Ministry Matters: "7 fears of highly effective leaders — Civility and faith — Difficult conversations" in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Monday, 7 November 2016-------
Civility and Christian faith by Doug PaysourBigstock/TeddyandMia
Worst ever!
Many are proclaiming that this year’s campaign is the worst ever, most uncivil and full of name-calling and bluster. Chuck Lorre, in his Vanity Card #539 at the end of The Big Bang Theory, may have said it for all of us: “A Nonpartisan, Nondenominational prayer for America. God, make this election be over soon. Amen.” The candidates seem to hurl a variety of insults, insinuations and, yes, sometimes lies at each other, with the hope that something will stick in the voters’ minds as the one thing that sways more opinions. It has seemed to be the most uncivil campaign season ever.
Yet, it may not measure up to the campaign of 1828, when Andrew Jackson was running against John Quincy Adams, the incumbent. In that campaign, Adams was accused of providing a Russian czar with a young American woman’s time and sexual favors. In essence, he was accused of being a pimp. Meanwhile, Jackson’s wife, Rachel, was accused of being “a convicted adulteress” and a bigamist because it wasn’t clear whether her divorce was final from a previous marriage before she married Jackson. Between the election and Jackson’s inauguration, Rachel died. In his inaugural speech, Jackson blamed those who raised the bigamy charges as being responsible for her death. He said, “May God Almighty forgive her murderers, as I know she forgave them. I never can.”
Presidential political seasons always seem to be rough and tumble, even more than lower-level elections. The stakes are high — the highest office in the land — and in many minds that justifies the incivility, the win-at-all-costs lies, and the name-calling. Some would justify all actions by saying that the campaign is equivalent to war because the stakes are so high. Even war, however, has its limits.
What’s lost?
Kyrsten Sinema, a member of the House of Representatives from Arizona, was quoted as saying, “I’m very concerned about the tone of politics in recent years. We’ve seen a decline in civility and bipartisanship, and a rapid increase in hostility between those who have differing opinions. I think this has led to the alienation of the public in governance, which jeopardizes democratic participation.” In that view, incivility leads to a lack of ability to work together (bipartisanship), hostility and, ultimately, an apathy of the citizens who are required to make democracy function well. In some sense, one might say that democracy is, therefore, broken. Indeed, in recent years, working together with those across the aisle seems to be anathema to both major political parties.
When one speaker interrupts another and both speak at the same time, no one can be understood. It’s hard to respect any candidate who spends a lot of time in name-calling and labeling, as those are common practices of bullies on the playground. When the issues facing our country aren’t the primary topic of discussion, we aren’t likely to find solutions to those problems. These are just three common acts of politicians that hamper the democratic process.
Another way — civility
Civility is a way of relating to one another that enhances civic discourse, which allows us to seek solutions to problems together and which allows everyone’s voice to be heard. The Institute for Civility in Government (ICG) says, “Civility is about more than just politeness, although politeness is a necessary first step. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions and teaching others to do the same. Civility is the hard work of staying present even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power such that everyone’s voice is heard, and nobody’s is ignored.”
If we’re part of that apathetic electorate, we’re likely to want nothing to do with politics. However, politics, at its core, is about how we make decisions in any group for the group. Unless we live entirely as hermits, we cannot avoid being involved in politics in some way, shape or form. Therefore, we as Christians can practice political civility in the midst of our everyday lives. And, if part of our discipleship training were to be training in civility, the church could impact the larger society in a powerful way. One of the major contributions the church can make to larger society is to model the process by which we make decisions.
Practicing civility
Politeness is the grease for the wheels of interpersonal relationships. When we practice everyday politeness, many personal interactions are much smoother, preventing unnecessary conflict and disagreement. When someone practices politeness as a norm, we often call that person “graceful.” For us as Christians, to be filled with grace is a good witness. At the same time, being polite doesn’t mean we don’t express ourselves with confidence when we have disagreements with others.
Disagreeing without disrespect is a second component of civility. We often feel that if we speak harshly and rudely, we’re winning our points and that we’re showing our strength. That sort of disrespect of the other, however, can lead to a defensive posture that easily can shut down communication. Stephen Carter, author of the book Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy, says, “Civility represents the sum of all the sacrifices that one makes in a democracy for the sake of living a common life.” One of the sacrifices that we make would be not always to need to win points and show strength. Another sacrifice is to treat others who have different ideas respectfully, when, honestly, they just make us angry.
In a video called “Is Civility Important?” Carter relates a story about Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, who spent decades as a civil rights lawyer earlier in his career. As Justice Marshall reflected on his career, he would say “wonderfully nice things, and apparently mean them” about even those who had been strong advocates for segregation. When asked about how that could be, he replied that one could be wrong on a particular issue, but that doesn’t make that person any less human.
The opposite of respect is demonizing the adversary, which is a popular political tool. This makes an opponent seem less than human, even demonic, simply because that person is on the other side of an issue. That’s one way in which we disrespect those with whom we disagree.
Staying present in conversation is difficult to do, especially when it’s a free-flowing debate and it’s quite easy to get caught up in formulating our next answer. Part of the sacrifice of civility is that we listen and seek to understand, even when someone is expressing views that are antithetical to our core beliefs, which may even nauseate us. One line of the Prayer of Saint Francis is “O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek … to be understood, as to understand.” Very few guests on today’s news shows seek more to understand than to be understood.
If civility means we make sacrifices in order to live a common life, we will often be countercultural. If we go about politely, respectfully, listening to others, seeking to understand the other’s points of view, even when we strongly disagree, then we will change the world — or at least our part of it.
Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion guide for classes and small groups.
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7 fears of highly effective leaders by Rebekah Simon-PeterBigstock/enterlinedesign
At a recent clergy retreat I led, the conversation went in an unexpected direction. Our focus was on “Leadership Smarts.” But instead of looking at, say, the top 10 things that could make you a better leader, we took a long hard look at the fears that get in our way of leading.
There was a good bit of embarrassment at first, even shame, as people began naming their fears. It’s not easy voicing long-hidden vulnerabilities in front of your peers. Not to mention the people charged with making your next appointment. I have to hand it to them — these folks were brave.
As the exercise continued, though, a funny thing happened. Wry smiles crept across faces. Bits of laughter could be heard. A kind of relief washed across the room. Eventually, the whole room lightened. A deep sense of connection pervaded the gathering. Why? The same kinds of fears were being voiced, over and over again. As it turns out, each person’s fears were harbored secretly but shared widely.
What they revealed were the seven fears of highly effective leaders.
Fears: everybody’s got ‘em. But hardly anyone wants to admit ‘em. We’re afraid they make us look weak, ineffective, stupid. Right? So who wouldn’t want to avoid feeling that way? No one. That’s why we avoid even talking about them.
But fears have a hidden value, a secret positive power. Tapping into them is what makes a good leader into an exceptional leader. In this article, I want to share with you the 7 fears of highly effective leaders. And how you can maximize their positive impact.
Here they are:
- Fear of being found out, of being seen as an imposter.
- Fear of making the hard decisions.
- Fear of not living up to their calling, of not getting things done.
- Fear of making people mad.
- Fear of getting it wrong.
- Fear of chaos or conflict.
- Fear of being rejected.
But brain science and the life of faith concur: Fear undermines our ability to think logically, act faithfully, and to walk boldly into an uncertain future.
So what’s the secret, positive power of fear? When it comes to leadership, our fears are the basis of self-limiting beliefs. Those self-limiting beliefs are what limit the scope and effectiveness of the church. Not societal changes. Not the aging demographics of our congregations. Not people’s ability or inability to give. Not changing neighborhoods. Even potential schism in the church. Sure, those factors may compound our troubles. But they’re not the cause of them.
What’s at issue is the way those fears shape our self-understanding. Vicki, a strong and vibrant leader told us: “I always try to hold back; I’m told that I suck all the air out of the room.” What may have once been true, or true in a moment, was taken as forever true. It became her self-limiting belief. In truth, her verve and willingness to broach tough topics mean that productive conversations could get started. When she didn’t speak up, the absence of her voice deadened the room.
Have you noticed this in yourself? What someone once said to us as a child is seen as forever and always as true. What once didn’t work out or pay off becomes a doorway through which we can never walk again. When we’re in the grip of fearful, self-limiting beliefs, we pinch off faith, and shut down courageous action.
The truth is, if we can’t name our fears, we’re unlikely to allow other people to name theirs. And we will be unable to give them the space to deal with and transcend them. Leading adaptive, sustainable change means encountering and confronting fears. That requires growing in our faith and trust.
One year the church I served launched worship in the park. It was a big success. It got so big that several supporters said, let’s partner with other local churches to do this. I had a hidden fear: loss of power and authority. I said no. Meanwhile I was teaching them to be open to possibility, but I myself was not. Or I was as long as I still got to be in charge. They were willing to do more than I was, but I didn’t give them the go-ahead to do so.
I don’t think that was a make-or-break decision. But it was one of many over the years that limited the church’s trajectory. Now instead of it being a healthy going concern, like many others it has shrunk in size and influence.
If you have any of the seven fears of highly effective leaders, you’re in good company. If you’re ready to transcend them, you’re in the company of greatness. Here’s how to go about it:
- Name your fears out loud.
- Share them with trusted companions.
- Spend time imagining what your life would be like without your fears.
- Declare your willingness to live without them, and to live into the new life you have imagined.
- Watch them diminish or disappear.
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of The Jew Named Jesus and Green Church.
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Facilitating difficult conversations by F. Willis Johnson
This article is featured in the How Race, Gender, and Other Diversities Affect Your Ministry (Nov/Dec/Jan 2016-17) issue of Circuit Rider
Leading conversations about difficult topics such as race can be a little scary, but anyone who approaches this work with a loving heart and an open mind can facilitate a conversation. You don’t need to be an expert; you don’t even need to have facilitated this sort of conversation before. Holding Up Your Corner: Guided Conversations about Race is a resource to help pastors and other faith leaders address issues of race and inequity in their communities. It’s a six-hour group experience with a leader guide, participant book, and DVD including video content for each conversation segment. Together these resources present key content via brief video clips, activities and guided discussion in small groups around tables, and times for sharing with the whole group.
The tips below can help individuals at all knowledge levels facilitate the Holding Up Your Corner conversation or a similar conversation of your own design.
Getting Started
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Oh be careful little fingers ...
By Melissa Spoelstra
Bigstock/ian_atpn
... what you type.
I grew up singing a little song at church that sounded like this:
The apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers contained some directives as a spiritual leader. He told them to stop boasting (3:21), quit quarreling (3:3), and to live in harmony with each other (1:10). Yet he also equipped the church with questions to ask when confronting divisive issues. Some of these questions included:
The church at Corinth was fighting over their own set of issues, and Paul warned them that it revealed their spiritual infancy. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) Perhaps God would like us to mature in our disagreements so we learn and grow rather than throw stones out into the blogosphere.
Let’s allow these words of the apostle Paul to ring in our heads and hearts so that our little fingers can be careful what they type in the coming days, weeks and months:
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Can I use the Bible to convince my friends to vote a certain way?
By Christy Thomas
Bigstock/georgemuresan
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Religion has a very unifying effect on its followers. Is it even possible to separate religion and politics (that govern our everyday lives)? The Bible is used to justify every conceivable political position. But let’s assume one can separate the two. What is the mental process to do that?
If I can use some passage from the Bible to convince my friends to vote the way I want them to, how do I separate those two actions, and should I?
This is a fascinating mix of questions. Let’s start here: Can we separate religion and politics and, if so, how do we separate the two?
I would suggest that, in the U.S., it is not possible to separate religion and politics simply because we are a uniquely religious nation. Many see us as particularly blessed by God with a special mandate to fulfill. That mindset infuses politics with religious thought.
In far more secular nations, the question of “How does God want me to vote?” would probably not enter the consciousness of most people. Instead, voters might ask, “Which candidate is most qualified and who is most likely to bring to the table an agenda that I find palatable?”
The tips below can help individuals at all knowledge levels facilitate the Holding Up Your Corner conversation or a similar conversation of your own design.
Getting Started
- There may be someone in your church or group who is better suited to the task of leading this conversation than you are. If that’s the case, ask and empower that person to lead and assist in all the ways you’re able.
- Other faith leaders in your community may have done this before. If you need support or help, ask someone with experience to come alongside you the first time you lead this conversation. Or ask them for advice and encouragement as you prepare.
- BUT, do not spin your wheels in thinking, preparing, and discussing in advance. Know that you will probably make some mistakes or say something not quite the way you intended. That’s okay! Give yourself permission to do what you can, and know that God will use it. The main thing is simply to take the authority you have been given to act.
- Get the dates on your calendar! For many of us, just deciding to do something and making the commitment is half the battle. Don’t wait until you’re “ready.” You will never feel ready, but if you believe this conversation is important, you will find that you have what you need.
- Before facilitating this conversation, examine your own biases on the topic to ensure that you can remain neutral while leading discussion. Remind yourself to remain neutral throughout the experience. Model active listening.
- Study the materials thoroughly before facilitating a dialogue. Pastors and other faith leaders should read Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community by F. Willis Johnson and Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love by Will Willimon. These books will provide foundational understanding, empowering you to lead wisely.
- Be ready for the event physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally so that you will have stamina and grace. Your preparation will set the tone.
- Extend an open invitation to your congregation and the broader community. Include people from education, health care, city government, civic organizations, law enforcement, business, and so on. Make the invitation for all, not just hand-selected people in your community. Or, if that seems too much to take on, hold the first conversation (or two or three) just with leaders in your congregation, or perhaps with your leaders and those from another church in your area. Those leaders can then share about their experiences with others in the church and community, laying the groundwork for you to lead subsequent conversations with a broader group.
