles describes the early days of the church this way: “The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).
This passage describes an amazingly vibrant community life, including worship. They met together every day in the Temple for worship, and most likely their home gatherings were not only shared meals but also a home-based worship service that included celebrating Holy Communion. They were following Jesus’ direction during the Last Supper to share the bread and the cup “in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:14-20). The apostles understood the importance of worship for each individual believer and for the nascent community. It was together as a worshipping, praying, sharing, learning, serving community that they were able to continue the work of Jesus Christ.
John Wesley also believed that worship was crucial to the Christian life. Wesley was concerned that people grow spiritually. He wanted Methodists “to evidence their desire of salvation” by keeping the General Rules, three easy-to-remember guidelines for the Christian life: (1) Do no harm. (2) Do good. (3) Attend upon all the ordinances of God. These ordinances of God are also known as means of grace or spiritual disciplines, practices that help us to grow spiritually. Wesley understood these means of grace to include “the public worship of God; the ministry of the Word, either read or expounded; the Supper of the Lord; family and private prayer; searching the Scriptures; [and] fasting or abstinence.” Wesley understood that worship, including participating in Holy Communion, is vital for spiritual growth.
One example
When I served as a pastor, I generally started planning worship months in advance. In some churches, I worked with a team to design worship services, while in others I designed alone. I found planning that far ahead allowed time for ideas to generate and kept me from simply drifting to a passing interest.
On a few occasions, events changed my plans at the last minute. The death of a teenage member in a car accident shifted worship plans in one church. And the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, radically changed the worship design for the following Sunday. I had a sense that members of the church were thirsting for some way to understand the events that were shaking our world, and that most likely others in the community who rarely attend a worship service might come. I wanted to be sure that we would remember who God is and who we are to be as God’s people in light of what was happening.
So I scrapped the planned worship design. We sang hymns reminding us that God loves our nation and all the world: “God of the Ages,” including the words asking God to “lead us from night to never-ending day; / fill all our lives with love and grace divine”; “America the Beautiful,” with the final stanza’s words “O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years / thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears”; and “This Is My Song,” which calls for Christ to be lifted up and for hearts to be united and concludes with the words “O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations, / myself I give thee; let thy will be done.” At the end of the worship service, we joined in singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
We prayed. At the beginning of the worship service, we joined in a prayer I wrote using images from the hymns: “O God of the ages, we come here today with heavy hearts, for we have witnessed evil this past week. We are torn by anger, fear, sorrow, hatred, compassion, and hope. O Lord of all the nations, remind us that goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, light is stronger than darkness, and life is stronger than death. Strengthen us to trust in you and to live as your people. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.” At the end of the worship service, we united our voices in the Prayer of Saint Francis.
And I preached. Near the beginning of the sermon, I said, “We have all asked ourselves so many questions since we first heard the news: How could something like this happen? Who would do something so horrific? Why would anyone do this? How do we respond to this evil? That last question — how do we respond to evil — strikes at the heart of who we are.” I mentioned that our natural tendency is to respond in one of two ways: either to give in or to seek revenge. I then lifted up a third way to respond to evil: the way of Jesus. I said, “Jesus fought evil, but not by using the tactics of evil. Instead, he lived a profoundly different kind of life.” Jesus fed the hungry, forgave those who betrayed him, loved his enemies and was a peacemaker. I reminded people that the way to defeat evil is to live as followers of Jesus Christ.
Did that worship service on September 16 remind everyone present who God is and who we are to be as God’s people? I don’t know for sure. But I do know it reminded me. Worshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ that Sunday was what I needed during that confusing time.
The focus of worship is God. Yet worship also affects us. Worship has the ability both to inform us and transform us. When we worship, we remember who God is and who we are to be as God’s people. One of the blessings at the end of worship suggested in The United Methodist Hymnal states, “Go forth in peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” May it be so.
Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion guide for classes and small groups.
Use your religious liberty well
By Robert A. Ratcliff“For freedom Christ has set us free.” [Galatians 5:1]
Let me begin this by pointing out that I consider same-sex marriage to be within the will of God. I am writing, however, to Christian sisters and brothers who do not share that belief. In what follows I invite you, not to change your mind on this subject, but perhaps to change your behavior.
The Supreme Court’s Obergfell decision, legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, has occasioned much consternation among Christians. Many have expressed concerns that the decision will be interpreted in such a way that requires congregations and clergy to perform marriages of people of the same sex. Beyond that, a number of Christians in professions that involve them with weddings — county clerks, bakers, florists, caterers and the like — have announced their intention to refuse their services to same-sex couples, on the grounds that participating in a same-sex couple’s wedding goes against their conscience, involving them in an activity they consider to be sinful. Many arguments related to religious liberty have been raised in relation to decisions such as these. The gist of the arguments is that for the state to compel anyone to sell a cake or flowers to a same-sex couple violates that baker or florist’s constitutional guarantee of the free exercise of religious conviction.
I’m not here to write a legal analysis of these questions (for which I’m not qualified) but a theological one (for which I might be — you be the judge). First, I want to applaud the attempt to think seriously about what religious liberty means in this situation. Freedom of conscience in matters of religion is one of the signal achievements of American democracy, and should never be taken for granted.
Second, I want to point out that just about every responsible analysis of religious liberty written in light of the Obergfell decision reminds us that the state cannot compel churches to allow same-sex marriage, nor clergy to perform them. The state recognizes church marriage as firmly within the category of religious observance, over which the state has no authority. Churches and clergy have always had the freedom to refuse church marriage to those they deemed unfit for it. That situation is not going to change.
Which leaves us with my third point, regarding all those other folks in lines of work that might intersect with same-sex marriages. Here’s my suggestion: If you find yourself in this situation, use your First Amendment rights to let folks know that you cannot agree that same-sex marriage is right and proper; and then use your freedom in Christ to bake them a cake anyway, as a witness to the gospel of love and reconciliation.Let them know that you cannot support same-sex marriage, but that as a sign of your belief in the God who loves and supports them all the same, you’re going to arrange flowers for their wedding or issue their marriage license.
To those who object that participating in any way with (what you consider to be) a sinful act makes you complicit in that sin, let me simply point out that anyone involved with weddings is already doing this anyway. Given the high rate of divorce and remarriage in this country, can one credibly deny that a large percentage of second and third marriages are the results of adultery — about which the Bible has WAY more to say than it does about same-sex relationships? What would most Christians reply if asked why they perform services for those whose relationships involved the violation of marital vows? “It’s not my place to judge.” That’s simply a negative way of expressing the more positive Christian conviction that “It is my place to serve.”
I can’t think of a more powerful Christian witness than to tell the world that service is the most essential Christian belief. Serving others does not imply acceptance of their bad choices and harmful lifestyles; if it did, Jesus wouldn’t keep washing the feet of sloppy disciples and mediocre sinners like you and me. It simply means that the imperative to love and serve the neighbor comes first in the hierarchy of Christian priorities. Bearing witness to one’s beliefs about marriage is fine, so long as it provides an opportunity to show forth the love of God in Christ. And here’s the thing: Denying a same-sex couple one’s services will close that door; only serving them will open it.
So let folks know that your belief in God means that you can’t agree that same-sex marriage is right; that is what religious liberty is all about. But use that precious liberty, and your even more precious freedom in Christ, to show people what kind of God you believe in: a God who values love and service above all else.
The difference between complaints and criticism
By Dave BarnhartMarried couples who have a higher frequency of complaints are more likely to stay married. That was one of the many findings of John Gottman’s research. As his team of researchers observed interactions between married couples in their “love lab,” they found that couples who voiced complaints to each other tended to stay married.
Gottman makes a distinction, though, between complaining and criticism. Complaining focuses on a person’s behavior. Criticism focuses on their character. “I don’t like it when you leave your towel on the bathroom floor” is a complaint. “Are you too lazy to pick up your towel?” is a criticism. When we voice a complaint, we identify a specific behavior that we’d like someone to change. When we use criticism, we make it about a person’s self. (Gottman calls criticism one of the “Four Horsemen.” You can watch a video about the others here.)
It’s possible for smart people to overthink this: What am I, if not a collection of behaviors? Do my behaviors emerge from my character, or vice versa? But in the context of relationships and learning how to get along, it’s really quite simple: When I complain to someone about their behavior, I’m inviting them to make a good relationship better. When I criticize their character, I’m making a judgment on the ways they are failing to be a good human being.
Obviously, healthy relationships require more than complaints. There was a magic ratio of five-to-one positive-to-negative interactions among successful couples. The most successful couples couched their complaints with other affirmations. They were liberal with praise and gratitude: “Thanks for washing the dishes,” or “You really handled that parenting situation well.”
After learning about Gottman’s research, my wife and I developed a strategy for letting each other know when we’ve messed up and need to correct something. We say, “I have a complaint.”
When I hear my wife use this phrase, it’s a signal to me not to get defensive, to take a breath, and to frame what she says as a way for us to have a better relationship. Even if my heart rate goes up a bit, I have a chance to calm myself and really try to inhabit her perspective.
This simple reframing exercise has completely changed the way I approach all kinds of conflict in church, among friends, or online. I try very hard not to say things that convey a judgment on someone’s character: you’re lazy, bigoted, foolish, ignorant, inconsiderate, and so on. Instead I try to focus on behavior. I ask clarifying questions. And I try to keep my heart rate below 100 beats per minute by breathing slowly and relaxing.
It takes work to create a culture where bringing up a complaint doesn’t immediately result in an argument. Trained by our relationships and media culture to respond with knee-jerk defensiveness, to go on the offensive by using fallacious logic and hurtful rhetoric, we often view such interactions as combat. For one person to “win,” the other has to “lose.” We are unlikely to voice a complaint if we feel that we have to constantly walk on eggshells around other people because they will fly off the handle at the slightest provocation.
And we’re not likely to stay in such a relationship.
In churches, as in every other relationship, there will be conflict. People will do inconsiderate things. They will break promises, let us down, say the wrong thing at the wrong time, ignore boundaries, or meddle. In these situations, we have a choice about our perceptions: Do we see a person as a fundamentally flawed human being with severe character defects, or as a reflection of the image of God whose behaviors sometimes annoy us?
Of course, people come up with theological reasons to support their grudges all the time. Sometimes people are very defensive about their reasons for being defensive. But we all have a choice as to which lenses we’re going to use to view the world. Paul gives us pragmatic criteria for evaluating our view of the world in Galatians 5:19-25: Does it produce good fruit — fulfilling relationships, greater unity in the body of Christ, and peace; or does it produce bad fruit — quarrels, contentiousness and divisiveness?
I like to imagine what a community would look like that followed these principles — that we do not impugn anyone’s character, but we are all responsible for our behaviors; that a complaint should be heard as an invitation to better relationship; that we are responsible for how we respond. I have a hunch it would look a lot like the kingdom of God.
