Missionary Renegade: Ministry Matters - Preach. Teach. Worship. Reach. Lead. for Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Ministry Matters - Preach. Teach. Worship. Reach. Lead. for Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Ministry Matters - Preach. Teach. Worship. Reach. Lead. for Tuesday, 8 July 2014
7 times when it's not a good time to change by Ron Edmondson

I’ve never been a proponent of the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Sometimes you need a change and nothing is “broke”. It just isn’t as good as it could be, it’s keeping other things from being better, or it’s soon going to be broken unless you change.
But, there are times not to change — certainly when you are not ready to change.
Here are seven times not to change:
When there isn’t a compelling purpose - There should always be a why. It might be as simple as if you don’t change you’re going to be bored out of your mind — but have a reason before you change.
When there are no good leaders behind it – You need people who buy into the change. If a change has value you can usually find supporters. They may be few. They may do nothing more than speak up for the change, but if no one can get excited about the change, you probably need to raise up some supporters before moving forward. (There are rare exceptions to this one, but again, they are rare.)
When you haven’t defined a win – Changing before you know what success looks like will keep you running in a lot of ineffective directions without much progress.
When the loss is more expensive than the win – Sometimes the cost just isn’t worth it. You can’t justify the people and resource expense for the potential return.
When the leader isn’t motivated – There are times to wait if senior leadership can’t get excited or at least support the change if pushback develops. Eventually, without their support, you’ll be less likely to experience sustaining, successful change.
When too many other things are changing – Any organization or group of people can only handle so much change at a time. This requires great discernment on the part of leaders to know when there is too much change occurring and it's best to wait for something new.
When an organization is in crisis mode – When a ship is sinking, fix the leak or bail some water before you choose your next destination. When things are in crisis is not the time to make a ton of changes. There may be needed changes to get things moving again, but catch your breath first, make sure a core of people is solid behind the vision, and take careful steps to plan intentional, helpful and needed change.
This isn’t intended as a checklist. I would never want to stop someone from making needed changes. I love change. But I do want to encourage better change. I hope this helps.
Zacchaeus: Honest and tall by Dave Barnhart

In Jewish tradition, Scripture is not merely read and applied: it is debated and examined from multiple angles. Like a gem, the sages say, “The Torah has seventy faces.” We turn it around and examine each angle carefully. I think we should do the same with the New Testament, because its compilers clearly intended that we have multiple angles: That’s why we have four Gospels, right? That’s why I love the story of Zacchaeus.
A tax collector was a greedy combination of embezzler and extortionist, a traitor to his people and a sinner of the worst sort—or so I’ve been told in countless sermons. This is why they are lumped together with prostitutes and other sinners. Jesus himself uses tax collectors in parables designed to shock his hearers (Luke 18:10). Although Jesus counted a tax collector among his disciples (Luke 5:27), the most notorious tax collector in the Bible is Zacchaeus (Luke 19), that tiny weasel of a man who was loathed by his neighbors.
Tax farming was an ingenious tool used by the Roman Empire to both collect income and turn indigenous populations against each other. It was a essentially a series of contractors and sub-contractors who bid to collect money from an area they knew well. A tax collector had his finger on the pulse of business in the neighborhood. He knew what you did for a living, who your relatives were, and for how much you could be squeezed. As a “chief tax collector,” Zacchaeus supervised his own sub-contractors for his area. Tax farming was not easy. You had to be rich and bid high, but not more than you could reasonably collect—otherwise you would make up the difference out of your own personal fortune.
The Zacchaeus story is usually told with the assumption that what the crowd believes about Zacchaeus is true: He is a crook. But what if he isn’t? When Zacchaeus learns that Jesus wants to dine at his house, he is happy to welcome him, but the crowd murmurs against him. He stops, turns to Jesus, and says: “Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much.”
The Common English Bible and King James Version (in contrast to the NIV and NRSV) accurately render these Greek verbs in the present tense, which leaves open the possibility that Zacchaeus isn’t actually admitting any guilt. In fact, he may be vindicating himself to Jesus against the grumbling of the crowd. It’s possible to read Zacchaeus’ statement this way: “Jesus, you hear the nasty things these people say about me, but look—I already give away half of everything I have to the poor. And if anyone can show me that I’ve cheated them, I return four times as much. I’m an honest man, Lord, in spite of what they say.”
Do the math: Zacchaeus couldn’t give away half of his possessions to the poor if he felt he had earned more than 1/8 of his fortune dishonestly.
There are other clues that support this reading of the story. Luke doesn’t include any of the usual language common to his other repentance stories (5:20, 7:47, 15:21, 18:13). Could it be possible that Zacchaeus is one of the reformed tax collectors who heard John the Baptist’s instructions to take no more than his fair share (Luke 3:12-13)? Luke also gives us his name: Zacchaeus, which means “pure.”
Read from this direction, Jesus’ statement that “Today, salvation has come to this household,” sounds very different. Zacchaeus, like Mary who sits at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:42), is an outsider who becomes a disciple, welcomed in from the margins. Like the blind man in the previous story (Luke 18:35-43) and Levi (5:27), he becomes part of Jesus’ entourage. Perhaps this is less a story of conversion than of inclusion.
Not everyone enjoys “reading against the grain” this way, but for me, it makes the Bible far more interesting and engaging. Too often we read and interpret through a lens of platitudes and conventional church wisdom, even though there is plenty of scholarship that backs alternative readings (see below). When we read uncritically, we unintentionally take the role of the crowd in this very story: judging by presumption instead of evidence. While I’m open to the conventional interpretation, the alternative needs to be heard.
There’s one more alternative reading that upsets the conventional reading of this story. The Bible says Zacchaeus climbed the tree because “he was short.” But the text does not say to whom “he” refers. What if he climbed the tree because Jesus was short?
Would you love Jesus any less if he were short? What if he were bald and beardless? While it’s easy to dismiss these details as irrelevant, acknowledging them shows how biased we are in our reading of Scripture, and why we need to examine this multifaceted gem from every angle.
See also
Corbin-Reuschling, Wyndy. “Zacchaeus’s conversion: to be or not to be a tax collector.” Ex auditu. 25 (2009): 67-88.
White, Richard. “A good word for Zacchaeus: exegetical comment on Luke 19:1-10.” Lexington Theological Quarterly. 14:4 (1979): 89-96.
Welcoming visitors without scaring them away by Joseph Yoo