- Offer some way for people to register so that you can prepare accordingly. You may choose to set up a Facebook event and ask people to join it.
- Host the conversation in a room that’s large enough to hold the number of people you expect to attend.
- The room should have a sound system with a microphone for the facilitator, a way to play the video clips (DVD), and a way to display presentation slides if you’re using them (included in the Holding Up Your Corner resources).
- Consider reserving a room at a local school, a hotel banquet room, or other venue, especially if your church facility won’t accommodate the event.
- Participants should be seated at round tables for six or, at the most, eight people. You may also use long tables and have people sit across from each other in groups of four.
- We do not encourage assigned or manipulated seating for the conversation. It’s best to allow people to self-seat. However, as people arrive for the event you might encourage them to sit with people they don’t know rather than their friends or the people they came with. Make the suggestion, but let people sit where they are comfortable, and don’t make it a big deal.
- The event will last around six hours. It’s best to do this all in one day, but it can be done in two separate sessions over two days.
- Be sure to start and end at the publicized times. But plan a forty-five-minute window before and after the event for refreshments and visiting.
- The day before the event, set the tables with pens, colored markers, index cards or sticky notes, Holding Up Your Cornerparticipant books (one at each seat), and brightly colored sheets of construction paper (one for each person). If budget allows, you might add bright tablecloths and potted plants, snacks, or other items.
- Make the room as comfortable as you can. Adjust the temperature, lighting, and so on.
- Think through the event and anticipate what your participants might need and what will make them feel at ease and well cared for.
- If possible, have two extra microphones to pass around the room for group sharing times.
- Enlist volunteers to serve as greeters, sign people in at a registration/welcome table, serve refreshments and lunch, run the audio and video systems, and clean up after the event. Also have two volunteers ready to pass the microphone around during group sharing.
- The audio technician should play music softly during table discussion times, if possible.
- If budget allows, serve coffee, breakfast snacks, fruit, or other refreshments beginning forty-five minutes before your start time, and have them available throughout the day. Serve lunch, and let participants eat at the tables.
- Before you begin, point out the nearest restrooms and any other helpful notes about the facility and the day’s schedule.
- Let participants know that their conversations are not being recorded in any way. Ask them not to use any recording devices. Remind them to silence their cell phones.
- Pause once during the morning session and once during the afternoon session for a brief stretch and bathroom break. Decide in advance where in the conversation you think this will work best, and include this in your leader guide notes.
- Keep the conversation focused and on schedule. It’s important to address questions and allow participants ample time to process their thoughts; however, as facilitator, you must ensure that the conversation stays on topic and that the timeline of the event is adhered to. Think of yourself as the bumper guards in a children’s lane at a bowling alley. Give the conversation some leeway, but don’t let it get out of the lane.
- Ensure all participants feel comfortable enough to contribute. Invite quiet participants to speak up and/or encourage participants who dominate the circle to listen to others.
- Handle any issues, tensions, or conflicts that arise by moving the conversation. If something troubling is said, give other participants the chance to address it (example: Does anyone have a different opinion?). It may be helpful for you to rephrase comments to achieve clarity (example: I believe you are saying _______. Is that what you meant?).
- Consider providing a Conversation Covenant to keep the conversation productive and grounded in your common faith. (A sample covenant is included in the Holding Up Your Corner: Guided Conversations leader guide.) Review the covenant at the beginning of each session and refer to it when necessary. For example: “Let’s look again at our covenant, which asks us to give everyone a chance to speak before sharing a second time.”
- Ensure that the conversation is oriented around dialogue rather than debate. Debate focuses on winning while dialogue focuses on finding and exploring common ground and understanding. Encourage participants to keep an open mind, to listen to opinions that differ from their own, and to seek to understand rather than influence each other.
- At the end of the session, ask participants to complete a brief evaluation form so that you can improve the conversation for next time. Also plan a time to debrief the session with a few colleagues or participants.
- Facilitate a way for next steps and continued connection to happen. This should be contextual, ways that make sense and are comfortable for your community. You might agree together to set a date for a second conversation, including new people. You might set up smaller ongoing action groups, based on conclusions made by participants at the event. You may ask someone to set up a closed group on Facebook or another social media site where people can continue the conversation and begin to gather around particular actions.
- Give yourself—and the participants—permission to do and say the “wrong” things. Be comfortable being uncomfortable, and share that expectation with participants. Be courageously vulnerable! Model it for your community, and invite them to lay down their own assumptions and defenses, too. Know that the conversation will be awkward, and be okay with that.
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Oh be careful little fingers ...
By Melissa SpoelstraBigstock/ian_atpn
... what you type.
I grew up singing a little song at church that sounded like this:
Oh be careful little mouth what you say…
Oh be careful little feet where you go….
Oh be careful little hands what you do…
For the Father up above is looking down in love so be careful little _______ what you _________.
It wasn’t a shaming song. Instead it cautioned us to remember that our loving God wants us to express love in what we say and do. Lately, as followers of Jesus, it seems we need to add a verse to the song that says,
Oh be careful little fingers what you type.
My heart hurt recently as my social media feeds blew up with friends and strangers engaged in a dialogue about the theological positions or decisions of Christian leaders, companies and denominations. I wish I could say the tones were kind, and the conservations were productive. Here is the thing, we are passionate about our positions and feelings. While I have opinions, theological stances and feelings about all this… I turn to the Scriptures not only to seek biblical discernment regarding my personal beliefs but also for instruction on how I should discuss them with others.The apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers contained some directives as a spiritual leader. He told them to stop boasting (3:21), quit quarreling (3:3), and to live in harmony with each other (1:10). Yet he also equipped the church with questions to ask when confronting divisive issues. Some of these questions included:
- It may be allowed, but is it beneficial? (1 Corinthians 6:12)
- Will this absorb my attention towards God or the world? (1 Corinthians 7:30)
- How might this cause others to stumble? (1 Corinthians 8:9)
- Will these words I’m typing be beneficial? (I’ve never met anyone argued into the kingdom with snarky comments. Productive, loving dialoguing with those on opposing sides is needed, but rude words spouted online usually do more harm than good.)
- Am I getting absorbed in a fight that really isn’t mine? (Often we don’t have all the details! There is always more to the story that what is shared online. While we are called to exercise personal discernment and counsel those near us who ask for our opinion, we can get absorbed in others issues and lose sight of fighting our own personal battle with sin. Condemning others can be a distraction from dealing with our own problems.)
- How might my words hurt others in their journey of faith? (Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22b-23, “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” In my experience, the online wars of divided Christians over any given issue don’t seem to lay good groundwork for gospel conversations with those young in faith or far from God. What do you think?)
The church at Corinth was fighting over their own set of issues, and Paul warned them that it revealed their spiritual infancy. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) Perhaps God would like us to mature in our disagreements so we learn and grow rather than throw stones out into the blogosphere.
Let’s allow these words of the apostle Paul to ring in our heads and hearts so that our little fingers can be careful what they type in the coming days, weeks and months:
“Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”(1 Corinthians 8:2-3)
Melissa Spoelstra is a popular Bible teacher, conference speaker and writer. She is the author of Total Family Makeover, Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World and Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness. Melissa blogs at MelissaSpoelstra.com.-------
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Can I use the Bible to convince my friends to vote a certain way?
By Christy ThomasBigstock/georgemuresan
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Religion has a very unifying effect on its followers. Is it even possible to separate religion and politics (that govern our everyday lives)? The Bible is used to justify every conceivable political position. But let’s assume one can separate the two. What is the mental process to do that?
If I can use some passage from the Bible to convince my friends to vote the way I want them to, how do I separate those two actions, and should I?
This is a fascinating mix of questions. Let’s start here: Can we separate religion and politics and, if so, how do we separate the two?
I would suggest that, in the U.S., it is not possible to separate religion and politics simply because we are a uniquely religious nation. Many see us as particularly blessed by God with a special mandate to fulfill. That mindset infuses politics with religious thought.
In far more secular nations, the question of “How does God want me to vote?” would probably not enter the consciousness of most people. Instead, voters might ask, “Which candidate is most qualified and who is most likely to bring to the table an agenda that I find palatable?”
Christy ThomasTo separate religion and politics, ask questions along that line and ignore any endorsements or condemnations made by anyone in the religious sphere. You also run the risk of misunderstanding what is actually happening, particularly when various religious leaders announce with confidence that “God’s hand” is on their particular candidate.
Truly, religious faith impacts our politics in multiple ways. I’m not sure trying to separate the two is wise. Best to understand why some candidates get such enthusiastic religious support.
Which brings us to: “If you can use the Bible to convince your friends to vote a certain way . . . “, should you?
I suggest that those who want to use the Bible this way start by examining their presuppositions. Presuppositions are the decisions we make about how we will read and use the Bible, or any piece of information for that matter, but especially something as difficult to understand and as culturally remote as the Bible is.
I’m going to vastly oversimplify here, but let’s suppose for the sake of argument that we are all going to approach the Bible with the presupposition that it is truth.
Now, having identified that, we have to decide what kind of truth it represents. Here’s where the need to know our presuppositions gets fascinating.
One group of people who see the Bible as truth may concentrate on the biblical writers’ prediction of the future, particularly the end of the physical earth as we know it. The theological term is the “apocalypse,” the final set of battles between good and evil.
In the last book in the Bible, The Revelation to John, evil is utterly destroyed. Demons and their followers, i.e., anyone who does not believe in Jesus, find themselves cast into the pit of hell where they will suffer conscious, unending torment. True believers in Jesus inherit a brand new earth and universe.
People who use this as their truth launching pad may look for signs in current political events that say, “The world is very bad and the end times are near!” They may offer support for a candidate that will help tip world events into the final catastrophe and also give believers special hopes of safety.
Another group of people, starting from a different set of presuppositions to identify the primary biblical truth, may look at similar prophetic literature and see a call for greater justice and mercy in the world.
This group of truth-seekers note the many times that the Bible calls for people to welcome the stranger and to care for the most vulnerable and least able among us. They see the movement toward more social justice as the most appropriate biblical stance. They will camp on statements like those found in Matthew 25 where Jesus describes those who have fed the hungry, offered hope to the foreigner, and cared for the sick and the imprisoned this way: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”
In this simplified scenario, the chances are strong that each side would support radically different candidates, both affirming the truth of the Bible.
And yes, both viewpoints carry biblical legitimacy.
So … if you want to use the Bible to sway the way your friends vote, you might want to expect considerable pushback as they work to sway your vote by their own biblically-based arguments.
My advice? State who you will vote for and why and feel free to use biblical justification for doing so. But don’t try to convince anyone of anything. It just won’t work and is a great way to lose friends.
Email questions to thoughtfulpastor@gmail.com. A version of this column appeared in the Friday October 28, 2016 print and online editions of The Denton Record Chronicle. Christy blogs at Patheos.
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Post-election America
By Melissa SlocumBigstock/BackyardProductions
With just four days to go before the presidential election, many Americans are anxious about the outcome. Regardless of who is elected, roughly half of voters will be let down, frustrated or even angry. So how will people move forward? How can a country so politically, racially and economically divided work together to solve so many problems?
Take off your shoes
We all have been exposed to the rhetoric and vitriol of the campaigns, and we all must put it behind us. Humility is where many of the great biblical leaders started. Moses was humbled by God’s power and presence in the burning bush before he brought all of Israel together and led them out of Egypt. Paul was struck blind on the road to Damascus and humbled by Christ before he worked to bring Jews and Gentiles together. Regardless of our political ideals, humility before God is our starting point. Only when we are humble enough to confront and correct our individual sins will we be able to love others despite their sins and move forward together.
Lighting the path
As we follow the Holy Spirit, we are called to be the missionaries, the light-bearers, the first to forgive, the peacemakers and the healers. With God’s help, we must reach out to those with whom we most disagree and find what we have in common. We can build on our common beliefs to express mutual respect (and even Christian love) to those whose experience and perspectives are so different from ours. Then we can agree to work together to solve a problem with the variety of gifts present and available, along with God’s guidance. When we work this way — creating common ground — we are bearers of light in a darkened world, and we provide the hope others need to join with us in the task.
Question of the day: What are some likely reactions to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election?
Focal scriptures: 1 Peter 1:13-16; Genesis 33:1-17; Matthew 5:1-16
Scripture Texts: 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed. 14 As people who obey God, do not let yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still ignorant. 15 On the contrary, following the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in your entire way of life; 16 since the Tanakh says,
From collusion to covenant
By Kenneth H. Carter, Jr.
“You are to be holy because I am holy.”[1 Peter 1:16 Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7]
Genesis 33:1 Ya‘akov raised his eyes and looked out; and there was ‘Esav coming, and four hundred men with him. So Ya‘akov divided the children between Le’ah, Rachel and the two slave-girls, 2 putting the slave-girls and their children first, Le’ah and her children second, and Rachel and Yosef last. 3 Then he himself passed on ahead of them and prostrated himself on the ground seven times before approaching his brother. 4 ‘Esav ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him; and they wept. 5 Esav looked up; on seeing the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” Ya‘akov answered, “The children God has graciously given to your servant.”
(iv) 6 Then the slave-girls approached with their children, and they prostrated themselves; 7 Le’ah too and her children approached and prostrated themselves; and last came Yosef and Rachel; and they prostrated themselves. 8 ‘Esav asked, “What was the meaning of this procession of droves I encountered?” and he answered, “It was to win my lord’s favor.” 9 ‘Esav replied, “I have plenty already; my brother, keep your possessions for yourself.” 10 Ya‘akov said, “No, please! If now I have won your favor, then accept my gift. Just seeing your face has been like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me. 11 So please accept the gift I have brought you, for God has dealt kindly with me and I have enough.” Thus he urged him, until he accepted it.
