One church, many contexts by Kenneth H. Carter Jr.
This article is featured in the Decision 2019: One with Christ, One with each other, One in ministry to all the world (Aug/Sep/Oct 2018) issue of Circuit Rider
The unity of the church is grounded in one God (Deuteronomy 6), which is affirmed by Jesus (Mark 12) and in the teachings of the apostles in Ephesians 4 (one Lord, one faith, one baptism). This unity is a gift of God (1 Corinthians 12) and is never a human achievement, right, or claim. The practical expression of unity is the love of God and neighbor (which is also the practical expression of holiness).Our complacency with division indicates a lack of love and is a barrier to the mission of the gospel in the midst of unbelief. I pray we hear Jesus saying in John 17: that they will be one, so that the world will believe. Thus unity needs to be visible in our congregations and in our structures.
It is true we are connected with each other in the one body. When one suffers, all suffer. When one rejoices, all rejoice. In The United Methodist Church, we have a term for this: the connection. It expresses our unity, our oneness. In The UMC, we might identify the instruments of our unity as the itineracy of preachers, the superintendency (which includes bishops), and Christian conferencing.
We are one. This unity is contested in our behaviors and in our rhetoric. Some are exhausted from the ties that have bound us and are ready for separation. Some are newer to life and ministry in our denomination and are eager remain united. Some have counted the cost of division, in terms of weakened witness and mission. And some have experienced the cost of ongoing conflict and seek new forms of church.
"Embracing the Wideness: The Shared Convictions of The United Methodist Church" (Abingdon Press, 2018). Pre-order here: http://bit.ly/EmbracingtheWideness
The presenting issue for this impasse is human sexuality, but many acknowledge that the divisions are much deeper. And in the United States, they are not unrelated to the political fault lines that shape our everyday lives.The One Church Plan, the plan most strongly affirmed by the Council of Bishops in their May 2018 meeting, places a great value on context. It recognizes that while we are a global church, we are not monolithic. It is very difficult to do ministry in exactly the same way in Monrovia, Liberia; Miami, Florida; Montgomery, Alabama; Washington, DC; Manila, Philippines; Los Angeles, California; and Berlin, Germany. These are sharply different missional contexts.
And so the One Church Plan allows for contextualization. It removes the 1972 language related to human sexuality, but it allows local churches to continue traditionalist values in their own wedding policies, clergy profiles, and covenants with bishops and boards of ordained ministry to determine whom they will ordain. It does not require votes in local churches that would divide members from one another. It would honor conscience and religious liberty, and yet it would provide a spiritual home, in many local United Methodist churches, for LGBTQ persons who are already living and serving among us.
A reductionistic critique of the One Church Plan asserts that it is a “local option,” and this phrase is used in a negative way. I would claim, in contrast, that vital missional churches understand and live into their contexts. The United Methodist Church already allows central conferences to adapt their Books of Discipline and allows clergy and local churches in the United States a remarkable spectrum of freedoms and “options”: from supporting non-United Methodist missionaries and seminaries, to adapting baptismal, communion, and membership liturgies, to minimizing the “United Methodist” name and logo.
Why do we allow for such profound contextualization? It does preserve our unity, but more deeply it helps us to be apostolic. We focus on the calling to share the grace of Jesus Christ where we are, in the most effective and fruitful way possible!
The One Church Plan was and is deeply shaped by the mission, vision, and scope of the Commission on a Way Forward, which was authorized by the 2016 General Conference. These words in particular are crucial:
[We] will design a way for being church that maximizes the presence of a United Methodist witness in as many places in the world as possible, that allows for as much differentiation as possible, and that balances an approach to different theological understandings of human sexuality with a desire for as much unity as possible. (“Mission, Vision and Scope,” Commission on a Way Forward)
These words could shape our life together in every local church. We want to see as much witness as possible, under the cross and flame; we want as much contextual differentiation as possible, on four continents, in urban and rural settings, in many languages and cultures; and we want to experience as much unity as possible. This unity is the work we have to do together in the months and years to come. And yet it is the call and cost of discipleship, as we bear with each other in love (Eph 4:2) for the sake of the good news that is for all people.
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Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. is president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church and serves the read more…
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The rise of homeschooling by Laura Brekke
For many of us, the idea of “homeschooling” conjures up images of an extra-large, ultraconservative Christian family, perhaps resembling the reality TV family the Duggers, who homeschooled all of their 19 children. However, today homeschooling has been embraced enthusiastically by families of all persuasions, both religious and nonreligious. In fact, the number of students who are homeschooled has more than doubled in the last 20 years. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Non-Public Education found that between 1999 and 2012, the homeschooling population rose from 850,000 to 1.8 million. As a percentage of school-age children, homeschooling rose from 1.7 percent to 3.4 percent in that 13-year period.According to ABC News, in 2016 about 1.7 million children were estimated to be homeschooled. Along with the increase in homeschooling has come a renewed interest in the scope of homeschooling and new, innovative ideas on how it can and should work for families.
The new face of homeschooling
As homeschooling grows in the United States, an increasingly diverse population is choosing this method of education for their children. The Office of Non-Public Education reported that 91 percent of families surveyed indicated “a concern about environment of other schools” as a factor in homeschooling, and 77 percent indicated “a desire to provide moral instruction” (compared to 64 percent indicating “a desire to provide religious instruction”).
Dr. Joseph Murphy, a professor of leadership and school improvement at Vanderbilt University, told ABC News, “I think what’s picked it up is people are now actually homeschooling for academic reasons, and that wasn’t true before. . . . Almost all homeschooling was value-based, but now people are homeschooling to get their kids to learn more than they would in school.”