Nothing makes me feel more anxious and nervous than being bombarded all at once by people I don't know just because I worshipped with them. Don't get me wrong: I like warm and hearty welcomes: from puppies that yelp and wag their tails uncontrollably from the preschool kids at church when they rush me all at once to say "hi"; from my loving wife who kisses me just for coming home and from our foster son who is so excited to see me that he flaps his arms so uncontrollably that I swear he's going to fly away.
But a group of eight ladies coming to me all at once and asking million questions a minute like "Where are you from?" often accompanied by "Where are you really from?" (because I'm Asian), fills me with anxiety and I try to make a beeline to the exit or the bathroom, whichever is closer.
If you haven't guessed, I'm a strong introvert. I like to keep to myself, especially if I'm in a place where I don't know many people. Being a wallflower is my preference. Always.
So, when I visit different churches and the pastor tells us to get up and greet one another, I start feeling anxious and look for ways to get out of it.
What's worse than that is when the pastor asks if there are any newcomers and if so, please stand up. I'd always rather not stand up. This one time the pastor decided to call me out.
“C'mon now! Don't be shy. We know you're new here. Stand up! Let us greet you!” I ever so reluctantly stood up.
After the service, I might as well have stood next to the pastor at the narthex because everyone came up to me and asked me about my life — past, present and future — some even trying to get me to sign up for committees and volunteer for future events.
Nowadays when I have the chance to visit another church, I almost always end up choosing a megachurch because outside of their welcoming committee and a handful of ushers, I can go without much interaction. Now, I know that I just totally undermined the community aspect of church. But, when I'm visiting churches, I want to worship corporately, but avoid community. It's a contradicting desire, I know.
It's just that some churches go overboard in welcoming and it scares people away. Perhaps there are a few things we can do to avoid that. For starters, we can avoid greeting someone all at once. Some people love it. Others dread it. I don't ever feel the need to meet everyone at the church. At least, not all at once.
And maybe we can refrain from personal questions like, "Where's your wife?" You just met me, how do you know that I'm even married? And why does it matter where my wife is? Oh — and if the person is single, don't ever try to set them up on a date.
While we're avoiding personal questions, perhaps we can also avoid doling out advice to people we just met. A young couple who just had their first kid visited a church. A few grandmothers started giving out parenting advice and in doing so, inadvertently questioned the young couple's parenting skills.
“Oh, he's not sleeping at all? When my kids were his age, they were getting a good four to six hours of sleep at night.”
The couple left slightly offended and never returned.
Perhaps we can also avoid being pushy. Don't assume they'll be back next week. They might just be checking your church out or perhaps they're in town for a trip and simply wanted to worship. Or they might've already decided that this isn't going to be their church. Invite them back, for sure. But don't assume they'll be back.
Don't force them to sign up for emails, newsletters, or prayer chains. Don't force them to give their contact info, either. Some people just aren't comfortable with giving personal information to people they just met. Even if it is the church. And definitely, don't ask them to sign up for a committee or volunteer at a church function. Not on their first Sunday.
At the same time, don't let them go completely unnoticed. Someone once told me that the loneliest time in worship is the time after the benediction because everyone is going their own way and the newcomers are often left to fend for themselves.
Welcoming is a tricky thing because no two persons are alike. But let's do our best to make our guests feel... well, like guests.
A generous harvest by Timothy L. Owings

When we think of the parables Jesus told, the parable of the prodigal son and the good Samaritan come quickly to mind. My hunch is the parable of the sower would be third on our list. Recorded in both Mark and Matthew, this parable is not only one we remember but also one of the few parables to which our Lord gave an interpretation. In case you are already saying to yourself, “Heard that, know that, thank you very much,” I dare you to listen again. You might just hear another twist on this old story.
As Jesus told the parable, a farmer put a heavy seed bag on his shoulder and went out to his field to sow seed. In those days, farmers broadcast seed across a fallow field before plowing. That’s right; seed was first sown, and then gently plowed into the ground. You might find it interesting that this methodology is being reclaimed today by farmers wanting to better care for God’s earth. “No-till” corn is quite the rage in parts of the Midwest. Using refined technology, a farmer can sow and cultivate a corn crop without deep-plowing the field. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Imagine that! H
Here, as this farmer broadcast his precious seed, some fell on a wellworn path cut by foot traffic through the fallow field. When fields lay fallow, foot travelers would cut walking paths through the fields, taking the shortest distance between two points. Fencing was rarely if ever used in the first century. So some seed landed on the path. And when it did, the birds quickly enjoyed lunch.
Other seeds, said Jesus, fell on rocky ground. Because there was little soil there, the seedlings sprang up quickly and then withered under the scorching sun. Thorns choked off other seeds, denying them the light of day and the promise of their bounty. Finally, some seed fell on good ground and brought forth a bumper crop yielding thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. Jesus ended the story admonishing all to listen; listen carefully, deeply, thoughtfully. Listen!
Some time passes. Probably alone with his disciples, Jesus gave an interpretation to this beloved parable that has endured through the ages. Many believe that our Lord’s interpretation of the parable, as representing various kinds of people, is the only legitimate interpretation. What if, as I believe, this parable has, can have, and even must have many meanings to it? As with all our Lord’s parables, the key is to listen and let the word take root in our lives.
I have another take on this great story; a twist to the text I invite you to consider. What if the parable could be applied with equal power to every individual life, to everyone who listens? If that is so, all of our lives have worn, rocky, thorny, and yes, good soil in which seed can germinate and grow. What if this parable is about you and me? If so, what is God saying to us?
If your life is like mine, you know how daily living creates well-worn paths. We call them ruts. We drive to and from work using the same route day after day. We shop at the same grocery store, fill our tanks at the same convenience store, thankfully attend the same church, and, more times than not, feed our families predictable menus of foods we know they will eat and enjoy. Routines are often required, but sometimes in our relationship with God, routines can become ruts. We can attend church week after week, hear the scriptures read (like this familiar parable), sing familiar hymns, go through the church routine, and in so doing, give the good seed God sows us to the birds of indifference. Trust me. It happens and may be happening even now.
Truth be told, God’s seed also falls on the rocky places of our lives. Life, by definition, can leave us cold, sharp, soilless, and rough. Pain, the cruelty of insensitive friends, and the crude comments of strangers can leave us lifeless and unmoved, rocks void of God’s bounty. Thorns pop up in our life’s ground as well. None of us intend to succumb to the cutting brutality of thorns, but there they are, choking out God’s blessings, robbing us of God’s promise.
But thanks be to God, some seed falls on good ground. When it does, the miracle of germination, cultivation, nourishment, sunshine, rain, and care yield a generous harvest no one thought was possible. It happens in all our lives in ways that leave us speechless.
I am thinking today of countless individuals through the years who have started to tell me a story with these words: “You’ll never believe what happened to me today.” Or, “I had no idea God could take what I did and use it to bless another’s life.” Tell your story. Look back and see all the times God sowed good seed on the good ground of your soul, and from that small beginning came a generous harvest that still leaves you amazed.
Here is the needed twist in this old, old story. Yes, there will always be people who are worn out, rocky, wasted, and yes, good. But the gospel reminds us there is far more good in all of us in which God’s grace can take root than any of us imagine. All manner of ground exists in the fields that are our lives. Why don’t we clear out the rocks, cut down the thorns, change up the routines, and give God even more opportunities to grow from our lives the generous, bountiful, giving people God in Christ made us to be? I dare you to believe it today and to discover it as you do the amazing work of God in and through your life.
Why you need a production calendar by Chad Brooks