12 ‘Esav said, “Let’s break camp and get going. I’ll go first.” 13 Ya‘akov said to him, “My lord knows that the children are small, and the sheep and cattle suckling their young concern me, because if they overdrive them even one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Instead, please, let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the cattle ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Se‘ir.” 15 ‘Esav replied, “Then let me leave with you some of the people I have with me.” But Ya‘akov said, “There’s no need for my lord to be so kind to me.” 16 So ‘Esav left that day to return to Se‘ir. 17 Ya‘akov went on to Sukkot, where he built himself a house and put up shelters for his cattle. This is why the place is called Sukkot [shelters].
Matthew 5:1 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him, 2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 “How blessed are those who mourn!
for they will be comforted.
5 “How blessed are the meek!
for they will inherit the Land![Matthew 5:5 Psalm 37:11]
6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
for they will be filled.
7 “How blessed are those who show mercy!
for they will be shown mercy.
8 “How blessed are the pure in heart!
for they will see God.
9 “How blessed are those who make peace!
for they will be called sons of God.
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted
because they pursue righteousness!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! 12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
13 “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.
14 “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.
-------From collusion to covenant
By Kenneth H. Carter, Jr.
Bigstock/mast3r
United Methodists are joined together institutionally through conferencing, polity, symbols and financial resources. And yet in our unhealthy patterns of behavior we are also joined together via collusion — we bring out the worst in each other, we do harm to each other, and ironically, this mutual harm creates a bond between us. When we acknowledge this reality, and we do so in the words of our prayer of confession — “we have failed to be an obedient church” — and when we declare our intention to change (repentance), we are on a journey from collusion to covenant with each other. In United Methodism these covenants are formed in public ways through baptism, membership, licensing ordination and consecration. These covenants are also renewed when we recite the words at Holy Communion, in our appeal to God to "Make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to the world.”
Unity, which is a gift of God, is also the fruit of the difficult work of moving beyond our preferences toward a higher purpose: in our language, this is making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (Book of Discipline, 121). This unity rests in covenant relationship, which in itself is built on trust — faith in God’s faithfulness (Romans 3-4), and deep sharing (koinonia) of life with each other (Philippians 1). This trust also includes our capacity to be trustworthy in regard to transparency, competence and integrity.
Our affirmations of faith (creeds) are statements of trust. In this way, Wesleyan Christians are both conciliar and confessional; we are never one without the other — and so there is no truth without unity, or grace without truth, or unity without grace. In John 1.14-18, Jesus is described as the tent of meeting, the glory of God among us, in the flesh. God is glorified whenever the followers of Jesus gather in his name and spirit, and find themselves repeating his actions. The word grace appears rarely in John, but reminds us of the gift of the light that is coming into the world, that shines in the darkness. Truth is not our usual sense of a belief to be affirmed or a standard to be upheld; instead, truth is a real, authentic experience (see Lesslie Newbigin's masterful commentary The Light Has Come). And lastly, grace is not contrasted to truth in these verses; grace and truth — embodied in the flesh, in Jesus, wherever we encounter him — are contrasted with the law. Moses had asked to see God; he was given the Torah, which is the way to life. And yet in Jesus, we see God, and in His life, which unfolds in John's gospel, we see again and again the fullness of grace and truth.
Jesus comes to embody the new covenant, full of grace and truth in contrast to and in fulfillment of the old covenant. The language of covenant is most fundamentally the acknowledgement that we live within a scarred history and amidst a broken world and that we discover freedom in binding relationships. God has shown us the way, remaining faithful when we are faithless, providing strength in our weakness, seeking us when we would prefer not to be found and never giving up on us. In his magisterial work, The Crucified God, Jurgen Moltmann speaks of covenant as the opening of God’s heart toward his people; in return, God’s people injure him through disobedience and the consequence is that we all suffer. The wrath of God (judgment) is an expression of God’s interest in maintaining the relationship; as Moltmann notes, “the opposite of love is not wrath, but indifference”. Wrath is not God’s infliction of violence upon his people; instead, it is God’s own sorrow and suffering for the sake of his people, and ultimately, the covenant.
My friend and mentor Bob Tuttle will often say that a matter means more to God than it means to us. We use the language of covenant in a variety of ways, and often the end result is a justification for either indifference or separation. The lesson of the Scriptures is found in a succession of prophets who come in the history of Israel, reminders of God’s steadfast, covenant faithfulness, refusing to end the divine-human relationship, and even, in the fullness of time, at the cost of the atoning sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1. 29). The fullness of this covenant is both external and internal — the word that comes from beyond us, the law that is written on the heart (Jeremiah 31. 33) and the spirit that gives life. And biblical covenant is always a paradox — constricting and life-giving, dying to self and rising to human flourishing, losing our lives and finding them.
May we never settle for collusion, which is dominated by conservative suspicion and liberal cynicism. May we enter more deeply into the heart of God, which is covenant.
Ken Carter is resident bishop of the Florida Area of the United Methodist Church. This is adapted from his longer reflection "Just Resolution as a Form of Restorative Justice."
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To vote or not to vote?
By James C. Howell
Bigstock/andrianocz
More than in any election in my lifetime, I’ve heard so many people say “I just can’t vote for Trump or Clinton.” Mind you, in 2012, 42% of Americans didn’t vote for Obama or Romney! And this figure is always worse in local elections. Do Christians have an obligation to vote?
What we have right now is not that people are too busy or too uncaring to vote. They are voters; they care deeply. But they cannot in good faith pull the lever for someone they loathe. The philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argued for this kind of ethic: when we are given two bad options, we must choose neither.
This I understand. But something about it feels odd, even troubling to me — for three reasons.
Read Rev. Howell's previous 'Tis the Season articles covering the 2016 election here. This article originally appeared on the author's blog. Reprinted with permission.
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Preaching in a political season
By Michael Williams
This article is featured in the How Race, Gender, and Other Diversities Affect Your Ministry (Nov/Dec/Jan 2016-17) issue of Circuit RiderSeveral years ago, while I was serving a large suburban congregation, I preached a sermon on how the healing stories in the Gospels undergird a Christian understanding that healthcare should be available to everyone not just those who can pay for it. The next week a church member chided me for preaching a “political” sermon. She had not attended church that particular Sunday, so I invited her to listen to the sermon online and find in it one political statement. I had explored Jesus’s approach to healing and the church’s long tradition of caring for the sick through the founding of hospitals and clinics, and I encouraged us as Christians to continue following the example of Jesus and our tradition by caring for people’s health: body, mind, and spirit. Simply because I had suggested health care for everyone, my friend assumed that I was being “political.”
Today every season seems to be a political season, especially during a presidential election year. Should a pastor take a stand on issues that the culture defines as political, especially when there’s an election on the horizon? Is anything off-limits for preaching? One thing I consider off-limits is to endorse a particular candidate for a local, state, or national election, even if the candidate is a member of the congregation I serve.
During the summer before the presidential election in 2008, I preached a sermon series on topics suggested by the congregation. One sermon that addressed war included an outline of the requirements for a “just war.” I admitted that I couldn’t support either our invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, because in my view neither met the criteria of a just war. Some church members took this as criticism of the current president, George W. Bush. Following the election that November one church member asked if I would be happier now that Barack Obama had been elected. I assured him that as a Christian and a pastor I stood at a distance from all elected officials and administrations and commented on their policies not based on their party but on their conformity to the life and teachings of Jesus, which is how I would evaluate my own leadership in a congregation.
Over the years I have developed a few simple questions to guide my preaching on issues that might be considered political.
1. “Is this a Jesus Issue?” Just because our present culture calls something “political” doesn’t mean it’s not a Jesus issue. Clearly feeding the hungry, making sure that people have clean water to drink, providing clothing and shelter for those who otherwise would be without them, and seeing that prisoners and the sick are cared for are distinctly Jesus issues. Loving those our culture defines as enemies, blessing those who curse us, even those from other countries and religions, as well as praying for those who persecute us are all Jesus issues. These do not even begin to exhaust all the Jesus issues that should be addressed in preaching. Anything related to how Jesus treated people and taught us as disciples to treat others is appropriate for preaching.
2. “Does my preaching reflect my primary loyalty to Jesus or to a particular ideology or political party?” Some preachers proclaim that you cannot be a Democrat and be a Christian. They are wrong. Other preachers may tell you that a Republican can’t be a Christian. They, too, are wrong. Unless our loyalty to Jesus transcends party affiliation or ideological commitment, we aren’t grounding our preaching in the gospel of Jesus Christ but in an all too human construction. No party or ideology has a corner on Jesus.
3. “Does this sermon make me feel superior to those who will be hearing it?” It feels good to make the pronouncement, “Thus saith the Lord . . .” and present our best understanding as the unadulterated word of God. I always remind myself that I am not “the Lord” and that my understanding ought to be open to correction. I don’t have the final answer. All preaching is grounded on a relationship of trust between a preacher and the congregation. Talking down to people rarely opens dialogue; instead it shuts down conversation. Jesus did not come so we could feel superior to others. A little humility goes a long way in maintaining the relationships upon which all preaching is grounded.
In short, any subject that enhances or restricts our ability to love God and our neighbors as ourselves is fair game for preaching.
Michael E. Williams serves as senior pastor of West End United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His most recent book is a volume of poems, Take Nothing for Your Journey (Finishing Line Press, 2016).
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This Sunday, November 13, 2016Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
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United Methodists are joined together institutionally through conferencing, polity, symbols and financial resources. And yet in our unhealthy patterns of behavior we are also joined together via collusion — we bring out the worst in each other, we do harm to each other, and ironically, this mutual harm creates a bond between us. When we acknowledge this reality, and we do so in the words of our prayer of confession — “we have failed to be an obedient church” — and when we declare our intention to change (repentance), we are on a journey from collusion to covenant with each other. In United Methodism these covenants are formed in public ways through baptism, membership, licensing ordination and consecration. These covenants are also renewed when we recite the words at Holy Communion, in our appeal to God to "Make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to the world.”
Unity, which is a gift of God, is also the fruit of the difficult work of moving beyond our preferences toward a higher purpose: in our language, this is making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (Book of Discipline, 121). This unity rests in covenant relationship, which in itself is built on trust — faith in God’s faithfulness (Romans 3-4), and deep sharing (koinonia) of life with each other (Philippians 1). This trust also includes our capacity to be trustworthy in regard to transparency, competence and integrity.
Our affirmations of faith (creeds) are statements of trust. In this way, Wesleyan Christians are both conciliar and confessional; we are never one without the other — and so there is no truth without unity, or grace without truth, or unity without grace. In John 1.14-18, Jesus is described as the tent of meeting, the glory of God among us, in the flesh. God is glorified whenever the followers of Jesus gather in his name and spirit, and find themselves repeating his actions. The word grace appears rarely in John, but reminds us of the gift of the light that is coming into the world, that shines in the darkness. Truth is not our usual sense of a belief to be affirmed or a standard to be upheld; instead, truth is a real, authentic experience (see Lesslie Newbigin's masterful commentary The Light Has Come). And lastly, grace is not contrasted to truth in these verses; grace and truth — embodied in the flesh, in Jesus, wherever we encounter him — are contrasted with the law. Moses had asked to see God; he was given the Torah, which is the way to life. And yet in Jesus, we see God, and in His life, which unfolds in John's gospel, we see again and again the fullness of grace and truth.
Jesus comes to embody the new covenant, full of grace and truth in contrast to and in fulfillment of the old covenant. The language of covenant is most fundamentally the acknowledgement that we live within a scarred history and amidst a broken world and that we discover freedom in binding relationships. God has shown us the way, remaining faithful when we are faithless, providing strength in our weakness, seeking us when we would prefer not to be found and never giving up on us. In his magisterial work, The Crucified God, Jurgen Moltmann speaks of covenant as the opening of God’s heart toward his people; in return, God’s people injure him through disobedience and the consequence is that we all suffer. The wrath of God (judgment) is an expression of God’s interest in maintaining the relationship; as Moltmann notes, “the opposite of love is not wrath, but indifference”. Wrath is not God’s infliction of violence upon his people; instead, it is God’s own sorrow and suffering for the sake of his people, and ultimately, the covenant.
My friend and mentor Bob Tuttle will often say that a matter means more to God than it means to us. We use the language of covenant in a variety of ways, and often the end result is a justification for either indifference or separation. The lesson of the Scriptures is found in a succession of prophets who come in the history of Israel, reminders of God’s steadfast, covenant faithfulness, refusing to end the divine-human relationship, and even, in the fullness of time, at the cost of the atoning sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1. 29). The fullness of this covenant is both external and internal — the word that comes from beyond us, the law that is written on the heart (Jeremiah 31. 33) and the spirit that gives life. And biblical covenant is always a paradox — constricting and life-giving, dying to self and rising to human flourishing, losing our lives and finding them.
May we never settle for collusion, which is dominated by conservative suspicion and liberal cynicism. May we enter more deeply into the heart of God, which is covenant.
Ken Carter is resident bishop of the Florida Area of the United Methodist Church. This is adapted from his longer reflection "Just Resolution as a Form of Restorative Justice."
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To vote or not to vote?
By James C. HowellBigstock/andrianocz
More than in any election in my lifetime, I’ve heard so many people say “I just can’t vote for Trump or Clinton.” Mind you, in 2012, 42% of Americans didn’t vote for Obama or Romney! And this figure is always worse in local elections. Do Christians have an obligation to vote?
What we have right now is not that people are too busy or too uncaring to vote. They are voters; they care deeply. But they cannot in good faith pull the lever for someone they loathe. The philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argued for this kind of ethic: when we are given two bad options, we must choose neither.
This I understand. But something about it feels odd, even troubling to me — for three reasons.