Dave Barnhart is the pastor of Saint Junia UMC in Birmingham, Ala. He blogs at DaveBarnhart.net.
Sound doctrine mattered to John Wesley
By Allan R. BevereI have been a United Methodist pastor for over 30 years and an adjunct professor teaching theology for more than 20. I find both enterprises in which I am engaged to be complementary. Indeed, I would not know how to be a pastor if it were not for the theological reflections I have engaged in over the years with the voices of many contemporary friends and thinkers as well as listening to the great theological wisdom that has come down to us through the ages. Pastoral ministry must be theologically oriented. My work as a pastor is formed and shaped on the potter's wheel of theological reflection.
At the same time, my work as a pastor reminds me that theology is first and foremost about practical divinity — doctrine forms and shapes the life of the church and the individual believer. Christian doctrine and Christian living must go together and both are distorted when they are separated.
Unfortunately, many Methodists seem to have the idea that we daughters and sons of John and Charles Wesley are unconcerned with doctrine, that Methodism is more concerned with the sincerity of one's beliefs than the actual beliefs themselves. How many times have I endured sitting through an Annual Conference where someone stands up to address the conference in an effort to squelch theological debate by misquoting John Wesley, "If your heart is as my heart, give me your hand," while conveniently forgetting that Wesley also said that "we think and let think" when it comes to opinions that "do not strike at the root of Christianity." Apparently, Wesley thought the sincerity of one's heart was not sufficient when it came to core Christian doctrines.
Bishop Ken Carder in his wonderful book, "Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way" writes:
A perception persists that "one can believe anything and be United Methodist.... such a characterization has deep roots in our history, though it represents a misreading of our tradition. As faithful Anglicans, Wesley and his colleagues presumed and affirmed the basic doctrines, beliefs, practices, and liturgies of the established church.... Wesley held tenaciously to the historic doctrines of the Christian faith and diligently proclaimed and taught them to the Methodists and the masses who heard him preach. That emphasis continued in America when the Methodists formed the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1784 (pp. 24-25).
It is certainly understandable why there are Christians who react rather viscerally to this emphasis on the significance of doctrine because in history the church has used doctrine as a weapon to go heretic hunting; and it is true that in some traditions heretic hunters exist today (though they are not so much fighting against historical heretical formulations as they are for their own self-defined brand of orthodoxy which exists in their own little group). But the Wesleyan concern for sound doctrine has little to do with discovering the heretics in our midst. Indeed, we Wesleyans are more than willing to dialogue and coexist with our heretics because they remind us of the need the church has for orthodoxy and that doctrine by necessity draws boundaries.
What matters to Wesleyans when it comes to doctrine is the absolutely essential place of doctrine in forming and shaping the Christian life. Again Bishop Carder instructs us well:
Methodists take religious belief with the utmost seriousness as a way of viewing and living in the world. We know that beliefs shape behavior and practice. Beliefs and the stories that express them influence our self-image, our relationships, and our commitments. The Book of Discipline states, "No motif in the Wesleyan tradition has been more constant than the link between Christian doctrine and Christian living" (p. 26).
In other words, doctrine is the house in which the church lives. Theology is the way we move through the house connecting doctrines to one another while we prayerfully reflect on how our doctrine informs our pursuit of holy living.
To be sure, it is not always an easy thing to connect our beliefs with our practice, and we will disagree on more than a few occasions on how beliefs instruct us in Christian living. As we Methodists move through our doctrinal house, we will bump into each other. But one thing we must not do is jettison the significance of our doctrine as if that will free us to do as God desires. All too often that is a recipe for living first and foremost for ourselves. All one needs to do is look at how the consumer model of ministry has infected the church at so many levels. Too often church and its practices have become commodities. I quote Bishop Carder one more time:
Commodification reduces doctrines, languages, rituals, symbols, and practices of religion to their utilitarian function. Religion becomes an option among multiple options in the marketplace of products offering self-actualization, fulfillment, success, relief from suffering, and immortality. Profound symbols become trinkets or adornments, part of the advertising, or rhetoric by which we sell economically driven agendas.... God is reduced to a facilitator of good feelings, a celestial "Dr. Phil," a means of avoiding suffering and struggle, and a champion of personal happiness. The church becomes a religious spa, the effectiveness of which is judged by its ability to solve personal problems and create positive feelings (pp. 31, 33).
We Christians need the historic doctrines of our faith. Without them we will be reduced to a church that is not really a church, but a loose association of self-absorbed people whose primary focus in life will be to do what is right in our own eyes (Judges 17:6).
Without the house of our doctrine, we will become morally homeless.
Allan Bevere blogs at AllanBevere.com.
What Jesus really means by ‘Follow me’
By David DornJesus says "Follow me" 20 times in the Bible. What does it literally mean? What does it mean for us to follow Jesus now? David Dorn is the Lead Contemporary Pastor for Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler, TX. He is also the author of “Reclaiming Anger,” “Under Wraps Youth Study” and the founder of The PREPOSTEROUS Project.
Evangelicals and Muslims together denounce Franklin Graham's remarks
By Sara Weissman / Religion News ServiceWASHINGTON (RNS) An evangelical pastor from Texas joined American Muslim leaders Thursday (July 23) in denouncing recent anti-Muslim comments by evangelist Franklin Graham as they announced upcoming efforts to build bridges between their religious communities.
In response to the killing of five service members in Chattanooga, Tenn., last week, Graham, son of evangelical leader Billy Graham, wrote on Facebook that the U.S. should bar Muslims from immigrating.
“I was so sad when I read the Facebook posting of Franklin Graham,” Bob Roberts Jr., pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas, said Thursday at a gathering on Capitol Hill. “This is not ‘evangelical’ and even less evangelistic. I don’t want American Muslims to think we fear them or that they are our enemies.”
Roberts went on to describe the contributions of the American Muslim community to protect the rights of Christians in Pakistan.
Leaders from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, the Islamic Society of North America and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, among others at the event, expressed their condolences to the deceased service members' families and highlighted the widespread denunciations of the shooting from within the American Muslim community.
“These violent acts are unjustifiable and are a gross violation especially on the 30th day of Ramadan,” said ISNA President Azhar Azeez. “This is known as a month of charity, a month of mercy, a month of forgiveness.”
Azhar Azeez, president of the Islamic Society of North America, speaks at a joint evangelical Christian and Muslim event on Thursday. RNS photo by Sara Weissman
This isn't the first time Muslim leaders, Roberts and other evangelical pastors have collaborated. After 9/11, Roberts brought together a group of 12 evangelical ministers and 12 imams. He is organizing an Oct. 22 conference of imams and evangelical pastors to strengthen ties between the groups at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, in southern Maryland.
Who owns the title to orthodoxy?
By Christy ThomasOrthodoxy — authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice. Many claim it for themselves.
But I ask: Who really gets to own this word?
Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary,wrote last year claiming “orthodoxy” for the conservative arm of the United Methodist Church:
What we actually have is a group (however imperfectly) which is committed to historic Christianity. The second group (however imperfectly) is committed to a re-imagined church. One, however flawed, is committed to the recovery and defense of historic Christian orthodoxy. The other, however nice and erudite, has not demonstrated a robust commitment to historic Christian orthodoxy. Thus, we actually have two groups; one orthodox and one heterodox.
This last Sunday, I attended a real “Orthodox” church: The Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas, Texas. Their doctrines and practices go back much further in Christian history than do the practices of the more recent evangelical movements that claim orthodoxy for themselves.
The Orthodox Churches (Greek, Russian, Bulgarian, etc. are simply language variations of Eastern Orthodoxy) all follow the same liturgy and adhere to the same beliefs. Because they see their doctrine set in A.D.325 with the formation of the Nicene Creed and forever unchanged, they have a far more plausible claim to the word “Orthodox.”
However, the Eastern Orthodox view of salvation is far different than the substitutionary atonement theory that has become the only acceptable view for current evangelicals.
This short video gives a simple and understandable overview of the differences between the two views: Recently, the Wesley Brothers website published this great cartoon about the various understandings of atonement.
Click image to view full cartoon.
A more full explanation of the atonement theories can be foundhere. Many of these understandings reach deep into Christian theological history, yet are not affirmed or taught by those who now lay claim to the title of “orthodox.”
We easily slam others for having inadequate or simply wrong belief systems. However, everyone in a particular system is sure he/she is right.
I recently saw this blog about someone who grew up as Jehovah’s Witness, sure that it was the only way to salvation, until he discovered that others in far different traditions claim the same thing.
After my year spent visiting as many different faith traditions as possible, I, too, am more aware than ever that each of us owns a deep certainty about our own bedrock beliefs.
Now, we cannot all be right. There are significant differences, with gaps too big to pull under one big human-created tent.
But we can all be wrong — and there is power is being able to understand that. When I say “wrong” I mean at the very least, “incomplete, partial, seeing through a glass darkly, imperfect.”
Our upbringings, our prejudices, our educations, our privileges or lack of privileges all combine to mean that we read and see things differently. That includes the Bible — we will interpret it differently even if we hold to the same presuppositions about the accuracy and truth of the texts themselves.
When we acknowledge that all of us are wrong, we have hope of making peace with one another.
The call to Christian unity has never meant a call to unanimity. From the earliest workings out of our faith, there have been deep disputes about practices and beliefs. The power of the gospel is not that we all think alike, but that we all kneel before the name of Jesus in humble gratitude for his willingness to empty himself and become like us.
Let us never forget the words to that great Wesleyan Hymn, “And Can it Be?”
He left his Father’s throne above
(so free, so infinite his grace!),
emptied himself of all but love,
and bled for Adam’s helpless race.
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
Mercy for all — and that mercy seeks all of us, calls all of us to the love of God and to love of neighbor, even in our deep differences.
We unite not because we think or believe perfectly alike, but because we are all wrong and grateful and that the True Right finds us out anyway.
Are lawsuits ahead for church-based Boy Scout troops?
By Adelle M. Banks / Religion News Service(RNS) If the Boy Scouts of America approve gay adult leaders, as they are expected to do late Monday (July 27), does that mean troops based at churches may end up in court if they ban gay Scoutmasters?
Scout officials predicted that would be “unlikely” in a document they released earlier this month to BSA members and leaders.
“We live in a litigious society, and frivolous lawsuits are threatened and filed every day,” reads the 14-page memo from the Boys Scouts’ law firm, Hughes Hubbard & Reed. “However, any lawsuit challenging the religious requirements in a Scouting unit chartered by a religious organization would be unlikely to succeed or even make much progress.”