I learned a huge lesson this last week that will change your ministry.
The funny thing was it already applied to this episode. Isn’t it great how things work like that?
In this episode I want to share with you why you (and your ministry) need a production calendar. It is one of the big pieces in the picture that helps your ministry be effective in reaching people. I share plenty of resources in this episode, so get ready.
The List

31 Ways Your Meetings Are Inefficient: Craig Jarrow
Confession. I hate meetings. They seem to always just be happen because people feel a meeting is necessary. Craig gives reasons why meetings sometimes suck and how you can make them better.
Tracking Producing vs Consuming: David Seah
David’s resources are no stranger to the podcast. Over the last month he has been on a journey to actually discover what he is creating/doing instead of just simply working. I have been tracking this journey. This blog post is a great primer to his entire experiment.
Productivity for Pastors-Know Thyself: Tim Spivey
Tim really lays it all out here. This is a great post about keeping it centered and being open to the process.
Why You Need a Production Calendar
This last week I have been at a training with other friends starting new United Methodist congregations in Louisiana this year. We have had an amazing time and I learned a lesson that really affects out discussion today.
Many times we ask questions about why we should be productive (because we are secretly scared we don’t know what to do next). As ministers, many of us didn’t receive practical training in seminary and Bible college about these skills. We just keep our fingers crossed and learn as we go.
Imagine what our ministries could do if we understand the simple steps to managing large projects.
What was the big lesson I learned? Amazing things happen when you focus on the small steps. It is a simple, step by step timeline for everything I need to get done.
One of my growing passions is to help people learn to take ministry from A (a dream) to Z (done and won). An essential part of this is learning why everyone needs a production calendar. A production (or editorial) calendar is simply a map of everything you have going on.
Here are the three benefits of a production calendar.
1. Production calendars help you see the big picture. Imagine what ministry could be like if everyone was always on the same page and accomplishing the same large goals. This is part of that process. Everyone knows why everything matters. Instead of eight different focuses going on simultaneously, the entire ministry can focus on common goals and teaching strategies.
No one is shooting in the dark.
They also help you realize when you are teaching way to much of the same subject (yeah, that happens). I learned that lesson from preaching rocket and it changed the last 8 months of my preaching.
2. The content is right in front of you. Guess work in ministry is eliminated. You're never asking “what’s next?” When you plan out your month, weeks and days, there is purpose behind every decision.
3. You and your ministry are consistently, steadily moving forward. It isn’t enough to just keep the ball in the air. That’s what many of us end up doing.
Doing this shouldn’t be scary. It is all about small steps toward much larger goals.
Toolbox Tip: Keep something with you to always write down ideas. It might be an app, notebook or note cards. This way you can write it down and come back to it later.
Remember to sign up for the Productive Pastor Insider. I’ll give you my Weekly/Daily tools to keep you focused on ministry priorities. These are amazing, big picture resources to help you minister at the highest level of effectiveness.
Listen: Stitcher, RSS, iTunes, Direct Download
The blood moon and the end times by Ed Trimmer

The conversation at the back pew between visitors at the church was about whether as Christians we should be pre millennialists or post millennialists (also referred to by Alister McGrath as pre-tribulational or post-tribulational). Two of “my” parishioners entered the conversation. One very familiar with the terms and ideas of the discussion and another totally baffled about the subject matter. Later the baffled one would ask me about the entire conversation. As another parishioner said he had never heard a “Methodist” preacher talk about the rapture, so why would “my” parishioners know anything about the conversation, especially, if these terms are only familiar to those who are “dispensationalists” (as some theological dictionaries suggest). Nonetheless this issue is alive and well in many churches, even some United Methodist churches.
Having started my ministry in the middle of the Hal Lindsay craze with his prediction of the world’s end in the book, "The Late Great Planet Earth," (the end will come, “within forty years or so of 1948”) and having lived through “prophet after prophet” predicting the world’s end especially via late night TV or more recently billboards in Nashville; I have become familiar with many of the issues, although they continue to evolve. The Blood Moon Prophecy now seems to be the latest craze and, of course, the creation by Great Britain and the United States of the country of Israel through the United Nations in 1947-48 remains a key event for many in trying to predict when God will dramatically break into human history and “end” human life as we know it.
These conversations remind me that in the so-called Little Apocalypse of Mark Jesus’ words are quite clear
“but of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32
It continues to amaze me that many Christians will spend countless hours reading, studying, and wondering about these eschatological issues but so little time trying to make disciples of Jesus Christ or trying to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ (going on toward perfection).
As I use to say to college students in my Religion and America class, there has never been a time since Jesus that some Christians did not think they were living in the end times. They have always been wrong, some day they may be right but I don’t think it is now. How about you?
Oh, I did preach about this using the Mark 13:32-33 as the text and as one parishioner said as he left, "I can cross this off my bucket list" (a United Methodist preacher preaching about the End Times).
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This Sunday