Many parents who homeschool didn’t start out with that intention. “I always thought I would educate my kids in public school, and have them in school their entire educational career,” Dan Dillon, a former public school teacher and father of three, told ABC News. “I felt like . . . [traditional school] could be potentially limiting to a student who has an interest in a particular idea or particular subject but they just couldn’t pursue it because the model didn’t allow for that.”
These new homeschooling families emphasize the freedom that comes with homeschooling. Children have the freedom to pursue individual interests, and families have the freedom to travel and incorporate experiential learning into their school day. Dillon, for instance, took his children on a tour of Chicago on their first day of school one year.
For families choosing to homeschool, there are many styles to choose from. Classical education emphasizes reading and rhetoric. “Whole-child” programs seek to focus on producing self-motivated learners rather than achieving grade-specific milestones. Another group, termed “unschoolers,” focuses on learning in every aspect of a child’s life.
Darcel White is unschooling her three children, ages 12, 10 and 7. “I consider un-schooling to be more of a lifestyle, because it’s not something we do Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. . . . The learning never stops, it’s continuous 24/7,” she said in the ABC News article. “I feel like . . . the heart of un-schooling is the parent and child working together to give the best education possible.”
White began experimenting with homeschooling because her eldest daughter has dyslexia and highfunctioning autism. The Office of Non-Public Education reported that 15 percent of families indicated they were homeschooling because their “child has a physical or mental health problem.” Many other parents choose to homeschool their children who have special learning needs. Laura Smith’s 14-year-old son attended public school for nine years, but his ADHD and dysgraphia made traditional school difficult. “I never intended to homeschool. . . . Then I got this kid. The school system was sucking the life out of him,” she said in a March 30, 2016, article in The Atlantic.
Challenging the trend
While homeschooling is growing and gaining visibility, the question remains: Is homeschooling the right option for most families, or even a significant minority of them? With about 70 percent of mothers with children under 18 being in the labor force and with 23 percent of children living with only their mother, homeschooling is not a viable reality for many families. In West Virginia, wealthier counties have seen the largest rise in homeschooling in the last year, while less affluent counties in the southern coalfields have seen the lowest, according to WVNews.com in a May 20, 2018, article.
Homeschooling is increasingly an option for middle-class families who can afford to have one parent leave the workforce to stay home with children full-time. In the long-term, this can lead to even wider divisions between economic classes. This leads some, like Dana Goldstein, author of the book The Teacher Wars, to question if widespread homeschooling is healthy for a liberal democracy. In her 2012 article on Slate.com, Goldstein asks the basic question, “Does homeschooling serve the interests not just of those who are doing it, but of society as a whole?”
For many states, when a child is pulled out of the public education system, their parents receive a tax credit since they no longer have a child utilizing the public schools. This leads to less money supporting public schools and can exacerbate the problems that caused the family to withdraw their child in the first place.
“When it comes down to it, we’re worried about our own children first and foremost,” said Kathie Hess Crouse, a board member of the West Virginia Home Educators Association. She told WVNews.com, “As much as I’m sorry that the school system probably lost thousands of dollars because I pulled my two students out, that’s not my concern. If the school system had done a better job, I may have stayed in.”
Homeschooling is changing the way many Americans look at education. It impacts the financial stability of public schools, and may shift the notion of education for the common good. For now, though, homeschooling is a new frontier, with new and innovative opportunities to engage children in learning guided by their parents.
Hybrid homeschooling
While homeschooling is on the rise, many families are hesitant to cut ties completely with traditional schooling. For those in the middle, hybrid homeschooling is emerging as a potential alternative. A 2018 article in Forbes titled “Is Hybrid Homeschooling the Wave of the Future?” describes this model, in which children split their time between homeschooling and traditional school. Cost and time commitments keep many interested families from homeschooling, but by utilizing a hybrid system, some of these concerns can be alleviated.
In the Regina Caeli schools, which operate in 11 states, children spend three days a week at home with parent-led education. During the two days a week when students attend school, the classes are taught through a Socratic seminar with a focus on classic texts. Other models like Toco Hills Home Tutoring offer a mix of “part-day, after school and one-on-one tutoring to enhance homeschooling,” the Forbes article says. The majority of the hybrid programs in the United States are Christian-based, with parents citing faith as a reason for enrolling their families in the program.
Hybrid programs make use of the internet and other emerging technologies for innovative learning and work to provide students with the essential elements of a “traditional” classroom experience alongside parent-led education. These flexible programs increase the opportunities available to families who may not feel confident enough in their teaching abilities to pursue homeschooling full-time. As the use of homeschooling increases and hybrid options spread, the very nature of “school” in the United States will likely change.
Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion guide for classes and small groups.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Brekke
The Rev. Laura K. Brekke serves as Benfield-Vick Chaplain at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West read more…
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4 ways to end summer with a bang by David WoodardBut wait … the calendar still shows that weeks of summer are left until school starts. While you still may be basking in the glow of all the successful summer programming you have accomplished, the lazy hot summer days of late July and early August are upon us.
Parents are well aware of this conundrum as vacation to-do lists have been replaced with back-to-school to-do lists. Is watching the kids play video games on the sofa all there is left?
For faith communities, these weeks can be a prime opportunity to solidify the new relationships you have made during your summer programming. Take the opportunity to connect once more with new friends who came to your VBS and are just being introduced to your church. Here are four simple ideas that can be easily implemented but score big points with church families and your community friends alike.