- None of us has ever, ever voted for an un-flawed human being. Christians should know well that all of us are broken, fallen, sinful, confused people, with hidden turmoil and a string of botched decisions in our past. Is there some threshold of “good enough”? And if so, where would you draw it? And if you did, is that line where you happen to be, or are you above or below it? If I pass judgment on candidates (and in a way, we all must), is there simultaneously a huge log in my own eye?
- Maybe of more interest is this: if I just can’t cast my vote for either person, am I treating my vote as something sacred, or utterly holy? It is lovely and fitting to think of your vote as a huge deal, not to be squandered lightly. But is it so sacred, does it have a pristine history of purity, that it can’t be soiled? Or is my vote my best stab at doing my small part in helping the world to be less woeful than it would be if I withdrew?
- Almost every day, I find myself faced with some choice between bad options, and you do too, so we should be used to it. Some are little trifles, some are heart-wrenching; but the decisions we make in our working and personal lives (if we step back and ponder them from the perspective Jesus might have) in a fallen and constantly compromised world and culture are really in that “lesser of two evils” zone. You find each day that not to choose really is to choose, because something ugly steps into the vacuum where you were supposed to be. Not choosing is itself a choice that does impact the outcome.
Read Rev. Howell's previous 'Tis the Season articles covering the 2016 election here. This article originally appeared on the author's blog. Reprinted with permission.
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Preaching in a political season
By Michael WilliamsThis article is featured in the How Race, Gender, and Other Diversities Affect Your Ministry (Nov/Dec/Jan 2016-17) issue of Circuit RiderSeveral years ago, while I was serving a large suburban congregation, I preached a sermon on how the healing stories in the Gospels undergird a Christian understanding that healthcare should be available to everyone not just those who can pay for it. The next week a church member chided me for preaching a “political” sermon. She had not attended church that particular Sunday, so I invited her to listen to the sermon online and find in it one political statement. I had explored Jesus’s approach to healing and the church’s long tradition of caring for the sick through the founding of hospitals and clinics, and I encouraged us as Christians to continue following the example of Jesus and our tradition by caring for people’s health: body, mind, and spirit. Simply because I had suggested health care for everyone, my friend assumed that I was being “political.”
Today every season seems to be a political season, especially during a presidential election year. Should a pastor take a stand on issues that the culture defines as political, especially when there’s an election on the horizon? Is anything off-limits for preaching? One thing I consider off-limits is to endorse a particular candidate for a local, state, or national election, even if the candidate is a member of the congregation I serve.
During the summer before the presidential election in 2008, I preached a sermon series on topics suggested by the congregation. One sermon that addressed war included an outline of the requirements for a “just war.” I admitted that I couldn’t support either our invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, because in my view neither met the criteria of a just war. Some church members took this as criticism of the current president, George W. Bush. Following the election that November one church member asked if I would be happier now that Barack Obama had been elected. I assured him that as a Christian and a pastor I stood at a distance from all elected officials and administrations and commented on their policies not based on their party but on their conformity to the life and teachings of Jesus, which is how I would evaluate my own leadership in a congregation.
Over the years I have developed a few simple questions to guide my preaching on issues that might be considered political.
1. “Is this a Jesus Issue?” Just because our present culture calls something “political” doesn’t mean it’s not a Jesus issue. Clearly feeding the hungry, making sure that people have clean water to drink, providing clothing and shelter for those who otherwise would be without them, and seeing that prisoners and the sick are cared for are distinctly Jesus issues. Loving those our culture defines as enemies, blessing those who curse us, even those from other countries and religions, as well as praying for those who persecute us are all Jesus issues. These do not even begin to exhaust all the Jesus issues that should be addressed in preaching. Anything related to how Jesus treated people and taught us as disciples to treat others is appropriate for preaching.
2. “Does my preaching reflect my primary loyalty to Jesus or to a particular ideology or political party?” Some preachers proclaim that you cannot be a Democrat and be a Christian. They are wrong. Other preachers may tell you that a Republican can’t be a Christian. They, too, are wrong. Unless our loyalty to Jesus transcends party affiliation or ideological commitment, we aren’t grounding our preaching in the gospel of Jesus Christ but in an all too human construction. No party or ideology has a corner on Jesus.
3. “Does this sermon make me feel superior to those who will be hearing it?” It feels good to make the pronouncement, “Thus saith the Lord . . .” and present our best understanding as the unadulterated word of God. I always remind myself that I am not “the Lord” and that my understanding ought to be open to correction. I don’t have the final answer. All preaching is grounded on a relationship of trust between a preacher and the congregation. Talking down to people rarely opens dialogue; instead it shuts down conversation. Jesus did not come so we could feel superior to others. A little humility goes a long way in maintaining the relationships upon which all preaching is grounded.
In short, any subject that enhances or restricts our ability to love God and our neighbors as ourselves is fair game for preaching.
Michael E. Williams serves as senior pastor of West End United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His most recent book is a volume of poems, Take Nothing for Your Journey (Finishing Line Press, 2016).
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This Sunday, November 13, 2016Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
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Lectionary Readings:
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Isaiah 65:17-25
Isaiah 12
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
Scripture Text: Isaiah 65:17 “For, look! I create new heavens
and a new earth;
past things will not be remembered,
they will no more come to mind.
18 So be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for look! I am making Yerushalayim a joy,
and her people a delight.
19 I will rejoice in Yerushalayim
and take joy in my people.
The sound of weeping will no longer be heard in it,
no longer the sound of crying.
20 No more will babies die in infancy,
no more will an old man die short of his days —
he who dies at a hundred will be thought young,
and at less than a hundred thought cursed.
21 They will build houses and live in them,
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and others live there,
they will not plant and others eat;
for the days of my people
will be like the days of a tree,
and my chosen will themselves enjoy
the use of what they make.
23 They will not toil in vain
or raise children to be destroyed,
for they are the seed blessed by Adonai;
and their offspring with them.
24 Before they call, I will answer;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion eat straw like an ox
(but the serpent — its food will be dust).
They will not hurt or destroy
anywhere on my holy mountain,”
says Adonai.
Isaiah 12:1 On that day you will say:
“I thank you, Adonai,
because, although you were angry at me,
your anger is now turned away;
and you are comforting me.
2 “See! God is my salvation.
I am confident and unafraid;
for Yah Adonai is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation!”
3 Then you will joyfully draw water
from the springs of salvation.
4 On that day you will say,
“Give thanks to Adonai! Call on his name!
Make his deeds known among the peoples,
declare how exalted is his name.
5 Sing to Adonai, for he has triumphed —
this is being made known throughout the earth.
6 Shout and sing for joy,
you who live in Tziyon;
for the Holy One of Isra’el
is with you in his greatness!”
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we command you, brothers, to stay away from any brother who is leading a life of idleness, a life not in keeping with the tradition you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you must imitate us, that we were not idle when we were among you. 8 We did not accept anyone’s food without paying; on the contrary, we labored and toiled, day and night, working so as not to be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not that we hadn’t the right to be supported, but so that we could make ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: if someone won’t work, he shouldn’t eat! 11 We hear that some of you are leading a life of idleness — not busy working, just busybodies! 12 We command such people — and in union with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we urge them — to settle down, get to work, and earn their own living. 13 And you brothers who are doing what is good, don’t slack off!
Luke 21:5 As some people were remarking about the Temple, how beautiful its stonework and memorial decorations were, he said, 6 “The time is coming when what you see here will be totally destroyed — not a single stone will be left standing!” 7 They asked him, “Rabbi, if this is so, when will these events take place? And what sign will show that they are about to happen?” 8 He answered, “Watch out! Don’t be fooled! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ Don’t go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t panic. For these things must happen first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
10 Then he told them, “Peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, 11 there will be great earthquakes, there will be epidemics and famines in various places, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from Heaven. 12 But before all this, they will arrest you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons; and you will be brought before kings and governors. This will all be on account of me, 13 but it will prove an opportunity for you to bear witness. 14 So make up your minds not to worry, rehearsing your defense beforehand; 15 for I myself will give you an eloquence and a wisdom that no adversary will be able to resist or refute. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends; some of you they will have put to death; 17 and everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will be lost. 19 By standing firm you will save your lives.
The John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Isaiah 65:17-25
Verse 17
[17] For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
I create — I am about wholly to change the state not only of my people, but to bring a new face upon the world, which shall abide until a new heavens and earth appear, in which shall dwell nothing but righteousness.
Not be remembered — That state of things shall be so glorious, that the former state of my people shall not be remembered.
Verse 18
[18] But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
You — The church, as well under the gospel, as under the law.
Verse 20
[20] There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
An infant — Those that were now children, shall die at a great age.
But — Yet none of these things shall be of any advantage to wicked men, but if any of them shall live to be an hundred years old, yet they shall die accursed.
Verse 23
[23] They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
With them — Is blessed with them.
Verse 24
[24] And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Before they call — God promised, chap. 58:9, to answer them, when they called: here he promises to answer the words, as soon as they should be formed in their hearts before they could get them out of their lips.
While — Yea, while they were speaking.
Verse 25
[25] The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
The wolf, … — God here promises to take off the fierceness of the spirits of his peoples enemies, so that they shall live quietly and peaceably together.
And dust — God promises a time of tranquility to his church under the metaphor of serpents eating the dust, their proper meat, Genesis 3:14, instead of flying upon men: it signifies such a time, when wicked men shall no more eat up the people of God.
Isaiah 12
Verse 1
[1] And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
In that day — When this great work of the reduction of Israel, and conversion of the Gentiles is fulfilled.
Verse 2
[2] Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
God — My salvation hath not been brought to pass by man, but by the almighty power of God.
Verse 3
[3] Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
With joy — Your thirsty souls shall be filled with Divine graces and comforts, which you may draw from God, in the use of gospel-ordinances.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Verse 6
[6] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
That walketh disorderly — Particularly by not working.
Not according to the tradition he received of us — The admonition we gave, both by word of mouth, and in our former epistle.
Verse 10
[10] For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Neither let him eat — Do not maintain him in idleness.
Verse 11
[11] For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Doing nothing, but being busybodies — To which idleness naturally disposes.
Verse 12
[12] Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Work quietly — Letting the concerns of other people alone.
Luke 21:5-19
Verse 5
[5] And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
Goodly stones — Such as no engines now in use could have brought, or even set upon each other. Some of them (as an eye witness who lately measured them writes) were forty - five cubits long, five high, and six broad; yet brought thither from another country.
And gifts — Which persons delivered from imminent dangers had, in accomplishment of their vows, hung on the walls and pillars. The marble of the temple was so white, that it appeared like a mountain of snow at a distance. And the gilding of many parts made it, especially when the sun shone, a most splendid and beautiful spectacle. Matthew 24:1; Mark 13:1.
Verse 8
[8] And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
I am the Christ; and the time is near — When I will deliver you from all your enemies. They are the words of the seducers.
Verse 9
[9] But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Commotions — Intestine broils; civil wars.
Verse 11
[11] And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Fearful sights and signs from heaven — Of which Josephus gives a circumstantial account.
Verse 12
[12] But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Mark 13:9.
Verse 13
[13] And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
It shall turn to you for a testimony — Of your having delivered your own souls, and of their being without excuse.
Verse 16
[16] And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Matthew 10:21.
Verse 17
[17] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13.
Verse 18
[18] But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Not a hair of your head — A proverbial expression, shall perish - Without the special providence of God. And then, not before the time, nor without A full reward.
Verse 19
[19] In your patience possess ye your souls.
In your patience possess ye your souls — Be calm and serene, masters of yourselves, and superior to all irrational and disquieting passions. By keeping the government of your spirits, you will both avoid much misery, and guard the better against all dangers.
-------
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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IT’S YOUR CHOICE By Timothy L. Owings
Luke 21:5-19
A man was checking into a hotel some years ago when he noticed behind the counter what he took to be the hotel’s slogan: “There are no problems, only opportunities.” Given the key to his room, he rode the elevator to the eighth floor, walked down the hall, and opened the door to his assigned room only to be greeted by a growling guard dog. In near panic, he inched his way around to the phone, called the desk, and stuttered out, “I have a problem in my room,” to which the desk clerk responded, “At our hotel, there are no problems, only opportunities!” “You can call it what you want, mister,” he replied, “but there’s an attack dog in my room and I need some help!”
Truth be told, more than a few of life’s unsettling situations have both problem and opportunity wrapped up inside them. When our options are weighed in the balance of uncertainty, we have a choice: will I deal with this matter as a problem to be endured or an opportunity to be overcome?
Jesus is nearing the end of his life. In fact, the Gospel lesson read today from Luke takes place only a couple of days before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. In keeping with the tradition of his ancestors, our Lord and his disciples are in Jerusalem for Passover. They make their way to the temple. There, observing the thousands of men and women coming and going, Jesus probably overheard one of his followers admiring the grandeur of that magnificent building. Abruptly, he replies to the comment with an unexpected response, which I paraphrase: “All this beauty, every dressed stone you see, every ornate appointment in this place will one day soon be nothing but rubble!”
Confused, even stunned, they ask, “Teacher, when and how in God’s name will such destruction come about?” At that moment, our Lord proceeds to describe in broad strokes the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that, some forty years later, came to pass under the Roman general Titus and his tenth legion. But the future crashing, burning, and looting of the temple are not the focus of his comments. Rather, he turns the conversation from what will happen in the future to how those who confess him must live their lives in the face of difficulties that could become opportunities. None of those listening then, and none of us today, want to hear the rest of that conversation.
Why? Because in a handful of sentences, our Lord tells us that when we follow him, when we say yes to being a Christian, we place our lives in the most challenging of places we can ever imagine. For those living in the first century, it meant persecution, arrest, prison, even death. Within our lifetimes, some still pay the ultimate price for being a Christian. To embrace our Lord’s values, to love our enemies, to speak peace in the presence of war, to offer reconciliation in the midst of division always requires courage. Therein is the choice all of us must make every day God gives us to live.