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost - Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Genesis 25:19-34
Psalm 119:105-112
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Genesis 25: Jacob and Esau
19-20 This is the family tree of Isaac son of Abraham: Abraham had Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram. She was the sister of Laban the Aramean.
21-23 Isaac prayed hard to God for his wife because she was barren. God answered his prayer and Rebekah became pregnant. But the children tumbled and kicked inside her so much that she said, “If this is the way it’s going to be, why go on living?” She went to God to find out what was going on. God told her,
Two nations are in your womb,
two peoples butting heads while still in your body.
One people will overpower the other,
and the older will serve the younger.
24-26 When her time to give birth came, sure enough, there were twins in her womb. The first came out reddish, as if snugly wrapped in a hairy blanket; they named him Esau (Hairy). His brother followed, his fist clutched tight to Esau’s heel; they named him Jacob (Heel). Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
27-28 The boys grew up. Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman. Jacob was a quiet man preferring life indoors among the tents. Isaac loved Esau because he loved his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29-30 One day Jacob was cooking a stew. Esau came in from the field, starved. Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stew—I’m starved!” That’s how he came to be called Edom (Red).
31 Jacob said, “Make me a trade: my stew for your rights as the firstborn.”
32 Esau said, “I’m starving! What good is a birthright if I’m dead?”
33-34 Jacob said, “First, swear to me.” And he did it. On oath Esau traded away his rights as the firstborn. Jacob gave him bread and the stew of lentils. He ate and drank, got up and left. That’s how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.
Psalm 119:105-112 By your words I can see where I’m going;
they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back
from living by your righteous order.
Everything’s falling apart on me, God;
put me together again with your Word.
Festoon me with your finest sayings, God;
teach me your holy rules.
My life is as close as my own hands,
but I don’t forget what you have revealed.
The wicked do their best to throw me off track,
but I don’t swerve an inch from your course.
I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever—
what a gift! And how happy it makes me!
I concentrate on doing exactly what you say—
I always have and always will.
Romans 8: The Solution Is Life on God’s Terms
1-2 With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
3-4 God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.
The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.
5-8 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.
9-11 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
Matthew 13: A Harvest Story
1-3 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.
3-8 “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.
9 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
The Meaning of the Harvest Story
18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.
20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
22 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.
23 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”
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John Wesley’s Notes-commentary for:
Genesis 25:19-34
Verse 20
[20] And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
And Isaac was forty years old — Not much is related concerning Isaac, but what had reference to his father, while he lived, and to his sons afterward; for Isaac seems not to have been a man of action, nor much tried, but to have spent his day, in quietness and silence.
Verse 21
[21] And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife — Though God had promised to multiply his family, he prayed for it; for God's promises must not supersede but encourage our prayers, and be improved as the ground of our faith. Though he had prayed for this mercy many years, and it was not granted, yet he did not leave off praying for it.
Verse 22
[22] And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
The children struggled within her — The commotion was altogether extra-ordinary, and made her very uneasy: If it be so, or, since it is so, why am I thus? - Before the want of children was her trouble, now the struggle of the children is no less so.
And she went to enquire of the Lord — Some think Melchizedek was now consulted as an oracle, or perhaps some Urim or Teraphim were now used to enquire of God by, as afterwards in the breast-plate of judgment. The word and prayer, by which we now enquire of the Lord, give great relief to those that are upon any account perplexed: it is a mighty ease to spread our case before the Lord, and ask council at his mouth.
Verse 23
[23] And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Two nations are in thy womb — She was now big not only with two children, but two nations, which should not only in their manners greatly differ from each other, but in their interest contend with each other, and the issue of the contest should be that the elder should serve the younger, which was fulfilled in the subjection of the Edomites for many ages to the house of David.
Verse 25
[25] And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
Esau when he was born was red and hairy, as if he had been already a grown man, whence he had his name Esau, made, reared already. This was an indication of a very strong constitution, and gave cause to expect that he would be a very robust, daring, active man. But Jacob was smooth and tender as other children.
Verse 26
[26] And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
His hand took hold on Esau's heel — This signified, 1. Jacob's pursuit of the birth-right and blessing; from the first he reached forth to have catched hold of it, and if possible to have prevented his brother. 2. His prevailing for it at last: that in process of time he should gain his point. This passage is referred to Hosea 12:3, and from hence he had his name Jacob, a supplanter.
Verse 27
[27] And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
Esau was an hunter — And a man that knew how to live by his wits, for he was a cunning hunter.
A man of the field — All for the game, and never so well but as when he was in pursuit of it.
And Jacob was a plain man — An honest man, that dealt fairly.
And dwelt in tents — Either, 1. As a shepherd, loving that safe and silent employment of keeping sheep, to which also he bred up his children, Genesis 46:34. Or, 2. As a student, he frequented the tents of Melchizedek or Heber, as some understand it, to be taught by them divine things.
Verse 28
[28] And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
And Isaac loved Esau — Isaac though he was not a stirring man himself, yet he loved to have his son active. Esau knew how to please him, and shewed a great respect for him, by treating him often with venison, which won upon him more than one would have thought. But Rebekah loved him whom God loved.
Verse 29
[29] And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
Sod — That is, boiled.
Verse 30
[30] And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Edom — That is, red.
Verse 31
[31] And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Sell me this day thy birth-right — He cannot be excused in taking advantage of Esau's necessity, yet neither can Esau be excused who is profane, Hebrews 12:16, because for one morsel of meat he sold his birth-right. The birth-right was typical of spiritual privileges, those of the church of the first-born: Esau was now tried how he would value those, and he shews himself sensible only of present grievances: may he but get relief against them, he cares not for his birth-right. If we look on Esau's birth-right as only a temporal advantage, what he said had something of truth in it, that our worldly enjoyments, even those we are most fond of, will stand us in no stead in a dying hour. They will not put by the stroke of death, nor ease the pangs, nor remove the sting. But being of a spiritual nature, his undervaluing it, was the greatest profaneness imaginable. It is egregious folly to part with our interest in God, and Christ, and heaven, for the riches, honours, and pleasures of this world.
Verse 34
[34] Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
He did eat and drink, and rise up and went his way — Without any serious reflections upon the ill bargain he had made, or any shew of regret.