The BSA’s 80-member national executive board is set to vote Monday (July 27) on whether to drop its ban on gay adult leaders. The outcome of the afternoon vote is expected Monday evening. Scout officials say religious groups — which make up some 70 percent of chartered organizations — would still have the option to exclude gays even if the policy is adopted.
R. Chip Turner, national chairman of the BSA Religious Relationships Committee, said he hopes the memo will calm concerns that leaders of religious chartered Scout units may have.
“There’s always the fear of the unknown,” he said.
But opponents of a BSA policy change say church-based troops that reject gay adult leaders could face legal risks, especially after the recent Supreme Court ruling that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide.
“What they’re not taking into account is the new frontier that we’re on, where judges are being social change agents,” said John Stemberger, chairman of Trail Life USA, which bills itself as a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts.
Trail Life issued its own eight-page legal memo, written by a former BSA lawyer who is now Trail Life’s general counsel.
“The church-chartered troop will likely be sued the moment it tries to revoke the membership of the homosexual member who wears his uniform to the Gay Pride Parade, revokes or denies membership to an adult who publicly gets married to someone of the same sex, or denies membership to the girl who believes she is actually a male,” the Trail Life memo reads.
Still, an Emory University legal expert thinks the BSA memo strikes the right legal balance.
“I think they’re taking good, bold steps for respecting the law of the land and the society that we live in while still retaining strong exemptions and accommodations for those who might feel differently for religious reasons,” said Mark Goldfeder, senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory’s law school.
“I think this is a very decent balancing act and a kind of balancing act that can be a model going forward.”
5 dangers of explosive growth
By Ron EdmondsonI have been blessed to witness what I consider extremely fast growth in several churches since entering full-time vocational ministry. In church planting and church revitalization we have seen hundreds come to faith in Christ or reconnect with the church creating churches which have grown faster than we could anticipate. It’s been an amazing journey — a miracle of God — filled with lots of excitement.
One thing I have learned along the way is that growth impacts every ministry in the church. When explosive growth is occurring it is felt by every staff member — every stretched staff member.
I have also learned there are dangers with fast growth in any organization. The fact is growth can cover over a multitude of problems. Being aware of these is critical to sustaining health — and ultimately growth — in the future.
Here are five dangers of explosive growth:
Masks real problems – Growth gets the attention. Everyone is excited. Momentum is high. Problems within a team or organization won’t show up immediately, but they will eventually.
Leadership poor – Not “poor leadership”. Leadership poor. When the organization is growing fast, you can never seem to afford adequate staff or train volunteers quick enough. In time you jeopardize future success because there aren’t leaders to take you to the next level.
Inadequate systems – When current systems do not support the rate of growth you often spend too much time playing catch-up to implement adequate systems. Eventually you can become distracted from the things that helped you grow.
People feel scattered/left behind – With the rate of growth, communication is more important than ever, but people are stretched — pulled in many different directions. This often produces holes in the communication process. People forget to communicate, they make too many assumptions or there just is more information than can be easily absorbed.
Reactive rather than proactive – In a fast growing organization, “just keeping up” will be a prevailing emotion among leadership. You’ll often find yourself “making it up as you go.” With the speed of life in the organization, there never seems to be time to get ahead of the growth curve.
Well, those are some of the problems with explosive growth, which only produces a question.
What can you do about it?
Be aware – Realize that everything may not be as it seems. If momentum slows, the real problems will be revealed, but the sooner you can identify these areas of weakness the less damage they will cause in creating sustainable growth. Ask lots of questions. Stay grounded in your faith. Continue to work on team development, even when it seems you don’t have time.
Recruit – It’s even more important in fast growth situations that you're constantly looking for new and developing leadership. There must be an intentional effort in every area to empower people and train volunteers for leadership positions. Again, you may not feel you can pick your head up from the “real work” to recruit, but you must. Make sure someone has this as one of their key roles on the team, but it should be the responsibility of everyone.
Systematize – As much as possible, you should add structure to the organization along the way. You may never catch up with growth, but as problems are discovered it will often be a systems problem. Again, the more ahead of this issue you can be the better. Continually think strategically of what is needed to ensure you can continue to grow at the current rate. It really helps to have someone specifically designated — someone who is wired to think systematically — to specialize in this vital area.
Communicate – The faster you are growing the better your communication must become. Communication is always a struggle in any organization, but healthy organizations continually analyze their approach and attempt to improve. In stressful times, communication must receive even more attention.
Plan – It’s important, even during explosive growth — maybe especially — to discipline yourself enough to plan for the future. Leaders need to be visionary enough to look for what’s coming next and attempt to get some forward-thinking goals and objectives in place. In spite of the constant demand due to growth, leaders must take time away from doing the work to evaluate and ensure that operations are improved to maintain growth and momentum.
Sometimes God brings supernatural growth and during those seasons leaders should be especially aware of potential dangers. (Can you imagine the first century church adding 3,000 to their numbers in a single day?)
Have you ever been in an organization with explosive growth? What would you add to my list?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
This Sunday, August 2, 2015Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 51:1-12
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35
Lectiionsry Scripture:
2 Samuel 11:26 When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonai and done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.
Psalm 51:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]
9 Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.
14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.
John 6:24 Accordingly, when the crowd saw that neither Yeshua nor his talmidim were there, they themselves boarded the boats and made for K’far-Nachum in search of Yeshua.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed! I tell you, you’re not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had all you wanted! 27 Don’t work for the food which passes away but for the food that stays on into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is the one on whom God the Father has put his seal.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” 29 Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
30 They said to him, “Nu, what miracle will you do for us, so that we may see it and trust you? What work can you perform? 31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert — as it says in the Tanakh, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[John 6:31 Psalm 78:24; Nehemiah 9:15] 32 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you it wasn’t Moshe who gave you the bread from heaven. But my Father is giving you the genuine bread from heaven; 33 for God’s bread is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread from now on.” 35 Yeshua answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty.
John Wesley's Notes-commentary for 2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13
Verse 27
[27] And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
The mourning — Which was seven days. Nor could the nature of the thing admit of longer delay, lest the too early birth of the child might discover David's sin.
Bare a son — By which it appears, That David continued in the state of impenitency for divers months together; and this notwithstanding his frequent attendance upon God's ordinances. Which is an eminent instance of the corruption of man's nature, of the deceitfulness of sin, and of the tremendous judgment of God in punishing one sin, by delivering a man up to another.
Verse 1
[1] And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The Lord sent — When the ordinary means did not awaken David to repentance, God takes an extraordinary course. Thus the merciful God pities and prevents him who had so horribly forsaken God.
He said — He prudently ushers in his reproof with a parable, after the manner of the eastern nations, that so he might surprize David, and cause him unawares to give sentence against himself.
Verse 2
[2] The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
Many flocks — Noting David's many wives and concubines.
Verse 3
[3] But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
Bought — As men then used to buy their wives: or, had procured.
Verse 5
[5] And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
Is worthy to die — This seems to be more than the fact deserved, or than he had commission to inflict for it, Exodus 22:1. But it is observable, that David now when he was most indulgent to himself, and to his own sin, was most severe and even unjust to others; as appears by this passage, and the following relation, verse 31, which was done in the time of David's impenitent continuance in his sin.
Verse 7
[7] And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
Thus saith the Lord God — Nathan now speaks, not as a petitioner for a poor man, but as an ambassador from the great God.
Verse 9
[9] Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
To be thy wife — To marry her whom he had defiled, and whose husband he had slain, was an affront upon the ordinance of marriage, making that not only to palliate, but in a manner to consecrate such villainies. In all this he despised the word of the Lord; (so it is in the Hebrew.) Not only his commandment in general, but the particular word of promise, which God had before sent him by Nathan, that he would build him an house: which sacred promise if he had had a due value for, he would not have polluted his house with lust and blood.
Verse 10
[10] Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Never depart — During the residue of thy life.
Verse 11
[11] Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
Own house — From thy own children and family.
Thine eyes — Openly, so that thou shalt know it as certainly as if thou didst see it, and yet not be able to hinder it.
And give them — I shall by my providence, give him power over them.
Neighbor — To one who is very near thee. But God expresseth this darkly, that the accomplishment of it might not be hindered.
Verse 13
[13] And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
I have sinned — How serious this confession was, we may see, Psalms 51:1-19.
Put away thy sin — That is, so far as concerns thy own life.
Not die — As by thy own sentence, verse 5, thou dost deserve, and may expect to be done by my immediate stroke.Psalm 51:1-12
Verse 4
[4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Thee only — Which is not to be, understood absolutely, because he had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, and many others; but comparatively. So the sense is, though I have sinned against my own conscience, and against others; yet nothing is more grievous to me, than that I have sinned against thee.
Thy sight — With gross contempt of thee, whom I knew to be a spectator of my most secret actions.
Justified — This will be the fruit of my sin, that whatsoever severities thou shalt use towards me, it will be no blemish to thy righteousness, but thy justice will be glorified by all men.
Speakest — Heb. in thy words, in all thy threatenings denounced against me.
Judgest — When thou dost execute thy sentence upon me.
Verse 5
[5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold — Nor is this the only sin which I have reason to bewail before thee; for this filthy stream leads me to a corrupt fountain: and upon a review of my heart, I find, that this heinous crime, was the proper fruit of my vile nature, which, ever was, and still is ready to commit ten thousand sins, as occasion offers.
Verse 6
[6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Truth — Uprightness of heart; and this may be added; as an aggravation of the sinfulness of original corruption, because it is contrary to the holy nature and will of God, which requires rectitude of heart: and, as an aggravation of his actual sin, that it was committed against that knowledge, which God had wrote in his heart.
Verse 7
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hyssop — As lepers, are by thy appointment purified by the use of hyssop and other things, so do thou cleanse me a leprous and polluted creature, by thy grace, and by that blood of Christ, which is signified by those ceremonial usages.
Verse 8
[8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Joy — By thy spirit, seal the pardon of my sins on my conscience, which will fill me with joy.
Rejoice — That my heart which hath been sorely wounded may be comforted.
Verse 10
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Create — Work in me an holy frame of heart, whereby my inward filth may be purged away.
Right — Heb. firm or constant, that my resolution may be fixed and unmoveable.
Spirit — Temper or disposition of soul.
Verse 12
[12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The joy — The comfortable sense of thy saving grace, promised and vouchsafed to me, both for my present and everlasting salvation.
Free — Or, ingenuous, or liberal, or princely. Which he seems to oppose to his own base and illiberal and disingenuous and servile spirit, which he had discovered in his wicked practices: a spirit, which may free me from the bondage of sin, and enable me chearfully to run the way of God's precepts.Ephesians 4:1-16
Verse 1
[1] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord — Imprisoned for his sake and for your sakes; for the sake of the gospel which he had preached amongst them. This was therefore a powerful motive to them to comfort him under it by their obedience.