Movie on the lawn
Convert your church lawn into a makeshift drive-in! Projectors and screens can be purchased or rented — you may have what you need already — or be creative and ask which technical mavens in your church can take the lead in getting you wired for vision and sound. Invite everyone to picnic on your grounds while enjoying a family-friendly flick. Maybe the youth group can sell some refreshments to get an early start on mission trip fundraising for next year.
Create your own neighborhood water park
Invite the families who enjoyed your VBS to come back for a VBS themed water park afternoon. Sprinklers, slip-n-slides, water balloons, or maybe even a rented water friendly inflatable can creatively be arranged to create a wonderfully wet and wild experience. Reuse your VBS props to reinforce the VBS theme! Don’t make it too hard. Summer heat and cool water activities may be just the remedy to the hot days of summer doldrums.
Old-fashioned ice cream social
Wondering what to do with all the leftover plastic bowls and spoons from VBS and camp? Is there a competitive spirit in your church community? If so, an old-fashioned homemade ice cream churning contest could become the highlight of the summer. Invite anyone who wants to bring a batch of their favorite recipe to share. Have your resident audiophile play DJ for the event. Create categories, judge entries and award prizes. The grand prize winner gets bragging rights for a year!
Food truck festival
Do food trucks roam the streets of your community? Why not invite them to park in your parking lot one evening and invite all the surrounding friends and neighbors to come over? Set up tables and chairs, stage a talent show or feature musicians from your church. You’ll have the makings of your own street festival right in your parking lot. It will be the talk of the town.
You have enjoyed a wonderful summer of renewing friendships, making new friends and getting to know your neighbors a little better. An easy but fun late summer church and community event can help you strengthen these connections. Have one more blast before school kicks back in session.
This post first appeared at Cokesbury Commons.
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David Woodard is a staff writer for Cokesbury. read more…
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WEEKLY PREACHING: AUGUST 5, 2018
To that I'll add that, this week, we finish our "Faces of our Faith" series — and my character focus is on Nathan. I'm viewing him as a "friend," not in the modern sense of a fun person or even companion, but as what Aristotle defined as "the opposite of a flatterer." We need truth-tellers (but not people who enjoy telling you off), people who can and care to see the depths of who we are, broken, full of dreams, limited… These people not only love us but help us to be wise and holy. To say Nathan speaks "truth" is important, as our culture scoffs at the very notion. But there still is truth — not a weapon against others, but simple facts and the profound truths of the soul. I need a friend to go there with me. I need to be a friend. The church needs to conceive of itself as a friend. The name Nathan, after all, means "gift."
* * *
Ephesians 4:1-16 is a rich text with, if anything, way too many possible preaching paths. I preached on this text three years ago, focusing then on “One” (called it “One is the Holiest Number,” with some Three Dog Night humor). In the thick of all the complexity in the world and divisions in the church, and with other pretenders and usurpers strutting around claiming to be “the one,” it is a liberating joy to explore the way God is one, and therefore we are one.Paul’s admonition that we “lead a life worthy” makes me shiver, but it lends great dignity to life. We are so unworthy. This worthiness must be extrinsic to us, a gift. Maybe it’s a gift in the way ordinands learn to say Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, not the grunting, grinding effort to be good enough. We clergy should ponder this worthiness in our own souls. John Owen’s words haunt me: “The minister may fill his pews and the mouths of the public; but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty — that he is and no more.”
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The worth is linked to the calling. “Not many of you were wise…” (1 Corinthians 1), as Paul reminds us. I will preach better and far more faithfully if I recall my calling and how I frame it in my gut. Back then, I didn’t sense a call to run meetings, meet budgets, go to clergy meetings or even preach sermons. For me, I was naively and deeply in love with Jesus, and I simply wanted to do anything he might need from me, any errands he might need to have run. I wanted to be someone who would say as clearly as possible, “Jesus is the One.”Sometimes evangelical jargon puzzles me, including the way the Christian life is called a “walk.” How’s your walk with Christ? Paul speaks of this life as walking. The Greek word, kin to our word “peripatetic,” means to walk around. I like a “walk around” kind of pastoral administration more than fixed evaluation meetings. Jesus seemed to be someone who walked around — to towns, the countryside, etc.
This calling is itself Hope. “You were called to one hope.” I like that. It isn’t that my calling is to talk about hope or to cajole people into being hopeful. The very fact that God calls is hope. And it’s not a passive hoping or wishing. St. Augustine said that “Hope has two beautiful daughters. One is anger at the way things are. The other is courage to see to it that things don’t remain the way they are.”
I was young when I was called. I wonder if I have matured? Paul speaks of maturity, of growing up. I used to hate it when one of my parents would say “Grow up!” Growing up in Christ is peculiar: it’s not increasing independence, and certainly not any kind of codependency, but an increasing dependence upon God, or maybe an increasing interdependence upon God and others in the Body.
The Greek term rendered “mature” is teleion, as in meeting the goal, arriving at the end, the telos, the purpose of things. Maturity is marked by certain traits, some of which Paul lists here: lowliness, meekness, patience, forbearing one another, clearly echoing Colossians 3:12-17 and mirroring Matthew 5:1-11.
When I was researching my book on The Beatitudes, my most delightful learning was to realize these aren’t commandments, but the blessings of life with God. In fact, the Beatitudes are primarily autobiographical: they tell us about Jesus and thus what those close to Jesus are like. After all, Paul speaks of maturity as rising “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” not any other standard! A bit oddly, Paul speaks of us being “no longer children” — in the face of Jesus’ constant counsel that we become like children. Fun preaching possibilities there: how do you balance these two thoughts that don’t really conflict at all?