Thus Esau despised his birth-right — He used no means to get the bargain revoked, made no appeal to his father about it but the bargain which his necessity had made, (supposing it were so) his profaneness confirmed, and by his subsequent neglect and contempt, he put the bargain past recall.
Psalm 119:105-112
Verse 108
[108] Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.
Offerings — The sacrifices of prayer and praise.
Verse 109
[109] My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
Is — Exposed to perpetual danger.
Romans 8:1-11
Verse 1
[1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is therefore now no condemnation — Either for things present or past. Now he comes to deliverance and liberty. The apostle here resumes the thread of his discourse, which was interrupted, Romans 7:7.
Verse 2
[2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The law of the Spirit — That is, the gospel.
Hath freed me from the law of sin and death — That is, the Mosaic dispensation.
Verse 3
[3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
For what the law — Of Moses.
Could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh — Incapable of conquering our evil nature. If it could, God needed not to have sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh - We with our sinful flesh were devoted to death. But God sending his own Son, in the likeness of that flesh, though pure from sin, condemned that sin which was in our flesh; gave sentence, that sin should be destroyed, and the believer wholly delivered from it.
Verse 4
[4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
That the righteousness of the law — The holiness it required, described, Romans 8:11.
Might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit — Who are guided in all our thoughts, words, and actions, not by corrupt nature, but by the Spirit of God. From this place St. Paul describes primarily the state of believers, and that of unbelievers only to illustrate this.
Verse 5
[5] For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
They that are after the flesh — Who remain under the guidance of corrupt nature.
Mind the things of the flesh — Have their thoughts and affections fixed on such things as gratify corrupt nature; namely, on things visible and temporal; on things of the earth, on pleasure, (of sense or imagination,) praise, or riches.
But they who are after the Spirit — Who are under his guidance.
Mind the things of the Spirit — Think of, relish, love things invisible, eternal; the things which the Spirit hath revealed, which he works in us, moves us to, and promises to give us.
Verse 6
[6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
For to be carnally minded — That is, to mind the things of the flesh.
Is death — The sure mark of spiritual death, and the way to death everlasting.
But to be spiritually minded — That is, to mind the things of the Spirit.
Is life — A sure mark of spiritual life, and the way to life everlasting. And attended with peace - The peace of God, which is the foretaste of life everlasting; and peace with God, opposite to the enmity mentioned in the next verse.
Verse 7
[7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Enmity against God — His existence, power, and providence.
Verse 8
[8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
They who are in the flesh — Under the government of it.
Verse 9
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
In the Spirit — Under his government.
If any man have not the Spirit of Christ — Dwelling and governing in him.
He is none of his — He is not a member of Christ; not a Christian; not in a state of salvation. A plain, express declaration, which admits of no exception. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!
Verse 10
[10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Now if Christ be in you — Where the Spirit of Christ is, there is Christ.
The body indeed is dead — Devoted to death.
Because of sin — Heretofore committed.
But the Spirit is life — Already truly alive.
Because of righteousness — Now attained. From Romans 8:13, St. Paul, having finished what he had begun, Romans 6:1, describes purely the state of believers.
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
Verse 2
[2] And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
He went into the vessel — Which constantly waited upon him, while he was on the sea coast.
Verse 3
[3] And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
In parables — The word is here taken in its proper sense, for apt similes or comparisons. This way of speaking, extremely common in the eastern countries, drew and fixed the attention of many, and occasioned the truths delivered to sink the deeper into humble and serious hearers. At the same time, by an awful mixture of justice and mercy, it hid them from the proud and careless. In this chapter our Lord delivers seven parables; directing the four former (as being of general concern) to all the people; the three latter to his disciples.
Behold the sower — How exquisitely proper is this parable to be an introduction to all the rest! In this our Lord answers a very obvious and a very important question. The same sower, Christ, and the same preachers sent by him, always sow the same seed: why has it not always the same effect? He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!
Verse 4
[4] And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
And while he sowed, some seeds fell by the highway side, and the birds came and devoured them — It is observable, that our Lord points out the grand hinderances of our bearing fruit, in the same order as they occur. The first danger is, that the birds will devour the seed. If it escape this, there is then another danger, namely, lest it be scorched, and wither away. It is long after this that the thorns spring up and choke the good seed. A vast majority of those who hear the word of God, receive the seed as by the highway side. Of those who do not lose it by the birds, yet many receive it as on stony places. Many of them who receive it in a better soil, yet suffer the thorns to grow up, and choke it: so that few even of these endure to the end, and bear fruit unto perfection: yet in all these cases, it is not the will of God that hinders, but their own voluntary perverseness.
Verse 8
[8] But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Good ground — Soft, not like that by the highway side; deep, not like the stony ground; purged, not full of thorns.
Verse 19
[19] When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
When any one heareth the word, and considereth it not — The first and most general cause of unfruitfulness.
The wicked one cometh — Either inwardly; filling the mind with thoughts of other things; or by his agent. Such are all they that introduce other subjects, when men should be considering what they have heard.
Verse 20
[20] But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
The seed sown on stony places, therefore sprang up soon, because it did not sink deep, Matthew 13:5.
He receiveth it with joy — Perhaps with transport, with ecstacy: struck with the beauty of truth, and drawn by the preventing grace of God.
Verse 21
[21] Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Yet hath he not root in himself — No deep work of grace: no change in the ground of his heart. Nay, he has no deep conviction; and without this, good desires soon wither away.
He is offended — He finds a thousand plausible pretences for leaving so narrow and rugged a way.
Verse 22
[22] He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
He that received the seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word and considereth it — In spite of Satan and his agents: yea, hath root in himself is deeply convinced, and in a great measure inwardly changed; so that he will not draw back, even when tribulation or persecution ariseth. And yet even in him, together with the good seed, the thorns spring up, Matthew 13:7. (perhaps unperceived at first) till they gradually choke it, destroy all its life and power, and it becometh unfruitful. Cares are thorns to the poor: wealth to the rich; the desire of other things to all.
The deceitfulness of riches — Deceitful indeed! for they smile, and betray: kiss, and smite into hell. They put out the eyes, harden the heart, steal away all the life of God; fill the soul with pride, anger, love of the world; make men enemies to the whole cross of Christ! And all the while are eagerly desired, and vehemently pursued, even by those who believe there is a God!
Verse 23
[23] But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty — That is, in various proportions; some abundantly more than others.