Verse 3
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit — That mutual union and harmony, which is a fruit of the Spirit. The bond of peace is love.
Verse 4
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
There is one body — The universal church, all believers throughout the world.
One Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father — The ever-blessed Trinity.
One hope — Of heaven.
Verse 5
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One outward baptism.
Verse 6
[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
One God and Father of all — That believe.
Who is above all — Presiding over all his children, operating through them all by Christ, and dwelling in all by his Spirit.
Verse 7
[7] But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
According to the measure of the gift of Christ — According as Christ is pleased to give to each.
Verse 8
[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Wherefore he saith — That is, in reference to which God saith by David, Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive - He triumphed over all his enemies, Satan, sin, and death, which had before enslaved all the world: alluding to the custom of ancient conquerors, who led those they had conquered in chains after them. And, as they also used to give donatives to the people, at their return from victory, so he gave gifts to men - Both the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. Psalms 68:18.
Verse 9
[9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Now this expression, He ascended, what is it, but that he descended — That is, does it not imply, that he descended first? Certainly it does, on the supposition of his being God. Otherwise it would not: since all the saints will ascend to heaven, though none of them descended thence.
Into the lower parts of the earth — So the womb is called, Psalms 139:15; the grave, Psalms 63:9.
Verse 10
[10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
He that descended — That thus amazingly humbled himself.
Is the same that ascended — That was so highly exalted.
That he might fill all things — The whole church, with his Spirit, presence, and operations.
Verse 11
[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
And, among other his free gifts, he gave some apostles - His chief ministers and special witnesses, as having seen him after his resurrection, and received their commission immediately from him.
And same prophets, and some evangelists — A prophet testifies of things to come; an evangelist of things past: and that chiefly by preaching the gospel before or after any of the apostles. All these were extraordinary officers. The ordinary were.
Some pastors — Watching over their several flocks.
And some teachers — Whether of the same or a lower order, to assist them, as occasion might require.
Verse 12
[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
In this verse is noted the office of ministers; in the next, the aim of the saints; in the 14th, 15th, 16th, the way of growing in grace. And each of these has three parts, standing in the same order.
For the perfecting the saints — The completing them both in number and their various gifts and graces.
To the work of the ministry — The serving God and his church in their various ministrations.
To the edifying of the body of Christ — The building up this his mystical body in faith, love, holiness.
Verse 13
[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Till we all — And every one of us.
Come to the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God — To both an exact agreement in the Christian doctrine, and an experimental knowledge of Christ as the Son of God.
To a perfect man — To a state of spiritual manhood both in understanding and strength.
To the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ — To that maturity of age and spiritual stature wherein we shall be filled with Christ, so that he will be all in all.
Verse 14
[14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Fluctuating to and fro — From within, even when there is no wind.
And carried about with every wind — From without; when we are assaulted by others, who are unstable as the wind.
By the sleight of men — By their "cogging the dice;" so the original word implies.
Verse 15
[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Into him — Into his image and Spirit, and into a full union with him.
Verse 16
[16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
From whom the whole mystical body fitly joined together - All the parts being fitted for and adapted to each other, and most exactly harmonizing with the whole.
And compacted — Knit and cemented together with the utmost firmness.
Maketh increase by that which every joint supplieth — Or by the mutual help of every joint.
According to the effectual working in the measure of every member — According as every member in its measure effectually works for the support and growth of the whole. A beautiful allusion to the human body, composed of different joints and members, knit together by various ligaments, and furnished with vessels of communication from the head to every part.John 6:24-35
Verse 26
[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Our Lord does not satisfy their curiosity, but corrects the wrong motive they had in seeking him: because ye did eat - Merely for temporal advantage. Hitherto Christ had been gathering hearers: he now begins to try their sincerity, by a figurative discourse concerning his passion, and the fruit of it, to be received by faith.
Verse 27
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Labour not for the meat which perisheth — For bodily food: not for that only not chiefly: not at all, but in subordination to grace, faith, love, the meat which endureth to everlasting life. Labour, work for this; for everlasting life. So our Lord expressly commands, work for life, as well as from life: from a principle of faith and love.
Him hath the Father sealed — By this very miracle, as well as by his whole testimony concerning him. See John 3:33. Sealing is a mark of the authenticity of a writing.
Verse 28
[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
The works of God — Works pleasing to God.
Verse 29
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This is the work of God — The work most pleasing to God, and the foundation of all others: that ye believe - He expresses it first properly, afterward figuratively.
Verse 30
[30] They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
What sign dost thou? — Amazing, after what they had just seen!
Verse 31
[31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Our fathers ate manna — This sign Moses gave them.
He gave them bread from heaven — From the lower sublunary heaven; to which Jesus opposes the highest heaven: in which sense he says seven times, John 6:32,33,38,50,58,62, that he himself came down from heaven.
Verse 32
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Moses gave you not bread from heaven — It was not Moses who gave the manna to your fathers; but my Father who now giveth the true bread from heaven. Psalms 78:24.
Verse 33
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
He that — giveth life to the world - Not (like the manna) to one people only: and that from generation to generation. Our Lord does not yet say, I am that bread; else the Jews would not have given him so respectful an answer, John 6:34.
Verse 34
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Give us this bread — Meaning it still, in a literal sense: yet they seem now to be not far from believing.
Verse 35
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life — Having and giving life: he that cometh - he that believeth - Equivalent expressions: shall never hunger, thirst - Shall be satisfied, happy, for ever.
Detail from Nathan Confronts David. Painting by Emanuel Granberg, Finland, Muhos Church, 1773-1778. Public Domain.
2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13Psalm 51:1-12
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35
Lectiionsry Scripture:
2 Samuel 11:26 When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonai and done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.
Psalm 51:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]
9 Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.
14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.
John 6:24 Accordingly, when the crowd saw that neither Yeshua nor his talmidim were there, they themselves boarded the boats and made for K’far-Nachum in search of Yeshua.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed! I tell you, you’re not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had all you wanted! 27 Don’t work for the food which passes away but for the food that stays on into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is the one on whom God the Father has put his seal.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” 29 Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
30 They said to him, “Nu, what miracle will you do for us, so that we may see it and trust you? What work can you perform? 31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert — as it says in the Tanakh, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[John 6:31 Psalm 78:24; Nehemiah 9:15] 32 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you it wasn’t Moshe who gave you the bread from heaven. But my Father is giving you the genuine bread from heaven; 33 for God’s bread is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread from now on.” 35 Yeshua answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty.
John Wesley's Notes-commentary for 2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13
Verse 27
[27] And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
The mourning — Which was seven days. Nor could the nature of the thing admit of longer delay, lest the too early birth of the child might discover David's sin.
Bare a son — By which it appears, That David continued in the state of impenitency for divers months together; and this notwithstanding his frequent attendance upon God's ordinances. Which is an eminent instance of the corruption of man's nature, of the deceitfulness of sin, and of the tremendous judgment of God in punishing one sin, by delivering a man up to another.
Verse 1
[1] And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The Lord sent — When the ordinary means did not awaken David to repentance, God takes an extraordinary course. Thus the merciful God pities and prevents him who had so horribly forsaken God.
He said — He prudently ushers in his reproof with a parable, after the manner of the eastern nations, that so he might surprize David, and cause him unawares to give sentence against himself.
Verse 2
[2] The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
Many flocks — Noting David's many wives and concubines.
Verse 3
[3] But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
Bought — As men then used to buy their wives: or, had procured.
Verse 5
[5] And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
Is worthy to die — This seems to be more than the fact deserved, or than he had commission to inflict for it, Exodus 22:1. But it is observable, that David now when he was most indulgent to himself, and to his own sin, was most severe and even unjust to others; as appears by this passage, and the following relation, verse 31, which was done in the time of David's impenitent continuance in his sin.
Verse 7
[7] And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
Thus saith the Lord God — Nathan now speaks, not as a petitioner for a poor man, but as an ambassador from the great God.
Verse 9
[9] Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
To be thy wife — To marry her whom he had defiled, and whose husband he had slain, was an affront upon the ordinance of marriage, making that not only to palliate, but in a manner to consecrate such villainies. In all this he despised the word of the Lord; (so it is in the Hebrew.) Not only his commandment in general, but the particular word of promise, which God had before sent him by Nathan, that he would build him an house: which sacred promise if he had had a due value for, he would not have polluted his house with lust and blood.
Verse 10
[10] Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Never depart — During the residue of thy life.
Verse 11
[11] Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
Own house — From thy own children and family.
Thine eyes — Openly, so that thou shalt know it as certainly as if thou didst see it, and yet not be able to hinder it.
And give them — I shall by my providence, give him power over them.
Neighbor — To one who is very near thee. But God expresseth this darkly, that the accomplishment of it might not be hindered.
Verse 13
[13] And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
I have sinned — How serious this confession was, we may see, Psalms 51:1-19.
Put away thy sin — That is, so far as concerns thy own life.
Not die — As by thy own sentence, verse 5, thou dost deserve, and may expect to be done by my immediate stroke.Psalm 51:1-12
Verse 4
[4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Thee only — Which is not to be, understood absolutely, because he had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, and many others; but comparatively. So the sense is, though I have sinned against my own conscience, and against others; yet nothing is more grievous to me, than that I have sinned against thee.
Thy sight — With gross contempt of thee, whom I knew to be a spectator of my most secret actions.
Justified — This will be the fruit of my sin, that whatsoever severities thou shalt use towards me, it will be no blemish to thy righteousness, but thy justice will be glorified by all men.
Speakest — Heb. in thy words, in all thy threatenings denounced against me.
Judgest — When thou dost execute thy sentence upon me.
Verse 5
[5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold — Nor is this the only sin which I have reason to bewail before thee; for this filthy stream leads me to a corrupt fountain: and upon a review of my heart, I find, that this heinous crime, was the proper fruit of my vile nature, which, ever was, and still is ready to commit ten thousand sins, as occasion offers.
Verse 6
[6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Truth — Uprightness of heart; and this may be added; as an aggravation of the sinfulness of original corruption, because it is contrary to the holy nature and will of God, which requires rectitude of heart: and, as an aggravation of his actual sin, that it was committed against that knowledge, which God had wrote in his heart.
Verse 7
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hyssop — As lepers, are by thy appointment purified by the use of hyssop and other things, so do thou cleanse me a leprous and polluted creature, by thy grace, and by that blood of Christ, which is signified by those ceremonial usages.
Verse 8
[8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Joy — By thy spirit, seal the pardon of my sins on my conscience, which will fill me with joy.
Rejoice — That my heart which hath been sorely wounded may be comforted.
Verse 10
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Create — Work in me an holy frame of heart, whereby my inward filth may be purged away.
Right — Heb. firm or constant, that my resolution may be fixed and unmoveable.