* * *
The business in Ephesians 4 about ascending and descending is fascinating. When we explore the ascension of Christ, I like to say that the puzzle isn’t that Jesus soared upward and left earth. The real shocker, the way bigger miracle, is that Jesus came down to earth. Our text today seems to imply the doctrine of the descent into hell, although exegetes aren’t so sure. We looked closely at this belief back on February 18 (with help from Gandalf, Buechner, and Pannenberg).The doctrine is a valid, theologically shrewd one, the heart of which holds even if you have trouble buying that Jesus left his tomb and travelled somehow to the subterranean underworld to rescue captives. I might also point you to my Easter sermon, which was dependent on John Dominic Crossan’s lovely thoughts in Christian Century on the way in medieval art, Jesus rose from the dead, not alone at all, but dragging along others with him.
Speaking of hell, in our text Paul frets over the wiles of the devil. It’s the trickery, the fake news of the way evil comes at us, the whisper of whatever we want to hear. C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters still make for fabulous, funny and insightful reading. His demonic tempters know that their “best weapon” is “a contented worldliness.” And then, “It is funny how mortals always picture us putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”
"What can we say come August 5? 11th after Pentecost" originally appeared at James Howell's Weekly Preaching Notions. Reprinted with permission.
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James C. Howell
Dr. James C. Howell has been senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church since 2003, and has served read more…
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HOW PARTISANSHIP DRIVES RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES, AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND by Yonat Shimron / Religion News Service
(RNS) — Which comes first, religion or politics?
On the one hand, political scientists have long held that people’s political choices are formed by their childhood faith, which, for the most part, sticks with them.On the other, 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, a thrice-married adulterer who rarely attends church.
A new book by University of Pennsylvania political scientist Michele Margolis argues that it’s political science that has it backward.
As she lays out in From Politics to the Pews: How Partisanship and the Political Environment Shape Religious Identity, most Americans choose a political party before choosing the religion to follow in their adulthood, if they choose a religion at all.
“Political science sometimes assumes religiosity is a fixed and stable trait, like gender and race – things we think of for the most part as unchanging,” she said. “But there’s a whole literature out there that says it changes over time.”
The idea upends conventional thinking based on Americans’ lives of 100 years ago, when young people typically got married at age 18 and had their first child at 19. Today, young adults leave home for college. Then they take jobs. They marry later in life and have children even later.
During that transition, Margolis wrote, whatever religion they had fades into the background and they begin to form a political sensibility. Only when they’re ready to settle down and have a family does religion re-enter the picture.
“When it comes time to make religious decisions in adulthood, we have these formed partisan identities,” Margolis said.
Sharpening this political-religious split is the fact that many white Americans who end up as Democrats don’t come back to church, while Republicans tend to become more religious to better align with their political convictions. (She concedes the theory does not apply to African-Americans, who are highly religious and vote solidly for Democrats.)
“It may seem counterintuitive, if not downright implausible, that voting Democrat or Republican could change something as personal as our relationship with God,” Margolis wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. “But over the course of our lives, political choices tend to come first, religious choices second.”
Margolis’ findings are part of a growing body of evidence about the relationship between faith and politics. In their 2010 book American Grace, political scientists Robert Putnam and David Campbell noted the “God gap” — the most religious Americans were Republicans and the least religious were Democrats. The two found that those who say grace before digging into their meals are more likely to find a home in the Republican Party.
Sociologists Michael Hout and Claude Fischer even earlier theorized that the rise in people of no religion — the so-called nones — might be partly due to a backlash against the religious right that may have begun during George W. Bush’s presidency. (Prior to the 1970s, both parties included similar numbers of religious people.)
“People who think of themselves first as being a Democrat look out at the world and see religious people all tend to be Republican and a particular kind of Republican, and they say: ‘That’s not me. So I must not be religious,’” said Campbell, who teaches at the University of Notre Dame. “So they drop their religious affiliation because of their politics.”
The idea that people form their political opinions first may help explain recent studies showing that white evangelicals no longer frown on elected officials who commit immoral acts in their personal lives.
Famously, a 2016 PRRI/Brookings poll found that 72 percent of white evangelicals said an elected official could behave ethically even if the person has committed transgressions in his or her personal life — a 42-point jump from 2011, when only 30 percent of white evangelicals said the same.
Campbell said the nation’s political divide might foreshadow the emergence of a strong secular coalition. While secular Americans are not nearly as mobilized as white evangelicals, who have an advantage of church organizing, there are signs they may be growing.
In an online post about research he and other scholars published in the June issue of the American Journal of Political Science, Campbell concludes that the movement founded to increase the role of Christianity in the country may in fact be its undoing.
“The irony is that the Religious Right was founded to assert a greater role for religion in the public square, in opposition to ‘secular humanism,'” the post says. “Instead, it has fed the growth of secularism. The result is a likely continuation of cultural conflict in American politics.”
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Yonat Shimron joined RNS in April, 2011 and became managing editor in 2013. She was the religion reporter for The News read more…
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DOES THE UMC HAVE A WAY FORWARD? THE PROBLEM WITH OUTDATED ARGUMENTS by Karen R. Keen
The Commission announced three proposed options: Traditionalist (keep Book of Discipline the same), One Church (give the local church autonomy to determine their stance on same-sex relationships based on ministerial context), and Connectional (UMC would have conferences/dioceses based on sexual ethics rather than current geographic location; churches could join the conference that aligns with their view on same-sex relationships). The Bishops are sending all three proposals to February’s meeting, along with additional proposals sent in by congregations. However, the Bishops recommend the One Church approach as the best option.