The first choice we make is whether or not we will actually live the faith we confess. Let’s be brutally honest with each other. It’s one thing to say in the midst of meaningful worship, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,” and quite another thing to live those words day after day, month after month, year after year. For those first Christian disciples, being a Christfollower was not so much an expression of words but a way of life. They left their nets and their families, walked away from many of their formative religious experiences, and followed a peasant carpenter from Nazareth.
What did they get for their trouble? Church history tells us all but one of the first twelve disciples died a martyr’s death. What did they get? They knew physical abuse, emotional abandonment, and more than a few wounded and broken friendships. The choice to be Christian in our speech, our actions, our lifestyles, our values is a choice every one of us makes every day. What will you choose?If we choose first to follow our Lord, the second choice is this: will we choose to see life’s challenges as problems to be endured or opportunities to be overcome? The key verses in our Gospel lesson are verses 13 and 14. After telling his followers the kinds of abuse they would experience, Jesus says: “This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds.” He then goes on to tell them not to make up their minds about what they would say, but rather that they see those moments as opportunities to be faithful in saying something positive and hopeful in Christ’s name.
To have lived any length of years at all reminds us that to be human is to experience more than a few of life’s struggles. We struggle with health, with career, with family, with relationships, with money, and yes, with faith. At every turn, the question is never if we will have struggles but rather how we will live through our struggles as men and women of faith, hope, and love following Jesus Christ.
Finally, the choice to follow Jesus and to embrace life’s challenging moments with faith has one further option: will we choose to trust in God’s faithful presence? It is one thing to sing with great conviction, “Simply trusting every day, trusting through a stormy way,” and quite another thing to actually trust in God’s unfailing presence in the midst of life’s storms. The promise our Lord gave to those first disciples is still the promise he offers us. He promises to be with us. Our choice is to trust that no matter how brutal life becomes, God chooses to love us, strengthen us, guide us, even bless us no matter what.
Hear the Word of God. Difficulties, even persecution because of our faith, will no doubt come to every one of us. When they do, make the choice to speak and act in faithful ways, trusting Jesus Christ, who promises to be with us always. Amen.… read more
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: NOVEMBER 13, 2016 By Joanne Carlson Brown
Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
THEME IDEAS
A new heaven and a new earth . . .wars and persecutions. . . they don’t seem to go together. What were the lectionary folks thinking? These seemingly contradictory passages speak of endings and beginnings—the vision of what can and will be—times of trial, times of peace. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It is the contradiction we live in every day. We are caught between despair and hope; caught between people who tell us to be realistic and our vision of a better life. We are caught between those who believe the world is going to hell, and those who see a different life—a better life, a life that can come to be, will come to be, if we only believe the promises of God and live into them.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Isaiah 12)
Come people of God; come and celebrate
God’s gift of salvation.
We come without fear.
We come trusting in God.
Come people of God; hear God’s promises
and witness God’s mighty deeds.
In hearing the promises,
in witnessing the mighty deeds of God,
we are strengthened for all that lies ahead.
Come, let us worship and praise God
by shouting aloud and singing for joy,
for God truly is in our midst.
Opening Prayer (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
Our loving and caring God,
we need this time together
to be united with our sisters and brothers
in the faith;
we need this time of worship
to be comforted and strengthened
in your presence.
We hear of wars and rumors of wars.
We read of persecution and oppression.
Remind us again of your vision,
that all might live in a world
of peace and justice and love.
May this time together
imprint this vision and promise on our hearts,
that we may live into this beloved community. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
O God, we are more like the vision in Luke
than the vision of Isaiah.
We see wars, hatred, and violence everywhere,
yet despair of ever stopping them.
We see oppression and injustice and persecution,
but fail to raise our voices in prophetic protest.
We have become a pessimistic people.
Help us believe—really believe—
in Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kin-dom,
in your promise of a new heaven and new earth.
Let your cry be our cry:
“They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain.” Amen.
Words of Assurance (Isaiah 12)
God is our strength and our salvation.
God’s anger is turned away,
and in its place we find comfort,
steadfast love, and forgiveness.
With this hope, we can draw water
from the wells of salvation
with joy and thanksgiving.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Isaiah 65)
Sisters and brothers, we are part of the new heaven and new earth. In God’s love we can reach across the differences that divide us. Greet one another in this spirit of reconciliation and peace.
Response to the Word (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
For these words of challenge and of hope,
we give you thanks and praise.
May they enable us to lead lives
that embody both challenge and hope,
bound together by your love.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to Offering (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
The world is a mess. What can we do? We can offer our visions of hope, our words of comfort, our acts of love, our resources to help bring God’s new heaven and new earth.
Offering Prayer (Isaiah 65)
O God,
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Isaiah 65:17-25
Isaiah 12
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
Scripture Text: Isaiah 65:17 “For, look! I create new heavens
and a new earth;
past things will not be remembered,
they will no more come to mind.
18 So be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for look! I am making Yerushalayim a joy,
and her people a delight.
19 I will rejoice in Yerushalayim
and take joy in my people.
The sound of weeping will no longer be heard in it,
no longer the sound of crying.
20 No more will babies die in infancy,
no more will an old man die short of his days —
he who dies at a hundred will be thought young,
and at less than a hundred thought cursed.
21 They will build houses and live in them,
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and others live there,
they will not plant and others eat;
for the days of my people
will be like the days of a tree,
and my chosen will themselves enjoy
the use of what they make.
23 They will not toil in vain
or raise children to be destroyed,
for they are the seed blessed by Adonai;
and their offspring with them.
24 Before they call, I will answer;
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion eat straw like an ox
(but the serpent — its food will be dust).
They will not hurt or destroy
anywhere on my holy mountain,”
says Adonai.
Isaiah 12:1 On that day you will say:
“I thank you, Adonai,
because, although you were angry at me,
your anger is now turned away;
and you are comforting me.
2 “See! God is my salvation.
I am confident and unafraid;
for Yah Adonai is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation!”
3 Then you will joyfully draw water
from the springs of salvation.
4 On that day you will say,
“Give thanks to Adonai! Call on his name!
Make his deeds known among the peoples,
declare how exalted is his name.
5 Sing to Adonai, for he has triumphed —
this is being made known throughout the earth.
6 Shout and sing for joy,
you who live in Tziyon;
for the Holy One of Isra’el
is with you in his greatness!”
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we command you, brothers, to stay away from any brother who is leading a life of idleness, a life not in keeping with the tradition you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you must imitate us, that we were not idle when we were among you. 8 We did not accept anyone’s food without paying; on the contrary, we labored and toiled, day and night, working so as not to be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not that we hadn’t the right to be supported, but so that we could make ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: if someone won’t work, he shouldn’t eat! 11 We hear that some of you are leading a life of idleness — not busy working, just busybodies! 12 We command such people — and in union with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we urge them — to settle down, get to work, and earn their own living. 13 And you brothers who are doing what is good, don’t slack off!
Luke 21:5 As some people were remarking about the Temple, how beautiful its stonework and memorial decorations were, he said, 6 “The time is coming when what you see here will be totally destroyed — not a single stone will be left standing!” 7 They asked him, “Rabbi, if this is so, when will these events take place? And what sign will show that they are about to happen?” 8 He answered, “Watch out! Don’t be fooled! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ Don’t go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t panic. For these things must happen first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
10 Then he told them, “Peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, 11 there will be great earthquakes, there will be epidemics and famines in various places, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from Heaven. 12 But before all this, they will arrest you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons; and you will be brought before kings and governors. This will all be on account of me, 13 but it will prove an opportunity for you to bear witness. 14 So make up your minds not to worry, rehearsing your defense beforehand; 15 for I myself will give you an eloquence and a wisdom that no adversary will be able to resist or refute. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends; some of you they will have put to death; 17 and everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will be lost. 19 By standing firm you will save your lives.
The John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Isaiah 65:17-25
Verse 17
[17] For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
I create — I am about wholly to change the state not only of my people, but to bring a new face upon the world, which shall abide until a new heavens and earth appear, in which shall dwell nothing but righteousness.
Not be remembered — That state of things shall be so glorious, that the former state of my people shall not be remembered.
Verse 18
[18] But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
You — The church, as well under the gospel, as under the law.
Verse 20
[20] There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
An infant — Those that were now children, shall die at a great age.
But — Yet none of these things shall be of any advantage to wicked men, but if any of them shall live to be an hundred years old, yet they shall die accursed.
Verse 23
[23] They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
With them — Is blessed with them.
Verse 24
[24] And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Before they call — God promised, chap. 58:9, to answer them, when they called: here he promises to answer the words, as soon as they should be formed in their hearts before they could get them out of their lips.
While — Yea, while they were speaking.
Verse 25
[25] The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
The wolf, … — God here promises to take off the fierceness of the spirits of his peoples enemies, so that they shall live quietly and peaceably together.
And dust — God promises a time of tranquility to his church under the metaphor of serpents eating the dust, their proper meat, Genesis 3:14, instead of flying upon men: it signifies such a time, when wicked men shall no more eat up the people of God.
Isaiah 12
Verse 1
[1] And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
In that day — When this great work of the reduction of Israel, and conversion of the Gentiles is fulfilled.
Verse 2
[2] Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
God — My salvation hath not been brought to pass by man, but by the almighty power of God.
Verse 3
[3] Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
With joy — Your thirsty souls shall be filled with Divine graces and comforts, which you may draw from God, in the use of gospel-ordinances.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Verse 6
[6] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
That walketh disorderly — Particularly by not working.
Not according to the tradition he received of us — The admonition we gave, both by word of mouth, and in our former epistle.
Verse 10
[10] For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Neither let him eat — Do not maintain him in idleness.
Verse 11
[11] For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Doing nothing, but being busybodies — To which idleness naturally disposes.
Verse 12
[12] Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Work quietly — Letting the concerns of other people alone.
Luke 21:5-19
Verse 5
[5] And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
Goodly stones — Such as no engines now in use could have brought, or even set upon each other. Some of them (as an eye witness who lately measured them writes) were forty - five cubits long, five high, and six broad; yet brought thither from another country.
And gifts — Which persons delivered from imminent dangers had, in accomplishment of their vows, hung on the walls and pillars. The marble of the temple was so white, that it appeared like a mountain of snow at a distance. And the gilding of many parts made it, especially when the sun shone, a most splendid and beautiful spectacle. Matthew 24:1; Mark 13:1.
Verse 8
[8] And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
I am the Christ; and the time is near — When I will deliver you from all your enemies. They are the words of the seducers.
Verse 9
[9] But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Commotions — Intestine broils; civil wars.
Verse 11
[11] And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Fearful sights and signs from heaven — Of which Josephus gives a circumstantial account.
Verse 12
[12] But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Mark 13:9.
Verse 13
[13] And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
It shall turn to you for a testimony — Of your having delivered your own souls, and of their being without excuse.
Verse 16
[16] And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Matthew 10:21.
Verse 17
[17] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13.
Verse 18
[18] But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Not a hair of your head — A proverbial expression, shall perish - Without the special providence of God. And then, not before the time, nor without A full reward.
Verse 19
[19] In your patience possess ye your souls.
In your patience possess ye your souls — Be calm and serene, masters of yourselves, and superior to all irrational and disquieting passions. By keeping the government of your spirits, you will both avoid much misery, and guard the better against all dangers.
-------
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
-------
IT’S YOUR CHOICE By Timothy L. Owings
Luke 21:5-19
A man was checking into a hotel some years ago when he noticed behind the counter what he took to be the hotel’s slogan: “There are no problems, only opportunities.” Given the key to his room, he rode the elevator to the eighth floor, walked down the hall, and opened the door to his assigned room only to be greeted by a growling guard dog. In near panic, he inched his way around to the phone, called the desk, and stuttered out, “I have a problem in my room,” to which the desk clerk responded, “At our hotel, there are no problems, only opportunities!” “You can call it what you want, mister,” he replied, “but there’s an attack dog in my room and I need some help!”
Truth be told, more than a few of life’s unsettling situations have both problem and opportunity wrapped up inside them. When our options are weighed in the balance of uncertainty, we have a choice: will I deal with this matter as a problem to be endured or an opportunity to be overcome?
Jesus is nearing the end of his life. In fact, the Gospel lesson read today from Luke takes place only a couple of days before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. In keeping with the tradition of his ancestors, our Lord and his disciples are in Jerusalem for Passover. They make their way to the temple. There, observing the thousands of men and women coming and going, Jesus probably overheard one of his followers admiring the grandeur of that magnificent building. Abruptly, he replies to the comment with an unexpected response, which I paraphrase: “All this beauty, every dressed stone you see, every ornate appointment in this place will one day soon be nothing but rubble!”
Confused, even stunned, they ask, “Teacher, when and how in God’s name will such destruction come about?” At that moment, our Lord proceeds to describe in broad strokes the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that, some forty years later, came to pass under the Roman general Titus and his tenth legion. But the future crashing, burning, and looting of the temple are not the focus of his comments. Rather, he turns the conversation from what will happen in the future to how those who confess him must live their lives in the face of difficulties that could become opportunities. None of those listening then, and none of us today, want to hear the rest of that conversation.
Why? Because in a handful of sentences, our Lord tells us that when we follow him, when we say yes to being a Christian, we place our lives in the most challenging of places we can ever imagine. For those living in the first century, it meant persecution, arrest, prison, even death. Within our lifetimes, some still pay the ultimate price for being a Christian. To embrace our Lord’s values, to love our enemies, to speak peace in the presence of war, to offer reconciliation in the midst of division always requires courage. Therein is the choice all of us must make every day God gives us to live.