Spirit — Temper or disposition of soul.
Verse 12
[12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The joy — The comfortable sense of thy saving grace, promised and vouchsafed to me, both for my present and everlasting salvation.
Free — Or, ingenuous, or liberal, or princely. Which he seems to oppose to his own base and illiberal and disingenuous and servile spirit, which he had discovered in his wicked practices: a spirit, which may free me from the bondage of sin, and enable me chearfully to run the way of God's precepts.Ephesians 4:1-16
Verse 1
[1] I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord — Imprisoned for his sake and for your sakes; for the sake of the gospel which he had preached amongst them. This was therefore a powerful motive to them to comfort him under it by their obedience.
Verse 3
[3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit — That mutual union and harmony, which is a fruit of the Spirit. The bond of peace is love.
Verse 4
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
There is one body — The universal church, all believers throughout the world.
One Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father — The ever-blessed Trinity.
One hope — Of heaven.
Verse 5
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One outward baptism.
Verse 6
[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
One God and Father of all — That believe.
Who is above all — Presiding over all his children, operating through them all by Christ, and dwelling in all by his Spirit.
Verse 7
[7] But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
According to the measure of the gift of Christ — According as Christ is pleased to give to each.
Verse 8
[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Wherefore he saith — That is, in reference to which God saith by David, Having ascended on high, he led captivity captive - He triumphed over all his enemies, Satan, sin, and death, which had before enslaved all the world: alluding to the custom of ancient conquerors, who led those they had conquered in chains after them. And, as they also used to give donatives to the people, at their return from victory, so he gave gifts to men - Both the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. Psalms 68:18.
Verse 9
[9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Now this expression, He ascended, what is it, but that he descended — That is, does it not imply, that he descended first? Certainly it does, on the supposition of his being God. Otherwise it would not: since all the saints will ascend to heaven, though none of them descended thence.
Into the lower parts of the earth — So the womb is called, Psalms 139:15; the grave, Psalms 63:9.
Verse 10
[10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
He that descended — That thus amazingly humbled himself.
Is the same that ascended — That was so highly exalted.
That he might fill all things — The whole church, with his Spirit, presence, and operations.
Verse 11
[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
And, among other his free gifts, he gave some apostles - His chief ministers and special witnesses, as having seen him after his resurrection, and received their commission immediately from him.
And same prophets, and some evangelists — A prophet testifies of things to come; an evangelist of things past: and that chiefly by preaching the gospel before or after any of the apostles. All these were extraordinary officers. The ordinary were.
Some pastors — Watching over their several flocks.
And some teachers — Whether of the same or a lower order, to assist them, as occasion might require.
Verse 12
[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
In this verse is noted the office of ministers; in the next, the aim of the saints; in the 14th, 15th, 16th, the way of growing in grace. And each of these has three parts, standing in the same order.
For the perfecting the saints — The completing them both in number and their various gifts and graces.
To the work of the ministry — The serving God and his church in their various ministrations.
To the edifying of the body of Christ — The building up this his mystical body in faith, love, holiness.
Verse 13
[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Till we all — And every one of us.
Come to the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God — To both an exact agreement in the Christian doctrine, and an experimental knowledge of Christ as the Son of God.
To a perfect man — To a state of spiritual manhood both in understanding and strength.
To the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ — To that maturity of age and spiritual stature wherein we shall be filled with Christ, so that he will be all in all.
Verse 14
[14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Fluctuating to and fro — From within, even when there is no wind.
And carried about with every wind — From without; when we are assaulted by others, who are unstable as the wind.
By the sleight of men — By their "cogging the dice;" so the original word implies.
Verse 15
[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Into him — Into his image and Spirit, and into a full union with him.
Verse 16
[16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
From whom the whole mystical body fitly joined together - All the parts being fitted for and adapted to each other, and most exactly harmonizing with the whole.
And compacted — Knit and cemented together with the utmost firmness.
Maketh increase by that which every joint supplieth — Or by the mutual help of every joint.
According to the effectual working in the measure of every member — According as every member in its measure effectually works for the support and growth of the whole. A beautiful allusion to the human body, composed of different joints and members, knit together by various ligaments, and furnished with vessels of communication from the head to every part.John 6:24-35
Verse 26
[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Our Lord does not satisfy their curiosity, but corrects the wrong motive they had in seeking him: because ye did eat - Merely for temporal advantage. Hitherto Christ had been gathering hearers: he now begins to try their sincerity, by a figurative discourse concerning his passion, and the fruit of it, to be received by faith.
Verse 27
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Labour not for the meat which perisheth — For bodily food: not for that only not chiefly: not at all, but in subordination to grace, faith, love, the meat which endureth to everlasting life. Labour, work for this; for everlasting life. So our Lord expressly commands, work for life, as well as from life: from a principle of faith and love.
Him hath the Father sealed — By this very miracle, as well as by his whole testimony concerning him. See John 3:33. Sealing is a mark of the authenticity of a writing.
Verse 28
[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
The works of God — Works pleasing to God.
Verse 29
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This is the work of God — The work most pleasing to God, and the foundation of all others: that ye believe - He expresses it first properly, afterward figuratively.
Verse 30
[30] They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
What sign dost thou? — Amazing, after what they had just seen!
Verse 31
[31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Our fathers ate manna — This sign Moses gave them.
He gave them bread from heaven — From the lower sublunary heaven; to which Jesus opposes the highest heaven: in which sense he says seven times, John 6:32,33,38,50,58,62, that he himself came down from heaven.
Verse 32
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Moses gave you not bread from heaven — It was not Moses who gave the manna to your fathers; but my Father who now giveth the true bread from heaven. Psalms 78:24.
Verse 33
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
He that — giveth life to the world - Not (like the manna) to one people only: and that from generation to generation. Our Lord does not yet say, I am that bread; else the Jews would not have given him so respectful an answer, John 6:34.
Verse 34
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Give us this bread — Meaning it still, in a literal sense: yet they seem now to be not far from believing.
Verse 35
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
I am the bread of life — Having and giving life: he that cometh - he that believeth - Equivalent expressions: shall never hunger, thirst - Shall be satisfied, happy, for ever.
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Upper Room Ministries, a ministry of Discipleship Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004 United States
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Sermon Story "The Prophet Reveals" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 2 August 2015 with Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:26 When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonai and done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.
As we remember the sin of adultery murder that King David had with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband through the enemy soldiers to hide the pregnancy of Bathsheva. Now, we have the prophet who has been assigned to King David, Nathan, comes to reveal that God knows about his sin. Nathan arrives and tells the story of a rich man with many flocks of sheep and a poor man who only had one little lamb. The rich man had a visitor from a far country and did not use one of his own lambs, but stole the lamb from the poor man to kill and prepare for a meal for his guest. As David heard this, he was quick to respond that the rich man should pay back what he stole plus intereests than the rich man man should die for his sin. Nathan simply said to David that he is the man, but God has forgiven him of his sin, but there will the be peace in his family and someone in his family will rise up against him and all your conucbines with have sexual intimacy in braod daylight that the people of Israel will know. After all, you did this sin in private, but I will have the sin against you be done in public. How do you realte to this story? What characters in this story do you relate to or not related to? How do you relate this to today's world?
The is a story about the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of Israel that they had sinned against their nations by contributing to advancing war rather than peace. An advisor to one of them came to one of them and told a story about a leader who commited murder with their troops to kill innocent civilians of their naion to blame it on an enmey to allow the other citizens and the congress to give thme permission to wage war against their enemies. The leaders said that this man should be found out and arrrested and then killed by capital punishment. The advisor said to the leader that he was that man, but God has forgiven you. Yes, you sinned against God and your constitution bu God has fogiven you. There will be know peace in your nation and a member of your own political party will come against you to ake over your leadership, but you will find ways o make peace with your enemies rather than ar to build up your citizens support of you and your policies to benefit all of the citizens not just the elite. Maybe this last story is fictional, but where may you have had a secret sin that you know no one knows, but God does know. As we seek our sins to come to God in repentance that we have kept hidden from others, we come to receive God's forgiveness and receive blessings from Him as we take and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the participation of the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We come to this Holy moment by singint the Hymn "Father We Have Sinned" by Keith & Kristyn Getty
1. Father, we have sinned in word, and deed, and thought,
Through ignorance, through weakness, through deliberate fault.
We've sinned against our neighbor and against You, Lord,
Yet we are truly sorry, and we turn to You once more.
2. Father of the nations, You who bless the poor,
We're servants of the endless want and drive for more.
We've made our greed a virtue, while the children starve.
Come change our joy to sorrow, till our lives reflect Your heart.
Let's Confess" by Brian McLaren
1. Let’s confess it: there’s a lot of evil, lust and greed in our world. Oppression and sin build up pressure within until there’s an eruption of corruption. Beneath the skin, we skid and spin in spiritual crisis where vice is the norm, and justice, kindness, humility, and civility are all too rare.
2. Unaware of our despair, we smile in denial and say “It’s all OK. No need to change, no need to grow, just have another drink or smoke, tell another joke, and don’t think or rethink. Make another buck, with some luck you can buy a bigger house, store more stuff, drive fast, look good, keep up.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
3. Meanwhile, addiction, rejection, and a lack of reflection spawn friction, dejection and a loss of direction. Every family, community, and nation are shaken. Creation’s resources are carelessly taken. And pollution scars every ocean, mountain, breeze, and shore, with visible symptoms of our inner war.
4. We’re all victims. We’re all villains. We’re stuck in the web that we spun ourselves. But God lights a spark of hope in the dark to help us cope with all that’s wrong and needs to be made right. God has come into all our pain, shame, and loss through the cross, and calls us to a path of life, love, purpose, and peace.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.
5. If we humble ourselves to believe and receive, a river will flow and a candle will glow in a secret sacred place within us, very deep, where we have been wasting in shadows, half-dead or half-asleep. We’ve been falling in a vicious viral downward spiral that leads to death. Let’s wake up, hear God calling, take a deep, fresh breath.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
6. “We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and please forgive, that we may finally and fully learn to live in dignity and unity, integrity and harmony, delighting in your will and walking in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
and
"Feed The Fire" by [John Kay of Steppenwolf (1996)
You're off to see the land of dreams
Be careful, things are seldom what they seem.
Cling to your hopes, follow your heart
Don't lose that sparkle in your eyes
To some empty consolation prize
Stay on your course,follow the chart
And if at times, you lose the light
Then let your passion be your guide
Strike a spark, fan the flame
Feel it burn deep within
Let it rise and let it shine
Keep it burnin',day and night
Guard it with your very life
FEED THE FIRE, never let it die
You'll fly alone to reach your mark
Don't fear the silence or the dark
They'll be good friends,you'll learn to love
Solitude's no sacrifice
To catch a glimpse of paradise
May you find peace and fly with the dove
And when you finally reach your star
Always remember who you are
____________________________
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonai and done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.