Recently, Dr. Ben Witherington III, a New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary (a Methodist school) denounced the One Church (or “local option”) for several reasons. The One Church plan is more Baptist than Methodist in ecclesial structure. Given my Baptist background, I am not alarmed by local congregational autonomy, but I can understand why some Methodists would be. But, what I want to discuss in this post is Witherington’s other reasons for rejecting the One Church model. He wants the UMC to remain entirely and unequivocally traditionalist and makes several arguments in support of his view. I am troubled by some of the outdated information he uses to make his case. The UMC needs to make decisions based on the best data. Thus, I engage with Witherington’s points in hopes of bringing more clarity to the conversation.
Claim #1a. Witherington argues that people are not born gay or lesbian because “no one has discovered such a gene, though perhaps someday scientists may do so.” He then attempts to use a book by geneticist Francis Collins to claim that the “notion of hardwiring from birth in a gay or lesbian way is false, so far as the evidence we now have indicates. Inclinations are not predeterminations.”
Problem: Witherington is fighting a straw man. Back in the 1990s, popular media distorted Simon LaVey’s and Dean Hamer’s research by proclaiming a “gay gene.” Conservatives have been reacting to this outdated tabloid distortion ever since. In other words, affirming scholars are not making simplistic claims of a gay gene. Twin studies do show mild genetic influence (about 20%), but the best research is actually in the area of prenatal hormonal factors, which Witherington does not address. The “no gay gene” rebuttal is outdated. He also misuses Francis Collins’ book. Collins has publicly and repeatedly denounced this misuse of his statements — and first did so ten years ago (!).
Argument He Needs to Address: Witherington and other traditionalists will benefit from catching up on the current scientific research (here is a good start). For example, replicated studies demonstrate that some men are gay as a result of the Fraternal-Birth-Order-Effect. Men with older biological brothers are more likely to be gay, the percentage increasing with each older brother. A study published in the past year offers preliminary confirmation of a long standing hypothesis for why this is: antibodies in the mother that react to male fetal proteins during pregnancy.
Claim #1b. “Sometimes we forget that the major essential purpose of intercourse is so the species can ‘be fruitful and multiply’. It is of course not the only important function of intercourse, but it is from a biological point of view the most essential function of that act.”
Problem: Most conservative Christians allow infertile people to marry, as well as permit couples past childbearing age to have sex. It should be pointed out that many church fathers did exhort married men and women to live in celibate unions, believing sex was only legitimate if procreation was the purpose. Does Witherington agree? If not, why not?
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Argument He Needs to Address: How is it that “the major essential purpose of intercourse” and “the most essential function of that act” is waived for infertile couples? If procreative potential is truly “essential,” why the exception? This suggests traditionalists recognize the hardship of inflicting life-long celibacy on infertile people. To make their case, traditionalists need to show why gay and lesbian people are excluded from the “infertile waiver.” Witherington might reply that infertile couples have physical complementarity, but if so, his argument is not actually based on procreation as the factor that must define marriage. Rather, he has to argue why physical complementarity by itself is so important as to outweigh the significant human needs that normally lead traditionalists to make a compassionate exception for infertile people.Claim #2: “Many people are born with all sorts of birth defects, some genetic, some of other sorts. You simply cannot assume that because one is born this way, it must be a good thing and of God.”
Problem: Even if something is deemed the result of the fall, we normally take measures to respond compassionately to such conditions. Conservatives have shown only limited care for gay people. This is not unlike how people used to disregard those with mental illness, believing it to be a spiritual problem or choice. Witherington and other conservatives don’t adequately address the practical and pastoral implications of someone who is born gay.
Argument He Needs to Address: Given that studies show most gay people know they are gay by 10 or 11 years old, how do we realistically prepare these youth and young adults to never date, marry, or have a family of their own? A small minority attempt mixed orientation marriages, but these have higher rates of divorce. Most gay people cannot function in a heterosexual marriage. The result of the traditionalist view is mandatory celibacy for most gay people. If you looked at your church college group, what percentage of these 18- or 19-year olds could realistically succeed in making a lifetime vow of celibacy? Young evangelicals struggle to avoid sex for just a few years before they marry. The truth is, no evidence exists that lifelong celibacy is possible for every person who attempts it. I hope Witherington and others will read this evangelical family’s story and think hard about how we should approach same-sex relationships if a same-sex orientation is a birth defect (or a natural variation in human sexual development).
Claim #3: “Christian marriage is not a right, it’s a privilege. One must first be a Christian in order to qualify for the possibility of having a Christian wedding and a Christian marriage. And the only kind of marriage clearly endorsed in the NT is heterosexual monogamy.”
Problem: I don’t see any language in Scripture that defines marriage as a “privilege.” In much of the Bible, marriage is an expectation. The New Testament offers celibacy as an alternative to marriage (a drastic change from traditional Jewish perspectives on marriage). But offering an alternative is quite different from declaring marriage a privilege. In fact, Paul, despite his affinity for celibacy, expects people to marry if they cannot remain chaste (1 Corinthians 7).
Argument He Needs to Address: There is no Scriptural evidence to define marriage as a “privilege.” He will need to do more here to make his case. Moreover, he needs to wrestle with Paul’s acknowledgement that not all people can live celibate lives, as well as Paul’s expectation that marriage is the solution for promiscuity. What would Witherington advise a gay person who can’t pull off life-long celibacy?
Claim #4: “The real question is — all other things being equal, is it better and important that a child have a birth father and birth mother who loves them?” Witherington rejects same-sex relationships because children should be raised with both a mother and father.