The first choice we make is whether or not we will actually live the faith we confess. Let’s be brutally honest with each other. It’s one thing to say in the midst of meaningful worship, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,” and quite another thing to live those words day after day, month after month, year after year. For those first Christian disciples, being a Christfollower was not so much an expression of words but a way of life. They left their nets and their families, walked away from many of their formative religious experiences, and followed a peasant carpenter from Nazareth.
What did they get for their trouble? Church history tells us all but one of the first twelve disciples died a martyr’s death. What did they get? They knew physical abuse, emotional abandonment, and more than a few wounded and broken friendships. The choice to be Christian in our speech, our actions, our lifestyles, our values is a choice every one of us makes every day. What will you choose?If we choose first to follow our Lord, the second choice is this: will we choose to see life’s challenges as problems to be endured or opportunities to be overcome? The key verses in our Gospel lesson are verses 13 and 14. After telling his followers the kinds of abuse they would experience, Jesus says: “This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds.” He then goes on to tell them not to make up their minds about what they would say, but rather that they see those moments as opportunities to be faithful in saying something positive and hopeful in Christ’s name.
To have lived any length of years at all reminds us that to be human is to experience more than a few of life’s struggles. We struggle with health, with career, with family, with relationships, with money, and yes, with faith. At every turn, the question is never if we will have struggles but rather how we will live through our struggles as men and women of faith, hope, and love following Jesus Christ.
Finally, the choice to follow Jesus and to embrace life’s challenging moments with faith has one further option: will we choose to trust in God’s faithful presence? It is one thing to sing with great conviction, “Simply trusting every day, trusting through a stormy way,” and quite another thing to actually trust in God’s unfailing presence in the midst of life’s storms. The promise our Lord gave to those first disciples is still the promise he offers us. He promises to be with us. Our choice is to trust that no matter how brutal life becomes, God chooses to love us, strengthen us, guide us, even bless us no matter what.
Hear the Word of God. Difficulties, even persecution because of our faith, will no doubt come to every one of us. When they do, make the choice to speak and act in faithful ways, trusting Jesus Christ, who promises to be with us always. Amen.… read more
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: NOVEMBER 13, 2016 By Joanne Carlson BrownTwenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
THEME IDEAS
A new heaven and a new earth . . .wars and persecutions. . . they don’t seem to go together. What were the lectionary folks thinking? These seemingly contradictory passages speak of endings and beginnings—the vision of what can and will be—times of trial, times of peace. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It is the contradiction we live in every day. We are caught between despair and hope; caught between people who tell us to be realistic and our vision of a better life. We are caught between those who believe the world is going to hell, and those who see a different life—a better life, a life that can come to be, will come to be, if we only believe the promises of God and live into them.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Isaiah 12)
Come people of God; come and celebrate
God’s gift of salvation.
We come without fear.
We come trusting in God.
Come people of God; hear God’s promises
and witness God’s mighty deeds.
In hearing the promises,
in witnessing the mighty deeds of God,
we are strengthened for all that lies ahead.
Come, let us worship and praise God
by shouting aloud and singing for joy,
for God truly is in our midst.
Opening Prayer (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
Our loving and caring God,
we need this time together
to be united with our sisters and brothers
in the faith;
we need this time of worship
to be comforted and strengthened
in your presence.
We hear of wars and rumors of wars.
We read of persecution and oppression.
Remind us again of your vision,
that all might live in a world
of peace and justice and love.
May this time together
imprint this vision and promise on our hearts,
that we may live into this beloved community. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
O God, we are more like the vision in Luke
than the vision of Isaiah.
We see wars, hatred, and violence everywhere,
yet despair of ever stopping them.
We see oppression and injustice and persecution,
but fail to raise our voices in prophetic protest.
We have become a pessimistic people.
Help us believe—really believe—
in Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kin-dom,
in your promise of a new heaven and new earth.
Let your cry be our cry:
“They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain.” Amen.
Words of Assurance (Isaiah 12)
God is our strength and our salvation.
God’s anger is turned away,
and in its place we find comfort,
steadfast love, and forgiveness.
With this hope, we can draw water
from the wells of salvation
with joy and thanksgiving.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Isaiah 65)
Sisters and brothers, we are part of the new heaven and new earth. In God’s love we can reach across the differences that divide us. Greet one another in this spirit of reconciliation and peace.
Response to the Word (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
For these words of challenge and of hope,
we give you thanks and praise.
May they enable us to lead lives
that embody both challenge and hope,
bound together by your love.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to Offering (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
The world is a mess. What can we do? We can offer our visions of hope, our words of comfort, our acts of love, our resources to help bring God’s new heaven and new earth.
Offering Prayer (Isaiah 65)
O God,
we long to make a difference
in our world.
We offer you what we have:
our visions and dreams;
our witness to your saving acts
of love and justice;
our resources to help bring
the new heaven and new earth
into our midst.
We offer you our very lives,
that we may be coworkers with you
to bring about true change.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
Go forth into a world that needs new visions.
Bring the message of hope and love,
of justice and peace, to all you meet.
Live the dream. Make it reality.
Celebrate endings and new beginnings,
challenges and promises.
Live the new creation. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Isaiah 65)
Have you heard?
Something new is coming,
a different world than the one we know.
And we’re the ones to help make it happen!
Let us gather together,
to support and encourage one another
and to praise God—
for new visions, for hope,
for new beginnings, and for new possibilities.
Praise Sentences (Isaiah 12)
Sing praises to God who has done gloriously!
Shout aloud and sing for joy, for God is in our midst!
God is our strength and salvation.
I will trust in this and not be afraid.
From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2017 is now available.… read more
WORSHIP CONNECTION: NOVEMBER 13, 2016 By Nancy C. Townley
Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: The Lord is continually creating something new
P: We are part of that creation, renewed, redeemed, beloved.
L: Through all this change, God is with us.
P: Though we struggle and doubt, yet God is faithful
L: Praise be to God who continually blesses us.
P: Let our hearts, our voices, and our spirits sing God’s praises. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: God’s promises are awesome!
P: In the midst of difficulty, God gives us a word of hope.
L: Something new is coming!
P: We stand eagerly on tiptoes awaiting God’s new creation.
L: Prepare your hearts to receive God’s mighty blessings.
P: Open our spirits and our hearts, Lord, to be ready to receive all that you have to offer. AMEN
Call to Worship #3:
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2282, “I’ll Fly Away,” offer the following call to worship as directed. Divide the congregation into sections, such as the right side of the center aisle and the left side of the center aisle, or all the men in one group and all the women in another group. Label them Group One and Group Two. The choir should be prepared to sing the first two verses of “I’ll Fly Away,” and the congregation may join them in the third verse as directed.]
L: God is creating something new. A new heaven and a new earth.
Group One:
Throughout all of life there has been struggle, toil, and turmoil. We have worked hard and often wondered if God really cares for us.
Group Two:
God has sent many messengers to give us the word of Love, yet we have turned our backs on them. Is it too late to turn again to God, seeking forgiveness and restoration?
L: Oh, that we could fly away from our fears and difficulties and rest in the arms of God.
CHOIR singing verse one of “I’ll Fly Away.”
Group One:
Holy God, come now and free us from our self-imposed prisons of doubt, selfishness, and greed.
Group Two:
Receive us and restore us, we pray.
CHOIR singing verse two of “I’ll Fly Away.”
L: The time is coming when God will make all things new.
Group One:
Lord, open our eyes to see the newness of your creation.
Group Two:
Lord, open our hearts and spirits to see the newness that you continually create each and every day.
CONGREGATION AND CHOIR singing verse 3 of “I’ll Fly Away.”
L: AMEN
People together: AMEN!
Call to Worship #4:
L: Praise be to God who is unchanging!
P: Thanks be to God who is continually creating newness and hope.
L: Each day we are greeted by new opportunities and challenges.
P: Each day we are given courage and strength to accomplish God’s tasks.
L: Let all God’s people shout praises to the heavens!
P: Great is our God and greatly to be praised! AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer
In the midst of continual change, God remains steadfast in God’s love for us. God is creating something new, a new heaven and a new earth. Each day offers newness of hope and faith. Let us open our hearts and spirits to God’s creative word for us that we may learn, grow, and serve as effective witnesses to God’s love and power. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we come before you this day as those who are often afraid to confess all the many ways in which we have disappointed and betrayed You. You have given us continual opportunities to serve and love others, but we have withdrawn into lives of selfishness and greed. We have turned our backs on others in need. We have denied the gifts you have given us. Where can we turn now that we have run from you? Your voice calls to us to come home, to come to you unafraid, to receive forgiveness and healing. Open our hearts this day to receive these magnificent blessings. Help us understand the many ways in which you love us, and help us share that love with all those whom we meet. For we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
Even though we have turned away from God, yet God is faithful to us. We are beloved of God and recipients of God’s love and blessings. Rejoice, children of God! For God’s mercies are ever before us. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
How shall we thank God for the many blessings God has given to us? Shall we offer mighty songs of praise? Shall we give of our abundance? Shall we again pledge our loyalty to God through lives of service and compassion? Yes, in all these things we shall offer our praise and our commitment to God. Each new day, each new opportunity is a blessing given freely to us. God’s new heaven and new earth reside in us. We have come before God today, proclaiming our faith. We have brought the names and situations of those near and dear to us before the throne of grace, seeking God’s healing and redeeming love. We place our lives in God’s care. In all of this, we are part of God’s new creation, meant to bring hope and forgiveness to all. Open our hearts, Lord, we want to be your agents of peace and hope. Open our lives, Lord, and help us work for you in this world so that in the world to come we may have eternal peace. AMEN.
Celebration and Reading
[Note: this “reading” is actually a celebration of the new creation in each of us. It is meant to be a joyful explosion of singing, color, and movement. This may be done at the beginning of the worship service or any place that you prefer it. The theme is joy and celebration, and as this song is being sung, items are placed in the worship center that are reminders of the new creation. See the artistic elements for suggestions.]
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2270, “He Has Made Me Glad,” offer the following Celebration and Reading.]
CHOIR AND CONGREGATION singing “He Has Made Me Glad” through one time.
L: Rejoice, O Jerusalem and all the Lands, for the Lord is creating a new hope in us.
People: Celebrate the good news of God’s blessings, pouring down on us.
CHOIR AND CONGREGATION singing “He Has Made Me Glad” through one time.
[During this time, the celebration items are brought forward and placed in the worship center.]
L: Rejoice, dear friends and beloved children of God, for in this day a new creation is happening. We are being renewed, forgiven, and freed to serve God faithfully.
People: Our hearts are bursting with the joy of new creation. Praise be to God! God has made us glad and we enter this day with joy!
CHOIR AND CONGREGATION singing “He Has Made Me Glad” through one time.
L: AMEN.
PEOPLE: AMEN.
Benediction
We go from this place rejoicing in God’s love. We commit our lives to serving God by serving others. God’s love has made us new. God’s peace goes with us in all that we say and do. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this day is Green.
Note: This is a wonderful day to offer celebration! The theme is God’s new creation and hope. The artistic elements for today are linked with the Celebration and Reading, which may be offered as a call to worship. During this Celebration and Reading the worship center is adorned.
SURFACE:
Place a 10” riser in the center of the worship table (on this riser you will place a cross). Other risers may be placed on the table and on the floor in front of the worship center (on these risers there will be pictures; see “Other” for suggestions)
FABRIC:
Cover the entire worship center in bright green fabric so that it covers all risers and puddles on the floor in front of the worship center.
CANDLES:
Place six 10” white pillar candles on each side of the central cross. (This should be done before the Celebration and Reading.)
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE:
Small arrangements of flowers may be placed on the worship center following the placement of the pictures.
ROCKS/WOOD:
Not necessary for this setting.
OTHER:
Today is a day of celebration. Have a variety of photographs in standing frames available to be placed on the worship center; they should include pictures of the congregation, youth, Sunday school, various church groups, people working together, and pictures of missionary endeavors and any photos that are relevant to your particular congregation. During the celebration these photos are brought forward and placed on the worship center. After the pictures are put in place, the flower arrangements are brought forward and placed on the worship center; this includes placing some pictures and flowers on the risers in front of the worship center. If you want to use helium-filled balloons as part of the celebration, you may do so. However, they should be placed at the sides of the worship center.… read more
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: NOVEMBER 13, 2016 By Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Three of today's texts deal with the day of the Lord or the second coming. Because children live so much in the present, promises of what will be "one day" have little power. But the convictions that underlie the promises are important for their sense of security. The fact that God will be there and in charge at the end of the world as at the beginning, assures children that they can rely on God's power at all times. The promise that God's final plans are happy ones reflects God's creation evaluation of the world, "that's good," and leads children to expect the world to be basically good.
Old Testament: Isaiah 65:17-25. Children have trouble with the detailed poetic images with which Isaiah states God's promises. The Good News Bible helps by translating some of these images into direct statesments. For example, in verse 20, "No more shall there be . . . an old person who does not live out a lifetime, "translates as: "All people will live out their life span." Because of their lack of experience, children need help understanding the images about getting to enjoy what you worked for (vss. 21-22a). The promises that deal with their keenest hopes are those about no more tears and more danger from enemies ("wolf and lamb shall feed together").
When 21-22a are linked with Paul's insistence that everyone must work (the Epistle), children respond to their fairness. They like the idea that those who build houses will get to live in them and those who plant gardens will get to eat the food that grows in them. They enjoy paraphrasing the promise that reflects their own work—for example, those who clean the house for the party will get to attend.
Psalm: Isaiah 12. If they have been hearing the exile saga this fall, and if the sweep of those events is reviewed before the reading, older children can understand this as a prayer of God's people looking back over their experiences. They hear in it the response of people who have learned their lesson. If they have not focused on Exile, they simply hear occasional phrases expressing confidence in God's loving protection.