As we remember the sin of adultery murder that King David had with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband through the enemy soldiers to hide the pregnancy of Bathsheva. Now, we have the prophet who has been assigned to King David, Nathan, comes to reveal that God knows about his sin. Nathan arrives and tells the story of a rich man with many flocks of sheep and a poor man who only had one little lamb. The rich man had a visitor from a far country and did not use one of his own lambs, but stole the lamb from the poor man to kill and prepare for a meal for his guest. As David heard this, he was quick to respond that the rich man should pay back what he stole plus intereests than the rich man man should die for his sin. Nathan simply said to David that he is the man, but God has forgiven him of his sin, but there will the be peace in his family and someone in his family will rise up against him and all your conucbines with have sexual intimacy in braod daylight that the people of Israel will know. After all, you did this sin in private, but I will have the sin against you be done in public. How do you realte to this story? What characters in this story do you relate to or not related to? How do you relate this to today's world?
The is a story about the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of Israel that they had sinned against their nations by contributing to advancing war rather than peace. An advisor to one of them came to one of them and told a story about a leader who commited murder with their troops to kill innocent civilians of their naion to blame it on an enmey to allow the other citizens and the congress to give thme permission to wage war against their enemies. The leaders said that this man should be found out and arrrested and then killed by capital punishment. The advisor said to the leader that he was that man, but God has forgiven you. Yes, you sinned against God and your constitution bu God has fogiven you. There will be know peace in your nation and a member of your own political party will come against you to ake over your leadership, but you will find ways o make peace with your enemies rather than ar to build up your citizens support of you and your policies to benefit all of the citizens not just the elite. Maybe this last story is fictional, but where may you have had a secret sin that you know no one knows, but God does know. As we seek our sins to come to God in repentance that we have kept hidden from others, we come to receive God's forgiveness and receive blessings from Him as we take and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the participation of the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We come to this Holy moment by singint the Hymn "Father We Have Sinned" by Keith & Kristyn Getty
1. Father, we have sinned in word, and deed, and thought,
Through ignorance, through weakness, through deliberate fault.
We've sinned against our neighbor and against You, Lord,
Yet we are truly sorry, and we turn to You once more.
2. Father of the nations, You who bless the poor,
We're servants of the endless want and drive for more.
We've made our greed a virtue, while the children starve.
Come change our joy to sorrow, till our lives reflect Your heart.
Let's Confess" by Brian McLaren
1. Let’s confess it: there’s a lot of evil, lust and greed in our world. Oppression and sin build up pressure within until there’s an eruption of corruption. Beneath the skin, we skid and spin in spiritual crisis where vice is the norm, and justice, kindness, humility, and civility are all too rare.
2. Unaware of our despair, we smile in denial and say “It’s all OK. No need to change, no need to grow, just have another drink or smoke, tell another joke, and don’t think or rethink. Make another buck, with some luck you can buy a bigger house, store more stuff, drive fast, look good, keep up.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
3. Meanwhile, addiction, rejection, and a lack of reflection spawn friction, dejection and a loss of direction. Every family, community, and nation are shaken. Creation’s resources are carelessly taken. And pollution scars every ocean, mountain, breeze, and shore, with visible symptoms of our inner war.
4. We’re all victims. We’re all villains. We’re stuck in the web that we spun ourselves. But God lights a spark of hope in the dark to help us cope with all that’s wrong and needs to be made right. God has come into all our pain, shame, and loss through the cross, and calls us to a path of life, love, purpose, and peace.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.
5. If we humble ourselves to believe and receive, a river will flow and a candle will glow in a secret sacred place within us, very deep, where we have been wasting in shadows, half-dead or half-asleep. We’ve been falling in a vicious viral downward spiral that leads to death. Let’s wake up, hear God calling, take a deep, fresh breath.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
6. “We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and please forgive, that we may finally and fully learn to live in dignity and unity, integrity and harmony, delighting in your will and walking in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
and
"Feed The Fire" by [John Kay of Steppenwolf (1996)
You're off to see the land of dreams
Be careful, things are seldom what they seem.
Cling to your hopes, follow your heart
Don't lose that sparkle in your eyes
To some empty consolation prize
Stay on your course,follow the chart
And if at times, you lose the light
Then let your passion be your guide
Strike a spark, fan the flame
Feel it burn deep within
Let it rise and let it shine
Keep it burnin',day and night
Guard it with your very life
FEED THE FIRE, never let it die
You'll fly alone to reach your mark
Don't fear the silence or the dark
They'll be good friends,you'll learn to love
Solitude's no sacrifice
To catch a glimpse of paradise
May you find peace and fly with the dove
And when you finally reach your star
Always remember who you are
____________________________
Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
____________________________
____________________________
My friends, I invite you to a celebration and an adventure. You are invited to join a growing number of brothers and sisters all over this planet in celebrating the good news that the new age of God is literally transforming this present age! You are invited to join them in the unprecedented adventure of allowing God to use your life to change this world. You are invited to dare to believe that God is conspiring through your life and the lives of others like you to make a difference in his world.
God calls us to hope and to action. Our hope is based on the biblical faith that God is very much alive and is very much the Lord of history. God is, even now, working to bring God’s new future into being.
Our action is made possible by the power of God’s spirit working in our lives to change this world. We are part of that mysterious work that uses the small, the insignificant, the invisible, and the incomprehensible to change the world.
Now, to accept this invitation, you have to do a couple of things. First of all, you have to tune your ear so that you can hear the gospel. For example, in the text for today there are two levels of communication going on. This is characteristic of the Gospel of John, where there is always the message of the surface and then the message of the deeper level of the spirit. In today’s lesson we read about the “bread of life.” We know this is a message for the deeper part of us. Jesus is not talking about literal bread, but about that which satisfies the hunger of a soul.
And aren’t our souls hungry? Is this hunger what lies behind the insatiable need to consume more and more?
At our home we receive a lot of catalogs advertising all sorts of things. I know you get them too. Have you “heard” the message of these catalogs with their attractive models and beautiful wares? Do you know what they are really saying to us? They’re saying, “You’re not happy. And you won’t be happy until you have what we are selling. Look at us. Don’t we look happy? We are happy! But, you’re not, so place your order today!” And our garages and attics fill to the brim with stuff, and we numb ourselves with alcohol and drugs, all the while trying to satisfy the hunger of the soul!
This reality is what makes the text from the Gospel of John so incredibly relevant. Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is not magic and neither is Jesus some form of insurance. Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies the hungry soul.
While preparing for this message, I turned to our hymnal and looked up the hymns listed under “Holy Communion.” I found these lines that keep playing in my mind: “You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat. Come, give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat” (“You Satisfy the Hungry Heart,” The United Methodist Hymnal [Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989], 629).
The spirit of those lines is captured in a little parable about a holy man who rested beneath a tree at the outskirts of a city. One day he was interrupted by a man who ran to him saying, “The stone! The stone! Please give me the stone!” He told how in a dream an angel had spoken to him of a man outside the city who would give him a stone and make him rich forever.
The holy man reached into his pocket and pulled out a large diamond. “Here,” he said, “the angel probably spoke of this. I found it on my journey here. If you want it, you may have it.”
The diamond was as big as his fist and perfect in every way. The man marveled at its beauty, clutched it eagerly, and walked away from the holy man. But that night he could not sleep, and before dawn he woke the holy man saying, “The wealth! The wealth! Give me the wealth that lets you so easily give away the diamond.”
Jesus is the bread of life and in him we satisfy the hungry heart. Why do we come here for worship? Not to simply serve God. That is a pagan idea. We do not have to cajole God to be bounteous to us. God already is bounteous to us, because Jesus is the bread of life. We come to be served; to have Jesus put on the apron and spread a table before us. We come to be sensitized to what God has already given. We come to receive the wealth that lets us give away all our riches. We come for the bread of life. Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35
THEME IDEAS
In the reading from 2 Samuel, the prophet confronts David with a parable that leads him to repent of his sin in taking another man’s wife. The psalm echoes that repentant mood, begging God to replace guilt with forgiveness, to give the sinner a fresh start and a clean heart. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts his readers to see themselves as members of one body, each with differing gifts as they live together in Christ. The Gospel reading contrasts the people’s desire for physical miracles with Jesus’ reminder that he is the bread of life, God’s own gift to the people of God.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (John 6:35)
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”
We are hungry for the bread of heaven.
Jesus said, “The bread of God gives life to the world.”
We are hungry for eternal life.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
We are here to become what we already are:
the body of Christ, food for a hungry world.
Opening Prayer (Ephesians 4, John 6)
God of forgiveness and new beginnings,
you feed our hearts with compassion,
and nourish our souls with the bread of heaven.
As Jesus fed the hungry crowds,
knowing that they needed both physical bread
and the bread of heaven,
fill us with your generous spirit
and make us one with Christ. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (2 Samuel 11–12, Psalm 51, John 6)
Tender, loving God, have mercy on us.
Like David, we have been greedy,
grasping for what is not ours
even though we have enough.
We have forgotten your promise:
that you will fill us with the bread of life.
Like the crowd that followed Jesus
to Capernaum, yet did not understand
what he had given them,
we seek bread for our bodies
more than we seek the bread of heaven.
Forget our sins, take away our guilt.
Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean.
Tender, loving God, have mercy on us.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 51)
When we repent, God creates in us a new heart,
and puts a new and right spirit within us.
In the name of Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Christ, you are forgiven.
Glory to God. Amen.
Passing the Peace of Christ
Filled with the Spirit of Love and anticipating the heavenly feast, let us exchange signs of peace:
May the peace of Christ be with you always.
May the peace of Christ be with you always.
Response to the Word (2 Samuel 11–12, John 6)
Gracious God,
thank you for opening our hearts and minds
to the gift of your word, the bread of heaven.
Help us hunger for your peace and righteousness
over the things of this world. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Offering Prayer (John 6)
Generous, merciful God,
you invite us to the heavenly feast,
promising to fill us with every good thing.
Bless these ordinary gifts of bread
and fruit of the vine,
that we may be kneaded and pressed
into one holy, living body,
in the name of Christ, who lived and died
and rose again. Amen.
Great Thanksgiving (2 Samuel 11–12, John 6)
Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give our thanks to the Holy One.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is a right, good, and joyful thing
always and everywhere to give our thanks to you,
Author of justice and mercy.
Long ago, your prophet Nathan
brought your word to David, the king,
bringing him to repentance
and renewed love of you.
In your loving kindness,
you did not cast him away from your presence,
but restored to him the joy of your salvation.
And so, with your creatures on earth
and all the heavenly chorus,
we praise your name
and join their unending hymn, saying:
Holy, holy, holy One,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one
who comes in your holy name.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and holy is your child, Jesus Christ.