Problem: Not every gay person wants to have children. In this case, the argument is irrelevant. Second, he is arguing against a straw man. Most people, conservative or progressive, agree that it’s optimal for children to be raised by their biological parents (if no abuse, etc). That is not really the issue. Rather the question is whether gay people should be allowed to care for the world’s orphans along with everyone else. There is a difference between intentionally causing a child to lose a parent versus taking redemptive action to help children in need. He might have a case against straight and gay people using sperm/egg donors for IVF, but not against adoption.
Argument He Needs to Address: Is Witherington suggesting that gay people stand by and do nothing to help orphans? How is that ethical? Second, is he arguing that single people should also be barred from adopting? Some heroes of the faith like Amy Carmichael have raised multiple children without a father figure. Carmichael was single and partnered with other women to provide that care. Would Witherington oppose Carmichael and others like her because the children were raised by mother figures? Traditionalists need to reckon with the number of orphans. Every year in the U.S. 23,000 children age out of the foster care system without ever being adopted. Around the globe, there are approximately 153 million children who have lost at least one parent. Of these, about 15-23 million have lost both parents. Aren’t we all responsible as human beings to care for those who need help? Witherington is proposing an argument based on an ideal world that doesn’t exist. This side of heaven we will always have orphans and they need all the help we can give them. This is a global humanitarian concern, not just the responsibility of intact father/mother Christian households (which themselves are unstable and subject to loss of a parent at any time via death, etc).
Conclusions
For UMC churches to make the most informed decision come voting time, we need to have the most accurate information. Witherington’s arguments are either outdated or don’t address the real issues at hand. I have offered suggestions for what he and other traditionalists need to address. But, my hope is not to elicit a knee jerk reaction in a competition to “win” the debate. I offer these reflections in all seriousness as these are issues the UMC needs to wrestle with. The answer is not as simple and clear as it is often been made out to be.
Note: I have addressed similar concerns and much more, including biblical arguments in my upcoming book Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships (Eerdmans).
"Does the UMC Have a Way Forward? The Problem with Outdated Arguments" originally appeared at KarenKeen.com. Reprinted with permission.
ABOUT THE AUTHORA
Karen R. Keen
Karen R. Keen is an author, teacher, and spiritual director at the The Redwood Center for Spiritual Care read more…
Bigstock/lzf
CRAZY MIRACULOUS THINGS by Jake Owensby
Initially, the Nazis interred Sasha in POW camps. However, during a routine exam a physician discovered that he was circumcised. The Nazis changed his classification and eventually sent him to Sobibor in cattle cars jammed with 2000 Russian Jews.
On the first day of his arrival, he noticed a fire glowing about 500 yards away. An acrid odor hung over the camp. He asked a fellow prisoner named Shlomo about the fire. Shlomo explained that the Nazis were burning the bodies of thousands of men, women, and children. Sobibor was an extermination camp.
As a soldier, Sasha’s first thought upon entering the camp was escape. His intention was to join partisans or to find the Red Army and continue the fight against the invaders. But when he learned of the misery and hopelessness of his fellow inmates, he rejected the idea of escaping alone or with a select few. He could not leave the others behind.
Against impossible odds, Alexander Pechersky led the most successful uprising and mass escape from a Nazi concentration camp.
Pechersky was not a gentle, saintly man. Hardened by battle and determined to exact revenge on the Nazis, he led a violent, bloody revolt at the camp. Once in the nearby forest, he and other soldiers left civilian prisoners to their own devices and sought out partisans to continue the fight. Many of those fellow prisoners were recaptured and executed.
"A Resurrection Shaped Life: Dying and Rising on Planet Earth" (Abingdon Press, 2018). Pre-order here: http://bit.ly/2K2M3wB
I share the story of Sasha Pechersky because of the decision he faced on his first day in Sobibor. He recognized the suffering around him and chose to seek relief for his fellow prisoners instead of pursuing his own personal liberation alone. He felt solidarity with everyone behind the barbed wire.From one perspective, the course he took was nothing short of lunacy. Weakened, starving inmates would rise up against brutal, heavily armed guards. Most of these prisoners had no military training. This should never have worked. But compassion can make us do crazy things.
And compassion is the Way of Jesus.
Jesus’ healings had drawn a large crowd. People were following him all over the countryside. Jesus turned to Philip and asked, “How are we going buy bread for all these people?” John tells us that Jesus already knew what he was going to do. He was testing Philip. (John 6:5b-6)
Those familiar with this Gospel passage know that Jesus had no intention of buying bread for everybody. Andrew brings him five barley loaves and a couple of fish that a boy has offered. Jesus then miraculously multiplies the loaves, feeds the crowds, and sends them home with doggie bags.
So, why did Jesus ask Philip about buying bread when he knew all along that he was going to pull off one of his blockbuster miracles? It seems like a setup. At least, it feels like a setup until you consider how Jesus operates in John’s Gospel.
Again and again Jesus helps people reframe their view of God and the world and of their place in that world. For instance, Nicodemus comes asking about eternal life, hears about being born from above, and eventually begins to realize that encountering the Spirit in our daily lives radically transforms our heart, mind, and soul right here on planet Earth.
Perhaps Philip had already realized that, as John noted, Passover was near. The people were hungry. Practical and efficient, Philip would have seen an impending crisis: a hungry mob to be managed. He was stuck. His go-to solution would be to buy food for them. He lacked the resources.
Jesus wasn’t after a solution to a problem. He was helping Philip shift his perspective. Instead of looking at the crowd and thinking “them,” Jesus invited him to see the people and think “us.” Instead of buying food for those people, Jesus invited him to think along a different Way. We are all in this together. What we have belongs to us all.