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A Generous Harvest by Timothy L. Owings

What kinds of things do you pray for? Only the impossible stuff? Things over which you have absolutely no control? What about requests that are “safe”?
The things we pray for are usually influenced by our views on what’s actually happening during prayer. Why do we pray? To change God’s mind, to get results from heaven, or to grow in our faith and get closer to God?
As my own understanding of prayer has developed, I’ve found it helpful to read biblical accounts of how people interacted with God using prayer. One in particular caught my eye yesterday.
Genesis 25:19-34 tells us the familiar story of Jacob and Esau, the fraternal twins who were such opposites that they didn’t even get along in the womb. Nothing about their lives was smooth sailing, even their conceptions.
Isaac didn’t get married until he was 40, and at some point it became apparent that Rebekah was having trouble getting pregnant. God had already promised Isaac's father Abraham that he would have more descendants than there were stars in the sky or grains of sand on the beach. And Isaac no doubt knew that God’s promise was going to be fulfilled through him. I’m not sure whether Isaac thought the pressure was on him or on God to make sure the promise was fulfilled, but he apparently decided he was going to do more than just sit on his duff and wait.
Isaac knew better than to try to “help God out” by getting a female slave to have his child. (It probably took Sarah and Abraham a while to live down that little episode.) So Isaac did what we often do when things are beyond our pay grade. He prayed.
“Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, since she was unable to have children. The LORD was moved by his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” (Genesis 25:21 CEB)
We aren’t given every detail here. Isaac was 60 when Jacob and Esau were born, so we know that he and Rebekah had been childless for 20 years. But we don’t know when Isaac started praying or how many times he had to pray before God took action. All we know for sure is that Isaac’s intercession moved God and brought fulfillment of the promise.
Isaac wasn’t just praying in vain—this passage portrays his prayers as pivotal. He knew what God had promised—and still he prayed anyway. This is part of a seemingly paradoxical pattern in the Bible where God makes a promise but requires the beneficiary in some way to take possession of what’s promised.
The LORD was moved by Isaac’s prayer, and there’s no reason to think that he isn’t moved by prayer today. We can’t presume that we’ll get everything we want when we pray, and we also can’t take for granted that the will of God will be done automatically if we don’t pray.
James 5:16 says that “the prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.” Some translations use the words effectual or effective in this verse. The main idea is that the people of God can pray and get results.
Prayers can move God.
This post previously appeared at Ministry Matters.
Shane Raynor is an editor at Ministry Matters and editor of the Converge Bible Studies series from Abingdon Press. Connect with Shane on Google+, Twitter, Tumblrand Facebook. Sign up to receive Shane's posts free via email.
Worship Connection: July 13, 2014 by Nancy C. Townley