When the crowds were hungry for miracles,
he promised that we who come to him
will never be hungry,
and we who believe in him
will never be thirsty.
(Words of Institution and Memorial Acclamation)
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
the bread of heaven, broken to feed a hungry world,
so that we may become one with Christ,
one with each other, and one in ministry
to all the world.
Merciful Creator, Bread of Heaven, Spirit of Love,
we praise your holy, eternal, nameless Name.
Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Ephesians 4)
Go into the world with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love, in the unity of the Spirit, the bond of peace, and the name of Jesus, who is the Bread of Life.
Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (John 6)
What must we do to perform the works of God?
This is the work of God,
that you believe in the one whom God has sent.
—OR—
Contemporary Gathering Words (John 6)
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”
We are hungry for the bread of heaven.
Jesus said, “The bread of God gives life to the world.”
We are hungry for eternal life.
Praise Sentences (Ephesians 4)
There is one body and one Spirit.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God of all.
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2012,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2016” is now available. Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1
L: Blessed be the Lord of Hosts, who cleanses and heals our lives.
P: Praise be to God!
L: Blessed be the Holy One, who brings us from despair to hope.
P: Praise be to God!
L: Blessed be the Giver of Life, who nurtures and comforts us.
P: Let us praise God with our whole hearts and souls! AMEN
Call to Worship #2
L: The Bread of Life has come among us.
P: What is this Bread of Life?
L: It is none other than Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son!
P: We hunger for the true bread that will nourish our souls.
L: Come, then, to Christ who feeds us with his very life!
P: We come, needing sustenance and nurturing. AMEN
Call to Worship #3
[If you are celebrating Communion on this Sunday , you might want to consider the following. Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2265, "Time Now To Gather", have the call to worship done as follows.]
L: All who are gathered here this day are welcome in the sight of the Lord.
P: We come from times of stress and worry, needing God’s healing love.
L: Come to this place of healing and feeding.
P: Chirist bids us welcome!
Congregation sings: Verse 1 of "Time Now to Gather" FWS 2265
L: From the worries of our lives
P: Christ bids us welcome!
L: From the things that draw us down and away,
P: Christ bids us welcome!
Congregation sings: Verse 3 of "Time Now to Gather" FWS 2265
L: Let your celebration begin!
P: Let us partake of the banquet of God in Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4
L: From God came the sustenance for people who wandered in wilderness places.
P: That was the bread from heaven!
L: From God comes Jesus Christ, the eternal bread that sustains our lives.
P: Christ is the Bread of Life!
L: Let us praise God for such wondrous gifts of life.
P: Let us sing and raise our voices in gratitude for all that God does for us. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
OPENING PRAYER
Along life’s pathways, we search continually for signs to point us in positive directions. Christ has given us a sign which points us to healing and hope: that is the sign of the Bread of Life. No more shall we hunger and thirst after the things which cannot sustain us. Now we have been fed and nourished by Christ! Open our hearts in gratitude, Lord, for all the wondrous things you have done for us. Open our Spirits to hear your words of hope for us today. AMEN.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
In the daily grind of life, we are so often taught to climb the ladder of success by stepping on each other, focusing only on our own wants and needs. Even as children on a carousel, we were taught to try to grab the golden ring, and it would fulfill our dreams of glory and wealth. How we have been corrupted to think in these terms. Our "dollar for a dream" mentality has gotten us into lots of trouble. We chase after all those false idols that cannot ever sustain us and bring us peace. Forgive our stupidity, Lord. Forgive us when we believe that if we only could win the Lottery, everything would be OK and we would be happy. It is your Son Jesus Christ who leads us in the ways of happiness and peace, sustaining us with his life-giving bread. Nurture us again, Lord, with this Bread of Life, that we may truly focus on the ministries and mission you have set before us. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Do you not know? It is Jesus Christ who is the Bread of Life! Come to him and feed on his love for you. Find healing in his presence. Know that this is given freely for you, out of his great love. AMEN.
PASTORAL PRAYER
It is easy for us to go through the motions of spirituality. We want to say the "right" prayers, and think that we have found the magical key to make holiness appear in our lives. But we are empty, Lord. We hunger and thirst for something that will sustain us through all the times of our lives. We chase after things that will disappoint and hurt, and look past the very thing that will heal and cleanse our lives. Christ is your Bread of Life, the Manna from Heaven, which was and is sent to feed and sustain us in all the wildernesses through which we travel. Help us to stop running after the glitz and glitter, the easy wealth; help us to look truly for the one who will quench our thirst and nourish our souls. As we have lifted up names of people and situations which lay heavy on our hearts today that need your healing touch, help us to remember that we stand continually in need of your healing mercy. Bring us to you, with open and repentant hearts, for your loving care. As we receive the wondrous gift of bread and wine, may we truly be reminded that Christ nurtures and feeds u s with his own life. When we have been nourished, may we go from this place in renewed commitment to serve you, O God, with our very lives. AMEN.
READING
Reader 1: I want a sign that God is doing something for me, right now!
Reader 2: Why do you need a sign? Have you not seen and heard of all the miracles and the wonders that Jesus has done in God’s Name? Haven’t you listened as he told you of God’s love and forgiveness for your sins?
Reader 1: Words. Miracles. I want something I can latch onto.
Reader 2: What do you believe?
Reader 1: Well, I believe in God, certainly. I believe in God’s creative powers. I look around me and see the wonders of nature. That’s some creativity, I’ll tell you! Oh, yeah, and I believe that Jesus is God’s Son, just as the Bible says. I’m not too sure about the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost! But if that’s part of the mix, I believe it.
Reader 2: What do you believe about your relationship with God?
Reader 1: Well........I’m not sure. I guess that God loves me. I don’t know. God seems to be far to busy with the stuff in the world to really worry about me. But I hope God does care. Okay, what it really comes down to is this: I am hurting, badly. I can’t seem to get away from the pain within. I am starving for healing and no matter how hard I try to find the cure for what ails me, I can’t locate it.
Reader 2: Bring all of these concerns and doubts to Jesus. I mean it! Bring it to him. He is the One who will heal and nourish you. You do not have to starve. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He will give you all that you need for healing in your Spirit and heart.
Reader 1: I’m afraid. I’ve searched and failed so many times before.
Reader 2: Search no longer. Christ has found you. Come to him. He will heal and feed you.
Reader 1: I need his love and healing. I know it. I will try.
Reader 2: You don’t have to try. It is given to you. The Bread of Life brings you love and healing. Come and be fed......Come and be healed.....Come and know God’s love for you, for always and forever.
BENEDICTION, BLESSING
The Bread of Life has called and fed you. Now go forth into God’s world to nourish others, bring God’s love, hope and peace. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is GREEN
Note: I recommend putting a brief paragraph describing or explaining the symbolism used in your visual display. These become good teaching tools for a congregation.
Note: The image of Bread is used liberally in John’s gospel. You may want to consider a display using bread as the main image. Consider the following: The people who witnessed the feeding of the 5,000, were astonished at what had happened, as were the disciples. For many of the people, the true emptiness in their lives was exposed in their actions and attitudes. They wanted a sign. They hungered for a sign and reminded Jesus about the manna in the wilderness in the time of Moses. They stood at the base of the Holy One, as empty baskets, bringing only their misunderstanding and loss. The candle represents the life-transforming love of Christ. The basket with bread outpouring is self-explanatory
SURFACE Place two risers on the worship center. The first riser should be placed diagonally in the upper left side of the worship center, and the other, lower riser, should be placed somewhat diagonally in the center right side of the worship center. Place a riser in front of the worship center.
FABRIC You may wish to cover the entire worship center with green fabric, which is the color of the season, but my preference would be to use landscaper’s burlap to cover the worship center and all the risers, puddling on the floor in front of the riser. Green fabrc, 12" square may be used on each of the three risers.
CANDLES Place one white 10" pillar candle in the middle of the worship center.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE It is not necessary to use flowers for this setting. Although a small bundle of wheat may be placed in front of the candle at the middle of the worship center.
ROCKS/WOOD Not necessary for this set.
OTHER If you are using a Brass Cross on the worship center, place it on the taller of the two risers, upper left corner, so that it faces diagonally toward the center. Place a basket, preferably willow or wicker, on its side on the second riser. Have several loaves of uncut bread "spilling" out of the basket. On the lower riser, place an empty basket, and several other baskets, empty and tipped over at the base of the worship center. From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a. When it is dramatically presented, children follow the story of Nathan's confrontation of David closely. They are as outraged as David at the actions of a rich man who steals a poor man's lamb. However, they need help in digging through Nathan's symbolic language to identify David as the thief and God's punishment for him: There will be violent fighting instead of peace in his family, and his wives will one day be stolen by another man. This punishment looks fair to children. David will experience all the pain in his family that he has inflicted on the family of Uriah and Bathsheba. With help, older children can understand that David's punishment was a natural result of his behavior. He had led his family into selfish sin, and eventually they all would be hurt by one another.
The Good News Bible offers the easiest translation for children. If its use of intercourse in verse 11 is a problem, try The New Jerusalem Bible. The New Revised Standard's heavy use of symbolic language, and its phrasing God's accusation against David in terms of "despising me" rather than "disobeyed my commands" (Good News Bible) or "displeased me" (New Jerusalem Bible) make it a last choice.
Psalm: 51:1-12. Because few children sense their own sin as keenly as the man who composed this psalm sensed his, they need to encounter this psalm first as David's prayer. They can understand why David would feel so guilty about what he had done, and they learn the prayer's meaning for David. As they mature, recognize their own sinfulness, and use parts of the psalm repeatedly in congregational worship, they will claim it as their own.
The rich imagery of the psalm makes it hard for children to follow. It is probably best to focus attention on verses 1-2 and 10-12, and expect children to catch some of the remaining phrases.
Epistle: Ephesians 4:1-16. This is a rich, complex passage. It may be helpful to focus on only one part of it, to avoid overwhelming children.
Children need to hear specific examples of each of the four abstract qualities urged on Christians. Patience and gentleness are the easiest for them to understand and claim. Humility that puts oneself in a secondary position goes most against the grain of children trying to develop their talents and master their world. Humility is best explored in relation to using one's God-given gifts for the good of the church (see vss. 12-13).
If alerted in advance to listen for them, children enjoy identifying the seven "one" things that hold the church together. Most make immediate sense. "The one hope of your calling," however, needs to be paraphrased as "We all share one goal." With this background, children are ready to identify both the gifts Paul names and the other gifts they see people bringing to their church. (Consider omitting Paul's aside in verses 8-11 to avoid confusing children.)