When we separate the world into us and them, we inevitably struggle with scarcity. We won’t have enough. Compassion erodes the us-them barrier. Together, we have more than enough.
We have enough to feed and house all of God’s children. Enough to educate and properly clothe all of us. Enough to provide health care for all of us.
This will seem crazy to some. There is not enough money to buy food and housing and education and clothing and health care for all those people. And so long as we’re talking about all those people, we’ll see things this way. The us-them perspective will imprison us in the illusion of scarcity.
But compassion is the way of Jesus. Compassion reveals the deep truth that we are all in this together. What we have belongs to us all. When we share, there is enough. With doggie bags to spare.
Compassion can make us do crazy things. Miraculous things.
"Crazy Miraculous Things" originally appeared on Looking for God in Messy Places. Reprinted with permission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jake Owensby
Jake Owensby is the fourth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana. Jake is the author of several books read more…
ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US? By Jason Micheli
This Week's Sermon
August 5, 2018
B37.2: The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
Jason Micheli
This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Micheli
Jason Micheli is the Executive Pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Church. He blogs at Tamed read more…
WORSHIP CONNECTION: AUGUST 5, 2018 by Nancy C. Townley
11th Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35
CALLS TO WORSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:26 When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonaiand done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.; Psalm 51:1(0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
13 (11) Don’t thrust me away from your presence,
don’t take your Ruach Kodesh away from me.
14 (12) Restore my joy in your salvation,
and let a willing spirit uphold me.; Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]
But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.
12:1 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. 2 The rich man had vast flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”
7 Natan said to David, “You are the man.
“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.
9 “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonaiand done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ 11 Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”
13 David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die.; Psalm 51:1(0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
13 (11) Don’t thrust me away from your presence,
don’t take your Ruach Kodesh away from me.
14 (12) Restore my joy in your salvation,
and let a willing spirit uphold me.; Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]
9 Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.
14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.; John 6:24 Accordingly, when the crowd saw that neither Yeshua nor histalmidim were there, they themselves boarded the boats and made for K’far-Nachum in search of Yeshua.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed! I tell you, you’re not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had all you wanted! 27 Don’t work for the food which passes away but for the food that stays on into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is the one on whom God the Father has put his seal.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” 29 Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
30 They said to him, “Nu, what miracle will you do for us, so that we may see it and trust you? What work can you perform? 31 Our fathers ate man in the desert — as it says in the Tanakh, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[John 6:31 Psalm 78:24; Nehemiah 9:15] 32 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you it wasn’t Moshe who gave you the bread from heaven. But my Father is giving you the genuine bread from heaven; 33 for God’s bread is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.; John 6:24 Accordingly, when the crowd saw that neither Yeshua nor histalmidim were there, they themselves boarded the boats and made for K’far-Nachum in search of Yeshua.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed! I tell you, you’re not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and had all you wanted! 27 Don’t work for the food which passes away but for the food that stays on into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is the one on whom God the Father has put his seal.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” 29 Yeshua answered, “Here’s what the work of God is: to trust in the one he sent!”
30 They said to him, “Nu, what miracle will you do for us, so that we may see it and trust you? What work can you perform? 31 Our fathers ate man in the desert — as it says in the Tanakh, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[John 6:31 Psalm 78:24; Nehemiah 9:15] 32 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! I tell you it wasn’t Moshe who gave you the bread from heaven. But my Father is giving you the genuine bread from heaven; 33 for God’s bread is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread from now on.” 35 Yeshua answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Call to Worship #1
P: Praise be to God!
L: Blessed be the Holy One, who brings us from despair to hope.
P: Praise be to God!
L: Blessed be the Giver of Life, who nurtures and comforts us.
P: Let us praise God with our whole hearts and souls! AMEN
Call to Worship #2
L: The Bread of Life has come among us.
P: What is this Bread of Life?
L: It is none other than Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son!
P: We hunger for the true bread that will nourish our souls.
L: Come, then, to Christ who feeds us with his very life!
P: We come, needing sustenance and nurturing. AMEN
Call to Worship #3
[If you are celebrating Communion on this Sunday , you might want to consider the following. Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2265, "Time Now To Gather", have the call to worship done as follows.]
L: All who are gathered here this day are welcome in the sight of the Lord.
P: We come from times of stress and worry, needing God’s healing love.
L: Come to this place of healing and feeding.
P: Chirist bids us welcome!
Congregation sings: Verse 1 of "Time Now to Gather" FWS 2265
L: From the worries of our lives
P: Christ bids us welcome!
L: From the things that draw us down and away,
P: Christ bids us welcome!
Congregation sings: Verse 3 of "Time Now to Gather" FWS 2265
L: Let your celebration begin!
P: Let us partake of the banquet of God in Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4
L: From God came the sustenance for people who wandered in wilderness places.
P: That was the bread from heaven!
L: From God comes Jesus Christ, the eternal bread that sustains our lives.
P: Christ is the Bread of Life!
L: Let us praise God for such wondrous gifts of life.