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost COLOR: GreenSCRIPTURE READINGS: Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: Welcome to this house of the Lord!
P: Thank you. We are glad to be here this morning.
L: This is a time to offer our praise to God.
P: With joy we thank God for all the blessings that have been poured on us.
L: Come, let us worship God who showers us with mercy.
P: Give praise to God who offers us rest and peace. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: God has abundantly cast God’s seeds of love and hope upon us.
P: May we be fruitful soil for the planting and growing of hope and peace.
L: Come, let us praise God who is so generous with us.
P: Let us sing songs of joy to God.
L: Hallelujah!
P: Hallelujah!
Call to Worship #3:
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2032, “My Life Is in You, Lord,” offer the following call to worship as directed.]
L: Lord, prepare us to receive your healing words.
P: Make our hearts and spirits ready to do your work.
Soloist or choir: singing “My Life Is in You, Lord” through one time
L: May we be the good soil, getting ready for the seeds of God’s love.
P: May we bear the good fruit of salvation to honor God. AMEN
Congregation: singing “My Life Is in You, Lord” through one time
ALL: AMEN!
Call to Worship #4:
L: The Lord is the sower of the seeds of love and redemption.
P: But we have not always been ready to receive these seeds.
L: Today we hear again the scriptures that remind us of the awesome generosity of God.
P: Help us be good soil, O God, prepared to receive your love and to grow in that love.
L: Amen.
P: AMEN.
PRAYERS, READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer
God of abundant love, we come to you this day in the midst of a season of great growth and coming harvest. All around us are signs of growth, in our earth, in our families, in our nation, in our world. We come this day, seeking your healing love and abounding mercy. Open our hearts to receive all that you offer that we may become fruitful workers for you. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession
Lord, forgive us when we doubt your mercy and your love. We are so caught up in getting everything that we want; and we want it all right now. We have trouble waiting and remembering that it is in the waiting that we might hear your voice. It is difficult for us to believe that we can be fruitful, good soil for your words and work. We find excuses not to be attentive to you, but to focus instead on our own desires. Slow us down, Lord. Remind us again of your mercy and your love; for we offer this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
God hears your cries and heals your wounded hearts. God is preparing you for good things to come. Place your trust in God who has always loved you and will always love you. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
Lord, our spirits are on a summer time schedule. We change things around in our lives to accommodate new activities, times of rest, times of visiting with families and friends, times of travel and leisure. Help us remember that in all these things you are with us. Hear our cries of frustration when the plans that we have so carefully crafted do not work out. Be with us in all of our journeys, guiding our lives and our steps. Again, lavishly pour your love and mercy on us. Prepare us to serve you in all that we do. AMEN.
Reading
Voice:
The Sower scattered the seed, not afraid of where it went. Some of it landed on rocks; some on sand; some on insufficient soil; some on good ground. The Sower did not withhold any of the seed. It was joyfully scattered, broadcast widely to the whole of creation.
Reader 1:
Do you believe that? The Sower just threw it all away, everywhere.
Reader 2:
You’ve got to pay attention to where you put the seed. You can’t just throw it around. That’s stupid and wasteful.
Reader 1:
You are right. What’s the matter with that Sower anyway? In times like these you have to guard against so much.
Reader 2:
You can’t just give the seed to anybody. They have to be the right ones. We don’t want the wrong ones laying claim to the seed.
Voice:
“Some of the seed might fall on rocky ground, where birds come and eat it up. Some of it might fall on places where the soil is not deep enough and when the plants sprout up they do not have sufficient nourishment to be sustained.”
Reader 1:
See! The Sower understands. You take lots of risks when you scatter the seed so broadly.
Reader 2:
We need to be responsible to see that the seed is not wasted on those who don’t understand or appreciate it.
Voice:
Risk is what it’s all about. You never know when something will take root somewhere you didn’t expect. If we are too careful, too controlling, we might lose something special, coming from an unexpected source.
Reader 1:
So, in other words, we are supposed to trust in the judgment and generosity of the Sower. Well, maybe that’s not so bad. It’s not up to us to determine where the seed goes. The Sower will take care of that.
Reader 2:
You know, you’re right. We spend so much time worrying about who’s supposed to get the seed. We need to trust the Sower. We need to let go of our own fears and our own lack of generosity. Maybe something surprising will happen. I guess I can let go and let God, if you know what I mean.
Reader 1:
Actually, that’s the hard part--relinquishing a control and trusting God. Yep, that’s the hard part, all right.
Voice:
A sower went out to sow . . .”
Benediction
God has placed the seed of love and forgiveness in your heart. Go into God’s world with joy, telling of the good news of God’s abundant, lavish love for all creation. Go to be a witness to all the miraculous possibilities for hope and peace. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional Color for this Sunday is: GREEN
SURFACE:
Place two risers in front of the worship center: one riser should be about a foot lower than the surface of the worship center; the other should be about 6” lower than the first riser. The shorter front riser should be placed slightly to the right of the larger riser. Place 3 risers on the worship center: one, about a foot high, should be placed at the center back of the worship table (it will be the place for the cross), the other two may be placed to the right and the left and toward the middle of the worship center.
FABRIC:
Cover the worship center in burlap, making sure that the risers in front are completely covered. You may use several drapes of green fabric (several shades of green are very effective).
CANDLES:
Although candles are not necessary for this setting, you may use votive candles sparingly near each of the venues: the rocky soil, the poor soil, the good soil.
FLOWERS/PLANTS:
Place some very “spare,” almost dying plants near one of the risers on the worship table. Place some “seeds” (use navy beans or black beans, for example, to represent seeds). These seeds should be “spilling” from a basket, which is overturned on the left side of the worship center. You may put a bag in the basket from which the “seeds” are spilling; however, make sure that you have plenty of the beans so that they can be seen at a distance. Some of these “seeds” should be placed near the dying plants; some of them on the place where there is no green fabric; some of them among the rocks (here you will have to put quite a few so that they can be seen). The last shorter riser in front of the worship center should have a smaller bag of “seeds” again with them spilling out so that they represent the “word” that is continuing to be lavishly spread to all people.
ROCKS/WOOD:
I like to use a wonderful pile of rocks on the front center riser. Bigger rocks are more effective than the smaller polished ones. It will be good to find some real gritty rocks for this setting. Make sure that the “seeds” you are using are visible among the rocks.
OTHER:
An altar/worship center brass cross is appropriate for this setting and should be placed on the tall riser in the center back of the worship center. You might consider attaching a “seed” to the bulletin or to an insert as a reminder that God’s “seeds of love and forgiveness” are lavishly given for each one of us. You might consider taking mustard seeds and attaching them to a little “pocket card” that people can carry with them. Have some fun with this one.
Sermon Starter: The Harvest by Thad H. Carter

Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112 or Psalm 25; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Growing up in Louisiana, our small community was surrounded by rice farms. We often visited in the home of one farm family. The brothers in the family spent most of the day working in the fields to have a successful rice harvest. We often sat at the table with this family and shared their bounty. Not only were we able to enjoy the fruits of their labor but thousands of people we did not know would also be able to eat as a result of our friend’s efforts.
Jesus used a parable to introduce his hearers to the kingdom of God. A farmer planted seed in hopes of producing a good crop. Unfortunately not all the seed planted resulted in a harvest. Some seed fell on rocky soil or thorns. Only the seed planted in the good soil resulted in a harvest.
Our ministry of telling others about the kingdom will not always produce good results. Some will misunderstand; others will have a temporary religious experience. But some will follow the teachings of Jesus. We are relieved of the responsibility of deciding who does and who does not go into the kingdom. Our focus is on sharing the message of the Church: that Christ died and was resurrected. That is the gospel. We are recipients of the grace of God and when we do our part in the fields of ministry others we may not know personally will also benefit from the message of Jesus love.
The ministry of sowing is not a task for those who are easily discouraged. Results may not be evident for many years or even in our lifetime. We sew seed in faith that a harvest will eventually be reaped even if not in our lifetime. The reward is in doing the work that Christ calls us to.
Worship Elements: July 13, 2014
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost COLOR: Green