In exploring verses 14-16, speak of "babies" rather than "children," to preserve Paul's meaning and avoid offending those who have no choice to be anything but children. Paul offers children two important signs of growing up. First, people are growing up when they know right from wrong and cannot be talked into doing what they know is wrong. Second, people are growing up when they do not think about themselves all the time. Instead of demanding that they be the constant center of attention, people who are growing up know how to be a member of a group or team, and are willing to work hard for the group.
Gospel: John 6:24-35. The sixth chapter of John is about the bread of life. Last week's lesson was the story of Jesus, the powerful supplier of food. This week's text describes what the bread of life he brings is not. First, the bread of heaven is not all the free food you want. Children, who do not worry about providing food, easily interpret this literally and laugh at the misunderstanding of the crowd. They will need help to understand Jesus' real point that we often are looking for and working for things we think we need to live, but which are not that important. The children are helped most by examples of things people of different ages misguidedly think we must have to live or be happy.
Talk about seals and manna in the wilderness is beyond the understanding of most children.
Watch Words
This is a good opportunity to explain words your congregation uses frequently in confession, but not in everyday conversation.Transgression and iniquity are old words for sin. Mercy andmerciful are words about God's forgiving love and kindness. Remember that for most children, offense is the team with the ball.
Today, bread stands for what we need, or think we need, to live.
Let the Children Sing
Be careful in choosing penitence hymns, most of which are filled with symbolic references to Jesus' blood which make little sense to children. Sing "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" again, if it was studied during sermon last Sunday.
Sing "Be Thou My Vision," to focus on what really "feeds" us. Save the "bread" hymns for the next two weeks.
Substitute Paul's characteristics of Christians (humble, gentle, patient) in the verses of "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian."
The Liturgical Child
1. Continue to display a basket of bread or a banner featuring loaves and fish in the chancel.
2. While a worship leader reads the confrontation between David and Nathan dramatically, two adults pantomime their interaction. Three additional actors may take the parts of the people of the assembled court, responding to what is happening. Actors should wear either biblical dress or dark slacks and shirts, with a crown for David.
3. In a responsive Prayer of Confession, the congregation responds to the leaders' prayers with, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me."
4. If you regularly use parts of Psalms 51 in your prayers of confession, highlight them today, pointing out their connection to David and explaining their meaning.
Sermon Resources
1. Like the crowd that followed Jesus, children are often mistaken about what they "gotta have" to live and be happy: "I gotta have a Playstation 4!"; "Everyone else has a purple polo shirt. I'll be no one unless I have one too!"; "If we don't win this year, I'll die!"; "I just gotta go to . . . . Haven't you seen it on TV? It's AWESOME!"
2. To illustrate the difference in being a "baby" and growing up, point out some truths about babies: (1) Babies pay attention only to what is directly in front of them. Therefore, they are easily persuaded. If you want a baby to stop playing with a toy, you can simply replace it with a different toy. (2) Babies think only of themselves. They see themselves as the center of the world, with everyone and everything arranged around it to meet its needs.
3. Turn the sermon into either a "locker-room pep talk" or a "recruiters speech" about church membership. Describe the church as God's team, focusing on the seven "one" things that hold the church together. Then point out the qualities of good church members and that it is important for them to use all their gifts for the good of the "team." Use the direct language of a coach.
SERMON OPTIONS: AUGUST 2, 2015
Healing the Heart
2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a
In Sholem Asch’s novel The Nazarene, the miracles of Jesus are mocked by a blind man. The blind man could have been healed if he had asked. Jesus responded to his remarks by questioning what shall it avail one to be made seeing with the eyes and have the heart remain blind. God initiated spiritual healing of David’s blind heart through an encounter with Nathan.
Known as a judicial parable, this text disguises a real-life violation of the law as a parable told to the guilty person in order to lead him to pass judgment on himself. Spiritual failure obscures God’s dynamic purpose for your life. That purpose can be restored, as it was for a broken King David, by healing your heart through a threefold spiritual/therapeutic process.
I. Sin Must Be Raised to a Personal Consciousness
In verses 1-4 of chapter 12, David was brought face to face with his sin. Nathan gave David a parabolic illustration of reality. David had confused fact with fiction by rehearsing his own self-justification. But the significance of the offense is implied by Nathan’s use of contrasting opposites: rich man, poor man; many flocks, one lamb. David’s personal consciousness was also raised by a private illumination of his resistance to God. The important issue was not the specific act but the nature of the offender. David ignored the sacred value of marriage, revealing the true nature of his heart.
His consciousness was raised further by the prophetic incrimination of his own reticence. In 11:25, David told Joab to not be displeased by Uriah’s death, implying that the Lord was pleased with this holy war. The Lord, however, was not pleased with the king.
II. Healing of the Heart Also Requires Prescribed Consequences
Verses 5-6 of chapter 12 confront us with the inconsistency of human judgment. David said the offender “deserves to die.” Literally, the word means “son of death” and describes the person’s character, not David’s sentence. His anger motivated an irrational demand. Verse 6 records the correct legal sentence, according to Exodus 22:1, a fourfold restitution. We do not judge the seriousness of sin the way God does.
An inverted holy justice is another prescribed consequence in verses 7-12. David was told that the sword would never depart from his house, that his wives would be taken from him, and that his secret would be made public. When holy justice replaces human inconsistent judgment, we understand the devastating effects of sin.
The prescribed consequences also reveal an impatient heavenly jealousy. According to verse 14, David’s actions had provided God’s enemies the opportunity of blasphemy that would bring shame and ridicule on the name of God. The consequences of David’s sin were transferred to the child. That severe judgment would immediately restore reverence to Yahweh’s name.
III. A Penitent Confession
This is the final phase of the heart’s healing. The confession in verse 13 minimizes the person. David accepted full responsibility through an honest confession: “I have sinned.”
The confession also maximized David’s failure. The word “sinned” is unqualified. Confession of sin must be made without explanation or excuse. The confession of sin must also magnify the Lord. David stated, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Yahweh was the object of the confessional act. Although our sin impacts others, it is a rebellious action defying the authority of God.
Your heart can be healed through spiritual therapy that includes a personal consciousness of sin, prescribed consequences for sin, and a penitent confession of sin. (Barry J. Beames)
By Way of Thanks
Ephesians 4:1-16
Everything thus far in the letter to the Ephesians has been a gift. Beginning from the very first words of the letter (“Grace to you and peace”), every line seems to place more bread in an already overflowing basket. Chapters 1 and 2 give us the announcement and extensive elaboration of the many aspects of God’s grace as it has been poured out upon us. Chapter 3 opens with Paul’s own self-description as one whose very imprisonment is a sacrifice of love toward those to whom he writes. That chapter closes with an assurance that Paul is giving something else to the church—prayer. Indeed, the very text is almost a gift of praying.
No other passage in the entire New Testament is so fully saturated with a sense of the blessedness of God’s people in the church. Reading chapters 1-3 truly gives us a feeling of having been richly gifted. But receiving even the most beautiful and sought-after gift can make us feel awkward if we are not allowed to express due thanks for it. Chapter 4 gives us an opportunity to respond with thanksgiving.
I. The Great “Therefore”
In verse 1, the writer states, “I therefore . . . beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” In this case, the word “therefore” is the fulcrum balancing all that came before with all that follows. It is the center point between gift and task, call and response, blessing and gratitude.
In Luke 19 , Jesus shows love to Zacchaeus; therefore, Zacchaeus redistributes his wealth. In 1 John we are told that God first loves us; therefore, we are able to love. In Acts, the Holy Spirit is given to the church; therefore, the church goes out in mission. And in Ephesians we are reminded that God has showered us with grace and blessings (chapters 1–3); therefore, we can respond with gratitude (chapters 4–5).
II. Worthy Means Shared
The way the writer talks about responding to God’s overwhelming initiative is by asking for a “worthy” life in response. By “worthy,” the writer means living cooperatively with others. All the virtues enumerated here address what Bonhoeffer referred to as “life together.” Verse 3 sums up this emphasis nicely (“making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”), and the verses immediately following have become the hallmark of the modern ecumenical movement: “ . . . one body . . . one Spirit . . . one hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.”
Asking for unity, however, does not require uniformity. On the contrary, the tribute to unity is followed closely by a marvelous litany of the diversity of gifts and graces given to the Body of Christ (v. 11). Many voices make up the gospel song. The goal of unity is not monotone Christians, but harmonizing Christians, whose variety of gifts “promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (v. 16). Our best means of showing gratitude to God for all that has been expressed in three chapters of this letter turns out to be more horizontal than vertical. To appreciate God’s bounty to us is to live graciously with one another. (Paul R. Escamilla)
What is It?
John 6:24-35
In this conversation between Jesus and some people who had followed him across the Sea of Galilee, there is a reference to an important event in the history of the Jewish people. After Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 people, he crossed the Sea of Galilee only to be followed the next morning by some of the crowd. In this conversation about food that perishes and food that endures, the people reminded Jesus of an event from their history: “Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness” (v. 31).
It’s a story worth recalling.
The Israelite people had been led out of slavery in Egypt and had wandered for about two months in the wilderness east of Egypt, the area we know as the Sinai peninsula at the northern end of the Red Sea. They believed that it was God, through Moses, who had led them out of Egypt, and this freedom became the defining event in their history. They owed their freedom to God. But two months after they left Egypt, they ran out of food. They began to complain that in Egypt, even though they were slaves, at least they had food to eat.
So Moses talked with God about the situation, and God told Moses that he would “rain bread from heaven” for the people (Exod. 16:4). The next morning dew covered the ground, and when the dew evaporated a flaky substance was left behind. It tasted, we are told, like wafers made with honey, and it could be ground and made into cakes. The story says that when the wandering Israelites first saw the flaky substance on the ground, “they said to one another ‘What is it? For they did not know what it was” (Exod. 16:15).
They called it “manna,” and there is an interesting play on words here. The Hebrew phrase for “What is it?” is pronounced something like man hu. Man hu; what is it? Manna—“the bread that the Lord has given you.” And they ate it for forty years.
When he was reminded of the story, Jesus carried the meaning a step further: “I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” And the people made a request: “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” (vv. 32-35).
Remember this the next time you come to the Lord’s table for the sacrament of Communion. When we partake of the sacrament we eat bread that resembles the manna provided in the wilderness. And we claim that it represents Jesus, the very Bread of Life.
What is it? It is freedom from the distress of life. It is sustenance in the wilderness of life. It is grace in the pain of life. It is God’s presence in the loneliness of life.
What is it? It is rest in the demands of life. It is peace in the disruptions of life. It is community in the isolation of life. It is security in the uncertainty of life.
What is it? It is manna rained from heaven. It is bread that nourishes the soul. It is Christ, the Bread of heaven, which will “feed me till I want no more.” (J. Lawrence McCleskey)____________________________
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