P: Let us sing and raise our voices in gratitude for all that God does for us. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
OPENING PRAYER
Along life’s pathways, we search continually for signs to point us in positive directions. Christ has given us a sign which points us to healing and hope: that is the sign of the Bread of Life. No more shall we hunger and thirst after the things which cannot sustain us. Now we have been fed and nourished by Christ! Open our hearts in gratitude, Lord, for all the wondrous things you have done for us. Open our Spirits to hear your words of hope for us today. AMEN.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
In the daily grind of life, we are so often taught to climb the ladder of success by stepping on each other, focusing only on our own wants and needs. Even as children on a carousel, we were taught to try to grab the golden ring, and it would fulfill our dreams of glory and wealth. How we have been corrupted to think in these terms. Our "dollar for a dream" mentality has gotten us into lots of trouble. We chase after all those false idols that cannot ever sustain us and bring us peace. Forgive our stupidity, Lord. Forgive us when we believe that if we only could win the Lottery, everything would be OK and we would be happy. It is your Son Jesus Christ who leads us in the ways of happiness and peace, sustaining us with his life-giving bread. Nurture us again, Lord, with this Bread of Life, that we may truly focus on the ministries and mission you have set before us. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Do you not know? It is Jesus Christ who is the Bread of Life! Come to him and feed on his love for you. Find healing in his presence. Know that this is given freely for you, out of his great love. AMEN.
PASTORAL PRAYER
It is easy for us to go through the motions of spirituality. We want to say the "right" prayers, and think that we have found the magical key to make holiness appear in our lives. But we are empty, Lord. We hunger and thirst for something that will sustain us through all the times of our lives. We chase after things that will disappoint and hurt, and look past the very thing that will heal and cleanse our lives. Christ is your Bread of Life, the Manna from Heaven, which was and is sent to feed and sustain us in all the wildernesses through which we travel. Help us to stop running after the glitz and glitter, the easy wealth; help us to look truly for the one who will quench our thirst and nourish our souls. As we have lifted up names of people and situations which lay heavy on our hearts today that need your healing touch, help us to remember that we stand continually in need of your healing mercy. Bring us to you, with open and repentant hearts, for your loving care. As we receive the wondrous gift of bread and wine, may we truly be reminded that Christ nurtures and feeds us with his own life. When we have been nourished, may we go from this place in renewed commitment to serve you, O God, with our very lives. AMEN.
READING
Reader 1: I want a sign that God is doing something for me, right now!
Reader 2: Why do you need a sign? Have you not seen and heard of all the miracles and the wonders that Jesus has done in God’s Name? Haven’t you listened as he told you of God’s love and forgiveness for your sins?
Reader 1: Words. Miracles. I want something I can latch onto.
Reader 2: What do you believe?
Reader 1: Well, I believe in God, certainly. I believe in God’s creative powers. I look around me and see the wonders of nature. That’s some creativity, I’ll tell you! Oh, yeah, and I believe that Jesus is God’s Son, just as the Bible says. I’m not too sure about the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost! But if that’s part of the mix, I believe it.
Reader 2: What do you believe about your relationship with God?
Reader 1: Well........I’m not sure. I guess that God loves me. I don’t know. God seems to be far to busy with the stuff in the world to really worry about me. But I hope God does care. Okay, what it really comes down to is this: I am hurting, badly. I can’t seem to get away from the pain within. I am starving for healing and no matter how hard I try to find the cure for what ails me, I can’t locate it.
Reader 2: Bring all of these concerns and doubts to Jesus. I mean it! Bring it to him. He is the One who will heal and nourish you. You do not have to starve. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He will give you all that you need for healing in your Spirit and heart.
Reader 1: I’m afraid. I’ve searched and failed so many times before.
Reader 2: Search no longer. Christ has found you. Come to him. He will heal and feed you.
Reader 1: I need his love and healing. I know it. I will try.
Reader 2: You don’t have to try. It is given to you. The Bread of Life brings you love and healing. Come and be fed......Come and be healed.....Come and know God’s love for you, for always and forever.
BENEDICTION, BLESSING
The Bread of Life has called and fed you. Now go forth into God’s world to nourish others, bring God’s love, hope and peace. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is GREEN
Note: I recommend putting a brief paragraph describing or explaining the symbolism used in your visual display. These become good teaching tools for a congregation.
Note: The image of Bread is used liberally in John’s gospel. You may want to consider a display using bread as the main image. Consider the following: The people who witnessed the feeding of the 5,000, were astonished at what had happened, as were the disciples. For many of the people, the true emptiness in their lives was exposed in their actions and attitudes. They wanted a sign. They hungered for a sign and reminded Jesus about the manna in the wilderness in the time of Moses. They stood at the base of the Holy One, as empty baskets, bringing only their misunderstanding and loss. The candle represents the life-transforming love of Christ. The basket with bread outpouring is self-explanatory
SURFACE Place two risers on the worship center. The first riser should be placed diagonally in the upper left side of the worship center, and the other, lower riser, should be placed somewhat diagonally in the center right side of the worship center. Place a riser in front of the worship center.
FABRIC You may wish to cover the entire worship center with green fabric, which is the color of the season, but my preference would be to use landscaper’s burlap to cover the worship center and all the risers, puddling on the floor in front of the riser. Green fabrc, 12" square may be used on each of the three risers.
CANDLES Place one white 10" pillar candle in the middle of the worship center.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE It is not necessary to use flowers for this setting. Although a small bundle of wheat may be placed in front of the candle at the middle of the worship center.
ROCKS/WOOD Not necessary for this set.
OTHER If you are using a Brass Cross on the worship center, place it on the taller of the two risers, upper left corner, so that it faces diagonally toward the center. Place a basket, preferably willow or wicker, on its side on the second riser. Have several loaves of uncut bread "spilling" out of the basket. On the lower riser, place an empty basket, and several other baskets, empty and tipped over at the base of the worship center.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nancy C. Townley
Nancy C. Townley is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She consults on visual arts, drama, liturgy and read more…
Ministry Matters
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