Gospel: Luke 21:5-19. This is Jesus' answer to the question, "When will the `the end' come?" In recent years there has been an increase in people predicting the "end of time" or the "second coming." As the year 2000 approaches, there probably will be more. Children need to be prepared for these well-publicized announcements, and this passage is good preparation. Jesus says plainly that no one knows when God will act. Anyone who sets the date is to be ignored.
Jesus also forewarns his disciples (and us) that there will be times when being a Christian will get us into trouble. In those situations, we are to be strong, knowing that God is with us and will help us. Persecution, whether it be teasing or imprisonment, is part of being a follower of Jesus in a selfish world.
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13. This is a very practical teaching about life in the church. Everyone, of every age, is to be a contributing member. For children, who are unable to earn their own money, the message is that they are to take part in the work at home and at church and in the community. They are to do their part of the chores, and they are to watch for other things that need to be done and do them. That is one of the responsibilities of being a member of God' family. Understanding this passage is not nearly as difficult as disciplining ourselves (no matter what our age) to do the work.
Watch Words
Remember that children take apocalyptic language literally, unless you help them do otherwise. If you frequently use terms such as second coming, day of the Lord, or end of time in this service, be sure to tell children what the term(s) mean to you in your tradition.
To understand salvation, children need several everyday examples of things that are saved: a drowning person, a dog or cat from the pound, or (in this day of recycling) an item from the garbage heap being turned into something useful (maybe an empty can decorated to hold pencils).
Let the Children Sing
Sing "Rejoice, the Lord Is King" to celebrate God's lordship over all history. The repeated chorus makes it child-accessible. (Yes, boys will grin as they sing of every bosom swelling with joy.)
Sing "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated" to commit your whole bodies to doing God's work.
The Liturgical Child
1. Read Isaiah 12 as a responsive call to worship, with a worship leader reading the instructions in verses 1a and 3-4a and the congregation reading verses 1b-2, and 4b-6.
2. Adapt the litany prayer below to fit the work done in your congregation. The congregational response to each prayer: "Lord, help each of us see our share of the work and do it."
There's so much to do, Lord, just to keep our building clean! There are dishes to wash after every supper, and sidewalks to sweep, and grass to mow and rake, and garbage to empty. (RESPONSE)
And who will keep the furnace working, fold the bulletins each week, buy candles for the sanctuary, and remember to order the church school books? (RESPONSE
And then there are the demanding jobs, God. We need church school teachers who will spend time preparing and leading lessons every week. We need people who will see needs in the community and lead us out to meet them. We need people to make sure our money is spent wisely to do your work. (RESPONSE)
We need people who will spend a snowy day delivering Meals-on-Wheels, or walk all ten miles of the CROP Walk, or be a Bible school helper. (Name mission projects in which your children work.) (RESPONSE)
And God, we need alert people who quietly do the little things. We need people who will drive an older member to the doctor's office, babysitters who refuse to charge for church meetings, children who are leaders among younger children on the law after church. (RESPONSE)
Lord, there's so much to be done. It will take all of us working together to get the work done. Be with us as we work. Help us to work wisely and efficiently. And let us know your peace and happiness in all we do; for we work and pray in your name. Amen.
Sermon Resources
1. If you talk about the importance of work, describe the jobs children can do at home, at church, and in the community. Be specific. If you cannot identify some jobs that are more than busywork, put the congregation to work identifying and instituting some.… read more
SERMON OPTIONS: NOVEMBER 13, 2016
LET'S GET BUSY
2 THESSALONIANS 3:6-13
We often admonish people to slow down and usually it is most appropriate. Some people, however, need to be told to hurry up. Some need to be told to get busy. Paul said this to some Christians who were using their conviction concerning the Second Coming of Jesus as an excuse to drop out of life. Since they believed Jesus would be coming at any time, they decided it did not make sense to do any work. They wanted to just sit and stare at the sky.
Paul was concerned about their behavior since they did not know the day or the hour of the Lord's return. And even if the Lord were to return immediately, surely he would want to find them working. So for those who need a little motivation, consider the three motives Paul offers to be industrious until the Lord comes.
I. The Positive Example of Others (vv. 6-9)
Paul was willing to point to himself as an example. He had not been idle. He had not accepted food without paying for it. He even worked an extra job so that he would not be a burden to the church. Paul was not opposed to accepting a gracious gift, but in this case he was glad he had not so that he could be that positive example. It has been said that the world is run by tired people. Do you know a person of great accomplishment who is not also a great worker?
Jesus himself was a person who knew hard work. He knew how to do the physical labor of the carpenter shop, along with the kind of people work that allowed him to change the world in a three-year ministry.
II. The Negative Consequences of Idleness (vv. 10, 11)
The adage is surely true that says, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Paul mentions that among the negative consequences of idleness is the tendency to meddle in others' affairs. Instead of being busy, many in Thessalonica were busybodies.
The women were talking about the advantages and disadvantages of working outside the home. One said, "I work outside the home and I think it is an advantage. I don't have time for soap operas, talk shows, and gossip." That principle is true for all of us. If we are busy doing good, we don't have time to get involved in negative activities.
III. The Practical Benefits of Industry (vv. 12, 13)
The simple truth is that those who are busy will generally have food to put on the table. When people work, families are provided for and there may even be enough extra to bless those who are in genuine need. Work is not a curse; it is a blessing. Ask someone who lost his job or cannot find meaningful work.
An army private was trying to avoid work when discovered by his sergeant. "What are you doing?" barked the sergeant. The private, deciding to take the honest route, replied, "I'm procrastinating, Sergeant." After a pause the sergeant replied, "Okay son, just as long as you're busy." Great problems develop when we are busy procrastinating.
A fine Christian man was asked what he would do differently if he knew that Jesus were coming back today. He paused just for a moment and said, "Nothing." That's a great answer. It's an even greater way to live. (Michael Shannon)
STAND FIRM
LUKE 21:5-19
It has been said, "If you want to draw a crowd, don't preach on prayer, fasting, or spiritual discipline. Preach about the Second Coming." One who would make such an assertion might also add, "Be as dogmatic as you can about all of the apocalyptic symbolism, telling folks exactly what every detail must stand for." Those sayings do suggest that there is great interest in knowing when the end will come. As Christians we live in the tension between Jesus telling his disciples to live in a constant state of preparedness and the realization that nearly two thousand years later we are still awaiting his return. Only the Father in Heaven knows the day and the hour of the consummation of this age—not even the Son himself.
I. Ages Come and Go
As I look at this text, I am struck with the tension between the crumbling of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, and Jesus' exhortation to his disciples to stand firm. For the disciples, the thought that the temple could be destroyed was inconceivable. We are slow on the uptake sometimes, aren't we? After all, Solomon's temple was destroyed. Herod's temple was thought to be merely a refurbishing of Zerubbabel's temple—a temple that was not thought to be nearly as impressive as the original. How is it possible that such an impregnable and impressive structure could be destroyed?
The other temple was destroyed due to the rebellion of the people and their sin. Jesus tells us here that ages come and go. Of course after his crucifixion and resurrection there would be no more need for the temple. As ages come and go, Jesus told his disciples that there would be much turbulence and upheaval regarding the end of this age.
II. Conflict on a Human Level
There will be conflict on a human level prior to the end of this age. False messiahs will deceive many. (We've certainly seen that in our day, haven't we?) There will be wars and conflict. How about two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Bosnia, Zaire, Somalia, and on, and on, and on?
Restlessness and conflict will not merely be limited to nations. It will also be directed toward those who name the name of Christ. Family members will turn on those who declare their allegiance to him. Jesus tells us not to fear, but to trust that through his Spirit he will give us wisdom that no one will be able to refute.
III. Cosmic and Natural Upheaval
While there is human conflict going on, there will be upheaval in nature and the cosmos. Famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and disruptions in the heavens will cause fear in the hearts of many people. We read these words and again we say, "I've seen that in my day—record-breaking hurricanes, devastating quakes in Northridge, Kobe, or San Francisco, starvation in Somalia and Rwanda. At times it seems as if the world is falling apart."
IV. Stand Firm
It seems a tall order to stand firm when the world, literally and figuratively, is falling apart. It seems too much for a body to do to stand firm. Jesus has even warned that by standing firm, some will lose their life on earth. Doesn't sound very firm, does it?
As "frail creatures of dust" how do we stand firm in the midst of all of the upheaval and chaos around us? Jesus has already hinted at it in his assurance not to worry. We cannot stand firm by ourselves, but we can if he gives us the strength. He said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." That is all the strength we ultimately need. (Mark A. Johnson)… read more
NOVEMBER 13, 2016 - A WARNING, A VOCATIONBy William H. Willimon
PULPIT RESOURCE
in our world.
We offer you what we have:
our visions and dreams;
our witness to your saving acts
of love and justice;
our resources to help bring
the new heaven and new earth
into our midst.
We offer you our very lives,
that we may be coworkers with you
to bring about true change.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Isaiah 65, Luke 21)
Go forth into a world that needs new visions.
Bring the message of hope and love,
of justice and peace, to all you meet.
Live the dream. Make it reality.
Celebrate endings and new beginnings,
challenges and promises.
Live the new creation. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Isaiah 65)
Have you heard?
Something new is coming,
a different world than the one we know.
And we’re the ones to help make it happen!
Let us gather together,
to support and encourage one another
and to praise God—
for new visions, for hope,
for new beginnings, and for new possibilities.
Praise Sentences (Isaiah 12)
Sing praises to God who has done gloriously!
Shout aloud and sing for joy, for God is in our midst!
God is our strength and salvation.
I will trust in this and not be afraid.
From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2017 is now available.… read more
WORSHIP CONNECTION: NOVEMBER 13, 2016 By Nancy C. Townley
Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: The Lord is continually creating something new
P: We are part of that creation, renewed, redeemed, beloved.
L: Through all this change, God is with us.
P: Though we struggle and doubt, yet God is faithful
L: Praise be to God who continually blesses us.
P: Let our hearts, our voices, and our spirits sing God’s praises. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: God’s promises are awesome!
P: In the midst of difficulty, God gives us a word of hope.
L: Something new is coming!
P: We stand eagerly on tiptoes awaiting God’s new creation.
L: Prepare your hearts to receive God’s mighty blessings.
P: Open our spirits and our hearts, Lord, to be ready to receive all that you have to offer. AMEN
Call to Worship #3:
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2282, “I’ll Fly Away,” offer the following call to worship as directed. Divide the congregation into sections, such as the right side of the center aisle and the left side of the center aisle, or all the men in one group and all the women in another group. Label them Group One and Group Two. The choir should be prepared to sing the first two verses of “I’ll Fly Away,” and the congregation may join them in the third verse as directed.]
L: God is creating something new. A new heaven and a new earth.
Group One:
Throughout all of life there has been struggle, toil, and turmoil. We have worked hard and often wondered if God really cares for us.
Group Two:
God has sent many messengers to give us the word of Love, yet we have turned our backs on them. Is it too late to turn again to God, seeking forgiveness and restoration?
L: Oh, that we could fly away from our fears and difficulties and rest in the arms of God.
CHOIR singing verse one of “I’ll Fly Away.”
Group One:
Holy God, come now and free us from our self-imposed prisons of doubt, selfishness, and greed.
Group Two:
Receive us and restore us, we pray.
CHOIR singing verse two of “I’ll Fly Away.”
L: The time is coming when God will make all things new.
Group One:
Lord, open our eyes to see the newness of your creation.
Group Two:
Lord, open our hearts and spirits to see the newness that you continually create each and every day.
CONGREGATION AND CHOIR singing verse 3 of “I’ll Fly Away.”
L: AMEN
People together: AMEN!
Call to Worship #4:
L: Praise be to God who is unchanging!
P: Thanks be to God who is continually creating newness and hope.
L: Each day we are greeted by new opportunities and challenges.
P: Each day we are given courage and strength to accomplish God’s tasks.
L: Let all God’s people shout praises to the heavens!
P: Great is our God and greatly to be praised! AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer
In the midst of continual change, God remains steadfast in God’s love for us. God is creating something new, a new heaven and a new earth. Each day offers newness of hope and faith. Let us open our hearts and spirits to God’s creative word for us that we may learn, grow, and serve as effective witnesses to God’s love and power. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we come before you this day as those who are often afraid to confess all the many ways in which we have disappointed and betrayed You. You have given us continual opportunities to serve and love others, but we have withdrawn into lives of selfishness and greed. We have turned our backs on others in need. We have denied the gifts you have given us. Where can we turn now that we have run from you? Your voice calls to us to come home, to come to you unafraid, to receive forgiveness and healing. Open our hearts this day to receive these magnificent blessings. Help us understand the many ways in which you love us, and help us share that love with all those whom we meet. For we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
Even though we have turned away from God, yet God is faithful to us. We are beloved of God and recipients of God’s love and blessings. Rejoice, children of God! For God’s mercies are ever before us. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
How shall we thank God for the many blessings God has given to us? Shall we offer mighty songs of praise? Shall we give of our abundance? Shall we again pledge our loyalty to God through lives of service and compassion? Yes, in all these things we shall offer our praise and our commitment to God. Each new day, each new opportunity is a blessing given freely to us. God’s new heaven and new earth reside in us. We have come before God today, proclaiming our faith. We have brought the names and situations of those near and dear to us before the throne of grace, seeking God’s healing and redeeming love. We place our lives in God’s care. In all of this, we are part of God’s new creation, meant to bring hope and forgiveness to all. Open our hearts, Lord, we want to be your agents of peace and hope. Open our lives, Lord, and help us work for you in this world so that in the world to come we may have eternal peace. AMEN.
Celebration and Reading
[Note: this “reading” is actually a celebration of the new creation in each of us. It is meant to be a joyful explosion of singing, color, and movement. This may be done at the beginning of the worship service or any place that you prefer it. The theme is joy and celebration, and as this song is being sung, items are placed in the worship center that are reminders of the new creation. See the artistic elements for suggestions.]