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew
Call to Worship 1
L: Come, let us worship the Lord our God,
P: For the Lord is our God, and we are the Lord's people.
L: As we wait upon the Lord, let us open our ears,
P: That we might both hear and heed the word of the Lord.
L: As we wait upon the Lord, let us open our eyes,
P: That we might both see and perceive the will of the Lord.
L: As we wait upon the Lord, let us open our hearts.
P: That we might understand with our hearts and turn to the Lord for healing.
Call to Worship 2
Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Pray as a little child. The Spirit who adopts us as children of God enables us to pray with confidence to our heavenly Father.
People: We will pray with all the ease and familiarity of small children to earthly parents.
Invocation 1
We have listened to the words of the street corner and the marketplace. And we have heard the words of our friends and neighbors. These words have often left us confused. They have not pointed the way to a dear and compelling goal. So we come to you, O Lord, in search of the Word that will give direction and meaning to our lives.
Invocation 2
"Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child;
Pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to thee."
Heav'nly Father, hear my prayer, Grant me only what is fair
As to others you would give: Life eternal let me live.
Holy Spirit, fresh'ning wind, Blow away all thoughts of sin,
Mind of Christ within me leave; Childlike innocence retrieve." Amen (First two stanzas, Charles Wesley, "Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild"; additional stanzas by the author.)
Invocation 3
God of old stories and new beginnings, open our lives today to the new that you long to accomplish in our lives. As you called Abraham and Sarah to walk faithfully with you, speak our names today, call us to higher purposes, fill us with your Spirit that we may worthily praise you and magnify your holy name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
Litany
L: You who are thirsty but do not have the money, come and drink,
P: That the word of the Lord might accomplish its purpose.
L: You who are hungry but do not have the price, come and eat,
P: That the word of the Lord might accomplish its purpose.
L: You who labor but do not get your reward, come and consider,
P: That the word of the Lord might accomplish its purpose.
L: You who scatter seed but do not reap the harvest, come and plant,
P: That the word of the Lord might accomplish its purpose.
A: Let us drink the water of life and eat the bread of heaven. Let us sow our seed in good soil, that others might reap the fruit of our labor.
Prayer of Confession 1
Persistent Word-Creator, patient Teacher, persuasive Spirit, you are tireless in speaking to us, but we find it easy to close our minds, to refuse to hear what would require painful change, to reject the truth because it is inconvenient. Forgive deliberate denseness of mind, fearful resistance to change, stubborn insistence that our way is the best way. Continue your speaking until we hear. Try new parables on us until we think and understand. Argue with us until we do your will. What else will your love in Christ allow you to do? Amen.
Prayer of Confession 2
God of life, Lord of mercy, we confess that, like Esau and Jacob, we selfishly make decisions that do not honor you or others. Believing ourselves wise, we foolishly follow our own way, falling short of your glory. Our pride keeps us from being honest about ourselves, our sin, and our needs. Forgive us, we pray, and grant us the gift of your healing grace. Restore again both the joy of knowing you and the freedom of being known by you. Make us new and lead us in the way of life everlasting. Amen.
Declaration of Pardon
Pastor: Friends, hear the Good News! All who are moved by the Spirit of God are children of God.
People: We are heirs of God's splendor with Jesus Christ.
Pastor: Friends, believe the Good News!
People: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Words of Assurance
Our gracious and loving Lord is the essence of generosity and patience. Rest in and rely on God’s love and forgiveness. Amen.
Prayer for One Voice
We bow before you, O God, in awe of your creation. Its vastness staggers our imagination. Its beauty kindles our excitement. Its mystery defies our understanding. As Jesus spoke to the crowds in Galilee in parables, sometimes you speak to us in parables. Your words are loud and powerful, but their meaning is not always clear.
Yet we sense the heartbeat behind your handiwork. In Jesus you have revealed your face, and we are delighted by what we see. We see power restrained by goodness. We see nature guided by humanity. We see purpose directed by love. We thank you, O Great Communicator, for the revelation of yourself in Jesus. At first we thank you for lowering yourself to our level. But as we look more closely at Jesus, we see that, instead, you raised us up to your level.
We grow uncomfortable in your company. Our humanity drags us down again to the level from which we ascended. Unlike Paul, we break under the weight of today's problems. We are constantly on the lookout for the quick fix. When our neighbor speaks to us harshly, we answer in kind without pausing to ask why. When given a chance to close a quick sale on dubious terms, we promise to be more ethical next time. When some foreign people opt for a system different from our own, we are quicker to denounce their choice than we are to study their history.
For this rush to judgment, we ask your forgiveness, O God. We pray for the rebirth of patience, that we might think beyond our present circumstances. Give us the grace to weigh our actions in light of their consequences on people yet unborn and on people in other lands. Let us hope for a world that we cannot yet see a world in which we are as quick to bestow freedom as we are to claim it—and grant us the courage to labor for the world of our hope.
When we think of the degree to which our hope exceeds our grasp, we also remember the multitudes who ding to hope because hope is all that remains. We pray, O God, that you will move us to act in their behalf, that both we and they might obtain the liberty of the children of God.
Exhortation
Do not be content simply to do what comes naturally. Live on the spiritual level as a Christian in whom Christ dwells by the Spirit.
Prayer of the Day
God of mystery, Sharer of Divine Secrets, Spirit of God's whole family, enable us to hear what you speak, to see what you disclose, to respond as to a parent in our prayers, that we may be strengthened to share the suffering of Christ, our brother, and live free from fear until the day of splendor comes. Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Creator of the visible and the invisible, divine Deliverer, Life-sustaining Spirit, all that is depends upon you and rejoices in your praise. You blot out our sins and free us to live as your children in love and helpfulness. Your Spirit both inspires our prayers and promotes our growth in Christ. All whom you deliver from sin and death praise you in your household. We especially rejoice in the reassuring voice of the Spirit, calling us into one loving family with you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
Holy God, you relieve us from the burden of our guilt and save us from the loneliness that isolates us from others and from you. With these our offering, we pledge our vows of service in the company of this holy family, in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Benediction 1
Today, O God, we have turned to you in search of direction for our lives, and you did not turn us away. You have opened our ears to your word, our eyes to your purpose, and our hearts to your presence. Now send us forth as people who hear with their ears, see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, that your word might bear fruit within us and through us.
Benediction 2
The time of our gathering has come to an end; the moment of our parting is at hand. God of gatherings and partings, lead us from this place of worship to the many places of service and need that we, gathered and sent by your Spirit, may be your people of grace and truth. May God— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—fit us for every good work to the glory of your name. Amen.
Adapted from Litanies and Other Prayers Year A, Copyright © 1989, 1992 by Abingdon Press; Prayers for the Seasons of God's People Year A, Copyright © 1998 by Abingdon Press, and The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2011, Copyright © 2010 by Abingdon Press;
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Missionary Renegade

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Ministry Matters - Preach. Teach. Worship. Reach. Lead. for Tuesday, 8 July 2014

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