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2270, “He Has Made Me Glad,” offer the following Celebration and Reading.]
CHOIR AND CONGREGATION singing “He Has Made Me Glad” through one time.
L: Rejoice, O Jerusalem and all the Lands, for the Lord is creating a new hope in us.
People: Celebrate the good news of God’s blessings, pouring down on us.
CHOIR AND CONGREGATION singing “He Has Made Me Glad” through one time.
[During this time, the celebration items are brought forward and placed in the worship center.]
L: Rejoice, dear friends and beloved children of God, for in this day a new creation is happening. We are being renewed, forgiven, and freed to serve God faithfully.
People: Our hearts are bursting with the joy of new creation. Praise be to God! God has made us glad and we enter this day with joy!
CHOIR AND CONGREGATION singing “He Has Made Me Glad” through one time.
L: AMEN.
PEOPLE: AMEN.
Benediction
We go from this place rejoicing in God’s love. We commit our lives to serving God by serving others. God’s love has made us new. God’s peace goes with us in all that we say and do. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this day is Green.
Note: This is a wonderful day to offer celebration! The theme is God’s new creation and hope. The artistic elements for today are linked with the Celebration and Reading, which may be offered as a call to worship. During this Celebration and Reading the worship center is adorned.
SURFACE:
Place a 10” riser in the center of the worship table (on this riser you will place a cross). Other risers may be placed on the table and on the floor in front of the worship center (on these risers there will be pictures; see “Other” for suggestions)
FABRIC:
Cover the entire worship center in bright green fabric so that it covers all risers and puddles on the floor in front of the worship center.
CANDLES:
Place six 10” white pillar candles on each side of the central cross. (This should be done before the Celebration and Reading.)
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE:
Small arrangements of flowers may be placed on the worship center following the placement of the pictures.
ROCKS/WOOD:
Not necessary for this setting.
OTHER:
Today is a day of celebration. Have a variety of photographs in standing frames available to be placed on the worship center; they should include pictures of the congregation, youth, Sunday school, various church groups, people working together, and pictures of missionary endeavors and any photos that are relevant to your particular congregation. During the celebration these photos are brought forward and placed on the worship center. After the pictures are put in place, the flower arrangements are brought forward and placed on the worship center; this includes placing some pictures and flowers on the risers in front of the worship center. If you want to use helium-filled balloons as part of the celebration, you may do so. However, they should be placed at the sides of the worship center.… read more
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: NOVEMBER 13, 2016 By Carolyn C. BrownFrom a Child's Point of View
Three of today's texts deal with the day of the Lord or the second coming. Because children live so much in the present, promises of what will be "one day" have little power. But the convictions that underlie the promises are important for their sense of security. The fact that God will be there and in charge at the end of the world as at the beginning, assures children that they can rely on God's power at all times. The promise that God's final plans are happy ones reflects God's creation evaluation of the world, "that's good," and leads children to expect the world to be basically good.
Old Testament: Isaiah 65:17-25. Children have trouble with the detailed poetic images with which Isaiah states God's promises. The Good News Bible helps by translating some of these images into direct statesments. For example, in verse 20, "No more shall there be . . . an old person who does not live out a lifetime, "translates as: "All people will live out their life span." Because of their lack of experience, children need help understanding the images about getting to enjoy what you worked for (vss. 21-22a). The promises that deal with their keenest hopes are those about no more tears and more danger from enemies ("wolf and lamb shall feed together").
When 21-22a are linked with Paul's insistence that everyone must work (the Epistle), children respond to their fairness. They like the idea that those who build houses will get to live in them and those who plant gardens will get to eat the food that grows in them. They enjoy paraphrasing the promise that reflects their own work—for example, those who clean the house for the party will get to attend.
Psalm: Isaiah 12. If they have been hearing the exile saga this fall, and if the sweep of those events is reviewed before the reading, older children can understand this as a prayer of God's people looking back over their experiences. They hear in it the response of people who have learned their lesson. If they have not focused on Exile, they simply hear occasional phrases expressing confidence in God's loving protection.
Gospel: Luke 21:5-19. This is Jesus' answer to the question, "When will the `the end' come?" In recent years there has been an increase in people predicting the "end of time" or the "second coming." As the year 2000 approaches, there probably will be more. Children need to be prepared for these well-publicized announcements, and this passage is good preparation. Jesus says plainly that no one knows when God will act. Anyone who sets the date is to be ignored.
Jesus also forewarns his disciples (and us) that there will be times when being a Christian will get us into trouble. In those situations, we are to be strong, knowing that God is with us and will help us. Persecution, whether it be teasing or imprisonment, is part of being a follower of Jesus in a selfish world.
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13. This is a very practical teaching about life in the church. Everyone, of every age, is to be a contributing member. For children, who are unable to earn their own money, the message is that they are to take part in the work at home and at church and in the community. They are to do their part of the chores, and they are to watch for other things that need to be done and do them. That is one of the responsibilities of being a member of God' family. Understanding this passage is not nearly as difficult as disciplining ourselves (no matter what our age) to do the work.
Watch Words
Remember that children take apocalyptic language literally, unless you help them do otherwise. If you frequently use terms such as second coming, day of the Lord, or end of time in this service, be sure to tell children what the term(s) mean to you in your tradition.
To understand salvation, children need several everyday examples of things that are saved: a drowning person, a dog or cat from the pound, or (in this day of recycling) an item from the garbage heap being turned into something useful (maybe an empty can decorated to hold pencils).
Let the Children Sing
Sing "Rejoice, the Lord Is King" to celebrate God's lordship over all history. The repeated chorus makes it child-accessible. (Yes, boys will grin as they sing of every bosom swelling with joy.)
Sing "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated" to commit your whole bodies to doing God's work.
The Liturgical Child
1. Read Isaiah 12 as a responsive call to worship, with a worship leader reading the instructions in verses 1a and 3-4a and the congregation reading verses 1b-2, and 4b-6.
2. Adapt the litany prayer below to fit the work done in your congregation. The congregational response to each prayer: "Lord, help each of us see our share of the work and do it."
There's so much to do, Lord, just to keep our building clean! There are dishes to wash after every supper, and sidewalks to sweep, and grass to mow and rake, and garbage to empty. (RESPONSE)
And who will keep the furnace working, fold the bulletins each week, buy candles for the sanctuary, and remember to order the church school books? (RESPONSE
And then there are the demanding jobs, God. We need church school teachers who will spend time preparing and leading lessons every week. We need people who will see needs in the community and lead us out to meet them. We need people to make sure our money is spent wisely to do your work. (RESPONSE)
We need people who will spend a snowy day delivering Meals-on-Wheels, or walk all ten miles of the CROP Walk, or be a Bible school helper. (Name mission projects in which your children work.) (RESPONSE)
And God, we need alert people who quietly do the little things. We need people who will drive an older member to the doctor's office, babysitters who refuse to charge for church meetings, children who are leaders among younger children on the law after church. (RESPONSE)
Lord, there's so much to be done. It will take all of us working together to get the work done. Be with us as we work. Help us to work wisely and efficiently. And let us know your peace and happiness in all we do; for we work and pray in your name. Amen.
Sermon Resources
1. If you talk about the importance of work, describe the jobs children can do at home, at church, and in the community. Be specific. If you cannot identify some jobs that are more than busywork, put the congregation to work identifying and instituting some.… read more
SERMON OPTIONS: NOVEMBER 13, 2016
LET'S GET BUSY
2 THESSALONIANS 3:6-13
We often admonish people to slow down and usually it is most appropriate. Some people, however, need to be told to hurry up. Some need to be told to get busy. Paul said this to some Christians who were using their conviction concerning the Second Coming of Jesus as an excuse to drop out of life. Since they believed Jesus would be coming at any time, they decided it did not make sense to do any work. They wanted to just sit and stare at the sky.
Paul was concerned about their behavior since they did not know the day or the hour of the Lord's return. And even if the Lord were to return immediately, surely he would want to find them working. So for those who need a little motivation, consider the three motives Paul offers to be industrious until the Lord comes.
I. The Positive Example of Others (vv. 6-9)
Paul was willing to point to himself as an example. He had not been idle. He had not accepted food without paying for it. He even worked an extra job so that he would not be a burden to the church. Paul was not opposed to accepting a gracious gift, but in this case he was glad he had not so that he could be that positive example. It has been said that the world is run by tired people. Do you know a person of great accomplishment who is not also a great worker?
Jesus himself was a person who knew hard work. He knew how to do the physical labor of the carpenter shop, along with the kind of people work that allowed him to change the world in a three-year ministry.
II. The Negative Consequences of Idleness (vv. 10, 11)
The adage is surely true that says, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Paul mentions that among the negative consequences of idleness is the tendency to meddle in others' affairs. Instead of being busy, many in Thessalonica were busybodies.
The women were talking about the advantages and disadvantages of working outside the home. One said, "I work outside the home and I think it is an advantage. I don't have time for soap operas, talk shows, and gossip." That principle is true for all of us. If we are busy doing good, we don't have time to get involved in negative activities.
III. The Practical Benefits of Industry (vv. 12, 13)
The simple truth is that those who are busy will generally have food to put on the table. When people work, families are provided for and there may even be enough extra to bless those who are in genuine need. Work is not a curse; it is a blessing. Ask someone who lost his job or cannot find meaningful work.
An army private was trying to avoid work when discovered by his sergeant. "What are you doing?" barked the sergeant. The private, deciding to take the honest route, replied, "I'm procrastinating, Sergeant." After a pause the sergeant replied, "Okay son, just as long as you're busy." Great problems develop when we are busy procrastinating.
A fine Christian man was asked what he would do differently if he knew that Jesus were coming back today. He paused just for a moment and said, "Nothing." That's a great answer. It's an even greater way to live. (Michael Shannon)
STAND FIRM
LUKE 21:5-19
It has been said, "If you want to draw a crowd, don't preach on prayer, fasting, or spiritual discipline. Preach about the Second Coming." One who would make such an assertion might also add, "Be as dogmatic as you can about all of the apocalyptic symbolism, telling folks exactly what every detail must stand for." Those sayings do suggest that there is great interest in knowing when the end will come. As Christians we live in the tension between Jesus telling his disciples to live in a constant state of preparedness and the realization that nearly two thousand years later we are still awaiting his return. Only the Father in Heaven knows the day and the hour of the consummation of this age—not even the Son himself.
I. Ages Come and Go
As I look at this text, I am struck with the tension between the crumbling of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, and Jesus' exhortation to his disciples to stand firm. For the disciples, the thought that the temple could be destroyed was inconceivable. We are slow on the uptake sometimes, aren't we? After all, Solomon's temple was destroyed. Herod's temple was thought to be merely a refurbishing of Zerubbabel's temple—a temple that was not thought to be nearly as impressive as the original. How is it possible that such an impregnable and impressive structure could be destroyed?
The other temple was destroyed due to the rebellion of the people and their sin. Jesus tells us here that ages come and go. Of course after his crucifixion and resurrection there would be no more need for the temple. As ages come and go, Jesus told his disciples that there would be much turbulence and upheaval regarding the end of this age.
II. Conflict on a Human Level
There will be conflict on a human level prior to the end of this age. False messiahs will deceive many. (We've certainly seen that in our day, haven't we?) There will be wars and conflict. How about two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Bosnia, Zaire, Somalia, and on, and on, and on?
Restlessness and conflict will not merely be limited to nations. It will also be directed toward those who name the name of Christ. Family members will turn on those who declare their allegiance to him. Jesus tells us not to fear, but to trust that through his Spirit he will give us wisdom that no one will be able to refute.
III. Cosmic and Natural Upheaval
While there is human conflict going on, there will be upheaval in nature and the cosmos. Famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and disruptions in the heavens will cause fear in the hearts of many people. We read these words and again we say, "I've seen that in my day—record-breaking hurricanes, devastating quakes in Northridge, Kobe, or San Francisco, starvation in Somalia and Rwanda. At times it seems as if the world is falling apart."
IV. Stand Firm
It seems a tall order to stand firm when the world, literally and figuratively, is falling apart. It seems too much for a body to do to stand firm. Jesus has even warned that by standing firm, some will lose their life on earth. Doesn't sound very firm, does it?
As "frail creatures of dust" how do we stand firm in the midst of all of the upheaval and chaos around us? Jesus has already hinted at it in his assurance not to worry. We cannot stand firm by ourselves, but we can if he gives us the strength. He said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." That is all the strength we ultimately need. (Mark A. Johnson)… read more
NOVEMBER 13, 2016 - A WARNING, A VOCATIONBy William H. Willimon
PULPIT RESOURCE
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Welcome to the new Pulpit Resource from Will Willimon. For over three decades Pulpit Resource helps preachers prepare to preach. Now in partnership with Abingdon Press, this homiletical weekly is available with fresh and timely accessibility to a new generation of preachers.
No sermon is a solo production. Every preacher relies on inherited models, mentors in the preacher’s past, commentaries on biblical texts by people who have given their lives to such study, comments received from members of the congregation, last week’s news headlines, and all the other things that make a sermon communal.
No Christian does anything on their own. We live through the witness of the saints; preachers of the past inspire us and judge us. Scripture itself is a product of the community of faith. A host of now-forgotten teachers taught us how to speak. Nobody is born a preacher.
Pulpit Resource is equivalent to sitting down with a trusted clergy friend over a cup of coffee and asking, “What will you preach next Sunday?” Whenever I’ve been asked by new preachers, “How can I develop as a preacher?” my usual response is, “Get in a group of preachers. Meet regularly. Learn how to give and how to receive help. Sort through the advice of others, and utilize helpful insights.”
That’s Pulpit Resource.
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